When do we get a plausible explanation?

[Townie72]

Back when things started to go south for the Orange and Paul P. was coach, he was asked by the press, "What happened?"

Pasqualoni told the reporter, "I have absolutely no idea."

I can remember shaking my head and saying, "P, that is the wrong answer to give."

This had to be a completely candid and honest answer from Pasqualoni. In fact, all the reasons and factors for the quick decline might even have been unknowable. But that doesn't matter. Because as the one responsible you just cannot admit to that. You are paid to know the answer to that AND you had better come up with a plausible strategy for fixing it.

It may be unfair, but that's the way the world works.

It's premature right now because the season isn't over. Who knows, we might yet see a remarkable turnaround.

But, if it continues along its current path, Dino is going to have to come up with the answers to two questions:

1. What happened?
2. What are you going to do to fix it?

We are just about beyond "Faith without evidence.)

And this might be extremely difficult and even painful to do. He has to walk the line between being brutally frank and demotivating people he needs to depend on in the future.

He needs to do this for the fans, the press, the team and any recruits on the horizon.

He's very good at diverting direct questions, sometimes by moving things onto a higher intellectual plane. (As in "I don't think about it that way …" And because people genuinely like the guy, they frequently allow him to float above the fray. I know I do.

I hope he does know what the problems are and that he can come up with a plan to fix them.

I hope he doesn't fall victim to the do things just to show he is doing things (Like fire all the Assistants). Although the temptation and pressure to do this is going to be tremendous. That's not to say that some, much or all of this spectacular failure isn't the fault of the coaches. Just that if you don't know it is, then don't start firing people just to show you are doing something.

I'm sure he knows this and I'd be willing to bet Wildhack does. I sure am curious as to how we got to where we are and what the plan is for fixing it.

 

[DocFlanders]

Better players generally equal better results. For a myriad of reasons Syracuse will never recruit elite players. To avoid complete frustration one must accept 500 as our average baseline.

 

[Chip]

Dino has run out of anecdotes from his bag of...anecdotes. He tried again in the post game presser, I had to stop listening halfway through. I’m honestly starting to wonder if even the team has tuned it out.

I don’t know how he fixes this, our current recruiting class is near the bottom.

Maybe we’re just a program that plays better with a chip on its shoulder and next year will be better based on that. I’ve got nothing else. This looks like a bigger rebuild than any of us could have imagined.

I’m glad I enjoyed every minute of last year.

 

[dasher]

Better players generally equal better results. For a myriad of reasons Syracuse will never recruit elite players. To avoid complete frustration one must accept 500 as our average baseline.

Fine. But that is not where we are at. We are dreadful. That isn't .500 Right now, this instance, I can't say for sure that we are better off than when Dino took over. We had the 10 win season. And that was wonderful. But it is such a outlier.

 

[orlandoorange]

We didnt have tape

 

[Scooch]

Dino has run out of anecdotes from his bag of...anecdotes. He tried again in the post game presser, I had to stop listening halfway through. I’m honestly starting to wonder if even the team has tuned it out.

I don’t know how he fixes this, our current recruiting class is near the bottom.

Maybe we’re just a program that plays better with a chip on its shoulder and next year will be better based on that. I’ve got nothing else. This looks like a bigger rebuild than any of us could have imagined.

I’m glad I enjoyed every minute of last year.

Yeah, I decided relatively last minute to attend the bowl game, and I’m really glad I did, because it may be the last one for another few years.

I still can’t believe that this has happened in year 4 of Dino’s tenure. It’s inexcusable to be this pathetic. It’s such a damn shame since the community really showed up this year. And now, poof, they’ll be gone again, and no one here better blame them.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Yeah, I decided relatively last minute to attend the bowl game, and I’m really glad I did, because it may be the last one for another few years.

I still can’t believe that this has happened in year 4 of Dino’s tenure. It’s inexcusable to be this pathetic. It’s such a damn shame since the community really showed up this year. And now, poof, they’ll be gone again, and no one here better blame them.

Oh they will. Attendance this year was spectacular up to this point.

 

[cuseguy]

I wrote a letter to Coach P after he was fired. I had developed a casual friendship with him while I was a sportswriter in Connecticut He wrote back and said, well, things probably would have been different with the addition of a few players and a (better) quarterback.

That was his honest opinion.

 

[DocFlanders]

Maybe give Chris Ash a call?

 

[Scooch]

Oh they will. Attendance this year was spectacular up to this point.

The upside is that this year proved that, if we put a good team on the field, the community will step up and buy tickets.

But if I see Dino looking around at a half empty Dome before kickoffs next year, with some disapproving look on his face, I’m going to lose it. He blew it big time this season. I can barely express how bigly he blew it

 

[Dick_in_MI]

Remember when P's record started to flatten out and many said "it's not that we lost, rather it is HOW we lost"?

It is starting to feel a lot like that.

 

[Eric15]

Back when things started to go south for the Orange and Paul P. was coach, he was asked by the press, "What happened?"

Pasqualoni told the reporter, "I have absolutely no idea."

I can remember shaking my head and saying, "P, that is the wrong answer to give."

This had to be a completely candid and honest answer from Pasqualoni. In fact, all the reasons and factors for the quick decline might even have been unknowable. But that doesn't matter. Because as the one responsible you just cannot admit to that. You are paid to know the answer to that AND you had better come up with a plausible strategy for fixing it.

It may be unfair, but that's the way the world works.

It's premature right now because the season isn't over. Who knows, we might yet see a remarkable turnaround.

