December 6th, 2011 
Tim Schlittner 
By Tim Schlittner
Allow me to start by acknowledging a few facts:
1) The 2011 season was a disappointment.
2) Finishing in last place in football in the Big East is never acceptable.
3) The final five games ranged from sloppy to disastrous.
4) Doug Marrone is responsible for the performance of his team.
No one, not even the biggest Marrone fan, can excuse the way the Orange performed down the stretch. The defense was miserable. The offense was shaky. Special teams, as usual, were anything but special. Syracuse’s final five losses all came to teams that failed to win this year’s Big East. The fact that this collapse followed a drubbing of eventual conference champion West Virginia leaves me all the more flabbergasted.
So criticism of the coach is fair. But calls for his firing are premature. Fellow Otto’s Army blogger Dave Cooperman wrote passionately that Marrone should be given one more season at the helm and then dismissed. The truth is Dave wants him fired now. Reread the column and it’s not hard to decipher his true desire. Dave is advocating a fourth year more as a professional courtesy than a fair evaluation. It’s the equivalent of a parent telling their kid “we’ll see” when they ask to go on an overnight trip with friends. Everyone knows “we’ll see” is actually “no way.”
I respect Dave’s opinion on everything that is Syracuse but in this case I disagree. While he favors a token fourth year followed by a firing, I lean toward a reasonable assessment and likely extension. Now if next year sputters toward 3-9 or worse, I may have to reconsider. But I don’t see that happening.
The truth is Marrone has stabilized what was one of the worst programs in America. I don’t have to remind you how bad it was. Greg Robinson won a single conference game in four years. Marrone has already beaten Rutgers and West Virginia twice each in his first three. The Orange made and won a bowl game in his second season, way ahead of schedule. He is 17-20 overall. Does anyone in their right mind not consider that a good start after what he inherited?
Dave says Marrone can’t recruit and I am certainly no expert on that subject. But from what I’ve seen recruiting has been stable, not spectacular. Dave claims Marrone has no charm but how exactly would he know? Sideline demeanor? Post-game press conferences? A no-comment policy on personnel issues?
If these were the standards for lacking charm, then Bill Belichick is a piece of bark, but his players will tell you it is just the opposite. The truth is none of us have joined Marrone on a recruiting trip so we don’t know what his approach is. Instead of blaming the guy’s personality for a “bare cupboard,” how about hiring a top-notch recruiting coordinator so Syracuse can start to land some of the big fish?
Dave says the “Book of Marrone” is tougher than the “Book of Mormon,” and I don’t want to rehash the argument over the coach’s approach to discipline. But if that is the case, how do you explain Delone Carter? Surely, the guy did much more than fart, yet he got to play his entire senior year, and is now getting carries in the NFL. Put that story out on the recruiting trail.
Finally, as I read Dave call Marrone’s talk of 2011 being a transition year “a bunch of nonsense,” I had a flashback. Where had I heard the term transition year before? That’s right—it was in Dave’s preseason predictions! “This football season seems like a transition year for the program,” he wrote. Adding: “I would say that fans of the Orange have a lot to look forward to but it seems as though the players recruited by Marrone are still finding their way onto the depth chart and a lot of promising talent awaits but they just aren’t all ready yet which will make this an inconsistent and at times frustrating season.”
So is it promising talent or a bare cupboard?
Dave got it right in the preseason. As tempting as it is, we can’t judge Marrone in a five-game bubble. Let’s give him a REAL chance before we make any rash decisions on the future of the program.
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Marrone was the perfect hire to right the ship following Greg Robinson. But now the ship is stuck in mud. There is nothing that I see which makes me believe he can take this program to the next level.
Don’t get me wrong wins and losses are important. But more important for Marrone next year, is for the program to show some promise and make fans optimistic again. In addition to going 0-5 to end the season, Marrone also lost what he built so far.
Tim, what scenario do you see next year that would result in Marrone losing his job? You say that at a 3-9 record, you would reconsider. Do you keep Marrone if he wins 4 games? 5 games? Does it depend on how he fares against the BE?
I agree w/cuse-cuse. The loss of leadership at LB and RB really hurt.
