Highlights from SU Coach Marrone's Signing Day Debriefing

Doug Marrone gave a presentation at the Carrier Dome last night (before the basketball game? After? During? Who knows?) on the 14 players his staff managed to sign to LOI's on national signing day. Here's what he had to say according to Donnie Webb at the Post Standard:

"Rishard Anderson (DB; 6-0, 180): "He has done a great job here. He was rated the 40th best cornerback prospect by ESPN. He didn't play much his senior year, but we took him off what he did his junior year . . . and he was a tremendous player. We're happy to have this type of athlete coming into our university because academics are important and leadership is important."

Torrey Ball (DE; 6-4, 250): "We battled teams for him with high academic standards. When you talk about junior-college players, you're talking about someone who's at a level of maturity where he can come in and compete."

E.J. Carter (LB; 6-0, 220): "The biggest thing with him is his leadership ability. He came in on his recruiting visit and he tried to gather the class and say, 'Hey, we're going to be the foundation of this football team. We're going to be the leaders on our football team even though we're freshmen.' I was very impressed with him."

Zack Chibane (OL; 6-4, 280): "I go down to New Jersey and I do a clinic. Everyone knows my background in on the offensive line. One of the coaches at the clinic says, 'I saw you took this kid from Paramus High School. You know, I'm just going to tell you I think he's this. I think he's that.' And I said, 'I don't really care what you think.' This kid is a good football player. He's got leadership ability and he's an ex-wrestler. We all know what type of football players these ex-wrestlers are. He's someone who has a chance to compete early for us."

Alec Lemon (WR; 6-1, 175): "When you're looking for a wide receiver, what are you looking for? I'm looking for someone who caught the football. He's someone who caught the football 103 times. This is what we're looking for at the receiver position: Height . . . speed . . . someone who's shown the ability to catch the football."

Charley Loeb (QB; 6-5, 220): "Charley is someone who is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. He's one of the first people you want to get off the bus when the other team is looking across the field. We're very excited about him and where he can take our football program with his leadership skills and be able to compete for a starting position."

Dale Peterman (DB; 5-11, 155): "He had one of those big, major schools coming back in on him, trying to take him. But he stuck to his commitment. We're very excited about this player."

Andrew Phillips (OL; 6-5, 260): "Again, local. Just like I said before, I wish we could get 15 kids right around this area so all of a sudden I don't have to wait in airports, I don't have to take three planes, I don't have to fly all over the country. I can get them all right here in this community. This is someone who's going to help us bring our players back out to the community. Andrew will help us bridge that."

Torian Phillips (DB; 5-10. 175): "I'm from New York City. I chose to go to this great university. I wanted to make sure when I first went out that I had gotten a recruit from New York City so that all the other schools know that they're not going to come into this state anymore and take our prospects."

Justin Pugh (OL; 6-5, 275): "Justin held strong to his commitment. I believe in this player. He's someone with great ability and someone I would love, with Coach (Greg) Atkins, to develop into a guy who can compete for a position."

Brandon Sharpe (LB; 6-2, 220): "He was someone who was committed to another university who we were able to sway and convince that this is the best school for him. He's someone with a lot of range who can run. He played defensive end. We're moving him to linebacker. We're looking for great things out of Brandon."

Phillip Thomas (DB; 6-0, 178): "There was another big school trying to come in on him. He's a big hitter. What singled him out is that he can intercept the football and create turnovers. That's what we're looking to do on defense."

Shamarko Thomas (DB; 5-10, 196): "He's another defensive back who can play corner. He's big and physical. That's what we're looking for at that position - people who can hit and get us the football. As an offensive coach, I can't stand it when the other team has the football."

Andrew Tiller (OL; 6-6, 360): "If you're a big guy and you've had trouble staying in shape over the years, this is the guy you want to stand next to when he walks off the bus. You'll feel pretty good about yourself if you put on those extra pounds during the holidays."

Syracuse Still in the Running for #1 RB Prospect

SU is still in the running for #1 ranked all-purpose running back prospect David Oku, according to Rivals.com. It appears as though Oku is leaning towards Tennessee, but there's still a chance he could end up in Syracuse Orange next year. Auburn is also reportedly in the mix. I guess he really wants to see himself in blue or orange at the next level.