But, if it continues along its current path, Dino is going to have to come up with the answers to two questions:

1. What happened?
2. What are you going to do to fix it?

We are just about beyond "Faith without evidence.)

And this might be extremely difficult and even painful to do. He has to walk the line between being brutally frank and demotivating people he needs to depend on in the future.

He needs to do this for the fans, the press, the team and any recruits on the horizon.

He's very good at diverting direct questions, sometimes by moving things onto a higher intellectual plane. (As in "I don't think about it that way …" And because people genuinely like the guy, they frequently allow him to float above the fray. I know I do.

I hope he does know what the problems are and that he can come up with a plan to fix them.

I hope he doesn't fall victim to the do things just to show he is doing things (Like fire all the Assistants). Although the temptation and pressure to do this is going to be tremendous. That's not to say that some, much or all of this spectacular failure isn't the fault of the coaches. Just that if you don't know it is, then don't start firing people just to show you are doing something.

I'm sure he knows this and I'd be willing to bet Wildhack does. I sure am curious as to how we got to where we are and what the plan is for fixing it.

Townie this was a great post but I'll be honest I wasn't expecting this from you. I would have predicted something more along the lines of "shut up, drama queens! stop acting entitled!"

 

[AZOrange]

At some point (maybe soon) you have to question Babers future here.

 

[Scooch]

At some point (maybe soon) you have to question Babers future here.

Next season is pretty critical. It’s year 5. Some people will make lots of excuses, but he has to win at least 7 games. There is no “rebuild” when you’re in year 5, he owns this mess.

 

[Townie72]

Townie this was a great post but I'll be honest I wasn't expecting this from you. I would have predicted something more along the lines of "shut up, drama queens! stop acting entitled!"

Well there are a lot of drama queens on here with inflated senses of entitlement (mostly on the basketball side.)

But this isn't about that. This is about two things.

First, this needs to be done for many reasons. This is about the health of the program.

Second, I'm curious myself. How could things go so bad so quickly and so completely.

There's a post above that says, "we need better players." Well every team needs better players. But I'm pretty sure our players are equal to Pitt and BC. We better hope that isn't the core problem, because that takes a lot of time to fix.

 

[phil77]

My biggest question to Dino and the major issue with the team IMO is why is Taj still playing? He had 3 emotional outbursts directed at another player on the team 3 weeks in a row. Down big today he drew a PI on a ball he didn't catch and jumped up and celebrated while we are down huge... What kind of coach lets that slide and then continues to play the kid?? The entire team plays like that.

 

[Scooch]

Well there are a lot of drama queens on here with inflated senses of entitlement (mostly on the basketball side.)

But this isn't about that. This is about two things.

First, this needs to be done for many reasons. This is about the health of the program.

Second, I'm curious myself. How could things go so bad so quickly and so completely.

There's a post above that says, "we need better players." Well every team needs better players. But I'm pretty sure our players are equal to Pitt and BC. We better hope that isn't the core problem, because that takes a lot of time to fix.

Yeah, we returned a LOT of players who were a meaningful part of a 10 win team last year... and most of them have stunk this year. That suggests to me that (a) the coaches failed them and (b) they failed themselves.

Unfortunately, our recruiting hasn’t been good. People love to chirp that stars don’t mean anything, and I know they’re not the be all, end all. But when your class is consistently ranked at the bottom of the conference, then it’s fair to say it’s not near good enough.

Maybe we need to play faster and looser with the rules. It tends to help. Who knows.

 

[cuseguy]

Well there are a lot of drama queens on here with inflated senses of entitlement (mostly on the basketball side.)

But this isn't about that. This is about two things.

First, this needs to be done for many reasons. This is about the health of the program.

Second, I'm curious myself. How could things go so bad so quickly and so completely.

There's a post above that says, "we need better players." Well every team needs better players. But I'm pretty sure our players are equal to Pitt and BC. We better hope that isn't the core problem, because that takes a lot of time to fix.

I’m starting to think talent might be part of the problem. If it’s not, then it’s coaching.

 

[cuseguy]

Next season is pretty critical. It’s year 5. Some people will make lots of excuses, but he has to win at least 7 games. There is no “rebuild” when you’re in year 5, he owns this mess.

I don’t see how they win 7 games next year. Not after what I’ve seen this year.

 

[DocFlanders]

I’m starting to think talent might be part of the problem. If it’s not, then it’s coaching.

Well you have both bases covered there

 

[CousCuse]

Cusian should be able to come up with some plausible theories, he is always adept at debunking my observations.

 

[Cuse'91]

My biggest question to Dino and the major issue with the team IMO is why is Taj still playing? He had 3 emotional outbursts directed at another player on the team 3 weeks in a row. Down big today he drew a PI on a ball he didn't catch and jumped up and celebrated while we are down huge... What kind of coach lets that slide and then continues to play the kid?? The entire team plays like that.

Pretty sure I didn't see Taj anywhere near Triston after that 1st touchdown; think there is serious bad chemistry between those two...

 

[NineOneSeven]

Cusian should be able to come up with some plausible theories, he is always adept at debunking my observations.

Maybe the only like you’ll ever get from me.

Couldn’t pass the chance to push a couscuse vs cusian debate

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I don’t see how they win 7 games next year. Not after what I’ve seen this year.

We have as light an OOC schedule as can be. That will help.

 

[CousCuse]

Maybe the only like you’ll ever get from me.

Couldn’t pass the chance to push a couscuse vs cusian debate

Honestly don't want to have a go with him right now. I think all real fans are pretty down with the current situation. I don't know that anyone has any positive spin for it.