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AmeriCU Fran Brown Show Debuts Thursday - Syracuse University Athletics
(This has their schedule for the season)
The show originates from Heritage Hill Brewery in Jamesville:
heritagehillbrewery.com
3149 Sweet Rd · 3149 Sweet Rd, Jamesville, NY 13078
You can catch the show on TK99/105 locally, Cuse.com and the 'Cuse App, You can also get it on: https://tunein.com/radio/home/ or https://cuse.com/watch/?Live=6944&type=Live . Fans are invited to participate in the show by calling 888-7Go-Cuse, (1-888-746-2873), or 424-8599 or on twitter (@CuseLearfield) with the hashtag #AskFran or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website): Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics.
And the half-hour follow-up on Twitch will turn up on You-Tube later that evening, (we hope).
Cuse Sports Talk
My Question(s) or Comments (or theories)
“Coach, my first question this year was to ask you what you needed to make a success of this football program. You replied “The difference is NIL. The best recruiter is Benjamin Franklin.” How well-positioned are we in this Era of NIL to compete for high school kids or portal transfers against the schools we are trying to win against on and off the field? What can the community do to help you there?”
For the twitch segment:
“Coach, I’ve always viewed a team as a collection of diverse individuals united by their desire to win. You often talk of your religious faith and have said that religion helps unite your team. If a player was of a different faith or wasn’t religious at all, could he feel just as much a part of this team as his teammates?”
The Show
(Since both the show and the Twitch segment were available the same evening the first time out this year, as long as that’s the case, I’m going to just focus on the highlights, including the answers to my questions. I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)
First the answers to my questions:
Q1- “The community can contribute what their heart desires so long as their pocketbook doesn’t hurt. We’re in the ix. We’ve got to get the players we want. We’re not competing with Wagner or Fredonia State. We’re going up again Notre Dame, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Everybody who can should be able to contribute $100 a year to SU Football-NIL” Matt added: “It allows the fan base to feel they had an impact.” [We used to do that by buying tickets, preferred seating, parking and concessions and cheering for the team.)
Q2 – “Yes, we still have that. Everybody is not of the same religion or even a believer. I still have to love them. The Bible is not just religious. It’s full of stories that are relevant today, (he listed several – too fast for me to record – it’s on the You-Tube clip below) You need to go your own trail.”
Coach was late again. [does that mean he doesn’t start the next game?] Matt played some highlights of the Connecticut game, then decided to bring in the special guest, ‘General Manager’ Nate McNeal, who described his job: “Talent evaluation, recruiting overseeing roster manage and scholarship limits”. Matt noted that the scholarship limit “is going away”, [which will make college football all the more expensive]. He said the limit would go from 85 to 105 scholarship and everyone will be on scholarship – no walk-ons. NM: “We have a really good class. We need to keep guys locked in. We have a great foundation for a second class.” He said Fran wants to focus on high school recruits more than the portal. Matt said “there are 2,000 guys in the portal but not all of them are going to find a place to play”. He said NIL was “your salary cap”. [But what’s the cap on NIL?]
From the restaurant: Matt in East Syracuse asked: What does Nate say to recruits who ask what it’s going to be like playing for Syracuse? I tell them to ask the players. They are the best recruiters. I’m confident in them. Pete from Tully: What are the plans on addressing the offensive and defensive lines? NM: “We ID areas that need to be upgraded. It will be a priority.” [I would hope so.] Matt noted FB’s statement that if a freshman is the same size or bigger than a veteran player it’s disappoint but a sign that we’re going to get better. Mat asks how we identify who is ‘DART’. “Coach Brown is good at that.” Matt said that “We’re always looking for the big shiny thing. Ifs there a big shiny thing out there?” [Like a QB?] NM: “We look for the best players. I believe there’s a Cadillac out there.“
There was applause in the background, so you knew the coach had arrived. [It’s a sign we’re having a good season). Matt: “This is what winning does.” Fran: “This is what Syracuse does.” About McNeal: “It’s always good to get an opinion from someone who isn’t the player’s coach….We’ve got a couple of freshmen who have been on the shelf and who have fresh legs.” I think he was talking about receivers who might play this week. “I trust what we do in practice.”
Matt said that “minutes after it’s over [the Miami game] you have signing day, then portal day and your one-year anniversary is coming up.” Fran: “I love the entire process. Who will surprise. Who will flip? They might flip away from us.” [Or flip to us. One thing to think about going into next season, Yes, McCord and others will be gone. Yes, the schedule will be much tougher, (on paper). But the overall talent and depth on the roster may grow substantially and we may wind up being a stronger, better team overall to meet those challenges. I think each of the next few teams will be better than the last.]
