Orangeyes
R.I.P Dan
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This is the first that I've had a chance to put fingers to keyboard to share some of the things I observed at the first open practice of the season. I have not had a chance to view the thread on the practice so some of this may be redundant. I hope you enjoy my ramblings.
Took in Sunday's open practice at the Dome. Upon arrival I spotted some of the board regulars including Orange Extreme, Lurker John who now has an official board name of AFFD but has yet to post. DC Cuse, GoSU96, DCuse & Borzak. Dave Rahme was there too but did not sit with the group.
After the event we recruited a new board member, he joined just the other day and has made several posts already. His board name is RCDICK44, great guy. His wife knew FHCDM from his playing days. He used to work for the company she was employed by. They travel quite a bit with the team and will be a solid member of our syracusefan.com family.
It was a get the juices flowing kind of day, checking out the new players & coaches. It was a blessing that the practice/scrimmage was at the Dome. Having just walked 18 holes in 3 & 1/2 hours in high winds was chilling to say the least. Ah the comfort of an indoor stadium! Too bad there was a light turnout, perhaps many were mourning the basketball teams loss in the final four from the night before?
When I got there the kickers were plying their trade. Did not spot Ryan Lichtenstein and he wasn't listed on the roster sheets that were given out.
Some of the sidelined players included Donnie Simmons, Eric Crume, Ashton Broyld, Prince-Tyson Gulley, Greg Tobias, Ron Thompson and Steven Rene who was nowhere in sight. Fortunately after the days proceedings no one was added to this list, as far as I could tell.
Marquis Spruill was fully engaged in the practice. He hadn't been injured but he was involved in that Steven Rene issue after the regular season.
Among the new faces who stood out were Quinta Funderburke, George Morris III & Luke Arcinega.
The quarterbacks, Charlie Loeb, Terrell Hunt and John Kinder were doing footwork drills with OB coach Tim Lester.
Every unit was being coached up by their mentors.
Once the stretching, drills and coaching was done they went into a scrimmage.
Each QB would run a series of plays starting at their own 40.
Among the standout plays & players:
Charlie Loeb displayed nice touch on an early hookup with Alvin Cornelius as he lead him perfectly and put just the right amount of air under the throw so that AC could catch the ball in stride & take it to the house for a 50 yard TD. Well done boys!!
Beckett Wales had a good number of balls thrown to him and he caught just about everything from short passes to longer ones for sizable gains. On one play, a 25 yard reception from Hunt, it appeared that he was injured but after a time he shook it off and resumed playing.
Clay Cleveland dropped a Hunt pass. Terrell then came back and hit West with a 5 yard pass. Hit him again for a first down. Jerome Smith then smashed for a 7 yard pickup. Then Sloan stopped Smith for no gain. A pass to West went for a loss as Joe Nassib was quick to the play.
Terrell Hunt connected with Alvin Cornelius III in the left end zone for an apparent touchdown.
There was no one within 10 yards of him.
At first I thought Keon Lyn had blown coverage but was then informed AC had pushed off to create separation.
All of a sudden we heard screaming coming from the 2nd section which was above & behind us.
Earlier we heard someone screech out and everybody laughed but none of us could see who the person was.
This time, however, the person was half over the railing as he yelled no way, that's bull , that's bull , as the refs walked off an offensive penalty and nullified the touchdown.
The first time I heard the yelling I thought it was Coach Shafer but in checking the field I spotted him.
The person that we were hearing was our feisty, spirited Offensive Coordinator George McDonald.
In the past it was always a treat to see & hear the passion with which former defensive coordinator and now HC SS conducted himself.
That passion hasn't left the Syracuse sidelines. If you loved SS as the DC you will love GM as the OC.
On the very next play Keon Lyn ended the drive with an interception near the same location of the previous play.
At another point in the scrimmage Lyn made a nice breakup of a sure touchdown pass headed Jerrod West's way.
West would later catch a short TD pass from Hunt. It appeared that JW gave a little push to create separation but no flag was thrown just as there are none thrown in 90 of 100 instances during the regular season around the college game.
