We have plenty of weapons

[kcsu]

Broyld, Ish, Tdunk, Irv, Corn, Custis, Eoincy, Lewis, Avant,

Throw in the RB's a veteran line, QB, and Kicking game and we should be able to score this year

 

[djorange1989]

I agree with you but QB and OL still concern me. I don't care how T Hunt did in the Spring game, you would expect him to be rusty, but I think he is who he is, and what he is on a good day is a serviceable QB. As far as the OL, I cut Adam a lot of slack last year due to the injuries but between Palmer's comments and Shafer giving Moreland half the line basically, I wonder how things will look there.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

We have weapons? Avant and Cornelius have barely played, Broyld has one career touchdown, Dunk and Enoicy have never played an official snap, Lewis can't break a play open. The RBs haven't shown they can be featured backs, the QB is better on the run, and the line looks to be a mess.

I like the optimism, but year after year, there are so many expectations for guys who have never shown much aside from high school athleticism.

 

[rosconey]

based on what facts do we have plenty of weapons -

 

[kcsu]

Just my opinion but these kids all had major offers they look the part and i believe with proper coaching and game planning they will be fine. All world no but they should put up 25 or more a game. I think we are looking at a 6-6 team and Shafer gets another year

 

[gmoney44]

My heart agrees with you, my head tells me the exact opposite. When it come to Syracuse football I don't listen to my heart anymore.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Just my opinion but these kids all had major offers they look the part and i believe with proper coaching and game planning they will be fine. All world no but they should put up 25 or more a game. I think we are looking at a 6-6 team and Shafer gets another year

Unfortunately, proper coaching and game planning are two things that have been lacking from the program.

 

[qdawgg]

Just my opinion but these kids all had major offers they look the part and i believe with proper coaching and game planning they will be fine. All world no but they should put up 25 or more a game. I think we are looking at a 6-6 team and Shafer gets another year

I think this is the concern from some people right now. I think most if not all of us like Shafer and want him to be successful but the offense was as bad as any offense in the last 10-15 years. ANY college offense. I'm not doing this year what I've always done, be optimistic the offense is going to make plays just because it's another year. I'm definitely taking a wait and see approach this year, that never happened even during the grob years.

BTW - 25 points per game would put us between 90 - 91 based on last years rankings. That would be an improvement but I'm not sure it would put us at 6 - 6.

 

[NineOneSeven]

We have weapons? Avant and Cornelius have barely played, Broyld has one career touchdown, Dunk and Enoicy have never played an official snap, Lewis can't break a play open. The RBs haven't shown they can be featured backs, the QB is better on the run, and the line looks to be a mess.

I like the optimism, but year after year, there are so many expectations for guys who have never shown much aside from high school athleticism.

My personal favorite- Estime is a playmaker. Not a knock on the guy, but I've constantly seen that description of him and I just don't get what warrants it.

It's amazing. We land a 3* recruit and people react as if it's a 5*. I get it, optimism is great and we need to make due with what we have. Nothing wrong with that. But every year it's the same. Placing these "names" on players before the season starts. It's insane.

 

[Upstate]

Broyld, Ish, Tdunk, Irv, Corn, Custis, Eoincy, Lewis, Avant,

Throw in the RB's a veteran line, QB, and Kicking game and we should be able to score this year

With Syracuse's inexplicable ability to play down to an opponent's level, I'm really hoping they hang 60 on Rhody. Desperately need a hot start to the season.

 

[007]

Just my opinion but these kids all had major offers they look the part and i believe with proper coaching and game planning they will be fine. All world no but they should put up 25 or more a game. I think we are looking at a 6-6 team and Shafer gets another year

If we have "weapons" they are either stealth or we have mostly been shooting at ourselves for the past 15 years.

I know you are only stating your opinion, and that is fine. But, just to give your opinion a little more perspective, are you aware that even if we could "put up 25 or more a game," that would still rank us outside of the top 100 scoring offenses in FBS?

 

[OrangeFoo]

Not to pile on but if we have all these weapons... and most of that list was there last year. How come we were saying that we didn't have the athletes to beat man coverage against ACC teams? Is that miraculously going to change next year?

 

[anomander]

We have weapons? Avant and Cornelius have barely played, Broyld has one career touchdown, Dunk and Enoicy have never played an official snap, Lewis can't break a play open. The RBs haven't shown they can be featured backs, the QB is better on the run, and the line looks to be a mess.

I like the optimism, but year after year, there are so many expectations for guys who have never shown much aside from high school athleticism.

I do agree with you that none of the guys listed have ever proven anything at the college level, but I think the 1 difference this year is you can see a whole lot of potential in said guys. A lot is going to come down to Lester putting them in position to utilize their strengths, and Hunt actually getting them the ball, but the potential is there. However for now you are right, we really don't have anything instead of a bunch of great looking athletes.

 

[TheCusian]

Not to pile on but if we have all these weapons... and most of that list was there last year. How come we were saying that we didn't have the athletes to beat man coverage against ACC teams? Is that miraculously going to change next year?

Dude. Guys get better. Especially after their 1st year. 3 of those guys (Ish, Custis, and Enoicy) could get much, much better this season.

And from what I remember, Ish took an FSU defender to town twice with man coverage?

 

[Ringostar57]

Yes we have lots of weapons, but the ammo is limited thanks to Coomo. Glad my six shooter is still legit

 

[RF2044]

If we have "weapons" they are either stealth or we have mostly been shooting at ourselves for the past 15 years.

