sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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- 114,767
I am temporarily filling in for OE as he recovers from surgery. Get well soon Dan.
SU News
Why George McDonald Visited da Bears (PS; Mink)
At least once a year, George McDonald targets a football organization he wants to visit during the offseason. This type of retreat is not uncommon in coaching circles and exposes a coach to a new way of thinking from some of the brightest minds in the sport.
A year ago, the Syracuse offensive coordinator visited with the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, soaking up knowledge on various offensive principles that McDonald wanted to apply to his offense. He also made a stop at Stanford to glean insight into how David Shaw and his staff created mismatches with large-bodied personnel.
This year McDonald's offseason goals centered not on what gets done on the field but a deeper, more holistic understanding of why things are done the way they are. He knew exactly who he wanted to learn from and used a mutual contact to gain permission to travel to Chicago in late May to embed himself with the Bears and head coach Marc Trestman.
...
SU Football
Estime Returning Punt Against Gophers in Texas Bowl to Set Up SU Victory
Brisley Estime Definitely Going to Share Punt Return Role with Ritchy Desir This Season (PS; Mink)
Brisly Estime will have an increased role on special teams this season and will platoon with senior Ritchy Desir as Syracuse's primary punt returners.
Defensive backs coach Fred Reed, who also oversees the punt return unit, said Estime, a sophomore wide receiver, will "definitely" return punts this season.
"He has the skills that are required to be a great punt returner," Reed said Tuesday. "There are not many people that have that type of skill level, and he does. So he's definitely going to be a guy back there. There's no question about that."
...
Steele Picks SU to Finish 4th in ACC Atlantic Division (PS; Mink)
Syracuse exceeded some preseason expectations last year, finishing 7-6 with a bowl victory.
That includes Phil Steele, perhaps the best college football prognosticator in the business because of his exhaustive research and statistics-driven analysis.
Steele notes Syracuse has finished higher than he predicted in each of the last two seasons, so that should offer some semblance of optimism for the Syracuse fans reading he has the Orange finishing fourth this season in the Atlantic Division, behind perennial league heavyweights Florida State, Clemson and newcomer Louisville.
...
2014 FSU Schedule Preview: Week 6 - Syracuse (newsherald.com; Milner)
There were few times Syracuse coach Scott Shafer and his Orange were embarrassed last season. Florida State happened to be involved in one of those times.
Syracuse was greeted into the Atlantic Coast Conference with blowout losses to Clemson, Georgia Tech and FSU. A 59-3 FSU victory late in the season started a two-game slide that almost kept the Orange out of a bowl game. They rebounded and eventually defeated Minnesota in the Texas Bowl.
Shafer is a prideful coach who lives on hard-nosed defense. He learned quickly that ACC opponents were a little more difficult to face than his former Big East brethren. That said, he has a year under his belt and eyes improvement from his initial 7-6 campaign.
...
SU Football 2014 Position Preview: WRs and TEs (tniaam; Cassillo)
The wide receiver position was a bit of a mess last year. Breaking in a new offense and a new quarterback, along with a host of new pass-catchers, theOrange seemed to struggle for consistency all season. But now, many of those players have a year under their respective belts and are primed to contribute more in 2014.
As you already know, Syracuse has a slew of players who can and will catch the football. From traditional wide receivers, to a solid stable of H-back types, and a nice collection of tight ends too, SU has a boatload of guys to throw to. But who are they? And who might be the most important names to know? We take a look below:
...
ACC Football
Why the ACC Will Use an Eighth Official (Called the 'Center Judge') in All Conference Games This Season (PS; Bailey)
What started as a Southeastern Conference experiment last season appears to be expanding to a nationwide staple.
The eight-official system the SEC used in 2014 is being adopted by the Atlantic Coast Conference, and ACC Coordinator of Football Officiating Doug Rhoads said that most power conferences will be following suit. He detailed the change on the David Glenn Show on Friday.
The eighth official, called the center judge, will be stationed opposite the head referee in the offensive backfield. Rhoads said the ACC will use a center judge for all conference games, as well as Notre Dame games.
...
Scott Shafer Supports the Addition of an Eighth Official for ACC Games (PS; Bailey)
A slow spot late in the Pitt game last season might have cost Syracuse a victory...
