McDonald

[Crusty]

The guy was upset and was doing an interview with the media after he had been demoted. Strike one (a big one, I might add).

The guy said directly that he would not have come to Syracuse if he would have known he would be demoted in 18 months. Strike two.

The guy said he has received texts from numerous people in the football world saying he's not as bad as Syracuse thinks he is, insinuating that he was getting a raw deal and shouldn't have been demoted. Strike three. OUT. Not to mention there were strikes 4, 5 and 6 if I really dissected the interview.

I don't need any context and don't need to listen to the guy's tone to know that if those words - or any variation of those words that I paraphrased above - were dictated out of his mouth, he's a complete buffoon. I could stay calm, cool and collected while I completely destroying any credibility I have as a coach, too. Just give me a shot.

Context has NOTHING to do with this.

Just hope you are not a registered voter and eligible for jury duty.

 

[anomander]

You can listen to the interview yourself.

I listened to it. Not sure what you think is ok about it? Just because he is polite after making 3 horrendous comments doesn't make it ok.

 

[Cuseregular]

The guy was upset and was doing an interview with the media after he had been demoted. Strike one (a big one, I might add).

The guy said directly that he would not have come to Syracuse if he would have known he would be demoted in 18 months. Strike two.

The guy said he has received texts from numerous people in the football world saying he's not as bad as Syracuse thinks he is, insinuating that he was getting a raw deal and shouldn't have been demoted. Strike three. OUT. Not to mention there were strikes 4, 5 and 6 if I really dissected the interview.

I don't need any context and don't need to listen to the guy's tone to know that if those words - or any variation of those words that I paraphrased above - were dictated out of his mouth, he's a complete buffoon. I could stay calm, cool and collected while I completely destroying any credibility I have as a coach, too. Just give me a shot.

Context has NOTHING to do with this.

don't forget trying to give the impression it was over the phone too in a further attempt to discredit and demean the HC. Strike 4. HCSS has the patience of Jobe

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Just hope you are not a registered voter and eligible for jury duty.

That's just a ridiculous statement. Do I feel bad for the guy? Sure, I wish he had done better, because he seems like someone very passionate about what he does -- he's just not very good at it at this point. I would assume this is the worst day of his professional career -- and he made it worse by acting childish.

The context is this: A guy was demoted, and was pretty unhappy. Does that make him right for lashing out? No, it makes him undisciplined and immature. Those comments at the front end of that interview were direct, and matter of fact. Can I not use my judgment there? Can I not say that what he said and how he said it is stupid? It was stupid, and he acted like a moron in saying it. He made a bad situation worse, and also made himself look worse.

How we act in our worst moments is a reflection of our character. He handled it poorly, and I don't think calling him out on that is out of bounds in any way, shape or form. With that said, this wasn't even his worst moment, because it wasn't right after it happened. He had a lot of time to sit, think, and compose himself. And that's what he came out with.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

I guarantee you that if he had known he only had 18 games to develop a winning offense at SU he would have stayed at Arkansas. Nobody would have done that. He was blindsided and unprepared emotionally. Give the guy a break he is only human. And you have no earthly idea how you would have reacted - none at all. People mouth off all the time and then when faced with similar circumstances understand for the first time how difficult it is. You might have been a worse little bit#h.

He spoke the truth and if that offends you I think that might be your problem and not his. Exactly what did you expect him to do? Oh, I am a POS and Shafer was right to fire me as OC.

He didn't do a good job but many will look at 18 games as unreasonable period to judge given it is Syracuse, which has had only one year of good offense in the last what, 15 years. Remember he was 9-9 or .500, which is the same as Hackett over 4 years.

Marrone's teams were also undisciplined.

Nope. I know how I would have responded. I know what my judgment and character are like in difficult situations. And that's not me preaching, or stating I'm superior in any way. I just know how I would have handled myself, because I understand what it means when I make public statements, and how my words can actually blow up in my face.

This interview didn't happen two seconds after he found out. He had time to mentally prepare himself for the questions, and had time to decide how he should react. This wasn't a split second, gotcha journalism atmosphere. He reacted incredibly poorly for a person in that position.

 

[Crusty]

That's just a ridiculous statement. Do I feel bad for the guy? Sure, I wish he had done better, because he seems like someone very passionate about what he does -- he's just not very good at it at this point. I would assume this is the worst day of his professional career -- and he made it worse by acting childish.

The context is this: A guy was demoted, and was pretty unhappy. Does that make him right for lashing out? No, it makes him undisciplined and immature. Those comments at the front end of that interview were direct, and matter of fact. Can I not use my judgment there? Can I not say that what he said and how he said it is stupid? It was stupid, and he acted like a moron in saying it. He made a bad situation worse, and also made himself look worse.

How we act in our worst moments is a reflection of our character. He handled it poorly, and I don't think calling him out on that is out of bounds in any way, shape or form. With that said, this wasn't even his worst moment, because it wasn't right after it happened. He had a lot of time to sit, think, and compose himself. And that's what he came out with.

