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, we have seen a pretty darn good football team in the Dome this year. Three wins and three close losses to nationally ranked teams. The problem has been on the road where we had three one-sided defeats and an overtime loss to a mediocre team we led by ten points in the fourth quarter. What makes a good road team and why does this team seem to lack those qualities? What can be done to turn it around this week? “
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.)
This is their final call-in show of the season. They will be doing a wrap-up show next Wednesday at 7PM but, if they follow their practice for the final show of the season, it will be recorded in the coach’s office rather than at TJ Fridays and Matt will do the questioning.
Matt praised the team for their comeback from an early hole. Coach: “The kids showed their resiliency. I was pleased with the offense, especially the running game. Zack (Mahoney) scored two touchdowns untouched. He made great decisions. It was a great effort game. We came up short again but it’s another lesson. “The coached wanted to thank the fans, who have been our “12th man” at home.
NC State “has another great quarterback in Jacoby Brissett and a good defense.” Matt noted that Coach has compared Brissett to Ben Roethlisberger, against whom he coached in the MAC as a DC and beat him. Brissett is 235 pounds and the play that prompted the comparison was one against Clemson where he avoided a pass rush “extended the play” by sprinting to the sideline, got grabbed “by a guy who is an NFL prospect “ and got the pass off anyway for a 20 yard gain.
Matt asked about the importance of “extending plays”. “As a secondary coach, I wanted the pressure defense so the secondary doesn’t have to covert receivers as long. You can’t stay with elite athletes for 5-10 seconds. I also want to keep the quarterback in the pocket as long as possible so that our linemen don’t wear down chasing him. North Carolina State messes with your tendencies and gets big plays down the field. If you let down they can ad-lib plays.”
They started an injury report but never got past Eric Dungey, who will again be out, Jordan Fredericks, who will be back and Josh Parris, who is questionable. I don’t whether that means everybody else is healthy or not. Apparently not:
http://www.nunesmagician.com/2015/1...ong-7-orange-players-out-vs-nc-state-wolfpack
Zack Mahoney will, for the first time, get two weeks in a row as the #1 quarterback. Coach referred to him as “My Don Strock”, referring to one of Don Shula’s famous back-up quarterbacks. Zack “will be more comfortable and experienced. He’ll have bene game-planning for two weeks.
Jordan Fredericks has progressed well and had a good week of practice. Josh Parris will be available in an emergency. Coach recalled a game against Wake Forest where Keon Lyn , our old cornerback, was available only has an emergency player and played for 74 snaps.
Liam from Pompey again got in the first call. He congratulated the coach on the good showing against Clemson but had “only two questions”
- Why did we take a time out after the second turnover, which killed our momentum?
- What about the fair catch violation?
- What about the hands to the face call
- What about the unsportsmanlike conduct call?
Coach said he’d take them one at a time, as he could remember them. They changed the rule on fair catches, which created a “halo” of a yard around the receiver. There’s no longer a halo and that was a “good no-call”. The hands-to- the- face “was a judgement call- they had the wrong player. The unsportsmanlike call occurred after Juwan Dowells’s interception. Our guys got to celebrating and the refs were in the middle of it and got bounced around. I can’t criticize the refs. They have a very hard job. We’ve just got to prepare the kids to learn from these situations.” Somehow the coach lost track of the question on the time-out. And I thought the unsportsmanlike call being asked about was his criticism of the refs after the hands to the face call.
I then called in my question. “There’s a number of things on the road. Young kids learn from every trip. South Florida was better than we thought. They great speed and it was hot as hell down there- it felt like 92 degrees, they said. Florida State is a great football team. It’s all about experience and getting used to being professional athletes. You have to look at it as a business trip.”
They recalled last year’s NC State game, (which was a blur to me: wasn’t every game last year all the same game? ) We were leading 14-9 in the third period when AJ Long threw an 87 yard pick six to Pharoah, (yeah, he spells it that way, too) McKever. Shafe’s explanation: They were in a far zone blitz and dropped the boundary in. AJ underthrew a crossing route that was open.” Anyway, here’s the play:
They took a moment to extend sympathies to Doug Flutie, who lost both his parents to heart attacks on the same day. Coach: “They were obviously very close and very much in love. At least they’re together. Doug is a great guy. He did a game I coached several years ago. He spent time with the players and played catch with Wolfgang, who was about 12. He’s the sort of guy who could pick up a paddle and beat you his first time at ping pong. He‘s good at everything.”
The NC State staff is full of guys Shafe has coached with, including George McDonald. Most of them came through Northern Illinois when Joe Novak was there, (Head Coach Dave Doeren was alter head coach there.) Coach Shafer was on Novak’s staff with offensive coordinator Mike Canada and our defensive line coach is “best friends with their offensive line coach, Mike Uremovich. “It’s hard to go against friends but it’s an extremely competitive situation. I’m confident I can beat them- that’s the plan.”
