Rocco
Watching you.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
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While we sit here at 5-5 and hindsight always being 20-20, we could certainly have an 8-2 or maybe even a 9-1 record. The mistakes, failed execution, turnovers, Pop Warner-esque ST's and unbearable penalties have certainly cost us several wins and a BE championship accompanied by an invite to the Orange Bowl. Frustrating as all hell.
With that being said, I am incredibly proud of this coaching staff and these players for coming to fight back week after week especially after some of those heart-breaking, depressing losses. It would've been easier for them to just hang up their spirits and keep their heads hanging. But they didn't. They game planned for each game and believed in what they worked on all spring and thoughout summer camp. Sure, some of the gameplans didn't work out, but what we did against USC (even though it was a loss), UConn and Louisville was impressive. We won the battle in the trenches against Pitt in a defensive showdown and clawed back from the largest deficit in school history to stun USF on the road. There have been improvements all over the field on offense and defense. Marrone is finally proving to us what he preached the day he stepped onto campus about an up-tempo, gun-slinging, high-powered offense. Shafer's D has shown the aggressive ball-hawking, gang-tackling teamwork that we all love to see.
Ft Drum was a memorable experience, many on here might disagree, but it was a positive experience overall. I got to watch how the team acted up there. It was pretty sweet. There is something to be said about team unity. This didn't hurt.
There are numerous statistics to fire off on here, but I don't feel like putting them altogether. Our offense is going to go down as one of the best in school history. Nassib will have shattered most of the major passing records by the time he graduates. Lemon will have shattered most of the receiving records as well. Lemon, Sales and West have shown to be a 3-headed receiving monster that has been good all year. We eclipsed 450 yards like 5 times this year already, with 2 hopefully 3 games left. Our offense hasn't consistently done that in well over a decade. It is exciting as hell to watch when the team plays to their potential. We have many kids on the offense that will be given a look at the next level.
We are losing Nassib, Lemon, Sales, Chibane and maybe Pugh next year. They will be tough to replace no doubt, but I am incredibly bullish about the players who will be asked to step up. Funderburk (or Quinda Funderburg aka Wayne Morgan according to the Big10 Network) is a freak and will be either the 1 or 2 receiver next year. We have West coming back, Foster will be healthy, Keenan Hale, Ben Lewis (who I thought was incredible at Ft Drum), Cornelius and Flemming just to name a few. At TE, we have Wales, Parris and hopefully Thompson. At QB, it will either be Loeb, Hunt or Zach Allen. Loeb is clearly the most comfortable with the playbook and has a great arm. Hunt is athletic and can use his feet to hurt you. From tape, Zach Allen looks to be very good all-around, but may need a year to get his head up to speed and to get a year of lifting in the S&C program. Either way, this will be one helluva battle to watch come spring and summer. Our O-Line will still have Pugh (possibly), Hickey, Macky, Trudo, Foy, Robinson, Knapp, Emerich, Phillips and Palmer. Our starting 5 (with Pugh) would be Pugh, Robinson, Macky, Trudo and Hickey. Smith, PTG and AAM are back. We also have AB, Morris and McFarlane. Morris and McFarlane are quick and fast. One of them will get time next year, count on it. That is a STABLE of running backs. We have a newly found fullback in Lewelyn Coker. He has shown his value at times this year. I don't think he will head back to offense, JMO. All in all, that is alot of talent coming back to play.
On defense, we are losing a few huge leaders in Shamarko, Goggins and Sharpe. We're also losing Anderson and Diabate (who has been pleasantly surprising). We have alot of athletes on that side of the ball. Next year's DLine will be MPB, Brom, Crume and Robinson/Welsh. Wayne Williams, John Raymon, Walls, ZJones, Simmons, Manley and Coleman will be in the mix. At LB, we certainly have a depth issue. Spruill, Davis, Lynch, Vigille and Washington will be back. Devan Carter and Marqez Hodge might be asked to play ST's, maybe even some PT at LB. Don't be surprised to see us land a big JUCO Mike. That would fill a huge need. If not, expect Washington to get a long look at the Mike. At DB, we are loaded. Reddish and Lyn will be lockdown corners. Wayne Morgan and Whigs are not far behind. Esk and Wilkes will be the safeties, with Desir and Ford backing up. Love the speed and coverage skills of these kids. Looking forward to see all of them play together.
