I have a few questions...

[Bayside44]

wow 2 whole guys

They also won an Orange Bowl a couple of years back, and they helped the BE keep the AQ. Really, just stop unless you want to be productive.

 

[sufandu]

5 years ago is a long time when it involves kids-like i said they havent been good in a while-they also have no brand name like su-even when we are bad su is still a known item-just how did our 8-5 record help us out recruit them last year?

plain and simple looserville has a better recruiter than we do-heck we all though the great guru couldnt recruit,yet his players are the only ones who contribute-what do we do when they are all gone?

If 5 years is a long time, how much longer is 10 (our last 10 win season). When we were last successful these kids weren't watching sports. When Louisville was last successful they were in junior high. We don't have much of a brand name anymore (everyone down here knows SU as only a basketball school, many don't even know Jim Brown played here), we have to reestablish it. Kids aren't going to come to SU because of McNabb or Dwight Freeney. The window of using that ended when we were one of the worst 10 teams in the country for a 4 year period. Marrone is rebuilding our reputation with last years winning season and what looks to be another this year. As that unfolds we will be able to better draw on our past. His recruits don't contribute? Spruill is our best linebacker, our best safety's are the Thomases, our best corner has been Anderson, not G-Rob's senior (some think Keon Lyn would've beaten out Scott if he had been healthy). Goggins is our best interior d-lineman. Marrone clearly focused on defense with his first two classes and then last year shifted more towards offense. We can't judge that class for at least another year or two. Kobena has contributed on kick returns and may end up being a good WR. Jarrod West has a TD yesterday if G-Rob's QB doesn't miss him (don't mistake me, I like Nassib, I'm just making a point). Some of G-Rob's players should contribute more, they're older and more mature. To say Marrone's recruits don't contribute means you're putting on blinders. Be frustrated that we lost to Louisville. That's fine, I am too. Anyone that thought it would be a cake walk game knew nothing about them or how we don't match up as well against them as we did against WVU.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Sounds like you are beginning to sour on the program (or at least Marrone) a bit, JO. Sorry to hear that. I have seen you as a staunch supporter.

 

[mantonio]

Every coach should be subject to a thorough evaluation, regardless of their success. Even a National Championship coach has a weakness somewhere that needs to be shored up.

After this season, I expect Doug to seriously consider bringing on a top notch recruiter for this team. This is his biggest failure thusfar, & I think he knows this.

Like I said before, you can have a great scheme for your gameplan, but without great players, you will never be better than mediocre. This is where Syracuse sits right now, a middling team who plays a few great games to surprise once in awhile.

Personally, I am happy with this right now, juxtaposed against the worst decade in Syracuse Football History...

If they are still like this by the middle of the decade, then I would throw up the red flag of anger.

As long as Syracuse is committing to the process of steady growth towards Championship level Football, we should all be optimistic about where we are, & I believe the program is doing that. They are upgrading facilities, marketing the program as New York's Team, positioning themselves in a more stable, lucrative conference, & they hired a very good coach who cares about his players beyond the field of play. These features will pay massive dividends down the road, & lucky for us, we are catching little glimpses of it even now...

 

[sufandu]

If they are still like this by the middle of the decade, then I would throw up the red flag of anger.

Agreed

 

[OrangePA]

I don't think he is a bad recruiter. But he isn't a good recruiter. I think he is great at getting depth guys. I think he is good at evaluating talent. But he has failed to get any impact guys. Maybe the word I should be using is salesman, instead of recruiter. You can argue that Shady is not a good recruiter because the team has a lot of holes and no depth. But he is a hell of a salesman, as he does get some impact guys. Heck you can even argue that GRob was a better salesman. He left Marrone with a lot of holes on this team. But he also was able to sprinkle in some impact guys. I do think that things will improve in time. But a good salesman wouldn't have to wait.

I really think you underestimate the impact of facilities, and success. And I think you fail to understand that a program like SU needs years to nurture young athletes and HS coaches.

It's easy to recruit to LSU or USC.

Ed Orgeron has spoken of how he learned to recruit from DeLeone at SU.

That you expect four and five star recruits immediately and consistently is very unrealistic with a program like the SU program.

And unless you have been on a recruiting visit and have seen and heard how he approaches young athletes I can't imagine how you can guage his ability.

I can assure you, Marrone was a better recruiter at GA and Tenn than he is now and there's a reason for that.

