Podcast #2 - Midnight Madness

It's been a long time coming for this second podcast, as the last one completed with Max Koch was done after last season's six overtime game. For that matter, it's been a long time coming for me to actually post something on this site (yikes).

KShaw picked up the slack for me big time, and although I have a moderately busy schedule, I'm going to do my best to keep up my end of the ship along with him. Here's our latest podcast, as we go over Midnight Madness, discuss what's next for Greg Paulus against Akron, and end on a positive note with a big honor tonight for KShaw's family.

Hope you enjoy.

- Jake the Snake

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Ensue Chaos...

Soooo... Now what?

Syracuse was beaten up, beaten down, beaten left, and beaten right by the West Virginia Mountaineers. What appeared to be a better matchup from the week before apparently wasn't, and Syracuse was not competitive in a 34-13 beatdown.

But of course that isn't the story. The story is not the dropped passes from the receivers, not the blowout to West Virginia, not even the 0-2 start to the Big East season for Doug Marrone and the Orange. I was afraid of this happening, but the debate is on, both in the media and within the Syracuse fanbase.

Should Greg Paulus be the starting quarterback next week?

As a comfort, this debate is not going on in the Syracuse locker room. Doug Marrone has already openly said that Greg Paulus is the starter.While a quarterback debate would definitely be normal with the play of the past two weeks with the starter, it is being magnified because of who our quarterback is. Even more than the question of who should be the starter, there is now the question of "Did Syracue bring on Paulus as a marketing tactic?". While this is completely ridiculous, it is being asked.

The focus being on Greg Paulus is not his fault, but it is there nonetheless. Many people insisted before seeing a down of football that Greg Paulus gives us a better chance than Ryan Nassib, and after this past week, those same people are abandoning ship a little bit.

Amidst the chaos, I bring a question of my own. If we play the rest of the season out like this, win a couple more games with Paulus at the helm, and finish not bowl eligible, was it worth it? The main reason that I was against this experiment was because in the long run I don't think that this does anything to help the team. If he could get Syracuse bowl eligible I would be all for it, but I did not think that would be the case. This isn't a team that was in the precepus of acheiving something great but missing that last piece to the puzzle. This was a team that was and is rebuilding.

To answer the starting quarterback question, I say you have to start Paulus now. You can't sign him, make him your team captain after two weeks of practice, then bench him after two bad games. Like it or not, he is the face of Syracuse football this year, and we have to stick with him. There have been games where he has exceeded expectations (mine anyway), and although the teams he had good games against are shaping out to be not as good as predicted, they are still division one football teams nonetheless.

Bottom line, Syracuse fans. Greg Paulus IS Syracuse Football this year. Love him or hate him, he is the captain of our team, and is going to be the starter. I will be the first one to admit that I was not a fan of bringing him on to begin with, but he's wearing Orange so we have to rally behind him.

Tune in to the Sports Corner on Supermix tonight from 7-10 to discuess this or anything else sports. Call in at 315-498-2626.

-KShaw

College Football Picks…

Here is KShaw’s College Football picks for this week…

#17 Auburn over Arkansas

#14 Penn St. over Eastern Illinois

Boston College over #5 Virginia Tech

#15 Oklahoma State over Texas A&M

#16 Kansas over Iowa St.

#25 South Carolina over Kentucky

UCLA over #13 Oregon

#9 Ohio St. over Wisconsin

#19 Oklahoma over Baylor

#3 Alabama over #20 Mississippi St.

#11 Miami (FL) over Florida A&M

#2 Texas over Colorado

#10 TCU over Air Force

Florida St. over #22 Georgia Tech

#4 LSU over #1 Florida

Michigan over #12 Iowa

Rutgers over Texas Southern (WHO?!)

Pittsburgh over Conneticut

Louisville over Southern Mississippi

Syracuse 28

West Virginia 17

LET’S GO ORANGE!!!

Feel free to stop by section 333 and pay a visit.

 

-KShaw

Looking Ahead: West Virginia

Next week is the biggest game of the season to this point for the Syracuse Orange.

After a dismal performance in a 34-20 loss to the South Florida Bulls last week, the Orange look to rebound in the Carrier Dome and win the Schwartzwalder Trophy against West Virginia. A win would put the team at .500 in conference play, give them a winning record at home, and build momentum on a quest to become bowl eligible. This can all start for the Orange on Saturday. Coming off of a 35-24 victory over Colorado, the 3-1 Mountaineers again look to cement themselves as a Big East contender.

The Mountaineers are led by running back Noel Devine. Rushing for 220 yards last week, the speedy junior from Florida has definitely inserted himself as an elite running back in the conference. While Devine torched the Orange for a 92 yard run in last season's 17-6 loss to the Mountaineers, Syracuse returns a defensive line that should be able to hold its own against the offensive line of West Virginia. Quarterback Jarret Brown is in his first full season at quarterback, and has seven touchdowns and five interceptions for a mediocre West Virginia offense so far.

