Marrone & Gross being taken to task on sports radio

[Chip]

Bud is actually a pretty nice guy.

I think he seems like a nice guy so that is not surprising. And agree with bees, whether or not he actually goes to practice isn't the issue. But in this case I think he put too many unrelated items together to try to make a big picture story. Where was his counter that Gross worked to get us in the ACC which is the biggest story of all, the proof that he cares about this program and all of it's fans?

 

[Chip]

I think people need to read that a few times and it has been posted several other times. Some here think we will be playing the FSU's and Miami's in the Dome every year. If things are spread evenly, at best we will play one of those 3 teams 5 of every 6 years. That almost 1 game a year is our marquee game because we aren't getting any big OOC team for the next 3 decades unless we get creative and it will be rare.

To each their own on this next point, but I think Clemson should be in that discussion with FSU, Miami, VT for biggest draws. And with Clemson/FSU you have to think the ACC will arrange that we get one of them each year.

 

[Ozcuse]

When Dr. Gross said he was going to make SU football "NY's College Team" he wasn't kidding. What he failed to mention however was that he was going to accomplish this by taking SU out of Syracuse. Marquee OOC games in NJ? Check. Spring scrimmage in Rochester? Check.

Next we will hear the Dome will be the new on-campus practice facility while SU rotates their home games between Ralph Wilson and the Meadowlands*


* Half joking, half worried like hell

 

[Chip]

Bud is 100% correct in his assessment he made on the radio. You can hate him and post not-so funny one-liners and zingers at him but it doesn't change the fact he is 100% correct! And yes he took a bunch of issues and mashed them up together because "SU FOOTBALL" is the issue and the way they do business from top to bottom is poor!

The people who think by closing practices the team is doing more work, better work , and it will result in more wins during the season are fooling themselves. There is no logical reason to do that.

Even if only a small minority of fans show up for spring practice why in god's name would you piss off that bunch? The most loyal bunch you have left. The bunch who has stuck with ya through thick and thin and through this last horrible decade SU football has had? They (SU) gain nothing by doing that. Nothing! There is no competitive advantage. If you believe that you are lost on this issue! Even if you don't want the fans there (the few that show up) why keep the media out? What, you don't want your program mentioned in the paper? You don't want your program to get attention? You don't want future recruits reading about SU football? It's just dumb! And yes it is a slap in the face to the loyal local SU fanbase to have their first open practice in Rochester! It just is! No way to spin it!

Darryl Gross is good at two things. 1) Raising Money! God bless him for doing it, he is a master of it. 2) Staying out of the way of the Men's Basketball program. That program was a monster before he got here and he is smart enough not to tinker with it. Aside from those 2 things he has been a disaster on the football side. He has made 2 bad hires (GROB and now Marrone) and nothing has improved. Oh I'm sorry, we won the Pinstripe Bowl, let's milk that for another few years and keep reminding people.

When you have a bad product (SU football is currently a bad product, sorry it is) you must be "FAN FRIENDLY!" Going in the opposite direction and expecting the consumers (fan base) to be happy and supportive is foolish. What SU football is doing is suicide! And some of you on this site can call me names, call Bud names, and throw out your not-so-funny one-liners to put this down, but it doesn't change reality. This group (Doug and Darryl) have no clue how to run a college football program. They are clueless! Every action they take goes against common sense and logic.

What about the move to the ACC, do you think that was fan friendly?

Surprised you got a few Likes with your anti-Marrone, bad hire rant. And one of them wasn't even Rosconey.

Daryl and Doug are more concerned about the long term than the short term. If the long term works out like they're planning for, we'll be a good team in a big boy conference. The locals who feel let down today will still be there. And they'll have some new friends around them in the Dome.

 

[rosconey]

What about the move to the ACC, do you think that was fan friendly?

Surprised you got a few Likes with your anti-Marrone, bad hire rant. And one of them wasn't even Rosconey.