I for one can see how much he has improved our talent base - I don't see where you are coming from on this issue.

 

[kingottoiii]

I really think you underestimate the impact of facilities, and success. And I think you fail to understand that a program like SU needs years to nurture young athletes and HS coaches.

It's easy to recruit to LSU or USC.

Ed Orgeron has spoken of how he learned to recruit from DeLeone at SU.

That you expect four and five star recruits immediately and consistently is very unrealistic with a program like the SU program.

And unless you have been on a recruiting visit and have seen and heard how he approaches young athletes I can't imagine how you can guage his ability.

I can assure you, Marrone was a better recruiter at GA and Tenn than he is now and there's a reason for that.

I for one can see how much he has improved our talent base - I don't see where you are coming from on this issue.

I wasn't comparing LSU or USC to SU. Shady took over a program that was the laughing stock of CFB and lack facilitates. Pitt had nice facilitates but they also had three straight years without a Bowl. Strong took over a UL program with 2 BE Ws combined the two season prior to his arrival. GRob was able to bring in soem 4 star guys. He had 8 of them according to Scout, including MR Ohio. He also got an underrated play maker in Mike Williams, who you could tell was going to be good as a frosh. Marrone has gotten zero 4 star guys according to Scout and hasn't had any frosh make an impact on O.

I don't expect us to be getting a lot of 4 Star guys. But I would like to see some young guys show me something on O.

 

[EastBayCuse]

Recruiting will pick up each year - Cuse has gone from the bottom feeder in a mediocre fball conference to the middle, and with the prospects of moving to the ACC and establishment/continuity of the HC, it will continue to improve, but it will take awhile. That is why I wouldn't mind 'Cuse staying in the BE for 2 more seasons - I don't think the 'Cuse will be ready for the ACC till then.

 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

people act like UL went up and down the field.. they had 350 yds.. the first drive was a blown coverage on a bootleg that if the safety does his job its a sack and likely a punt from the endzone and we start at midfield for what would have been the only time of the game. The throw was terrible but completed.. they had 95 on that drive and 60 on the late run. 200 the rest of the game and avg 2.5 a carry on the other 30 carries and the Qb had 100 yds passing after that drive.. hardly showed a lack of effort by the D. even the long run never happens if the blatant holds was called or thomas plays the angle better as he read the play well.

the offense is what it is, people blame play calling, yet Nassib missed at least 3 td passes that had tons of room to be at worst big plays. its been the story all year, good calls that not only took pts off the board but never change the D from being able to attack us cause we never make them pay. we are probably looking at 10+ td passes that at worst should have been 5 or more. one more per game and 50+ yards.

the running game sucks most of the time, but without a play maker at rcvr you need to run enough to give you the chance to throw, and you cant argue it has given us the shots for plays that Nassib has just not handle well.

just like Baileys long run yesterday, a better back waits for harris to make a real block not a cut block and then probably scores on that play. if bailey was the 2nd back we would be much better, I think in reality smith and moore are both going to be better backs, add in Gulley to be the change up next year and we will be improved, but will probably no home run hitter.

from what i have heard we probably have 3-4 better linemen off the field this year because of injuries and RS. It would not shock me at all if we replace at least 3 guys next year. Pugh is the only one who is playing solid.

the rcvrs are catching the ball, for a couple years we couldn't even do that.

Going into the year and looking at history, DM beats the teams we have more talent then, goes 50/50 against teams we are about even with and has stolen a couple games from teams that have more talent.

so far this year

we beat RI/Tulane/Toledo who we should have.
We beat wake and lost to rutgers/UL in our 50/50 games
we lost to USC and beat WV against teams who have more talent.

by averages we should be 4-4 or 5-3 which is right where we should be, the rutgers loss is killer but we could have screwed up one of the should haves too and stole the WV game its awash..

we have uconn in the 50/50 games
we have USF/Cinci in probably more talent games
and dont know where to put pitt.

7-8 was our goal. still sitting there with all winnable games with solid efforts.

Finally, a voice of reason (along with JO). Thank you.

 

[BlueCurtain]

if we had a qb who could move it would mask a ton of issues on o line.

Our O-line play has never been anything special, even in the 90s. The big difference was having a QB who could buy time for receivers to get open. It's the sort of thing you can't teach or develop. Either a QB knows how to use his feet or he doesn't. For schools like SU that cannot recruit NFL caliber linemen, this is absolutely critical. The rationale for offensive scheme should play into that as well.