My Take

[CuseLegacy]

Thinking back to what Dino mentioned at the signing day event - Coaches are basically paranoid and he stands at the front of that line. Hence an open and televised scrimmage is going to be more vanilla than Nilla. I was privileged to attend a reception after the game with ultimate insiders from the administration and they mentioned Dino understands the need for open events like yesterday but really hates them. He talks constantly about the "Wakeyleaks" incident and the damage breaches can cause. Also heard that there was a lot of excitement with the class of '18 recruits on campus yesterday. No names mentioned but seemed like there were some very positive developments with at least a couple of kids who were on campus over the weekend. I asked if there might be a certain tight end from Florida who fit that scenario and got only smiles in response. There were some major differences in what we saw at the closed scrimmage a week ago and yesterday both positive and negative. The Devin Butlers were both featured more and performed at a much higher level yesterday. Conversely Custis looked like an all-ACC receiver last week but was hardly involved yesterday when the offense was limited to quick hit passing with just a couple of shots down field. Pace of the offense overall was appreciably slower yesterday as well though still faster than last fall.

Spent a lot of time watching line play in both scrimmages. I'm by no means an expert but the OL, based on size, quickness and one-on-one matchups seems like it should be more effective. I firmly believe things will click for this group as a unit sometime in August and the level of play will take off. Also I'd be surprised if there isn;t a shake up in the first five from what we saw yesterday. There is depth with this unit and guys like M. Clark, Heckel and Davis are clearly pushing the starters.

Not sure what killed the Moe to the slot move but got to assume it was numbers and performance by Strickland and Perkins. Might as well just go five wide at this point. Pierre may help I suppose but the way we run the ball at this point ranks right up there with punting on third down. Waste of a play.

 

[Finwad32]

Coaches will seek out every advantage possible. The man hours dedicated by the entire staff are staggering.

Having Grad Assistants and staff break everything down the way a coach wants to see it helps a ton. 100 hr weeks are not uncommon for young coaches. I've heard stories of HC's demanding scouting reports that are in excess of 100 pages, and if there's a grammatical error, they'll make them re-do the entire thing. And I'm talking in the days of hand-writing and type-writing. Much easier nowadays.

The paranoia has a base somewhere, as this points out.

At some point though, scheme and preparation only go so far. It comes down to can my guys beat yours. Sometimes the ball bounces funny, other times coaches game plans are spot on or way off, that's the chess match.

I'm fine with putting as little on tape in a spring game as possible. From the staff's point of view it's not about the fans, but, it's necessary for the fans to feel included.

 

[care taker]

I think it's silly , teams can just watch last years film , soooooo many excuses and paranoia . Bottom line D did great let's be happy with that .

 

[CuseLegacy]

I think it's silly , teams can just watch last years film , soooooo many excuses and paranoia . Bottom line D did great let's be happy with that .

You would think so but these are the same people, coaches/ADs, that restrict kids from transferring to a school they will be or might be playing in the future. So much paranoia. One reason I really hope we beat Miami.

 

[javadoc]

You would think so but these are the same people, coaches/ADs, that restrict kids from transferring to a school they will be or might be playing in the future. So much paranoia. One reason I really hope we beat Miami.

There would be less paranoia if coaches weren't getting fired after 3 years or less. And if one bad season suddenly nullifies a body of work. IMO.

 

[care taker]

Transferring is different they can get a lot of info that way signals etc

 

[billsin01]

At some point though, scheme and preparation only go so far. It comes down to can my guys beat yours. Sometimes the ball bounces funny, other times coaches game plans are spot on or way off, that's the chess match.

I'm fine with putting as little on tape in a spring game as possible. From the staff's point of view it's not about the fans, but, it's necessary for the fans to feel included.

I bolded the two sections above b/c to me these are the biggest issues with the paranoia -- in a nutshell, 1) is it really justified and 2) Even if it is, what does it cost you?

So a guy like Richt is going to watch every spring game. But every spring game is intentionally bland. And every spring game at every school since the dawn of time has had a history of being unreliable even in terms of basic scouting. I remember covering the Maryland spring football game three years in a row and all three years the MVP was won by a guy who was either a walkon (Andrew Smith the LB 2x and a DL by the name of Patterson who rarely played and I think quit after his r-soph. year). So what, realistically, does Richt get out of all that effort and all that data?

To me, you need to get players and develop them. You need to run an offense and a defense that bring out the best attributes of these players. And, at the end of the day, you'd obviously rather the other team not know what's coming, but more importantly you also need to do what you do well.

