SWC75
Bored Historian
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The show this year will be broadcast on Thursdays at 7PM from TGI Fridays on the third floor of Destiny USA, (just past the theater ticket booth and on the right after you walk down the hallway). I don’t know if they will take questions from the audience there but they say you can watch the show whereas when it was at a restaurant, their table tended to be in a secluded location. (Remember its Thursdays at TGI Fridays, not Fridays at TGI Thursdays). The football show is an hour in duration, (Coach Boeheim’s basketball show is usually 2 hours).
Note: because the first game is on a Friday Night, the first show will be on Wednesday, September 2nd. After that it will be on the Thursday before each game until the last game when the show will again be on a Wednesday, (11/25) due to Thanksgiving.
“Fans are invited to attend the show in person or participate via telephone (1-888-7-Go Cuse or 424-8599) or Twitter (@CuseIMG) using the hashtag #AskShafe. You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse)99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.” You can also get it on: http://tunein.com/radio/WGVA-1240-s29191/
That first phone number is 1-888-746-2873 numerically.
You can also send them in advance at this site:
http://cuse.com/sb_output.aspx?form=4
(I do both so they can be prepared to give me an informed, reasoned answer.)
My Question(s)
“Coach, please send along the best wishes of SU fans to Terrel Hunt. We can tell from your reaction and those of his teammates what this guy means to you and I’m sure his strong personal qualities will lead him to success in life whether he plays football or not.
Congratulations on the opening win. It was particularly impressive to see so many good young players in the game. On expectation we had was that with four seniors and a junior starting on the offensive line, we would be able to dominate an FCS team up front. We wound up with good numbers but there were times when we seemed to struggle to open holes, (21 running plays produced two yards or less), or keep the Rams out of our backfield. How did the offensive line grade out in this game? “
The Show
(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.)
“It’s great to be 1-0 and hopefully next week we’ll be 2-0” said Coach Shafer. “That kick-off was crazy. One of our freshmen, Daivon Ellison, took a bad angle and lost the edge. Ryan, (Norton), who used to be a very good lacrosse player in high school took the angle and ripped the ball out. I thought Strickland could have taken it back all the way but he didn’t cut it outside.” Matt asked the coach to describe his reaction to the play. Coach: “Holy Sheez!”
“It was back and forth for a while. When the game settled down, then Terrell scrambled, went down, got back and went down again. I knew it was serious. The same thing happened to me in practice before my senior year. (He was also a quarterback). My heart bled for him.”
“Coaches Lester and Bullough did a good job. We played a complete game, even in the kicking game, although Cole Murphy wants that field goal attempt back. “
He said that Dontae Strickland and another player from New Jersey, (didn’t get his name), had not only played very well but “did a great job recruiting other kids from New Jersey”.
“The young kids don’t act young. There’s nothing but determination in their eyes.” He praised Qaadir Sheppard, Amir Ealey and Stephen Clark on defense and said that there was “a great effort by the offensive line”. That was the perfect que for my question.
His answer: “The first group played real well. Omari Palmer missed a couple of blocks but got better as the game went along. The second group has to work on their consistency, on sustaining their blocks and preventing penetration on the backside of plays. We missed some cuts early on but did better later and we got some big gains out of it. We didn’t want the team to tackle the heck out of each other in camp. They didn’t get any backside rushes in the spring or the fall. You can’t replicate what you’ll face in the first game. We will get better each week as the season got along.”
Coach said that “Terrel will be fine. His surgery went well. It was a clean procedure. He will be out 6-9 months they tell me. If anyone can deal with this, it’s Terrel.”
Coach has been texting former Syracuse players in the NFL, wishing them good lick this year. Arthur Jones has already had bad luck, of course. But he’s upbeat and concentrating on getting healthy for next season. “Those Jones boys are tough kids.”
On Coach Mac, who will be honored at the halftime of the Wake Forest game. “Mac is special. Everybody knows him and what he’s all about”. He recalled that Mac talked to Shafe’s brother when he was being recruited and told him he would not merit a scholarship at SU. “He talked about getting a good fit. He was friends with Lee Tressel, Jim’s father and the coach at Baldwin-Wallace” and helped him get a scholarship there. Scott Shafer played there himself and Jim Tressel was once on Coach Mac’s staff here.
They had a “Mac Pursuit” contest going with trivia questions about Coach Mac. Actually there were only two questions used on the air:
- For what team was Coach Mac coaching before he took the Syracuse job?
- What positon did Mac play as a player?
