The Future of the Orangemen

[orangeman410]

Let me start this by saying that I truly believe in Scott Shafer and think he is an amazing coach/person to represent Syracuse University. I believe that next year's success/failures will determine Shafer's fate with the Syracuse Orange. I believe that Shafer could potentially bring our football program back to relevance with a few seasons finishing 7-5, 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, and get us in the discussion of a top 25 program, but the jury is still out on Scott and his staff.

After watching the two playoff games today, I see how far we are from being anywhere near the conversation of being a playoff contender. All 4 of these teams today have one thing in common. They all have a big time coach and an amazing staff following suit. To get back to being a consistent football team we need to hire a big name coach who has proven success at the collegiate level. The only way Syracuse could bring in a big name coach is to seriously over pay. I believe that this may be our best option because even if we overpay for a coach and his staff, the amount of $$ that we would generate by playing in a games of this magnitude would pay huge dividends.

Let's see how 2015 turns out under Shafer, but if it doesn't work out it might be time to try something different. The definition of insanity is to continue the same thing and expect different results. We have too much pride and history to continue with a below mediocre football program.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

The Oregon coach doesn't fit your thesis.

 

[chakka3421]

SUs ship sailed when SU hired Gross who hired Grob. It will take at least another decade if Shafer fails. We just don't have the commitment (or money or both) by the University to pay a guy like Jim Harbaugh to come to SU - heck I'm sure UMs assistant coaches will make more money than our whole coaching staff will including our HC.

The only way SU ever makes its to a title game is to hold unto a coach like Shafer and his band, hope that they can recruit better recruits each year, have a great player development program and then they learn on the job how to become great coaches and then maybe, just maybe, SU might make it to a conference title game.

 

[Statesman1]

SUs ship sailed when SU hired Gross who hired Grob. It will take at least another decade if Shafer fails. We just don't have the commitment (or money or both) by the University to pay a guy like Jim Harbaugh to come to SU - heck I'm sure UMs assistant coaches will make more money than our whole coaching staff will including our HC.

The only way SU ever makes its to a title game is to hold unto a coach like Shafer and his band, hope that they can recruit better recruits each year, have a great player development program and then they learn on the job how to become great coaches and then maybe, just maybe, SU might make it to a conference title game.

We have so little chance of making the title game- I don't even want to contemplate it. I doubt even the '87 team would have gotten a bid to the top 4. Besides, by the time our program gets a sniff of the top 25 our coaches will be poached by the power schools. SU doesn't have the ability or will to pay coaches to compete for the likes of Nick Saban or Urban Meyer- it's pure fantasy to think we ever will. Heck even our boosters don't shell out $ to buy players- at least not enough to compete with the likes of well, any SEC school, or the Ohio St/Florida States of the world. Our only hope is to build the program enough where we can hang out in or near the top 25 and try to catch lightning in a bottle and make a run to the top ten every now and again.

 

[rrlbees]

SUs ship sailed when SU hired Gross who hired Grob. It will take at least another decade if Shafer fails. We just don't have the commitment (or money or both) by the University to pay a guy like Jim Harbaugh to come to SU - heck I'm sure UMs assistant coaches will make more money than our whole coaching staff will including our HC. The only way SU ever makes its to a title game is to hold unto a coach like Shafer and his band, hope that they can recruit better recruits each year, have a great player development program and then they learn on the job how to become great coaches and then maybe, just maybe, SU might make it to a conference title game.

Ship sailed? When was the ship ever in port?

 

[SUFaninNJ]

One thing in common? What about that they are all large state universities with tons of cash to throw at their coaches and facilities?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Syracuse overpay for a football coach?

:rolling:

 

[Scooch]

The Oregon coach doesn't fit your thesis.

Neither does FSU.

What proven HC success did Jimbo Fisher have when he took over for Bowden?

We don't need a name, we need a good coach.

 

[SUskibum]

and Chip Kelly (who built Oregon) wasn't a name before he was HC there either

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I agree that we shouldn't be thinking about the playoff right now.

