Dedicated to the removal of Daryl Gross as Athletic Director of Syracuse University. We have experienced enough pain with Syracuse Athletics under his guidance. The time for change is now!
This week I happened to be at the game and I was one of the few people in the Dome who wasn't wearing silver. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Danny from The Sport Hump. He summed up our thoughts perfectly when, during the first quarter we were both thinking Oh my shit, what if GROB wins this game! Would this ensure him a leash to finish the season? Well, as we all know, it doesn't really matter because Greg Robinson continues to show why he is unfit to be a Pop Warner coach.
For three quarters of the game, I was prepared to do something that has not been seen in the five weeks of the Daryl Gross Tangible Improvement Indicator, give the team four or five Daryl's. However, with their impending Fourth Quarter collapse I can't bring myself to come anywhere near that. The agony of such a defeat and the fact that we now have to wait until the Orange travel to Piscataway in November to see our next opportunity for a win is something that will sting worse than the Syracuse winter.
The Daily Orange sportswriter John Sutton brings us some news from the recruiting trail for Syracuse football, it seems that Leavander Jones isn't so hot on Syracuse anymore. Jones was asked about Greg Robinson possibly being fired and his response was rather grim.
"Not knowing who is coming in after him if he is to go, that changes my mind," Jones said. "They would still be at the top of my list, but I would probably start looking elsewhere a little more."
Scout.com has moved him to a soft verbal and with the impending firing of Robinson, Syracuse will lose another commitment. That will leave the next head coach with a class of only three commitments, none greater than three stars, assuming that no one else chooses to renege.
If you are a resident of the Syracuse area, you probably know about the Fly Syracuse campaign. The Fly Syracuse campaign is an attempt to keep airline fees out of Hancock International Airport low. Their intent is to convince people to fly through the carriers at Hancock instead of driving to Rochester or Albany where the flights are much cheaper. The campaign has put together billboards, print advertisement and has television commercials featuring local people flapping their arms like a bird in areas around Syracuse. One of the most famous images from the commercial happens to by Syracuse Athletics Director DOCTOR Daryl Gross flapping his arms like a buffoon on the steps of Hendricks Chapel. (Check the 0:08 second mark of the following video)
However, the news came out in Donnie Webb's blog yesterday that the Athletics Department is going to be making a few purchases. First comes the news that ribbon boards may soon be added to the Carrier Dome (which I have long thought would make it look so much better). The second and more important news which I caught on the Idiot's blog this morning was that the Athletics Department may soon have their own private jet. All I can say is are you fucking kidding me?
I know that DOCTOR Daryl Gross is Mr. Hollywood. But honestly? You think a private jet makes sense here?
I don't know about you guys, but I actually keep tabs on private jets and those things are pretty damn expensive to use every year. With the cost of aviation fuel skyrocketing, how exactly can the Athletics Department justify that cost? I took a look at one of the premiere companies for private jet timesharing, NetJets, to get an idea of the cost of using a jet for a year and it is unbelievable.
For a base fee of $416,625 a year you can own a 1/16 share in a jet from them. Tack on an acquisition fee, management fees, occupation fees, and other hidden costs and you can see that this could balloon pretty quick. But let's just assume that it would cost you the base fee for a a 1/16 share of a jet per year. That turns into $6,666,000 a year to essentially own the jet. Let's say that they have a roughly 25% profit margin and it is going to cost you $5,000,000 to own your own private jet each year.
Think about all of the things that they could fund with $5,000,000. The Athletics Department could take 4 years of that and build the Olympic facility that is needed for swimming and diving, Tennity Ice Pavilion could be expanded so that the Women's Ice Hockey program could play on campus, we could fully fund scholarships for sports that were dissolved years ago such as Baseball and Wrestling.
And of course while doing that, DOCTOR Daryl Gross could continue to be featured in advertisements promoting the use of local air carriers. Not to mention all the US Airways Frequent Flyer miles he could be racking up...
I love Steiner Sports Collectibles. If you are a Syracuse Alumnus, have purchased anything from the Carrier Dome Box Office, or just plain happen to have had your email address sold by any number of data collection agencies, you have probably received an email from them. In a strategic move that was announced in 2006, DOCTOR Daryl Gross partnered with Scott Steiner who apparently has just as big of an ego as the good DOCTOR himself.
Steiner Collectibles is where you can find amazing Syracuse items. From a game-used ball from our only Big East win last season for $200 to actual travel bags used by the 2006 football team for $100, just hope that they washed them out before selling them...
