Why all the doom and gloom?

[dinosaurbbq]

What is with all the doom and gloom? Guys, look at it this way.

1. Prior to the play calling change, most of this board's posters, including me, believed that changing play callers from McDonald to Lester would help this team dramatically. McDonald was just making inexperienced and illogical choices like subbing in a fresh RB and WR every down, putting particular players in positions in which they are unlikely to succeed (screens to Custis instead of seem routes, short yardage plays for PTG, running AAM to the outside on a sweep while inside his own endzone), and not preparing an effective offensive game plan. I am expecting Lester to not do those things. That alone puts this team in a much better position to move the ball and score points.

2. Prior to getting injured, Hunt proved incapable of throwing accurate passes and seemed to me at least worse at it than any college QB I think I've ever seen. That skill is darn near fatal to an offense moving the ball and scoring points (I know I know 600 yards of offense against Maryland all between the 20s). Wilson has gained a reputation for being a much more accurate passer and having a much better arm, although I personally can't attest to it. There is no doubt that Hunt's ability to run the ball helped us escape sacks and added a dimension for opposing teams to gameplan for. That is typically most important when a team doesn't otherwise possess a viable running game. We have the tools to have a great running game between our OLine and our RBs thereby obviating the need and the benefit of a running QB. I think our RB will be more effective at running the ball than Hunt was, provided they are put in better positions to succeed due to better play calling tailored to their skills and that our rushing average will actually get better without Hunt. I think Wilson will be more effective at passing the ball than Hunt was. Despite the drops, I have liked what I saw from our WR as they've been getting open much better. I think if appropriate passing plays are called that accentuate our WR and QB's strengths, our passing game will improve dramatically. More important yet, I think we will score more points offensively. Our personnel isn't worse than our competitors (Not FSU obviously but all of our other remaining opponents this year besides Clemson).

Moving forward from this exact moment in time, I think our team is in a better position to win games than it has been. So many on here were calling for a different QB and a different OC. We got what we wanted. Keep it together. We are very unlikely to beat FSU or Clemson, but those games were already written off by almost everyone on here. We are in no worse position now to beat Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, Pitt and BC. We aren't going to win 8 games this year and probably won't win 7, but we have a serious shot at 6 wins still and a bowl game. Sure, we've taken a step backward from what most of us expected, but HCSS has taken a decisive step, with the help of Hunt's injury, in addressing those shortcomings that prevented us from being more competitive against Maryland and Louisville.

 

[Rocco]

I don't think any of the diehards on this board (which I consider us all to be) have abandoned Syracuse, nor am I implying that's what you meant. We will all still cheer like lunatics for Syracuse Football.

The issue is that we thought we were on a higher trajectory and this season has been worse than even our worst projections. Disappointment typically leads to hysteria, which is what is happening right now IMO.

We need wins. Wins will cure most of the bitching.

 

[NineOneSeven]

It's the way it all went down, as well.

That being said, I'll be shocked, yet pleasantly surprised, if we get to 6 wins. We just aren't good. Perhaps we can be average by the end of the year. It's that simple, imo. Luckily, 6 wins (which I'll call average) somehow gets teams into bowl games.

 

[RF2044]

I'm going to root for the team, win or lose, every game.

But for me, a huge part of my disappointment stems from the recognition that we're not going to get to 6 wins in all likelihood [forget about 7-8 that many were confidently predicting], that we're not going to make a bowl, and that things seem to be in such disarray.

 

[HtownOrange]

I don't think any of the diehards on this board (which I consider us all to be) have abandoned Syracuse, nor am I implying that's what you meant. We will all still cheer like lunatics for Syracuse Football.

The issue is that we thought we were on a higher trajectory and this season has been worse than even our worst projections. Disappointment typically leads to hysteria, which is what is happening right now IMO.

We need wins. Wins will cure most of the bitching.

You are right, winning cures many ills. HCSS pulled the trigger and demoted GMD. He has already proven he will make tough calls when necessary. If Lester works out, we have our OC next year, if not, HCSS finds us a new one. That alone is getting back on track, he had to admit we were going in the wrong direction and make a change. Step one to recovery.

Our players match up well with every team on our slate not named FSU or Clemson so 4-5 wins is not improbable. If Lester has mediocre to good play calling skills, we should win 4 games. If he is good to very good, 5 is realistic with a chance at causing Clemson a headache. If he is great, and FSU is looking ahead (easy to do with our turmoil) Syracuse could catch FSU napping, at least for 2-3 quarters.

