If anyone is doubting Babers as THE guy...

[Rocco]

Then I'm not sure you're ever going to be happy with SU Football. IMHO, he is undoubtedly THE guy. One must remember that he is still dealing with razor-thin depth and skewed top-to-bottom talent from Shaf. When Dungey got dinged up a few weeks ago, we knew his season was over shortly thereafter. Sadly, thus went our realistic chances at a bowl. Without Dungey this year, we get dismantled in many of the close games. That kid singlehandedly kept us in games by sacrificing his body and getting that extra yard. Unfortunately, we all knew he would likely not get up from one of the hits. It happened.

Babers has these kids dialed in. They're still so damn young. Yes, we're losing key players in Zaire, Parris, Ish and Erv, but also bringing back boatloads of underclassmen who have valuable playing experience under their belts. The biggest focus right now IMHO is closing this recruiting class out strong. It's currently the best class we've had in some time (and can get better), but the staff really needs to fight off some bigger schools down the stretch. Be prepared for some fireworks, hopefully good ones.

Simply put, Babers has proven that they can play with and outscheme the big boys. This season will not end how any of us want, but we're getting better every year. Who thought we would beat Clemson 2 years ago? Who thought we would go toe-to-toe with LSU in Death Valley, keep it close against The U in Miami or actually start getting some extended love on GameDay? This is all credit to what Babers and his staff have done for this program. Let us not forget that so quickly.

People might have forgotten about SU for the rest of this year, but with so many key pieces coming back next year to go with a stellar recruiting class, people will now pay close attention to SU Football. This is a fact. I fully expect us to crack the Top 25 over the next year or 2. I fully expect us to play in a bowl game every year moving forward. If things really keep improving, who knows, maybe we could compete for an ACC Championship in the next few years, too. The good news is that NONE of this is out of question anymore. That is huge to think about. We finally got a guy who gets it and is still building his foundation. The results will continue to impress people. Call me an eternal optimist, but something changed this year. It's palpable.

Have some faith folks. Dino is the answer.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[DoubleDee]

Dilly dilly!

 

[corpjet]

HCDB is great for the program no doubt and inherited a mess from top to bottom however We need a big recruiting class this cycle......the lack of quality depth is killing us......Im sorry but Devito needs to be ready in year 2, the book is written ED cant make it a full season.....

We need an easier schedule until we get back to back to back bowl season......

In Dino we trust

 

[Alsacs]

Stop making rational well thought out posts.
I am also hearing UMass to the Pac-12 after beating BYU, Tennessee wants Dino Babers as their next HC and Scott Shafer will succeed Scott Frost at UCF.

 

[cusefan88]

Trust The Process. DB is the man today, next week, and next season. Again, just compare the quality of recruits/offers. It is going UP!

 

[bigmike]

Couldn't agree more. For those who are ready to throw in the towel, or need to vent further...

 

[AZOrange]

God what a Debbie Downer...

 

[tbonezone]

babers classes are ranked generally in the mid 50's by most services and anywhere from 9-12 in conference.

 

[PhatOrange]

I hope we’re working out an extension this offseason. 110% behind him

 

[Consigliere]

Still in the boat, but hard not to be disappointed with the last six quarters of absolutely terrible football. The "believe without evidence" credo is being sorely tested and the "consistently good, not occasionally great" mantra is giving way to a polar opposite.

Easy to rationalize but I expected more this year - even before the Clemson win. Going to take some time to regain the optimism - a strong game against BC will be somewhat critical here - but without a substantial step forward next year questions will arise if we are indeed on the right path.

 

[qdawgg]

Still in the boat, but hard not to be disappointed with the last six quarters of absolutely terrible football. The "believe without evidence" credo is being sorely tested and the "consistently good, not occasionally great" mantra is giving way to a polar opposite.

Easy to rationalize but I expected more this year - even before the Clemson win. Going to take some time to regain the optimism - a strong game against BC will be somewhat critical here - but without a substantial step forward next year questions will arise if we are indeed on the right path.

Pretty much dead on with how I'm feeling too.