There are some real gems on the list, including game worn jerseys. Game worn jerseys are definitely a big thing. I don't find them as appealing as a real good throwback, but I can understand the interest in owning the jersey that Dwight Freeney wore when he sacked Michael Vick four and a half times in the Dome. What I don't understand are some of the choices that they have for game worns on Steiner Collectibles. For instance, at only $299, you can own a jersey worn by Carroll Madison. Come on, you know Madison. He was a member of that really solid offensive line that gave up 54 sacks last season.
So it is always funny to me when I get emails from the Athletics Department telling me about the great offers that they have from Steiner Sports. Typically I just delete them and I really should just remove myself from the mailing list but the laughter I get out of each and every one is well worth the laziness of not clicking on the unsubscribe link.
I received an email from my friend Scott, from college, detailing an exchange he had with Daryl Gross after an email that was sent from Steiner Sports. The rest, is an absolute classic.
From: Steiner Sports To: Syracuse University Alumni
Dear Syracuse University Alumni:
It is with great anticipation that I look forward to another year of SU athletics. I know that our success of last year will only grow! Wherever I travel, I am always impressed by the support SU alumni provide to all of our teams. In that spirit, I wanted to be sure that all of our alumni were aware of their opportunity to share our successes and show your Orange Pride.
We have entered into an agreement with Steiner Sports Memorabilia to form Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles which will carry an exclusive line of SU memorabilia and keepsake items. Through this arrangement, you can get one of a kind SU autographed, game-used, and unsigned sports collectibles. SU athletics and the SU Sport Management program benefit from your purchase. I encourage you to click on the logo above and access the Syracuse-Steiner web site, add it to your favorites list, and sign up for regular updates. This is truly a Win-Win for all of us! Thank you and GO ORANGE!!
Dr. Daryl Gross Director of Athletics
I recall seeing this email and immediately thought of the really amazing items that I could buy that would have been game worn by Syracuse athletes. Visions of McNabb and Harrison jerseys flashed through my head until I actually visited the site and saw that I was going to be treated to second rate jerseys from 2007. Hey, I guess I could be the world's ugliest uniform for Halloween this year!
From: Scott To: Daryl J Gross Sent: Tue Sep 09 13:17:55 2008 Subject: Thanks
Dear Dr. Gross,
Thank you for your invitation to spend my money at the Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles online store. After purchasing a new #44 football jersey, bright orange SU hat and driving from New York City to Chicago to take in SU's season opener in person, I only have $200 left to spend on SU memorabilia this year. Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles has such a wide selection of Orange products that I'm having trouble deciding what to buy. Should I go with the game used football from the 2007 win against Louisville or the one from the Buffalo contest? Maybe I should hold out for something from the 2008 season. Since you seem confident that our success will grow, could you let me know which three football games you see the Orange winning this year?
Also, when I send out emails to large groups of people I generally read over the text several times to ensure that there are no errors in spelling or grammar. I encourage you to do the same. In that spirit, you can ensure that all of our alumni are aware of their Athletic Director's competence and show their Orange Pride.
Scott Class of '02
PS - Did someone in your office really think that this was a good time to send this note off to the alumni? Really?
Scott. Trust me, don't hold out for anything from 2008.
From: Daryl J Gross To: Scott Sent: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 1:43:41 PM Subject: Re: Thanks
I would be glad to buy you something. Just pick it out.
Cheers,
Daryl
I take it Daryl didn't pick up on the sarcasm dripping from Scott's email.
From: Scott To: Daryl J Gross Sent: Tue Sep 09 14:19:45 2008 Subject: Re: Thanks
Daryl,
The travel bags are tempting, as are the Greg Robinson/bag packing jokes that would go along with such a choice but I'm going to focus on the positive and go with the Buffalo game ball. [Link modified for blog purposes]
Once Steiner makes the 2008 collection available I'll pick up a game ball from SU's third win of the season and send it your way.
[Mailing Address]
Good choice. That game ball will remind you that even though Turner Gill is quickly building a very good program down the thruway in Buffalo, Syracuse is still New York's College Team.
From: Daryl J Gross To: Scott Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:19:52 AM Subject: Re: Thanks
Seriously, my treat.
Can I just point out that Daryl Gross is answering emails to disaffected Alumni at 12:19 AM. Impressive Daryl. Impressive. Now, want to respond to my open letter?
