Why I’m Feeling Positive

[bothsocksup]

THIS^^^^ And seriously the negativity is waring on me. Today was one game. One week of Rickie starting and playing the whole game and you all fall apart, but as AZ has pointed out, the players aren't defeated and folding.
Oh and we could be Clemson, so there is that.

Agreed this board is psychotic after a loss

 

[steve deberg]

All due respect to the original poster this has nothing to do with you and more so a pet peeve of mine, but I hate when the “If I told you this was our record at this point before the season we’d all be happy” take. Context matters, if I told you the context of us being 3-2, as in we were 3-1 and beat Clemson in death valley but Steve Angeli tore his achilles in that game and our offense put up 7 points total after that and then next time out against Duke at home we had a total of 3 points on the worst defense we’ll see the rest of the year and got flat out boat raced, I think the feeling changes.

This is a fair point. Allow me to attempt to put some positive spin on it.

Steve Angeli cemented himself as a high end QB who is capable of running Jeff Nixon’s offence and putting up McCord like numbers. His injury happened within the first four games, so there is a chance he gets approved for a medical waiver, and makes it back in time to start next season with two years of eligibility remaining.

We now have seven games to try to win three games (including home games against a bad Boston College and a worse North Carolina), to make bowl eligibility and keep Fran’s program momentum going.

2026 and 2027 are looking like they have the potential to be special years.

 

[kcsu]

• We are 3-2. In August, most on this board would have been very happy with 3-2. We would have assumed it meant we beat Duke and lost to Tennessee and Clemson, but we are still on the pace that many would have deemed a "good start."
• Rickie didn’t look great today, but there is a bigdifference between coaching players up based on their practice film and based on their game film. After SMU we have a bye, so the coaches will have two games worth of tape (and Rickie two starts worth of experience) to educate and develop off of.
  • The arm talent is clearly there. I expect Rickie to look better next week, and much better the rest of the way following the bye.
• We are playing (and getting production out of) a ton of True and Redshirt Freshman.
  • Jaylen Hornsby, Emmanuel Ross, Darien Williams, Demetres Samuels, Davien Kerr, Antoine Deslauriers, Kaylib Singleton, Jamie Tremble, Byron Washington (and I’m sure there are a few others I am missing).
  • These players typically make a much bigger jump in-season than an upperclassman will (whose growth is usually more about changing their body in the offseason).
• Unlike this board, Fran has the players locked in and believing in themselves. They aren’t going to stop fighting, and will leave this game behind them - on to the next one.
• We beat Clemson, but lost to Duke. Virginia beat #8 FSU, but lost to NC State who lost to Duke. Georgia Tech needed OT to beat Wake (who went for two on their first OT possession and didn’t get it). Point is, transitive property doesn’t mean anything, and we can win any game left on the schedule.
  • 6-8 wins is still on the table. We will go bowling.
• Recruits are excited about Syracuse football because of Fran Brown - who he is as a man, how he can develop them and prepare them for life, and what he is building here. They aren’t excited about Syracuse because of the product we have on the field today.
  • Meaning, they aren't going to be decomitting because of a bad loss. Fran is telling them he needs them and they will play early. Games like today confirm that to them.
• The sky remains where it was when we woke up this morning.
• Now (not that anyone in the world cares) I will be avoiding the board, and the ever so predictable negativity that follows a bad loss, until later next week. I suggest some of you do the same.

Go Cuse!

Thank you. Great post

 

[FrancoPizza]

Agreed this board is psychotic after a loss

It’s psychotic because we care. When we stop caring…

 

[Scooch]

THIS^^^^ And seriously the negativity is waring on me. Today was one game. One week of Rickie starting and playing the whole game and you all fall apart, but as AZ has pointed out, the players aren't defeated and folding.
Oh and we could be Clemson, so there is that.

Meh, I don't see people "falling apart". Mostly the board is full of takes that Collins and the defense played terribly. Both are objectively true.

No one's screaming for Fran's head, which is where 90% of SU football seasons have gone after a few weeks for the past 25 years.

We've all seen real "negativity" on this site. The past 24 hours are a ripple compared to that.

 

[Scooch]

We now have seven games to try to win three games (including home games against a bad Boston College and a worse North Carolina), to make bowl eligibility and keep Fran’s program momentum going.

2026 and 2027 are looking like they have the potential to be special years.

To me, this has always been the real objective of this season. Win 6, make a crummy bowl, keep recruiting, prepare for a much, much better 2026.

I've never bought any of the takes here that we can win 8+. Schedule is too challenging for that. We're playing too many decent-to-good teams on the road.

It'll be a LOT more difficult to get 6 without Angeli, but it's still possible if the coaches are as good as everyone says they are.

