Tommy DeVito, Taj Harris and Andre Cisco Press Conference | Aug 25

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Sounds like the presser will start late as it hinges on players being ready after practice. This is about as real as the return of football has felt for me.

Taj Harris: "I feel as though, every day we're getting better and better. ... The offense, we're starting to roll more and more." Said everyone is going through the same pandemic. He's not concerned about playing this fall. Praised SU's protocol.

Harris on new OC Sterlin Gilbert: "He definitely came in and got us moving around. I like the way things are moving."

Harris is asked what he needed to work on after last year. He said being on the same page as Tommy DeVito, and that they've put in the work -- as best as possible given Covid-19 limitations -- during the offseason.

Harris said guys are flying around in practice, going full speed. It feels like a normal camp for him, just like any other year.

Harris on being back in class after going online in the spring: "Class is class. School is school. We're just getting our business handled."

Harris on working through the uncertainty of the season, particularly when the Pac-12 and Big Ten cancelled. "We definitely had to block out the noise on social media. ... We just knew it didn't matter if they were going to shut it down tomorrow. We were focused on today."

Harris is asked to fill in the blank. "Taj Harris will have a great season if ______" "There is a season." Got a good laugh out of the room. He did say he doesn't think of himself as the No. 1 guy. He's prepared to have a good year, but knows it's a deep WR room.

Harris is asked where he sees growth from QB Tommy DeVito: "I just feel like he became more vocal. ... One thing he definitely did is voice his opinion more and let us know how he felt."

--------------------

DeVito on player concerns related to competing during the coronavirus pandemic: "I believe most of the team is beyond that." Said he thinks it's still in the back of a couple guys' minds. TD said he's putting trust in school officials to determine whether the UNC game is safe.

DeVito said sometimes players get cold feet around a new coach, but "as an offense I think we embraced (Gilbert)."

DeVito said football has been an escape during the pandemic. "That's the beauty of the game. When you step on the field, every worry in your life is not in your life anymore." Said the season feels real now that students are back on campus.

DeVito said it's important to him for pending players to make decisions before UNC prep begins An opt-out the day before the game "wouldn't feel right. I think it would be right of someone to give (their backup) a chance to practice."

DeVito said the team is "putting trust" in the ACC to install safe testing protocol. Again, still no official news on ramping up in-season testing frequency.

DeVito says building rapport with Harris has been important. They've done the little things together like eat and play video games. One of the goals? "Being able to have conversations when moments might get hot."

DeVito said the offensive line is "really meshing together" and has done well to learn a couple new schemes. He didn't touch on the injured players that Dino Babers mentioned previously.

DeVito asked about player empowerment stemming from sit-outs earlier in camp. He redirects and credits coaches/administration for listening to players. Said they showed "respect" in hearing out player requests and doing their best to fulfill them.

--------------------

Cisco described camp as an "emotional rollercoaster" given the uncertainty of the season and all the pandemic-related concerns. The year does feel more real as the UNC game grows closer, but he's still taking it day by day.

Cisco said there are multiple guys working in at Rover -- the fifth DB spot in Tony White's 3-3-5. He said the position covers the deep middle frequently, but also comes up to the line.

Cisco said the leadership council he's on with DeVito and Servais has tried to make it clear players can go to them with an issue before Dino or another coach.

Cisco said Trill Williams "played a big role" in his commitment. They've known each other since meeting at camps around age 14/15. Now they're both eyeing professional careers.

Cisco reiterated that the season feels more real: "I feel like the only thing that can mess it up maybe is students coming back to campus."

Cisco said the techniques and assignments in the new 3-3-5 weren't foreign to most guys on defense. He believes the unit is playing naturally after working hard to nail down the system in the offseason.

Cisco asked about traveling in a couple weeks given the rash of positive tests at UNC. "It's definitely one of our concerns and it remains one of our concerns." He said what would give him comfort is testing frequency. Pointed to schools hopefully testing 2-3x per week in ACC.

 

[GreekFreak]

Sounds like the presser will start late as it hinges on players being ready after practice. This is about as real as the return of football has felt for me.

Yes. So hopefully the press mixes in some actual football related questions.

 

[721Comstock]

Yes. So hopefully the press mixes in some actual football related questions.