From: Scott To: Daryl J Gross Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 8:45:22 AM Subject: Re: Thanks Seriously, thanks. I eagerly await the arrival of that football and I'm especially looking forward to explaining to my wife why a game ball from the Syracuse win over Buffalo in 2007 has to be prominently displayed in our living room.
Go 'Cuse!
-Scott
New York's College Team. Just keep reciting it and I am sure she will understand.
From: Scott Subject: Fw: Thanks To: GrossSuperman Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 4:59 PM
Here you go. I still haven't received my damn football.
Don't worry Scott, I am sure that Daryl has a great explanation. Like how he needs the money from your football to buy out Greg Robinson's contract.
The Daryl Gross Tangible Improvement Indicator is a measure of the success of the football program in the eyes of DOCTOR Daryl Gross. Daryl has been very quiet about what 'tangible improvement' actually means, but Nancy Cantor shed some more light on the situation when she was interviewed by Donnie Webb for the piece he did in today's Post-Standard.
"One thing about football, it's quantitatively clear. You can know what real progress means. I think Daryl chose the words, real progress. That means real progress, not small progress."
So we have to see real progress, and not just small progress. Fortunately for you, I happen to have access to a dictionary and this is what the dictionary has to say about real progress and small progress.
According to dictionary.com, progress can be, "a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage". It can also be "the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level". But really, I prefer this definition, "to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity".
I think that we can all agree that the football program has grown in severity under Greg Robinson. Things are clearly at a breaking point and in that case, he has shown progress. But is it real progress? Or just small progress?
Again, according to dictionary.com, real means, "unfeigned or sincere". I have always thought that Greggers has been a very sincere guy. I mean he always shows a lot of want-to and he REALLY makes me hope that he can put it together. So I think that he has shown real progress.
Now, small means "of little strength or force". I believe it was Jim Brown who was railing on the team in that ESPN piece about the lack of intensity that he saw. Well I think that Jim Brown knows best and so we have definitely shown small progress.
So I guess maybe the problem for DOCTOR Daryl Gross is that Syracuse has shown real progress in football but we have also shown small progress. It is like a Catch-22 and Daryl Gross is caught in the middle of it all.
Donnie Webb, who really does a great job covering Syracuse football, has an article today in the Post-Standard covering the attention that has been brought on DOCTOR Daryl Gross. Donnie mentions several of the recent indicators that people are sick and tired of DOCTOR Daryl Gross, the booing at the Penn State game, the column in the OC Register, internet message boards, etc.
Throughout the piece, Nancy Cantor chimed in in support of DOCTOR Daryl Gross. Her love of Gross is well known and Donnie said that Cantor specifically made mention of the contract extension that Gross signed earlier this year. Apparently Donnie's sources say that it lasts through 2014.
While none of the support from Nancy Cantor is surprising, the real surprise is just how similar the defense of Gross is to the defense of Greg Robinson. When Robinson was first being pressured his main defense was always that it takes time to turn the corner. Gross had this to say about the situation:
"Looking back now, it wasn't as set for success as it could have been. When I came into this situation, a lot of people were really upset about the old regime. But no one thought it could get worse, nor did I. We were all hoping for some success. We knew it wasn't going to happen right away.
Playing the time card is just one of the many tips and tricks of the DOCTOR Daryl Gross regime. Another, is taking credit for the success of others.
"One thing people don't realize is that program wasn't fully funded with all the scholarships. The year I got here, they had won a national championship and won it without full scholarships. You can make a case that they did it before and did it again. I'm here to tell you that the Dukes and others have caught up. We put two more scholarships into the men's program. It takes a little while for it to matriculate. We had to fix the off-field culture with some awareness. We had no issues last year. We added staff. We gave them a practice field, which lacrosse never had before. Those things are huge. They're things that help us grow."
Look, Daryl, I understand that you need to point to a positive event during your tenure but this is just madness. John Desko has been at Syracuse since 1976. He has won 10 National Championships (6 as the Assistant Head Coach and 4 as Head Coach). He has done more for Syracuse Lacrosse than you ever will and to even think that you have anything to do with his success is complete and utter bullshit.
And while we all know that Lacrosse is such a huge program here at Syracuse the real problem (at least as far as the national media is concerned) happens to be the football program.
