To everyone on this board who called for Marrone's head...

[Rocco]

Go. Pound. Salt.

BE co-champs. Dominated down the stretch.

Enjoy the balogne Doug. F all of the naysayers.

 

[Orange Rust Belt]

I'll gladly eat some crow. Doug's understanding of the college game and his demeanor has greatly changed for the better since he arrived. However, I am more impressed with how the players performed on the field down the stretch then how Marrone coached.

But if anybody turned the corner this year, it was Marrone...

 

[Orangetradition44]

Still not where we need to be. Headed in the right direction. No doubt. But it's not a foregone conclusion that we'll get there. Lots of question marks. Doug and the team had a hell of a second half to the season, and I'm all for enjoying it and waiting to answer the questions next year.

Go. Pound. Salt.

BE co-champs. Dominated down the stretch.

Enjoy the balogne Doug. F all of the naysayers.

 

[KaiserUEO]

i came pretty close to calling for doogies head, but knew the school wouldnt do anything anyway. so just gave him a ton of shlit on here.

thought it was over after the cincy loss.

and it very well couldve been. got to give credit where credit is due, the lville win was a springboard to something special. he kept that momentum going v mizzou and then no way in hell would they lose to temple.

got to like our chances no matter what bowl and what team.

cant say Syracuse has turned the corner yet, but theyre at the intersection and rolling through the light a little. 5-3 in the ACC next year and yeah, we are back baby!!

 

[SmilinBob]

You could see this team was competing and doing things we haven't done in years right from the get go this year. Sometimes I think people look at silly stuff instead of what is real when they get upset with the staff. Marrone and his staff have their faults but showing growth by continuing to learn and keeping the players focused and playing hard are signs of a good staff and says something about the character of them and the players.

Depth sure as heck helped the end of the season success as well and again that is due to recruiting and fighting through the aches and pains.

 

[GoSU96]

Still not where we need to be. Headed in the right direction. No doubt. But it's not a foregone conclusion that we'll get there. Lots of question marks. Doug and the team had a hell of a second half to the season, and I'm all for enjoying it and waiting to answer the questions next year.

His first part of the job was to rebuild the foundation of the program and turn around the culture.

Mission accomplished.

1. Four year .500 record after 10-37 the previous four.

2. Moved the program from bottom 5 to top 40/50 range.

3. Has had a top 20 ranked defense and offense after four years in the bottom 11o's.

4. Improved depth and talent across the board.

Big Picture, the guy has done a great job.

 

[BostonOrange]

Go. Pound. Salt.

BE co-champs. Dominated down the stretch.

Enjoy the balogne Doug. F all of the naysayers.

I've always liked Marrone but after the RU game I did say that I didn't think he was the guy. At the time we were 7-16 in BE play under DM and 2-7 in the last year and a half. After watching that game I decided that the consistently horrid special teams and clock management we've seen under DM was never going to change.

Now...I still think that it is a little early to be building Marrone statues on the quad but clearly I was premature in saying it was time to move on. I would point out that the 'dominating' down the stretch included two victories where we won in the final 20 seconds. I do give DM a ton of credit for keeping the team together after starting 2-4 in the wake of last years collapse though. That certainly says something about both this team and the coaches.

 

[Millhouse]

His first part of the job was to rebuild the foundation of the program and turn around the culture.

Mission accomplished.

1. Four year .500 record after 10-37 the previous four.

2. Moved the program from bottom 5 to top 40/50 range.

3. Has had a top 20 ranked defense and offense after four years in the bottom 11o's.

4. Improved depth and talent across the board.

Big Picture, the guy has done a great job.

And he's getting better at his job over time.

 

[BostonOrange]

And he's getting better at his job over time.

I agree with that. I still don't trust him at all on clock management, or to make the % decision on fg vs go for it vs punt decisions, but I think he is learning.

 

[Orangepace]

Go. Pound. Salt.

BE co-champs. Dominated down the stretch.

Enjoy the balogne Doug. F all of the naysayers.

Not sure why you have this "I told you so!" attitude, but everyone has already said the crow is worth it.

So I ask of you Nostradamus, why exactly was another thread needed?

 

[Rocco]

Not sure why you have this "I told you so!" attitude, but everyone has already said the crow is worth it.

So I ask of you Nostradamus, why exactly was another thread needed?

OK. Just jacked up after LVille beat Rutgers and made it official that we had a share of the BE title.