The key match up in this game is going to be Greg Paulus versus the West Virginia defense. The Mountaineers boast a top 25 defense in total yards this season, with their run defense ranked in the top 12. A tough defense in the red zone should create problems for Paulus, who has had a tendency to force plays in that area of the field. Where West Virginia's run defense excels, their pass defense falters. Ranked out of the top 50 this season, a good match up should be created for Paulus with the Mountaineer secondary. Paulus has been superb so far this season with the long ball to Mike Williams, and those routes should continue to be there on Saturday. Syracuse will also look to throw screen passes to running backs Delone Carter, Mike Jones, and Antwon Bailey. The deceptive offense of Syracuse should be able to lure linebackers in to a run blitz, leaving the screens open.

With a 1-3 record versus FBS teams, Syracuse needs to go 5-2 the rest of the way to become bowl eligible. In order to achieve this, Syracuse must hold on to the ball and limit turnovers. Coming off of a 5 interception day, quarterback Greg Paulus is going to have to make smarter decisions if Syracuse is going to get back on track.

If Syracuse limits the turnovers, keeps Devine in check, and creates the big play they absolutely could come out a winner in this one.

Tune in to the Sports Corner on SuperMix Monday night from 7:00 pm-10:00 pm for a recap of last week's game, as well as complete coverage of this weeks match up against West Virginia.

-KShaw

Shameless self-plug

I know, I know. My comrad and I have not posted on this blog in a month or so, and we are going to pick it up.

But todays post is coming from my Blackberry while I sit in class at Onondaga Community College. As you know from past posts, (see Anthropology 101 segments), I am not a big fan of paying attention sometimes.

So, I am typing this post to help promote a radio show. I am a member of the Communications program here, and am a part of a radio showed entitled "The Sports Corner". We are on air Monday nights from 7-10 pm, on OCC's interenet radio station SuperMix.

Tune in each Monday, as we are always looking for listeners and callers for the show. The number to the on-air SuperMix station is 315-498-2626. If you want more information, feel free to contact me.

To listen to SuperMix, goto http://www.supermix.us.

We love talking SU Sports, and hope you tune in.

Alright, now that I have that taken care of, a quick thought on Greg Paulus.

If you are a regular reader on this blog, or read us on Bleacher Report, you have probably read my post/article that talked about why Greg Paulus is bad for Syracuse Football.

While I think it's too early to tell wether or not it was the right move to bring him in, I have to admit that if he plays out the rest of the season at the level that he is at now then you can color this Saltine Warrior wrong.

I doubted, and if GP makes this team bowl elligible or leaves a positive impact on Syracuse Football, I will definitely be ready to sit here and eat my words.

Listen to SuperMix!

-KShaw

CFB Quick Picks

#3 Oklahoma over #20 BYU
#5 Alabama over #7 V.Tech
#13 Georgia over #9 Oklahoma State
Maryland over #12 California

'Cuse prediction below...

LET'S GO ORANGE!

-KShaw

Syracuse Football Season Preview: Minnesota

This is part one of an ongoing season preview of Syracuse University's 2009-2010 Football Season.

Syracuse Head Coach Doug Marrone will have his first game in Orange on September 5th against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Carrier Dome. The game will be the first of three straight for the Orange against Big Ten opponents.

Minnesota begins the campaign following a disappointing season, where the Gophers were 7-1 before losing their final five contests of the season. There should be a sense of optimism in Minneapolis with the Gopher's top offensive threats returning to the team this season. All Big-Ten freshman DeLeon Eskeridge returns in the backfield, along with Sophomore Shady Salamon, which should create a great dual-back sysetem. Top receiving threat Eric Decker enters his senior season needing two more catches to break the school record for receptions. And if that were not enough, Junior quarterback Adam Weber returns as the number four all-time Minnesota passer with 5,656 yards through the air.

Not only do the Gophers return threats on offense, but they also have multiple weapons on defense as well. Senior linebacker and leading tackler Lee Campbell returns to the huddle, as well as Junior defensive back and Kyle Theret, who was second on the team in interceptions, to the secondary.

Syracuse enters the season with first year head coach Doug Marrone at the helm. This is a very different Syracuse team from the one who went just 3-9 a year ago. All Big East reciever Mike Williams returns to the team, following a year in community college because of some off the field issues. Runningbacks Delone Carter, Antwon Bailey, and Averin Collier fill the shoes of the departed Curtis Brinkley, and junior tight end Cody Catalina will be blocking and receiving asset for the Orange. The biggest question for the Orange's offense is going to be at quarterback. Deemed an All-American Redshirt Freshman Honorable Mention status, sophomore quarterback Ryan Nassib was set to be the starter for the Orange, moving former starter from last season Cameron Dantley to the backup role. Since the addition of Syracuse native and former Duke point guard Greg Paulus however, things have been up in the air. While being considered the third string quarterback on the depth chart, Marrone seems very high on Paulus and it seems that there could possibly be a lot of changes at the quarterback position forthcoming.