If Oku ends up signing with the Orange that would be a huge catch for the coaching staff. He would be this seasons's only 4-star recruit and could be an immediate contributer. Syracuse has had a history of outstanding running backs including Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Ernie Davis, Larry Csonka and more recently guys like Rob Konrad, James Mungro, Walter Reyes and Damien Rhodes.

Curtis Brinkley had a good 2008 season, all things considered, rushing for 1,164 yards and 7 touchdowns on one of the worst D1 football teams. That ain't half bad. Now imagine putting a solid all-purpose running back in that position. Someone who can run hard, pass-block and catch the ball out of the backfield then the offense is looking a bit more potent. If you mix in touches by Antwon Bailey, Curtis Brinkley and Doug Hogue suddenly you have a stacked backfield.

My philosophy is that you build an offense from the ground (game) up. It looks like Marrone and I are on the same page here, because a large number of his commits were offensive linemen. If he can bring Oku into the fold then the ground game has the potential to be much more potent this year. Start by building a dominant run-game, then you can mix QB Charlie Loeb into the system in 2010 or 2011. Let him use his size and accuracy on the short and intermediate routes to complement the running backs. Who knows if it's going to work out like that, but a man can dream, can't he?

Syracuse University Signing Day

Alright folks, I took a short break from the blog, but now I'm back and I'm weighing in on how Syracuse football faired on signing day.

New head coach Doug Marrone had his first opportunity to recruit and he made it clear that his focus was apparently to bring in the best players available, regardless of position:

"A lot of times in recruiting, people talk about filling up needs and taking care of those needs with your recruiting class," Marrone said. "Well, one of the things that we wanted to do is make sure we went out and get the best players we could. We were a little bit limited, obviously, with our scholarship numbers to what we could do. So we went out there and we tried to sign the best football players or the best student-athletes that we could. And in doing so with this class, we felt we've accomplished that."

So how did Marrone and the Orange fair? So far Syracuse has received signed LOI's from 14 players, including a few players coveted by programs like Vandy, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Wisconsin, Miami and Big East rivals South Florida, Rutgers and Louisville.

2009 Class According to ESPN.com:

2009 Class according to Rivals.com:
The class is heavy in defensive backs and offensive linemen - both pretty drastic needs - so it's a good thing they happened to be the best players available. The Orange's 4 three-star recruits isn't mind-blowing, but considering the slump they've been in the last 5 seasons it's a good start. 14 recruitments overall is actually pretty low, but like Coach Marrone said, they were limited by scholarship numbers which has led to the relatively small class.

The Syracuse offense has been dismal the last several seasons and it all starts with the O-Line. Remember when Perry Patterson was getting sacked before he'd even completed his drop? Yeah, that's on line O-line. I've always been of the philosophy that success radiates away from the ball, meaning a strong offensive line will open up holes in the run game and give the QB time to make his reads in the passing game, improving the entire offense. Marrone has a background as an lineman and a line coach, so he understands the value of a solid line. I expect this aspect of the team to improve immensely over the next few seasons.

The Orange brought in 4 offensive lineman, including a much-coveted JUCO transfer Andrew Tiller. Syracuse beat out Miami, S.C. State and Rutgers for Tiller, and he hopefully has the ability to start immediately. Chibane is a solid frosh recruit and should develop into a solid starting tackle. Justin Pugh and home-town hero Andrew Phillips are developmental projects but could push for playing time down the line, most likely as interior linemen.

Syracuse has been plagued by size problems in the defensive front 7 the last few seasons. Really, DT Arthur Jones is the only player with ideal size on the squad. They're going to get a little bit of help from 6-4, 250 pound* JUCO transfer Torrey Ball. He has ideal size, but I'd like to see what he has to contribute before I heap any praise on this addition. The orange only brought in one other D-lineman, 6-2, 210 pound Brandon Sharpe. Sharpe has decent height, but needs to add about 30 pounds of muscle to avoid being pushed around by opposing teams. He's not likely to get a lot of playing time until he bulks up a bit.

