Who is Mike Cavanaugh? Meet the man tasked with fixing Syracuse football’s offensive line

[Pyle]

Wow...since you already know what is going to happen next year can you tell me the winning lottery ticket numbers too.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The wheels have literally fallen off this year. We avg less than 20 pts per game against our peers. Even Gerg knew enough to fire Pariani and Wylie.

 

[Townie72]

Pittsburgh has four new starters on the offensive line and have given up 19 sacks for 113 yards. BC also has four new starters and have given up 5 sacks for 26 yards lost. Many of the offensive line problems at Syracuse in 2019 are directly tied to coaching, whether it be Lynch or Cavanaugh. Confusion on who to block on pass rushes, blocking schemes that don't fit the plays you are trying to run. This is a serious problem that needs to be fully examined at seasons end.

I'm not sure you are right, primarily because I'm biased. I think its highly unlikely that any fan on any message board knows what is wrong and how to fix anything.

But I'll say this, this post is a model for anyone with an opinion. It posits a theory and supports it with statistics that are easy to accept. Pitt and BC are extremely similar to SU in any number of ways.

On top of this, It sounds like you know what you are taking about with your observation that this can't be fixed "on-the-fly" and needs to be addressed after the season. That's disappointing. But if you say it, its highly likely to be right.

 

[Chip]

Nebraska fans are idiots

In case anyone is tracking these things, the record should state that Clemson fans were right about Rob Spence. They were very specific, and very accurate.

It was as if they had this:

 

[P Vasiloff]

Well, Dino's job is going to be in jeopardy if they play like this again next year.

I think he needs a new & young O line coach, and I think he needs an offensive coordinator who sits upstairs so he can see the whole field.

Our defensive coaches have to re-teach the LBs and DBs to wrap up on their tackles, and not just think you can hit a guy with your shoulder pad and he's going to go down.

Foster has been doing that for three years. Go back and look at the WM game and see how he whiffed on a hit on their quarterback. Dayquil needs to for the last four games of his Syracuse career and for the first time in his Syracuse career, take a proper angle at the runner, head up and wrap up and bring runner to the ground.

 

[upperdeck]

There are plays where guys get beat because of physical mistakes, and there are plays where its all mental.. Letting guys run free is a mental thing that line coaches dont fix.. You rep things in practice, but after that the kids have to do the homework and remember it during the game.. Hand/foot tech work is on the coaches, but again players have to buy in and do the work. maybe another coach gets them to buy in more?

i highly doubt people stop buying tickets because of who the oline coach is but if being a 4 win team because of oline play maybe.. Lets see where the changes go this week.

 

[djorange1989]

In case anyone is tracking these things, the record should state that Clemson fans were right about Rob Spence. They were very specific, and very accurate.

It was as if they had this:

View attachment 172331

besides being a terrible OC, Spence creeped me out. Like, guy driving an ice cream truck looking for kids to abduct creepy

 

[JRHEETER]

Yeah, I gotta say the Oline is on coaching. All these guys are young yes, but they are all? Redshirts...they’ve been in the system. We haven’t seen any real progression.

bergeron was the the bright spot...our coaches were extremely reluctant to bring him in...

this is why people are questioning what exactly is going on...obviously we were never winning a national championship this season but if you told me before the season we would be in danger of not making a bowl, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy

Here is to it being November and a chance to rebound, win some games and prove us all wrong. Every game from here on out are games that should be for the assistants to prove that they should not be gone and that Dino should keep them.

 

[javadoc]

I'll say it again. If you think these coaches are going anywhere you are going to be sadly disappointed.

I wouldn't be surprised. But I still think that it tacitly throws the players under the bus, which will leave a bad taste in my mouth, and I hope not the team's as well.

 

[Orijinal]

Mental mistakes--penalties and missed assignments--is on coaching

Technique is on coaching

Endurance is on coaching

Physicality is on proper weight training and making sure players carry proper body weight

Maintaining blocks is partly the QB's responsibility. He needs to get rid of the ball

Therefore:
80% of what goes into making a serviceable offensive line is on coaching ...including making sure that the QB gets rid of the ball

What's happening now is not getting it done. No way should Syracuse be 100 and something in the country in sacks ...I don't care who is out there ...they are not facing unbeatable defensive units

WE HAVE AN OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AS A HEAD COACH FOR GOODNESS SAKES!!!!

All right ...sorry for the yelling. Just had to get it off my chest

And for the record ...I don't care of Cavanaugh comes back ...as long as Syracuse shows that this situation is getting rectified

 

[CuseOnly]

Yep, I haven’t been paying attention as our red shirt junior center gets blown five yards into the back field. And before you use the “he’s playing out of position excuse”, I highly doubt at 270 lbs he’d be able to block any average to above average ACC end on a consistent basis. The fact that he’s even playing center is an even bigger indictment on Cavanaugh since no other lineman got meaningful reps at the position in camp.

Part of coaching is also evaluation, and last I checked Ryan Alexander played about three games too long while a gentleman named Matthew Bergeron was sitting on the bench with much better physical ability.

Not an excuse, he really has been playing out of position since he got here.

As a tackle you dont need to be heavy, just have good hands and feet. He was heavier the past 2 years to play center and slimmed down to play tackle.

Maybe Bergeron was going to be a redshirt candidate and that is why they were holding him out?

So you didn't address the other 3 guys on the line...only 1 of which is an upper classman. How could they be better? Or is that Cavanaughs fault too or is it ok for them to be young and inexperienced?

Nothing can make underclassmen better than time, experience and game repetitions.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Not an excuse, he really has been playing out of position since he got here.

