Ken Dorsey Chat Wrap

Oct. 9, 2002

Ken Dorsey: I am here and ready to go!!!

Dan (Jacksonville): You’ve always been good at getting rid of the ball quickly, do you think you will have to against Florida State, or do you think you will have a lot of time to throw?

Ken Dorsey: Even in past years, you have to throw the ball on time against FSU. You can never really hold the ball against them. We have to keep them off balance.

robert, jacksonville: what do you think will be the biggest challenge for the offense on saturday?

Ken Dorsey: I think one of the biggest things is being able to execute our gameplan. They do a great job of disrupting teams and what they want to do.

Wendell (Gainesville): Hey Ken, You’ve been doing a lot of trash talking lately. Whats the deal?

Ken Dorsey: I haven’t been .. it’s perceived that way but most of the time when you think I am I’m actually helping people up and telling them good job.

John (Pittsburgh,PA): Ken, how do you prepare yourself mentally before a football game as big as Florida State? Do you listen to music to psych yourself up?

Ken Dorsey: To stay comfortable during the week, you can’t really change your routine much. You prepare harder for big games but it’s important to keep your same routine to stay comfortable.

Palm Beach Gardens: Does it drive you as nuts as it does me all this talk about the Heisman Trophy? Based on your performances @ UM, you should be a lock.

Ken Dorsey: I think so!! We are in agreeance about that! A lot of people don’t understand that the biggest thing for me is winning games and being successful on Saturday’s. Not many award winners go 5-6. I hold wins and losses most dear.

vince buffalo,ny: what is your favorite play call?Good luck Saturday,Go CANEs!!

Ken Dorsey: Pass plays! Actually, what I like doing is get us into good plays. Anytime a defense shows us one thing and I can check off into a new play that works, those are my favorite plays.

Jesus (MIAMI, FL): Ken, Do you think the Seminoles after their big loss against Louisville, will come out with that nothing to lose attitude and make it a hard game to the Hurricanes?

Ken Dorsey: We know that they are going to come out extremely excited and motivated for this game. We are prepared for that and excited about taking that challenge on.

Dave (Blacksburg): December 7th …. Are you scared?

Ken Dorsey: To be honest, I don’t even know who we are playing after this game. I’m not looking forward to that game. I’m just excited about this FSU game.

Freddy (Austin): Ken,

I just wanted to thank you for what you’ve done so far for the program. You’re the main reason that the Canes are back. Do you think FSU will again put eight in the box to stop the run like they did last year (and get burned by you again) or instead try to stop the pass and let McGahee run wild? GO CANES!!!

Ken Dorsey: I think they are going to do a mixture. They always try to take away the run and usually when they put their mind to it, they can do that. We just have to keep them off balance.

Phil (Long Beach): What is the status of Frank Gore? As awesome as Willis McGahee has played this year, is there still a push to redshirt Frank?

Ken Dorsey: I don’t really know what his situation is .. he is doing more and more sprinting and running to strengthen his knee. We just don’t want to risk reinjurying him. We want him out there on the field.

Bryan (West Palm Beach): Ken, Do you have any aspirations for becoming involved in Politics after Football? Good luck Saturday!

Ken Dorsey: I don’t know (laughing). But I feel I’m getting pretty good at being political!

Norway: What are your thoughts about the new QB’s that are coming in after you. Especially Marc Guillon who origins from the same high school as you. Will they/he have something to say this season?

Ken Dorsey: We are really excited about their potential. We feel that every QB we have is a potential starter. We feel like all these guys have great potential uncluding Mark.

Phil (Long Beach): Ken, last week it appeared that Andre Johnson finally starting getting some of the action on offense. He and Winslow are unstoppable when everything is clicking, particularly on the play-action passes. Will there be a concerted effort to get them more opportunities vs. Florida State than we have seen thus far this year? Also, has Andre’s shoulder surgery affected his play at all?

Good luck this weekend! Go Canes!!!!

Ken Dorsey: We are certainly trying to get the ball to our playmakers and those guys fit that bill. One of our strengths is you can’t just take away a guy like that .. and we have other guys who can play just as well if those guys are taken out of the game.

Danny: Ken, with all the hype surrounding McGahee do you feel that has taken some pressure off you to makeup for the losses to the NFL?

Ken Dorsey: I think it has taken some pressure off all the guys, the way he has performed. He has allowed us to do so many more things.

John (jax., fl): Because of Miami’s depth, I am thinking three-peat… is that possible?

Ken Dorsey: We feel like we have a great opportunity. But it will be a battle. If we are going to win this game, then we have to execute. But we have a great chance.

Jesse (Pembroke Pines): Which team is better? 2001? 2002? Why?

Ken Dorsey: I think we have the potential to be better than last year. We have areas to improve on and we feel like we are improving on them. We are making great progress.

DeisCane: Any different preparation for a noon game this early in the season in the steamy OB?

Ken Dorsey: I think noon games are sometimes a little more difficult. You have to get up earlier and just get going earlier. You can’t be half asleep in the first quarter or you’ll be in quite a hole. At the same time, we are excited about it because there will a lot of people watching.

Jamal(Miami): Phillip Buchanon, Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremey Shcokey, Does it surprise you how good they’re doing as rookies in the NFL??

Ken Dorsey: Not a surprise at all. We knew how good they were. We felt when they left that they would all have great careers.

Columbia : Ken, what differences, if any, have you noticed with the offensive play calling and philosophy since Chud took the job?

Ken Dorsey: We have opened up the offense a lot. We are expanding it quite a bit. We used four WR last week and have gone empty in the past. We are a wide open offense so it has been really fun. But we have also expanded our power running game.

Marc(NY): Where do you rank yourself among Miami’s all-time great QBs?

Ken Dorsey: I don’t know .. it’s so difficult to do that. Those guys had different types of players and offenses so it’s really hard to compare. I try to look at myself as when I leave here, I just want to be remembered as part of that tradition.

Paul Miami: Ken, how do you grade the progress of the new players on the OL? Are they better run blockers than last years group?

Ken Dorsey: I think this year’s OL is better at run blocking than last year .. they need to have a huge game this week.

Reid (Ann Arbor, MI): Hey Ken, up here at the real U of M, we could use some QB help–interested in a new job?

Ken Dorsey: It’s a little late for that .. sorry. Michigan is in good shape for quite awhile though.. you don’t have to worry.

Thanks for all the questions .. I hope to see all of you Canes fans at the game on Saturday. Take care!!