Another day, another blog submission by Post-Standard staff writer Donnie Webb:
Finally, the Post-Standard produced another epic piece featuring new Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White. While most of the article covers White's unmitigated optimism for this season, the real gold in the piece concerns White's straightforward offensive philosophy:
Orange began practice today for the first time in shells. That's the get-up of shorts, helmets AND shoulder pads. Things are gearing up for Saturday when full pads start rocking.While Dantley had the luxury of taking snaps after Patterson this afternoon, freshman quarterback Andrew Robinson may still have the opportunity to serve as the Orange's backup gunslinger this year. In a piece penned by the aforementioned Webb appearing in this morning's print edition of the Post-Standard, Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson seems more than willing to allow his first full crop of recruits to play their way onto the gridiron in 2006:
Watched the offense again in the pre-practice phase. Almost the entire group of receivers was rolled into the drill including freshmen Mike Williams, Donte Davis and Dan Sheeran along with walk-on Max Meisel. Maybe I missed him, but I did not see Lavar Lobdell, who was dressed and practicing, get into the drill.
Second quarterback into the team work during pre-practice was Cameron Dantley. Andrew Robinson had bag duty (scout team) during the dozen or so plays. Saw senior walk-on tight end Arthur Kapalanga used in a pass play, too.
Ryan Durand is one good-looking offensive lineman. The Orange need more bodies like his. First offensive lineman to hit the practice field was Ryan Ehrie. He's pushing to overtake Eugene Newsome at right tackle. Has anyone watched Newsome run? It's not pretty. Little knee bend. Swings his legs and feet out like Frankenstein. But in a blocking drill I watched, Eugene moved pretty good and looked better than his jogs during stretch. Freshman offensive tackle Tucker Baumbach is a big boy. The roster says he's 330. Call me skeptical. Today's soup du jour at center in the snapping drill was tackle Ian Hammond, who is also the long snapper. Offensive line coach Bob Wylie says he wants to develop five centers.
Head coach Greg Robinson led a spirited tackling technique drill with defensive backs. Players converge. lock up ball carriers and drive them into one of those oversize landing pads for pole-vaulters. The big guy was fired up. After the stretch, I think it was Robinson who led a pretty passionate cheer with: "We got to go to work. We got to go to work right now." Each unit then answered with, "let's go to work."
The big blue curtains went up today along the fence line that separates the track and the football practice fields. That's a sure sign the Orange is about to get down to business.
Freshman football players have been on campus more than a month. They enrolled for second-semester summer school. That allowed them to participate in voluntary workouts with varsity players. Coaches are prohibited by NCAA rule from watching them.I'm not exactly sure what "feeling" Delone Carter and Syracuse's three new receivers means, but as long as it doesn't involve a bag of candy and a conversion van, I can tolerate the neophyte coach's poor attempt at slang.
The first days of practice are the first real look at the freshmen for Robinson and his staff. He said, "I like our group.
"It's been hard to really evaluate the linemen. They haven't gotten as many turns, both offense and defense. They've gotten in there a little bit. I like what I see from that group. It's early and we've got to get pads on for them, I think, and really for everybody.
"I've seen (defensive backs) Nico Scott and Derek Hrinya . . . they move around well. They're good athletes. They don't much know what they're doing yet, but that's OK. They're intent about what they're doing.
"On the offense, the three freshmen receivers, I've felt all three of them. I've felt Mike Williams. I've felt Dan Sheeran. I've felt Donte Davis. I like their focus. They're three young guys that are very focused about what they're doing. You can tell they've been around the older guys for awhile. I think those older players have helped those guys and its showing up a little bit."
In addition to Robinson, the other high-profile freshman is tailback Delone Carter, who was named Mr. Football in Ohio last season.
"You feel Delone," Robinson said. "You can tell he's an explosive athlete. You can tell that the older players have helped him. He has a feel for what he's doing, as does (tailback) Derrell Smith. Both those guys . . . I like what I see.
"There really is not a freshman that I say, well, you know, I'm kind of concerned. I don't have that feeling."
Finally, the Post-Standard produced another epic piece featuring new Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White. While most of the article covers White's unmitigated optimism for this season, the real gold in the piece concerns White's straightforward offensive philosophy:
"You have to have more winning plays and score more points than your opponent, plain and simple," he said.[Insert hilarious tagline here.]
I think the only way that entry could be read is with a Christopher Walken voice.