I do think the takeaway from these games is that we're so far away from what we need to be on offense if we want to be competitive.

 

[javadoc]

After watching the two playoff games today, I see how far we are from being anywhere near the conversation of being a playoff contender. All 4 of these teams today have one thing in common. They all have a big time coach and an amazing staff following suit. To get back to being a consistent football team we need to hire a big name coach who has proven success at the collegiate level. The only way Syracuse could bring in a big name coach is to seriously over pay. I believe that this may be our best option because even if we overpay for a coach and his staff, the amount of $$ that we would generate by playing in a games of this magnitude would pay huge dividends.

Seems like such an easy and simple formula. How many such big name coaches are there? How many P5 teams are there that could use one? Why haven't any of them done this already?

 

[anomander]

I definitely don't think it needs to be an established HC. Not to mention that option isn't feasible. We need to hit on a young coach, and then be willing to pay him enough to keep him. I equate it to finding a Unicorn.

 

[Scooch]

I definitely don't think it needs to be an established HC. Not to mention that option isn't feasible. We need to hit on a young coach, and then be willing to pay him enough to keep him. I equate it to finding a Unicorn.

It's a unicorn if the goal is to win a national title.

If the goal is simply to be a team that can compete for conference titles and occassionally make a major bowl, then we've found that guy 2 times of the past 5 we've hired. And it may have been 3 if Marrone didn't bail so early.

It's not magic.

 

[Chip]

3 offensive minded head coaches, and 1 defensive minded who hired the best OC he could find.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Ship sailed? When was the ship ever in port?

96.

its paterno's fault.

if he wouldve just retired, instead of enabling pedophilia...they couldve hired P and we might have got some kind of dynamic Offensive mastermind for mcnabb's last 2 years and really made a run at it.

 

[SU68]

I don't believe that SU will ever be a perennial contender for national title consideration. When we are in the mix, it will be a once-a-generation deal.

I think that SU will be successful if they are in a bowl game every year, a divisional contender most years IF the ACC divisions are realigned, and in a major bowl game 2 or 3 times a decade.

I like HCSS and think he has done a decent job to date. If and when he is replaced, I want it to be a guy with an offensive background. It doesn't have to be a "big" name since most of the big names come from HC/coordinator positions at non-P5 schools. Some schools have also had success dipping into the lower division ranks.

I don't know how much the coaches are making, but it must be competitive with our conference and neighboring schools. We MUST always have coaches with strong recruiting records in the target states.

 

[OrangePA]

96.

its paterno's fault.

if he wouldve just retired, instead of enabling pedophilia...they couldve hired P and we might have got some kind of dynamic Offensive mastermind for mcnabb's last 2 years and really made a run at it.

Yeah! And we would have gone to the Fiesta and Orange Bowls!

Oh wait.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Yeah! And we would have gone to the Fiesta and Orange Bowls!

Oh wait.

yeah! except reverse the years and then lets not get waxed either.

waiting...

 

[hoopsupstate]

Great coaches win big games and they can also spend big time money. SU has and does neither. I like Shafer too, but do you see him competing against any of the coaches from yesterday's games? When I think back over the past 10-12 years, our offense has been lousy except Nassib's senior year. How long is a rebuilding process going to take?

 

[OrangePA]

yeah! except reverse the years and then lets not get waxed either.

waiting...

Sorry.

Forgot about Gator, Liberty, Music City, Insight, Fiesta and Hall of Fame bowls?

Is that what you meant?

 

[KaiserUEO]

Sorry.

Forgot about Gator, Liberty, Music City, Insight, Fiesta and Hall of Fame bowls?

Is that what you meant?

no

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

SUs ship sailed when SU hired Gross who hired Grob. It will take at least another decade if Shafer fails. We just don't have the commitment (or money or both) by the University to pay a guy like Jim Harbaugh to come to SU - heck I'm sure UMs assistant coaches will make more money than our whole coaching staff will including our HC.