 

[storange]

Neraska 84
FSU 2014

 

[Crusty]

All I can say is that many on the board got what they have wanted for months. - a new OC and a new QB. Personally, I was very disappointed in Hunt as he did not improve from last season - in fact, I think he went backwards. As for Lester, I think he is going to be a place holder for Bill Cubit. Not rooting against him, but I think that is what Shafer has wanted for a long time and he won't pass up the chance.

I also think there is a good chance that Hunt's QB career at SU has seen its last snap.

 

[SoBristol]

Doom & gloom -- facing FSU with a big question mark at QB, and some key pieces out (Hunt, Broyld, Estime, Foy).

After FSU, a whole lot depends on what we actually have at QB. We have some kids who should be better in the second half of the season (Avant, Parris, Custis & Ishmael); and some others (Morris & McFarlane) who can be used better if Lester adjusts the offense. But we need a near miracle at QB.

I am not with the crowd who feels the lose of Hunt is an upgrade. With him, we had a chance to reach 6 wins. Without -- hope for that miracle.
I

 

[OttoMets]

All I can say is that many on the board got what they have wanted for months. - a new OC and a new QB. Personally, I was very disappointed in Hunt as he did not improve from last season - in fact, I think he went backwards. As for Lester, I think he is going to be a place holder for Bill Cubit. Not rooting against him, but I think that is what Shafer has wanted for a long time and he won't pass up the chance.

I also think there is a good chance that Hunt's QB career at SU has seen its last snap.

The Cubit thing is interesting. I suppose it depends to some extent on Lester's success during the second half of the year.

Another consideration is Shafer's budget. I don't know much about Cubit, but it'd be surprising if the football program got the green light to pay real money for a coordinator (as a result of the financial situation rather than some institutional unwillingness to spend on football). The Chancellor's first, second, and third priorities are to reduce the deficit and pay down debt; the financial situation was way worse than has been revealed.

 

[OttoMets]

...

I am not with the crowd who feels the lose of Hunt is an upgrade. With him, we had a chance to reach 6 wins. Without -- hope for that miracle.
I

Agree. I'm excited to see a change on Saturday, but I believe Hunt, for all his difficulties, offers the most realistic chance to beat our peer schools.

 

[OrangeViking]

I don't think any of the diehards on this board (which I consider us all to be) have abandoned Syracuse, nor am I implying that's what you meant. We will all still cheer like lunatics for Syracuse Football.

The issue is that we thought we were on a higher trajectory and this season has been worse than even our worst projections. Disappointment typically leads to hysteria, which is what is happening right now IMO.

We need wins. Wins will cure most of the bitching.

Key word highlighted

 

[Pyle]

The Cubit thing is interesting. I suppose it depends to some extent on Lester's success during the second half of the year.

Another consideration is Shafer's budget. I don't know much about Cubit, but it'd be surprising if the football program got the green light to pay real money for a coordinator (as a result of the financial situation rather than some institutional unwillingness to spend on football). The Chancellor's first, second, and third priorities are to reduce the deficit and pay down debt; the financial situation was way worse than has been revealed.

Seriously? I thought Cantor's one real claim to fame was increasing the endowment to 1 billion? That doesn't really jive with deficit and debt does it?

 

[OttoMets]

Seriously? I thought Cantor's one real claim to fame was increasing the endowment to 1 billion? That doesn't really jive with deficit and debt does it?

She raised a billion and stabilized the endowment (which did hit a billion during her tenure, only to lose almost a third of its value after the crash). She also spent like crazy; there's a ton of money going to debt service the school, like its athletic department, operated in the red in recent years.

Syverud is under orders to bring things under control immediately. It's a really bad time to need any extra expenditures in the football program. Hopefully Shafer doesn't find the need to do so.

 

[Cuseregular]

What is with all the doom and gloom? Guys, look at it this way.

1. Prior to the play calling change, most of this board's posters, including me, believed that changing play callers from McDonald to Lester would help this team dramatically. McDonald was just making inexperienced and illogical choices like subbing in a fresh RB and WR every down, putting particular players in positions in which they are unlikely to succeed (screens to Custis instead of seem routes, short yardage plays for PTG, running AAM to the outside on a sweep while inside his own endzone), and not preparing an effective offensive game plan. I am expecting Lester to not do those things. That alone puts this team in a much better position to move the ball and score points.