Syracuse is adding one linebacker in this class, E.J. Carter. Carter is a high-motor type player, but he's a bit on the small side at 6-0, 213. The good thing for undersized players is that males can keep growing into their early 20's so there's a good chance he could add another inch or two. Even if that doesn't happen he'll be better off if he hits the weights and gains 20 pounds or so.

The DB group is probably the most impressive of this class. Syracuse has been abused on the ground and through the air for the better part of this decade, so any defensive help is appreciated. The recruits all exhibit good size and decent speed. Rishard Anderson leads the group and he was even recruited by teams like Wisconsin, Auburn, Florida and Pitt. Ultimately SU won out in the end. Rishard is projected to be a cornerback in the college ranks, but his speed is a bit of a concern to me. He was clocked at 4.62 in the 40, which is a tad slow for corner, but decent for a safety. He has the size and versatility to play any DB position. Shamarko Thomas, Dale Peterman and Torian Phillips should factor into the scheme in the next couple seasons.

The Orange also added a solid pro-style quarterback in Charlie Loeb. Loeb has good size and 6-4, 218 and is noted for his accuracy in the short-intermediate routes. He pays attention to the intracacies of the position and has a decent touch on the ball. He's not likely to start as a freshman, but might take the field in following seasons.

Hopefully Loeb will develop a raport with incoming receiver Alec Lemon. Lemon has good size at 6-2 and good speed, running a 4.49 40. He's a wiry receiver, similar in stature and speed to recent wideout Taj Smith. He adds a good amount of versatility to the offense since he could be used for kick and punt returns. He also has some experience playing defense and could make an immediate impact on special teams.

*A note on all measurements: I'd take most High School and College measurements with a grain of salt. Taj Smith was listed at 6-4, I'm a humble 6-2. I once passed Taj on the SU campus and I had a solid 1 or 2 inches on him, putting him closer to 6 feet even. That's still pretty tall, but many stats may be exagerated.

Gators are National Champs

Congratulations to Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer and the rest of the Florida Gators on winning the NCAA Football title game. They managed to overcome some early setbacks on offense to post a 24-14 victory.

Oklahoma played well, especially early on, but just didn't have an answer for Percy Harvin and Tebow in the second half. Maybe they were distracted by Tim Tebow's Girlfriend's boobs.

"My God, look at those Bazooms!"

In my opinion, Florida was the best college football team, even though they did lose one game this season. However, I still would have liked to see at least two other teams with a shot at the title. Texas missed out on the title game because of a tie-breaker with Oklahoma and an undefeated Utah squad was never considered. I think the Gators would have ousted both of those teams, but they deserved a shot. Mix in USC and a handful of other teams with legitimate claims and you have a murky mess at the top.

Wake up people, even our Commander-in-chief-in-waiting wants a college football playoff system. It's the only way to crown a legitimate champion.

"My Fellow Americans, I come before you to say we as a people are desperately in need of a College Football playoff syst--Holy Crap, check out those Bazooms!"

If Tebow returns, do the Gators repeat? They've got as good a shot as anyone.

It must be easy to recruit with Tebow there: "Come play with one of the greatest players to play the college game." How can someone pass that up? Even if they play quarterback.

Boston College Head Football Coach Fired

Boston College Head Football Coach Jeff Jagodzinski was officially fired this afternoon after interviewing for the Jets' head coaching position.

I'm a little bit confused why BC is firing Jagodzinski. Yes, he did defy the Athletic Director, the school, the team and the fans by interviewing for the position, but I would think they should be happy to let him interview.

There is a difference between coaching at the college level and coaching at the pro level. Not as big a difference as playing in college or playing in the pros, but an NFL head coaching position is the dream of any head coach. It's the top rung of their professional ladder. Boston College was essentially trying to block Jagodzinski's promotion. Why?

Secondly, Jagodzinski -- as far as I know -- was not offered the Jets' head coaching position. He just interviewed. Isn't that a good thing to have on a resume? "Interviewed for NFL Head Coaching position for a team in one of the largest media markets in the world." Even if he's not offered the job he was still considered a better candidate than all the other college head coaches and NFL coordinators in the league.

NCAA programs love to brag about all the players they've helped reach the pros. Why wouldn't they be equally proud of all the coaches they've helped reach that level as well? Doesn't that just help build the program? Make it that much stronger? Wouldn't that be huge for recruitment, letting players know they're playing for a pro-level coach?