I don't this to work out and I still think DB is the guy for the job but also have the same thoughts you do. At this point I also don't care about all of the offensive stats and records being broken. I think that is actually more embarrassing and meaningless than anything at this point.

 

[CousCuse]

Stop making rational well thought out posts.
I am also hearing UMass to the Pac-12 after beating BYU, Tennessee wants Dino Babers as their next HC and Scott Shafer will succeed Scott Frost at UCF.

Where do you get these crazy ideas from. Though UMASS is kicking some butt now.

 

[Avatusstone28]

I really like Babers and given time, he can bring SU football to relevance. However, I fear that he will bolt at the first opportunity, should an SEC school come calling.

We need a coach that would be committed to stay at Syracuse, long term. Is Dino that coach? Does extending him guarantee, that he stay 4+ more years?

 

[anomander]

110% behind Babers.

Extremely disappointed how this season is ending though.

 

[Chip]

I can’t imagine there are many doubting that he’s the guy. Those that do are either holding a grudge or probably hate everything about their life.

I’m starting to wonder about Brian Ward though. Dino replaced a DC once before, first year DC at Bowling Green before he brought in Ward for year 2. Ward isn’t playing with a full deck (personnel, not his brain), but still, these are defensive performances that are making all time lists in college football history. It’s not just regular bad.

 

[Jeepers]

All I wanted this year was improvement.

Last year: 4 wins, one being vs. Virginia Tech
This year: 4 wins (potentially 5), one being vs. Clemson. And a bunch of really close games. Definitely an improvement.

A little letdown, for sure. But all we have to do is fix the running game, and work on depth. The QB situation is playing out to be perfect. Senior QB (who I seriously doubt will be jumped) that is prone to injury. Between garbage time and injury backup, Devito should get just enough experience to prep him for the next year.

And just an early prediction, but I think Mo will blow up next year.

 

[OrangePA]

Stop making rational well thought out posts.
I am also hearing UMass to the Pac-12 after beating BYU, Tennessee wants Dino Babers as their next HC and Scott Shafer will succeed Scott Frost at UCF.

Seriously, Whipple is actually doing a heck of a job at UMass.

 

[OrangePA]

I can’t imagine there are many doubting that he’s the guy. Those that do are either holding a grudge or probably hate everything about their life.

I’m starting to wonder about Brian Ward though. Dino replaced a DC once before, first year DC at Bowling Green before he brought in Ward for year 2. Ward isn’t playing with a full deck (personnel, not his brain), but still, these are defensive performances that are making all time lists in college football history. It’s not just regular bad.

Not worried about Ward.

The defense played pretty darn well through much of the season.

Depth issues - along with superior QB play- have clearly hurt over the past two weeks.

I was interested to hear from Dino after the game that the hated Cover Two was not used all much yesterday.

 

[Cheriehoop]

I know that Dino mentioned the huge challenge of getting the players to ‘buy in’ when he took over the job. We know he’s been asking for support and a buy in for the process from the fans too. Reading posts like bcubs makes me wonder if the buy in was tentative for the older players so when the real adversity of injuries and subsequent losses hit, their belief and confidence in the system, in their teammates, took a big hit, just like some posters here. I’m no football insider by any means so just what might be a mindless thought.

 

[bcubs9497]

Not worried about Ward.

The defense played pretty darn well through much of the season.

Depth issues have - along with superior QB play- clearly hurt over the past two weeks.

I was interested to hear from Dino after the game that the hated Cover Two was not used all much yesterday.

Zone. Even the ESPN color commentator stated that SU was playing zone. Yuck.

Went back to look at some plays and saw that there were some instances of using a 3 man front, and dropping LBs back a few yards. Played safeties deep. Front 3 couldn't get to QB, Jackson had all the time in the world, and threw in front of the coverage. Routinely gave up 10-12 yards. At least, from what little I went back and re-watched, there weren't too many plays with yards after the catch. Didn't see a lot of 5-man rushing to at least pressure Jackson.

Also, UL defensive play calling was more aggressive.

