Under-appreciated Players from Cuse Past

[JarHeadJim]

Not one vote for David Walker?

 

[baggerbob]

Was Rob Konrad underrated?

Underutilized, and his blocking saved a lot of plays.

 

[cuseincincy]

Odd how many of you under-appreciated players who were All Americans, All conference or early round NFl draft picks. Anyway here is my under-appreciated:

Tim Wilson
Kyle McIntosh
Dee Brown (may be the best player who was completely under-appreciated while at SU, by me).
Mike Siani
Malcolm Thomas
Derrell Smith
Zack Mahoney
Jarrod West
Bill Hurley (Hurley certainly was not under appreciated when he was at SU. He probably is now. Many of you younger folk probably don't realize that Hurley is the reason Graves and McNabb wore #5. Now one of you older folk are going to point out a previous #5. But my SU history starts in 1976 and I've learned some about the 59 team era etc. over the years. My first #5 jersey was a Hurley mesh half jersey). Still have it. It doesn't fit.

 

[cuseincincy]

Not one vote for David Walker?

I'll counter with...How could anyone not appreciate David Walker? All he did was gain 5-6 yards every time he touched the ball and kept a very talented Terry Richardson in a backup role for 3 years. Walker was a clone of Robert Drummond. Their stats are eerily similar and each kept an uber talented RB behind them because they just never gave coaches a reason or chance to sit them.

Drummond

Walker

 

[SUFan44]

Couple other guys who haven't been mentioned yet (I don't think):

Alec Lemon
Chris Slayton

Lemon was as consistent as they come. Wasn't the flashiest, but produced. Could use more of those guys at the WR position now.

Slayton may have been very appreciated while he was here, but I just feel like it's underappreciated how much he meant to that D in 2018. It is telling that our D has been bad without him.

 

[Trueblue25]

Couple other guys who haven't been mentioned yet (I don't think):

Alec Lemon
Chris Slayton

Lemon was as consistent as they come. Wasn't the flashiest, but produced. Could use more of those guys at the WR position now.

Slayton may have been very appreciated while he was here, but I just feel like it's underappreciated how much he meant to that D in 2018. It is telling that our D has been bad without him.

Agreed that Slayton was under-appreciated while at Syracuse. The Clemson win and 2018 season don’t happen without that grown ass man

 

[Pyle]

Andrew Robinson - Career destroyed by incompetence but kid never quit and did anything he could to contribute. Team player all the way.

Max Miesel - SU's Rudy

Greg Paulus - 1 year used as nothing more than a tackling dummy so Nassib didn't get ARob'ed.

 

[cuse309]

Kevin Johnson
Taj Smith
Billy Fuccillo

 

[OttoMets]

Rod Gadson. Abrams got the (deserved) hype, but Gadson was really good as well.

While we're on that era, Kevin Mason too.

 

[zjscuse]

Couple other guys who haven't been mentioned yet (I don't think):

Alec Lemon
Chris Slayton

Lemon was as consistent as they come. Wasn't the flashiest, but produced. Could use more of those guys at the WR position now.

Slayton may have been very appreciated while he was here, but I just feel like it's underappreciated how much he meant to that D in 2018. It is telling that our D has been bad without him

man I still think about how they swapped the feed for the Missouri game and I was stuck watching Kansas state (who was #1 at the time) and had to find out from the internet what happend.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

Michael Owens. I just watched the Peach Bowl game against Georgia again and he was the toughest guy on the field that game. Knocked out multiple times only to make the catch and run to put us within field goal distance.

 

[Ragman2000]

JR Johnson comes to mind.

Best gunner in kickoff history. Fact.

 

[OrangeDW]

Always thought Tanard Jackson was an absolute stud who was held back by being a headcase and the era he played here.

Mike Williams too.

In an alternate universe where they have their crap together off the field and play for better teams, they go down as two of the all time great Orangemen.

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

Haven’t read through the thread & SIAP but, Shamarko Thomas. The dude literally put his health/life on the line for us on multiple occasions.

Also, Nate Trout.

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

I tried to search this same thread on the Hoops board to no avail. IMHO, it should begin & end with Jeremy McNeil. His FTs & putback to upset #2 Pitt in The Dome in ‘03 had a legitimate positive impact on my life, well beyond sports/fanhood, not to mention the effect of watching him the walk hand-in-hand with his teammates on Senior Day following his mother’s passing & then his performance as the anchor of our zone/press in our title run that year.

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

Always thought Tanard Jackson was an absolute stud who was held back by being a headcase and the era he played here.

Mike Williams too.

In an alternate universe where they have their crap together off the field and play for better teams, they go down as two of the all time great Orangemen.

I’ll never forget seeing Mike at Turning Stone around 11p on a Friday before an early Saturday home game. He was suspended for the game.

 

[JeffCuse]

Sant Sikand

 

[OrangePA]

Crume and Hickey on Marrone's 2012 team
Guthrie was a little underrated given our LB play drop off from 2018 to 2019

Guthrie had an outstanding senior season.

 

[OrangePA]

Ken Kinsey

For the first half of 1974 - Maloney's first season - he was a genuine star - a real revelation.

He was fun to watch.

 

[OrangePA]

Who comes to mind? We all remember the stars and the big name players. The years we were fun and the faces that gave us an identity. But who’s come and gone, came to work and did their job every day, that’s undermentioned in our past?

some names that come to mind:

Dontae Strickland
Parris Bennett
Brandon Sharpe
Erv
Jarrod West
Hogue and D Smith (Spruill’s an all time fav but I feel he gets his due as did Lynch)

you?

Ed Koban.

Pat O'Neil.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Ed Koban.

Pat O'Neil.

Ok so I'm thinking how does a kicker be underappreciated but the guy kicked and punted and did great at both. Did it in the NFL also. Then he went to Johns Hopkins med school and became a surgeon. Not your typical career path. Good choice. Dr. Patrick J. O'Neill | Patrick J. O'Neill, MD

 

[Toga]

I'll counter with...How could anyone not appreciate David Walker? All he did was gain 5-6 yards every time he touched the ball and kept a very talented Terry Richardson in a backup role for 3 years. Walker was a clone of Robert Drummond. Their stats are eerily similar and each kept an uber talented RB behind them because they just never gave coaches a reason or chance to sit them.

Drummond
View attachment 202443

Walker
View attachment 202442

I believe they were the same guy.

 

[SkyTopBus44]

Mo Jackson
Rod Gadson
Damien Rhodes
Keith Downing
Rickie Simpkins

 

[OttoMets]

Mo Jackson
Rod Gadson
Damien Rhodes
Keith Downing
Rickie Simpkins

All those '90s-era receivers are underrated. Jackson, Lowe, Daniel, Maddox, Turner (though his hands weren't the best, IIRC), Wilson, all those guys would've been #1 receivers on most of Marrone and Shafer's teams in the modern era.

 

[cayugacuse]

Bruce Williams