sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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SU
Syracuse Picked to Finish 4th in Atlantic in Media Poll, Winston Pre-Season Player of the Year (PS; Mink)
Syracuse is receiving a little more respect heading into Year 2 of the ACC than it did as a conference newcomer last year.
The Orange was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division by ACC media members, behind conference heavyweights Florida State, Clemson and old Big East foe Louisville.
The ballot was released Monday afternoon during Day 2 of the ACC Football Kickoff. With 109 first-place votes, Florida State was the overwhelming favorite to win the division and repeat as ACC champion.
...
Scott Shafer on KJ Williams: 'I Wish Him All the Luck in the World' (PS; Mink)
Syracuse coach Scott Shafer did not want to talk in-depth Monday about where wide receiver K.J. Williams fits in the program's future plans.
Many recruiting services ranked Williams as the top prospect in the 2014 class, a player who has the physical traits and skill set to possibly contribute as a freshman.
That dream for Syracuse fans died last month when Shafer indicated the wide receiver was one of two incoming freshmen who failed to qualify academically (defensive back Treevon Prater was the other). In fact, the prospect of Williams ever suiting up for Syracuse is in question, a notion Shafer did not quell Monday at ACC media days.
"I really want to focus on the guys in the program that have made it," Shafer said. "We got a lot of wide receivers. I can't take too many of them. I'm proud of the kids that worked hard to get themselves eligible and disappointed with some of the others and discouraged with some of the other guys.
...
Scott Shafer Talking to the Press at ACC Media Day
Scott Shafer Says Depth Charts Are 'One of the Most Overrated Things in Football' (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse Pre-Season Depth Chart
Syracuse unofficially released its pre-training camp depth chart on Sunday when it provided media guides to those attending the 2014 ACC Football Kickoff.
Some of the more surprising listings included Omari Palmer moving ahead of returning starter Rob Trudo at left guard and senior running back Adonis Ameen-Moore being slotted as the backup running back.
SU head coach Scott Shafer discussed the chart during an interview session on Monday. He emphasized not putting too much weight into rankings that still have more than a month to change before Syracuse opens its season against Villanova on Aug. 29.
"To me, it's one of the most overrated things in football, the depth chart," Shafer said. "Today's date, the 21st of July, and to me it's, 'Who can play? Who can't play? How are we going to get them ready? Who are we going to move over? Who can be a swing guy?'
...
SU LT Sean Hickey Thinks 8 Wins Are 'A Good Expectation for This Team' (PS; Mink)
Scott Shafer is not alone in thinking Syracuse should expect to take another step forward in 2014.
Senior Sean Hickey, who calls himself "pretty realistic," believes the Orange is capable of winning at least eight games this year. It's a similar sentiment held by his head coach, who in the spring told a local radio station that "the goal is to get better each season" and "that's why we start off by saying we want to win eight games."
"I don't like to say we're going to be the best team in college football," Hickey said Sunday here at the ACC Football Kickoff. "I'm not going to sit here and say that. But I do believe we are a better roster than we were last year. We have the same system as last year, and we bring most guys back. So that should translate to more success, and we've worked very hard."
Syracuse returns a healthy amount of experience all over the field but will be especially tested during a five-week stretch that includes games against Notre Dame, Louisville, Florida State and Clemson.
...
Sean Hickey Thinks Addition of 8th Official Will Help SU's New Fast-Paced Offense (PS; Bailey)
Late in the first half of Syracuse's regular-seaon finale against Boston College, Sean Hickey recalls a confusing sequence with the umpire spotting the football.
Quarterback Terrel Hunt and the Orange offense was trying to push the pace with a hurry-up set and keep the Eagles defense on their heels.
"I can't remember exactly what happened, but I think he blew the whistle, but he didn't get out of the way," Hickey said at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff on Sunday. "So then Terrel went to the cadence and I went to block normal, but (center) Macky (MacPherson) couldn't snap the ball because the ref was standing there."
Hickey wasn't called for a false start. Instead, he said the referee apologized to the players, reset the clock and called for the play to be done again. It's for situations just like this that the ACC is adding an eighth official as part of its annual rule changes. The goal isn't necessarily to speed up the tempo, but it allows the referees to better manage the game and prevent stoppages like that one.
...
A Look at Syracuse Players Listed on NFL Training Camp Rosters (PS; Bailey)
...