Miami “is a good football team, well-coached.” [We always seem to play well-coached teams. Can’t we schedule a poorly coached team or two?] “Their quarterback is very good. Their receivers are good. I’m excited about the whole process of defeating Miami…We’re gonna compete our butts off . You’re going to be very proud of the way we play.”
They talked about Kyle McCord. For coach, he’s most impressed with Kyle’s preparation, which exceeds that of any QB he’s ever been associated with. “He was raised well, went to good schools and is very intelligent.” He also praised other leaders such as Josh Kubala on special teams and Jack Stonehouse. One player, Clay Masters, is about to become a doctor. “He’s gonna be my doctor – for free!”, he joked. [I think.]
On the opening pass play vs. Connecticut: I wanted to run the ball first. The coaches wanted to pass. I’m glad they were right.” Later, at the end of the Twitch segment, I asked him if that play was designed as a tribute to Coach Mac, who famously liked to open play with a long pass, (at least in 1987). He said it was “but they wanted to do it another way. But they wanted it to be done. Coach Nix had his own version.” No doubt this was the “other way”:
October 17, 1987 - #10 Penn State @ #13 Syracuse
[I love how the first thing they say is that Joe Paterno wants to get off to a good start and that both the safety and the referee fall down as if in shock and awe of that first play.]
Matt asked about the Pena play, the ‘substitution violation’. “I’m still learning the rule book. It was deceiving the opposition but apparently coming off the field. I asked them “How of the field do you want me to use? Maybe our talking to him made a difference.” Matt suggested that “deception is part of most sports”. Fran: “They don’t expect us to win.”
Miachel in Manlius said something about Miami losing to Ohio State in the January 2003 title game. Then he said that “we should always honor our opponents.” Fran, noting the comments about religion and philosophy Michael had made over the course of the year, said “You’re a heck of a dude. Your inspiring words of wisdom have meant a lot to us all year.”
John in Liverpool had a more down-to-earth question: Do football schools use prep schools the way basketball schools do. He referred to Buddy Boeheim and JJ Starling who went to local high schools and then to prep schools to prepare for college. Fran said that football does the same thing but that the players who go to prep schools have to develop their games, (they are “just not at a level yet”), a little more or take extra classes. He said Davien Kerr was going to go to a prep school but we wanted him here. Matt suggested that prep schools were also designed to allow high school players to play against a higher level of competition.
Chuck in Skaneateles repeated the question about what is being done to improve the offensive and defensive lines. Coach reverted to his defensive attitude, saying “See what we do this week!”, then discussed the issue further. We needs size and depth. We don’t want anyone on the offensive line under 6-4 at Syracuse anymore.” He noted that Dave Wohlabaugh was finally playing and that Joe Cruz was getting time. “We also alternate two centers. We rotate quite a bit. The player who gets the most snaps is Savion (Washington). He’s our most consistent lineman. He’s worked, worked and worked ever since the summer.”
Fran: “You can feel the spirit. We’re getting the feeling back. Football is here to stay.” [Glad to here it.] “You need to be a complete college.” He suggested that required a good football team and that men’s and women’s basketball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and track were also important.
In the Twitch segment, Coach said the was “pleased with the effort against Connecticut, in all phases”.
A poster named Ryan wondered what a bowl would mean for Coach Brown - and one source projected is to be against Colorado and Coach Prime. “I’d be very thankful to be part of anything he’s involved in. I get my business ideals from him. We should play oi a bowl game. It’s good for the players, and allows us to pick up fans. It would be an amazing dream come true. Coach Prime is an icon. Everything he does is at a high level. He’s won championships wherever he’s been. We spoke in depth a couple of time this season. He said he wanted me to do better than he did in his first season.” [Check]
Gomez noted that Kyle McCord said that coming to Syracuse was “the best decision of his life”. How did it rank in Fran’s life? “Outside of accepting the man above, getting married and having my kids, it was my best day. We both took a leap of faith on each other. He’ll be my little brother for the rest of our lives.
He was again asked about high school kids vs. transfers. “I’ll never turn down a transfer if he has multiple years left. I like to develop high school kids. They come here with a book bag and should leave with a brief case. Developing young men and getting them close to their faith. That’s my job, to get them flourishing in all aspects of life. A lot of faith and hard work and things are likely to work out.” [That seemed a good time to post Question #2, above.]
“Cam Ward is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I like my quarterback the best. #7 is really good, as is #31 at linebacker. The U is coming back but they have to come to the Dome.”
He’s still upset about GameDay not coming. It’s clearly a goal of his. In their absence “Coach Christobel and I will make sure we have quite an event.”