Daryl and Doug are more concerned about the long term than the short term. If the long term works out like they're planning for, we'll be a good team in a big boy conference. The locals who feel let down today will still be there. And they'll have some new friends around them in the Dome.

just how long does long term last? isnt a decade long enough? maybe wait another?
why ignore the short term? thats real short sighted imho-throw away what you have in the hand right now for the future of more? thats quite a chance to take when you havent produced in a decade and have sold out the best ooc games for the next decade- i guess screwing over the locals as much as you can is aok by you?

 

[Chip]

just how long does long term last? isnt a decade long enough? maybe wait another?
why ignore the short term? thats real short sighted imho-throw away what you have in the hand right now for the future of more? thats quite a chance to take when you havent produced in a decade and have sold out the best ooc games for the next decade- i guess screwing over the locals as much as you can is aok by you?

Marrone has been here a decade?

So far the only home game they've sold out on is USC. Can you name another? ND doesn't count, because ND was never going to be a home game, it just wouldn't be a series at all. Penn State in NYC doesn't count, we go there, they come here, we both go to NYC. All that remains is the Gross announcement of moving games there, but until we know more or see it on the schedule, I will continue to remain skeptical that it comes to fruition, at least in terms of us moving home games there. But if the USC (this year), PSU (next year), ND (year after) are a hit, then yes, I would expect more NYC games to come.

Closing spring practices isn't screwing over the locals. We get 35,000 fans minimum in the Dome no matter how bad we are. Spring practices maybe get 50. Spring game (which is still public as far as I know) might get 5,000 in a very good year.

The 5 game home season in 2012 is a result of TCU not joining the conference. I was going to all caps that one, but I digress. There are many who believe if we acted quicker upon hearing TCU was not joining, we might have been able to get some 1A team with an opening to come to the Dome. But again, I'd remind those people that we were just officially brought on board to join the ACC, and we have no idea what Gross was being told. I would bet anything that as part of the 14 team league discussions, Gross was told they were going to a 9 game conference schedule model for football. So if that was even a 10% chance of starting up in 2012, then you cannot schedule anyone else. We already had 3 OOC games that we could not cancel.

Having said all of that, I do agree that the USC game is a raw deal for all local fans. It is. But if it makes you feel better, Barkley's return and his WRs return would likely have balls flying around the Dome (settle down Millhouse), like the PSU game of 2008.

 

[TexanMark]

When Dr. Gross said he was going to make SU football "NY's College Team" he wasn't kidding. What he failed to mention however was that he was going to accomplish this by taking SU out of Syracuse. Marquee OOC games in NJ? Check. Spring scrimmage in Rochester? Check.

Next we will hear the Dome will be the new on-campus practice facility while SU rotates their home games between Ralph Wilson and the Meadowlands*


* Half joking, half worried like hell

I absolutely support the idea of an open scrimmage in Rochester. Rochester is more affluent than Syracuse (particularly the SE side) and we want them to come to the Dome for games in the Fall. You can get from Brighton/Penfield/Victor to the Dome in about 60-70 mins.

 

[Stern]

The locals who feel let down today will still be there.

Don't count on it! lol

I have talked to numerous people who aren't renewing season tickets and have no plans on rushing back anytime soon. Might go to a game here or there when a "big team" comes in, but that's it. And you can buy those tickets off the street for 1/3 the box office price! I have talked to two "newbie" 2-3 year season ticket holders who aren't renewing and have stopped. And some ( 3 people I know who had a pair or season tix that have bailed and one guy and his wife are on the fence leaning towards no) much longer Dome veterans who have been going to football games for at least over 15 years who aren't renewing this year. SU's actions (not just closing practices, just everything top to bottom) has lost them paying fans. And the key word is "paying!"

And they aren't renewing NOT because the team doesn't win. These fans were here for much worse times than currently. But the canceling of the recruiting event, you call the Dome to ask questions and you get treated rudely and poorly (this is becoming more of an issue by the way from many people I talk too), the parking lot situation being very unclear, it adds up and people are bailing!

You assume the "locals" will still be there. I wouldn't bank on it. Not from the people I am talking too. Winning cures a lot yes, but this isn't basketball. The football fans are a different group in this town.

