Random thoughts from a puzzled SU fan

[SmilinBob]

I don't know what that was last night. The stadium was empty on the first ACC game of the year. It was loud for what was there at times. Play station play calling. Horrible tackling with guy with no arms, are these guys hurt because they tackled like they could not move their arms? A qb who has no clue about situations what so ever and is as inaccurate as an average high school qb. Worst kick off return team I've seen in years.

No depth but they did play hard for most of the game until they just looked beat up for the last 7 minutes of the game. Louisville has a kid come in a play qb and does a solid job and when I see Wilson he looks like somebody grabbed him off the bench and said, hey our qb is hurt...you're playing qb. I know that he was in a tough situation but I see nothing from that position right now...zero.

This is a lower tier program right now...talent, crowd and coaching. It is time to start scheduling 4 crappy teams out of conference now. Maybe one decent school but this "We are Syracuse and play a tough schedule" thing worked when they had the talent and crowd, they no longer have either. Get the 4 wins and go from there because 2-2 or 1-3 to start just starts the same thing over and over again...it is not working, period. This tough schedule is getting this team beat up and there is no break what so ever from here on. Nova had 40+ and if they win these 4 games the crowd will come because god forbid this team start 4-0. Seriously, get rid of this OOC schedule because it has hurt this team for years. SU does not have the luxury of recruiting the talent that can compete with this kind of schedule unless 6-6 is all we want to hope for.

 

[rocklloyd]

Leave the crowd out of it. Focus on product on field. Had they been 4-0, place would have been full. Heck 3-1 with a so-so loss to nd, it would have been full. We need 20,000 fairweather fans per game. With the poor product we're putting on the field we are not going to get it until we win consistently which I'm afraid might be a long time from now

 

[SmilinBob]

Leave the crowd out of it. Focus on product field. Had they been 4-0, place would have been full. Heck 3-1 with a so-so loss to nd, it would have been full. We need 20,000 fairweather fans per game. With the poor product we're putting on the field we are not going to get it until we win consistently which I'm afraid might be a long time from now

Understood but playing a poor 4-0 OOC schedule gets those people in the stands and it's literally win win. Boeheim does it so why the hell does the football team think they can do otherwise? One has talent the other not but yet they schedule the opposite of what you'd think. I don't know rock, they may have to lock the doors in the Dome just to keep the fans from leaving early.

 

[rocklloyd]

Understood but playing a poor 4-0 OOC schedule gets those people in the stands and it's literally win win. Boeheim does it so why the hell does the football team think they can do otherwise? One has talent the other not but yet they schedule the opposite of what you'd think. I don't know rock, they may have to lock the doors in the Dome just to keep the fans from leaving early.

I'm totally with you on the Ooc scheduling. We need to be scheduling teams to create the buzz we need for the fairweathers. Gets the wins and crowd will come. I'm not blaming fans anymore after watching that debacle. I'm questioning my fan hood

 

[SmilinBob]

Boeheim knew the Big East and now the ACC is going to be tough so why kill yourself OOC? SU no longer needs to schedule because of what the perception was of the Big East...they are in the ACC now and need to schedule like NCS and Duke do in football. Recruits will never want to play at a place that looked like the Dome did last night. Be 4-0 vs Louisville and that place would have been rocking because the average Joe does not give two craps about SOS and playing a Syracuse schedule.

 

[Chip]

Leave the crowd out of it. Focus on product field. Had they been 4-0, place would have been full. Heck 3-1 with a so-so loss to nd, it would have been full. We need 20,000 fairweather fans per game. With the poor product we're putting on the field we are not going to get it until we win consistently which I'm afraid might be a long time from now

I think the crowd is part of it. The whole thing is just stale. That scene on national TV did more harm than good. Performance, atmosphere, etc. What kid watched that and thought yeah, I've got to go there!

 

[rocklloyd]

Boeheim knew the Big East and now the ACC is going to be tough so why kill yourself OOC? SU no longer needs to schedule because of what the perception was of the Big East...they are in the ACC now and need to schedule like NCS and Duke do in football. Recruits will never want to play at a place that looked like the Dome did last night. Be 4-0 vs Louisville and that place would have been rocking because the average Joe does not give two craps about SOS and playing a Syracuse schedule.

Agree 100%

 

[rocklloyd]

I think the crowd is part of it. The whole thing is just stale. That scene on national TV did more harm than good. Performance, atmosphere, etc. What kid watched that and thought yeah, I've got to go there!

A kid who wants to play right away. Every position is up for grabs with immediate playing time. There is not one position locked up for future.

 

[Chip]

A kid who wants to play right away. Every position is up for grabs with immediate playing time. There is not one position locked up for future.

I guess, but I don't think every kid wants to play right away. Plenty of them know they need a year or two in the system, in the weight room. And they won't mind that system being something they trust is successful. Not to mention a program where they can play in front of a full, crazy stadium every game.

I think you're right though, those who want to play right away are our best sale right now.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Any kid what we recruit is not able to come in and play right away. That's for 4 & 5 star players who we can't even get to visit.

 

[Cusetime]

I went to the Marcellus West Hill game to watch my kid play so did thousands of others in the area. Scheduling on Friday night is a loss loss your never going to get an Su fan to a game on Friday if their kid plays football or their neighbors kids plays football or is on the dance team or a cheerleader or...you get it.

