October 17, 2005
an introduction, a disappointment
Well, here it is - my first post. I have yet to figure out what the focus of my new publication is going to be, but I think I'll be able to learn as I go. Generally, this log is simply going to serve as an outlet for my various thoughts regarding the current world of sports. Since I'm sending these posts from perma-grey Syracuse, NY - the center of the nation's most brutal band of lake-effect snowfall - I assume that I will have plenty of time on my hands during the approaching winter months to stew about the ever-multiplying and ever-important stories coming out of our NFL, NCAA, NBA and MLB. I plan to share with you as much of this blizzard-induced insight as I can muster. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll even discover a focus in my ramblings and continue to write once the sun comes out again.Anyways, the Yankees lost - making room for the ChiSox to get into the World Series for the first time in a thousand years, the Kelly Holcomb Bills are in first and looking better each week, and USC survived Notre Dame on Saturday. Although the Trojan-Irish game was the best college football game I can remember (being that I was just 4 when Flutie tossed The Hail Mary) and it will probably be running on ESPN Classic by Wednesday, I'm going to talk about the other end of the spectrum. I'm going to discuss what is quickly becoming the most disappointing Syracuse Football season in the 25 years of Carrier Dome glory.
As Orangemen fans in 2004, we didn't expect much more than a .500 season this year. Coach P had lost his recruiting edge - seemingly a result of missing out on the Mike Vick sweepstakes - and the team suffered in recent years as a result. At a place where Pro Bowlers named McNabb, Harrison, Freeney, Bullock, and Darius used to practice, the outlook for 2005 was at an all-time low with free-agent practice squad hopefuls like Rhodes, Smith, Wyche, and Lacasse leading the team into what looked to be an impossible schedule. Then, the university woke up, and newly-hired Athletic Director Darryl Gross made the change the fans had been aching for since the Troy Nunes debates - we got ourselves a real deal head coach!
With a new coach as ammo, Syracuse University unleashed the summer advertising blitz - due to some aggressive campaigning by Gross and his staff, Greg Robinson's face became just as recognizeable on Marshall Street as "Eli the singing guitar guy," if not more so. We heard reports that SU was becoming The Team of New York City and The Dome was going to be refurnished and polished up for our new era of winning. The team was sporting new field gear, an efficient playbook, and loads of attitude to boot. The newspaper covered the Orange preseason as if the city of Syracuse had somehow transplanted itself into the state of Alabama. Robinson and his boys became notorious for their confidence, telling anyone with ears that "We're not backing down this year - we're playing to win games, not rebuild!" Word on the street was that the imposing giants on that upcoming schedule were in for a very big surprise.Then the season started.
SU opened the new-look Carrier Dome to a raucous crowd of supporters and high-hopers on September 4th, 2005. The game was played against West Virginia University on national television - on a Sunday, no less, so more observers could witness the newly-polished Orange offense with it's brand-new field and brand-new coaching staff. The new era was about to explode onto the scene. Then, it happened. Putting the game on national TV only allowed the rest of the country to confirm what it already knew and watch as reality set in on a new era of SU fans. The Syracuse Orange, despite having a state-of-the-art field, stylish uniforms, and a clearly motivated high-octane head coach, stunk. The team went out onto the field and played one of the worst offensive games in the history of Syracuse football. Thankfully, due to some defensive strength and West Virginia mistakes, the Orange only lost by 8, 15-7.
Whoops.
It's only gotten worse from there. Besides having a horribly difficult schedule, giving up the talent edge to every team its faced (Buffalo doesn't count, folks) and enduring declining attendance figures, it seems the team has also lost the new attitude that it desperately needed after last season's disappointment. Coach Robinson continues to work hard at firing up the troops, switching starters and remaining constantly active on the sidelines during the games, but it has become obvious that the push-cart offense just doesn't believe in itself. The Orange have gone from generating the highest hopes and resurrecting an entire city's fan base to just laying one egg after another. My own hopes for the team have dropped dramatically - before that fateful Carrier Dome day against West Virginia I was convinced SU Football was back, and in a big way. Florida State? They were beatable. Notre Dame? A strong possibility for a win. Just give me the chance, and I would have been ready to say SU could steal that Big East title right out of Louisville's palm on the last day of the season, too. Now I find myself hoping that the team doesn't lose by more than 3 touchdowns in Pittsburgh this week.
At 1-5 they have a shot at that record we hoped for in '04, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. Here we are, at the halfway point, hoping that our new head coach can use our brand new retro-fitted uniforms and high-tech field to rebuild in an effective manner this year and get us back to .500 in 2006.
