CFB AM: Miami LB warns Winston he might see crabs at Canes game

Published Jul. 21, 2014 9:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Teddy Mitrosilis

Steve Spurrier likes to call these summer weeks before pads start clanging and football men return to work “talking season.”

“We can talk a little bit – that’s all we’re doing right now,” the South Carolina coach will say.

So the funny line one Miami Hurricane dropped Sunday at Day 1 of ACC Media Days should be taken in that context – it’s talking season, and all the players who gathered in Greensboro, North Carolina, arrived there to have some fun at the mic.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston attracted most of the attention, of course, and so when it was Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman’s turn to speak, he took the opportunity to send a little warning towards the Seminoles.

“Don’t be surprised if there are fans dressed as crabs,” Perryman said, referring to Nov. 15 when FSU visits Miami for their annual rivalry game.

In April, Winston was cited for shoplifting crab legs from a Florida grocery store and suspended from the baseball team until he completed community service. The incident, coming off last year’s sexual assault investigation, has increased the criticism and skepticism of Winston, which he said Sunday he understands but, “I know the type of person that I am.”

Oh, and if you’re wondering how ‘Noles fans took Perryman’s comment today, well:

That about sums it up. The stakes have been set for Nov. 15.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Winston was by far the biggest attraction on ACC Media Days on Sunday, and if you were out enjoying your Sunday, you might have missed how he began his interview session. “Before I say anything, how does it feel to have an ACC [team] come in here with a national championship?” Winston asked the media. “Can we get a round of applause please? Finally. We took it away from the SEC.” Winston also mocked his dad, saying he has no idea where his Heisman Trophy is because his dad takes it around to restaurants to show off to people and has it somewhere new almost every day.

Although you didn’t hear much about them, there were other good players in Greensboro on Sunday, including Clemson’s Vic Beasley. How did Beasley spend the offseason? By working on dropping into coverage so the pass rusher will be better prepared for the NFL next year. Here are some more highlights from Day 1, courtesy of Bleacher Report.

2. Today brings the second and final day of ACC Media Days, in which the coaches will have their turns to speak, beginning with North Carolina’s Larry Fedora at 11 a.m. ET. Here’s the full schedule so you know when your team’s coach will be lighting up Twitter.

3. The Big 12 also gets going today with its Media Days. Here’s the schedule for the event in Dallas. College Football Talk has five questions for Big 12 Media Days, and FOX Sports Southwest runs through what to expect. I suspect many will be interested in how Texas’ Charlie Strong handles his first Big 12 Media Days and if he warms up to the room a bit, but I think that all has been a bit overblown. I’m more interested in hearing from Baylor’s Art Briles (because he’s awesome) and Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury (because he has an opportunity to become the league’s biggest star at a time when it needs someone to create some buzz).

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. One last thing from Winston’s Greensboro appearance that’s notable: He was asked about college athletes getting paid and said, “We’re blessed to get a free education, and that’s enough for me.” That’s a debate that will never end – should college athletes receive additional compensation or not – but it’s interesting to get the opinion of the sport’s most popular player. It seems, in general, media and adults appalled at the unethical business model of the NCAA are much more concerned about this issue than the actual players. Most of them just want to have fun and not be subjected to some stupid rules. Give them that freedom, and I bet most are fine with the way they currently have it.

2. You should know about Louisville DE Lorenzo Mauldin. He’s a very good player – he had 9.5 sacks last season – who will be an important figure in the ACC this fall, and he also has a tremendous story. Mauldin bounced around foster homes has a child – reports conflict how many exactly, but it was at least a dozen – and now he’s on track to graduate from college this year and potentially be drafted in the first few rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft. Here’s an interview he did with Jim Rome last year that gives you more on his personal story.

3. On Wednesday, the Pac-12 joins the Media Days fray by getting its two days of attention in Los Angeles. There will be a lot of Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley talk, some talk about how quickly Steve Sarkisian can return USC to national championship caliber and the challenges ahead for newcomer Chris Petersen at Washington, among other things. It will be another fun couple days of talking season.

THREE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

1. The ACC will ask the NCAA about in-helmet communication for 2015 like how the NFL allows coaches to communicate with their quarterbacks. There will be plenty of issues, such as who’s footing the bill for the technology (hard to see the NCAA being fired up for providing this for every Division I team).

2. Florida State players got three rings last season. They got national championship rings, of course, and they got ACC championship rings. Now, the 2013 ‘Noles also get “state championship” rings for beating 4-8 Florida and 9-4 Miami. Make of that what you wish.

3. Summer is also wedding season, and Miami’s mascot walked a bride down the aisle over the weekend:

College football.

LASTLY

* Scott Keepfer of The Greenville News has a look into how Clemson’s football assistant coaches (and every coach everywhere) face the challenge of balancing intense work hours with personal lives as a new season begins.

* Rory McIlroy won The British Open on Sunday, and if you were told one college football team was represented at Hoylake, I don’t think you’d be surprised to hear it was Washington State. The Cougars go everywhere.

Have a great Monday, all.

What is CFB AM? Click here and scroll to 'Lastly.'

Teddy Mitrosilis is an editor and writer for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

share