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Message: [QUOTE="kcsu, post: 4645327, member: 528"] With Spring ball essentially in the books i believe that we go into the summer with Syracuse in a net upgrade state vs at the end of last season. Lots of changes especially on the coaching side. There is no doubt that we lost three very talented coaches. I think that at the DC position and possibly the OC position we came out in better shape. As good as White was Long is the GOAT of this D. Beck brings a fresh approach and youth to the position and more importantly seems to have a good working relationship with Dino which is a plus. Nick can't be replaced but the focus on Jersey and East coast coaches is solid as far as recruiting goes and these guys also have the experience and creds as coaches so overall, I'd say coaching is in good if not better shape. As to the units The D will be improved. Sure we lost some great DB talent but we gained some solid kids that i believe will only be a tick below what we lost and not by much. All other aspects of the D are improved and deeper. The Dline is going to be our best in years and the LBs won't miss a beat. So, I give the D a solid upgrade over last year. O massive upgrade. Yes massive. Sure Tuck is gone but he was gone last year as well as he played the whole season at 75%. Shrader is a year older, wiser and hopefully healthier. The back up position at QB is the single most improved spot on the team. In Lamson and Carlos we have two guys that are talented and can win games. This cant be understated. RBs are thin but the top two kids can both play and Allen has star written all over him. Wr and Te are also big upgrades. Getting the kid who was hurt last year back will make a difference as if healthy he might have actually been our best wide out. The others should all improve and I'm excited to see what the TEs can do especially the kid from Michigan who is new to the position. The big question mark is the OL. Always is. Cant replace Berg but all other positions look to be better. A big if is if Big Red makes a splash over the summer and in fall camp. If he can anchor the center position everything falls in place. I'm going to be positive and say he does take the reigns on the center spot and Bleich gets healthy and takes his spot in the starting line up as well. All in all the O will be equal to if not better primarily because of the QB and Wr positions. Now here is the game changer. Special teams. I'm not sure where we finished in punting but it had to be worse than Ithaca college. We were awful. Stats or no stats when the chips were done our punters were terrible. By all accounts we are in for a treat with the kid from the show me state. Also, the Florida kicker has a cannon and should be solid. So, I give us a huge upgrade in the kick games. If we stay healthy this team looks to be better and deeper than last years. Coaching is at worst a push and the schedule is about the same. I think we win 6 going away and have a solid chance at 8. Looking forward to tomorrow night. Go Cuse [/QUOTE]

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