Deep Thoughts on the 2009 Syracuse Football Season

Now that the 2009 SU football season is firmly in the books, complete with three assistant coaches who are now looking for jobs, here are some random thoughts on the year, where the program is headed, and Doug Marrone.

Wins and Losses

To quote the immortal Herm Edwards, you play to win the game - so if you're measuring 2009 strictly on wins and losses, the season could never be termed a success. The Orange posted a 4-8 record and went 1-6 in the Big East, which was good for another last place finish. Only 2 of the wins came against BCS schools. Over the past 5 years Syracuse has won 4 Big East games and has 14 wins overall.

However, I think we can all agree that for this year, wins and losses aren't the only measure we should use. Doug Marrone faces a massive rebuilding job. Greg Robinson didn't leave a house in need of minor repairs, Greg tore down the house, replaced it with a trailer, then managed to burn down that down before reading the little engine that could and walking out the door.

Marrone came into the season talking about winning games and winning now. It was the right thing to say, because what's left of the fan base is starved for wins and there's no doubt he played to win each game. That being said, he also took necessary steps that caused short term pain in order to implement a plan that will hopefully lead to long term success.

He ran off players that he didn't think could play, or didn't want to make the commitment that was needed. The roster was painfully thin all year - and once a rash of devastating injuries set in, there were as many bodies on the sideline as there were in the student section...and for those that weren't paying attention, there was no one in the student section.

He changed the culture of the program, insisted players adhere to team rules, punished those that didn't, and enacted a tougher strength and conditioning program.

Headed into 2010, he will have plenty of roster space and scholarships available to bring in the type of player he will need to win. While Marrone said he wanted to win now, he took the steps needed to win for a long time, and that's OK by me.

While there's no such thing as a good loss, the losses the team incurred were generally close games. Unlike past years, the Orange were really only out of two games all year - West Virginia and Pittsburgh. They were two plays away from 6 wins and bowl eligibilty.

The team also secured two good wins, beating Northwestern, who finished the year 8-4 and crushing Rutgers, a main recruiting rival. Rutger has also won 8 games already, but against their schedule, that's not an accomplishment.

The Offense

Offensively the year was a roller coaster - which may have lead to Rob Spence losing his job. At times we saw an offense that employed multiple sets and personnel packages and kept defenses off-balance, and at other times we saw a conservative team that could not move the ball effectively for long stretches of time. The Louisville game in particular was a sh*t show of epic proportions.

Two bright points were the play of Delone Carter and the development of an offensive line that despite injuries really began to develop as the season wore on. Greg Paulus took the pressure off redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib, playing brilliantly at times, and awful at times. Greg showed some broad shoulders, taking a hefty amount of abuse during the middle of the season when both he and the entire offense weren't playing well. It allowed Nassib to play in particular spots and get game experience without being shattered by the whole ordeal.

Next year we'll find out how Nassib handles going into the season as the player expected, but not anointed, as the starting QB. The Orange will have to shuffle the o-line some more, but there's still a talented stable of running backs to rely on. The tight ends were injured and will need to get healthy and the wide receivers will frankly need to get better. So there are questions, but they closedthey year scoring 31 points in back to back games and showing promise.

Unlike the Robinson years, it's reasonable to expect improvement from the Orange offense next year.

Defense

Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer was run out of Michigan after a rough year in 2008 and ended up being a revelation. While most D coordinators talk about being "aggressive" and "attacking the quarterback" Shafer actually accomplished it. The Orange D was stingy against the run, blitzed heavily and got to the opposing QB.

Of course, it wasn't all roses, the pass defense was really really bad, but on the whole the D kept this team in games. More importantly, a lot of mistakes were the result of being aggressive, and after watching Robinson line his corners up 10 yards off the ball forever, I like that fact that this bunch went down swinging.

Next year returns talented linebackers Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue, who both had break out years and most of the players along the D line. With some additions in the secondary, including getting some injured guys healthy, the potential for an excellent year in 2010 is certainly there.

Special Teams

The good news, the Orange took a 150 pound walk on kicker and turned him into a very reliable performer. The bad news - everything esle. From being fooled by multiple fakes by Maine, to bad coverage all year on punts and kick offs, this unit was bad. Marrone said it stemmed from a lack of depth. That explanation works for a year -- but only a year. There will be more bodies next year and this unit needs to produce.

Overall

Anyone that watched this team play this year has to come to the conclusion that there was marked improvement in almost every aspect of the game. While Doug Marrone's first season didn't result in as many wins as we would have hoped, it did result in something that's been absent from Syracuse football for quite some time - hope for the future. And that may be the most important win of the year.