The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[Crusty]

I really want Coach Marrone to succeed and I have made apologies and excuses for him for the past 3 years, some deserved, some not.

Most reasonable observers would, IMO, agree that DM has brought the program bank from the depths of hell. However, after a terrific 2010, we have pretty much been terrible - not GRob terrible - but terrible nevertheless. We never even got back to the post-Donovan Pasqualoni era, just better than GRob.

Now, we have lost 9 of the last 10 Div 1 games and have only 2 wins in the last 11 games. Perhaps more importantly is the manner in which we have lost - often beating ourselves. While I willing to write-off last year's collapse, this season has shaken my confidence and caused me to reassess my opinion of the staff. There is something wrong with this program that prevents it from moving forward. Since he is head coach, it is up to DM to figure out how to fix things, whatever it takes.

The hotly debated question of poor coaching or lack of talent, is IMO resolved. We have constantly lost games where we have statistically outplayed our opponents, only to lose with the same old penalties, mistakes and turnovers. It seems apparent that if we have the talent to outplay our opponents, we have enough talent to win. That said, we do not have enough talent to win unless we play smart, disciplined football. I believe most of the fault for this is on the staff - talent is not skill until it is developed.

I have tried to step back and look at DM's tenure in an attempt to reason an opinion of continued support.

The Good

1. Coach is a good and decent man and brings class and honor to the program. He is an alum and really wants to succeed in this job and be here for the rest of his career. He won’t use the job as a stepping stone.
2. He has changed the culture of the program for the better.
3. He has improved recruiting. By any objective measure each of his recruiting classes has been an improvement over its predecessor. He has restored NY recruiting base, made inroads South and Midwest. He has also done a very good job with JUCO’s.
4. His record is an improvement over GRob’s and we are no longer a laughingstock, albeit we have not earned much real respect. His teams do not get blown out and usually play competitively. Perhaps it is fair to say that DM has improved the program but we are not yet back to where it was under Pasqualoni in the post Donovan period. As we all know all too well, GRob was 10-37 overall and 3-25 in BE play. Marrone is 19-24 overall and 7-16 in conference play. Pasqualoni (post Donovan) was 107-59 overall and 62-33 in BE play.
5. He has hired a very good DC in Shafer and we probably have a run of a few years ahead with improving defenses.
6. He seems willing to make major changes in the program e.g. coaching, offensive strategy.
7. He achieved a so-called signature win over West Va.
8. He is a players’ coach and does not throw the guys under the bus

The Bad

1. He has not been able to teach the team how to win. We consistently beat ourselves with turnovers, mistakes and stupid penalties. Usually, these things are attributed to lack of preparedness and poor coaching.
2. We are not competitive in conference play. Other teams seem to know how to plan for us and we seem to get out-coached consistently.
3. His game coaching has at times been, at the very least, highly questionable.
4. He has not yet been able to land the big recruits.
5. While accountability gets talked about ad nauseum, we do not appear to walk the walk. There do not appear to be any consequences for poor decisions and poor play.
6. Perhaps because of hiring budget or recruiting challenges, he took a chance on a very green OC in Hackett, which thus far, has not worked out very well.
7. We keep repeating the same preventable mistakes and mental errors over and over again and that is on the staff.
8. Poor game preparedness. For example, we lost two years in a row to Rutgers largely due to a blocked PAT and FG attempt. The world knows Rutgers has good ST play and we are not prepared for it. Blocked kicks are largely scheme and preparedness and we fall prey to the same plays over and over.
9. Poor in game adjustments. We always seem to adjust too late and only after a halftime break.

The Ugly

1. Special teams seem to have been an afterthought for us. We have lost several games due to poor ST play. How can this happen? It is not rocket science – practice and coaching should be able to fix this but the problem seems to linger. This was and is a clear coaching failure.
2. Play calling. I know this is a point of contention with strong feelings on both sides. I put it in the ugly category because I do not understand how we can regress so badly in a matter of a few games.
3. Red Zone play. No comment should be necessary here

So, where do I end up? Has DM done enough to have earned another year or two or has the improvement peaked and started to head down? Is he the guy to take us to the next level? Has he loosened the bottle cap and the next guy will get the credit DM deserves? Will the program suffer greatly from a reload at this point.

While there is more good than bad about Doug's tenure, this is about winning and we have not done that - we are going backwards. We may be much closer to winning than we have been in many years but it is hard to prove that case - you either believe or you don't.

However, I really like this guy and I can't quite give up on him just yet. I think my bottom line is that I would like to see Doug have the chance to coach next year but I think he needs to get a real experienced OC - the Hackett experiment has not produced wins and thus, has failed. If I were Dr Gross I would insist on it as a condition of an extension.

Just my thoughts as I struggle to understand this frustrating team.

Coaching Stats
a. Grob averaged 106 rushing yards; 165 passing yards; 271 passing yards and 16.3 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball rushing yards against 192; passing yards against 221; total yards against 413 and point against 27.2.
b. Pasqualoni (post Donovan) averaged 184 rushing yards; 173 passing yards; 356 total yards and 26.2 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball rushing yards against 153; passing yards against 180; total yards against 333 and point against 24.9.
c. Marrone (3 seasons) 129 rushing yards; 205 passing yards; 334 total yards and 22.5 ppg. Thus far in 2012 the numbers are 128 rushing; 318 passing; total 446 and 25.8 ppg. A 33% increase in total yards no increase in ppg. We are 96th in the nation for points scored per game. On the defensive side of the ball rushing yards against 122; passing yards against 219; total yards against 341 and point against 25.2.

 

[BlackKnight76]

This is a very fair, cool-headed post. Good stuff.

 

[MartyCuse]

Crusty thank you for the well thought out post... I also support DM, and I believe we are in a better place than we were a few years ago. I am still hopeful he can install a culture of winning here at SU. I find it hard to believe if we were to replace him that there would be another candidate that would be more passionate about the success of and future of the team.

 

[orangejunkie]

The majority of fans have been big supporters of Marrone. However, given the way this season has unfolded, his support among the fans has certainly eroded. I don't think Gross did him any favors with the scheduling this season. Not sure why we needed to be so ambitious with the schedule this season. Let's get on a winning track and then start to throw in the USC's of the world. The fact that he hasn't been offered an extension tells me that Gross is waiting to see how the season unfolds. If he can get end the year with at least a couple more wins, I think he gets some sort of extension. I think it would set the program back if he is let go at the end of the year.

 

['72 Orange]

You have clearly articulated my feelings about our program. I loved the initial hire of HCDM but the 2-9 record since last year's Louisville game has me also frustrated as hell. It's not only the consistency of the losses but the way we lose with no end in sight!

I was willing to give this one more year as I (for some irrational hope) thought we were close to stopping the bleeding. Now I'm not so sure. If we can split the remaining games and at least get the penalties and TOs under control in our losses I'd be willing to let him take another year at getting the ship turned around.

For me the must win game for a bowl was Rutgers. Now the must win game for Marrone to stop the bleeding in UConn.