rundeal
Walk On
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2011
- Messages
- 137
- Like
- 591
Hi everyone -- long-time lurker on this (and previous sites).
I know this has been mentioned ad nauseum, by many people on this board, but I thought I'd say it anyway.
Many of you feel "empowered" given the nature of internet chat forums, to use it as an opportunity to say whatever you feel at a given moment. When someone tries cautioning otherwise, it becomes a mini-battle over controlling free speech.
The vast majority of posters here are true SU fans and genuinely care about your school and your sports programs, unlike the people that post on syracuse.com (what a cesspool!), which is why I thought I'd pass along the following advice:
1. Your passion can attract as repel potential recruits.
2. When you go in to negative funks -- especially during the last week, after losses, etc., you should be aware, at a minimum in the back of your mind, that every recruit, committed and uncommitted -- and their families -- is very likely reading what you post. It does matter -- which is why Doug cared so much about sites like this and what was being said. He recognized that it could harm recruiting. Now I'm not saying his approach/concern is wholly justified, but if you put yourself in his shoes for a moment you would feel similar concern.
3. Perspective -- many of the recruits SU is going after have many options in front of them. Who they play for matters. If they see a fan base that genuinely cares about them, the players on the team, and the team -- that's a positive. When they see a fan base that appears to snipe at every recruit, or hypercritical of players, questioning the school's commitment to football -- and other choices are available...do the math. Not that this helps prove my point, but it amazes me that Austin Wilson remains a commit with all the anointing that has been given to Zack Allen - who very well may be the next big thing or could be another Johnny Miller -- it's a crap shoot. The fans that have visions of sugar plum recruits dancing in the end zone before touching a football at the college level are the most laughable of all. There is potential, then there is reality. In reality, had Ashton Broyld not touched a football this year, this team would have done exactly what it did. You caught glimpses of what potential he has, but he didn't transform in to this game changing playmaker this season -- next year may very well be a different story, THAT, more than anything is the essence of college football.
4. Speaking of syracuse.com -- the powers that be that run their website really should invest in mods to clean up the drivel in the comments section over there. That place is 1000 times worse than the worst of posts made here and cannot help in recruiting quality players to this program.
5. Coach Shafer is going to keep this program going forward in the right direction. His players love him, his recruits love him - he's a players coach that had not this move been made would have left in the next year or two to take an HC position elsewhere. The program is in better hands than if the school went out and got a higher profile coach that wasn't familiar with the Northeast, the community, and the program.
In the end, you've got a good team, a good coaching staff, and as you saw this year, you are prepared to challenge for an ACC championship from the moment league play starts next season. my lasting advice is to ask you to consider, before hitting enter on your comments in the future, is to ask yourself -- "if I say this in the heat of the moment, am I hurting the school that I love?"
Take care and best of luck in the future!
I know this has been mentioned ad nauseum, by many people on this board, but I thought I'd say it anyway.
Many of you feel "empowered" given the nature of internet chat forums, to use it as an opportunity to say whatever you feel at a given moment. When someone tries cautioning otherwise, it becomes a mini-battle over controlling free speech.
The vast majority of posters here are true SU fans and genuinely care about your school and your sports programs, unlike the people that post on syracuse.com (what a cesspool!), which is why I thought I'd pass along the following advice:
1. Your passion can attract as repel potential recruits.
2. When you go in to negative funks -- especially during the last week, after losses, etc., you should be aware, at a minimum in the back of your mind, that every recruit, committed and uncommitted -- and their families -- is very likely reading what you post. It does matter -- which is why Doug cared so much about sites like this and what was being said. He recognized that it could harm recruiting. Now I'm not saying his approach/concern is wholly justified, but if you put yourself in his shoes for a moment you would feel similar concern.
3. Perspective -- many of the recruits SU is going after have many options in front of them. Who they play for matters. If they see a fan base that genuinely cares about them, the players on the team, and the team -- that's a positive. When they see a fan base that appears to snipe at every recruit, or hypercritical of players, questioning the school's commitment to football -- and other choices are available...do the math. Not that this helps prove my point, but it amazes me that Austin Wilson remains a commit with all the anointing that has been given to Zack Allen - who very well may be the next big thing or could be another Johnny Miller -- it's a crap shoot. The fans that have visions of sugar plum recruits dancing in the end zone before touching a football at the college level are the most laughable of all. There is potential, then there is reality. In reality, had Ashton Broyld not touched a football this year, this team would have done exactly what it did. You caught glimpses of what potential he has, but he didn't transform in to this game changing playmaker this season -- next year may very well be a different story, THAT, more than anything is the essence of college football.
4. Speaking of syracuse.com -- the powers that be that run their website really should invest in mods to clean up the drivel in the comments section over there. That place is 1000 times worse than the worst of posts made here and cannot help in recruiting quality players to this program.
5. Coach Shafer is going to keep this program going forward in the right direction. His players love him, his recruits love him - he's a players coach that had not this move been made would have left in the next year or two to take an HC position elsewhere. The program is in better hands than if the school went out and got a higher profile coach that wasn't familiar with the Northeast, the community, and the program.
In the end, you've got a good team, a good coaching staff, and as you saw this year, you are prepared to challenge for an ACC championship from the moment league play starts next season. my lasting advice is to ask you to consider, before hitting enter on your comments in the future, is to ask yourself -- "if I say this in the heat of the moment, am I hurting the school that I love?"
Take care and best of luck in the future!