Keep an eye on #5 Luke Arciniega the JUCO who will be playing linebacker this fall. He had at least two strips which the defense recovered. After each play his defensive teammates chanted L-U-K-E.....L-U-K-E.....L-U-K-E.
He was also in on several tackles and looks like a great find & get for the team. Linebacker was an area of concern looks like we have a player the others on the defense look up to.
Another defensive player who had a monster day was senior defensive end Robert Welsh who had at least three sacks and did the Dion Goggins diesel pull after he pulled down Kinder from behind.
Robert was also very demonstrative on his other two sacks. Welsh was also effective stopping a couple of running plays.
John Kinder probably has the best legs of any of the QB's presently in camp.
He took off for about 20 yards on one broken play.
Some of his other plays included a pass to Travon Burke for -1, a throw away while under pressure, a 13 yard connection with tight end Josh Parris from Georgia.
A handoff to GMIII for 4 yards another to GMIII for 10 yards. I want to pause here and talk about this young man.
There is something about George that is different from any of the runners we have and have had in the past decade or so.
There is an air of excitement and anticipation every time he's handed the ball.
You almost have the feeling GMIII could take it to the house anytime he's given the ball.
Me thinks we finally have that back with break away, you can't catch me from behind speed.
Can't remember him having any catches out of the backfield.
Curious to see if he can catch the ball on the run.
The one negative was that he fumbled at least two times.
He needs to practice ball security so that we can witness his God-given abilities.
Getting back to Kinder's time at QB
A pass thrown behind QF in the red zone. An incomplete pass to another Georgia product Keenan Hale that was thrown into the ground. This was followed by that missed 32 yd FGA by Krautman.
Can't recall who was in at QB when Devonte McFarlane had a nice 10 yard run followed by a five yard TD run by GMIII. Krautman came on for the PAT which he converted..
West caught a weakly thrown short pass from Hunt and ran 40 yards with it. On the next play a pass intended for ACIII went incomplete. Then Terrell found West for a TD where it appeared that he pushed off.
Hunt would later hook up with the speedy wide receiver Jeremiah Kobena for a 35 yard TD.
The PAT was blocked as Krautman didn't get lift.
Earlier I saw Ross practice kicking without a rush from the 30 and he was having trouble getting some of his attempts into the seats. I have a feeling he is sporting some kind of injury because this is not the Ross Krautman I remember from freshman days. Later he would miss a 32 yard FG right, but would at another point nail one from 33.
Hunt made a bad pass directly to linebacker Zach McCarrel from Orlando Fl who scampered 35 yards with the ball.
Luke Arciniega would strip Jerome Smith and I believe it was Chris Clark who ran the ball to the 1 yard line.
On that blocked PAT Oliver Vigille picked it up and returned 20 yards before the offense could bring him down. Later in the day Vigille would have a nice pass break up in the end zone on a Hunt throw.
Charlie Loeb then came in and handed off to GMIII who scampered 10 yards.
On the next play, after a nice block from AAM, Morris picked up 6 more.
On second down ACIII was wide open in the end zone but Charlie overthrew him.
CL then handed off to McFarlane who was stopped for a 2 yard loss.
The next play was a beauty, as Funderburke went into the end zone for a down and out.
With defenders crowding him, up the elevator Quinta went, and down from the top floor he came, securing the ball.
A call on the play was delayed, as the officials made sure all of the elements of a TD catch were there.
They were and raised hands went up in all directions.
I go back a lot further than some here do so I will give you an old school comparison.
In the 60's an innovation to the game of football was created in San Francisco.
A guy by the name of RC Owens, a former basketball player invented a new pass play, the "Ally Oop."
His quarterback, YA Title, would throw the ball high and using his leaping ability Owens would essentially go up as if it were a jump ball.
Now you know the rest of the story. It added excitement to the game then and if Saturday was any kind of a precursor it will add excitement to the newly minted Orangemen as they enter uncharted waters in the ACC.
Zion Jones would have several eye catching tackles on the day including a hard-nosed stop for a 2 yard loss.
It was nice to see some of our graduating seniors taking in the practice. Among them were Ryan Nassib, Justin Pugh, Lou Alexander, Zack Chibane and syracusefan.com tailgate buddy Alec Lemon.