 

[bcubs9497]

I know that Dino mentioned the huge challenge of getting the players to ‘buy in’ when he took over the job. We know he’s been asking for support and a buy in for the process from the fans too. Reading posts like bcubs makes me wonder if the buy in was tentative for the older players so when the real adversity of injuries and subsequent losses hit, their belief and confidence in the system, in their teammates, took a big hit, just like some posters here. I’m no football insider by any means so just what might be a mindless thought.

I don't know. I do know Steven still loves Babers, Ward, and Reynolds. Also talks all the time with the team. Haven't heard anything bad.

 

[OrangePA]

Zone. Even the ESPN color commentator stated that SU was playing zone. Yuck.

Went back to look at some plays and saw that there were some instances of using a 3 man front, and dropping LBs back a few yards. Played safeties deep. Front 3 couldn't get to QB, Jackson had all the time in the world, and threw in front of the coverage. Routinely gave up 10-12 yards. At least, from what little I went back and re-watched, there weren't too many plays with yards after the catch. Didn't see a lot of 5-man rushing to at least pressure Jackson.

Also, UL defensive play calling was more aggressive.

Maybe we used more zone and the Cardinals used more man-to-man because of a talent differential.

They had Jackson and we had Mahoney and Culpepper.

 

[Rocco]

I hope we’re working out an extension this offseason. 110% behind him

This needs to happen. End the speculation. We need to roll the dice with Babers. If he ends up being a dud, which I find highly unlikely, then so be it. We need to get guys to stick around here for longer than 3-4 years.

 

[elimunelson]

This needs to happen. End the speculation. We need to roll the dice with Babers. If he ends up being a dud, which I find highly unlikely, then so be it. We need to get guys to stick around here for longer than 3-4 years.

I'm against any extension full stop. Let him play out the contract. Day trading contracts has become such a bad precedent IMO. Jim Boeheim, Paul Pasqualoni never day traded their extensions, etc and trusted their abilities and the ability to have success at Syracuse.

Dino is obviously the guy but let's not get crazy about extending someone who came in with a market contract and has received upgrades at the school, private jet access, etc. Pump the brakes on it. If he wants to leave b/c we're not ripping up contracts, let him. It won't stop no matter what.

 

[sufandu]

Then I'm not sure you're ever going to be happy with SU Football. IMHO, he is undoubtedly THE guy. One must remember that he is still dealing with razor-thin depth and skewed top-to-bottom talent from Shaf. When Dungey got dinged up a few weeks ago, we knew his season was over shortly thereafter. Sadly, thus went our realistic chances at a bowl. Without Dungey this year, we get dismantled in many of the close games. That kid singlehandedly kept us in games by sacrificing his body and getting that extra yard. Unfortunately, we all knew he would likely not get up from one of the hits. It happened.

Babers has these kids dialed in. They're still so damn young. Yes, we're losing key players in Zaire, Parris, Ish and Erv, but also bringing back boatloads of underclassmen who have valuable playing experience under their belts. The biggest focus right now IMHO is closing this recruiting class out strong. It's currently the best class we've had in some time (and can get better), but the staff really needs to fight off some bigger schools down the stretch. Be prepared for some fireworks, hopefully good ones.

Simply put, Babers has proven that they can play with and outscheme the big boys. This season will not end how any of us want, but we're getting better every year. Who thought we would beat Clemson 2 years ago? Who thought we would go toe-to-toe with LSU in Death Valley, keep it close against The U in Miami or actually start getting some extended love on GameDay? This is all credit to what Babers and his staff have done for this program. Let us not forget that so quickly.

People might have forgotten about SU for the rest of this year, but with so many key pieces coming back next year to go with a stellar recruiting class, people will now pay close attention to SU Football. This is a fact. I fully expect us to crack the Top 25 over the next year or 2. I fully expect us to play in a bowl game every year moving forward. If things really keep improving, who knows, maybe we could compete for an ACC Championship in the next few years, too. The good news is that NONE of this is out of question anymore. That is huge to think about. We finally got a guy who gets it and is still building his foundation. The results will continue to impress people. Call me an eternal optimist, but something changed this year. It's palpable.

Have some faith folks. Dino is the answer.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The finish to this year is hard to swallow, but I'm on board. I'm looking forward to next year with some of the new faces we'll see.