 

[llandz]

Meh, I don't see people "falling apart". Mostly the board is full of takes that Collins and the defense played terribly. Both are objectively true.

No one's screaming for Fran's head, which is where 90% of SU football seasons have gone after a few weeks for the past 25 years.

We've all seen real "negativity" on this site. The past 24 hours are a ripple compared to that.

The negativity is not just about today's game, but more of the type that Collins just won't be able to do it and bring in the freshman. Let's give Collins more than one full game before we decide that he should never play another game as our QB. Over and over the theme is we are toast if we continue with Collins.

 

[kcsu]

We played badly in all three phases yesterday. It happens. . Flush it and move on. Field position played a big part of our failures. Duke started each series in excellent position. I dont think we started any possesion over our own 30 and most of them were inside the 20. Thats a tough road for a new QB. Steve looked rough his first few outings and it finally clicked for him against Clemson. Rickie is going to need time. I expect him and as importantly Nixon to learn from this game as well as next week against SMU. When Steve went down our season didnt end but it was certainly hurt. Rickie has a strong arm but he doesnt see the field as well as Steve and most likely never will. QB vision can be improved but at this point in his career your kind of are what you are. In the practices I watched Rickie has always had a trouble throwing over the middle. Again the vision thing. He doesnt see trouble over the middle and because of that it takes away a big part of our O. Not sure how that gets fixed. He does throw a nice deep ball but our lack of field position hurt us. I do think he is going to improve how much remains to be seen but he will get better. As to the D i have no idea why they laid such an egg yesterday. More on that later.

 

[23Zone]

The negativity is not just about today's game, but more of the type that Collins just won't be able to do it and bring in the freshman. Let's give Collins more than one full game before we decide that he should never play another game as our QB. Over and over the theme is we are toast if we continue with Collins.

I think it is very important to remember that this really bad loss was at home to a Duke team with a very bad defense that was missing some highly important pieces. The fact is we could not even muster a touchdown and that is simply terrifying. It's clear that Collins does not see the field despite having all spring, summer, and fall camp competing for QB1. It's also abundantly clear that he is not a running quarterback. At this point we need a QB that is comfortable with running the RPO. Trying to run the Angeli scheme with Collins is foolish. Carney needs a shot to start 2nd half against SMU if Collins continues to struggle to put up points.

 

[Scooch]

The negativity is not just about today's game, but more of the type that Collins just won't be able to do it and bring in the freshman. Let's give Collins more than one full game before we decide that he should never play another game as our QB. Over and over the theme is we are toast if we continue with Collins.

People are entitled to their opinion. We all know that Collins is going to start next week, despite the overreactions to play Carney. And I don't think it's outrageous for people to be skeptical of a guy who is in his 3rd season of P4 football yet turned in that kind of performance yesterday. It really was bad.

 

[AZOrange]

People are entitled to their opinion. We all know that Collins is going to start next week, despite the overreactions to play Carney. And I don't think it's outrageous for people to be skeptical of a guy who is in his 3rd season of P4 football yet turned in that kind of performance yesterday. It really was bad.

There’s a huge difference between being in P4 football and having played P4 football though.

 

[FloridaCuse]

It took Steve one game & 7/8ths [til 7:15 left in the 4th Qtr of the Conn game] to really get in his groove. We need to give Rickie at least that much time to figure it out. While I watched the 2nd half yesterday rather quickly, I thought Rickie had some good throws in there. Came close to scoring 2 TDs. He needs to get his bearings. Then we can see. Unfortunately it's going to require all of us rabid fans to have something we don't like to have --> patience. Faith in Fran.

 

[RedtheGOB]

It took Steve one game & 7/8ths [til 7:15 left in the 4th Qtr of the Conn game] to really get in his groove. We need to give Rickie at least that much time to figure it out. While I watched the 2nd half yesterday rather quickly, I thought Rickie had some good throws in there. Came close to scoring 2 TDs. He needs to get his bearings. Then we can see. Unfortunately it's going to require all of us rabid fans to have something we don't like to have --> patience. Faith in Fran.

This is accurate but the sad reality is that there is really no place for Rickie in CNY after yesterday. Prob was a longshot after he lost the job either way.

No matter how the season plays out now I don’t think there’s a world where our donors don’t say give my money to Angeli/Carney and the defense instead of Rickie. Rickie knows he’s likely off to his 3rd school next year which might not even be P4 if he doesn’t improve, our fanbase knows and the team does too.

The messages to have patience are just going to fall on deaf ears when we all know he’s not part of the equation for the future. A younger QB getting their butt kicked maybe you say ok he’ll learn and his next year or next year he makes the jump. But a 20 year old JR playing scared has got to get a shorter leash.