On the defensive side of the ball, all Big East nose tackle Art Jones opted to not enter the NFL Draft to return for his senior season, where he should be a force on the defensive line for Syracuse. Look for Junior Max Suter to step up for the defense as a safety, along with Nico Scott in the secondary as a cornerback. Converted runningback Doug Houge is now a linebacker, and punter Rob Long enters the season sixth in division 1 football with an average better than 42 yards a punt.

The key for Syracuse to win this game is going to be to slow down the passing game of Minnesota. Wether Art Jones was in the middle of the defensive line or not, Minnesota's gameplan was going to be to pass the ball. With their top quarterback and reciever returning this season, it is going to be huge for Suter and company to check the receivers and minimize their big plays. All in all, I think it is going to be too big of a task for the Orange to overcome.

PREDICTION:
Syracuse- 14
Minnesota- 28

Predictions?

-KShaw

Why next season's Big East schedule makes Syracuse a contender...

As we sit here in July, amidst warm weather, fireworks, and the sun, it seems the perfect time to talk about.... College Basketball?

The 2009-2010 Big East schedule has been released today, and after reading it there really is no reason to not believe that Syracuse is a main contender for next season. They loss of Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris definitely hurt. But look at the match ups:

Home Games 

UConn

Georgetown

Louisville

Marquette

Pittsburgh

Providence

St. Johns

USF

Villanova

Away Games

Cincinatti

Depaul

Georgetown

Louisville

Notre Dame

Providence 

Rutgers

Seton Hall

West Virginia

If you ask me I would say that it really doesn't get much better than that for the Orange. Outside of a trip to south bend against Notre Dame, and a home and home with Georgetown, how could this schedule be set up any better? Connecticut at home, Pittsburgh at home, Georgetown at home, Marquette at home, and most importantly, a showdown with the apparently loaded Villanova Wildcats at the Dome. 

The Orange's home and home match ups consist of a depleted Louisville team without Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, a Georgetown team whom is coming off of an NIT year (but should be decent), and lowly Providence. You seemingly have all of the big dogs in the Dome, where the Orange excel. 

Is Syracuse still predicted as the Big East favorites like said before the departure of Flynn, Devendorf, and Harris?

No.

But looking at that schedule I don't see how they can't be looked at as a possible #1 seed in New York City come Big East Tournament time.

-KShaw

Former Syracuse Player and Coach to Enter Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame

“Eddie is a stickler for teamwork. His men understand it, and if a player attempts to star at the expense of the rest of the team, he is assailed immediately by the other members of the team as well as the coach. Syracuse teams play for points, not for press notices.”
-Excerpt from Syracuse Basketball by Rod Macdonald.

The legendary former Syracuse University basketball player and coach will finally get his due.

It has been announced today that Edmund Dollard, also known as “Eddie” to family, will be inducted in to the 2009 class of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. It has been a long time coming for the Syracuse native, who had a tremendous career as a player for the Orange from 1904-1908, as well as an even greater career as a coach from 1911 until 1924. His thirteen year tenure as head basketball coach saw the second highest winning percentage in school history, an undefeated season, and Syracuse University’s first ever National Championship.

In Dollard’s 17 years of association with the program, Syracuse compiled a staggering 188-75 record. Also a catcher for the University’s baseball team, Dollard was a proven winner wherever he went, lettering for four years behind the plate for the Orange.

As a player, Dollard was known for his defensive game as a lockdown defender. As a Coach, his unselfish demeanor transitioned beautifully. Dollard’s philosophy was geared very heavily towards team basketball, as well as having a great eye for the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. His .724 winning percentage as a coach was the best in Syracuse University history, until current head coach Jim Boeheim topped it following the 2008-2009 season. As it stands, Dollard has been a tremendous part of a storied program that is one of the top-five winningest college basketball programs in history.

To see such a prominent figure in Syracuse Athletics history receive such an honor is truly gratifying. A graduate from Christian Brothers Academy, Dollard loved the city of Syracuse, all the way until his death in 1964. He was a caring and compassionate man with a love for the game and a love for both his direct family as well as his extended family on the court. Dollard can currently be seen on a picture at the Carrier Dome next to a video screen, where his 1918 National Championship team photo hangs.

The Hall of Fame induction dinner will take place in October.

-KShaw

Flynn to Minnesota...