Ghosts-Depends on the circumstances. A similar collapse to this year and a last place finish would certainly put an extension in jeopardy. 4 or 5 wins would make the call closer. 6 should be enough for a short extension.
The wild card, and post worthy topic, is how Dr. Gross is planning on using his new found ACC money. Look at what the PAC 12 TV deal has done for Wash St. Paul Wulf to Mike Leach is a function of that contract. ASU and UCLA also have the resources and desire to pay.
I guess in summary, Gross may feel like a 4 or 5 win year, with money coming in, he could afford the change and buy himself a better coach that could renergize the fan base because no matter how you feel about Marrone, fans have not responded by filling the Dome
Syracuse does not have the money for a miracle worker. What marrone has done is steadied the ship. He may even be able to go further than that. His next year is critical. I don’t think anyone thought marrone would be in this situation which is dissapointing. We expected a second bowl game with flying colors. If I am gross I am planning capital in advance for two situations after this year: a marrone extension or a PROVEN coach. I made a similar point as Tim in a comment to a previous post. We need a recruiter who can hit the south HARD. If greg Adkins isn’t cutting it, replace him. There is a buzz about wheatley, but we still need to be a big fish netted……
‘Cuse has a football team? Hmpf.
Forget the South Orange Koolaid, as my good friend Syracuse Dilf sent to me earlier, 5 star Jersey kids heading to Rutgers. Cuse isn’t even on the radar and Rutgers is? Disgusting and yes, this problems goes back 10 years to P, but Marrone has done zip to improve it
CNNSI, listed out the top 25 remaining football recruits. For all the talk about landing NY kids, lets face it, the talent is in NJ. Cuse needs to hire a recruiter with some inroads there who can go back to landing some of these kids. We’re not in the running for any.
10. CB Yuri Wright, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)Considering: Cal, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Rutgers
Prediction: Michigan. The nation’s top-ranked corner, Wright has been all over the map during his recruitment cycle. He holds offers everywhere from Cincinnati to Cal, and no team has emerged as a clear favorite. The Wolverines, however, seem to hold a slim lead.
11. DE Darius Hamilton, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)Considering: Cal, Florida, LSU, Rutgers
Prediction: Rutgers. It’s been rumored for a while now: Hamilton, the son of former NFL Pro-Bowler Keith and a bona fide five-star prospect, is likely to commit in-state to Rutgers. It’d be a huge get for Greg Schiano and Co., and it’s not inconceivable. Teammate Leonte Carroo already pledged to the Scarlet Knights, and 2011 graduates Gary Nova and Paul Canevari are currently freshmen.
12. QB/ATH Devin Fuller, Old Tappan (Old Tappan, N.J.)Considering: Alabama, Penn State, Nebraska, Rutgers
Prediction: Rutgers. One of the most electrifying athletes in the country, Fuller is another top recruit heavily considering Rutgers. Despite his interest in Bo Pelini’s offensive scheme, he seems primed to stay close to home. Rutgers promised him a shot to start at quarterback (other schools are offering him as a corner), and he could turn the Scarlet Knights into a legitimate national contender by 2013 or ’14.
Looks like Chandler Jones, Shamarko Thomas, and Graham are possibly leaving for the NFL. That would really hurt us defensively, though it will giev a very good gauge as to what Marrones recruits can do, since it will be their time to step up.
For all the talk about an empty cupboard, the best players on the team were GRob’s guys. It’s tough to be very confident that Marrone recruited guys who will step up next year and improve the team when they haven’t shown it yet.
I’ll give you Graham’s scouting report. He won’t even need to drive to the combine (save gas). He was not the best play maker on a team that was 5-7. He had maybe 2 good games in 4 years and he drops balls. No need to head to the combine dorian. Now stay next year and we will see if you can work hard so we can label that you had solid (not excellent) contributions to the team.
One guy out of that 3 has a shot, Chandler Jones. The other two speaks volumes about what they see in the program. They see no hope, or come back and prove yourself.
We can keep burying our head in the sand but this is just mounting evidence in my view. Dorian would rather play Arena Ball than play for Doug. That would be hillarious if it wasn’t so pathetic.