If the thread is so annoying to you, why respond?

And it isn't as much of a "I told you so!" attitude, as much as you've had your crow for dinner so have some more the next morning, too.

Easy with the Nostradamus.

 

[orangejunkie]

I have been a big fan of Marrone. Even after the slow start this year, I continued to feel that he is the man for the job. SU appears to have turned the corner but every season presents new challenges and next year will be no different. I am still waiting and hoping for SU to start getting the 4* recruits. When we start getting a couple of those guys every year we will be in great shape. Also, going forward the QB position is a big question in my mind. Don't think a true freshman is the answer. Nassib had a first team all big east kind of season, don't think we will have that luxury next year. Defense will have to improve and OL and rushing game will have to step up. Could be a true freshman that steps up at RB but don't know if our recruits have that kind of big play potential.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

I agree with that. I still don't trust him at all on clock management, or to make the % decision on fg vs go for it vs punt decisions, but I think he is learning.

re: clock management... Coach P was the WORST at this... Delay of Game penalties by the bushel

 

[All4SU]

Not sure why you have this "I told you so!" attitude, but everyone has already said the crow is worth it.

So I ask of you Nostradamus, why exactly was another thread needed?

Some things just need repeating.

 

[Alsacs]

i came pretty close to calling for doogies head, but knew the school wouldnt do anything anyway. so just gave him a ton of shlit on here.

thought it was over after the cincy loss.

and it very well couldve been. got to give credit where credit is due, the lville win was a springboard to something special. he kept that momentum going v mizzou and then no way in hell would they lose to temple.

got to like our chances no matter what bowl and what team.

cant say Syracuse has turned the corner yet, but theyre at the intersection and rolling through the light a little. 5-3 in the ACC next year and yeah, we are back baby!!

This was me as well, but I will eat a large piece of

I was frustrated with how DM was performing, but he won me over when he did put the headset on and did a halftime interview on his way back on the field during the USF-SU game. Coaches NEVER do that and the fact DM did and he was emotionally invested in that game in ways I hadn't seen before. DM won with that and how he acted on the sidelines of the Cincy game he showed me and the fanbase how much the game mattered to him. DM has earned his extension, but he needs his next QB to kick the ball rolling.

 

[Orijinal]

I've always liked Marrone but after the RU game I did say that I didn't think he was the guy. At the time we were 7-16 in BE play under DM and 2-7 in the last year and a half. After watching that game I decided that the consistently horrid special teams and clock management we've seen under DM was never going to change.

Now...I still think that it is a little early to be building Marrone statues on the quad but clearly I was premature in saying it was time to move on. I would point out that the 'dominating' down the stretch included two victories where we won in the final 20 seconds. I do give DM a ton of credit for keeping the team together after starting 2-4 in the wake of last years collapse though. That certainly says something about both this team and the coaches.

And I would point out that that becomes a possibility when you coach a top 25 offense during the course of a year. We need to stop just looking at a scoreboard to make a judgment. It was obvious that this program experienced growth at the conclusion of DM's FIRST GAME with Syracuse. They didn't win, but certainly took that game to overtime.

And it has been obvious that the program has experienced growth since then regardless of record (i.e, recruiting, depth, competitiveness, off-field accomplishments, offensive yard production, record-setting players, reduction of penalties, growth on special teams, etc.)

I mean, dang, what more are some of you looking for to realize this team HAS TURNED A CORNER AND IT'S BECAUSE OF MARRONE, not in spite of? Do you still doubt that he'll continue to produce more and more with this program? Well, I suppose some of you did before, and if anyone with the ways and means listened at the time, then Syracuse and it's fans would have been left out in the cold again.

The corner has been turned and it was turned a long time ago.

(Sorry, I know I'm coming across as more of a than I mean to and more than is called for in this thread. Just trying to make a point and I don't know how to make it any other way. Apologies for tone)

 

[GoSU96]

I agree with that. I still don't trust him at all on clock management, or to make the % decision on fg vs go for it vs punt decisions, but I think he is learning.

Didn't the two 4thQ winning drives with less than two minutes and one or no timeouts? Didn't they run a four minute offense to perfection in a 1pt win against Pitt.

 

[Marsh01]

I love what he and the team did. Now lets go do it again next year. I think last year losing 5 straight and missing out on a bowl game really swayed the scale to one side. Had we not missed a bowl game last year and having made a bowl 3 straight years we wouldnt be having these conversations.

