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| No tight end will ever match Chris Cooley's accomplishment - convincing this woman to marry him |
Our 2011 Syracuse Football Preview rolls on with a look at the tight end position. But before we go forward, it always makes sense to take a look back. So if you've missed either of the first two installments, fear not, we will help you catch up. So far we've covered:
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Now that you're caught up, let's talk tight ends.....there had to be a better way to say that.
Tight Ends
Position Overview
Back in the late 80s through the 1990s, Syracuse produced some damn fine tight ends. The late, great Pat Kelly was a frequent target of Don McPherson and ended up playing four seasons in the NFL. Chris Gedney was probably the best passing catching tight end of recent vintage and holds SU records for receptions in a season and career. A stomach ailment prevented him from reaching his full potential in the NFL, but he still had a nice career. Stephen Brominski caught this pass:
And even Roland Williams, who had a nice career on the hill, went on to play 8 seasons in the NFL. We also can't forget that SU produced one of the best tight ends in football history in John Mackey. He revolutionized the position and has a an award named after him.
So to say the men who have played the position for the Orange recently lacked that type of skill and production as their predecessors is an understatement of epic proportions. No offense to guys like Mike Owen, J.J. Neiswhat and Jose Cruz, but teams weren't gearing their game plans to stop these guys.
This year the Orange look to turn that around, as senior Nick Provo is ready for a break out year. To do so, he'll have to avoid the the injury bug that's plagued him most of his career. Behind him Becket Wales, David Stevens, and Louie Addazio will fight it out to provide depth, and hope for the future.
Pre-season Depth Chart (class by football eligibility)
- Nick Provo (Sr)
- David Stevens (Jr)
- Becket Wales (Soph)
- Thomas Trendowski (Sr)
- Louis Addazio (Fr)
Provo is the top dog, that's not changing. Wales is a bigger guy and more of a blocking tight end, so functionally he's your number 2 TE, regardless of where he is on the "official" chart. According to the Post Standard, Stevens has been catching everything in sight and I'd look for him more in the H-back spot, when SU pulls Adam Harris off the field. Trendowski is a former walk-on and Addazio is a true freshman. If those guys are getting a lot of snaps, there's a terrible sign.
As a sign Marrone is concerned about depth at the spot, Max Beaulieu, a highly touted recruit who was brought here to play defense, was recently switched this week to tight end. I can't imagine he'll make much of an impact this year. It appears to be a move for the future.
Synopsis
Since stepping on campus Provo has had the ability to catch the ball and be a threat up the seam. However, over the course of that career he's also had quite a few injuries. Last year he was relatively healthy, but he was victimized by the fact that SU didn't have any true deep threats to open up the middle of the field for him. Even given all that, he managed to catch 33 balls last year, which is the second most anSU tight end has ever caught in a season. Doug Marrone is looking to use the tight end in the passing game even more this year -- and Provo has been named to the Mackey Award watch list - given to the nation's best tight end.
Becket Wales missed spring practice dealing with some personal issues, but he's back and he's added 20 pounds of needed muscle to his frame. I really liked what I saw out of him in limited action last year and I think he'll be able to help both as a blocker and a second receiver. Plus, as we've noted, Provo has been hurt more than you'd like, there's a good chance Wales will have to step up at some point this year.
Behind those two are a group of players that have not yet distinguished themselves. Stevens is too undersized to be an every down tight end. Addazio is a true freshman and ideally you'd like to give him a year to gain weight and learn the system. Trendowski is a former walk on and a week ago Beaulieu was tackling people. In a nutshell, the team is scary thin at this spot.
Prediction
Ryan Nassib and Nick Provo have been playing together for a long time now. Both are reportedly better. Doug Marrone wants to use his tight ends more as a weapon in the passing game. This adds up to a big year for Provo. He's supposedly in fantastic shape.
Beyond that, I think Wales moves into the number two spot, and while he won't make a huge impact in terms of receiving numbers, a year of playing time and being groomed for the starter's spot will pay off big time in 2012. While I'm rooting for David Stevens, I'm predicting he gets the award of the guy who gets written about most in pre-season camp that doesn't really make an impact once the season begins.
Best Case Scenario
Provo stays heathy, catches 50 balls and goes out of SU as it's all time receiving tight end. Wales' blocking improves and Stevens actually makes a big impact out of the H-back spot and makes me look dumber than I already am (not a difficult feat).
Worst Case Scenario
The injury bug bites Provo, the dropsies infect Wales and David Stevens, Louis Addazio and Max Beaulieu take turns becoming human speed bumps for defensive ends. Ryan Nassib ends up calling the domestic abuse hotline as a result of the pain this group inflicts on him.
Position Grade
C+ - Provo is poised to break out, the rest need to show us what they can do.
Bonus Video
Mark Bavaro, whose brother David played lb at SU, shows people how a tight end can move a pile.
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