I really do think many people place too much emphasis on the star rankings for recruiting purposes. The "sites" are run by for-profit businesses that cater to their membership numbers of certain fan bases. Don't overlook that. We have landed good recruits, we have good recruits coming in. Recruiting is on the up and up. Recruiting in-roads are continually being worked and developed. We start playing ball in the ACC next year which will help considerably in some of our target areas. We need to focus on bringing in OL, LB and DB's the rest of the way. We play better opponents and will be able to bring more marquee opponents into the Dome for improved recruiting experiences. Hopefully, attendance will trend upwards. Our facilities are improving. They aren't great, but they are certainly alot better than they were 4 years ago. With wins comes more money into the program. The new ACC deal should help immensely from a financial perspective.
This is really way longer than I anticipated. Hard to hide my emotion and passion for SU football. I freaking want this program to succeed so badly that it truly hurts when we lose. The best part about this board is that there are many people that feel the same way as I do, and we can all praise the wins and loathe the losses. I think Marrone is the right man for the job from many different perspectives (see his speech below, love it). He is a great man at heart, he does a ton for his players and the community; he is an SU alum; he has already said that he isn't going anywhere and that this is his dream job (huge these days); is beginning to show the fans/recruits what his offensive brain can create on the field and is starting to show emotion on the sidelines (
). I don't think he is going anywhere either. Just saying.
If we can win one more game this year, we are likely headed to the Pinstripe Bowl again (and I will be there). That is 15 more practices, which are gigantic in this day and age. 15 more times the coaching staff can coach the players, and 15 more times the players can continue learning the playbook and mastering their unique skill sets. It is added revenue to the school. It is national TV exposure. It is a recruiting tool. It is alot of very positive things. If we don't make a bowl game, I will be ready to drink Drain-O. No question. However, I will still be proud of this team for turning a 2-4 season into something entertaining for the fans. We've shown signs, we just need to continue to play near mistake-free football and we can beat anyone left this year.
Let's. Go. Orange.
With that being said, I am incredibly proud of this coaching staff and these players for coming to fight back week after week especially after some of those heart-breaking, depressing losses. It would've been easier for them to just hang up their spirits and keep their heads hanging. But they didn't. They game planned for each game and believed in what they worked on all spring and thoughout summer camp. Sure, some of the gameplans didn't work out, but what we did against USC (even though it was a loss), UConn and Louisville was impressive. We won the battle in the trenches against Pitt in a defensive showdown and clawed back from the largest deficit in school history to stun USF on the road. There have been improvements all over the field on offense and defense. Marrone is finally proving to us what he preached the day he stepped onto campus about an up-tempo, gun-slinging, high-powered offense. Shafer's D has shown the aggressive ball-hawking, gang-tackling teamwork that we all love to see.
Ft Drum was a memorable experience, many on here might disagree, but it was a positive experience overall. I got to watch how the team acted up there. It was pretty sweet. There is something to be said about team unity. This didn't hurt.
There are numerous statistics to fire off on here, but I don't feel like putting them altogether. Our offense is going to go down as one of the best in school history. Nassib will have shattered most of the major passing records by the time he graduates. Lemon will have shattered most of the receiving records as well. Lemon, Sales and West have shown to be a 3-headed receiving monster that has been good all year. We eclipsed 450 yards like 5 times this year already, with 2 hopefully 3 games left. Our offense hasn't consistently done that in well over a decade. It is exciting as hell to watch when the team plays to their potential. We have many kids on the offense that will be given a look at the next level.