I understand that the school feels slighted. I understand that they expected Jagodzinski to honor the contract that he signed. I understand that AD Gene DeFilippo felt personally insulted because he thought he had a handshake and an agreement that "Jags" wouldn't interview. Ultimately though, it's expected now-a-days that a coach seek out a promotion mid-contract if it's offered. Everyone does it. At least he's not abandoning a team mid-season like Bobby Petrino.

Doug Marrone Hired as Syracuse Head Coach

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone has been officially hired as the Syracuse University Head Football Coach.

I'm not terribly surprised by the hire, although I am a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I think Marrone is going to be great for the program, but I was really hoping Turner Gill would get the position.

Darryl Gross - the Syracuse University Athletic Director - was quoted as saying: "We've hired a guy that is a Syracuse graduate, who bleeds orange, who brings in tremendous, tremendous knowledge of football from his college and especially his pro experience," said Gross. "He's someone that we can look forward to exciting offenses, seeing a lot of snaps per game. Better than that, he's somebody that brings leadership, who comes from the Bronx. When you talk about New York's College team, he fits the profile perfectly. He will be a tremendous recruiter in the Northeast, who knows the coaches. He's somebody that we believe will win at Syracuse."

Marrone does have the benefit of being a Syracuse Alumni, and has helped put together the second coming for the "Greatest Show on Turf" this year in New Orleans, but unlike Gross, I'm suspicious of his ability to recruit in the Northeast. He has spent a large part of his career here in the northeast, but hasn't coached at the college level in this area since 1994. He's been away for nearly a decade-and-a-half, I'm afraid most of his connections aren't of much use anymore.

Poor recruiting killed Greg Robinson. He actually overachieved as a coach with the talent he brought in. I don't want to watch Syracuse go down the same road with another out-of-town hire. For years Syracuse has harvested talent from nearby states like New Jersey and Connecticut, but in recent years both Rutgers and UConn have experienced a resurgance and those recruiting wells have dried up. That is one of the reasons I was backing Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill. He's proven that he can recruit well in the Northeast. He's familiar with the area and has the connections neccesary to bring the talent back to Syracuse.

I'm eager to see what Marrone can do, though. Syracuse has several really talented running backs, but their offensive line has been the epitome of terrible for years now, limiting the effectiveness of their offense. Marrone has a strong history as an O-line coach, and he should be able to come in and whip that unit into shape. Even though I wasn't pulling for him, I'm going to root for Marrone to help turn this disappointing Orange team around.

Speaking of Upstate NY Football Coaches...

Turner Gill coached his University of Buffalo team to a 42-24 win over 12th ranked Ball State, clinching the Mid-American Conference title and a bowl bid. Gill has done a great job bringing a perennial NCAA doormat to prominence. Is it possible he could do the same for SU?

Well, SU Athletic Director Darryl Gross is searching for Greg Robinson's successor and has brought Gill - amongst others - in to interview for the position. Several names have been thrown into the ring for the Syracuse post, including at one time Lane Kiffin, but the one name that always seems to make the most sense is Turner Gill. He has the upstate New York ties in terms of recruiting and he's obviously successful at building a team from the ground up.

The SU job is an improvement over Gill's post at Buffalo, but you have to wonder if he'd be willing to leave a successful team for a fixer-upper. Ultimately, I think it would be a good move for him. If he succeeds then everyone will see him as a savior and he'll cement his position as a coaching star. If he fails then most of the blame is going to be deflected to the Syracuse program. "First Robinson, the Gill...This program is unfixable!" Sounds like a win/win to me!

Coach Gill looks great in Buffalo Blue, but I think he'd look even better in Syracuse Orange!

Greg Robinson to LSU?

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Easier to Bleed SU Orange than Philly Green

It has been a tough few years for me as a football fan. My two favorite teams are the Syracuse Orange and the Philadelphia Eagles. And you know what? It’s a whole lot easier to be a fan when your team is non-competitive than it is when they consistently fall shy of victory.

