November 16, 2008

Robinson out at Syracuse

Syracuse coach Greg Robinson was fired today, just two games before the end of his fourth season with the Orange.

"I have made the decision to move our football program in a new direction and have informed Greg Robinson that his tenure as Syracuse's head coach will end at the conclusion of this season," Gross said in a statement.

"Coach Robinson worked very hard to try to establish a winning program, one that could eventually compete for the conference championship on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the progress we expected to see has not occurred."

ESPN.com's Brian Bennett says Robinson never understood what he was getting into at Syracuse and it eventually caught up to him.

When Greg Robinson accepted the Syracuse job in January 2005, he did so without ever setting foot on the campus or in the city.

Robinson was so happy to land a head coaching job after 30 years as an assistant that he felt no need to check out his future home first.

...

In the end, Robinson's undoing might have been his unfamiliarity with Syracuse. The program has been arguably the dominant football program in the Northeast throughout much of its history, and its coaches -- from Ben Schwartzwalder to Frank Maloney, from Dick McPherson to Paul Pasqualoni -- maintained intimate ties with the best East Coast high school programs.

Robinson spent most of his career west of the Mississippi River, many of those years in the NFL. Instead of filling out his initial staff with veteran college assistants who knew the area, he brought in a bunch of coaches from the NFL, including his first offensive coordinator Brian Pariani. They attempted to install a West Coast offense that was as out of place as its geographic nickname would suggest.

I think that's the most fair & accurate assessment of Robinson's chief failure at Syracuse. Robinson didn't have the right perspective on the Orange's place in the Northeast and -- in turn -- he was never able to parlay that reputation into talented recruits.

Syracuse fell behind the Big East... and the rest is history.

Robinson - who had one year remaining on his contract - will coach the remaining two games this season before leaving the team.

As far as potential replacements, I think Syracuse has its hands full in finding a coach who is ready to get the Orange back to the top. I would love to see SU hire Ty Willingham, but Ty's (undeservedly) soiled reputation might put him on the untouchable list.

UConn head coach (and Syracuse alum) Randy Edsall is reported to be "very interested" and would be a solid hire. At least Edsall has some track record of success on and off the field in the Big East. If you can't hire a Ty Willingham, then Edsall is a great second choice, IMO.

Another name being mentioned is former Syracuse assistant Steve Addazio, Ubran Meyer's OC at Florida. But... given the troubles Robinson endured as a first-time coach, the Orange might be wary of going with an untested commodity, even if a guy like Addazio might be just what is needed at Syracuse.

Syracuse wants to put Lane Kiffin and Skip Holtz on their wish list, however, cash could be a problem at SU. A report in the Syracuse student newspaper showed that the football program was running a deficit during Robinson's tenure for the first time since the school began reporting department profits. Syracuse might be a good stop for Skip Holtz (and make no mistake, it would *just* be a stop over for Holtz), I just can't prove that the Orange can afford either Kiffin or Holtz.

Should be an interesting search.

Comments:

Robinson out at Syracuse
Syracuse coach Greg Robinson was fired today, just two games before the end of his fourth season with the Orange.
"I have made the decision to move our football program in a new direction and have informed Greg Robinson that his tenure as Syracuse's head coach will end at the conclusion of this season," Gross said in a statement. "Coach Robinson worked very hard to try to establish a winning program, one that could eventually compete for the conference championship on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the progress we expected to see has not occurred."
ESPN.com's Brian Bennett says Robinson never understood what he was getting into at Syracuse and it eventually caught up to him. When Greg Robinson accepted the Syracuse job in January 2005, he did so without ever setting foot on the campus or in the city.
Robinson was so happy to land a head coaching job after 30 years as an assistant that he felt no need to check out his future home first. ... In the end, Robinson's undoing might have been his unfamiliarity with Syracuse. The program has been arguably the dominant football program in the Northeast throughout much of its history, and its coaches -- from Ben Schwartzwalder to Frank Maloney, from Dick McPherson to Paul Pasqualoni -- maintained intimate ties with the best East Coast high school programs. Robinson spent most of his career west of the Mississippi River, many of those years in the NFL. Instead of filling out his initial staff with veteran college assistants who knew the area, he brought in a bunch of coaches from the NFL, including his first offensive coordinator Brian Pariani. They attempted to install a West Coast offense that was as out of place as its geographic nickname would suggest.
I think that's the most fair & accurate assessment of Robinson's chief failure at Syracuse. Robinson didn't have the right perspective on the Orange's place in the Northeast and -- in turn -- he was never able to parlay that reputation into talented recruits. Syracuse fell behind the Big East... and the rest is history. Robinson - who had one year remaining on his contract - will coach the remaining two games this season before leaving the team. As far as potential replacements, I think Syracuse has its hands full in finding a coach who is ready to get the Orange back to the top. I would love to see SU hire Ty Willingham, but Ty's (undeservedly) soiled reputation might put him on the untouchable list. UConn head coach (and Syracuse alum) Randy Edsall is reported to be "very interested" and would be a solid hire. At least Edsall has some track record of success on and off the field in the Big East. If you can't hire a Ty Willingham, then Edsall is a great second choice, IMO. Another name being mentioned is former Syracuse assistant Steve Addazio, Ubran Meyer's OC at Florida. But... given the troubles Robinson endured as a first-time coach, the Orange might be wary of going with an untested commodity, even if a guy like Addazio might be just what is needed at Syracuse. Syracuse wants to put Lane Kiffin and Skip Holtz on their wish list, however, cash could be a problem at SU. A report in the Syracuse student newspaper showed that the football program was running a deficit during Robinson's tenure for the first time since the school began reporting department profits. Syracuse might be a good stop for Skip Holtz (and make no mistake, it would *just* be a stop over for Holtz), I just can't prove that the Orange can afford either Kiffin or Holtz. Should be an interesting search.