"Sometimes when you have a coaching transition, there is a fallout with recruiting and those things aren't as stable as you want them to be. You know it takes a little while to grow properly. It takes a change in systems, all the dynamics were there that haven't clicked at all to the point we're not where we should be in year four. At the end of the day, it all falls on the athletic director."
This is something that Daryl pulled from the Greg Robinson playbook. When all else fails, mention that things haven't clicked completely. Although at least Daryl finally raised his hand and said, "Yes, it all falls on me." Daryl we have known this since day one. You might want to cut that cord with Greggers before he takes you down with the ship.
By way of my good friend Alan at Over The Pylon, I got news of this piece by Ivan Maisel at ESPN regarding the Syracuse football situation. Ivan is a top-notch journalist and I have had the pleasure of corresponding with him several years ago when Syracuse beat Boston College in their last game in the Dome.
DOCTOR Daryl Gross seems to be hurting from a lot of the recent negative attention he has been receiving. In particular, the ESPN College GameDay piece on the Syracuse program and Lee Corso essentially ripping Gross to shreds which was chronicled here yesterday. According to Maisel, Gross made an unsolicited phone call to ESPN.com to defend himself. Apparently Gross is taking credit for John Desko's 2008 Lacrosse National Championship. Sorry Daryl, Desko has been in Syracuse longer than you have been an egomaniac so it has absolutely nothing to do with you.
Of particular interest is this quote from Gross regarding Greg Robinson, "It isn't working out. It's very disappointing ... He has some work to do out in front of him." There is nothing to disagree with there and I stated as much in the open letter that was sent to Daryl Gross. I'm still waiting to hear back from Daryl, but something tells me he has bigger problems to deal with.
Some other key items from Maisel...
"We got so many good things going on here," Gross said. "The 800-pound gorilla is football. You and I both know we've been very fair to Coach Robinson. Everyone wanted the guy's head last year. I said I didn't want Syracuse to become one of those three-years-and-out schools. I said, 'Let's calm down and [if needed] we'll get the first pick of the draft [of coaching candidates] next year.' That's where we are."
I am pretty sure everyone is in agreement that Greg Robinson is done in Syracuse. The only question is when.
"He isn't going to do anything right now," Robinson, referring to Gross, said Monday night. "I know that. But let me tell you something, we just need to win. We're capable of winning. People don't know it."
NewsChannel 9 has a fugitive of the week. Our Syracuse Athletics Babes of the Week are much more exciting.
Daryl Gross should start a Rock, Paper, Scissors team. The current World Champion is from Syracuse and is a former student. I'm sure they could perform better than the football team.
Syracuse is one of eight schools that is perfect in the redzone this season.
Taylor Metcalfe is a Freshman on the Women's Ice Hockey team. The Syracuse Athletics website says that she is Canadian and likes long walks on the beach. We might have added that last bit, but she is still Canadian. Taylor is also enrolled in the college of arts and sciences and is yet undeclared for her major. We wish Taylor all the best both on and off the ice and look forward to chronicling what will hopefully be a long and stellar career at Syracuse. Congrats to Taylor for being our Syracuse Athletics Babe of the Week!
So there used to be a Daryl Gross facebook page. You used to be able to see him talking smack with Greg Robinson and you used to be able to add him as a friend and chat it up with the little guy. Well we know that the page wasn't exactly Daryl Gross and we know who may or may not have set it up, but it seems that the account was disabled by facebook. It seems that Daryl may have finally figured out that there was some heat on him in light of the recent things that have been said both online and on television. I wonder how long until we get a cease and desist order.
There was a lot of excitement over the weekend. It was homecoming, and Orange:44 gave you the guide to Syracuse Homecoming 2008. While I disagree with his choice of Pita restaurants (I can't help being old school) and I am saddened by the lack of a mention of Syracuse and Armory Square's best bar, The Limerick Pub, it still is a pretty damn good description of what to expect and where to go.
As mentioned before, I was at a wedding over the weekend and didn't attend the game but from what I saw on television there is a lot that can be said about the game. There was absolutely no one there. The Idiot's gave us a few good pictures of the stands and the thing that I kept saying to everyone at our rental was just how few people there were at the game.
As for the team, there were some things to be pleased with. I know that we were playing I-AA Northeastern, but the defense only gave up 383 yards of total offense. That compares to 484 to Northwestern, 478 to Akron and 560 to Penn State. Baby steps people. Bruce Williams recorded an interception. I am so pleased to see him making such a difference on the defensive side of the ball. He also registered a team high 7 solo tackles. Nice work Bruce. Bad work linebackers.