I know you are only stating your opinion, and that is fine. But, just to give your opinion a little more perspective, are you aware that even if we could "put up 25 or more a game," that would still rank us outside of the top 100 scoring offenses in FBS?

Not to pile on but if we have all these weapons... and most of that list was there last year. How come we were saying that we didn't have the athletes to beat man coverage against ACC teams? Is that miraculously going to change next year?

Agreed 100%.

I had to shake my head often last year when this point was repeatedly made about talent / playmaking not being the issue holding our offense back.

 

[TheCusian]

Agreed 100%. I had to shake my head often last year when this point was repeatedly made about talent / playmaking not being the issue holding our offense back.

To be fair it was a distant second to play calling, scheme, and injuries.

 

[RF2044]

To be fair it was a distant second to play calling, scheme, and injuries.

I don't think that's a "fair" assessment at all, Cusian. You and I are normally on the same page, but I completely disagree on this subject. Our lack of playmakers was as big of an issue as each of those things. It was quite evident when you watched us compared to even our peer programs, let alone top 25 programs. Glaring.

 

[Scooch]

Until we crack the top half of scoring offenses we, by definition, do not have weapons.

Referencing Broyld makes me laugh.

Heartily.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Ishamel is the only guy I see who could be classified as a possible weapon, and depends what your definition of that is. Mike Williams was a weapon on a very very bad team. If receivers don't dicate double teams and running backs can't break a play for a TD at any point, I don't see weapons. The offense stinks for many reasons, coaching, scheme, lack of playmakers, ( poor recruiting and or talent) is one as well.

Weapons!!!

 

[TheCusian]

I don't think that's a "fair" assessment at all, Cusian. You and I are normally on the same page, but I completely disagree on this subject. Our lack of playmakers was as big of an issue as each of those things. It was quite evident when you watched us compared to even our peer programs, let alone top 25 programs. Glaring.

Yeah - both are issues. Top 25 is most definitely talent plus scheme. To me - it felt like scheme most of the time. Like if we had Nassib, Lemon, and Rome last season - but kept McDonald - do you think we would have replicated 2012? I really don't. Maybe I'm putting too much on McDonald and mid-season Lester.

 

[tep624]

My personal favorite- Estime is a playmaker. Not a knock on the guy, but I've constantly seen that description of him and I just don't get what warrants it.

It's amazing. We land a 3* recruit and people react as if it's a 5*. I get it, optimism is great and we need to make due with what we have. Nothing wrong with that. But every year it's the same. Placing these "names" on players before the season starts. It's insane.

It's kind of hard for anyone to be a playmaker when our go to play was a bubble screen with crap blocking or a bubble screen thrown 15 feet over the receiver's head last year.

Estime is fast, shifty and he can catch - he's not made nearly enough plays to be labeled a playmaker he showed flashes of it his freshman year. We all expected a bigger sophomore year but it was derailed by him being injured most of the season and poor QB/line play/playcalling when he wasn't. I still feel we've only seen a glimpse of what he is capable of.

 

[GoSU96]

Agreed 100%.

I had to shake my head often last year when this point was repeatedly made about talent / playmaking not being the issue holding our offense back.

Because before the injury bug in the second half of the season they moved the ball pretty well when they weren't playing a top six defense (Lville and Clemson). During the first 2/3rds of the season SU averaged 430 yds in total offense after backing out Lville and Clemson.

The issue up to the point when the wheels came off wasn't talent it was efficiency. There was enough talent to gain yards. The issue was scoring points, which was a coaching issue.

 

[SaltineWarrior]

Broyld, Ish, Tdunk, Irv, Corn, Custis, Eoincy, Lewis, Avant,

Throw in the RB's a veteran line, QB, and Kicking game and we should be able to score this year

Tend to agree with many of the sentiments listed above. In time we'll see how good the coaches are in terms of evaluating & developing talent but at this point coming in and showing "potential" among this group mean nothing. I addition, the OLine will dictate how far any football team goes, and that will certainly be true for SU in 2015.

I am as hopeful as you are in terms of these new kids, but I'm not gonna get too excited until they beat my expectation against worthy competition after they beat the #*&% out of Rhode Island. This is a process, but it will take more than just spring practice and HS tapes to convince me we actually have strong weapons for D1 football.

 

[RF2044]

Because before the injury bug in the second half of the season they moved the ball pretty well when they weren't playing a top six defense (Lville and Clemson). During the first 2/3rds of the season SU averaged 430 yds in total offense after backing out Lville and Clemson.

The issue up to the point when the wheels came off wasn't talent it was efficiency. There was enough talent to gain yards. The issue was scoring points, which was a coaching issue.

Nonsense. We moved the ball against one team once our slide commenced: Maryland.

Talent--or lack thereof, more accurately--was a HUGE issue for all other games from Maryland on. That doesn't mean that it was the only reason or mutually exclusive to efficiency, coaching, injuries, etc. But to pretend that our playmaking talent was on-par with other teams or "good enough" is bunk. Unadulterated bunk--I invite anyone who thinks that to watch other teams, and gauge the difference between real skilled talent versus ours--the difference is both stark and clear. Heck, it was both stark and clear even when we played the likes of peer programs like Maryland, NC State, Pitt, and BC.

And for the record, we didn't have talent to gain yards. That was a fallacy that a small group of posters clung to after the Maryland game to rationalize the loss. Shortly thereafter, we couldn't gain yards OR score points. And the lack of skill talent / playmaking was an enormous reason why. That's what happens when you lack speed and don't have players that the opposing DC needs to worry about / game plan for.