Shafer apparently doesn't share your sentiments for if he did he would have fired him. Shafer has it right - it was an emotional situation and we all say things (including you I am sure) while under emotional duress that we would not say after the moment has passed. GM's statement, while certainly true, was not gracious. Immature and unprofessional I think not.
More importantly, when judging someone else it is ALWAYS best to get all the fact and the context. If you think not then you do them a grace disservice.

 

[SUFan44]

Shafer apparently doesn't share your sentiments for if he did he would have fired him. Shafer has it right - it was an emotional situation and we all say things (including you I am sure) while under emotional duress that we would not say after the moment has passed. GM's statement, while certainly true, was not gracious. Immature and unprofessional I think not.
More importantly, when judging someone else it is ALWAYS best to get all the fact and the context. If you think not then you do them a grace disservice.

Think what you want - McDonald acted inappropriately. Not sure many would disagree with that (which it appears you are).

 

[rrlbees]

I listened to it. Not sure what you think is ok about it? Just because he is polite after making 3 horrendous comments doesn't make it ok.

Unlike others, try reading my comments from the beginning. I said he was wrong and shouldn't have talked to the media. It's not what he said because it's the same both ways. But the tweets would give the impression that he was mad or said things pissed off or in a tone that was overly negative. Listen to the interview and he was calmer and polite.

Never said he didn't say the words he did, but the context of what he said, how he said it, and the other things he said before and after, are different than solely reading the tweets.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Shafer apparently doesn't share your sentiments for if he did he would have fired him. Shafer has it right - it was an emotional situation and we all say things (including you I am sure) while under emotional duress that we would not say after the moment has passed. GM's statement, while certainly true, was not gracious. Immature and unprofessional I think not.
More importantly, when judging someone else it is ALWAYS best to get all the fact and the context. If you think not then you do them a grace disservice.

If you don't think it was unprofessional, I don't know what to say. You must work at a hookah bar or something.

On your other point, it's obviously emotional, and I would definitely be emotional in private. In public, I would act like an adult, and a professional.

 

[Crusty]

If you don't think it was unprofessional, I don't know what to say. You must work at a hookah bar or something.

On your other point, it's obviously emotional, and I would definitely be emotional in private. In public, I would act like an adult, and a professional.

Judging from your post I doubt you would.

 

[Alsacs]

Didn't know opinions can't change? What's better should I stick by something I didn't think true just to save face? Even our head coach had a change of heart. And what did I say about Eric White? He does great things for this program. So ya keep him around.

How do you have an opinion and change your mind. Some people want to act like McDonald/Shafer have recruited really well. Shafer has shown himself to be decent but he isn't bringing in a recruiting class in the top half of the ACC. McDonald is a decent recruiter but not bringing in 4 star talent like Locksley has at both Illinois and Maryland. If elite talent was brought in but was young talent there would be more patience.

 

[Chris02M]

How do you have an opinion and change your mind. Some people want to act like McDonald/Shafer have recruited really well. Shafer has shown himself to be decent but he isn't bringing in a recruiting class in the top half of the ACC. McDonald is a decent recruiter but not bringing in 4 star talent like Locksley has at both Illinois and Maryland. If elite talent was brought in but was young talent there would be more patience.

we are on the verge of being in top half of the acc in recruiting for 2015 currently in mid 40's overall

 

[SUFan44]

Unlike others, try reading my comments from the beginning. I said he was wrong and shouldn't have talked to the media. It's not what he said because it's the same both ways. But the tweets would give the impression that he was mad or said things pissed off or in a tone that was overly negative. Listen to the interview and he was calmer and polite.

Never said he didn't say the words he did, but the context of what he said, how he said it, and the other things he said before and after, are different than solely reading the tweets.

How does his demeanor change anything?

"Boy that guy is really polite and calm."

This is ridiculous.

 

[CuseOnly]

I think Shafer pretty much said why McF%^% It was demoted in his presser. Not in my exact words below but it was pretty evident by what he said.

He wasn't trying to fit his offense around the strengths and skillsets of the players he had. Using those strengths and skillsets to exploit the defense.

He was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and not adapting to what he had to work with. He was plowing ahead with his vision even though it wasn't working.

 

[GoSU96]

How do you have an opinion and change your mind.

Seriously?

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Judging from your post I doubt you would.

What did I say in my post that would give you that idea. I'm curious. I've tried to be as civil as possible, and I hope you'd do the same. We can disagree on this, I'm fine with that. We all have our opinions. If I offended you with the hookah bar comment, I apologize. It was TIC, and maybe I should have included a smiley face next to it.

In any case, I think it comes down to what you deem as unprofessional. The way he reacted was unprofessional. It was emotional as well. Those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

As I said in a previous post, he had time to prepare himself for that presser. At least 24 hours by my count. He had time to compose himself and have a more reasoned response. I know I would have, and I would hope any professional would as well.

