Will Syracuse Even Have a Team to Play Come September?

[SoonerBS]

Players are defecting from this team what seems almost on a daily basis . . . .

More players leave team


Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By Donnie Webb
Staff writer

Two past starters and two potential starters were among the latest group of football players to leave the Syracuse University football program.

The school confirmed Tuesday that former starting linebacker Mike Mele and former cornerback Nick Chestnut are no longer on the team.

Additionally, place-kicker Austin Wallis and outside linebacker Parker Cantey, both of whom were listed as first-team players during the spring, have departed.

Other names added to the recently departed include former Nottingham High School tight end Darnell Pratt, receiver Chaz Cervino and walk-on receiver Frank Satterfield. Cervino has already announced he will transfer to Hofstra.

Since Marrone's arrival in December, 14 players on scholarship have left the team.

No explanations were provided by the school for the exits by the players. It is likely a combination of players being told of limited playing opportunities, academics and personal reasons.

Head coach Doug Marrone declined comment. He said through a team spokesman that his policy is not to talk about players no longer on the team.

"We've taken a stance where we're not commenting on players that have left the program," Marrone told the athletic department's All-Access Web site last month. "But players leave the program for a lot of different reasons. It could be the scheme. It could be the way the structure, the discipline, may be in the program. But we want people that want to be here at Syracuse University,"

Marrone told the Web site he was "caught off guard" by the departures of players during spring practice. He said he looked around at other football programs going through transitions with new coaches and found it wasn't unusual to see roster turnover.

Cantey and Chestnut worked extensively with the first team defense during spring practice. Perhaps a tip-off of trouble began last month when Marrone signed junior college players at outside linebacker and cornerback. One of those players - Derek Hines - is slotted with the first-team defense in Cantey's spot going into preseason camp.

Chestnut had returned to school in January after a year's leave because of academics. He started 11 of 12 games at cornerback for the Orange in 2007. Chestnut returned as a walk-on, though he seemed to have played his way back into some type of playing time.

Wallis was the lone place-kicker at the end of spring practice after two walk-ons were cut loose. Marrone left little doubt he was concerned and displeased with Wallis. After spring practice, he and his staff signed kicker Shane Raupers of Athens, Pa. Raupers is listed as the first-team place-kicker in the preseason depth chart.

The roster shakeup seems to be over for now. New players signed in February and after spring practice begin "summer start" classes at Syracuse July 6.

 

[SoonerBS]

Marrone: We're going to play the ones that want to be here
Posted by Donnie Webb/The Post-Standard June 09, 2009 3:08PM

Syracuse, NY -- If they're not here, Doug Marrone has nothing to say. At least that's been the approach of the Syracuse University head fotoball coach regarding the list of players that have left the team since his arrival in December.

With the in-house Internet platform at SUAthletics.com, Marrone has a little more to say on the subject. At least he did last month (May 18) with Roger Springfield of SU All-Access.

Whether Marrone wanted to address the issue - which came up from fans during his spring tour and may be coming up with recruits (via rival Big East coaches) - or it came up in questioning from Springfield, he did discuss the departures last month of several players from the Orange roster.

Nine players on scholarship left the team either before, during or immediately after spring football practice The school confirmed Tuesday that seven more players (including two walk-ons) were no longer on the team. Marrone's comments to Springfield were made prior to the most recent set of exits.

Here's a transcript of what Marrone said:

Springfield: "The roster has evolved since you've gotten here. For awhile, there was a stretch of players leaving. And I think there were some, maybe implications out there that people thought this was a bad thing. But from knowing you, this is not a bad thing. This is something that you probably expected. You wanted to get down to players who wanted to be here in your system."

Marrone: "That's correct. I think that, we've taken a stance where we're not commenting on players that have left the program. But players leave the program for a lot of different reasons. It could be the scheme. It could be the way the structure, the discipline, may be in the program. But we want people that want to be here at Syracuse University. We want people that enjoy playing the sport of football. The players that are here now have that in them. They're ready to represent our university, our community, our state and go out there and compete. That's the biggest thing.