All in all, a win is a win and even though it wasn't pretty and we didn't blow out Northeastern, we didn't post an O-fer.
Scott Reid with the Orange County (California) Register has an excellent column on Daryl Gross. It pretty much sums up everything that we know about Daryl. He is egotistical. He takes credit for other people's work. He just plain isn't good at his job.
And Scott gives us a shoutout. Let's just hope this continues to put the pressure on.
I didn't get the time on Thursday to mention that I was going to be out of town over the weekend. Yes, I still live in Syracuse and I have gone to every homecoming game since my first days up on The Hill, however I had a wedding to attend this weekend in the Fingerlakes and it seemed like a much better option.
Highlights of the weekend:
"Nuggets and..." : I passed out in the middle of a conversation. We were talking about the NBA pre-season game and I passed out mid-sentence. When I was awoken to finish the sentence, I clearly stated, "Nuggets, Avalanche, Rockies, Broncos." I had no idea what I was talking about.
"Where my Chubbies at?" : If you have a Verizon phone with T9Word, try typing "Where my Bitches at?" Enjoy.
Playing darts at the compound: Pre-party on Friday night was fantastic. Plenty of good food, good drinks and a dart board. Yes, I owned the dart board.
The Syracuse Tribe: The younger people at the wedding were essentially split into the groups that knew the happy couple. I happened to be with the Syracuse Tribe. Good times. Good Alumni. And we definitely know how to throw an after-party.
College Game Day: The spot on College Game Day was amazing. I was one of the first people up on Saturday morning and so I had my coffee in hand as I watched the piece that they did. It was fantastic. Greg "I don't know" Robinson's answer to how many times we should beat Akron out of 1000 made me want to strangle him... If ever Daryl Gross needed a reason to fire Greg Robinson, it was that single interview. Just point to that, and the fact that Greg doesn't know how many times Syracuse should expect to beat Akron and call it a day.
Drunk SUMB members forgetting the words to the fight song:I had the pleasure of hanging out with a bunch of old members of the Syracuse University Marching Band this weekend. At the after party, one of them had to sing the fight song as part of the card game they were playing. Unfortunately, she didn't remember the words. The rest, was comic gold.
Thanks to The Syracuse Tribe. If you read this, you know who you are. And congratulations to the Happy Couple! It was well worth missing the only win we are going to get this season.
We showed you earlier that Syracuse is ranked Fourth in the country in Net Punting. I am sure that some of it has to do with the fact that Rob Long happens to get a lot of practice both in practice and during the games, but some of it might actually be that he is a good punter and the coverage unit is actually semi-decent.
However, what we didn't tell you is that Syracuse is actually ranked First somewhere. Of course the place that we are ranked first isn't exactly the place you want to be ranked first. Yes, Syracuse is #1 in the latest Bottom 10, from ESPN.
Catrina Roth is a Senior on the soon to be defunct Swimming and Diving team (but we still support her as SABotW). Unfortunately the S&D site hasn't been updated with information from last year, but Catrina primarily swims the Backstroke and won both the 100m and 200m many times her Junior season. She was also a BIG EAST Academic All-Star and a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll both semesters in 2006-2007 and is a dual major in public relations and sociology. Congrats to Catrina on being our Syracuse Athletics Babe of the Week.
I think we all knew exactly how this week was going to end up, but we were hoping that the football team would show some sign of life. I'll be honest, the team had me fooled for about thirty seconds. When Nick Santiago forced the fumble on Penn State's second play from scrimmage, I thought, just for a moment, that maybe something magical could happen. Oh how I was wrong.
Last week the team was able to move the football but still only received one Daryl Gross mug on the DGTII because they lost to a team that was predicted to finish last in the MAC. This week, it is more of the same for from the Indicator. I can't, reasonably, give the team any more points on the scale when they give up 560 yards of total offense and only gain 159 yards of total offense.
I'll have a full recap of the movie which was awesome, but I wanted to leave a couple of notes. First, Daryl Gross made the introductory speech. Like we didn't know that was going to happen, right? But the thing that really caught me was in the movie credits. Towards the end of the credits, the studio thanks the various cities and agencies that assisted with the film. They thanked the City of Syracuse, and the City of Chicago, and various other places. Then there was this line:
Syracuse University Athletics Department - Dr. Daryl Gross, Athletic Director
I was pissed. First off, I was actually in the movie but didn't make the credits. But more specifically, it was just more of the Daryl Gross self-image program. They didn't put a little subnote on the City of Syracuse and thank Mayor Matt Driscoll. They didn't put a little subnote on the Heisman Committee and thank their Chairman. But somehow, Dr. Daryl Gross gets thanked? Typical.
