Luke Carney

[Dr. Bill]

If the fans influenced Fran’s QB decision making then that’s incredibly concerning and a very bad sign for his head coaching future.

That aside, yes, coaches are professionals and see the players in practice every day. Yet, coaches make mistakes all the time. The idea that we’re supposed to just swallow whole what the coaches feed us is silly.

Fran lied all summer about the competition between Angeli and Collins. No one should be taken to task for not believing him when he peddled his QB evaluations the last 2 months.

"Fran Lied"...that is a strong statement! One thing, that many fans are not giving Coach Fran credit for and making statements that he"lied" about the QB competition, is the fact that Coach Fran never publicly talks negative about any of his players. What was he supposed to say: Angeli was great and Collins needs a lot of work to be the starter? He still had to support and encourage Collins throughout this process because he was the next man up. None of our jobs are on the line based on Syracuse QB play...the same can't be said for the coaching staff, so however they decide to play the cards they are dealt, is on them and of course, we as fans can question it, but the buck stops with the professional coaches and not the Arm Chair QB's and coaches. All of this criticism of the Coach speaks to some unrealistic, out of touch expectations of our fan base. The same Coach that won 10 games last year and was heralded as a savior, some are now calling for his head. This season was a disaster .. no question, but give the coach time to build what he thinks he can build.

 

[Dr. Bill]

Didn't Nixon recruit Carney? I thought Luke was his get.

Does it matter? Recruiters miss all the time on players. You look good in High School, first year in college...and you don't look as good. The kid is straight out of HS, it takes time for many players, especially QB's to be game ready.

 

[OttosShoes]

All of this criticism of the Coach speaks to some unrealistic, out of touch expectations of our fan base. The same Coach that won 10 games last year and was heralded as a savior, some are now calling for his head.

I mean it’s college football. Big time coaching jobs come with big time stakes. No fanbase has reasonable expectations for their coach and, as wild as it sounds, when you compare to some other P4 programs we tend toward patient.

Forgive me if I’m reading into this wrong, but you seem to be referring to fans as an outgroup, so I’ll guess you know someone on the team or staff. I can see where that would be tough but please take the stuff said here with a grain of salt. It’s mostly just venting.

 

[Dr. Bill]

I mean it’s college football. Big time coaching jobs come with big time stakes. No fanbase has reasonable expectations for their coach and, as wild as it sounds, when you compare to some other P4 programs we tend toward patient.

Forgive me if I’m reading into this wrong, but you seem to be referring to fans as an outgroup, so I’ll guess you know someone on the team or staff. I can see where that would be tough but please take the stuff said here with a grain of salt. It’s mostly just venting.

Venting is allowed!!!! This was an awful season for sure...

 

[Archbold44]

Your comments just supports what I am trying to articulate. You are the average fan... Ricky was horrible!!! There is no dispute there...but there was nothing behind him...nothing. All this talk about Carney should have played more..., should have subbed in Filardi...etc... is all bogus when, as politely as they could without publicly criticizing players, told all of us..in spite of how Ricky is playing, he gives us the best option to win! But, as you said, the average fan just couldn't believe that. The average fans don't see what these guys do in practice. Fans are just pissed that this season turned out the way that it did. It is hard to believe that we didn;t have a third or 4th QB that could win a game..how many teams do? The big negative of this season, was the coaching staff missing out on their evaluation of Ricky Collins. There is very little chance that true freshman are ready to lead a team in Power 4...unless they are extremely gifted...I have not seen that from Filardi or Carney. they may develop...but that will take time. When things are going bad, you look for answers...and if still unsuccessful, then comes the blame game. Young inexperienced QB's need support...that support can come from conservative play calling to limit mistakes, other players stepping up and making big individual plays, we saw none of that. The offensive line was atrocious when it came to pass protection and run blocking. The receivers made no 50-50 catches, the running backs made no one miss for long gains...and let's not talk about the defense. There will be a lot of discussion and self evaluation in this off season for sure.