Coach Shafer knew the answer to the fist because it’s his favorite NFL team. “It’s tough to be a ______s fan but we’ll win it someday.” He did not know the answer to the second question. I’ll add a third of my own:
- Did Dick McPherson ever coach a game in Archbold Stadium?
Lou in Oswego wanted to know what it will take to have a winning record this year, or at least get to .500. Coach apologized for the “coachspeak” but said it required this:
- Focus on right here and right now.
- Control the controlables (he tried not to use that phrase but that’s what he meant)
- Take it one game at a time.
“There’s a reason why coaches talk that way. I love the mindset of this team. Each player says to himself We need to get better at every week- I do, my unit does and my team does. ”
They talked about Eric Dungey. “We could see on his highlight tape that he was fearless, jumping over people. I had to tell him that he shouldn’t try to do that for Syracuse. He’s a very physical player. Watching his basketball tapes you could see how strong he was and if you were asked what question you think he played in football, you’d have to say linebacker.”
“We look for intelligent kids, bright ones with a true appreciation education. Eric was thinking of going to an Ivy League school until he grew big and strong. He’s well-spoken and humble, with a natural presence.” Coach compared him to Zaire Franklin, our sophomore middle linebacker who not only played effectively as a true freshman but immediately became one of the team’s leaders and who was elected as team captain this year, the first sophomore to fill that positon at Syracuse in 70 years. “There will be ups and downs and all-arounds for Eric this year, but he’ll get better and better.”
There was so much talk about the younger players, Coach made a point of praising a list of veteran players, including Seamus Shanley, George Morris, Donnie Simmons and Riley Dixon. He knotted that Simmons was coming back from surgery and had had a good game last year against Wake Forest. He said Morris “didn’t get as many opportunities to split the defense”, whatever that means.
About our opponent: “These Wake kids can play. They use a 4-3 scheme, (I thought it was 4-2-5). They are coached really well. I didn’t see any missed gaps up front. Their linebackers have a ton of experience. Their safeties are active and have much improved vision on the field. They want to stop the run game and pressure you and third down.” Who doesn’t?
Matt suggested that John Wolford was like Dungey last year and coach agreed. “He has a live arm and scrambled for a 70 yarder vs. Elon.” Coach “loved Dave Clawson’s offenses at Bowling Green. They were fun to watch. They were a big screen team so we’ve to be ready to defend the screen. We’ve got to stop the run and get after them when they pass. We’ve got to knock ‘em out and keep these Oranged-out fans excited.”
Maybe we’ll say “Holy Sheez!”
Note: because the first game is on a Friday Night, the first show will be on Wednesday, September 2nd. After that it will be on the Thursday before each game until the last game when the show will again be on a Wednesday, (11/25) due to Thanksgiving.
“Fans are invited to attend the show in person or participate via telephone (1-888-7-Go Cuse or 424-8599) or Twitter (@CuseIMG) using the hashtag #AskShafe. You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse)99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.” You can also get it on: http://tunein.com/radio/WGVA-1240-s29191/
That first phone number is 1-888-746-2873 numerically.
You can also send them in advance at this site:
http://cuse.com/sb_output.aspx?form=4
(I do both so they can be prepared to give me an informed, reasoned answer.)
My Question(s)
“Coach, please send along the best wishes of SU fans to Terrel Hunt. We can tell from your reaction and those of his teammates what this guy means to you and I’m sure his strong personal qualities will lead him to success in life whether he plays football or not.
Congratulations on the opening win. It was particularly impressive to see so many good young players in the game. On expectation we had was that with four seniors and a junior starting on the offensive line, we would be able to dominate an FCS team up front. We wound up with good numbers but there were times when we seemed to struggle to open holes, (21 running plays produced two yards or less), or keep the Rams out of our backfield. How did the offensive line grade out in this game? “
The Show
(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.)
“It’s great to be 1-0 and hopefully next week we’ll be 2-0” said Coach Shafer. “That kick-off was crazy. One of our freshmen, Daivon Ellison, took a bad angle and lost the edge. Ryan, (Norton), who used to be a very good lacrosse player in high school took the angle and ripped the ball out. I thought Strickland could have taken it back all the way but he didn’t cut it outside.” Matt asked the coach to describe his reaction to the play. Coach: “Holy Sheez!”
“It was back and forth for a while. When the game settled down, then Terrell scrambled, went down, got back and went down again. I knew it was serious. The same thing happened to me in practice before my senior year. (He was also a quarterback). My heart bled for him.”