It has been an eerily quiet week in the realm of Syracuse Athletics. After the events of the football game last weekend, it seems most Syracuse fans are laying low and trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. It won't get much better after this weekend and an embarrassment on ABC Regional (at least until they figure out that Oregon at Purdue or Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech is a better game).
What story about The Express would be complete without Daryl Gross all throughout it? You guessed it, none.
TNIAAM brings you bread. And I am going to win it one of these days. At least I have so many chances this year...
Matt Gelb from The Daily Orange is a really good writer. Today, he has a good article on the connection between Joe Paterno and former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni.
This Penn State blogger believes we have no chance of beating Penn State. And we tend to agree.
If you didn't read Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician yesterday, you fail at life, and you also missed a nice little piece on the Athletic Department trying to distract us from the state of Syracuse Football by making mention of the Syracuse Volleyball team.
Featured in the article is Kacie MacTavish, a 5'11" outside hitter. Yes, we take your hints to stalk very seriously. All I will mention is that she is a Libra and is apparently engaged.
And with that, a new weekly feature is born. We are proud to present your Syracuse Athletics Babe of the Week (Or SABOTW because everything needs a damn acronym these days). With the state of Syracuse Football in such peril, it seems only right that we bring you something to distract yourself from the cold dark truth that we might not win a game all season.
Your first Babe of the Week is Shelby Schraden, a sophomore on the Field Hockey team. Shelby is a forward who scored four goals and had one assist in 18 games last season. She was selected to the Big East All-Academic Team so she isn't only a babe, she's also pretty smart as well. Congrats to Shelby on being our Syracuse Athletics Babe of the Week!
Once again, welcome to Monday. Last week I was at an Anniversary Party and didn't catch the entire game. Of course it was a good thing since there was an open bar and Syracuse ended up losing 30-10 to Northwestern. Originally I was going to attend the game since I was able to find tickets for as cheap as $2.50 on Stubhub, however my father was of the opinion that we were better off watching the game at home. I tend to agree with his assessment due to the fact that we were able to drink our own beer ($7.99 for a 6-pack of Peroni instead of $5 a beer at the Dome) and if at any point we got sick of seeing Syracuse play poorly we could flip it over to one of the other college games that might have provided a little more excitement. Since the game wasn't on HD, I went over to my parents house to watch and showed up right around kickoff. I will admit that while listening to the pre-game broadcast on TK99, I was getting goosebumps hearing the band play the fight song (I'll buy a beer for anyone who wasn't at one point in the band or colorguard and can recite all the lines without looking them up).
After Akron scored on their opening drive I just knew it was going to be a long day. Thankfully, I got a call from work and they wanted me to come in and take care of some things that night so I actually missed the final 10 minutes of the game or so. The most telling moment of the game for me, was when Syracuse tied the game at 28. My mom let out a yell and looked over at my dad and I to see us both sitting in our seats with a blank expression on our faces. I didn't make a sound, I didn't budge, I didn't even crack a smile. Why? I didn't do anything that would exude positive emotion because I knew that the game wasn't over and that Greg Robinson would find a way to foul it up. And Greggers didn't disappoint.
The stats for this one tell all, Syracuse gave up almost 500 yards of total offense. Akron held the ball for 33:24 to our 26:36. Akron was 10-14 on third down conversions. And of course the only stat that matters, Akron 42 Syracuse 28. While it was encouraging to see the offense continue to build on their small successes from last week, it was apparent to everyone that the defense has regressed and will continue to regress under Greg Robinson.
And now for TDGTII for Week 2:
Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good and I can only give this game one Daryl Gross Mug. Had we been able to win this game, the team would have received two Daryl Gross Mugs, but there is no way that in a loss to Akron the team can show any sense of improvement.
We here at Getgrossout.com have been some of your fiercest critics in your time here at Syracuse University. We have not been critics because we are malicious but rather because we have great pride and appreciation for Syracuse Athletics. As Syracuse Alumni we feel that we have every right to be as impassioned as we have been during your tenure at Syracuse.