Every Saturday when the Orange play I know what to expect. They’re going to lose. Big. I never get my hopes up for a victory. I never confidently bet my friends that they’re going to win. I just sit back and watch them surrender touchdown after touchdown. If the Orange do manage to pull out a victory – like against Louisville in ’07 and ’08 – then I am pleasantly surprised. I can run through the house cheering, waving my shirt above my head. But I always know it was a fluke. It won’t happen again.

At least I know where SU stands. Which is why it’s so much easier to by an Orange fan than an Eagles fan. The Philadelphia Eagles have the talent to compete in the NFL. They have the ability to be a playoff, even Super Bowl team. But why must they consistently disappoint me? The Eagles don’t make any sense; they can win against Pittsburgh, but can’t manage to eek out a victory against Cincinnati? Really?

The Eagles have been in every game this season until the very end. They’ve been competitive. But they somehow managed to find a way to come up just short of victory. They seem to underachieve in the most critical games: against NFC East opponents.

It’s a frustrating time to be an Eagles fan. It’s frustrating to know that we’ve lost at least five or six games these last two seasons because of one play in each. Imagine if we could change the Greg Lewis muffed punt against Green Bay last season. We would have been 9-7 and made the playoffs. If Andy Reid had called pass plays instead of runs on 4th and 1 against the Bears and Giants this year we might be 7-2-1 instead of 5-4-1. And tying the Bengals? Thar was supposed to be a blowout win, a win that was going to give the team confidence and help spur a second half run. Tying the previously 1-8 Bengals is tantamount to a crushing defeat at their hands.

The worst part is that I still have hope for this team. I can still see them running the table and making the playoffs. I can’t discount the Eagles until they’re officially, mathematically eliminated. Which means I’m likely going to be in for more heartache when our team registers 8 sacks against a pitiful squad and still can’t pull out a victory.

It’s harder to be a fan when you know your team can succeed but they keep disappointing you by finding new and interesting ways to blow it at the last minute. At least I know Syracuse is going to lose every game before it even starts. And with Syracuse I know that there’s nowhere to go but up. Any win is a positive win. With Philly, they have the ability to win at least 10 games a season, so falling short of that goal is a disappointment. And, unfortunately, it appears as if they’re heading down that road again.

So here’s a plea to the Eagles. Stop disappointing your fans! Learn from your mistakes (I’m looking at you, Andy) and stop repeating them. Dig deep down inside and find what it takes to get that one extra play that you need to finally win a game. You have the talent to win the Super Bowl. Now it’s time to live up to that. Please!

Robinson Out as Syracuse Coach

Syracuse University has officially fired Head Coach Greg Robinson. In a move that was a long-time coming and a surprise to no one Robinson was canned after Saturday's 39-14 loss to Connecticut.

Robinson came to SU four years ago after coaching together one of the league's best defensive units as d-coordinator at Texas. There were high hopes that Robinson would come to the school, recruit and coach a tough defense and propel this team over the edge into annual bowl contention - a feat that Paul Pasqualoni had trouble managing in his last few seasons with the team. Paul Pasqualoni, meanwhile, has secured a job as Miami's defensive coordinator this season and is partially responsible for their huge turn around.

Instead, Robinson has gone 9-36 overall and has only managed to beat one decent opponent in his tenure: Louisville in '07 and '08. Everyone, including Robinson, knew that this would be his final season with the team. "I don't think it really comes as a surprise to anyone. It doesn't come as a surprise to me," Robinson said at a news conference Sunday. "I ran out of time. I still see improvement. As always, I'm optimistic, I think with more time I could do better. Obviously, I didn't get it done. That's the bottom line. I understand why the decision was made, so I go from there"

There have been several names batted about amongst the media and fans about who might replace Robinson. Some people think Lane Kiffin would be a good fit for the Orange. He was making strides with the Raiders before he was canned by the maniacal Al Davis. University of Buffalo head coach Turner Gill is another option to take over for Robinson. He's coached an underprivileged, underfunded Buffalo team to bowl contention this season and he's a really good recruiter with ties in the area. Either would be a good candidate in my book.

I really wish Robinson had been more successful, because he was a really nice, down to earth guy, but he just couldn't get the job done. I hope he goes back to his D-coordinator roots and has a good career.