Rocco
Watching you.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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First off, I've been off the board for the most part since the Nova game. I simply could not handle it. I've been tied up with work and have missed my SU football fix, so I've been reading through the threads for the last hour or so. Some good stuff being tossed around, so I figured I'd add a few lingering thoughts I have thus far.
1. I think it is absolute horseshitt that PSU had their bans lifted, especially on the scholarship end. For what occurred on that campus and then the cover-ups that followed are simply not deserving of any sort of leniencies. That single-handedly cost us the commitment of Daiquan Kelly, who would've been a great fit in this defense. Kelly always said that if PSU offered, he would have to rethink things, but What. Scholly ban lifted, Kelly gets an offer and decommits. I couldn't win watching that PSU/Rutty game, I loathe both schools and fan bases (did make me giggle that Rutty lost at the end at home in front of the Snooky-ites). Kick rocks NCAA, way to baffle everyone again. You too, Kirk Herbstreit for sticking up for them. Clown.
2. The staff had to be incredibly embarrassed after the Nova fiasco, as they should have been. The only thing that could've gone worse was if that poor Nova kicker didn't miss the chip shot. Pretty much everything went wrong in that game. Hunt messed up, McD was a joke, Bullough was a joke, the DE's broke contain every effeing play, and lastly, Shafer was a joke for overseeing the whole ordeal. The Dome was packed (I wasn't there, thankfully or I would've stroked out) and we really needed to come out with a bang, especially with getting a fresh start with all of the freshmen class filling the student section up. The exact opposite happened. Nova is a very good FCS football program, but we should've won that game running away. Rumor has it that ticket sales for Maryland look bleak, so the team will be back to playing in front of a 30-35k actual crowd. Not very good for visiting recruits or the confidence of players.
3. Dear bubble screen: get lost. I understand that McD wants to be TAMU or Oregon, but this roster cannot fulfill the personnel requirements to run that type of offense RIGHT NOW. Every here and now, fine. But not 15-20 times/game. And if you are going to call in a bubble, jailbreak or comeback screen, please only use Broyld, Estime or Philips. Get our playmakers in space.
4. Erv Philips, welcome to Syracuse. I know people can't say enough good things about him, but wow. I got the goosebumps watching him in that one series. The kid is a smooth runner with top-end burst and speed. His biggest issue is that he is so damn skinny. One big pop and he could be down for the count. At the very least, he should be getting 15 touches/game. In my book, he is already #1 amongst the rb's. It will remain a RB-by committee approach the rest of the year IMO, but I guarantee we will see alot more of #14 moving forward. He may not understand blitz protection and other things, but he does not need to right now. When he is on the field, it should be for moving the ball downfield only. Swervin Ervin has only given us limited glimpses, but they were enough to see how good that kid could be for us. Kudos to the staff for finding him.
5. Proud of Hunt. He made a big mistake in game 1 and also got heated at times against CMU, but he held it together and led our offense to 31 points. I like his ability to gain yards when a play breaks down as well as on his designed keepers. He doesn't have a great arm, but he can make any of the throws this offense will need him to make. We really need him to keep progressing as he controls our destiny this year. I'm bullish on him.
6. We need to get Custis in space and throw to him on seam routes. He's not being used correctly on bubble screens. He lacks great burst, which is mandatory if you need to make corners miss you on the outside. He's been wide open the few times I've seen him downfield and is a matchup nightmare for an OLB or even a safety. I'm hoping we see a ball thrown his way this week 20 or 30 yards downfield.
7. Really like what Ishmael brings to the table. He will only improve as he gets more reps, but has shown his ability to block, run good routes and possess great mitts. That catch in traffic when he was flanked by 3 CMU db's was impressive. Was also a great thread by Hunt.
8. Our line play on both sides of the ball improved greatly against CMU. I am still worried and hope to see the improved play this weekend. With a forceful D-line, we are screwed against BC, Pitt and every other team that runs a power offense. Impressed with Foy and Palmer.
9. Loved the uniforms, even though we looked like a version of the Texas Longhorns. We have no control over it, so we may as well embrace them as they aren't changing back anytime soon IMO.
I love this football program more than any other sports team. My whole week's tone is set based on what happened with SU football over the weekend. It's pathetic, but that's what it is. I, along with all of you junkies, want to see Syracuse be on the national stage again. We're 2-0 and that's really all that matters at this point. One game at a time. Next up, Randy Edsall and the Maryland Tortoises who will be our biggest challenge so far. Our staff and players have their work cut out for them, but my eternal orange confidence continues on. We will be 3-0 headed to NYC. Pound salt, Randy.