Former Syracuse players in training camps Name POS Team EXP
Jerome Smith RB Atlanta Falcons R
Marquis Spruill LB Atlanta Falcons R
Macky MacPherson OL Buffalo Bills R
Mike Williams WR Buffalo Bills 5
Tony Fiammetta FB Chicago Bears 5
Andrew Tiller OG Green Bay Packers 2
Alec Lemom WR Houston Texans 2
Arthur Jones DE Indianapolis Colts 5
Chandler Jones DE New England Patriots 3
Jay Bromley DT New York Giants R
Jameel McClain LB New York Giants 7
Ryan Nassib QB New York Giants 2
Justin Pugh OT New York Giants 2
Shamarko Thomas S Pittsburgh Steelers 2
Dwight Freeney OLB San Diego Chargers 13
Ri'Shard Anderson CB Tennessee Titans R...
Scott Shafer Hearts Dabo, Loves Pitt and Is Looking at You, New Jersey (TNIAAM; Keeley)
Monday was Scott Shafer's time to shine at 2014 ACC Kickoff. A big part of that was sitting down with the media to talk about the Syracuse Orangefootball squad as they prepare for the upcoming season.
So, Scott, how did the spring go? Was it nice?
I think spring was good. We got a little bit banged up up front, especially with the offensive line, couple serious injuries, but most them are back and ready to roll. I've been pleased with the development of our passing game. What we did was, Coach McDonald took over the wide receivers. He's also our coordinator, as you know, and George has done a nice job. I think those wide receivers are competing at a high level. I was impressed with competition from West and Fleming and Ashton Broyld, Travon Burke did a great job, but was equally impressed with Terrel Hunt's ability to throw to open spots rather than to open men and anticipate making those throws quicker, an area that we challenged him to make improvement. I thought Tim Lester did a nice job bringing him around.
...
...
How you feeling about recruiting in New Jersey as well as the upcoming game there against Notre Dame?
Yes, it does. It's a good statement, and I agree with you. Yeah, we're looking forward to getting back into New Jersey. Back in the heyday of Syracuse, it used to be Penn State and Syracuse recruiting in that area. I think Coach Schiano did a great job. He kind of built a wall around New Jersey and did a nice job, but I do think that there's opportunities there, and we're excited. We've had good success in the second half of this year recruiting out in that area, had a lot of kids up to campus, and looking forward to that.
I think playing in the Meadowlands against Notre Dame will be an added benefit to our recruiting push for that part of the country.
...
Carrier Dome Should be Number 1 Home-Field Advantage in College Football But It's Not (PS; Poliquin)
We're still 39 days removed from the season opener, which means there's a lot of time to bang the drums and toot the horns. Still, as it's already started, you don't have to strain all that much to hear the noise.
Doesn't matter the sport. Football … basketball … baseball. The idea that a new campaign looms pretty much means that a new campaign has begun. And so the 2014 Syracuse University football season — set to officially (and sacrilegiously) be rolled out on Aug. 29 when the Villanova Wildcats, who apparently play football, too, come to our burg — is up and running.
...
ACC
Doug Rhodes Outlines ACC Rule Changes Including Low Hits to the Passer, Addition of Eighth Official (PS; Bailey)
Atlantic Coast Conference coordinator of football officiating Doug Rhoads broke down three key changes to the rulebook at the ACC Football Kickoff on Monday.
Rhoads covered the new penalty for low hits on passing players, the addition of an eighth official and the tweaking of the targeting penalty.
Here's a quick look at those changes:
Low hits on passing players
The ACC is adopting an NFL rule in hopes of better protecting passing players from hits at the knees or below.
...
Scott Shafer and Dabo Swinney 'Get Along Just Fine' (PS; Mink)
Since the day TV cameras caught Scott Shafer lobbing a colorful expletive across the field toward Clemson coach Dabo Swinney last fall, some fans and media types have latched onto a narrative that the two coaches hold a smidgeon of resentment toward each other.
Sure, it's college football and fun to bring up from time to time, and there was a good chance somebody would rehash the -bomb incident during the ACC Football Kickoff, the grandest and most public stage Shafer and Swinney have shared since then.
But anyone hoping the incident would spill over into the 2014 season will sadly be disappointed. Shafer and Swinney have cleared the air and have even made light of the whole thing this offseason with their wives when they met in Amelia Island, Fla. earlier this spring for coaches meetings.
...
Dabo Swinney: 'The Gap (Between FSU/Clemson and the Rest of the Atlantic) Is Not That Wide' (PS; Mink)
Syracuse embarks on its second season of ACC play this fall, leading some to wonder how much the outside perception of its football program has changed, if at all.
Last year Syracuse was picked by media members to finish sixth out of seven teams in its division, and it promptly followed suit with a third-place finish behind conference heavyweights Florida State and Clemson.
This year, Syracuse was slotted fourth in the Atlantic Division, a slight uptick that suggests many believe Syracuse is not a total pushover.