 

[310Pigpen]

We had a great crowd when we played West Virginia on a Friday night a few years ago. Hopefully we can have that feeling again.

 

[Ozcuse]

I think the crowd is part of it. The whole thing is just stale. That scene on national TV did more harm than good. Performance, atmosphere, etc. What kid watched that and thought yeah, I've got to go there!

Then the box office should be giving tickets away and free merchandise to fill seats. This is a business. If im selling dog sh-t flavored ice cream i'm an idiot if i'm complaining about a lack of repeat customers.

Improve the product to improve the atmosphere.

 

[Mr Peabody]

Then the box office should be giving tickets away and free merchandise to fill seats. This is a business. If im selling dog sh-t flavored ice cream i'm an idiot if i'm complaining about a lack of repeat customers.

Improve the product to improve the atmosphere.

That happens to be one of my favorite flavors.

 

[SmilinBob]

I want to add that I do not think McDonald recognizes defenses and thus can not teach it to Hunt. My Play Station theory is that he is just calling plays without recognizing and identifying what the defense is doing. With a team with this skill level SU NEEDS to have an OC that has the field vision and knows what the defense is doing and takes advantage of any weakness(s). I like that he's open to stuff but I want him to see what's developing and then put the players in position to succeed. This also fits in with those 3rd and 8 6 yard passes...know the situations and teach those players.

 

[CuseOnly]

I'm totally with you on the Ooc scheduling. We need to be scheduling teams to create the buzz we need for the fairweathers. Gets the wins and crowd will come. I'm not blaming fans anymore after watching that debacle. I'm questioning my fan hood

We have Maryland and LSU OOC to look forward to next year. I am fired up about the 2 losses next year already in the OOC schedule.

Unless of course there is a massive metamorphosis in the next few weeks. Like our offensive line into the 90's Cowboys offensive line, Gulley into Emmit Smith and Hunt into Peyton Manning.

Not looking good unless we can swap MD out for Western Michigan or Tulane.

 

[cuseguy]

We have Maryland and LSU OOC to look forward to next year. I am fired up about the 2 losses next year already in the OOC schedule.

We don't play Maryland next year.

Rhode Island, Central Michigan, LSU and South Florida.

 

[CuseOnly]

I want to add that I do not think McDonald recognizes defenses and thus can not teach it to Hunt. My Play Station theory is that he is just calling plays without recognizing and identifying what the defense is doing. With a team with this skill level SU NEEDS to have an OC that has the field vision and knows what the defense is doing and takes advantage of any weakness(s). I like that he's open to stuff but I want him to see what's developing and then put the players in position to succeed. This also fits in with those 3rd and 8 6 yard passes...know the situations and teach those players.

As another poster hinted, I think that last year Lester was moved to the booth to assist in the play calling if not take over the duties altogether in the last 2 games. He should be our OC and QB coach with Cool Kid the WR coach and recruiting coordinator.

 

[CuseOnly]

We don't play Maryland next year.

Rhode Island, Central Michigan, LSU and South Florida.

Thought we had a 1-1 with the return game at MD next year. My bad then.

 

[cuseguy]

Thought we had a 1-1 with the return game at MD next year. My bad then.

We visit Maryland in 2019.

 

[SmilinBob]

We don't play Maryland next year.

Rhode Island, Central Michigan, LSU and South Florida.

As another poster hinted, I think that last year Lester was moved to the booth to assist in the play calling if not take over the duties altogether in the last 2 games. He should be our OC and QB coach with Cool Kid the WR coach and recruiting coordinator.

That may help if I felt that Lester could help with that. I am not impressed with Hunts ability to read defenses along with what I've seen from the backup qb's either...maybe that's a McDonald issue and Lester is just going along with it the best he can.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

We had a great crowd when we played West Virginia on a Friday night a few years ago. Hopefully we can have that feeling again.

Guys, it was Kol Nidre, the eve of Yom Yippur. The biggest Jewish Holiday of the year. That's why more students aweren't there. Even if they were 4-0 the kids would of gone home for the weekend...bad scheduling.

 

[CuseOnly]

That may help if I felt that Lester could help with that. I am not impressed with Hunts ability to read defenses along with what I've seen from the backup qb's either...maybe that's a McDonald issue and Lester is just going along with it the best he can.

The 2 games rumored to have had Lester caling the plays, we won. BC and Minnesota. Both games were called pretty well.

These kids are talented IMO and one of my biggest fears is that that the kids are losing confidence in the coaching staff to put them in the best position to win games. Once that happens, the season is truly over.

 

[SmilinBob]

Guys, it was Kol Nidre, the eve of Yom Yippur. The biggest Jewish Holiday of the year. That's why more students aweren't there. Even if they were 4-0 the kids would of gone home for the weekend...bad scheduling.

I don't know the diversity of SU but do you really think 50% of them are Jewish and along those lines follow Kol Nidre to the T?

 

[SmilinBob]

The 2 games rumored to have had Lester calling the plays, we won. BC and Minnesota. Both games were called pretty well.

These kids are talented IMO and one of my biggest fears is that this coaching staff is losing confidence in them. Once that happens, the season is truly over.

I didn't realize that...interesting.