(This has their schedule for the season)
The show originates from Heritage Hill Brewery in Jamesville:
Heritage Hill Brewhouse
Heritage Hill Brewhouse in Pompey. Handcrafted Beer, Homemade Food & Amazing Views set upon our active crop and animal farm. A family friendly destination that's an escape but close enough to call home.
heritagehillbrewery.com
You can catch the show on TK99/105 locally, Cuse.com and the 'Cuse App, You can also get it on: https://tunein.com/radio/home/ or https://cuse.com/watch/?Live=6944&type=Live . Fans are invited to participate in the show by calling 888-7Go-Cuse, (1-888-746-2873), or 424-8599 or on twitter (@CuseLearfield) with the hashtag #AskFran or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website): Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics.
And the half-hour follow-up on Twitch will turn up on You-Tube later that evening, (we hope).
Cuse Sports Talk
My Question(s) or Comments (or theories)
“Coach, my first question this year was to ask you what you needed to make a success of this football program. You replied “The difference is NIL. The best recruiter is Benjamin Franklin.” How well-positioned are we in this Era of NIL to compete for high school kids or portal transfers against the schools we are trying to win against on and off the field? What can the community do to help you there?”
For the twitch segment:
“Coach, I’ve always viewed a team as a collection of diverse individuals united by their desire to win. You often talk of your religious faith and have said that religion helps unite your team. If a player was of a different faith or wasn’t religious at all, could he feel just as much a part of this team as his teammates?”
The Show
(Since both the show and the Twitch segment were available the same evening the first time out this year, as long as that’s the case, I’m going to just focus on the highlights, including the answers to my questions. I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)
First the answers to my questions:
Q1- “The community can contribute what their heart desires so long as their pocketbook doesn’t hurt. We’re in the ix. We’ve got to get the players we want. We’re not competing with Wagner or Fredonia State. We’re going up again Notre Dame, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Everybody who can should be able to contribute $100 a year to SU Football-NIL” Matt added: “It allows the fan base to feel they had an impact.” [We used to do that by buying tickets, preferred seating, parking and concessions and cheering for the team.)
Q2 – “Yes, we still have that. Everybody is not of the same religion or even a believer. I still have to love them. The Bible is not just religious. It’s full of stories that are relevant today, (he listed several – too fast for me to record – it’s on the You-Tube clip below) You need to go your own trail.”
Coach was late again. [does that mean he doesn’t start the next game?] Matt played some highlights of the Connecticut game, then decided to bring in the special guest, ‘General Manager’ Nate McNeal, who described his job: “Talent evaluation, recruiting overseeing roster manage and scholarship limits”. Matt noted that the scholarship limit “is going away”, [which will make college football all the more expensive]. He said the limit would go from 85 to 105 scholarship and everyone will be on scholarship – no walk-ons. NM: “We have a really good class. We need to keep guys locked in. We have a great foundation for a second class.” He said Fran wants to focus on high school recruits more than the portal. Matt said “there are 2,000 guys in the portal but not all of them are going to find a place to play”. He said NIL was “your salary cap”. [But what’s the cap on NIL?]
From the restaurant: Matt in East Syracuse asked: What does Nate say to recruits who ask what it’s going to be like playing for Syracuse? I tell them to ask the players. They are the best recruiters. I’m confident in them. Pete from Tully: What are the plans on addressing the offensive and defensive lines? NM: “We ID areas that need to be upgraded. It will be a priority.” [I would hope so.] Matt noted FB’s statement that if a freshman is the same size or bigger than a veteran player it’s disappoint but a sign that we’re going to get better. Mat asks how we identify who is ‘DART’. “Coach Brown is good at that.” Matt said that “We’re always looking for the big shiny thing. Ifs there a big shiny thing out there?” [Like a QB?] NM: “We look for the best players. I believe there’s a Cadillac out there.“
There was applause in the background, so you knew the coach had arrived. [It’s a sign we’re having a good season). Matt: “This is what winning does.” Fran: “This is what Syracuse does.” About McNeal: “It’s always good to get an opinion from someone who isn’t the player’s coach….We’ve got a couple of freshmen who have been on the shelf and who have fresh legs.” I think he was talking about receivers who might play this week. “I trust what we do in practice.”
Matt said that “minutes after it’s over [the Miami game] you have signing day, then portal day and your one-year anniversary is coming up.” Fran: “I love the entire process. Who will surprise. Who will flip? They might flip away from us.” [Or flip to us. One thing to think about going into next season, Yes, McCord and others will be gone. Yes, the schedule will be much tougher, (on paper). But the overall talent and depth on the roster may grow substantially and we may wind up being a stronger, better team overall to meet those challenges. I think each of the next few teams will be better than the last.]