"I went around because, it kind of caught me off guard with people leaving. So I went around and started looking at some of the other transitional schools with new coaches. They also have a lot of players leaving. Now, why they're leaving their programs? I don't know. Why the players have left our program? I have been told some things but at the end of the day, we're going to play the ones that want to be here."

Springfield: "So no one should be alarmed. I mean, this is something that's a rite of passage, basically."

Marrone: "It is. I'd rather it happen now than when we start playing during the season or in the preseason when we have players slotted into play and then they decide that they don't want to play football any more. That would hurt us, as far as a football program. I'd rather know up front, who wants to be in it and who doesn't. It's only going to help our program."

 

[SoonerBS]

Post-spring depth chart at Syracuse has lots to chew on

Posted by Donnie Webb/The Post-Standard June 09, 2009 12:33PM

Syracuse University's Office of Athletic Communication released a post-spring practice depth chart for the school football team today. It you're tired already of chatting about the players no longer on the team, time to redirect and talk about the players who will make up the 2009 team in the fall. Among the nuggets on the depth chart:

• Antwon Bailey beat out Delone Carter for the starting tailback spot, though both will play substantially, even occasionally in the same backfield. Averin Collier will be heavy in the rotation as well.

• No surprise here, but quarterback Greg Paulus will start fall camp in the third position behind starter Ryan Nassib and backup Cameron Dantley.

• Defensive tackle Arthur Jones and defensive end Jared Kimmel are penciled in as first-teamers, which is a positive sign about their rehab assignments from surgery (Jones for a pectoral muscle tear and Kimmel from arthroscopic knee surgery).

• JUCO transfer Derek Hines has already been penciled in as a starter at the Will (weakside) outside linebacker spot in the wake of Parker Cantey's departure.

• Incoming freshman Shane Raupers is the only place-kicker on the depth chart now that Austin Wallis has left the building.

• Sophomore Marcus Sales of CBA won a starting spot at the z receiver position

• Lavar Lodbell, a senior from CBA, slipped to third on the depth chart at the Z receiver spot behind Sales and Da'Mon Merkerson

• The Orange has no backups at offensive guard with the exception of incoming freshman Justin Pugh. Center Nick Lepak or offensive tackles Ian Allport could probably slide over in a pinch.

Here is the official post-spring depth chart as released today by SU Athletics. It includes the placement of various incoming freshman and junior college/graduate student/prep school transfers:

OFFENSE
z WR - Marcus Sales (6-0, 184, So.), Da'Mon Merkerson (6-1, 182, Jr.), Lavar Lobdell (6-3, 210, R-Sr.) , Torian Phillips (5-10, 175, Fr.)
a WR - Donte Davis (6-0, 173, Sr.), Van Chew (6-1, 165), So), Michael Acchione (5-11, 170, So.)
LT - Nick Speller (6-5, 307, So.), Jonathan Meldrum (6-5, 303, Jr.), Ian Allport (6-4, 300, So.), Andrew Phillips (6-5, 275, Fr.)
LG - Ryan Bartholomew (6-3, 290, Sr.), Justin Pugh (6-5, 275, Fr.)
OC - Jim McKenzie (6-4, 286, Sr.), Nick Lepak (6-4, 318, So.), Zach Chibane (6-4, 280, Fr.)
RG - Adam Rosner (6-6, 303, Sr.)
RT - Tucker Baumbach (6-5, 307, Sr.), Josh White (6-5, 288, Jr.), Andrew Tiller (6-6, 360, Jr.)
TE - Mike Owen (6-4, 251, R-Sr.), Thomas Trendowski (6-2, 218, So.)
u TE - Nick Provo (6-4 1/2, 232, Jr.), Cody Catalina (6-3, 221, Jr.), Carl Cutler (6-1 1/2, 234, So.), Andrew Robinson (6-3, 222, Sr.)
QB - Ryan Nassib (6-3, 215, So.), Cameron Dantley (6-1, 218, R-Sr.), Greg Paulus (6-1, 185, Gr.) Charley Loeb (6-4, 217, Fr.)
RB - Antwon Bailey (5-8, 196, So.), Delone Carter (5-10, 214, Sr.), Averin Collier (5-10, 200, So.), Michael Jones (5-11, 205, So.)
FB - Daniel Collier (6-0, 240, Sr.), Robert Nieves (6-0, 211, So.)
z WR - Mike Williams (6-2, 204, Sr.), Daniel Bailey (5-7, 167, R-Sr.), Alec Lemon (6-1, 175, Fr.)