L. G. O.
1. I think it is absolute horseshitt that PSU had their bans lifted, especially on the scholarship end. For what occurred on that campus and then the cover-ups that followed are simply not deserving of any sort of leniencies. That single-handedly cost us the commitment of Daiquan Kelly, who would've been a great fit in this defense. Kelly always said that if PSU offered, he would have to rethink things, but What. Scholly ban lifted, Kelly gets an offer and decommits. I couldn't win watching that PSU/Rutty game, I loathe both schools and fan bases (did make me giggle that Rutty lost at the end at home in front of the Snooky-ites). Kick rocks NCAA, way to baffle everyone again. You too, Kirk Herbstreit for sticking up for them. Clown.
2. The staff had to be incredibly embarrassed after the Nova fiasco, as they should have been. The only thing that could've gone worse was if that poor Nova kicker didn't miss the chip shot. Pretty much everything went wrong in that game. Hunt messed up, McD was a joke, Bullough was a joke, the DE's broke contain every effeing play, and lastly, Shafer was a joke for overseeing the whole ordeal. The Dome was packed (I wasn't there, thankfully or I would've stroked out) and we really needed to come out with a bang, especially with getting a fresh start with all of the freshmen class filling the student section up. The exact opposite happened. Nova is a very good FCS football program, but we should've won that game running away. Rumor has it that ticket sales for Maryland look bleak, so the team will be back to playing in front of a 30-35k actual crowd. Not very good for visiting recruits or the confidence of players.
3. Dear bubble screen: get lost. I understand that McD wants to be TAMU or Oregon, but this roster cannot fulfill the personnel requirements to run that type of offense RIGHT NOW. Every here and now, fine. But not 15-20 times/game. And if you are going to call in a bubble, jailbreak or comeback screen, please only use Broyld, Estime or Philips. Get our playmakers in space.
4. Erv Philips, welcome to Syracuse. I know people can't say enough good things about him, but wow. I got the goosebumps watching him in that one series. The kid is a smooth runner with top-end burst and speed. His biggest issue is that he is so damn skinny. One big pop and he could be down for the count. At the very least, he should be getting 15 touches/game. In my book, he is already #1 amongst the rb's. It will remain a RB-by committee approach the rest of the year IMO, but I guarantee we will see alot more of #14 moving forward. He may not understand blitz protection and other things, but he does not need to right now. When he is on the field, it should be for moving the ball downfield only. Swervin Ervin has only given us limited glimpses, but they were enough to see how good that kid could be for us. Kudos to the staff for finding him.
5. Proud of Hunt. He made a big mistake in game 1 and also got heated at times against CMU, but he held it together and led our offense to 31 points. I like his ability to gain yards when a play breaks down as well as on his designed keepers. He doesn't have a great arm, but he can make any of the throws this offense will need him to make. We really need him to keep progressing as he controls our destiny this year. I'm bullish on him.
6. We need to get Custis in space and throw to him on seam routes. He's not being used correctly on bubble screens. He lacks great burst, which is mandatory if you need to make corners miss you on the outside. He's been wide open the few times I've seen him downfield and is a matchup nightmare for an OLB or even a safety. I'm hoping we see a ball thrown his way this week 20 or 30 yards downfield.
7. Really like what Ishmael brings to the table. He will only improve as he gets more reps, but has shown his ability to block, run good routes and possess great mitts. That catch in traffic when he was flanked by 3 CMU db's was impressive. Was also a great thread by Hunt.
8. Our line play on both sides of the ball improved greatly against CMU. I am still worried and hope to see the improved play this weekend. With a forceful D-line, we are screwed against BC, Pitt and every other team that runs a power offense. Impressed with Foy and Palmer.
9. Loved the uniforms, even though we looked like a version of the Texas Longhorns. We have no control over it, so we may as well embrace them as they aren't changing back anytime soon IMO.
I love this football program more than any other sports team. My whole week's tone is set based on what happened with SU football over the weekend. It's pathetic, but that's what it is. I, along with all of you junkies, want to see Syracuse be on the national stage again. We're 2-0 and that's really all that matters at this point. One game at a time. Next up, Randy Edsall and the Maryland Tortoises who will be our biggest challenge so far. Our staff and players have their work cut out for them, but my eternal orange confidence continues on. We will be 3-0 headed to NYC. Pound salt, Randy.
L. G. O.