In an effort to gauge a few ACC coaches' perception of Syracuse, I asked three of them varying questions pointed toward that objective.
1. Are there any teams in the Atlantic Division close to closing the gap between Florida State and Clemson?
Dabo Swinney: "The gap is not that wide. It's really not. It's not far from the outhouse to the penthouse when you've done this as long as I have. Everybody can win.
...
Wake Forest HC Dave Clawson
New Wake Forest Coach Dave Clawson Realistic About First Year Challenges (PS; Stevens)
First-year Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson offered a unique twist on the inevitable question of what he thought of his Demon Deacons getting pegged as a last-place team in the preseason media poll at the annual ACC Kickoff.
"Were we picked to win it?" Clawson said wryly. "Were we unanimous first? We were?"
Quite the opposite, which came as little surprise to anyone paying attention to the state of the Atlantic Division. Wake Forest, an overachiever for much of the last decade and a half, endured five consecutive losing seasons before coach Jim Grobe resigned last season.
Grobe's final team was a senior-laden bunch, and the group that Clawson inherited was not long on experience.
"We were a 4-8 team with 10 starters back, we graduated a four-year starter at quarterback, the school's all-time leading receiver and we don't have an established tailback or tight end," Clawson said. "I mean, I live in the real world, but that's a challenge. Our job is to maximize what we have every year with the team we have. That's a great challenge for us right now."
...
Well-Traveled Bobby Petrino Makes ACC Kickoff Debut with UL (PS; Stevens)
Bobby Petrino has made stops in the Big East and SEC, winding up in BCS bowls with schools out of both conferences.
He's also fizzled out of the NFL in less than a season and was fired at Arkansas for lying to his athletic director. After one season in exile and another at Western Kentucky, he's back at Louisville and working in the ACC for the first time.
It made him a bit of a curiosity at the conference's annual football kickoff event Monday, exactly six weeks before the Cardinals make their conference debut and play host to Miami on Labor Day night.
"I'm just going to approach the game to try to do the best I can in helping young men on and off the field," Petrino said. "I think one of the key things you do as a football coach is you teach players how to excel and how to get self-confidence. One of the things I'm going to work hard on is coaching the person as much as the player. The experiences I've had, I can help young men with the obstacles they're going to be presented with off the field."
...
Syracuse Picked to Finish 4th in Atlantic in Media Poll, Winston Pre-Season Player of the Year (PS; Mink)
Syracuse is receiving a little more respect heading into Year 2 of the ACC than it did as a conference newcomer last year.
The Orange was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division by ACC media members, behind conference heavyweights Florida State, Clemson and old Big East foe Louisville.
The ballot was released Monday afternoon during Day 2 of the ACC Football Kickoff. With 109 first-place votes, Florida State was the overwhelming favorite to win the division and repeat as ACC champion.
...
Scott Shafer on KJ Williams: 'I Wish Him All the Luck in the World' (PS; Mink)
Syracuse coach Scott Shafer did not want to talk in-depth Monday about where wide receiver K.J. Williams fits in the program's future plans.
Many recruiting services ranked Williams as the top prospect in the 2014 class, a player who has the physical traits and skill set to possibly contribute as a freshman.
That dream for Syracuse fans died last month when Shafer indicated the wide receiver was one of two incoming freshmen who failed to qualify academically (defensive back Treevon Prater was the other). In fact, the prospect of Williams ever suiting up for Syracuse is in question, a notion Shafer did not quell Monday at ACC media days.
"I really want to focus on the guys in the program that have made it," Shafer said. "We got a lot of wide receivers. I can't take too many of them. I'm proud of the kids that worked hard to get themselves eligible and disappointed with some of the others and discouraged with some of the other guys.
...
Scott Shafer Talking to the Press at ACC Media Day
Scott Shafer Says Depth Charts Are 'One of the Most Overrated Things in Football' (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse Pre-Season Depth Chart
Syracuse unofficially released its pre-training camp depth chart on Sunday when it provided media guides to those attending the 2014 ACC Football Kickoff.
Some of the more surprising listings included Omari Palmer moving ahead of returning starter Rob Trudo at left guard and senior running back Adonis Ameen-Moore being slotted as the backup running back.
SU head coach Scott Shafer discussed the chart during an interview session on Monday. He emphasized not putting too much weight into rankings that still have more than a month to change before Syracuse opens its season against Villanova on Aug. 29.
"To me, it's one of the most overrated things in football, the depth chart," Shafer said. "Today's date, the 21st of July, and to me it's, 'Who can play? Who can't play? How are we going to get them ready? Who are we going to move over? Who can be a swing guy?'