I will be very disappointed if we fail to make a bowl next season.

 

[Millhouse]

Didn't the two 4thQ winning drives with less than two minutes and one or no timeouts? Didn't they run a four minute offense to perfection in a 1pt win against Pitt.

he's fine on 2/4/whatever minute drills

he makes poor decisions on third down that are often related to the time left on the game clock. not clock management in the typical sense. but i'm still hopeful he'll come around. puzzling occasional inconsistency is better than predictable wrongheadedness (which is what chan gailey makes me suffer through)

 

[VaSaltine]

I've been impressed with his energy, enthusiasm, and emotion on the sideline. I never liked the calm and controlled demeanor. A little emotion fires up the players and it seemed to hold true in the player quotes from several weeks back.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Go. Pound. Salt.

Yeah, no.

There were times were criticisms were fair. Many of those times have ended. That doesn't erase that this has been a growing process and that there has been some pain. It's ok to recognize that.

I'm ecstatic that Coach hit his groove and that it looks like a lot of things are coming together. I'm pleased that the people that backed Coach so passionately have been validated.

 

[rrlbees]

I love what he and the team did. Now lets go do it again next year. I think last year losing 5 straight and missing out on a bowl game really swayed the scale to one side. Had we not missed a bowl game last year and having made a bowl 3 straight years we wouldnt be having these conversations.

I will be very disappointed if we fail to make a bowl next season.

I want to combine last years start with this years finish.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Go. Pound. Salt.

BE co-champs. Dominated down the stretch.

Enjoy the balogne Doug. F all of the naysayers.

Sorry but I don't buy it.

We were two terrific last minute drives away from being 5-7, not going to a bowl and having everyone screaming for his head.

That is a pretty thin line between "success" and failure.

When we get back to where we were in the late eighties/early nineties, then we will have turned the corner.

I am one of DM's biggest fans on this board and have continually argued that he should be given every possibility to succeed but to say we have turned the corner at this juncture is simply not yet true.

We are improving (and I, personally, think he has done a terrific job resuscitating a program that was not just dying, but dead, buried and decomposing) and I hope we continue to but one 5-1 stretch in one season does not constitute "turning the corner" - at least according to how I would define it.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

i came pretty close to calling for doogies head,

Pretty close?

As in, "Fire his arse now"?

 

[Rocco]

Sorry but I don't buy it.

We were two terrific last minute drives away from being 5-7, not going to a bowl and having everyone screaming for his head.

That is a pretty thin line between "success" and failure.

When we get back to where we were in the late eighties/early nineties, then we will have turned the corner.

I am one of DM's biggest fans on this board and have continually argued that he should be given every possibility to succeed but to say we have turned the corner at this juncture is simply not yet true.

We are improving (and I, personally, think he has done a terrific job resuscitating a program that was not just dying, but dead, buried and decomposing) and I hope we continue to but one 5-1 stretch in one season does not constitute "turning the corner" - at least according to how I would define it.

You could not see obvious improvement on the field this year, especially offensively and from an overall talent level standpoint? I know you said we are improving (I'm not responding to you directly persay). We are on the rise. I hate the "turned the corner" phrase as it is so abused on this board - I'd like it banned actually. Marrone has the program trending in the right direction, and more importantly, the players are all-in. They believe in what this staff is preaching to them, and it is starting to show on the field. The team chemistry and program values are so much greater than they were 5 years ago. That is how I determine "turned the corner" or "improved".

Every game has it share of bad breaks, depends on which way they fall that could influence your W-L in some of them. Just like you say we were "two terrific last minute drives away from being 5-7", well that could also be said that if we didn't turn the ball over, commit untimely penalties and have other horrible mistakes, we would be 11-1 and easily headed to a BCS bowl. This year's team was never out of a game, unlike in recent years' past. The kids are competitive as hell, and I give the staff huge credit for instilling confidence in the team that they can beat anyone on the schedule. A few years ago, if we were down 20-0 to USF at halftime, we would've lost 48-7. This year the team sacked up, went out and played their game and wound up winning. That game was pivotal and it showed how far we have come from a confidence standpoint.

I can't imagine the Marrone was hearing after that Rutgers loss. It comes with the job for sure. Frankly, he is the face of the program so he will get the tomatoes in his face during rough times and treated like a savior during good times. He was still able to fire up his team to finish 5-1 down the stretch. And I'm damn happy he's our coach, and have been since he was hired.