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The Daily OrangeFB | Slow Start: Syracuse football has had no luck in its last few season openers
Abstract:
Please excuse Greg Robinson for having a selective memory.
"Did we lose our first three openers?" Robinson quipped at his press conference Sunday. "I really wasn't thinking back on that."
Whether or not Syracuse's head football coach chooses to remember it, the fact remains SU has lost four consecutive season openers, the last three with Robinson at the helm....
- Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
Marc LeVine
posted 9/02/08 @ 9:23 AM EST
Originally posted byMarc LeVine
I have been a particularly hard critic of our football program since it became evident that Coach Robinson didn't seem to be "the guy" for the job at $6 million a year.
I have been a little more sympathetic towards the players that wear our colors. I must admit I am most angry at some of the better college players, who shunned our recruiting advances over the past four or five years. Apparently, neither SU's rich football and sports traditions nor the quality of a Syracuse University education (ranked as the 53rd BEST University in America by US News and World Resport) were not enough of a draw for them to want to attend school here and play for the 'Cuse.
Going into the first game of the season, I just want to wish the players, who DID choose Syracuse as their college and football program the very best of luck against Northwestern. This will be a very tough away game accompanied by a false feeling that the team has lost the support of many SU fans and alumni, because of the recent string of disappointments.
Fortunately, this IS just a "feeling" (of loss) and not a reality, despite what many may infer from declining ticket sales back at a Carrier Dome.
Yes, it is true that fewer of us have been regularly attending SU football games over the past few years. Tickets DO seem a little more expensive when games become meaningless and seasons are lost long before the bye. Time is also much too precious to waste at games that are lopsided and not exciting. But, still, this does not mean we do not love our team and its rich college football tradition. It's just too embarrassing and hard to watch a program that once flew so high, sink so low.
But this can all begin to change on Saturday, if our kids really want it to. They can rise to the occasion and produce the kind of surprise that other transistional SU teams have, in the past. Let us never forget September 30, 1984. That morning the New York Times sports headline read: SYRACUSE DEFEATS NEBRASKA, 17-9, IN UPSET. It was a great day for our University. In fact, it is probably the greatest upset ever pulled off by an SU football team.
Another terrific upset, is more recent and actually took place during the Coach Robinson era. The date was Sep 22, 2007 and the victim was then ranked No. 18 Louisville. There are many current team members, who still remember the taste of that win and can share it with their newer team mates. To them we say, "please do share it with them going into Saturday's game."
A win Saturday will not be of the same magnitude of those past upsets over a powerful Louisville team or especially over that classic Nebraska juggernaut - for sure. But, it will still set the tone for an improved 2008 gridiron campaign. And it will surely erase some of the ugly demons haunting our players, which is already reminding them that they will not be at the center of BIG TIME sports talk in the college football world for yet another year.
Go out and beat Northwestern! Give the guys on ESPN something to talk about. The fans love you. Your alumni loves you. We just want a little something back. Perhaps a 28-21 upset victory tomorrow?
Sorry about the false figure. It was a case of overanxious fingers pushing the wrong buttons.
BUT NOW THAT I GOT EVERYONE'S ATTENTION (LOL!!!), the dollars don't matter bearly as much as the results. This guy just aint any good at any price! The loss on Saturday has started the clock towards a coaching change. Figure another five or six defeats and you can stick a fork in this guy.
Syracuse deserves much better than this.
Su Alum
posted 8/29/08 @ 1:32 PM EST
robinson does not make anywhere NEAR $6 million/yr. Even the top coaches of USC, UCLA, LSU ect dont make near that. Check out coacheshotseat.com. it has slaraies posted. And dont reply back that he has 'endorsements' cuz he doesnt lol.
g33k
posted 8/29/08 @ 6:17 PM EST
Marc LEvine. You know I usually agree with the comments you make but 6 million??? I think thats some really incorrect information you got there. He is making an unjustified 1 million though.
YAEYAEEEE
posted 8/30/08 @ 11:54 AM EST
GO CUSE SCREW ALL YOU HATERS MOVE TO ALABAMA IF YOU DONT LIKE HIM WERE GIVIN HIM ONE MORE CHANCE IF HE DOESENT DO ANYTHING THEN HES GONE GOT IT GOOD
Scott McNealus
posted 8/30/08 @ 4:19 PM EST
I think ya'll are missing the point.
Counting the 23-10 loss to Northwestern, SU is now 7-29 under Greg Robinson/ AD Daryl Gross. A record like this costs SU TENS and TENS of MILLIONS per year in
- lost ticket sales
- lost concession and merchandise sales
- lost TV revenue (the lifeblood of Div 1 income)
- lost prestige built over 100 years of success
- lost recruiting prospects in all sports (who wants to play for a loser?)
- lost alumni donations.
The Robinson/Gross tag team has put SU athletics on life support.