So all of that brings me to my point -- I'm Ok with the fact that these teams and coaches are going to try and run relatively bland sets and try not to give too much away. But the idea that a football team ends it's season in November (if it doesn't make a bowl) and then essentially tells it's fans 'Leave us alone, we're working' for 8 months, is ludicrous (at least in the case of a school like Syracuse that needs every possible fan it can get).

Think about it for a minute -- the program that more than any other program (perhaps outside of a massive research school) generates the most revenue (not just TV money but general exposure and name recognition that all schools crave) for the school, is the one program that outside of a day in February for signing day tries it's best to hide from the public eye. Makes no sense to me.

I'd rather Syracuse try to work with the city or whomever to get some sort of spring festival going and tie the game into that festival ... or something like that. Want to protect QBs? Fine. Want to strictly limit the playbook? Fine. But allow reporters to actually see some of practice to see which players are standing out. Allow the fans to get engaged. Try to draw a solid crowd to the game and just generally try to create a welcome atmosphere. Drives me crazy that we don't do this.

 

[PhatOrange]

I bolded the two sections above b/c to me these are the biggest issues with the paranoia -- in a nutshell, 1) is it really justified and 2) Even if it is, what does it cost you?

So a guy like Richt is going to watch every spring game. But every spring game is intentionally bland. And every spring game at every school since the dawn of time has had a history of being unreliable even in terms of basic scouting. I remember covering the Maryland spring football game three years in a row and all three years the MVP was won by a guy who was either a walkon (Andrew Smith the LB 2x and a DL by the name of Patterson who rarely played and I think quit after his r-soph. year). So what, realistically, does Richt get out of all that effort and all that data?

To me, you need to get players and develop them. You need to run an offense and a defense that bring out the best attributes of these players. And, at the end of the day, you'd obviously rather the other team not know what's coming, but more importantly you also need to do what you do well.

So all of that brings me to my point -- I'm Ok with the fact that these teams and coaches are going to try and run relatively bland sets and try not to give too much away. But the idea that a football team ends it's season in November (if it doesn't make a bowl) and then essentially tells it's fans 'Leave us alone, we're working' for 8 months, is ludicrous (at least in the case of a school like Syracuse that needs every possible fan it can get).

Think about it for a minute -- the program that more than any other program (perhaps outside of a massive research school) generates the most revenue (not just TV money but general exposure and name recognition that all schools crave) for the school, is the one program that outside of a day in February for signing day tries it's best to hide from the public eye. Makes no sense to me.

I'd rather Syracuse try to work with the city or whomever to get some sort of spring festival going and tie the game into that festival ... or something like that. Want to protect QBs? Fine. Want to strictly limit the playbook? Fine. But allow reporters to actually see some of practice to see which players are standing out. Allow the fans to get engaged. Try to draw a solid crowd to the game and just generally try to create a welcome atmosphere. Drives me crazy that we don't do this.

i think it's more about who jumps out personnel wise.

 

[sutomcat]

I think it's silly , teams can just watch last years film , soooooo many excuses and paranoia . Bottom line D did great let's be happy with that .

I agree with this. Don't want my original post to sound like a big complaint. I enjoyed the event, am glad they did it and totally support Coach Babers if his focus was at least partly influenced by the fact that the practice was going to be televised nationally.

I can say this: the ball was rarely thrown downfield and the ball was rarely thrown to Custis and Butler. When the ball was thrown to these guys, it was almost always a short throw (except for the one TD the offense scored on the long Dungey to Butler pass).

It could be the staff doesn't think they can get open and doesn't have a lot of confidence in them.

Or it could be that the staff has a lot of confidence in them and just didn't want to give their opponents a good look at what they are going to face in the fall.

I choose to believe the latter. I also think the additions of Pierre and even Elmore are going to really help the running game. Pierre has a chance to have a heck of a frosh season if he can learn the plays and play at the level I think he is capable of playing at.

Time will tell. Love the direction the defense is going. Bigger, faster, stronger is always good news.

 

[PAcuse]

I bolded the two sections above b/c to me these are the biggest issues with the paranoia -- in a nutshell, 1) is it really justified and 2) Even if it is, what does it cost you?

