ChipPanther
Walk On
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2016
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Hi All! I've been lurking on this board since you hired Dino. I had the amazing opportunity to watch every game of his while he was at Eastern Illinois. So far, this season has begun exactly as I have expected (minus giving up 21 points in 5 minutes, that was a new one). Most fans on here knew there would be some growing pains but others seem to be really worried. I assure you there is nothing to worry about. I saw Dino inherit a terrible team and turn them into a conference champ in just one season. He will lead you to a bowl game this year, I 99% promise!
In his first year at EIU he inherited an atrocious defense and an atrocious offense (however, he had Jimmy Garappolo and WR Erik Lora). Dino knew that he could salvage an offense with solid skill players. Syracuse has a very capable QB and Wide Receivers. He also knows that you set up the run with a strong pass attack. Syracuse has RB's that can work in space, and as the passing attack gels, the RB's will improve as the field spreads out.
He came out in his first game and punched SIU in the mouth. The defense was not good, but they kept the game in front of them. Dino relies on the other team's offense making mistakes when he has a weak unit on the field (I don't know how he does in recruiting b/c he hasn't been at a school long enough). At EIU his defense caused a lot of turnovers (as they did this past week). Syracuse plays enough offensively-challenged teams for this strategy to work and to get 6 wins. Yeah, you may beat a few teams 52-48 this year, but that's what happened his first year at EIU as well.
In his second season, the defense got stronger (same below-average players with a few transfers). It got stronger because it had confidence in its offense. The Tampa 2 variation he plays is not my favorite by any means, but when your offense is scoring in less than 1-minute, you have to play a style of D that won't wear the players out. You won't be able to stop offensively sound teams this year, but that's OK. You at least have a shot at outscoring them and you may get a few lucky turnovers. He went to San Diego State in the first game of his 2nd season and destroyed them. He went to DeKalb and almost beat a NIU team that started the season 12-0. The team's only weakness that season was when a team had a power running attack that was able to slice up his undersized D-Line and finish 7-minute drives with touchdowns (Towson game). However, I believe he would have been OK in this realm in his 3rd year had he stayed.
My point is, this Syracuse team is similar to the EIU team he inherited in terms of lacking talent. Dino's system allows him to build up his skill players and he does the best he can with the linemen/LB's/etc. I also believe the speed of the Louisville game was unexpected by the secondary. The fans on here are right to blame that on the coaching staff. However, Dino has an amazing way of building up a player's confidence. He doesn't yell and scream like a tyrant. He doesn't sugarcoat shortcomings either. He has a short memory and teaches his players how to learn from those mistakes. He also builds a "when one falls, we all fall atmosphere." You would be surprised how much better a player responds when his own teammates are holding him accountable in a constructive way. Dino is a master at that.
My prediction for this week: You will see some improvement on defense and enough improvement on offense to hang with USF. I know it doesn't mean anything now, but being around his teams for 2 years makes me believe you have nothing to worry about.
In his first year at EIU he inherited an atrocious defense and an atrocious offense (however, he had Jimmy Garappolo and WR Erik Lora). Dino knew that he could salvage an offense with solid skill players. Syracuse has a very capable QB and Wide Receivers. He also knows that you set up the run with a strong pass attack. Syracuse has RB's that can work in space, and as the passing attack gels, the RB's will improve as the field spreads out.
He came out in his first game and punched SIU in the mouth. The defense was not good, but they kept the game in front of them. Dino relies on the other team's offense making mistakes when he has a weak unit on the field (I don't know how he does in recruiting b/c he hasn't been at a school long enough). At EIU his defense caused a lot of turnovers (as they did this past week). Syracuse plays enough offensively-challenged teams for this strategy to work and to get 6 wins. Yeah, you may beat a few teams 52-48 this year, but that's what happened his first year at EIU as well.
In his second season, the defense got stronger (same below-average players with a few transfers). It got stronger because it had confidence in its offense. The Tampa 2 variation he plays is not my favorite by any means, but when your offense is scoring in less than 1-minute, you have to play a style of D that won't wear the players out. You won't be able to stop offensively sound teams this year, but that's OK. You at least have a shot at outscoring them and you may get a few lucky turnovers. He went to San Diego State in the first game of his 2nd season and destroyed them. He went to DeKalb and almost beat a NIU team that started the season 12-0. The team's only weakness that season was when a team had a power running attack that was able to slice up his undersized D-Line and finish 7-minute drives with touchdowns (Towson game). However, I believe he would have been OK in this realm in his 3rd year had he stayed.
My point is, this Syracuse team is similar to the EIU team he inherited in terms of lacking talent. Dino's system allows him to build up his skill players and he does the best he can with the linemen/LB's/etc. I also believe the speed of the Louisville game was unexpected by the secondary. The fans on here are right to blame that on the coaching staff. However, Dino has an amazing way of building up a player's confidence. He doesn't yell and scream like a tyrant. He doesn't sugarcoat shortcomings either. He has a short memory and teaches his players how to learn from those mistakes. He also builds a "when one falls, we all fall atmosphere." You would be surprised how much better a player responds when his own teammates are holding him accountable in a constructive way. Dino is a master at that.
My prediction for this week: You will see some improvement on defense and enough improvement on offense to hang with USF. I know it doesn't mean anything now, but being around his teams for 2 years makes me believe you have nothing to worry about.
