So...how inspired are YOU as we approach August?

[Shenexon]

I'm especially psyched about football this year as I get to participate more than I have in 30 years. I've changed my avatar to reflect my perceived level of intensity. Soon it will be August with the Dan Johnson Memorial Tournament, Fanfest, season-ticket delivery day, and the approach of football season. How do you feel as we celebrate pre-season and the anticipation of a potentially program-changing campaign?

 

[Trueblue25]

I build myself up every year about the Orange and Phins.

And what happens every year?

 

[Shenexon]

I build myself up every year about the Orange and Phins.

And what happens every year?

The Dolphins have been an afterthought since Czonka, Griese, and Marino, but SU? Where are your Orangeyes?

 

[skytop44]

Cautiously optimistic lol

 

[anglerman]

Super exited as any fan should be!!

 

[ImperialOrange]

Once the preseason reports start coming out I'll have myself convinced we could win every game. A lot of other life to live between now and then though.Ask me again the week prior to Rhode Island though and I'll be ababsolutely mental.

 

[blizz]

Pathologically pumped.

 

[Finwad32]

I've been called an eternal optimist, not just about football, but, about life.

That being said: every football season comes, and you can almost feel the start to training camp in the air. After years of playing, your body begins to yearn for it. Now is that time. You know it's here, and you're ready.

There's a clean slate, last year means nothing, it's not even in your head. If you don't think you can win a championship, you shouldn't be playing. And, that's how I felt, every season, whether I was playing or cheering for the Orange/Giants.

I've got that itch, both for my own training camp and to read/watch my teams. My annualized goals for work have been completed, as they should be, because for the next four months the majority of my focus is elsewhere.

There is no better time than right now, you know it's coming. The days are almost upon us. As much as I love the season, every week I get a little more down because I know the end is one week closer. But, we're here, and it's the best time of the year.

This season, I think our youth takes a big step forward. I think we become a tough team that grinds out some necessary wins. I think we get our 15 extra practices and I think we continue to develop. And I'm confident in these things, same as I will be next year.

 

[tipphill]

cautious, i really do not want hear coach speak and bravado. that makes it worse if we are losers again. i want to see a deliberate closed camp, no commentary about what we are going to do, who's doing great etc . make it a quiet business approach ---covert operation until the season starts.

 

[TheCusian]

I'm always amped for the start of the season and always think we'll be better than the year before.

I think we finish ahead of Wake, BC, and NC State in our division. I also think we split Pitt/BC at home.

A 5-1 start is what we need to grab the casual fan and get our hopes up for FSU and Clemson.

 

[blizz]

cautious, i really do not want hear coach speak and bravado. that makes it worse if we are losers again. i want to see a deliberate closed camp, no commentary about what we are going to do, who's doing great etc . make it a quiet business approach ---covert operation until the season starts.

I can't agree with this more. As much as it will be extremely painful for me as a fan to have less information come out of camp I think that is the right approach. Trying to balance building fan support and manage your exposure is a difficult task. Ultimately you want neutral or ambiguous expectations in terms of specific performance along with the message that as a team they're going to go full bore and leave it all on the field win or loose, every week.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I am as excited as ever for the season; although I am not optimistic about the results.

 

[CuseGrad94]

Every year since I could walk I go thru the schedule and figure out how they can finish undefeated. The last 12 years it has been very hard to get to 12-0, but eventually I get there! So I am inspired and optimistic that Syracuse will be undefeated again this year and hope that my dream doesn't get crushed until at least week four this year. For the record when I was 16 I nailed my prediction until the bowl game when a certain gutless coach called for a FG in the closing seconds of the game for a tie and CNY sent thousands of neckties to Auburn, AL

 

[HtownOrange]

I am an Orange fan, therefore, I am excited. I am a realist and know that we do not have 50 5-star kids, but then, no else does either, even in the overpaid... I mean "sponsored", SEC. I believe our D will be the standard Shafer D, which is to say they will be aggressive, fun to watch and hard hitting. I know last season was lost due to injuries, yet I see a silver lining in that many kids got experience against very good teams making our team much deeper. Will Hunt be the answer? Will the receivers be able to exploit the fastest track in the country? Will the RBs be allowed to exploit their natural talents? I certainly hope so, but I am an Orange fan nonetheless!

BRING IT ON! Go Orange!

 

[OrangeAl]

I don't need much to get excited about the Orangemen, but I was severely tested during the GRob era. I think last year was an anomaly and we'll be hard-hitting on both sides of the ball.

 

[Shenexon]

I've been called an eternal optimist, not just about football, but, about life.

That being said: every football season comes, and you can almost feel the start to training camp in the air. After years of playing, your body begins to yearn for it. Now is that time. You know it's here, and you're ready.

There's a clean slate, last year means nothing, it's not even in your head. If you don't think you can win a championship, you shouldn't be playing. And, that's how I felt, every season, whether I was playing or cheering for the Orange/Giants.

I've got that itch, both for my own training camp and to read/watch my teams. My annualized goals for work have been completed, as they should be, because for the next four months the majority of my focus is elsewhere.

There is no better time than right now, you know it's coming. The days are almost upon us. As much as I love the season, every week I get a little more down because I know the end is one week closer. But, we're here, and it's the best time of the year.

This season, I think our youth takes a big step forward. I think we become a tough team that grinds out some necessary wins. I think we get our 15 extra practices and I think we continue to develop. And I'm confident in these things, same as I will be next year.

Wow...wonderful post. A great example of how this board adds to my day. Thanks...