Maybe more of you can make the next practice this Sunday. BTW we are in Section 101 not 116 as I reported last week. I was just trying to throw off the bill collectors.
Took in Sunday's open practice at the Dome. Upon arrival I spotted some of the board regulars including Orange Extreme, Lurker John who now has an official board name of AFFD but has yet to post. DC Cuse, GoSU96, DCuse & Borzak. Dave Rahme was there too but did not sit with the group.
After the event we recruited a new board member, he joined just the other day and has made several posts already. His board name is RCDICK44, great guy. His wife knew FHCDM from his playing days. He used to work for the company she was employed by. They travel quite a bit with the team and will be a solid member of our syracusefan.com family.
It was a get the juices flowing kind of day, checking out the new players & coaches. It was a blessing that the practice/scrimmage was at the Dome. Having just walked 18 holes in 3 & 1/2 hours in high winds was chilling to say the least. Ah the comfort of an indoor stadium! Too bad there was a light turnout, perhaps many were mourning the basketball teams loss in the final four from the night before?
When I got there the kickers were plying their trade. Did not spot Ryan Lichtenstein and he wasn't listed on the roster sheets that were given out.
Some of the sidelined players included Donnie Simmons, Eric Crume, Ashton Broyld, Prince-Tyson Gulley, Greg Tobias, Ron Thompson and Steven Rene who was nowhere in sight. Fortunately after the days proceedings no one was added to this list, as far as I could tell.
Marquis Spruill was fully engaged in the practice. He hadn't been injured but he was involved in that Steven Rene issue after the regular season.
Among the new faces who stood out were Quinta Funderburke, George Morris III & Luke Arcinega.
The quarterbacks, Charlie Loeb, Terrell Hunt and John Kinder were doing footwork drills with OB coach Tim Lester.
Every unit was being coached up by their mentors.
Once the stretching, drills and coaching was done they went into a scrimmage.
Each QB would run a series of plays starting at their own 40.
Among the standout plays & players:
Charlie Loeb displayed nice touch on an early hookup with Alvin Cornelius as he lead him perfectly and put just the right amount of air under the throw so that AC could catch the ball in stride & take it to the house for a 50 yard TD. Well done boys!!
Beckett Wales had a good number of balls thrown to him and he caught just about everything from short passes to longer ones for sizable gains. On one play, a 25 yard reception from Hunt, it appeared that he was injured but after a time he shook it off and resumed playing.
Clay Cleveland dropped a Hunt pass. Terrell then came back and hit West with a 5 yard pass. Hit him again for a first down. Jerome Smith then smashed for a 7 yard pickup. Then Sloan stopped Smith for no gain. A pass to West went for a loss as Joe Nassib was quick to the play.
Terrell Hunt connected with Alvin Cornelius III in the left end zone for an apparent touchdown.
There was no one within 10 yards of him.
At first I thought Keon Lyn had blown coverage but was then informed AC had pushed off to create separation.
All of a sudden we heard screaming coming from the 2nd section which was above & behind us.
Earlier we heard someone screech out and everybody laughed but none of us could see who the person was.
This time, however, the person was half over the railing as he yelled no way, that's bull , that's bull , as the refs walked off an offensive penalty and nullified the touchdown.
The first time I heard the yelling I thought it was Coach Shafer but in checking the field I spotted him.
The person that we were hearing was our feisty, spirited Offensive Coordinator George McDonald.
In the past it was always a treat to see & hear the passion with which former defensive coordinator and now HC SS conducted himself.
That passion hasn't left the Syracuse sidelines. If you loved SS as the DC you will love GM as the OC.
On the very next play Keon Lyn ended the drive with an interception near the same location of the previous play.
At another point in the scrimmage Lyn made a nice breakup of a sure touchdown pass headed Jerrod West's way.
West would later catch a short TD pass from Hunt. It appeared that JW gave a little push to create separation but no flag was thrown just as there are none thrown in 90 of 100 instances during the regular season around the college game.
Keep an eye on #5 Luke Arciniega the JUCO who will be playing linebacker this fall. He had at least two strips which the defense recovered. After each play his defensive teammates chanted L-U-K-E.....L-U-K-E.....L-U-K-E.