Miami “is a good football team, well-coached.” [We always seem to play well-coached teams. Can’t we schedule a poorly coached team or two?] “Their quarterback is very good. Their receivers are good. I’m excited about the whole process of defeating Miami…We’re gonna compete our butts off . You’re going to be very proud of the way we play.”
They talked about Kyle McCord. For coach, he’s most impressed with Kyle’s preparation, which exceeds that of any QB he’s ever been associated with. “He was raised well, went to good schools and is very intelligent.” He also praised other leaders such as Josh Kubala on special teams and Jack Stonehouse. One player, Clay Masters, is about to become a doctor. “He’s gonna be my doctor – for free!”, he joked. [I think.]
On the opening pass play vs. Connecticut: I wanted to run the ball first. The coaches wanted to pass. I’m glad they were right.” Later, at the end of the Twitch segment, I asked him if that play was designed as a tribute to Coach Mac, who famously liked to open play with a long pass, (at least in 1987). He said it was “but they wanted to do it another way. But they wanted it to be done. Coach Nix had his own version.” No doubt this was the “other way”:
October 17, 1987 - #10 Penn State @ #13 Syracuse
[I love how the first thing they say is that Joe Paterno wants to get off to a good start and that both the safety and the referee fall down as if in shock and awe of that first play.]
Matt asked about the Pena play, the ‘substitution violation’. “I’m still learning the rule book. It was deceiving the opposition but apparently coming off the field. I asked them “How of the field do you want me to use? Maybe our talking to him made a difference.” Matt suggested that “deception is part of most sports”. Fran: “They don’t expect us to win.”
Miachel in Manlius said something about Miami losing to Ohio State in the January 2003 title game. Then he said that “we should always honor our opponents.” Fran, noting the comments about religion and philosophy Michael had made over the course of the year, said “You’re a heck of a dude. Your inspiring words of wisdom have meant a lot to us all year.”
John in Liverpool had a more down-to-earth question: Do football schools use prep schools the way basketball schools do. He referred to Buddy Boeheim and JJ Starling who went to local high schools and then to prep schools to prepare for college. Fran said that football does the same thing but that the players who go to prep schools have to develop their games, (they are “just not at a level yet”), a little more or take extra classes. He said Davien Kerr was going to go to a prep school but we wanted him here. Matt suggested that prep schools were also designed to allow high school players to play against a higher level of competition.
Chuck in Skaneateles repeated the question about what is being done to improve the offensive and defensive lines. Coach reverted to his defensive attitude, saying “See what we do this week!”, then discussed the issue further. We needs size and depth. We don’t want anyone on the offensive line under 6-4 at Syracuse anymore.” He noted that Dave Wohlabaugh was finally playing and that Joe Cruz was getting time. “We also alternate two centers. We rotate quite a bit. The player who gets the most snaps is Savion (Washington). He’s our most consistent lineman. He’s worked, worked and worked ever since the summer.”
Fran: “You can feel the spirit. We’re getting the feeling back. Football is here to stay.” [Glad to here it.] “You need to be a complete college.” He suggested that required a good football team and that men’s and women’s basketball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and track were also important.
In the Twitch segment, Coach said the was “pleased with the effort against Connecticut, in all phases”.
A poster named Ryan wondered what a bowl would mean for Coach Brown - and one source projected is to be against Colorado and Coach Prime. “I’d be very thankful to be part of anything he’s involved in. I get my business ideals from him. We should play oi a bowl game. It’s good for the players, and allows us to pick up fans. It would be an amazing dream come true. Coach Prime is an icon. Everything he does is at a high level. He’s won championships wherever he’s been. We spoke in depth a couple of time this season. He said he wanted me to do better than he did in his first season.” [Check]
Gomez noted that Kyle McCord said that coming to Syracuse was “the best decision of his life”. How did it rank in Fran’s life? “Outside of accepting the man above, getting married and having my kids, it was my best day. We both took a leap of faith on each other. He’ll be my little brother for the rest of our lives.
He was again asked about high school kids vs. transfers. “I’ll never turn down a transfer if he has multiple years left. I like to develop high school kids. They come here with a book bag and should leave with a brief case. Developing young men and getting them close to their faith. That’s my job, to get them flourishing in all aspects of life. A lot of faith and hard work and things are likely to work out.” [That seemed a good time to post Question #2, above.]
“Cam Ward is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I like my quarterback the best. #7 is really good, as is #31 at linebacker. The U is coming back but they have to come to the Dome.”
He’s still upset about GameDay not coming. It’s clearly a goal of his. In their absence “Coach Christobel and I will make sure we have quite an event.”
