Will the Farewell Tour End Prematurely?

It's been 15 hours since the latest Greg Robinson lead embarrassment was bestowed upon Syracuse fans. A 14 point HOME loss to a MAC team is simply unthinkable. I've worked through a ton of potential blog posts in my head - from venomous attacks to quiet indignation, I've considered all the possibilities, and frankly, I'm at a loss for words. So without a clear plan in my head, let's ramble for a while and see where we end up.

First and foremost, the Syracuse PLAYERS and the Syracuse fans deserve better. I really feel for the players, I know they're trying, but with Greg Robinson at the helm, they've got no shot. Last year at Thanksgiving dinner, I was talking about the issue with my step father. This is a man who has had season tickets since before the Dome opened, through him, I get my premium seats, which are some of the best in the house. He's supported the University financially, and otherwise for well over 35 years. He bleeds Orange.

So we were talking about Robinson's fate, and he had come around to the view that SU needed to keep him another year. He thought 3 years wasn't enough time and it would send the wrong message, etc. He didn't see how they could do it. I took the view that he was incompetent and time wouldn't solve the fundamental, underlying problems that were going on - that Greg Robinson is an extremely poor head football coach. Deep down I hoped he was right and I was wrong. However, it's clear to the world that Greg is done, and 2008, instead of being the first year of rebuilding, is now lost.

It's lost in a lot of ways, recruiting will be impossible, players on the team will be considering whether to stay or go, and the national media will rightly crucify the program for being a joke. Firing him now doesn't solve anything and just throws the whole operation into limbo and chaos. Axe disagrees, but canning Greg at any time in the season won't make a real difference. You'll still have the same coaches, the players will be playing under an even darker cloud of uncertainty, and the man everyone agrees would be the best person to guide the ship in the interim, new offensive coordinator Mitch Browning, is an offensive coach, and as we saw yesterday, the bigger issues on this team are on the defensive side of the ball.

Clearly, with or without Robinson at the helm, the program is in free fall. I ran into Averin Collier's mother and grandfather walking out the Dome. I only spoke with them for a minute, but they seemed to be wonderful people. His grandfather had fire shooting out his eyes, saying he'd wished Averin had gone to Rutgers. His mother, she just looked sad. It's telling when the parents of players have had enough. Apparently former players have had enough too.

Reviewing the Game

You can obviously get more detailed analysis from the links above and some of the other Syracuse blogs on the right, so I'll try to offer some of my thoughts and keep them brief. Champ or Boss may weigh in later.

Clearly Browning is making a difference on offense, as 28 points isn't something we're used to seeing around here. I liked making the move to Dantley, for the most part he managed the game well. What I didn't like was the absurd explanation Greg offered for the change. According the Greg, Robinson struggled THROUGHOUT camp. Yet, Robinson was the unquestioned starter throughout that same camp and last week Greg said he he no thoughts of pulling the kid even though he was having a bad game against Northwestern. So basically he's telling us that even though his QB wasn't playing well for an extended period of time, it never dawned on him that he could actually make a change at the position.

In reading the tea leaves, what I deduce from the move is that Browning most likely favored Dantley, but Greg was committed to Andrew. After a 10 point performance, Browning got his way. I like Andrew Robinson's toughness and dedication, but even last year he struggled throwing the ball at times. Dantley throws a better ball and I don't have a problem giving him a shot, he's earned another start.

Meanwhile, the running backs were fantastic. Axe said before yesterday he thought Brinkley was the 3rd best back they have, I agree, but I also agree to eat my hat. He was fantastic yesterday and has earned the start next week. After so many struggles in his career, you have to be happy for the kid, he's gone through a lot. I still love Carter and the one-two punch they provide is outstanding. As far as Doug Hogue goes, stay prepared and be ready Doug, you're a good football player and your time will come.

On defense there's not much to say. It was a horrible, embarrassing display. Arthur Jones is a man among boys out there and I liked what I say from Anthony Perkins. He looks like he could have a bright future. As far as the missed tackles go, I'm not at practice, I have no idea what Forrest Robinson "teaches" but in the 3 plus years he's been here, there have been more missed tackles than anyone can count. Maybe they don't hit enough, maybe they don't teach proper technique, maybe they sit around eating chulupas, I have no earthly idea. What I do know is that it isn't working, and things will get better when he's gone.

Greg has Superbowl Rings, but he's no defensive guru. His defenses were abysmal failures in Kansas City, and Mike Shanahan showed him the door in Denver. He seems like an awful nice guy, but he's a nice guy that's finished last time and time again, including here.

The current state of the program leaves me angry, sad, and depressed. I wonder how long it will take to turn this mess around and who will get tapped to try. I miss the days of a full dome and seasons filled with hope. I'm tired of putting on an SU shirt or hat and inevitably waiting for someone to say something to me about how bad the team is. I wonder how much longer I can continue to sink money into this embarrassing product.

My stepfather has cut way back on the number of tickets he buys. As Axe points out, there were maybe 22,000 people in the building yesterday, so he's not alone. Through him I get my 2 tickets. Because the seats are so good, they're expensive. Two season tickets cost me almost $1,000. I drive from Albany to every home game, and I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Gas costs my $70 to get out there and back. We tailgate, I buy beers in the dome and occasionally will buy a hat or a shirt at a stadium stand. Its getting harder and harder to justify the cost. I feel like I'm a slave to my fandom. I know myself, I won't stop going - but it gets harder and harder to justify the cost.

I miss the time when Saturdays were exciting, fun, times. I miss watching quality football. Those days have been stolen from all SU fans and I wonder who long it will be before they are back.