2. Prior to getting injured, Hunt proved incapable of throwing accurate passes and seemed to me at least worse at it than any college QB I think I've ever seen. That skill is darn near fatal to an offense moving the ball and scoring points (I know I know 600 yards of offense against Maryland all between the 20s). Wilson has gained a reputation for being a much more accurate passer and having a much better arm, although I personally can't attest to it. There is no doubt that Hunt's ability to run the ball helped us escape sacks and added a dimension for opposing teams to gameplan for. That is typically most important when a team doesn't otherwise possess a viable running game. We have the tools to have a great running game between our OLine and our RBs thereby obviating the need and the benefit of a running QB. I think our RB will be more effective at running the ball than Hunt was, provided they are put in better positions to succeed due to better play calling tailored to their skills and that our rushing average will actually get better without Hunt. I think Wilson will be more effective at passing the ball than Hunt was. Despite the drops, I have liked what I saw from our WR as they've been getting open much better. I think if appropriate passing plays are called that accentuate our WR and QB's strengths, our passing game will improve dramatically. More important yet, I think we will score more points offensively. Our personnel isn't worse than our competitors (Not FSU obviously but all of our other remaining opponents this year besides Clemson).

Moving forward from this exact moment in time, I think our team is in a better position to win games than it has been. So many on here were calling for a different QB and a different OC. We got what we wanted. Keep it together. We are very unlikely to beat FSU or Clemson, but those games were already written off by almost everyone on here. We are in no worse position now to beat Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, Pitt and BC. We aren't going to win 8 games this year and probably won't win 7, but we have a serious shot at 6 wins still and a bowl game. Sure, we've taken a step backward from what most of us expected, but HCSS has taken a decisive step, with the help of Hunt's injury, in addressing those shortcomings that prevented us from being more competitive against Maryland and Louisville.

good post. I for one am feeling energized as a fan. And as a former player as I think that experience give one a nuanced and even an insider view of how to look at things even if that "inside" view is from the "outside", but based on similar experience.

Or put differently I knew in my own head that if things haven't shaked out the way they have there would have been zero chance of competing with let alone beating FSU. Just wasn't happening due the reasons you point out in your post, to the point where I was seriously debating whether to even go in after the tailgate.

Now with the changes I'm not going to go as far as saying that situation is no longer the case (competing and/or beating), but I can say assuredly that I know longer "know" what to expect. The unknown is tantalizing as I think there's a better chance to at least compete for a while with FSU the result of the changes and the team banding together and hopefully circling the wagons so to speak.

We know and knew what the ceiling was with Hunt and McFit and that ceiling turned out to not even be as high as last year (with respect to competing and sometimes winning with our peer level teams). Now in all fairness with a couple of wrong bounces and breaks the other way last year the ending to the season and whether it was considered a success or not was very tenuous and could have gone in the opposite direction.

But that said it just feels completely different so far this year in a bad way and direction with a serious reversal of fortune both real and imagined.

This way now we can (delusionally?) hope, but hope nonetheless at least today at this moment in time that there can be a new direction and hold out the hope that with this year and next Shafer can be the guy to get this program back into the top 25. The precipice spoken of is hanging in the balance, not that we're going to go back down to bottom 10 status but rather that we'll fall off the precipice of being so close getting back into that top 25 discussion.

Clearly it wasn't going to happen with the status quo and now the question, the unknown question soon to be known, is will the trajectory toward that end now be returned to. This week is a wash but enough will be seen to know, and it will lead us to knowing the following week vs Wake if the hope is justified with the proverbial light at the of the tunnel shining bright or, rather, if that light is an oncoming train.

This will be the crucial and pivotal two weeks for Shafer I think where we'll get enough clues and we'll one day look back on with respect to how his tenure will likely play out. Ending with defeat after year three (which he'll get regardless) getting let go because of continued failures, or rather, showing enough progress to play out til at least the end of his contract if not beyond.

I for one am very much looking forward to the next two weeks. Being an SU fan is real hard sometimes trying to keep the proverbial faith after all these years, but keeping on keeping on is what we do here. So I'll be in that Dome hoping, once again, for the best to get this program back to it's rightful place.

 

[Millhouse]

good post. I for one am feeling energized as a fan. And as a former player as I think that experience give one a nuanced and even an insider view of how to look at things even if that "inside" view is from the "outside", but based on similar experience.