 

[Chip]

Don't count on it! lol

I have talked to numerous people who aren't renewing season tickets and have no plans on rushing back anytime soon. Might go to a game here or there when a "big team" comes in, but that's it. And you can buy those tickets off the street for 1/3 the box office price! I have talked to two "newbie" 2-3 year season ticket holders who aren't renewing and have stopped. And some ( 3 people I know who had a pair or season tix that have bailed and one guy and his wife are on the fence leaning towards no) much longer Dome veterans who have been going to football games for at least over 15 years who aren't renewing this year. SU's actions (not just closing practices, just everything top to bottom) has lost them paying fans. And the key word is "paying!"

And they aren't renewing NOT because the team doesn't win. These fans were here for much worse times than currently. But the canceling of the recruiting event, you call the Dome to ask questions and you get treated rudely and poorly (this is becoming more of an issue by the way from many people I talk too), the parking lot situation being very unclear, it adds up and people are bailing!

You assume the "locals" will still be there. I wouldn't bank on it. Not from the people I am talking too. Winning cures a lot yes, but this isn't basketball. The football fans are a different group in this town.

I'd be curious to know the sample size. As I said, maybe 200 people attend recruiting events and let's be forgiving and say that many people attend Spring practices. So are we losing 200 season ticket holders? Gross doesn't want to lose any season ticket holders obviously, but I don't think that number is going to keep him up at night.

I still think SU can make up for what they lose, and add more, if they put an exciting football team on the field, one that can compete with an ACC schedule.

 

[Scooch]

Don't count on it! lol

I have talked to numerous people who aren't renewing season tickets and have no plans on rushing back anytime soon. Might go to a game here or there when a "big team" comes in, but that's it. And you can buy those tickets off the street for 1/3 the box office price! I have talked to two "newbie" 2-3 year season ticket holders who aren't renewing and have stopped. And some ( 3 people I know who had a pair or season tix that have bailed and one guy and his wife are on the fence leaning towards no) much longer Dome veterans who have been going to football games for at least over 15 years who aren't renewing this year. SU's actions (not just closing practices, just everything top to bottom) has lost them paying fans. And the key word is "paying!"

And they aren't renewing NOT because the team doesn't win. These fans were here for much worse times than currently. But the canceling of the recruiting event, you call the Dome to ask questions and you get treated rudely and poorly (this is becoming more of an issue by the way from many people I talk too), the parking lot situation being very unclear, it adds up and people are bailing!

You assume the "locals" will still be there. I wouldn't bank on it. Not from the people I am talking too. Winning cures a lot yes, but this isn't basketball. The football fans are a different group in this town.

In my line of work this is called selection bias.

 

[PhatOrange]

I'd be curious to know the sample size. As I said, maybe 200 people attend recruiting events and let's be forgiving and say that many people attend Spring practices. So are we losing 200 season ticket holders? Gross doesn't want to lose any season ticket holders obviously, but I don't think that number is going to keep him up at night.

I still think SU can make up for what they lose, and add more, if they put an exciting football team on the field, one that can compete with an ACC schedule.

Exactly. His sample is probably his brother and his cousin.

I've talked to a lot of people in Syracuse as well and they could give 2 shits about recruiting events or spring practices. The recurring thing I hear is the excitement with the name teams in the ACC. Everybody is excited by the bigger names on the schedule. Miami, VT, Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech etc

And most of these people ARE the average Syracuse fan – people like my mother, they are people who have no idea the Syracuse football team even practices in the spring. They don’t know that Miami isn’t elite anymore. They only see the name on the Jersey and Miami could be 2-8 but these people will go to the game because it’s Miami.

 

[rocklloyd]

I'll state it for the record, closing practice has no influence on the renewal of my season tickets. Since I work and have other family commitments on weekends I was only able to attend good Friday practice each year. Did I miss it this year? Yeah. I think there are reasons for closed practices (guys playing out of position for sake of fielding a full team) which they are not coming out and saying. Not buying the whole distraction thing.

I'm the end I'm ok with it. Life goes on. I'll make wild speculations during spring like i think we can win the national championship, just like I do every year. I'm sure my hopes and dream will be crushed by mid September after our trip to MetLife