DEFENSE
DE - Jared Kimmel (6-6, 259, Sr.), Zary Stewart (6-4, 229, Jr.), Torrey Ball (6-4, 250, Fr.)
NT - Arthur Jones (6-4, 291, R-Fr.), Bud Tribbey (6-1, 282, Jr.), Ollie Haney (6-3, 288, Jr.), Jarel Lowrey (6-3 1/2, 285, So.)
DT - Andrew Lewis (6-3, 282, Sr.), Anthony Perkins (6-4, 272, Sr.), Cory Boatman (6-2, 260, So.)
DE - Chandler Jones (6-5, 238, So.), Mikhail Marinovich (6-4, 232, So.), Chad Battles (6-3, 224, So.), Romale Tucker (6-4, 231, So.)
SLB - Doug Hogue (6-2, 216, Jr.), Dan Vaughn (6-2, 221, So.), David Stevens (6-4, 220, So.), Brandon Sharpe (6-2, 220, Fr.)
MLB - Derrell Smith (6-1, 224, Sr.), Mike Stenclik (6-0, 229, R.-Sr.), Shane Kimmel (6-1, 238, So.)
WLB - Derek Hines (6-1, 217, Jr.), E.J. Carter (6-0, 220, Fr.), Ryan Gillum (5-11, 220, Jr.)
H - Kevyn Scott (5-11, 197, Jr.), John Mark Henderson (5-11, 190, Jr.), Grant Mayes (5-10, 180, So.), Dale Peterman (5-11, 155, Fr.)
SS - Max Suter (5-11, 190, Jr.), Randy McKinnon (5-10, 198, Jr.), Phillip Thomas (6-0, 178, Fr.)
FS - Mike Holmes (5-11, 185, Jr., Dorian Graham (5-11, 185, So.), Rishard Anderson (6-0, 180, Fr.), Ryan Ahern (6-2, 197, Sr.)
CB - Nico Scott (5-10, 180, Sr.), Shamarko Thomas (5-10, 196, Fr.), George Mayes (5-10, 182, Sr.)

SPECIAL TEAMS
K - Shane Raupers (5-10, 175, Fr.)
P - Rob Long (6-4, 175, Jr.)
LS - Dalton Phillips (6-3, 278, R-Sr.), Max Leo (5-11, 210, Sr.)

• Bold names in the depth chart indicate 2008 starter

The players are listed by their class designation and not their eligibility designation. For example, starting quarterback Ryan Nassib is listed by the school as a sophomore, though eligibility wise, he's a redshirt freshman.

 

[SoonerBS]

You better update your info in the Phil Steele magazine because this is changing daily and I bet he doesn't have it all . . . .

 

[GoSooners]

I was reading about this last night. It sounds like in the early part of the season that this team is just going to concentrate on the players they have left learning the system, and forgetting about the wins. Man, this team has really fallen. The only bad news here is we probably won't get near as good a number with the Minny/Cuse game as we would have liked. I think Cuse is going to end up being this season's Wash. St.

 

[SoonerBS]

I was reading about this last night. It sounds like in the early part of the season that this team is just going to concentrate on the players they have left learning the system, and forgetting about the wins. Man, this team has really fallen. The only bad news here is we probably won't get near as good a number with the Minny/Cuse game as we would have liked. I think Cuse is going to end up being this season's Wash. St.

This was my regret upon reading it, too . . . . .

 

[BigdaddyQH]

You know you are in bad shape if someone leaves your program to go to Hofstra.

 

[fivestarjake]

You know you are in bad shape if someone leaves your program to go to Hofstra.

hofstra would on sorrycuse

 

[Conan]

I was reading about this last night. It sounds like in the early part of the season that this team is just going to concentrate on the players they have left learning the system, and forgetting about the wins. Man, this team has really fallen. The only bad news here is we probably won't get near as good a number with the Minny/Cuse game as we would have liked. I think Cuse is going to end up being this season's Wash. St.