Or put differently I knew in my own head that if things haven't shaked out the way they have there would have been zero chance of competing with let alone beating FSU. Just wasn't happening due the reasons you point out in your post, to the point where I was seriously debating whether to even go in after the tailgate.

Now with the changes I'm not going to go as far as saying that situation is no longer the case (competing and/or beating), but I can say assuredly that I know longer "know" what to expect. The unknown is tantalizing as I think there's a better chance to at least compete for a while with FSU the result of the changes and the team banding together and hopefully circling the wagons so to speak.

We know and knew what the ceiling was with Hunt and McFit and that ceiling turned out to not even be as high as last year (with respect to competing and sometimes winning with our peer level teams). Now in all fairness with a couple of wrong bounces and breaks the other way last year the ending to the season and whether it was considered a success or not was very tenuous and could have gone in the opposite direction.

But that said it just feels completely different so far this year in a bad way and direction with a serious reversal of fortune both real and imagined.

This way now we can (delusionally?) hope, but hope nonetheless that there can be a new direction and hold out the hope that with this year and next Shafer can be the guy to get this program back into the top 25. The precipice spoken of is hanging in the balance, not that we're going to go back down to bottom 10 status but rather that we'll fall off the precipice of being so close getting back into that top 25 discussion.

Clearly it wasn't going to happen with the status quo and now the question, the unknown question soon to be known, is will the trajectory toward that end now be returned to. This week is a wash but enough will be seen to know, and it will lead us to knowing the following week vs Wake if the hope is justified with the proverbial light at then of the tunnel or, rather, if that light is an oncoming train.

This will be the crucial and pivotal two weeks for Shafer I think where we'll get enough clues and we'll one day look back on with respect to how his tenure will likely end. With defeat after year three (which he'll get regardless) getting let go because of continued failures, or rather, showing enough progress to play out the end of his contract.

I for one am very much looking forward to the next two weeks. Being an SU fan is real hard sometimes trying to keep the proverbial faith after all these years, but keeping on keeping on is what we do here. So I'll be in that Dome hoping, once again, for the best to get this program back to it's rightful place.

mcfit sounds like a mcdonalds veggie burger

 

[Crusty]

Doom & gloom -- facing FSU with a big question mark at QB, and some key pieces out (Hunt, Broyld, Estime, Foy).

After FSU, a whole lot depends on what we actually have at QB. We have some kids who should be better in the second half of the season (Avant, Parris, Custis & Ishmael); and some others (Morris & McFarlane) who can be used better if Lester adjusts the offense. But we need a near miracle at QB.

I am not with the crowd who feels the lose of Hunt is an upgrade. With him, we had a chance to reach 6 wins. Without -- hope for that miracle.
I

I would guess the miracle would be Long. All the others will take time. Long might be a surprise. Let's hope.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

All I can say is that many on the board got what they have wanted for months. - a new OC and a new QB. Personally, I was very disappointed in Hunt as he did not improve from last season - in fact, I think he went backwards. As for Lester, I think he is going to be a place holder for Bill Cubit. Not rooting against him, but I think that is what Shafer has wanted for a long time and he won't pass up the chance.

I also think there is a good chance that Hunt's QB career at SU has seen its last snap.

I agree with all of this.

 

[Cuseregular]

mcfit sounds like a mcdonalds veggie burger

here it is, I found it...

 

[djorange1989]

The one big change from last year to this year was the offensive system. The offense was pretty brutal for most of last season, but that brutal offense(and of course our defense) kept us in enough games to go 6-6. Hunt couldn't throw a TD pass last year, and he couldn't this year either. We know how to run the ball. Do that. Use the TEs as they should be used, tighten up the RB rotation, keep the passing game conservative and safe. At least that will give us a chance. GMACs biggest mistake was trying to fit square peg in round hole with the uptempo quick offense. We don't have the personnel for it, and it puts our defense on the field too long. Ball control football. Won't work against FSU and Clemson, may not work against Duke, but it can work against NC State, BC, Wake and Pitt.

 

[anomander]

What is with all the doom and gloom? Guys, look at it this way.

