McDonald demoted

[Orangepace]

The root of the entire freaking problem. At this point I would take 2 QB's every year, give them 3 years max to show something (even if in practice - not just "flashes", but bona fide stellar play), and if it's clear they aren't the answer, show them the door.

This would be great for recruiting! With this approach, might as well become the first P5 team to completely disband the program.

 

[PhatOrange]

My theory all along has been that McD was given the OC position solely due to his recruiting prowess.

I'd agree but unfortunately I don't even think his recruiting has been that outstanding. Good but not great and surely hasn't turned any heads with regards to competitors.

Its not hard finding a great recruiter but its probably a little harder finding a great recruiter who's also a coordinator. I could be off base on this but I find the best recruiters are typically position coaches.

Syracuse could go the way of West Virginia and promote a high school coach if they want to kill it recruiting. Bring Don Bosco's Toal on board (like was rumored a couple of years ago) or bring Aquinas' Rocco Casullo on board.

 

[StanCuse44]

@Stephen_Bailey1
Two important Syracuse football news updates coming around the top of the hour.

Yeah. From a reliable source, the demotion is 4 real.

 

[TBCuse11]

Hunt's regression this season has been shocking. This kid closed last season on a strong note, by all accounts had a good off-season, and had the benefit of a bunch of returning starters. 1 TD in 5 games is just absurd. What happened with this kid?

Honestly, Hunt has not regressed. He is just not a D1 talent. Everyone jumps down peoples throats in here when they say this, but its a fact. Its ok to cheer for a guy and want him to succeed, obviously, but all we are doing is wasting a year (mayube two) on a guy that simply can not throw a football. Our WR are open way more than people realize, he just doesnt read progressions. First option or run. THis is not acceptable. Yes, McDonald is a terrible play caller... but if there was a qb who looked at 2nd or 3rd reads... it might not look so bad.

I realize we may go 2-10, but i welcome a QB change. Growing pains this year works for me. We arent going bowling.

 

[Ozcuse]

I'd agree but unfortunately I don't even think his recruiting has been that outstanding. Good but not great and surely hasn't turned any heads with regards to competitors.

Its not hard finding a great recruiter but its probably a little harder finding a great recruiter who's also a coordinator. I could be off base on this but I find the best recruiters are typically position coaches.

Syracuse could go the way of West Virginia and promote a high school coach if they want to kill it recruiting. Bring Don Bosco's Toal on board (like was rumored a couple of years ago) or bring Aquinas' Rocco Casullo on board.

Or hire HC Doc Holliday from Marshall and let him do whatever he wants.

 

[SUFan44]

Yes, Hunt has been awful. But part of the reason is he has been put in positions to fail by his coaching staff.

Anyone with half a brain knows Hunt isn't the most accurate QB in the world. But he does have the ability to do some things on certain types of routes, and isn't a terrible deep ball thrower. Couple that with our good running game (against defenses that are comparable to what our program level is - or what I thought it was), and you should be able to have an offense that can at the very least score some amount of points.

As I said before in a prior thread - the sideways pitch in our own end zone to a 250 yard RB will go down as the dumbest single play call I have ever witnessed live. It was so shockingly bad I could not believe what I was seeing.

Also - for anyone that goes to the games, did you see McDonald coming out of the box at halftime? He was shaking his head like it wasn't his fault. Or that we shouldn't have been booing. His immaturity continues to show.

 

[TBCuse11]

Why was it fools gold? Did he have those performances or not? I mean--he played his best ball at the end of the year, we won 2 out of those 3 games [including a bowl], and lost the third game due to a missed XP. Again, this isn't a discussion about his potential, or whether his progress has stagnated. He was playing reasonably well, had a good offseason, is returning a bunch of offensive players, and is no longer an inexperienced starter. There was no reason to think he wouldn't at least play as well as he did at the end of last year for the most part.