Truth be told, we agreed with your decision to fire Paul Pasqualoni. We were of the opinion that Paul had never really accomplished what could have been accomplished with the talent that he had, particularly in the late 90's. We believed that you were correct in your assessment that Syracuse could do better without Coach Pasqualoni and were completely on-board when you removed him as Head Coach following the Citrus Bowl loss to Georgia Tech.
When your search for a new Head Coach lasted only 13 days and you selected a former NFL assistant who had won two Super Bowls we were at first intrigued and then concerned as we learned how little experience he had. As Spring came and the team was practicing, we were quite optimistic with the host of returning players and the recruits who had stayed on board. We were so excited for the season that we purchased tickets for the O-Zone and were there for the first game against West Virginia. While Syracuse lost that game, we were encouraged by the five turnovers that the team caused and by the fact that it had only been an 8 point loss. After Syracuse beat Buffalo and then only lost by three points to eventual Top-25 Virginia we were optimistic for the rest of the season. As it turned out, the team posted the first 10 loss season in Syracuse history.
Following the 2005 season we were of the opinion that Greg Robinson would be able to make improvements on both sides of the football and that the previous season was simply growing pains. We were encouraged by the increased wins in 2006 and felt that there was the potential that we could see a much improved football team that could compete once again in the Big East for the 2007 season. Unfortunately 2007 came and we were treated to the second 10 loss season in Syracuse's illustrious history. We believed that the team had completely reverted from the positives that they had shown in 2006 and that a change of direction was needed. We, along with much of America, believed that you would fire Greg Robinson and that you would bring in a new coach who would start the process over and bring Syracuse back to its former glory.
When the announcement came that you were bringing Robinson back for another year, we were shocked and dismayed. It was our belief that your interest in giving Greg Robinson another year was essentially throwing in the towel and saying that you did not feel that Syracuse could be a better team with the removal of Greg Robinson.
The 2008 season is now upon us and Syracuse was predicted by most media outlets to finish last in the Big East. Our prediction was that Syracuse would go 2-10 this season, beating Akron and Northeastern. After the events of Saturday, we can say that our prediction was incorrect. Now it is hard for us to find a game, other than Northeastern, that Syracuse could potentially win this season. We believe that everyone has seen enough of what the Greg Robinson era of Syracuse football can bring and it is with this letter that we submit our open plea to you. We ask that you show the same commitment and concern for Syracuse football that you did when you fired Pasqualoni and that you take the immediate step to remove Greg Robinson as Head Coach of the Syracuse football team. We ask that you replace him on an interim basis with his assistant Mitch Browning, who has shown he is a capable coach during his tenure at Minnesota and in the two games that he has coached at Syracuse.
With the removal of Greg Robinson now rather than following an embarrassing defeat to Penn State, you will show a disaffected fan base that you are truly committed to the future of Syracuse Football. By making this statement now, you will show Syracuse Alumni, fans, players and critics that the culture of losing that Greg Robinson has perpetuated will not be tolerable at Syracuse University. The appointment of Mitch Browning, now, on an interim basis allows for the healing and an extensive search for the next head coach to begin. It is our belief that this must happen to ensure that Syracuse returns to its traditional place as a Northeastern and National powerhouse.
The time to make to the statement that you are committed to the future success of Syracuse Football is now. And the statement to make is the removal of Greg Robinson as head coach. We trust that you will show your dedication to the future of Syracuse Football and name Mitch Browning as interim head coach.
While watching the halftime show during the Akron game today, there was an interview with Daryl Gross. During the interview, the question was posed to Daryl regarding scheduling rivalries since we are playing Penn State next week. He responded that we have a 10 game series scheduled with former Big East member Boston College. This isn't news to anyone. However, immediately following that Daryl also dropped the bomb that we have a series scheduled with Notre Dame.
We all know how Notre Dame has wanted to schedule some teams from the Northeast and wants to play their home games in South Bend and play the home games of whatever team they are playing in the Meadowlands. Donnie Webb wrote about the impending move back in August and we know that Rutgers already turned down a similar deal.
So it seems that the deal is now in place and Syracuse is officially Notre Dame's bitch. Awesome. We are definitely back to Irrelevency-town.
I finally figured out what Daryl Gross was doing on two cell phones during the Northwestern game. It seems that DOCTOR Gross has realized just how sad of a state things are in Orangeland and decided that we needed some positive press.
