Winning isn't everything: Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey almost never loses—yet he can't get critics off his back

Sporting News, The, Dec 9, 2002 by Mark Long

Ken Dorsey pulls off his shoulder pads, losses them to the ground and takes a seat near the practice field. He tries to get comfortable, but the cold metal bleacher doesn't allow it. The conversation makes him even more restless. How many times must he defend himself against the critics? He knows his supposed deficiencies better than top-ranked Miami's playbook, and he rattles them off as easily as he calls an audible: He lacks arm strength, mobility and accuracy. He gets rattled under pressure. He's a product of a system that just about anyone could run. And he's far from the best player in the country. In fact, some say Dorsey isn't even the best player in his own backfield. Throw in talk about the Heisman Trophy, and Dorsey starts squirming.

"Believe me," he says, "I want to cuss out some guys sometimes."

He holds back; he will continue to state his case on the field. Dorsey already owns several Big East passing records and just about every school mark, eclipsing former Miami greats Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson and Gino Torretta along the way. Even more impressive is Dorsey's 37-1 record as a starter--which includes a 33-game winning streak, with victories over 11 ranked teams, that spans nearly 27 months. And the Hurricanes are one win from playing for another national championship. "I don't know how anyone can be critical of the man," Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris says. "The bottom line is all about winning."

Is it? Dorsey might not seduce anyone with his skills or his stylishness, but he has more wins than any quarterback in school history and more than any other quarterback in the country--and who could question him for that? Almost everyone, it seems.

Is that fair? Is it fair that a 21-year-old isn't enjoying his Heisman candidacy enough to be sure he even wants to win the award? Says Dorsey: "I'm in a situation right now where nothing is going to be good enough."

Dorsey's detractors are nothing new. Just days before the start of last season, he stood in front of reporters, reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out a story he had clipped carefully from a newspaper. Dorsey highlighted the headline for emphasis: "Miami QB impressive against lesser opponents." He carried it around all week and used it for extra motivation. The critiques are easier to find nowadays, and some of them even come from Hurricanes fans. But why?

Maybe it's a `Canes thing--or maybe it's that Dorsey isn't enough of a 'Canes thing. The school has a long tradition of bold, brash, brazen, defiant, flamboyant, in-your-face, trash-talking playmakers who racked up as many personal fouls as big plays. Dorsey is a fiery competitor who often taunts defensive linemen after hard hits, sacks or touchdowns, but he's hardly Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin or one of the Blades brothers.

Dorsey has a cat, cuddles with his girlfriend and chose No. 11 because he liked its symmetry. He carries candy around in his pockets, admits to being a mama's boy and rarely goes out with teammates, instead spending most of his spare time playing video games in his room.

Maybe Dorsey set the bar too high when he completed 70 percent of his passes for 718 yards with nine touchdowns and an interception in three starts as a freshman in 1999. Syracuse's Paul Pasqualoni is one of only two Big East coaches who has faced Dorsey four times--all losses. Dorsey's second career start came against the Orangemen, and on the first play from scrimmage, he completed an 18-yard out pass to Santana Moss though star cornerback Will Allen was draped all over Moss.

"He threw it in the only spot he could have thrown it for Santana Moss to catch it" Pasqualoni recalls. "He has been terrific ever since. You can have great talent, but if you don't have a great quarterback, a tremendous competitor, a guy who knows the game, you're not going to win the number of games this team has won. I don't know what else you want?"

Many people thought Dorsey would get better every year by developing a stronger arm, improving his touch and adding muscle to his scrawny, 6-5 frame. Dorsey says he has done those things, though it's hard to tell. He still refuses to take his shirt off at the beach and noticeably is missing each year in the Learn's annual "Men of Miami" photo, in which the players pose shirtless on South Beach for a poster.

Not counting howls, Dorsey threw 25 touchdown passes and five interceptions as a sophomore and 23 touchdown passes and nine interceptions last season; this season, he has 24 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Each season, his completion percentage has dropped. Dorsey says defenses are playing the Hurricanes differently, trying to take away deep passes, quick strikes and big plays and force them to put together longer, more run-oriented drives.

Another explanation, one Dorsey doesn't like to use as an excuse, is the talent Miami has funneled to the NFL. Think about it: The Hurricanes sent 12 offensive starters to the league the past three years, including first-round picks Bryant McKinnie, Jeremy Shockey, Moss, Reggie Wayne and Bubba Franks. Though Miami reloaded with future first-rounders such as receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. and tackle Vernon Carey, there has been a drop-off around Dorsey, albeit ever so slight.