So a guy like Richt is going to watch every spring game. But every spring game is intentionally bland. And every spring game at every school since the dawn of time has had a history of being unreliable even in terms of basic scouting. I remember covering the Maryland spring football game three years in a row and all three years the MVP was won by a guy who was either a walkon (Andrew Smith the LB 2x and a DL by the name of Patterson who rarely played and I think quit after his r-soph. year). So what, realistically, does Richt get out of all that effort and all that data?

To me, you need to get players and develop them. You need to run an offense and a defense that bring out the best attributes of these players. And, at the end of the day, you'd obviously rather the other team not know what's coming, but more importantly you also need to do what you do well.

So all of that brings me to my point -- I'm Ok with the fact that these teams and coaches are going to try and run relatively bland sets and try not to give too much away. But the idea that a football team ends it's season in November (if it doesn't make a bowl) and then essentially tells it's fans 'Leave us alone, we're working' for 8 months, is ludicrous (at least in the case of a school like Syracuse that needs every possible fan it can get).

Think about it for a minute -- the program that more than any other program (perhaps outside of a massive research school) generates the most revenue (not just TV money but general exposure and name recognition that all schools crave) for the school, is the one program that outside of a day in February for signing day tries it's best to hide from the public eye. Makes no sense to me.

I'd rather Syracuse try to work with the city or whomever to get some sort of spring festival going and tie the game into that festival ... or something like that. Want to protect QBs? Fine. Want to strictly limit the playbook? Fine. But allow reporters to actually see some of practice to see which players are standing out. Allow the fans to get engaged. Try to draw a solid crowd to the game and just generally try to create a welcome atmosphere. Drives me crazy that we don't do this.

Well in Dino's case it cost him and the Arizona offense staff their jobs when someone published their playbook online...so yeah the paranoia is 100% justified in this case and the cost has been seen first hand.

 

[billsin01]

i think it's more about who jumps out personnel wise.

No doubt -- but I still don't know that a spring showcase offers all that much in that regard. Yes, you're going to see some things pop on film, but I'd still argue the vast amount of info -- say 98%+ -- would be likely to come from game film. I would bet a coach would rather have game film of a game from last year than from the spring game in april. Just my guess.

 

[blizz]

First off, a big thank you to everyone for the first hand observations and commentary. I was unable to attend and very much appreciate the info.

I just wanted to pipe in about the constant hand wringing over our current lack of a running game. Don't get me wrong, I'm frustrated too, but I think alot of the blame being directed towards the current running backs is misguided. In fact, it wreaks of poor attention to detail. When a running back gets the ball on an interior run and is stopped at the line or barely beyond it by a defensive lineman, or the tackle is assisted by a defensive lineman, that means that an offensive lineman lost his battle. Its not on the running back. No back is going to win a fight in a phone booth against an average d-lineman, that should be obvious. That said, these interior guys are young, underdeveloped, and relatively inexperienced, not to mention they spent most of last season facing down some of the most talented d-lineman in all of college football. How many of those guys are going to be on a pro roster within the next 18 months? Thats a tall order.

I think Donate Strickland is a serviceable back. To his detriment, inside running is not his strength. He's a guy who does damage with the ball in space, but in a blue-collar way-not by flashy cuts- but by taking angles to find space and then biting down on his mouthpiece and fighting for the extra yards. Remember too, the kid was a true sophmore last year... I don't think he deserves all the angst.

 

[billsin01]

Well in Dino's case it cost him and the Arizona offense staff their jobs when someone published their playbook online...so yeah the paranoia is 100% justified in this case and the cost has been seen first hand.

Don't disagree that it's an issue to a degree -- but publishing a playbook is a remarkably different issue than a controlled scrimmage set up to engage the fans.

 

[PAcuse]

Don't disagree that it's an issue to a degree -- but publishing a playbook is a remarkably different issue than a controlled scrimmage set up to engage the fans.

It's perfectly clear why he does what he does. Your personal experiences clearly have been different which gives you a different view point. Most college get 3 years and then lose their 2-3 million dollar job. Your better believe I would run super vanilla spring "games".

 

[billsin01]

It's perfectly clear why he does what he does. Your personal experiences clearly have been different which gives you a different view point. Most college get 3 years and then lose their 2-3 million dollar job. Your better believe I would run super vanilla spring "games".

Yeah, I can see that too. Ultimately winning is what brings out the fans so in the end, that's probably the way to go. But I'm fine with vanilla -- just think the Cuse is a bit unique in that you don't have a built-in rabid fanbase. I just feel like trying to embrace as much publicity as you can get and trying to draw as much interest as often as possible from this community would be ideal. Perhaps it's just not possible.

