The Daily Directive

Doug Marrone was in church yesterday to talk about SU Football. I am not sure if he was there trying to appeal to God or the SU faithful. Up to this point Marrone seems to be impressing everyone in Orangeland. I will admit that at first I was concerned with his hire. Personally I thought it was very important for our next HC to have a strong staff around him. Since Doug was coming from the NFL and has never been a HC, I was worried. But he was able to surround himself with a strong staff. Thus I too am excited for what the future may hold.

So how has he done so far? Well in his short time here he has brought a bunch of much needed changes. Hard work, team unity, a sense of family, discipline, accountability, responsibility have all been hammered home to the team. He has brought a passion and love of SU FB that can only be contagious. He is doing things the "right way".

But is the "right way" enough? Coach P did things the "right way", but struggled to bring in talent near the end of his tenure. Randy Edsall does things the "right way" at UConn, but he too struggles in recruiting. Now there is nothing wrong coaching up and developing players. However it will be hard to have sustained success (8+ win seasons) doing so.

Which brings to question: Will Marrone be able to bring in talent? It is waaay to early to make any judgment now. But based on his track record and personality, you have to think he would be a good recruiter. But Marrone has been out of College FB for 8 years. Also Marrone talks about doing things the way Coach Mac did. Things have changed drastically since Marrone was in the college game and even more since Mac's methods brought SU back to where we belong.

Will this be a challenge for Marrone? Several players have already left the program. Personally I do not see this as a big deal as we need to open up schollies for next year. Also IMO the only loss that should hurt is Chestnut, so I am not concerned. But these defections can be seen differently. One may see them as players being weeded out. A cutting of the fat. However some may see the defections as the beginning of a problem. Todays kids in life, as well as football, are a hell of a lot softer than they were since Marrone left the college ranks. And Coach Mac's time is ancient history. Will todays kids respond to Marrones style? Football is constantly changing. Running the Nebraska offense of the Osborne years just doesnt happen anymore. So will the methods of Mac still bring success?

That is a question that will be answered in time.

Ciao for now

King Otto III