Scott McNealus
Counting the 23-10 loss to Northwestern, SU is now 7-29 under Greg Robinson/ AD Daryl Gross. A record like this costs SU TENS and TENS of MILLIONS per year in
- lost ticket sales
- lost concession and merchandise sales
- lost TV revenue (the lifeblood of Div 1 income)
- lost prestige built over 100 years of success
- lost recruiting prospects in all sports (who wants to play for a loser?)
- lost alumni donations.
The Robinson/Gross tag team has put SU athletics on life support.
Scott McNealus
Don McKay
posted 9/01/08 @ 12:13 PM EST
We've got a similar problem down here in Clemson land with coach Tommy Bowden's Tigers. Again, the first game was lost, this time against Alabama. The game television cut-away shots showing the deflated Clemson team sitting on the bench feeling sorry for themselves and quite often arguing with each other; the shots of Coach Bowden walking the sideline with a pleasantly numb look on his face similar to that of a duck that's just been hit in the head... amazing and pathetic.
Bowden is paid $1.5 million, but in some measure of fairness it must be noted that he, along with Coach Spurrier of the University of South Carolina, has a major challenge each year. It's twofold in nature: Keeping his team academically eligible (some members are dumb as stumps) and keeping members of his team out of jail. Spurrier's Gamecocks were really hit with the jail epidemic two years ago and it became so bad, they couldn't 'go to type' with the team roster because they didn't know who would be playing!
I know Bowden's going to hear this message on Tuesday, as should Robinson: "Get this school winning the conference championship this year, and a bowl, or you are gone!"
Bowden is paid $1.5 million, but in some measure of fairness it must be noted that he, along with Coach Spurrier of the University of South Carolina, has a major challenge each year. It's twofold in nature: Keeping his team academically eligible (some members are dumb as stumps) and keeping members of his team out of jail. Spurrier's Gamecocks were really hit with the jail epidemic two years ago and it became so bad, they couldn't 'go to type' with the team roster because they didn't know who would be playing!
I know Bowden's going to hear this message on Tuesday, as should Robinson: "Get this school winning the conference championship this year, and a bowl, or you are gone!"
g33k101
posted 9/02/08 @ 10:30 AM EST
Why do you we have to wait. I cant stand that dude Robinson. Such a ^$&* piece of $*&$#&*. And hes an #&$*)$. #^&^ him.
com.art
posted 9/10/08 @ 1:38 PM EST
He makes 1,054,000 a year. Greg is ranked 57th (thanks: SU Alum) on the list. That's 1/4 of what the highest paid coach is being paid at Notre Dame. (4,200,000/yr.)
- Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
Marc LeVine
posted 8/29/08 @ 10:47 AM EST
I have been a little more sympathetic towards the players that wear our colors. I must admit I am most angry at some of the better college players, who shunned our recruiting advances over the past four or five years. Apparently, neither SU's rich football and sports traditions nor the quality of a Syracuse University education (ranked as the 53rd BEST University in America by US News and World Resport) were not enough of a draw for them to want to attend school here and play for the 'Cuse.
Going into the first game of the season, I just want to wish the players, who DID choose Syracuse as their college and football program the very best of luck against Northwestern. This will be a very tough away game accompanied by a false feeling that the team has lost the support of many SU fans and alumni, because of the recent string of disappointments.
Fortunately, this IS just a "feeling" (of loss) and not a reality, despite what many may infer from declining ticket sales back at a Carrier Dome.
Yes, it is true that fewer of us have been regularly attending SU football games over the past few years. Tickets DO seem a little more expensive when games become meaningless and seasons are lost long before the bye. Time is also much too precious to waste at games that are lopsided and not exciting. But, still, this does not mean we do not love our team and its rich college football tradition. It's just too embarrassing and hard to watch a program that once flew so high, sink so low.
But this can all begin to change on Saturday, if our kids really want it to. They can rise to the occasion and produce the kind of surprise that other transistional SU teams have, in the past. Let us never forget September 30, 1984. That morning the New York Times sports headline read: SYRACUSE DEFEATS NEBRASKA, 17-9, IN UPSET. It was a great day for our University. In fact, it is probably the greatest upset ever pulled off by an SU football team.
Another terrific upset, is more recent and actually took place during the Coach Robinson era. The date was Sep 22, 2007 and the victim was then ranked No. 18 Louisville. There are many current team members, who still remember the taste of that win and can share it with their newer team mates. To them we say, "please do share it with them going into Saturday's game."
A win Saturday will not be of the same magnitude of those past upsets over a powerful Louisville team or especially over that classic Nebraska juggernaut - for sure. But, it will still set the tone for an improved 2008 gridiron campaign. And it will surely erase some of the ugly demons haunting our players, which is already reminding them that they will not be at the center of BIG TIME sports talk in the college football world for yet another year.
Go out and beat Northwestern! Give the guys on ESPN something to talk about. The fans love you. Your alumni loves you. We just want a little something back. Perhaps a 28-21 upset victory tomorrow?