Full article coming... Congrats Jonny tear it up!

Let's keep out fingers crossed for Paul!

-KShaw

Three reasons why Greg Paulus is bad for Syracuse Football...

So we've heard the majority of Syracuse's opinions on Greg Paulus:

1. Nothing to lose.
2. They have an extra scholarship to give to him.
3. He was national player of the year in high school.

Cool.

While these are somewhat true arguments, there are also many things that should raise red flags for Doug Marrone and the Syracuse Orange. Maybe I am out of my mind. Maybe I am tired of Greg Paulus. Maybe I think that he is a tad bit overrated. Nonetheless, I have compiled five key reasons why Greg Paulus coming (back) to town is bad for Syracuse University Football, NOT including the psychological effect of Ryan Nassib (Really the only argument I have heard against Paulus).

1. Circus- Greg Paulus coming to Syracuse has been working out very well media wise for SU. They have been mentioned on ESPN for something other than how terrible they are. While this is good, the local media in Syracuse have been outrageous. The perception of Paulus right now is completely overblown. Not Greg's fault, but after watching the "Greg Paulus Football/Basketball Marathon" on Timewarner Cable a few weeks back I realized something: Greg Paulus is being setup to fail completely. Don't believe me? Watch the backlash of fans if Greg does not win more than four games. And before you read this and think "Hey, he has to earn the starting spot first", stop kidding yourself. Ryan Nassib is royally screwed for this season and Paulus is going to be our starter. Good luck, Syracuse. You are now under the microscope for having one of the most known college athletes in sports. Media attention is great for a team, but not when it is soley focused on one player. Wether Syracuse wins or loses this season now is irrelevent. Greg Paulus is now the story instead of that team.

2. Hype- The Greg Paulus hype is putting Syracuse Football on everybody's radar. While some people see this as a good thing, I personally do not. When you are a basement dweller trying to come back, you don't want attention. You want to be Utah in the preseason, or Hawaii a few years back. You don't want one of the most hated college athletes in America as your quarterback for players to lick their chops at. Not only was Greg voted one of the most hated athletes, but he also was the national player of the year coming out of high school. Now don't get me wrong here, Greg Paulus was a very, very good quarterback. However. Greg Paulus was playing High School Football in the Central New York Area, specifically Syracuse. His numbers were fantastic, but would they be the same in Florida, California, or Alabama? He had greatly-hyped Bruce Williams and Llavar Lobdell as his High School teammates, and their transition to division one football has been mediocre at best. With Lobdell turning down the option to at one point take a scholarship to USC, he has been a decent reciever for the Orange but nothing more. My point is that Paulus has a lot of hype being brought to this team (not to mention it was four years ago) that he might have a difficult time living up to. The most talented player that he played against was Ray Rice, who had nothing to do with him because he was on the other side of the ball.

3. Size- If you ever watched Greg Paulus play for Christian Brother's Academy (again, see GregPaulusAthon on Timewarner), you would notice something very interesting. He never got touched in the backfield. Part of it was scrambling, sure. But I think it is safe to say that Greg Paulus had one of if not the best offensive line in New York State. At Syracuse, he will not have that. Marrone will have them improved from last year, sure. But he will get sacked. He is an undersized quarterback who realisticly has not taken a hard hit in football since probably ninth grade. It is kind of a big gamble if you bench Nassib the original starter to go with Paulus and have him break in half after two games.

All in all every reason I just gave could be discredited and I could look like the biggest moron on the planet, or it could turn out to make me look brilliant. It all depends on what Paulus does in the offseason. He SHOULD transition good to Marrone because of the coaching style of Coach K, but who knows if he can still play football. I'm not a fan of Marrone's decision to bring him on, but at the same time... Who am I? I think it is bad but "Hey we have nothing to lose right?"

-KShaw

DISAPPEARING DUGGA

Where in God's name is Paul Harris? The man affectionately known as "Dugga" has completely disappeared from the map, and has not been seen since issuing the bizarre statement about "not really" even declaring for the draft.

Paul has never been one to be completely understood in anything he does, but this is getting just a little bit creepy. We had an update that he had been playing basketball at Niagara University a few weeks ago, and we got the alert from Syracuse.com saying that he had no idea how the University got word he was entering the draft.

Paul continues to be an enigma while Syracuse fans continue to search for answers. Surely, he has to be declaring for the draft now, right? There's no way he comes back to school without Jonny?

Honestly, I would believe nearly anything at this point, and that includes a tryout with the Bills as a Tight End or something. Let's not forget, Dick Vitale told Syracuse fans at least 17 times how great of a football player Paully would make if basketball didn't work out.

Let's just hope Paul is safe and sound and we end up receiving some type of news in the near future.

- Jake the Snake