If you think you are defending the coaches, you are failing.

"There was nothing behind him [Rickie]"... coaching decision
"He gives us the best option to win"... then keeping playing him. How can you evaluate OL and WRs with a QB that cannot throw downfield.
"The average fan just couldn't believe that"... is this a democracy? The coaches decide who plays, not the fans.
"Missing out on their evaluation"... coaching
"conservative play calling... we saw none of that"... coaching
"Young inexperienced QBs need support."... except Carney, he just gets pulled after no more than 2 drives.

You can spend the rest of your life arguing about this... but Carney was QB#3 for a reason... he was better than QB#4-6. To start someone other than Collins for UNC, and have it not be Carney, means that the evaluations all season were wrong. If Filardi was truly better, as claimed, make him QB#3 early on.

If we are not playing Carney because he will portal... that is G A R B A G E. The goal is to win games. 25 guys on the team will portal... so what? Guys win Super Bowls and World Series in the last year of their contract and, thus, the last year for that team (potentially). You don't NOT play a better player because he might leave. If that is how the team is run, then the coaches are not suited for the NIL era. You play to win the game.

Seriously... how good are our young WRs on deep throws? We don't know unless they play with Collins. So what is the point in playing them? Carney threw a pass relatively deep that was either going to be caught or incomplete. Isn't that the goal? So why are we playing turnover machines in Filardi (5 in 2 games) and Collins (lost track)?

Unless and until Carney turns the ball over ONCE... much less 2-3 times in a game... I will not be convinced that he is not the guy that should have started UNC and BC, with Collins starting the other games. Feel free to work in Filardi to get some experience.

 

[Archbold44]

"Fran Lied"...that is a strong statement! One thing, that many fans are not giving Coach Fran credit for and making statements that he"lied" about the QB competition, is the fact that Coach Fran never publicly talks negative about any of his players. What was he supposed to say: Angeli was great and Collins needs a lot of work to be the starter? He still had to support and encourage Collins throughout this process because he was the next man up. None of our jobs are on the line based on Syracuse QB play...the same can't be said for the coaching staff, so however they decide to play the cards they are dealt, is on them and of course, we as fans can question it, but the buck stops with the professional coaches and not the Arm Chair QB's and coaches. All of this criticism of the Coach speaks to some unrealistic, out of touch expectations of our fan base. The same Coach that won 10 games last year and was heralded as a savior, some are now calling for his head. This season was a disaster .. no question, but give the coach time to build what he thinks he can build.

It is possible in this world to say little. "Angeli came in here and did a great job learning the playbook and, with his experience, won the job. I am disappointed for Rickie because he improved from spring to fall. Like everyone else, he needs to keep improving so that he can stay ready if/when he needs to step in. Football is a physical game... that could be Week 1 or Week 10. We like Rickie."

What's the problem with that? I like Rickie. I think the coaches did not do him any favors on play calls. I think he needs to step down a level and get some experience under less pressure. His career is not over.

But Fran set expectations too high for him, which was BAD for Rickie. Better to have just told the truth or something close to it.

 

[JKinUtah]

But Fran set expectations too high for him, which was BAD for Rickie. Better to have just told the truth or something close to it.

Maybe it was the truth at the time. People forget Angeli wasn’t setting the world on fire right away, and as I recall there was some sentiment a change was needed until things clicked.

Rickie might be a great practice player, but when the real bullets start flying it’s too much for him. Only those at practice every day would know.

 

[Dr. Bill]

If you think you are defending the coaches, you are failing.

"There was nothing behind him [Rickie]"... coaching decision
"He gives us the best option to win"... then keeping playing him. How can you evaluate OL and WRs with a QB that cannot throw downfield.
"The average fan just couldn't believe that"... is this a democracy? The coaches decide who plays, not the fans.
"Missing out on their evaluation"... coaching
"conservative play calling... we saw none of that"... coaching
"Young inexperienced QBs need support."... except Carney, he just gets pulled after no more than 2 drives.

