From to article:
"The brand: Coach Scott Shafer laid out an exciting vision during his introductory press conference in January 2013. The main theme was his use of the phrase “hard-nosed,” but he also said this of the offense: “I want this team to be an offensive unit that when you come and watch them play you better not take a bathroom break. ’Cause there’s gonna be a lot of juice on the field.” Shafer was having some fun there—he hadn’t even hired an offensive coordinator at the time—but his team hasn’t been particularly hard-nosed in its first two years in the ACC. And instead of leaving juice on the field, the offense has mostly left behind points. The Orange went 4-4 in league play in ’13 and 1-7 in ’14. Last year, Syracuse finished 13th in the ACC and 118th in the nation in scoring at 17.1 points a game. Meanwhile, a defense that kept things from getting a lot worse must replace its top five tacklers.
What it should be: The administration’s decision to restore No. 44—the number of Ernie Davis, Jim Brown and Floyd Little—would have offered an excellent reminder that Syracuse is a program of trailblazers and all-time greats. But after complaints, the administration declared No. 44 would only be awarded to a current player in a “special circumstance.” It may seem like a little thing, but a lot of football players would grind hard for the opportunity to wear the number Ernie Davis wore at the school. Giving that number each year to the player who best embodies what the program is about would be more special than simply hanging the number in the Carrier Dome. Though college football recruiting is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, Syracuse needs to offer some reminders that it was once one of the sport’s great programs. With most of the best recruits in warm-weather states and few nearby, Syracuse has to overcome its location. But that is possible.
Stanford has proven that a great academic reputation makes a better recruiting tool than it does an excuse, and Syracuse’s history and passionate fan base make a renaissance possible."
Seems fair. History & the fan base (e.g. Twitter army) can be used to help recruit the players that are needed to regain a prominent position in the collegiate football world. Go Orange!