And I want to be clear--I'm not talking about Hunt being an NFL prospect, I'm talking about him being serviceable. Which he was by the end of last year. Which he was not against Louisville. And it wasn't because they had a great D [which they do], he had plenty of time to throw all game long.

true. our O-line was very good. our D was good as well. IF we have a good qb we are a fringe top 25 team.

 

[Millhouse]

The reason that they brought in a 5th year QB was in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, and because there was reason to expect that Allen was pretty good [including his stats in mop up duty]. As it turns out, he was worse than Hunt.

i didn't blame mcdonald at the time but in retrospect, that's another thing to wonder about.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Its easy to say that now as a MMQB, but I doubt that many people had that impression of Hunt coming off of how last season wrapped up, though. There's nothing wrong with being a solid game manager, which is what Hunt was serviceably shaping into by the end of last year.

The reason that they brought in a 5th year QB was in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, and because there was reason to expect that Allen was pretty good [including his stats in mop up duty]. As it turns out, he was worse than Hunt.

Not be that guy but myself and a few others were sounding the alarm about this team prior to Nova when 90% of this board was predicting a 40+ point win and many posters were laughing at myself and a few others who still had major concerns about the offense especially with Smith leaving and major ? marks about the WR core and passing game in general. Hunt was OK last year but the Pitt game was a low scoring affair where neither team set the world on fire offensively and in that BC game people forget the hideous pick Hunt threw the possession before the come back. Again hes probably the best we have but hes struggled most of the time to be even a game manager type QB at the Div 1 level.

 

[SUbear]

Does Scott Shafer strike you as the kind of guy that would throw a friend under the bus because he was feeling heat in the media?

I do not believe it had anything to do with media. It was that assinine play call from our end zone that was the straw that broke everything, showed McD has no clue on appropriate situational play calling.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Stephen Bailey‏@Stephen_Bailey1 2m2 minutes ago
Breaking: Syracuse has demoted George McDonald, Tim Lester to become new offensive coordinator: http://bit.ly/1vJcjRz

 

[Doctor44]

http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootb...ld_demoted_qbs_coach_tim_le.html#incart_river


Stories up. Coach Shafer says part of what you want him to say. Agree - he should have said its a promotion of Lester to Co-Offensive coordinator

 

[Cuseregular]

Honestly, Hunt has not regressed. He is just not a D1 talent. Everyone jumps down peoples throats in here when they say this, but its a fact. Its ok to cheer for a guy and want him to succeed, obviously, but all we are doing is wasting a year (mayube two) on a guy that simply can not throw a football. Our WR are open way more than people realize, he just doesnt read progressions. First option or run. THis is not acceptable. Yes, McDonald is a terrible play caller... but if there was a qb who looked at 2nd or 3rd reads... it might not look so bad.

I realize we may go 2-10, but i welcome a QB change. Growing pains this year works for me. We arent going bowling.

been saying that from day one. Good enough to be (til this year) competitive with peer schools, no chance to get a team to next level so to speak. He may have been the best option for this year but not going forward. So now they're/we're forced to see if the answer lies elsewhere. I for one will have heightened interest to see what's in the pipeline. Crossing the fingas...

 

[Full_Rebar]

I'm not a fan of McDonald but a public in-season demotion means he's as good as gone this winter/Spring. Shafer better make sure that someone other than White/McD are in touch with all of these 2015 recruits.

 

[SWC75]

It just hit Syracuse.com:
http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootb...george_mcdonald_demoted_qbs_coach_tim_le.html

 

[RF2044]

been saying that from day one. Good enough to be (til this year) competitive with peer schools, no chance to get a team to next level so to speak. He may have been the best option for this year but not going forward. So now they're/we're forced to see if the answer lies elsewhere. I for one will have heightened interest to see what's in the pipeline. Crossing the fingas...

I think its fair to say that Hunt was not a trancendent talent at QB who was going to get us to the "next level." But a player who can keep the program competitive in peer games "is not a D1 talent?" C'mon.