Nah. Who wants that in a college football presser?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Yes. So hopefully the press mixes in some actual football related questions.

The players can't talk about injuries.
They can't mention any players who might opt out.
They can't talk about how bad they suck.

So ... how 'bout them uniforms !!

 

[MSOrange]

Sounds like the presser will start late as it hinges on players being ready after practice. This is about as real as the return of football has felt for me.

Taj Harris: "I feel as though, every day we're getting better and better. ... The offense, we're starting to roll more and more." Said everyone is going through the same pandemic. He's not concerned about playing this fall. Praised SU's protocol.

Harris on new OC Sterlin Gilbert: "He definitely came in and got us moving around. I like the way things are moving."

Harris is asked what he needed to work on after last year. He said being on the same page as Tommy DeVito, and that they've put in the work -- as best as possible given Covid-19 limitations -- during the offseason.

Hopefully that last section is particularly true.

 

[Trueblue25]

Im not worried about Taj Harris. He was young and immature. He’s growing and he will be a weapon for us and Tommy moving forward.

 

[dollarbill44]

Thanks for the writeup.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

So... is it a safe assumption that players speaking to the media are not players that are considering opting out?

 

[PhatOrange]

I think this is a bit eye opening coming from Taj “he doesn't think of himself as the No. 1 guy. He's prepared to have a good year, but knows it's a deep WR room.”

I also really like What TD said: done the little things together like eat and play video games. One of the goals? "Being able to have conversations when moments might get hot."

It seems to me some small things we see have not gone unnoticed where it matters most; the players. Maturity goes a long way.

also; talk about sending a message; DeVito said it's important to him for pending players to make decisions before UNC prep begins An opt-out the day before the game "wouldn't feel right. I think it would be right of someone to give (their backup) a chance to practice."

 

[kcsu]

Its obvious that Harris and TD had issues last year.

 

[Cuse12]

Maturity for Taj (it was visually noticed), as well as, Tommy (not visually noticed) I think is so important. Taj just needs to play hard every down even if Tommy maybe misses him, and Tommy needs to mature into more confidence. I think both take a step forward in those regards. If so they can truly lead this offense.

 

[sufandu]

Its obvious that Harris and TD had issues last year.

It would be interesting to know how much the coaches suggested offseason things like playing video games together to develop camaraderie for the heated moments. That sounds like a Dino thing. I think a lot of coaches expect players to figure that out themselves. I can't picture Marrone or P making that type of suggestion with their more business like approach to coaching.

 

[OrangeMojo]

Sounds like the presser will start late as it hinges on players being ready after practice. This is about as real as the return of football has felt for me.

Taj Harris: "I feel as though, every day we're getting better and better. ... The offense, we're starting to roll more and more." Said everyone is going through the same pandemic. He's not concerned about playing this fall. Praised SU's protocol.

Harris on new OC Sterlin Gilbert: "He definitely came in and got us moving around. I like the way things are moving."

Harris is asked what he needed to work on after last year. He said being on the same page as Tommy DeVito, and that they've put in the work -- as best as possible given Covid-19 limitations -- during the offseason.

Harris said guys are flying around in practice, going full speed. It feels like a normal camp for him, just like any other year.

Harris on being back in class after going online in the spring: "Class is class. School is school. We're just getting our business handled."

Harris on working through the uncertainty of the season, particularly when the Pac-12 and Big Ten cancelled. "We definitely had to block out the noise on social media. ... We just knew it didn't matter if they were going to shut it down tomorrow. We were focused on today."

Harris is asked to fill in the blank. "Taj Harris will have a great season if ______" "There is a season." Got a good laugh out of the room. He did say he doesn't think of himself as the No. 1 guy. He's prepared to have a good year, but knows it's a deep WR room.

Harris is asked where he sees growth from QB Tommy DeVito: "I just feel like he became more vocal. ... One thing he definitely did is voice his opinion more and let us know how he felt."

--------------------

DeVito on player concerns related to competing during the coronavirus pandemic: "I believe most of the team is beyond that." Said he thinks it's still in the back of a couple guys' minds. TD said he's putting trust in school officials to determine whether the UNC game is safe.

DeVito said sometimes players get cold feet around a new coach, but "as an offense I think we embraced (Gilbert)."