Coach has a big fan in Fayetteville, Daniel, who said he could be elected mayor there. (Are any of our board members who voted with the 70% from Fayetteville? How many would prefer he be their mayor? ) Coach called it “the most beautiful town in America. Daniel said the LSU and Clemson games brought back memories of the Nebraska in the good old days. “it electrified this town and we’re all extremely proud of you.”
Daniel thought the facemask penalty was ”horrible- the worst call ever”. I’m wondering if he meant the hands to the face call. He asked the coach to “have some beers with Coach Lester and ask him why “he runs those options to the short side that always result in a big loss” Coach said he would definitely be having beers with Coach Lester. “We did score on one of those against Clemson. The defense rotates to the other side and we are dealing with one less football player. We have had some negative plays sometimes. Sometimes we really let it rip.” I assume that means we got a good play out of it. “It’s not a Georgia Tech triple option. There’s more sophistication, more going on. It’s a pistol family environment, an inside zone track with an outside component option with a similar read but in space- C to B to A and back against the grain. It’s in the shotgun zone family and the read family with twirl motions and misdirection. We have two back and motion a third guy in. “ That oughta fool ‘em. (It’s amazing what you can do with multiple backs in the backfield.) The whole idea is to get a guy in space.
Matt remembered one time we ran the near side option with conspicuous success:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m9Y_oZVlxE
(the play comes at 4:40). I used to hate the NSO because we ONLY seemed to run it to the near side, where you can’t block the sideline, (note that Owens struggled to stay in bounds: he was ‘breaking the tackle’ of the sideline), and ran it much too often. One year, 1994), only four teams passed the ball less than we did and they were all wishbone teams. I don’t mind it as part of our offense and if it’s only one version of the option that we run.
“We’ll be a little bit more balanced when we have a quarterback who is efficient down the field. Zack’s getting better at that.”
Jerry has been SU season ticket holder for 35 years and is not as big a fan of Coach Shafer as Daniel is. “Why do you keep recruiting defensive backs who are too small? Why not recruit tall athletes and teach them to play defensive back?” The Coach responded calmly to the aggressive question. “I’ve coached tall and small defensive backs who are good players. Our guys will be good in time. They are freshmen and sophomores. I’d love them to all be 6-1. I’ve moved kids form other positons before. Right now those kids are the ones. Julian Whigham is the prototype at 6-1 205 but he’s struggled this year. We’re going to continue to recruit good football players and train them.
The key to beating the Wolfpack? “I want one thing- to possess the football and keep it out of Jacoby Brissett’s hands. I want to take it down the field and score and win the turnover battle.”
So I guess we won’t be deferring possession if we win the toss, right coach?
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, we have seen a pretty darn good football team in the Dome this year. Three wins and three close losses to nationally ranked teams. The problem has been on the road where we had three one-sided defeats and an overtime loss to a mediocre team we led by ten points in the fourth quarter. What makes a good road team and why does this team seem to lack those qualities? What can be done to turn it around this week? “
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.)
This is their final call-in show of the season. They will be doing a wrap-up show next Wednesday at 7PM but, if they follow their practice for the final show of the season, it will be recorded in the coach’s office rather than at TJ Fridays and Matt will do the questioning.
Matt praised the team for their comeback from an early hole. Coach: “The kids showed their resiliency. I was pleased with the offense, especially the running game. Zack (Mahoney) scored two touchdowns untouched. He made great decisions. It was a great effort game. We came up short again but it’s another lesson. “The coached wanted to thank the fans, who have been our “12th man” at home.
NC State “has another great quarterback in Jacoby Brissett and a good defense.” Matt noted that Coach has compared Brissett to Ben Roethlisberger, against whom he coached in the MAC as a DC and beat him. Brissett is 235 pounds and the play that prompted the comparison was one against Clemson where he avoided a pass rush “extended the play” by sprinting to the sideline, got grabbed “by a guy who is an NFL prospect “ and got the pass off anyway for a 20 yard gain.
Matt asked about the importance of “extending plays”. “As a secondary coach, I wanted the pressure defense so the secondary doesn’t have to covert receivers as long. You can’t stay with elite athletes for 5-10 seconds. I also want to keep the quarterback in the pocket as long as possible so that our linemen don’t wear down chasing him. North Carolina State messes with your tendencies and gets big plays down the field. If you let down they can ad-lib plays.”
They started an injury report but never got past Eric Dungey, who will again be out, Jordan Fredericks, who will be back and Josh Parris, who is questionable. I don’t whether that means everybody else is healthy or not. Apparently not:
http://www.nunesmagician.com/2015/1...ong-7-orange-players-out-vs-nc-state-wolfpack
Zack Mahoney will, for the first time, get two weeks in a row as the #1 quarterback. Coach referred to him as “My Don Strock”, referring to one of Don Shula’s famous back-up quarterbacks. Zack “will be more comfortable and experienced. He’ll have bene game-planning for two weeks.
Jordan Fredericks has progressed well and had a good week of practice. Josh Parris will be available in an emergency. Coach recalled a game against Wake Forest where Keon Lyn , our old cornerback, was available only has an emergency player and played for 74 snaps.