We are losing Nassib, Lemon, Sales, Chibane and maybe Pugh next year. They will be tough to replace no doubt, but I am incredibly bullish about the players who will be asked to step up. Funderburk (or Quinda Funderburg aka Wayne Morgan according to the Big10 Network) is a freak and will be either the 1 or 2 receiver next year. We have West coming back, Foster will be healthy, Keenan Hale, Ben Lewis (who I thought was incredible at Ft Drum), Cornelius and Flemming just to name a few. At TE, we have Wales, Parris and hopefully Thompson. At QB, it will either be Loeb, Hunt or Zach Allen. Loeb is clearly the most comfortable with the playbook and has a great arm. Hunt is athletic and can use his feet to hurt you. From tape, Zach Allen looks to be very good all-around, but may need a year to get his head up to speed and to get a year of lifting in the S&C program. Either way, this will be one helluva battle to watch come spring and summer. Our O-Line will still have Pugh (possibly), Hickey, Macky, Trudo, Foy, Robinson, Knapp, Emerich, Phillips and Palmer. Our starting 5 (with Pugh) would be Pugh, Robinson, Macky, Trudo and Hickey. Smith, PTG and AAM are back. We also have AB, Morris and McFarlane. Morris and McFarlane are quick and fast. One of them will get time next year, count on it. That is a STABLE of running backs. We have a newly found fullback in Lewelyn Coker. He has shown his value at times this year. I don't think he will head back to offense, JMO. All in all, that is alot of talent coming back to play.
On defense, we are losing a few huge leaders in Shamarko, Goggins and Sharpe. We're also losing Anderson and Diabate (who has been pleasantly surprising). We have alot of athletes on that side of the ball. Next year's DLine will be MPB, Brom, Crume and Robinson/Welsh. Wayne Williams, John Raymon, Walls, ZJones, Simmons, Manley and Coleman will be in the mix. At LB, we certainly have a depth issue. Spruill, Davis, Lynch, Vigille and Washington will be back. Devan Carter and Marqez Hodge might be asked to play ST's, maybe even some PT at LB. Don't be surprised to see us land a big JUCO Mike. That would fill a huge need. If not, expect Washington to get a long look at the Mike. At DB, we are loaded. Reddish and Lyn will be lockdown corners. Wayne Morgan and Whigs are not far behind. Esk and Wilkes will be the safeties, with Desir and Ford backing up. Love the speed and coverage skills of these kids. Looking forward to see all of them play together.
I really do think many people place too much emphasis on the star rankings for recruiting purposes. The "sites" are run by for-profit businesses that cater to their membership numbers of certain fan bases. Don't overlook that. We have landed good recruits, we have good recruits coming in. Recruiting is on the up and up. Recruiting in-roads are continually being worked and developed. We start playing ball in the ACC next year which will help considerably in some of our target areas. We need to focus on bringing in OL, LB and DB's the rest of the way. We play better opponents and will be able to bring more marquee opponents into the Dome for improved recruiting experiences. Hopefully, attendance will trend upwards. Our facilities are improving. They aren't great, but they are certainly alot better than they were 4 years ago. With wins comes more money into the program. The new ACC deal should help immensely from a financial perspective.
This is really way longer than I anticipated. Hard to hide my emotion and passion for SU football. I freaking want this program to succeed so badly that it truly hurts when we lose. The best part about this board is that there are many people that feel the same way as I do, and we can all praise the wins and loathe the losses. I think Marrone is the right man for the job from many different perspectives (see his speech below, love it). He is a great man at heart, he does a ton for his players and the community; he is an SU alum; he has already said that he isn't going anywhere and that this is his dream job (huge these days); is beginning to show the fans/recruits what his offensive brain can create on the field and is starting to show emotion on the sidelines (
). I don't think he is going anywhere either. Just saying.If we can win one more game this year, we are likely headed to the Pinstripe Bowl again (and I will be there). That is 15 more practices, which are gigantic in this day and age. 15 more times the coaching staff can coach the players, and 15 more times the players can continue learning the playbook and mastering their unique skill sets. It is added revenue to the school. It is national TV exposure. It is a recruiting tool. It is alot of very positive things. If we don't make a bowl game, I will be ready to drink Drain-O. No question. However, I will still be proud of this team for turning a 2-4 season into something entertaining for the fans. We've shown signs, we just need to continue to play near mistake-free football and we can beat anyone left this year.
Let's. Go. Orange.