He was also in on several tackles and looks like a great find & get for the team. Linebacker was an area of concern looks like we have a player the others on the defense look up to.
Another defensive player who had a monster day was senior defensive end Robert Welsh who had at least three sacks and did the Dion Goggins diesel pull after he pulled down Kinder from behind.
Robert was also very demonstrative on his other two sacks. Welsh was also effective stopping a couple of running plays.
John Kinder probably has the best legs of any of the QB's presently in camp.
He took off for about 20 yards on one broken play.
Some of his other plays included a pass to Travon Burke for -1, a throw away while under pressure, a 13 yard connection with tight end Josh Parris from Georgia.
A handoff to GMIII for 4 yards another to GMIII for 10 yards. I want to pause here and talk about this young man.
There is something about George that is different from any of the runners we have and have had in the past decade or so.
There is an air of excitement and anticipation every time he's handed the ball.
You almost have the feeling GMIII could take it to the house anytime he's given the ball.
Me thinks we finally have that back with break away, you can't catch me from behind speed.
Can't remember him having any catches out of the backfield.
Curious to see if he can catch the ball on the run.
The one negative was that he fumbled at least two times.
He needs to practice ball security so that we can witness his God-given abilities.
Getting back to Kinder's time at QB
A pass thrown behind QF in the red zone. An incomplete pass to another Georgia product Keenan Hale that was thrown into the ground. This was followed by that missed 32 yd FGA by Krautman.
Can't recall who was in at QB when Devonte McFarlane had a nice 10 yard run followed by a five yard TD run by GMIII. Krautman came on for the PAT which he converted..
West caught a weakly thrown short pass from Hunt and ran 40 yards with it. On the next play a pass intended for ACIII went incomplete. Then Terrell found West for a TD where it appeared that he pushed off.
Hunt would later hook up with the speedy wide receiver Jeremiah Kobena for a 35 yard TD.
The PAT was blocked as Krautman didn't get lift.
Earlier I saw Ross practice kicking without a rush from the 30 and he was having trouble getting some of his attempts into the seats. I have a feeling he is sporting some kind of injury because this is not the Ross Krautman I remember from freshman days. Later he would miss a 32 yard FG right, but would at another point nail one from 33.
Hunt made a bad pass directly to linebacker Zach McCarrel from Orlando Fl who scampered 35 yards with the ball.
Luke Arciniega would strip Jerome Smith and I believe it was Chris Clark who ran the ball to the 1 yard line.
On that blocked PAT Oliver Vigille picked it up and returned 20 yards before the offense could bring him down. Later in the day Vigille would have a nice pass break up in the end zone on a Hunt throw.
Charlie Loeb then came in and handed off to GMIII who scampered 10 yards.
On the next play, after a nice block from AAM, Morris picked up 6 more.
On second down ACIII was wide open in the end zone but Charlie overthrew him.
CL then handed off to McFarlane who was stopped for a 2 yard loss.
The next play was a beauty, as Funderburke went into the end zone for a down and out.
With defenders crowding him, up the elevator Quinta went, and down from the top floor he came, securing the ball.
A call on the play was delayed, as the officials made sure all of the elements of a TD catch were there.
They were and raised hands went up in all directions.
I go back a lot further than some here do so I will give you an old school comparison.
In the 60's an innovation to the game of football was created in San Francisco.
A guy by the name of RC Owens, a former basketball player invented a new pass play, the "Ally Oop."
His quarterback, YA Title, would throw the ball high and using his leaping ability Owens would essentially go up as if it were a jump ball.
Now you know the rest of the story. It added excitement to the game then and if Saturday was any kind of a precursor it will add excitement to the newly minted Orangemen as they enter uncharted waters in the ACC.
Zion Jones would have several eye catching tackles on the day including a hard-nosed stop for a 2 yard loss.
It was nice to see some of our graduating seniors taking in the practice. Among them were Ryan Nassib, Justin Pugh, Lou Alexander, Zack Chibane and syracusefan.com tailgate buddy Alec Lemon.
Maybe more of you can make the next practice this Sunday. BTW we are in Section 101 not 116 as I reported last week. I was just trying to throw off the bill collectors.