...
SU LT Sean Hickey Thinks 8 Wins Are 'A Good Expectation for This Team' (PS; Mink)
Scott Shafer is not alone in thinking Syracuse should expect to take another step forward in 2014.
Senior Sean Hickey, who calls himself "pretty realistic," believes the Orange is capable of winning at least eight games this year. It's a similar sentiment held by his head coach, who in the spring told a local radio station that "the goal is to get better each season" and "that's why we start off by saying we want to win eight games."
"I don't like to say we're going to be the best team in college football," Hickey said Sunday here at the ACC Football Kickoff. "I'm not going to sit here and say that. But I do believe we are a better roster than we were last year. We have the same system as last year, and we bring most guys back. So that should translate to more success, and we've worked very hard."
Syracuse returns a healthy amount of experience all over the field but will be especially tested during a five-week stretch that includes games against Notre Dame, Louisville, Florida State and Clemson.
...
Sean Hickey Thinks Addition of 8th Official Will Help SU's New Fast-Paced Offense (PS; Bailey)
Late in the first half of Syracuse's regular-seaon finale against Boston College, Sean Hickey recalls a confusing sequence with the umpire spotting the football.
Quarterback Terrel Hunt and the Orange offense was trying to push the pace with a hurry-up set and keep the Eagles defense on their heels.
"I can't remember exactly what happened, but I think he blew the whistle, but he didn't get out of the way," Hickey said at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff on Sunday. "So then Terrel went to the cadence and I went to block normal, but (center) Macky (MacPherson) couldn't snap the ball because the ref was standing there."
Hickey wasn't called for a false start. Instead, he said the referee apologized to the players, reset the clock and called for the play to be done again. It's for situations just like this that the ACC is adding an eighth official as part of its annual rule changes. The goal isn't necessarily to speed up the tempo, but it allows the referees to better manage the game and prevent stoppages like that one.
...
A Look at Syracuse Players Listed on NFL Training Camp Rosters (PS; Bailey)
...
Former Syracuse players in training camps Name POS Team EXP
Jerome Smith RB Atlanta Falcons R
Marquis Spruill LB Atlanta Falcons R
Macky MacPherson OL Buffalo Bills R
Mike Williams WR Buffalo Bills 5
Tony Fiammetta FB Chicago Bears 5
Andrew Tiller OG Green Bay Packers 2
Alec Lemom WR Houston Texans 2
Arthur Jones DE Indianapolis Colts 5
Chandler Jones DE New England Patriots 3
Jay Bromley DT New York Giants R
Jameel McClain LB New York Giants 7
Ryan Nassib QB New York Giants 2
Justin Pugh OT New York Giants 2
Shamarko Thomas S Pittsburgh Steelers 2
Dwight Freeney OLB San Diego Chargers 13
Ri'Shard Anderson CB Tennessee Titans R...
Scott Shafer Hearts Dabo, Loves Pitt and Is Looking at You, New Jersey (TNIAAM; Keeley)
Monday was Scott Shafer's time to shine at 2014 ACC Kickoff. A big part of that was sitting down with the media to talk about the Syracuse Orangefootball squad as they prepare for the upcoming season.
So, Scott, how did the spring go? Was it nice?
I think spring was good. We got a little bit banged up up front, especially with the offensive line, couple serious injuries, but most them are back and ready to roll. I've been pleased with the development of our passing game. What we did was, Coach McDonald took over the wide receivers. He's also our coordinator, as you know, and George has done a nice job. I think those wide receivers are competing at a high level. I was impressed with competition from West and Fleming and Ashton Broyld, Travon Burke did a great job, but was equally impressed with Terrel Hunt's ability to throw to open spots rather than to open men and anticipate making those throws quicker, an area that we challenged him to make improvement. I thought Tim Lester did a nice job bringing him around.
...
...
How you feeling about recruiting in New Jersey as well as the upcoming game there against Notre Dame?
Yes, it does. It's a good statement, and I agree with you. Yeah, we're looking forward to getting back into New Jersey. Back in the heyday of Syracuse, it used to be Penn State and Syracuse recruiting in that area. I think Coach Schiano did a great job. He kind of built a wall around New Jersey and did a nice job, but I do think that there's opportunities there, and we're excited. We've had good success in the second half of this year recruiting out in that area, had a lot of kids up to campus, and looking forward to that.
I think playing in the Meadowlands against Notre Dame will be an added benefit to our recruiting push for that part of the country.
...