 

[jr4750]

I'm not a fan of McDonald but a public in-season demotion means he's as good as gone this winter/Spring. Shafer better make sure that someone other than White/McD are in touch with all of these 2015 recruits.

yes. thought this immediately. Guy is gone. No way he comes back having been demoted.

 

[phil77]

So George is staying on for now and working with WR's only I wonder if we see a bump in WR play now. I wonder if he stays another year or is gone after the season.

 

[cuseguy]

Edouard probably isnt making it back here regardless of whether or not Mcdonald is here. Syracuse will probably take a recruiting hit if Mcdonald is demoted and leaves after this year but keeping him around or at the OC position is only delaying the inevitable. Mcdonald simply doesnt have the skill and or personality to be an OC. We need to run with Lester and hope that collectively the rest of the staff can recruit and perhaps keep Mcdonald around as the WR coach and assistant OC for his recruiting purposes.

I've always had that feeling about Edouard.

Marrone and his staff did a poor job finding a replacement for Nassib.

The current staff hasn't done much better recruiting quarterbacks.

I feel as if we're back to square one.

Hunt (injury aside) still gives us the best hope of winning.

I'm not hopeful of our current group of QBs.

 

[Ozcuse]

So George is staying on for now and working with WR's only I wonder if we see a bump in WR play now. I wonder if he stays another year or is gone after the season.

I guess it depends on if he gets an offer to leave. This may cement his position as a Position Coach/Recruiting dude unless he's willing to go backwards in competition.

 

[TBCuse11]

I think its fair to say that Hunt was not a trancendent talent at QB who was going to get us to the "next level." But a player who can keep the program competitive in peer games "is not a D1 talent?" C'mon.

agree to disagree. i think we were competitive last year in spite of him, due to a good O line and Jerome Smith. This year, other than Cent Mich we have not been competitive against anyone. In truth, Nova should have beaten us by 14+.

Note: im exaggerating a bit, but he is no better than low level D-1 talent. MAC at best.

 

[Cuseregular]

I think its fair to say that Hunt was not a trancendent talent at QB who was going to get us to the "next level." But a player who can keep the program competitive in peer games "is not a D1 talent?" C'mon.

that line slipped right past me, you're right he's obviously div 1 talent just not "the guy" we need for any real success (the way I define it).

 

[TBCuse11]

I guess it depends on if he gets an offer to leave. This may cement his position as a Position Coach/Recruiting dude unless he's willing to go backwards in competition.

who on earth would offer him an OC position? He has shown nothing.

 

[syr02esq]

I actually really like AJ's long term potential. My main concern wouldn't be his inexperience or his lack of mastery of the playbook--it would be that he weighs about 170. That, coupled with what will undoubtedly be some first time playing jitters, might get him in some bad spots. I hope he doesn't end up getting hurt due to being relatively physically underdeveloped at this stage of his developmental curve.

Regardless, I don't think that FSU is an ideal game to make a debut. Would hate to shatter the kid's confidence in his first start.

We absolutely cannot start AJ against FSU for the reasons you stated therein. We have to redshirt him. There are two other more experienced QBs on the roster in Wilson and Kimble that should play before AJ (at least this season).

 

[RF2044]

I've always had that feeling about Edouard.

Marrone and his staff did a poor job finding a replacement for Nassib.

The current staff hasn't done much better recruiting quarterbacks.

I feel as if we're back to square one.

Hunt (injury aside) still gives us the best hope of winning.

I'm not hopeful of our current group of QBs.

Way too early to make that claim. We have to see how Long, Kimble, and potentially Edouard [and I share your concern on that front] shake out.

 

[phil77]

I guess it depends on if he gets an offer to leave. This may cement his position as a Position Coach/Recruiting dude unless he's willing to go backwards in competition.

I think he will be here next year because he has no place else to go for the time being but if a bigger school offers him his old job of position coaching/recruiting coordinator he will bolt.