Liam from Pompey again got in the first call. He congratulated the coach on the good showing against Clemson but had “only two questions”
- Why did we take a time out after the second turnover, which killed our momentum?
- What about the fair catch violation?
- What about the hands to the face call
- What about the unsportsmanlike conduct call?
Coach said he’d take them one at a time, as he could remember them. They changed the rule on fair catches, which created a “halo” of a yard around the receiver. There’s no longer a halo and that was a “good no-call”. The hands-to- the- face “was a judgement call- they had the wrong player. The unsportsmanlike call occurred after Juwan Dowells’s interception. Our guys got to celebrating and the refs were in the middle of it and got bounced around. I can’t criticize the refs. They have a very hard job. We’ve just got to prepare the kids to learn from these situations.” Somehow the coach lost track of the question on the time-out. And I thought the unsportsmanlike call being asked about was his criticism of the refs after the hands to the face call.
I then called in my question. “There’s a number of things on the road. Young kids learn from every trip. South Florida was better than we thought. They great speed and it was hot as hell down there- it felt like 92 degrees, they said. Florida State is a great football team. It’s all about experience and getting used to being professional athletes. You have to look at it as a business trip.”
They recalled last year’s NC State game, (which was a blur to me: wasn’t every game last year all the same game? ) We were leading 14-9 in the third period when AJ Long threw an 87 yard pick six to Pharoah, (yeah, he spells it that way, too) McKever. Shafe’s explanation: They were in a far zone blitz and dropped the boundary in. AJ underthrew a crossing route that was open.” Anyway, here’s the play:
They took a moment to extend sympathies to Doug Flutie, who lost both his parents to heart attacks on the same day. Coach: “They were obviously very close and very much in love. At least they’re together. Doug is a great guy. He did a game I coached several years ago. He spent time with the players and played catch with Wolfgang, who was about 12. He’s the sort of guy who could pick up a paddle and beat you his first time at ping pong. He‘s good at everything.”
The NC State staff is full of guys Shafe has coached with, including George McDonald. Most of them came through Northern Illinois when Joe Novak was there, (Head Coach Dave Doeren was alter head coach there.) Coach Shafer was on Novak’s staff with offensive coordinator Mike Canada and our defensive line coach is “best friends with their offensive line coach, Mike Uremovich. “It’s hard to go against friends but it’s an extremely competitive situation. I’m confident I can beat them- that’s the plan.”
Coach has a big fan in Fayetteville, Daniel, who said he could be elected mayor there. (Are any of our board members who voted with the 70% from Fayetteville? How many would prefer he be their mayor? ) Coach called it “the most beautiful town in America. Daniel said the LSU and Clemson games brought back memories of the Nebraska in the good old days. “it electrified this town and we’re all extremely proud of you.”
Daniel thought the facemask penalty was ”horrible- the worst call ever”. I’m wondering if he meant the hands to the face call. He asked the coach to “have some beers with Coach Lester and ask him why “he runs those options to the short side that always result in a big loss” Coach said he would definitely be having beers with Coach Lester. “We did score on one of those against Clemson. The defense rotates to the other side and we are dealing with one less football player. We have had some negative plays sometimes. Sometimes we really let it rip.” I assume that means we got a good play out of it. “It’s not a Georgia Tech triple option. There’s more sophistication, more going on. It’s a pistol family environment, an inside zone track with an outside component option with a similar read but in space- C to B to A and back against the grain. It’s in the shotgun zone family and the read family with twirl motions and misdirection. We have two back and motion a third guy in. “ That oughta fool ‘em. (It’s amazing what you can do with multiple backs in the backfield.) The whole idea is to get a guy in space.
Matt remembered one time we ran the near side option with conspicuous success:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m9Y_oZVlxE
(the play comes at 4:40). I used to hate the NSO because we ONLY seemed to run it to the near side, where you can’t block the sideline, (note that Owens struggled to stay in bounds: he was ‘breaking the tackle’ of the sideline), and ran it much too often. One year, 1994), only four teams passed the ball less than we did and they were all wishbone teams. I don’t mind it as part of our offense and if it’s only one version of the option that we run.
“We’ll be a little bit more balanced when we have a quarterback who is efficient down the field. Zack’s getting better at that.”
Jerry has been SU season ticket holder for 35 years and is not as big a fan of Coach Shafer as Daniel is. “Why do you keep recruiting defensive backs who are too small? Why not recruit tall athletes and teach them to play defensive back?” The Coach responded calmly to the aggressive question. “I’ve coached tall and small defensive backs who are good players. Our guys will be good in time. They are freshmen and sophomores. I’d love them to all be 6-1. I’ve moved kids form other positons before. Right now those kids are the ones. Julian Whigham is the prototype at 6-1 205 but he’s struggled this year. We’re going to continue to recruit good football players and train them.
The key to beating the Wolfpack? “I want one thing- to possess the football and keep it out of Jacoby Brissett’s hands. I want to take it down the field and score and win the turnover battle.”
So I guess we won’t be deferring possession if we win the toss, right coach?