Carrier Dome Should be Number 1 Home-Field Advantage in College Football But It's Not (PS; Poliquin)
We're still 39 days removed from the season opener, which means there's a lot of time to bang the drums and toot the horns. Still, as it's already started, you don't have to strain all that much to hear the noise.
Doesn't matter the sport. Football … basketball … baseball. The idea that a new campaign looms pretty much means that a new campaign has begun. And so the 2014 Syracuse University football season — set to officially (and sacrilegiously) be rolled out on Aug. 29 when the Villanova Wildcats, who apparently play football, too, come to our burg — is up and running.
...
ACC
Doug Rhodes Outlines ACC Rule Changes Including Low Hits to the Passer, Addition of Eighth Official (PS; Bailey)
Atlantic Coast Conference coordinator of football officiating Doug Rhoads broke down three key changes to the rulebook at the ACC Football Kickoff on Monday.
Rhoads covered the new penalty for low hits on passing players, the addition of an eighth official and the tweaking of the targeting penalty.
Here's a quick look at those changes:
Low hits on passing players
The ACC is adopting an NFL rule in hopes of better protecting passing players from hits at the knees or below.
...
Scott Shafer and Dabo Swinney 'Get Along Just Fine' (PS; Mink)
Since the day TV cameras caught Scott Shafer lobbing a colorful expletive across the field toward Clemson coach Dabo Swinney last fall, some fans and media types have latched onto a narrative that the two coaches hold a smidgeon of resentment toward each other.
Sure, it's college football and fun to bring up from time to time, and there was a good chance somebody would rehash the -bomb incident during the ACC Football Kickoff, the grandest and most public stage Shafer and Swinney have shared since then.
But anyone hoping the incident would spill over into the 2014 season will sadly be disappointed. Shafer and Swinney have cleared the air and have even made light of the whole thing this offseason with their wives when they met in Amelia Island, Fla. earlier this spring for coaches meetings.
...
Dabo Swinney: 'The Gap (Between FSU/Clemson and the Rest of the Atlantic) Is Not That Wide' (PS; Mink)
Syracuse embarks on its second season of ACC play this fall, leading some to wonder how much the outside perception of its football program has changed, if at all.
Last year Syracuse was picked by media members to finish sixth out of seven teams in its division, and it promptly followed suit with a third-place finish behind conference heavyweights Florida State and Clemson.
This year, Syracuse was slotted fourth in the Atlantic Division, a slight uptick that suggests many believe Syracuse is not a total pushover.
In an effort to gauge a few ACC coaches' perception of Syracuse, I asked three of them varying questions pointed toward that objective.
1. Are there any teams in the Atlantic Division close to closing the gap between Florida State and Clemson?
Dabo Swinney: "The gap is not that wide. It's really not. It's not far from the outhouse to the penthouse when you've done this as long as I have. Everybody can win.
...
Wake Forest HC Dave Clawson
New Wake Forest Coach Dave Clawson Realistic About First Year Challenges (PS; Stevens)
First-year Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson offered a unique twist on the inevitable question of what he thought of his Demon Deacons getting pegged as a last-place team in the preseason media poll at the annual ACC Kickoff.
"Were we picked to win it?" Clawson said wryly. "Were we unanimous first? We were?"
Quite the opposite, which came as little surprise to anyone paying attention to the state of the Atlantic Division. Wake Forest, an overachiever for much of the last decade and a half, endured five consecutive losing seasons before coach Jim Grobe resigned last season.
Grobe's final team was a senior-laden bunch, and the group that Clawson inherited was not long on experience.
"We were a 4-8 team with 10 starters back, we graduated a four-year starter at quarterback, the school's all-time leading receiver and we don't have an established tailback or tight end," Clawson said. "I mean, I live in the real world, but that's a challenge. Our job is to maximize what we have every year with the team we have. That's a great challenge for us right now."
...
Well-Traveled Bobby Petrino Makes ACC Kickoff Debut with UL (PS; Stevens)
Bobby Petrino has made stops in the Big East and SEC, winding up in BCS bowls with schools out of both conferences.
He's also fizzled out of the NFL in less than a season and was fired at Arkansas for lying to his athletic director. After one season in exile and another at Western Kentucky, he's back at Louisville and working in the ACC for the first time.
It made him a bit of a curiosity at the conference's annual football kickoff event Monday, exactly six weeks before the Cardinals make their conference debut and play host to Miami on Labor Day night.
"I'm just going to approach the game to try to do the best I can in helping young men on and off the field," Petrino said. "I think one of the key things you do as a football coach is you teach players how to excel and how to get self-confidence. One of the things I'm going to work hard on is coaching the person as much as the player. The experiences I've had, I can help young men with the obstacles they're going to be presented with off the field."
...
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