The only way SU ever makes its to a title game is to hold unto a coach like Shafer and his band, hope that they can recruit better recruits each year, have a great player development program and then they learn on the job how to become great coaches and then maybe, just maybe, SU might make it to a conference title game.

Unless u dangle $15M a year, "a guy like Jim Harbaugh" is NEVER coming to Syracuse football, and anyone who thinks they are is delusional.

 

[OrangePA]

Does Boise State pay it HC $5 million per year?

 

[SWC75]

Let me start this by saying that I truly believe in Scott Shafer and think he is an amazing coach/person to represent Syracuse University. I believe that next year's success/failures will determine Shafer's fate with the Syracuse Orange. I believe that Shafer could potentially bring our football program back to relevance with a few seasons finishing 7-5, 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, and get us in the discussion of a top 25 program, but the jury is still out on Scott and his staff.

After watching the two playoff games today, I see how far we are from being anywhere near the conversation of being a playoff contender. All 4 of these teams today have one thing in common. They all have a big time coach and an amazing staff following suit. To get back to being a consistent football team we need to hire a big name coach who has proven success at the collegiate level. The only way Syracuse could bring in a big name coach is to seriously over pay. I believe that this may be our best option because even if we overpay for a coach and his staff, the amount of $$ that we would generate by playing in a games of this magnitude would pay huge dividends.

Let's see how 2015 turns out under Shafer, but if it doesn't work out it might be time to try something different. The definition of insanity is to continue the same thing and expect different results. We have too much pride and history to continue with a below mediocre football program.

Once again, famous coaches don't come here. Coaches become famous here. The only coach who had been a head coach at a major college level before he got the head coaching job here was Ossie Solem, who had been at Drake in the 20's and Iowa in the 30's. And he was hardly a coaching legend. Everybody else was either an alum, an assistant or a small college coach. And so will be the next guy if we get rid of Shafer.

No big name coach is going to come to a mid-size private school in a state where the fan support, the facilities, the weather, the high school football are either mediocre or bad. If he ever did, his salary would take up most of the budget and he'd be here only until a better job opened up. In the meantime we'd probably find out the reason he's so famous is that he was coaching at a school that gave him alot more to work with than we could.

We need to to "get the right guy" before he becomes famous and have him fully rebuild this program before he moves on. Shafer may not be the right guy but his not being famous is not the problem and "famous" won't be the solution.

 

[PhatOrange]

you dont need a big name. what you need is a guy who's got a proven track record with an established system that is proven to work. then you need the program management skill, the CEO part of the deal that people always over look, and you need coaches who are good with kids/teaching and can sell ice to Eskimos. Sales and recruiting is huge.

you have to assume that most every position coach knows how to coach. the difference is some are more engaging, are naturals at their craft and get through to the kids better. it's not rocket science some teachers are better than others teaching the same material.

Phil Montgomery might make a great head coach, but the guy running that show is Briles and Montgomery has been his right hand man for years and years.

You look at the coach Florida just hired. Jim McElwain is and was not a big name. He was Bama's OC and then went and got himself 3 years of Head Coaching experience at Colorado State. 4-8, 8-6, 10-2. Now the head coach at Florida. Here's his resume, to me this is what I'm looking for; and yes prior proven Head Coaching experiences scores big points. He hasn't done anything at Florida yet but I'm betting he'll do fine and I'd take my chances with someone like this over a rookie HC. (if you're going to go the Coordinator route then I'd go with a proven offensive guy.)

1987–1994 / Eastern Washington (QB/WR)
1995–1999 / Montana State (OC/WR/ST)
2000–2002 / Louisville (WR/ST)
2003–2005 / Michigan State (AHC/WR/ST)
2006 / Oakland Raiders (QB)
2007 / Fresno State (OC/QB)
2008–2011 / Alabama (OC/QB)
2012–2014 / Colorado State HC
2015–present / Florida