Count Syracuse as a program that could benefit from the addition of an eighth official to Atlantic Coast Conference play. As the Orange continues to tinker with a hurry-up offense, one offensive coordinator George McDonald said will be "full-bore fast" in 2014, it will continue to rely on the referees to get the ball spotted quickly.
That ensures that SU keeps its rhythm and prevents the opponent from substituting without risking a penalty.
The responsibilities for this new official, the center judge, include spotting the football.
...
NC State Offense is in the Hands of UF Transfer Jacoby Brissett (PS; Stevens)
2013 record: 3-9 (0-8 ACC)
2013 postseason: None
Last bowl appearance: 2012 (Music City Bowl)
Coach: Dave Doeren (3-9 in one season at N.C. State, 26-13 in three seasons overall)
Coordinators: Matt Canada (offense, 2nd season), Dave Huxtable (defense, 2nd season)
All-conference returnees: K Nicklas Sade (honorable mention)
Notable losses: LB Robert Caldwell, QB Pete Thomas
Rising name to know: QB Jacoby Brissett. The best quarterback on the Wolfpack's roster last year was glued to the sideline, forced to sit out a year after transferring from Florida. Doeren's track record as a head coach is short (two seasons at Northern Illinois before coming to Raleigh), but it's safe to say the dual-threat Brissett is much more in the mold of Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch than anything the Wolfpack had to work with last year. Brissett's already been named the starter, and he'll provide a jolt to N.C. State's offense.
...
College Football
College Football Countdown/Haiku Fest: Nos. 101-105 (Cal Will Still Stink; PS; Stevens)
105. TULSA
It's possible for a team to survive a 10-point-a-game decline and still have a decent season; just look at 2012 Wisconsin, which wound up winning the Big Ten and heading back to Rose Bowl despite such a drop. And teams can survive a defense allowing 10 points per game more than the previous season; Texas A&M experienced that last fall and still went 9-4.
But have both the offense and defense do that in the same year? That's courting catastrophe, which is precisely what Tulsa did a season ago.
Suddenly, those four 10-win seasons in a six-year span seem like they happened in another century. The Golden Hurricane slipped to 3-9 in 2013, turning a team that looked like a Conference USA contender in the preseason to a bunch that couldn't do much of anything to help itself.
...
...
Tulsa in haiku:
Sooners come to town
Chic upset pick other years
Not so much this time
...
SU News
Why George McDonald Visited da Bears (PS; Mink)
At least once a year, George McDonald targets a football organization he wants to visit during the offseason. This type of retreat is not uncommon in coaching circles and exposes a coach to a new way of thinking from some of the brightest minds in the sport.
A year ago, the Syracuse offensive coordinator visited with the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, soaking up knowledge on various offensive principles that McDonald wanted to apply to his offense. He also made a stop at Stanford to glean insight into how David Shaw and his staff created mismatches with large-bodied personnel.
This year McDonald's offseason goals centered not on what gets done on the field but a deeper, more holistic understanding of why things are done the way they are. He knew exactly who he wanted to learn from and used a mutual contact to gain permission to travel to Chicago in late May to embed himself with the Bears and head coach Marc Trestman.
...
SU Football
Estime Returning Punt Against Gophers in Texas Bowl to Set Up SU Victory
Brisley Estime Definitely Going to Share Punt Return Role with Ritchy Desir This Season (PS; Mink)
Brisly Estime will have an increased role on special teams this season and will platoon with senior Ritchy Desir as Syracuse's primary punt returners.
Defensive backs coach Fred Reed, who also oversees the punt return unit, said Estime, a sophomore wide receiver, will "definitely" return punts this season.
"He has the skills that are required to be a great punt returner," Reed said Tuesday. "There are not many people that have that type of skill level, and he does. So he's definitely going to be a guy back there. There's no question about that."
...
Steele Picks SU to Finish 4th in ACC Atlantic Division (PS; Mink)
Syracuse exceeded some preseason expectations last year, finishing 7-6 with a bowl victory.
That includes Phil Steele, perhaps the best college football prognosticator in the business because of his exhaustive research and statistics-driven analysis.
Steele notes Syracuse has finished higher than he predicted in each of the last two seasons, so that should offer some semblance of optimism for the Syracuse fans reading he has the Orange finishing fourth this season in the Atlantic Division, behind perennial league heavyweights Florida State, Clemson and newcomer Louisville.
...
2014 FSU Schedule Preview: Week 6 - Syracuse (newsherald.com; Milner)
There were few times Syracuse coach Scott Shafer and his Orange were embarrassed last season. Florida State happened to be involved in one of those times.