You can spend the rest of your life arguing about this... but Carney was QB#3 for a reason... he was better than QB#4-6. To start someone other than Collins for UNC, and have it not be Carney, means that the evaluations all season were wrong. If Filardi was truly better, as claimed, make him QB#3 early on.

If we are not playing Carney because he will portal... that is G A R B A G E. The goal is to win games. 25 guys on the team will portal... so what? Guys win Super Bowls and World Series in the last year of their contract and, thus, the last year for that team (potentially). You don't NOT play a better player because he might leave. If that is how the team is run, then the coaches are not suited for the NIL era. You play to win the game.

Seriously... how good are our young WRs on deep throws? We don't know unless they play with Collins. So what is the point in playing them? Carney threw a pass relatively deep that was either going to be caught or incomplete. Isn't that the goal? So why are we playing turnover machines in Filardi (5 in 2 games) and Collins (lost track)?

Unless and until Carney turns the ball over ONCE... much less 2-3 times in a game... I will not be convinced that he is not the guy that should have started UNC and BC, with Collins starting the other games. Feel free to work in Filardi to get some experience.

This entire conversation about about how our QB's were managed...is a joke. None of us know what the coaches know, knew, saw, or thought. They did what they did...for reasons only known to them. Anything we say or try to defend...is only speculation. I choose to trust our coaches. At the end of the day, the season was awful . A debrief and after action planning will take place once the season is over. Hopefully, a lot was learned from this fiasco and we will not see a repeat of what we saw this season...

 

[FloridaCuse]

"Fran Lied"...that is a strong statement! One thing, that many fans are not giving Coach Fran credit for and making statements that he"lied" about the QB competition, is the fact that Coach Fran never publicly talks negative about any of his players. What was he supposed to say: Angeli was great and Collins needs a lot of work to be the starter? He still had to support and encourage Collins throughout this process because he was the next man up. None of our jobs are on the line based on Syracuse QB play...the same can't be said for the coaching staff, so however they decide to play the cards they are dealt, is on them and of course, we as fans can question it, but the buck stops with the professional coaches and not the Arm Chair QB's and coaches. All of this criticism of the Coach speaks to some unrealistic, out of touch expectations of our fan base. The same Coach that won 10 games last year and was heralded as a savior, some are now calling for his head. This season was a disaster .. no question, but give the coach time to build what he thinks he can build.

Oh, come on. He didn't have to so overplay that the competition was SO close. All we heard from the coaching staff was - it is so tight we don't know how he's going to choose. He created totally unrealistic expectations about Rickie's abilities which he did not have to do while still encouraging him. He created such expectations that the P-S beat writer criticized him for picking Steve and lost his credibility with his readers. No matter how long or how successful Fran is at Syracuse many fans will always remember his statements about the 2025 QB1 competition.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Oh, come on. He didn't have so overplay that the competition was SO close. All we heard from the coaching staff was - it is so tight we don't know how he's going to choose. He created totally unrealistic expectations about Rickie's abilities which he did not have to do while still encouraging him. He created such expectations that the P-S beat writer criticized him for picking Steve and lost his credibility with his readers. No matter how long or how successful Fran is at Syracuse many fans will always remember his statements about the 2025 QB1 competition.

His job is to manage the team and the players. He was building up Rickie’s confidence. the fact that Rickie freezes in game situations is a different issue. If this is what you’re going to remember, you’re always going to find something to hate and be disappointed about. But such is life.

 

[Dr. Bill]

Oh, come on. He didn't have so overplay that the competition was SO close. All we heard from the coaching staff was - it is so tight we don't know how he's going to choose. He created totally unrealistic expectations about Rickie's abilities which he did not have to do while still encouraging him. He created such expectations that the P-S beat writer criticized him for picking Steve and lost his credibility with his readers. No matter how long or how successful Fran is at Syracuse many fans will always remember his statements about the 2025 QB1 competition.