DeVito said football has been an escape during the pandemic. "That's the beauty of the game. When you step on the field, every worry in your life is not in your life anymore." Said the season feels real now that students are back on campus.

DeVito said it's important to him for pending players to make decisions before UNC prep begins An opt-out the day before the game "wouldn't feel right. I think it would be right of someone to give (their backup) a chance to practice."

DeVito said the team is "putting trust" in the ACC to install safe testing protocol. Again, still no official news on ramping up in-season testing frequency.

DeVito says building rapport with Harris has been important. They've done the little things together like eat and play video games. One of the goals? "Being able to have conversations when moments might get hot."

DeVito said the offensive line is "really meshing together" and has done well to learn a couple new schemes. He didn't touch on the injured players that Dino Babers mentioned previously.

DeVito asked about player empowerment stemming from sit-outs earlier in camp. He redirects and credits coaches/administration for listening to players. Said they showed "respect" in hearing out player requests and doing their best to fulfill them.

--------------------

Cisco described camp as an "emotional rollercoaster" given the uncertainty of the season and all the pandemic-related concerns. The year does feel more real as the UNC game grows closer, but he's still taking it day by day.

Cisco said there are multiple guys working in at Rover -- the fifth DB spot in Tony White's 3-3-5. He said the position covers the deep middle frequently, but also comes up to the line.

Cisco said the leadership council he's on with DeVito and Servais has tried to make it clear players can go to them with an issue before Dino or another coach.

Cisco said Trill Williams "played a big role" in his commitment. They've known each other since meeting at camps around age 14/15. Now they're both eyeing professional careers.

Cisco reiterated that the season feels more real: "I feel like the only thing that can mess it up maybe is students coming back to campus."

Cisco said the techniques and assignments in the new 3-3-5 weren't foreign to most guys on defense. He believes the unit is playing naturally after working hard to nail down the system in the offseason.

Cisco asked about traveling in a couple weeks given the rash of positive tests at UNC. "It's definitely one of our concerns and it remains one of our concerns." He said what would give him comfort is testing frequency. Pointed to schools hopefully testing 2-3x per week in ACC.

Thank you for the summary! I really appreciate you posting it - huge help!

 

[OrangeMojo]

I love putting Taj Harris out there in a leadership role and forcing him to rise to the role and see himself in that light - I think it's a very savvy move by the staff.

 

[AngryOtto]

I think it’s great they are coming together. My only concern is that TD built a relationship with Jackson last year and seemed to only focus on him instead of spreading the ball around to more receivers. That was one of the reasons I think taj was so upset last year. We need multiple receivers to do well not just one.

 

[P Vasiloff]

You are going to see a different Syracuse Offense this year (fingers crossed it happens) under Sterlin Gilbert. Besides the offensive line woes, the former OC did DeVito and the offense no favors with the play calling. Go Orange!!!!

 

[PhatOrange]

I think it’s great they are coming together. My only concern is that TD built a relationship with Jackson last year and seemed to only focus on him instead of spreading the ball around to more receivers. That was one of the reasons I think taj was so upset last year. We need multiple receivers to do well not just one.

he was young and the line was a mess which i think were the biggest factors. i also think the coaches had more of hand in where/who to throw the ball. (and besides jackson was much more dependable last season. harris had some questionable drops.)

I do think we'll see the ball get spread around more as TD matures and ideally you'd like to not focus on one guy but they'll throw to what the defense gives them.

 

[TheCusian]

I think it’s great they are coming together. My only concern is that TD built a relationship with Jackson last year and seemed to only focus on him instead of spreading the ball around to more receivers. That was one of the reasons I think taj was so upset last year. We need multiple receivers to do well not just one.

I think it was more a time to throw thing. Jackson was obviously #1 target (rightfully) on most routes. DeVito had no time to get to #2 (and if you want to throw in youth, being snakebit, and hurt too, I'd stack that all in that same category). His growth will be:

a) Can the OL protect and run block better - to take some pressure off
b) Can he take off and be enough of a threat that he can take the pressure down a notch
c) Can he be quicker in making decisions and not be as gun shy

And the wildcard is our new OC. I believe he will be very good for Tommy

 

[OrangeXtreme]