1. Prior to the play calling change, most of this board's posters, including me, believed that changing play callers from McDonald to Lester would help this team dramatically. McDonald was just making inexperienced and illogical choices like subbing in a fresh RB and WR every down, putting particular players in positions in which they are unlikely to succeed (screens to Custis instead of seem routes, short yardage plays for PTG, running AAM to the outside on a sweep while inside his own endzone), and not preparing an effective offensive game plan. I am expecting Lester to not do those things. That alone puts this team in a much better position to move the ball and score points.

2. Prior to getting injured, Hunt proved incapable of throwing accurate passes and seemed to me at least worse at it than any college QB I think I've ever seen. That skill is darn near fatal to an offense moving the ball and scoring points (I know I know 600 yards of offense against Maryland all between the 20s). Wilson has gained a reputation for being a much more accurate passer and having a much better arm, although I personally can't attest to it. There is no doubt that Hunt's ability to run the ball helped us escape sacks and added a dimension for opposing teams to gameplan for. That is typically most important when a team doesn't otherwise possess a viable running game. We have the tools to have a great running game between our OLine and our RBs thereby obviating the need and the benefit of a running QB. I think our RB will be more effective at running the ball than Hunt was, provided they are put in better positions to succeed due to better play calling tailored to their skills and that our rushing average will actually get better without Hunt. I think Wilson will be more effective at passing the ball than Hunt was. Despite the drops, I have liked what I saw from our WR as they've been getting open much better. I think if appropriate passing plays are called that accentuate our WR and QB's strengths, our passing game will improve dramatically. More important yet, I think we will score more points offensively. Our personnel isn't worse than our competitors (Not FSU obviously but all of our other remaining opponents this year besides Clemson).

Moving forward from this exact moment in time, I think our team is in a better position to win games than it has been. So many on here were calling for a different QB and a different OC. We got what we wanted. Keep it together. We are very unlikely to beat FSU or Clemson, but those games were already written off by almost everyone on here. We are in no worse position now to beat Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, Pitt and BC. We aren't going to win 8 games this year and probably won't win 7, but we have a serious shot at 6 wins still and a bowl game. Sure, we've taken a step backward from what most of us expected, but HCSS has taken a decisive step, with the help of Hunt's injury, in addressing those shortcomings that prevented us from being more competitive against Maryland and Louisville.

So let me get this straight.

1. We were better off making an extremely sloppy in-season offensive coordinator change.

2. We were better off that our starting quarterback is out for the year and we are going to be playing 3 Freshman quarterbacks.

But we are in a BETTER position to win games? Ok got it.

 

[anomander]

The one big change from last year to this year was the offensive system. The offense was pretty brutal for most of last season, but that brutal offense(and of course our defense) kept us in enough games to go 6-6. Hunt couldn't throw a TD pass last year, and he couldn't this year either. We know how to run the ball. Do that. Use the TEs as they should be used, tighten up the RB rotation, keep the passing game conservative and safe. At least that will give us a chance. GMACs biggest mistake was trying to fit square peg in round hole with the uptempo quick offense. We don't have the personnel for it, and it puts our defense on the field too long. Ball control football. Won't work against FSU and Clemson, may not work against Duke, but it can work against NC State, BC, Wake and Pitt.

Exactly. We seemed to abandon the run for the most part. I swore we ran many more power sets last season?

 

[Cuseregular]

So let me get this straight.

1. We were better off making an extremely sloppy in-season offensive coordinator change.

2. We were better off that our starting quarterback is out for the year and we are going to be playing 3 Freshman quarterbacks.

But we are in a BETTER position to win games? Ok got it.

that's the hope clearly. But ONLY if they take the approach that djorange89 makes note of along with more tailored running plays for the Long the qb, who also should have the green light to create and thereby creating time to throw and get something out of what look like nothing on broken plays.

If they cont. on with the same O approach/philosophy continuing to try and fit the square pegs in the round holes, then no we're not in a better position to win games. If and until the square pegs are recruited/return from injury to fit the squares holes then the futility will continue. It's not as hard as some think to institute some new looks on O given the circumstances now.

Is it the answer for long term success? No, but may be the answer short term to try and salvage something out of the season.

 

[Millhouse]

So let me get this straight.

1. We were better off making an extremely sloppy in-season offensive coordinator change.

2. We were better off that our starting quarterback is out for the year and we are going to be playing 3 Freshman quarterbacks.

But we are in a BETTER position to win games? Ok got it.

1. Yes
2. No

 

[Cuseregular]

1. Yes
2. No

corrected:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe, hopefully, might be, could be, possible, not out of the realm of reality, hey you never know....