FanFest .. my take

[jcuse44]

First impression:

We finally look like a legitimate Division 1 school again as far as size and speed are concerned.
Beefy and speedy were the first things that came to mind.

Sugar Bear is going to be an absolute beast at the TE position.
I could see this kid becoming the best TE in college ball if he keeps his stuff together and works well with Will Hicks. He is slightly overweight( saw him without pads on and he had man boobs).
He is still really hard to take down and clearly an absolute athlete regardless of his current weight.
Kid has glue hands as well.

Terrell Hunt impressed the hell out of me.
He has a presence in the pocket..throws well and runs well.

Our speed on defense will surprise people this year.
Morgan is going to be a stud when he is ready.
Shamarko is going to be a first round draft pick this year. He took Rene's head right off on one tackle and i believe he injured his shoulder in the process.

Ashton has iffy hands at the receiver spot today. his speed and shiftiness are undeniable..i hope he can get rid of the dropsies.

more to come once i get my newborn to sleep...

 

[jekelish]

For people in the know, do you expect Sugar Bear to play this year?

 

[rocklloyd]

Thank you jcuse. Waiting for next update.

 

[SUtyger]

Did they utilize the new screens in the dome? how did that look?

Thanks for the updates!

 

[jcuse44]

In addition..i think the new jumbotrons have been understated in description. I think that people are going to be blown away at their size..and it is going to feel like a Brand New Carrier Dome this year. They DWARF the old corner and endzone scoreboard and are 3 times the old size.

as far as sugar bear goes... i don't see how he isnt on the field for at least 40% of offensive plays..he blocks well, runs routes well.. and will be a game changer without question.

 

[jcuse44]

The software on the scoreboards are not installed yet...so they were black the whole time. Slightly disappointing but understandable.

As far as the layout was today...they should have had more 7 on 7s and 11 on 11s in my opinion...too much slow drills for a fanfest but im sure the Dougers wanted it that way considering the team is leaving first thing in the morning for Fort Drum.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Que the "Shamarko is too small!" non believers. If he shows any aptitude in pass coverage at all (he has it, but has spent most of his time cleaning up in the box for us) and stays healthy this year he'll go in the first 3 rounds.

Great news about Hunt as well!

Many thanks for the update!

 

[jekelish]

Regarding Sugar Bear, one of my SU roommates started at center for one of the big Detroit area high schools (they were ranked in the USA Today top 25), and helps out with his alma mater's program, and they played Sugar Bear this year. Keep in mind, my buddy has seen some big time players (played against Charlie Rogers, had a backup QB on his team who had a short run in the NFL, etc), and watching him he told me Sugar Bear is 100% legit. I have the highest of hopes for him.

Edit: total sidenote, but I just remembered a former starting defender on a national championship SU lax team (maybe two?) was a teammate of his (star linebacker) in high school. Everything comes back to SU.

 

[ImperialOrange]

How did Nassib look? Sales? Did Lemon participate?

 

[OrangeFreek]

Stupid question...?????? Who is sugar bear?????

 

[jcuse44]

Lemon had one good TD play to start the day off ... Other than that i dont recall him having many catches in the 11 on 11 or 7 on 7s. Nassib looked Nassiby...He didn't impress but he didn't look bad either. His short throws seem to have improved on velocity ( he doesnt gun 5 yarders anymore ). Sales looked fast but didnt really have any plays.

The majority of the play drills were running plays with the except of a bunch of nice passes to Sugar Bear, one to Becket and a few spread out.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

How did Nassib look? Sales? Did Lemon participate?

Lemon had a couple of catches today ... including a 60+ yard TD from Nassib.

 

[jcuse44]

My bad... Sugar Bear is Ron Thompson for those who didn't know.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Stupid question...?????? Who is sugar bear?????

Ron Thompson ... your new favorite TE.

 

[jekelish]

Stupid question...?????? Who is sugar bear?????

Ron Thompson - TE from Detroit

 

[PhatOrange]

you're saying you think shamarko hurt his shoulder ?

We have got to stay away from the injury bug this camp/fall.

 

[PhatOrange]

Michigan wanted Thompson badly but they wouldn't wait for him and took two other TE's. Their loss.

We'll wait for Ogundeko and if he burns us so be it.

 

[SUinNYC]

Thanks jcuse44. This is a great update for an out of towner like me.

 

[bnoro]

Que the "Shamarko is too small!" non believers. If he shows any aptitude in pass coverage at all (he has it, but has spent most of his time cleaning up in the box for us) and stays healthy this year he'll go in the first 3 rounds.

Great news about Hunt as well!

Many thanks for the update!

Shamarko is a poor man's Bob Sanders. Both are phenominal when healthy but we haven't seen them healthy in so long that you forget how good they are when they are on the field. Both are the same size, both hit like a ton of bricks.

 

[money3189]

i myself was impress with hunt. He has a strong muscular build to him. threw the short passes well. His deep balls weren't great. They called a naked boot. He was down the sidelines so fast. he gain about 25 yards easily. Sugar bear is a stud. Soft hands, doesnt drop balls. I talked to him a couple years ago at a 7 on 7 tournament at rutgers. He remembered me. He said he remembered talking to me about wheatley and his relationship with him. I was totally impressed with that. West had a nice TD catch, I also thought lemon, wales, nassib, AAM, morgan, dyshawn, siriki, shamarko, crume, brewster, and ashton stood out today.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Shamarko is a poor man's Bob Sanders. Both are phenominal when healthy but we haven't seen them healthy in so long that you forget how good they are when they are on the field. Both are the same size, both hit like a ton of bricks.

Bob Sanders was a poor mans Shamarko Thomas*

 

[jcuse44]

In reference to shamarkos big hit...i was saying that i believe he injured rene..not himself. Shamarko walked away like he hit a fly.

 

[jcuse44]

There was some really impressive big hits today as well which was a surprise...you can tell this team wants to start hitting badly and want to shake last years poor finish off.