Syracuse was greeted into the Atlantic Coast Conference with blowout losses to Clemson, Georgia Tech and FSU. A 59-3 FSU victory late in the season started a two-game slide that almost kept the Orange out of a bowl game. They rebounded and eventually defeated Minnesota in the Texas Bowl.
Shafer is a prideful coach who lives on hard-nosed defense. He learned quickly that ACC opponents were a little more difficult to face than his former Big East brethren. That said, he has a year under his belt and eyes improvement from his initial 7-6 campaign.
...
SU Football 2014 Position Preview: WRs and TEs (tniaam; Cassillo)
The wide receiver position was a bit of a mess last year. Breaking in a new offense and a new quarterback, along with a host of new pass-catchers, theOrange seemed to struggle for consistency all season. But now, many of those players have a year under their respective belts and are primed to contribute more in 2014.
As you already know, Syracuse has a slew of players who can and will catch the football. From traditional wide receivers, to a solid stable of H-back types, and a nice collection of tight ends too, SU has a boatload of guys to throw to. But who are they? And who might be the most important names to know? We take a look below:
...
ACC Football
Why the ACC Will Use an Eighth Official (Called the 'Center Judge') in All Conference Games This Season (PS; Bailey)
What started as a Southeastern Conference experiment last season appears to be expanding to a nationwide staple.
The eight-official system the SEC used in 2014 is being adopted by the Atlantic Coast Conference, and ACC Coordinator of Football Officiating Doug Rhoads said that most power conferences will be following suit. He detailed the change on the David Glenn Show on Friday.
The eighth official, called the center judge, will be stationed opposite the head referee in the offensive backfield. Rhoads said the ACC will use a center judge for all conference games, as well as Notre Dame games.
...
Scott Shafer Supports the Addition of an Eighth Official for ACC Games (PS; Bailey)
A slow spot late in the Pitt game last season might have cost Syracuse a victory...
Count Syracuse as a program that could benefit from the addition of an eighth official to Atlantic Coast Conference play. As the Orange continues to tinker with a hurry-up offense, one offensive coordinator George McDonald said will be "full-bore fast" in 2014, it will continue to rely on the referees to get the ball spotted quickly.
That ensures that SU keeps its rhythm and prevents the opponent from substituting without risking a penalty.
The responsibilities for this new official, the center judge, include spotting the football.
...
NC State Offense is in the Hands of UF Transfer Jacoby Brissett (PS; Stevens)
2013 record: 3-9 (0-8 ACC)
2013 postseason: None
Last bowl appearance: 2012 (Music City Bowl)
Coach: Dave Doeren (3-9 in one season at N.C. State, 26-13 in three seasons overall)
Coordinators: Matt Canada (offense, 2nd season), Dave Huxtable (defense, 2nd season)
All-conference returnees: K Nicklas Sade (honorable mention)
Notable losses: LB Robert Caldwell, QB Pete Thomas
Rising name to know: QB Jacoby Brissett. The best quarterback on the Wolfpack's roster last year was glued to the sideline, forced to sit out a year after transferring from Florida. Doeren's track record as a head coach is short (two seasons at Northern Illinois before coming to Raleigh), but it's safe to say the dual-threat Brissett is much more in the mold of Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch than anything the Wolfpack had to work with last year. Brissett's already been named the starter, and he'll provide a jolt to N.C. State's offense.
...
College Football
College Football Countdown/Haiku Fest: Nos. 101-105 (Cal Will Still Stink; PS; Stevens)
105. TULSA
It's possible for a team to survive a 10-point-a-game decline and still have a decent season; just look at 2012 Wisconsin, which wound up winning the Big Ten and heading back to Rose Bowl despite such a drop. And teams can survive a defense allowing 10 points per game more than the previous season; Texas A&M experienced that last fall and still went 9-4.
But have both the offense and defense do that in the same year? That's courting catastrophe, which is precisely what Tulsa did a season ago.
Suddenly, those four 10-win seasons in a six-year span seem like they happened in another century. The Golden Hurricane slipped to 3-9 in 2013, turning a team that looked like a Conference USA contender in the preseason to a bunch that couldn't do much of anything to help itself.
...
...
Tulsa in haiku:
Sooners come to town
Chic upset pick other years
Not so much this time
...