As a tackle you dont need to be heavy, just have good hands and feet. He was heavier the past 2 years to play center and slimmed down to play tackle.

Maybe Bergeron was going to be a redshirt candidate and that is why they were holding him out?

So you didn't address the other 3 guys on the line...only 1 of which is an upper classman. How could they be better? Or is that Cavanaughs fault too or is it ok for them to be young and inexperienced?

Nothing can make underclassmen better than time, experience and game repetitions.

As someone mentioned, Pitt & BC are playing 4 new OL this year. Somehow, inexperience doesn't doom them to our level of performance.

 

[dollarbill44]

Well, Dino's job is going to be in jeopardy if they play like this again next year.

I think he needs a new & young O line coach, and I think he needs an offensive coordinator who sits upstairs so he can see the whole field.

Why does he have to be young? I'd happily take a 50 or 60 year old veteran OL coach who is good at his job.
As for where the OC positions himself, it depends on where he is most effective. There are a lot of OCs/DCs in college and NFL who are on the sidelines. For example, the Patriots coordinators always seem to be on the sideline.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

I'll say it again. If you think these coaches are going anywhere you are going to be sadly disappointed.

I have been told that there will be a thorough review at the end of the season. My interpretation was that there were concerns.

 

[JKinPhilly]

As someone mentioned, Pitt & BC are playing 4 new OL this year. Somehow, inexperience doesn't doom them to our level of performance.

So then is it recruiting or coaching? Majority opinion seems to be that we aren't recruiting on par with our peers, so how can we expect the kids we do get to perform at the same level as those peers?

 

[Cuse12]

Jim Boeheim could coach my high school team that doesn’t mean we were going to states. So I feel like we do have to start putting some blame on the kids in the uniform too.

The rhetoric that coach cav is not teaching proper technique is just false. Its the players and the position switches we made (coaching takes blame here). We have now two freshmen in the lineup so that’s understandable that they will look poor at times, but it comes down to servais at C in my opinion. He is lean and meant to play outside, I truly think this switch has ruined our line. He gets demolished. And our whole plan to run off guard is ruined as well because of this.

Also, Bergeron as a Fr is a major upgrade at RT. That’s saying how poor our RT play was more then anything. I must say I am encouraged by him.

Now on to penalties... that’s just a mix of coaching and the guy on the field.

Okay sorry rant over.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I'm pretty sure Mike Cavanaugh is going to be here in 2020, and I am absolutely here for the collective board response.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Why does he have to be young? I'd happily take a 50 or 60 year old veteran OL coach who is good at his job.
As for where the OC positions himself, it depends on where he is most effective. There are a lot of OCs/DCs in college and NFL who are on the sidelines. For example, the Patriots coordinators always seem to be on the sideline.

I want somebody who the players can relate to.
I think they have tuned out some coaches this year.

 

[Cuse Town]

I'm pretty sure Mike Cavanaugh is going to be here in 2020, and I am absolutely here for the collective board response.

I anticipate he’ll be back after reading the article, hence my posts complaining. Getting it out of my system now...

 

[Chip]

besides being a terrible OC, Spence creeped me out. Like, guy driving an ice cream truck looking for kids to abduct creepy

Yeah, probably the house I just have the kids skip during trick or treating.

 

[CuseOnly]

As someone mentioned, Pitt & BC are playing 4 new OL this year. Somehow, inexperience doesn't doom them to our level of performance.

Look at their offenses...both run meathead schemes for the most part.

Also, I would bet that every one of those underclass linemen they are both starting is higher rated than every kid we have.

 

[SkyTopBus44]

Rob Spence - Football Coach - Georgetown University Athletics

Spence's All-Patriot League Honors Joshua Stakely 2023 2nd Team Jimmy Kibble 2023 2nd Team Nicholas Dunneman 2023

guhoyas.com

WOW

 

[Pyle]

Also, I would bet that every one of those underclass linemen they are both starting is higher rated than every kid we have.

If true, that's on the coaches, and a major part of what we are complaining about. So either we can't coach the kids up that we recruit or we don't recruit kids good enough to coach up. Got it. Not ok with it.

 

[Pyle]

I'm pretty sure Mike Cavanaugh is going to be here in 2020, and I am absolutely here for the collective board response.

Apathy. After this season it will be very difficult to have high expectations next year. Low expectations = low energy when not winning. I didn't complain much during Grob's 4th year. Only his 3rd, when everyone told me he just needed time to get his own players and coach them up lol. You don't get pasted at home by Akron 2007 if you are a decent coach, by the same measure, good coaches shouldn't have OLs ranked in the bottom 5 of all FBS teams.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Apathy. After this season it will be very difficult to have high expectations next year. Low expectations = low energy when not winning. I didn't complain much during Grob's 4th year. Only his 3rd, when everyone told me he just needed time to get his own players and coach them up lol. You don't get pasted at home by Akron 2007 if you are a decent coach, by the same measure, good coaches shouldn't have OLs ranked in the bottom 5 of all FBS teams.

The football boards not going to be apathetic if the staff (and ESPECIALLY Cavanaugh) are retained following this season.

 

[Pyle]

The football boards not going to be apathetic if the staff (and ESPECIALLY Cavanaugh) are retained following this season.

Well if nothing changes, then we should expect similar results. Expecting anything different in an exercise in futility. One that I have engaged in for decades but no more. I actually went to Wegmans during the 3rd quarter of that FSU pasting, no not for more beer and snacks, but milk, bread, dog and cat food, coffee, etc. I just didn't care. I assume next year will be a similar feeling if Dino pulls a P.