All of us on the outside..have no clue. If all the fans want to remember is how the QB's were handled by Fran this season , then so be it, but none of us were in practice, maybe...just maybe, the competition was as close as the coach said it was. I remember when Steve didn't look so good against Uconn, and "Fans" were calling for Collins. Perhaps, Angeli was struggling a little bit in some aspects early on...things change...but who the heck are we to accuse the coach of lying? For you to call it an overplay is just speculation, because you have no clue what actually transpired in those practices or what the coaches saw or thought. The bottom line is this entire discussion about the QB management is a total waste of energy because none of know what really happened behind the scenes...but speculation will always occur.

 

[Archbold44]

All of us on the outside..have no clue. If all the fans want to remember is how the QB's were handled by Fran this season , then so be it, but none of us were in practice, maybe...just maybe, the competition was as close as the coach said it was. I remember when Steve didn't look so good against Uconn, and "Fans" were calling for Collins. Perhaps, Angeli was struggling a little bit in some aspects early on...things change...but who the heck are we to accuse the coach of lying? For you to call it an overplay is just speculation, because you have no clue what actually transpired in those practices or what the coaches saw or thought. The bottom line is this entire discussion about the QB management is a total waste of energy because none of know what really happened behind the scenes...but speculation will always occur.

Because Fran said the competition was close!

 

[Archbold44]

His job is to manage the team and the players. He was building up Rickie’s confidence. the fact that Rickie freezes in game situations is a different issue. If this is what you’re going to remember, you’re always going to find something to hate and be disappointed about. But such is life.

How does it build up confidence when someone praises you beyond your ability?

If someone sets you up on a blind date with a girl... and tells you she is a 10++++... are you doing her any favors when she shows up as something other than a 10? Would have been better to be quiet. Say whatever you want to her to build up HER confidence... but where it counts, keep expectations in check.

 

[OttosShoes]

Yeah I mean we don’t know the details of the failure but a failure is what it is.

It’s like if a bridge falls down. “It wasn’t the engineers fault, the steel was bad and the concrete was too wet and it was the wind storm of the century.” Whatever. It was the engineers job to build a bridge that didn’t fall down, and also, the bridge fell down.

It’s the second season. As far as I am concerned the two cancel and Fran’s record is back at square one. That said, his recruiting pipeline and brand building efforts, are most certainly *not* at square one. Here’s to 2026; long live the Fran Brown era.

 

[tep624]

Because Fran said the competition was close!

Have you ever heard of coach speak? Do you think Fran is going to publicly say “Our #2 sucks!”?

I couldn’t care less about what he said. The bigger issue is the state of the QB depth chart and lack of game ability among the backups, not the window dressing in a hope to build confidence where ability was clearly lacking.

 

[richmondcuse03]

How does it build up confidence when someone praises you beyond your ability?

If someone sets you up on a blind date with a girl... and tells you she is a 10++++... are you doing her any favors when she shows up as something other than a 10? Would have been better to be quiet. Say whatever you want to her to build up HER confidence... but where it counts, keep expectations in check.

his ability and potential are one thing. how he handles it in live game situations are another.

i don't see how it benefits anyone to talk down about Rickie and say he sucks when we may have needed him in a game...and then that exactly happened and he was the best we got. Fran is a player's coach. He motivates guys privately. He will rarely do that in the media. Not gonna happen.

And when we get great portal guys, you can point to this and other things as why he's a players coach and why guys are trying to portal to play for him.

 

[Archbold44]

his ability and potential are one thing. how he handles it in live game situations are another.

i don't see how it benefits anyone to talk down about Rickie and say he sucks when we may have needed him in a game...and then that exactly happened and he was the best we got. Fran is a player's coach. He motivates guys privately. He will rarely do that in the media. Not gonna happen.

And when we get great portal guys, you can point to this and other things as why he's a players coach and why guys are trying to portal to play for him.

Motivate him privately. What you say in public is going to be remembered though...