It seems that Minnesota Athletic Director, Joel Maturi, had this to say (by way of twincities.com) regarding the 44,029 that showed up for their opener against Northern Illinois in the Metrodome:
"I'm excited about moving onto campus in a 50,000-seat facility because I think we're going to have 50,000 each week. I don't think empty seats are good, but I see Northwestern had 20,000 for Syracuse, which is a pretty good team, and Indiana had 30-some thousand. The reality is we did OK considering the situation."
[emphasis mine]
It seems that Daryl Gross first placed a phone call to Mitch Browning up in the booth to get Joel's number since they both were at Minnesota together for a few years when Mitch was an assistant under Glen Mason. Then, Daryl called Joel to get the positive spin. The reason he was still on the other phone? Mitch wanted to ask Joel about his mother's pound cake recipe...
Syracuse is in fact relevant again and their was much rejoicing.
Frank Ordoñez of the Post-Standard snapped this photo of Daryl Gross on two cell phones during the game against Northwestern Saturday. This incident has brought speculation throughout Orange Nation as to who Daryl might have been talking with.
Syracuse.com put the picture up as their "Write your own Caption" feature.
Here are some Syracuse (and DOCTOR Daryl Gross) notes from around the web today.
ESPN's Pat Forde doesn't think that Syracuse is significant any longer.
"The Cardinals don't play a road game until Oct. 10 against Memphis, and don't play another BCS conference opponent on the road until Nov. 1 -- and that's Syracuse, which really doesn't count."
Ouch. But then again, I can't argue with him. I'm sure that Duke and Baylor are sending Daryl Gross fruit baskets as we speak.
By way of The Idiots, The Orange Report has a great breakdown of the Northwestern game, including referencing "High Fidelity". It was definitely the misery guys. Of note, Arthur Jones is the big playmaker on the team. But then again I think we all knew that coming into the season.
Also, I am going to have to disagree with Orange44, TNIAAM, The Axeman, Kenny Haas and everyone else who has been saying that the running game looked good. I hate to ask you to take off the Orange-tinted glasses, but the running game still stinks. The only reason why the running game (which amassed a total of 122 yards) looked good is because we averaged 68 rushing yards per game last season.
Those 122 yards were good for 67th in the country but that certainly pales in comparison when you see that Navy racked up 558 yards. Jasper Howard out of Connecticut rushed for 146 all by his lonesome... The real problem I have with our rushing game is that if you take away the two big runs by Brinkley (28) and Carter (32), we ended up rushing for a measly 62 yards. And that would be right about where we were last season. Taking away those two big runs and Brinkley averaged 2.63 ypc and Carter averaged 2.6 ypc. Yuck.
After this game, I really don't see any way that Greg Robinson can turn the corner and wrap up enough wins to make it through another year here at Syracuse. Most of the blog-o-sphere agrees and it is more of a matter of when.
CoachesHotSeat says Gross will fire Robinson in December (after the season is over).
Nick still thinks that if Syracuse does marginally well Gross brings Robinson back. I'm not sure what "marginally well" is, but it probably is something similar to "tangible improvement".
Orange Fizz is going to be bringing us potential coaching hires on Wednesdays following an SU loss. For their sakes hopefully they have a good 9 or 10 candidates picked out.
From The Bleacher Report, Syracuse could be looking for a new head coach by Week 4. While I think that before the Northeastern game is way too early to get rid of Robinson, if we do go 0-4 to start the season he had better have his bags packed. If DOCTOR Daryl Gross doesn't fire him at that point, an angry mob might force him out anyways.
And finally, Syracuse will probably be spending most of the season here in the Bottom 10.
Welcome to Monday. The best part about Saturday's game was the fact that I was at an Anniversary party and that there was an open bar. After the intentional grounding call, it was all the Yuengling I could drink.
I don't really need to say much that hasn't been said already. I think that Russinator from T3I summed it up as best as it could be done.
With the game officially over and the first loss in the book for the Orangemen (I was so happy to see the Philly Inquirer still calls them the Orangemen) it is time to break out The Daryl Gross Tangible Improvement Indicator for Week 1. The Indicator will henceforth be known as The DGTII (because the full name is just a mouthful) and I am really just too lazy to type it all out.
And without further ado, let's get to The DGTII:
That is correct, the Orangemen receive just one Daryl Gross mug in the initial DGTII. Yes, that is fewer than the number of phones Daryl Gross was talking on during the game. I don't think there will be much argument from Delone Carter.