 

[rrlbees]

How does his demeanor change anything? "Boy that guy is really polite and calm." This is ridiculous.

If it's ridiculous then don't comment. Others have said the same thing.

 

[SUFan44]

If it's ridiculous then don't comment. Others have said the same thing.

Was his tone and demeanor different than that of a crazy person? Yes.

Does that change what he said or the impact that he made with his comments? Absolutely not.

Which, in turn, makes you even remotely defending him ridiculous. And that's why I am commenting. (I know you'll likely come back with a 'i'm not defending him, I have said so' post, but by saying his tone and demeanor were not what it was portrayed, you are by definition defending him on some level. Or you're just being a contrarian which is also ridiculous.)

Also, I would venture a guess that 95% of the rational people on this board are of the same opinion as I am. Who else besides the poster who is telling me I shouldn't have voting rights is of the same opinion as you?

 

[Orangepace]

Because the tweets and retweets don't completely reflect the actual interview because they have no context.

He said it twice in the interview I watched. That response was rehearsed. When you make the comment twice, the quote itself is all the context needed.

 

[jr4750]

don't forget trying to give the impression it was over the phone too in a further attempt to discredit and demean the HC. Strike 4. HCSS has the patience of Jobe

That alone makes me furious, can't imagine SS. His reputation was tarnished by his "friend."

 

[Orangepace]

Shafer apparently doesn't share your sentiments for if he did he would have fired him. Shafer has it right - it was an emotional situation and we all say things (including you I am sure) while under emotional duress that we would not say after the moment has passed. GM's statement, while certainly true, was not gracious. Immature and unprofessional I think not.
More importantly, when judging someone else it is ALWAYS best to get all the fact and the context. If you think not then you do them a grace disservice.

Have you been drinking? The guy is 37, not an elementry school student. I think Shafer had it wrong personally and should have fired his a$$. Emotional duress doesn't last 3 days either. He had plenty of time to prepare himself to act professionally. He CHOSE not to. He was calm during the entire interview and voiced exactly how he'd felt. He mentioned twice during the interview if he would have known he'd only have 18 games to prove he was a worthy OC, he would have stayed at Arkansas. I watched the interview 3 times because I was shocked at his brutal honesty. None of that was spur of the moment. His interview was the definition of immaturity and unprofessional. How you can think otherwise is stunning. When you're in a profession that is highly public in nature and one of your employees speaks that way about your decision making process it becomes a cancer. Once one person can openly question the coaches judgement without repercussions, what's to stop anyone else on the team?

It's Shafer's team and he should conduct it how he sees fit, because it's his resume that bears the end result. It's just my opinion he should have dropped the final hammer and moved on. I loved Shafer and all his aggressiveness. Thought it was refreshing to see a guy so passionate about what he's doing and what he was trying to accomplish. I now reflect on all those moments in a much different light. It's also my opinion that after all this public drama, Shafer basically has to find a way to will this team to 5 wins or be shown the door. Because at that point, like it or not, many of our own fanbase will absolutely be questioning his leadership capabilities and whether he has control of this team. It's my sincere hope that SU acts in what is truly in its best interest in that situation.

 

[rrlbees]

Was his tone and demeanor different than that of a crazy person? Yes. Does that change what he said or the impact that he made with his comments? Absolutely not. Which, in turn, makes you even remotely defending him ridiculous. And that's why I am commenting. (I know you'll likely come back with a 'i'm not defending him, I have said so' post, but by saying his tone and demeanor were not what it was portrayed, you are by definition defending him on some level. Or you're just being a contrarian which is also ridiculous.) Also, I would venture a guess that 95% of the rational people on this board are of the same opinion as I am. Who else besides the poster who is telling me I shouldn't have voting rights is of the same opinion as you?

The point is what you say in your first paragraph. Maybe you like tone better than context?

So I guess you're also saying Bambrewer is not rational?

I don't think I've seen one person agree with what he said. But you want to try to make that strawman.

 

[CuseOnly]

I am of the opinion that if someone tells me to go Myself, that is pretty much the point they are trying to make.

Whether they say it nicely or at the top their lungs is irrelevant. Scowling or straight faced is also irrelevant. To my face or behind my back is also irrelevant.

"The truth is often spoken in jest" Does the jesting make it any less truth. No.

 

[Alsacs]

Seriously?

How the hell couldn't you figure out I was speaking sarcastically to Amomander as I liked his post. Of course people can change their opinions What do you scan every post ready to pounce. I may not like you but I thought you were smarter than that.

 

[Alsacs]

we are on the verge of being in top half of the acc in recruiting for 2015 currently in mid 40's overall

We are mid 40's with a lot more commits than teams below us. This year's and last year's classes were good for Shafer compared to Marrone but the ACC affiliation and 3 bowls in 4 years have to help. Shafer isn't recruiting at much higher level than Syracuse is used to.
If we had more 4 star I would call him an ace recruiter. I give him credit for getting more 3 star talent than 2 star talent recently.