 

[javadoc]

No doubt -- but I still don't know that a spring showcase offers all that much in that regard. Yes, you're going to see some things pop on film, but I'd still argue the vast amount of info -- say 98%+ -- would be likely to come from game film. I would bet a coach would rather have game film of a game from last year than from the spring game in april. Just my guess.

Thank goodness our opening juggernaut won't know what to expect, and no one else can see the game.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Would rather the team do a combine than a spring game. I don't care about spring football 'games'. They leave zero impact on your team lol.

It would be cool though to see who runs the fastest 40, highest vertical, which QB can throw the farthest, etc.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Would rather the team do a combine than a spring game. I don't care about spring football 'games'. They leave zero impact on your team lol.

It would be cool though to see who runs the fastest 40, highest vertical, which QB can throw the farthest, etc.

Also get fans involved on the field with that too.

 

[CusefanATL]

Would rather the team do a combine than a spring game. I don't care about spring football 'games'. They leave zero impact on your team lol.

It would be cool though to see who runs the fastest 40, highest vertical, which QB can throw the farthest, etc.

Heck get Dungey and Devin Butler vs Devin Butler. 5 seconds to complete a pass.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Heck get Dungey and Devin Butler vs Devin Butler. 5 seconds to complete a pass.

There is just SO much more you can do to engage fans or make things more unique. They should have a scrimmage (as they do already) at Ensley on like Thursday and then Saturday should be a total combine with a bunch of people down on the field watching (and in the stands). You can have Matt Park MC and have areas where fans can go watch the linemen do bench reps, place kickers doing field goal distances, players running the 40, etc.

I know most of the diehards here love to pick and pull info from the spring game but I believe they'd still have fun with this event.

 

[Ish88888]

Thank goodness our opening juggernaut won't know what to expect, and no one else can see the game.

Agree, hiding scheme in spring games is laughable, same scheme that layed 70 on pitt 4 months ago. Many players will be the same, few new plugging into the same system. Imho, these coaches big league us and overblow the watching every film, never sleeping game. Coaches learn plenty in the last 3 games films with the previous weeks film being most valuable. It isnt rocket science.

 

[upperdeck]

coaches already said in several interviews they introduced stuff that is new this year, especially on D, they also mentioned they have new blocking schemes on offense to help the run game that were not used at all last year

 

[Trueblue25]

Watch all you want, pray to whichever god you see fit. Its not your fault Mark.

 

[rackman18]

Dungey was throwing wobbly ducks. Thought he was awful until last few minutes.

Ravian pierce is going to be a big dawg. Hope we use him.

Culpepper looked pretty impressive. My man Mahoney looked terrible.

Cordy has a fantastic knack for the ball that you can't teach.

I almost wonder if HCDB didn't tip off the D to make them look good and build confidence. Seems like a scheme he would come up with. Other than that, I can't explain how inept the offense was. Went 15+ plays without gaining a CUMULATIVE 10 yards let alone an actual 1st down to start. 5 straight 3 and outs (including the "pick 6" on a 3rd down - honestly he went out at the 3 and made no effort to get into end zone. no idea what they were doing) will not get it done. We'll be going into the half down big in a real game.

Your point on using Pierce If we don't ,we will lose Rex's brother. We need to show Judge that we are going to use the TE and want and need his caliber to do so.

 

[Ish88888]

Coaches will seek out every advantage possible. The man hours dedicated by the entire staff are staggering.

Having Grad Assistants and staff break everything down the way a coach wants to see it helps a ton. 100 hr weeks are not uncommon for young coaches. I've heard stories of HC's demanding scouting reports that are in excess of 100 pages, and if there's a grammatical error, they'll make them re-do the entire thing. And I'm talking in the days of hand-writing and type-writing. Much easier nowadays.

The paranoia has a base somewhere, as this points out.

At some point though, scheme and preparation only go so far. It comes down to can my guys beat yours. Sometimes the ball bounces funny, other times coaches game plans are spot on or way off, that's the chess match.

I'm fine with putting as little on tape in a spring game as possible. From the staff's point of view it's not about the fans, but, it's necessary for the fans to feel included.

I agree, but sorry, this year, was a double whammie, the spring game sucked in terms of plays, format, and juice. 12:00 running clocks is AAU, lets get this over with type of stuff and the lack of fan engagement offered after with only 20 players available for meet and greets in the concourses, it is what it is. And its impersonal. I get more info from the board.