 

[SU68]

I said "paying attention." I would have said "excited but still manage to get to work" but I'm retired!

 

[MaxwellCuse]

I'm a little apprehensive this year. I am usually pretty upbeat a month or two away from opening kick-off but maybe the years of disappointing returns and memories of last year's plague of injuries have me toning down expectations. I would love to see this team end 2015 with a winning record but it wouldn't shock me if in the end we came up short. I do hope to see demonstrable improvement in the coaching, however, across the board. HCSS will return in 2016 barring a disastrous campaign this fall, so I would feel much better going forward if there was tangible evidence that this staff is capable of growth as teachers and strategists and that they can learn from past mistakes.

 

[OrangeBlood]

I'm a little apprehensive this year. I am usually pretty upbeat a month or two away from opening kick-off but maybe the years of disappointing returns and memories of last year's plague of injuries have me toning down expectations. I would love to see this team end 2015 with a winning record but it wouldn't shock me if in the end we came up short. I do hope to see demonstrable improvement in the coaching, however, across the board. HCSS will return in 2016 barring a disastrous campaign this fall, so I would feel much better going forward if there was tangible evidence that this staff is capable of growth as teachers and strategists and that they can learn from past mistakes.

My thoughts exactly. Well said. Show us something on game day HCSS.

 

[007]

Human psychology dictates that, if you care enough to read or post or patricipate in this board, you are going to have some degree of excitement, anticipation and/or intrigue as the season approaches. I'm not sure "inspired" is the right word here. But, I am positive that there will be an emotional reaction and that the degree and expression of that reaction will vary from "fan" to "fan."

What I find ridiculous is the heated debates over the notion that if poster X doesn't think/believe/express their fandom the way I think/believe/express my fandom - regardless of whether that is unwavering optimism, realism, or anything in between - than poster X is: not a real fan/stupid/drinks Kool-aide/negative Nancy. Thinking or believing one way does not make you a better fan.

 

[anomander]

CFB is my favorite sport so I am amped as always. I'm always excited about Syracuse I just don't have a good feeling. The last 6 years or so felt we were building towards something, but last year really bothered me. I would love nothing more then to be proved wrong, and have my apprehensions about this staff proved false with a 5-1 start. I just don't see it happening. But even with the worries I am still at a 11 on a scale of 1-10, and will be at every game, as well as watching every other additional minute of CFB I can find time to consume.

 

[Ringostar57]

Thoughtfully excited. In other words pensive. Lots of question marks need to be answered but overall could be a pleasant surprise. Pre season is like the preface to a book. Rhode Island is Chapter 1 page 1 with 12 or more chapters to go.

 

[Orijinal]

Breaking down why I'm inspired and uninspired:

Uninspired:
*Perpetual mediocrity of Syracuse Football in last 15 years
*Having a defensive coordinator as head coach (although I really do love Shafer)
*Terrell Hunt is leading offense--Top tier runner but deep ball leaves something to be desired. Not convinced about his character (the punch heard round the world last year)
*Depth behind QB, Safety, and Defensive tackle
*Ashton Broyld's work ethic
*An inexperienced BCS offensive coordinator who could not get players to work with the playbook they had the last 8 games of the season
*An offensive line coach that had never really coached an offensive line until last year
*Phil Steele calling LSU his #1 surprise team
*Florida State
*Clemson

Inspired:
*A Shafer and Bullough-run defense
*Kayton Samuels
*Steve Ishmael
*Brisly Estime
*Enoicy and Custis
*Dontae Strickland
*Rodney Williams
*Zaire Franklin
*Hunt's run ability
*Young Corners
*Aaron Roberts
*Ervin Philips
*Lester is running his own offense (And I like Lester as a person)
*A dedication to tackle and tight end blocking
*The games before LSU comes to town
* The unveiling of statues at 44 plaza

 

[baggerbob]

I've been around a long time, after 1967, the next 19 years we only won 7 games twice, then came 1987, and we took off. This program is in better shape then some of those bad times, to me last year was one where Murphy's law became 100 fold. Everything that could go wrong did, from Hunt being tossed in the first game, to Sloan who wasn't in the game against BC coming onto the field, getting in a fight, and being tossed in the last game.

 

[anomander]

Breaking down why I'm inspired and uninspired: Uninspired: *Perpetual mediocrity of Syracuse Football in last 15 years *Having a defensive coordinator as head coach (although I really do love Shafer) *Terrell Hunt is leading offense--Top tier runner but deep ball leaves something to be desired. Not convinced about his character (the punch heard round the world last year) *Depth behind QB, Safety, and Defensive tackle *Ashton Broyld's work ethic *An inexperienced BCS offensive coordinator who could not get players to work with the playbook they had the last 8 games of the season *An offensive line coach that had never really coached an offensive line until last year *Phil Steele calling LSU his #1 surprise team *Florida State *Clemson Inspired: *A Shafer and Bullough-run defense *Kayton Samuels *Steve Ishmael *Brisly Estime *Enoicy and Custis *Dontae Strickland *Rodney Williams *Zaire Franklin *Hunt's run ability *Young Corners *Aaron Roberts *Ervin Philips *Lester is running his own offense (And I like Lester as a person) *A dedication to tackle and tight end blocking *The games before LSU comes to town * The unveiling of statues at 44 plaza

I've never seen Broyld's work ethic questioned? Maybe his ability to pick up the plays, but is that work ethic? I know one thing when the game is going Ashton is one of the best competitors on the field.