 

[RMH44]

Right you can actually see Joe has something but the sheer terror and pace of the game is eating him up. Also the OL is horrific.

Agreed. We need a philosophical change regarding O-linemen and their primary coach. Who cares how big you are if you can't move your feet?!? How Pringle even gets snaps is very disconcerting.

 

[SuFTW]

Maybe it was the truth at the time. People forget Angeli wasn’t setting the world on fire right away, and as I recall there was some sentiment a change was needed until things clicked.

Rickie might be a great practice player, but when the real bullets start flying it’s too much for him. Only those at practice every day would know.

The sentiment for a change was from fans though.

 

[Scooch]

"Fran Lied"...that is a strong statement! One thing, that many fans are not giving Coach Fran credit for and making statements that he"lied" about the QB competition, is the fact that Coach Fran never publicly talks negative about any of his players. What was he supposed to say: Angeli was great and Collins needs a lot of work to be the starter? He still had to support and encourage Collins throughout this process because he was the next man up. None of our jobs are on the line based on Syracuse QB play...the same can't be said for the coaching staff, so however they decide to play the cards they are dealt, is on them and of course, we as fans can question it, but the buck stops with the professional coaches and not the Arm Chair QB's and coaches. All of this criticism of the Coach speaks to some unrealistic, out of touch expectations of our fan base. The same Coach that won 10 games last year and was heralded as a savior, some are now calling for his head. This season was a disaster .. no question, but give the coach time to build what he thinks he can build.

Yeah, that’s a lot of words, but Fran lied. It’s OK, coaches lie all the time. Every time they speak to the media they usually lie to some degree. It’s part of the job.

I know we’re all super sensitive and think “lie” is so much worse than all the other words we use that ultimately mean “lie”.

It was a lie. There was not a close QB competition, and every insider and staff member would agree with that.

I’m not mad at Fran lying. But that also means none of us should feel obligated to believe anything he says about the QB position.

He’s obfuscating the truth for several rational reasons. Is that better?

 

[Scooch]

Have you ever heard of coach speak? Do you think Fran is going to publicly say “Our #2 sucks!”?

I could care less about what he said. The bigger issue is the state of the QB depth chart and lack of game ability among the backups, not the window dressing in a hope to build confidence where ability was clearly lacking.

To be clear, I don’t care about what Fran said this past summer. It was coach speak.

I made my point about what he said because Dr. William was on a tirade about how we all have to believe the coaches. And of course that’s preposterous for a bunch of reasons, foremost of which being that coaches lie. Why should we take what they say as gospel.

That’s all.

 

[SUDadx2]

and why guys are trying to portal to play for him.

Do You know this to be true for this cycle?

 

[baggerbob]

All of us on the outside..have no clue. If all the fans want to remember is how the QB's were handled by Fran this season , then so be it, but none of us were in practice, maybe...just maybe, the competition was as close as the coach said it was. I remember when Steve didn't look so good against Uconn, and "Fans" were calling for Collins. Perhaps, Angeli was struggling a little bit in some aspects early on...things change...but who the heck are we to accuse the coach of lying? For you to call it an overplay is just speculation, because you have no clue what actually transpired in those practices or what the coaches saw or thought. The bottom line is this entire discussion about the QB management is a total waste of energy because none of know what really happened behind the scenes...but speculation will always occur.

Look it's useless to debate back and forth. Just admit that ,Fran and Nixon screwed up with the QB room this year. Also Nixon hasn't shown the ability to adjust his offense to fit the players he has. That's on him and needs to be fixed or get a new OC.

 

[AZOrange]

Agreed. We need a philosophical change regarding O-linemen and their primary coach. Who cares how big you are if you can't move your feet?!? How Pringle even gets snaps is very disconcerting.

I don’t know all the names but the RT I think no 76 or 77 was literally shadow dancing on the field. I don’t know if he put a helmet on anyone all day. By the time he got out of his snap stance the defender was gone