“Coaches Lester and Bullough did a good job. We played a complete game, even in the kicking game, although Cole Murphy wants that field goal attempt back. “
He said that Dontae Strickland and another player from New Jersey, (didn’t get his name), had not only played very well but “did a great job recruiting other kids from New Jersey”.
“The young kids don’t act young. There’s nothing but determination in their eyes.” He praised Qaadir Sheppard, Amir Ealey and Stephen Clark on defense and said that there was “a great effort by the offensive line”. That was the perfect que for my question.
His answer: “The first group played real well. Omari Palmer missed a couple of blocks but got better as the game went along. The second group has to work on their consistency, on sustaining their blocks and preventing penetration on the backside of plays. We missed some cuts early on but did better later and we got some big gains out of it. We didn’t want the team to tackle the heck out of each other in camp. They didn’t get any backside rushes in the spring or the fall. You can’t replicate what you’ll face in the first game. We will get better each week as the season got along.”
Coach said that “Terrel will be fine. His surgery went well. It was a clean procedure. He will be out 6-9 months they tell me. If anyone can deal with this, it’s Terrel.”
Coach has been texting former Syracuse players in the NFL, wishing them good lick this year. Arthur Jones has already had bad luck, of course. But he’s upbeat and concentrating on getting healthy for next season. “Those Jones boys are tough kids.”
On Coach Mac, who will be honored at the halftime of the Wake Forest game. “Mac is special. Everybody knows him and what he’s all about”. He recalled that Mac talked to Shafe’s brother when he was being recruited and told him he would not merit a scholarship at SU. “He talked about getting a good fit. He was friends with Lee Tressel, Jim’s father and the coach at Baldwin-Wallace” and helped him get a scholarship there. Scott Shafer played there himself and Jim Tressel was once on Coach Mac’s staff here.
They had a “Mac Pursuit” contest going with trivia questions about Coach Mac. Actually there were only two questions used on the air:
- For what team was Coach Mac coaching before he took the Syracuse job?
- What positon did Mac play as a player?
Coach Shafer knew the answer to the fist because it’s his favorite NFL team. “It’s tough to be a ______s fan but we’ll win it someday.” He did not know the answer to the second question. I’ll add a third of my own:
- Did Dick McPherson ever coach a game in Archbold Stadium?
Lou in Oswego wanted to know what it will take to have a winning record this year, or at least get to .500. Coach apologized for the “coachspeak” but said it required this:
- Focus on right here and right now.
- Control the controlables (he tried not to use that phrase but that’s what he meant)
- Take it one game at a time.
“There’s a reason why coaches talk that way. I love the mindset of this team. Each player says to himself We need to get better at every week- I do, my unit does and my team does. ”
They talked about Eric Dungey. “We could see on his highlight tape that he was fearless, jumping over people. I had to tell him that he shouldn’t try to do that for Syracuse. He’s a very physical player. Watching his basketball tapes you could see how strong he was and if you were asked what question you think he played in football, you’d have to say linebacker.”
“We look for intelligent kids, bright ones with a true appreciation education. Eric was thinking of going to an Ivy League school until he grew big and strong. He’s well-spoken and humble, with a natural presence.” Coach compared him to Zaire Franklin, our sophomore middle linebacker who not only played effectively as a true freshman but immediately became one of the team’s leaders and who was elected as team captain this year, the first sophomore to fill that positon at Syracuse in 70 years. “There will be ups and downs and all-arounds for Eric this year, but he’ll get better and better.”
There was so much talk about the younger players, Coach made a point of praising a list of veteran players, including Seamus Shanley, George Morris, Donnie Simmons and Riley Dixon. He knotted that Simmons was coming back from surgery and had had a good game last year against Wake Forest. He said Morris “didn’t get as many opportunities to split the defense”, whatever that means.
About our opponent: “These Wake kids can play. They use a 4-3 scheme, (I thought it was 4-2-5). They are coached really well. I didn’t see any missed gaps up front. Their linebackers have a ton of experience. Their safeties are active and have much improved vision on the field. They want to stop the run game and pressure you and third down.” Who doesn’t?
Matt suggested that John Wolford was like Dungey last year and coach agreed. “He has a live arm and scrambled for a 70 yarder vs. Elon.” Coach “loved Dave Clawson’s offenses at Bowling Green. They were fun to watch. They were a big screen team so we’ve to be ready to defend the screen. We’ve got to stop the run and get after them when they pass. We’ve got to knock ‘em out and keep these Oranged-out fans excited.”
Maybe we’ll say “Holy Sheez!”