GoSooners, it could be a 2-way tie for that distinction between WSU again and Syracuse. I'm wondering though if WSU won't get into a few of those wide open back doors this time around. Their defense is still non-existant but they may have some offense this time around. Maybe some overs vs teams with a new defensive look or vs a very young bunch of defenders.

Seems like the Coogs may have a few producers pointwise, but nowhere near enough to contend considering the defense they themselves will put on the field this season. Overs could be the way to bet them if they don't get burried by a better defense AND offense both.

 

[GoSooners]

GoSooners, it could be a 2-way tie for that distinction between WSU again and Syracuse. I'm wondering though if WSU won't get into a few of those wide open back doors this time around. Their defense is still non-existant but they may have some offense this time around. Maybe some overs vs teams with a new defensive look or vs a very young bunch of defenders.

Seems like the Coogs may have a few producers pointwise, but nowhere near enough to contend considering the defense they themselves will put on the field this season. Overs could be the way to bet them if they don't get burried by a better defense AND offense both.

Conan...I didn't think things could get any worse for WSU as they were last season. But from what I've been hearing from you west coast guys, it sounds like it could be more of the same. I think the Stanford/WSU game will set the bar on these WSU spreads for the rest of the season. If Stanford lays it on them by 21 or more like they did last season (58-0) we'll probably see a couple more of those 40 point spreads. WSU was so bad last season. But they still got the last laugh on the public betting against them.. WSU covered in every game in the last month of the season. So the lines finally caught up with them. I'm kind of curious to see what kinds of lines we see on them this year.

 

[homedawg]

Being a Syracuse resident and long time season ticket holder I am happy Marrone is doing what he is doing. He knows this year is basically a lost cause so he is in there cleaning house, weeding out the players who couldn't compete at the high D1 level. Take out Nick Chesnut, not 1 of those players could have made an impact at this level of ball . JUCO transfer Derek Hines has already been penciled in at weak side LB in place of Patrick Cantey. I don't see this as a big loss. Cantey for the most part has the size of a D2 LB, not high level D1. Marrone for the most part told them they won't be playing. Keep in mind most of these guys weren't even recruited by Rutgers. Just look at the size of them. They were pretty much wasting scholarships.

Also with all-big east WR Mike Williams returning to the team he will give Syracuse 2 of the best receivers in the league with him and Donte Davis. It looks like Antwon Bailey will beat out Delone Carter at RB, but at least Syracuse will have depth at that position. They also return 3 starts on the OL, and brought in a monster LT, and RG to round out the line. I am a bit worried about the lack of depth on the line. Syracuse has the players at the skill positions to make plays, the key will be improving the O-line so these players have time to do their thing. I think that is where bringing in a new O coordinater, who will incorporate a bit of the no huddle offense may benefit the Cuse some.

I guess what I am getting at is these players leaving really aren't a big deal. With the exception on Cantey, none will have that much of an effect. They are moves that will benefit the Orange in the future that will have minimal effects on what will happen this season

 

[homedawg]

Another interesting note:

If anyone has attended one of Coach Marrones "get togethers" you would have heard something about the strength aspect of the prior years teams. It was stunning. GRob never tested his players according to Marrone. Marrone asked GRob for strength and conditioning tests and GRob didn't have any to give him. It sounded as if the players were on their own. Marrone has tested everyone as a base and said they are far, far off from where they need to be. He compared these base test scores to the teams of the 80s and 90s when SU was winning. He said we will work until we get there so that we can compete against anyone in D1 football. Watching games the last few years, it did look like SU was pushed all over the field and overpowered. I think that will be changing soon and should help the O-Line open up holes and protect the pocket much better.

 

[homedawg]

I guess what I am getting at is these players leaving really aren't a big deal. With the exception on Cantey, none will have that much of an effect. They are moves that will benefit the Orange in the future that will have minimal effects on what will happen this season

Meant to say Nick Chestnut, not Cantey. Cantey was a tough kid, but D2 size.