Rakeville Times: Marino headlines URake's new look

Marshawn Lynch takes a handoff from JaMarcus Russell during Grays training camp Wednesday. What are URake's chances this season now that assistant AD Dan Marino is on duty?




Marino headlines URake's new look
By Aviator McShadeless, Rakeville Times

It was a long summer for URake Athletic Director Mike Mizanin and Head Coach Drew Bledsoe. Between recruiting blue-chip freshmen Kevin Smith and Rashard Mendenhall, hiring a new Assistant Athletic Director Dan Marino and retooling the Grays coaching staff, Rakeville University’s brain trust has been busy.

The summer started with a slew of arrivals for Bledsoe’s undermanned coaching staff. After running the team practically by himself last year, he brought in fellow quarterback Scott Zolak to serve as offensive coordinator. The pair worked together to in the NFL and became fast friends and strategic brethren. Bledsoe also hired former Rakeville Rauks stars Isiah Sedberry and Stephan Hamm to head the defense and special teams respectively.

“With Zolak, I have a guy who understands me,” said Bledsoe. “He knows how I think, and what I want from this offense. He’s also a hell of a lot smarter than me, so he knows when things aren’t working he better find a way to fix it. With Sedberry, you have instant respect. This kids know who he is and all he’s accomplished. He brings an intensity that the players really respond to. It also helps that he’s still the biggest guy on the field.”

While Bledsoe was putting big names on the field, Mizanin was doing the same in the front office. In a shocking move, “The Miz” tagged Dan Marino to fill a recently vacated slot in the department. The former Senior Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins, Marino was looking to get back into team management and away from the NFL.

“I was looking for a place where I could impact an organization rather than just be a figurehead,” said Marino. “This team and this school has a bright future. It was a place where they respected my experience and professional assessment, and where my celebrity could be used for more than money.”

Bledsoe, with Marino as a new weapon in his arsenal, hit the recruiting trail hard. With the top freshman in the national already signed, he put all his effort into signing Florida native Kevin Smith. The young running back committed to URake in early August, with fellow freshman Mendenhall signing a letter of intent a week later. While both will likely battle for playing time with sophomore Marshawn Lynch, neither seemed turned away by the excessive talent looming at the position.

“No other school can offer the opportunity that Rakeville University offers,” said Smith during training camp. “Here, I have a chance to be a legend. Many programs rely on transfers to get them to the national championship. Coach Bledsoe made it clear that this is our team. Our chance to be great. Rashard and I were drawn to that. Yeah, everyone wants to start. But when you have a school and a team that you trust and love, I’ll happily sit a few games if it means winning the conference.”

That goal may still be years away though. URake enters the season with more questions than answers. Who will be the team’s starting Quarterback? Last year’s starter Matt Leinart lost the job midseason. Yet, despite the lack of available arms, then-Freshman JaMarcus Russell didn’t take a snap. Now both are back with no indication of who is Bledsoe’s favorite.

Also plaguing the Grays is the receiving corps. Deion Branch, named captain last year, was stripped of the title this season after the flanker arrived to camp out-of-shape in the wake of knee surgery. The team’s other two returning receivers, Bernard Berrian and Jerichco Cotchery, were openly upset when Sophomore Calvin Johnson was given the title by Zolak. Now officials may be contemplating a transfer that will send the duo to another school in the conference.

And the biggest question of all, will Bledsoe push his team to win? There’s no denying that URake is still a few years away from being a perennial contender in the FAC-10. Many fans considered last year’s 4-7 performance a success. The Grays should improve this season with the players brought in and the returning underclassmen. Still, it ultimately comes down to Bledsoe and his vision. Will he hold back Mendenhall or Smith like he did Russell last year? Will he turn to walk-ons as soon as he did last season?

There is certainly an air of excitement in Rakeville. New staff and a revamped roster gives the Gray a fighting shot in the hotly contested conference.