Cincinnati, and DePaul, and Rutgers, Oh My!

While fall practice for football is about a month away, the Big East has released the conference portion of the schedule. And the home games for the Orange are well, less than thrilling.

HOME GAMES: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia

AWAY GAMES: Connecticut, Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, South Florida, Villanova

While Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Marquette don't travel to the Dome this year, at least the Orange don't have to play any of them twice. But I have to say I'm a little tired of playing Villanova twice a year. Yes, they are one of our rivals, but they have been a pain in the ass for the past couple of years. What team stopped us from getting back to the NCAA tournament last year by beating us in the Big East Tournament? Who was the team two years ago that got a bid to the Big Dance even though they finished behind Syracuse in the Big East standings and royally screwed the 'Cuse? Yeah, those damn Wildcats. I say this is the year we enact vengeance on them and their pretty boy coach Jay Wright.

Anyways, at least we play Georgetown home-and-home. That's all that really matters.

Also, the season opener for football will be televised on August 30. The game at Northwestern is set for a noon kick off on either ESPN or ESPN2. I'll let you decide if that's good news or not.

Is That the Spread...Offense?

Great catch by some Syracuse football fans in this article about 5-foot-10, 175 pound wide receiver Leavander Jones from Atlantic City High School who has committed to play for the Orange. When talking of his visit to Syracuse, Jones drops this little nugget.

"When I came up here, I saw that they run a spread offense, and that's just like we run at Atlantic City. It won't be much different."

Did he just say spread offense? Well if this is true, this may explain the weird vibes experienced at the spring football game in April. There wasn't a lot to see at the game and The Axeman felt the same way after interviewing offensive coordinator Mitch Browning and quarterback Andrew Robinson. But after learning about the spread offense, Axe makes some good points about what they were really saying.

But this isn't going to be the spread offense that we saw with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. Everyone has their own version and Browning is going to implement his own. Apparently it's going to be much more simplified.

Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning

"For the most part, we have our entire offense installed. So we come back in August and pick up where we left off. You know, guys will pick it up quick. You know, alot of guys who really have trouble absorbing parts of it will come back and say 'geez, this is really simple, really.' Then what we can do is continue to get better and better at it."

Quarterback Andrew Robinson

"The running game is a little more simple blocking-wise, but the quarterbacks have a lot of responsibility as far as the checks and making audibles at the line of scrimmage and things like that. I have had to work extra hard this spring studying up on the playbook and making sure I have the checks down and putting the offense in the best possible position. But otherwise, things have been slimmed down a little bit."

That shouldn't come as a surprise because who exactly are the playmakers on this team? Browning expected Mike Williams to be the big play guy going into the season. He's the guy that was going to stretch the field and take some shots with on play-action. Now Browning is going to have to focus more on the running game which he is capable of. At Minnesota, running backs Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney created a deadly tandem in the Big Ten.

The Orange's deepest position on the team is at tailback with DeLone Carter, Curtis Brinkley, Doug Hogue, and Averin Collier. These guys are going to have to be the playmakers whether its making reads on zone runs or catching the football out of the backfield.

It's a daunting task and daring move by Greg Robinson if he indeed has allowed Mitch Browning to install the spread offense, albeit a water-down version. At least he's making an attempt and going out with guns blazing. I'm actually intrigued by SU football.

The Hits Just Keep Onnnnn Comin'

The Syracuse football team already lost Mike Williams, now they'll be without the services of starting defensive end Brandon Gilbeaux.

According to Donnie Webb, the 6-foot-3, 271 pound junior has been suspended by the university for academic issues. Yeah, the same reason that Williams was suspended by the school a few weeks ago.

Now losing Gilbeaux isn't on the same level as losing the best player on the team and arguably the top receiver in the Big East. But the Orange can't afford to be losing starters because well, there just isn't a whole lot of talent to choose from. Slated behind Gilbeaux in the post-spring depth chart is redshirt freshman Lamar Middleton.

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for this team. Is there ever going to be something positive about this team in the news? Throw me a bone here. We're still more than two months from the opening of the season and I'm already discouraged.

I'm going to bang my head on the wall now.

That's Still $800K Guaranteed

For a few hours we all watched, and watched, and watched. Golden State came and went at #14 where ESPN mock draft expert Chad Ford had Green going. And he continued to slide down the board. But Donte' didn't get too concerned about the situation.

"It was long, but I never got worried," Greene said. "I never got down. I knew that whenever I got picked or wherever I went I knew I'd have to work hard."

Finally, with the 28th pick, the sorry Memphis Grizzlies selected the former Orange player that led the Big East in scoring at 17.7 points per game. It's a good thing that Donte' was not invited to the draft or else he would have looked like former Kansas player Darrell Arthur sitting in the green room. Here's what Ford thought of the selection...



Another value pick. Lots of scouts compare him to Rashard Lewis. Greene is a perimeter shooter who lacks a position or real game right now, and I'm not sure how he fits on Memphis, which already has Rudy Gay. But the Grizzlies have been shopping this pick, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Greene wearing another hat later tonight.

Now Donte' was probably relieved to have been selected, but he was going to the Grizzlies. Memphis is one of the least attractive places to go to as they've had back-to-back 22-60 seasons. Management practically begged the Lakers to take Pau Gasol off their hands. But then the Rockets swooped in and picked up the guy they wanted all along.

According to Mike Waters' story, the Houston Rockets were the only team to send personnel to Syracuse and inquire further about Green. Going to the Rockets seems like a good fit as they only have one true small forward in Shane Battier. SU assistant coach Rob Murphy agrees.

"I think it's a great situation for him. They obviously wanted him. I think it's a great thing for him."

I'm sure a lot of Syracuse fans are saying "I told ya so" and what not. But the fact remains that Donte' was drafted in the first round. While he didn't go as high as he probably wanted to go, he ended up with a good franchise in Houston. He probably cost himself a few million dollars, but he's still going to make a pretty good chunk of change. Green will make $800K in year one, $870K in year two, and then the Rockets must decide whether or not to pick up the team option for years three and four. If they do, Green will make about $1.5 million per year. Not bad for a 19-year-old. Not too bad at all.

How Much for Northeastern?

Today was the first day for Syracuse fans to buy individual game tickets. Just take a look at the announcement from SU Athletics.

Individual game tickets for Akron, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut are $36 for adults and $18 for youth (ages 12 and under). Individual game tickets for Penn State are $57 for adults and $30 for youth.

Now the $57 for the Penn State game may have caught your eye first, but I don't have a problem with that. Orange fans have wanted to see this game for many years. Its been 18 years since Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions played the Orange. And you know there's going to be a lot of Penn St. fans making their way up Route 81 for this one. Quite frankly, they could outnumber Orange fans come September 13. Daryl Gross would be stupid not to charge more for a high profile opponent.

That having been said, why should fans pay regular price to see Northeastern? Yes, that is the homecoming game, but they are a Division 1-AA...excuse me...Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision team. You remember Appalachian State's gigantic upset over Michigan. Well, Northeastern is nowhere near that level. They stink as they were 3-8 last season.

Who wants to go see this game? When SU announced this as the last opponent to fill out the schedule, I thought it was a joke because it's a 1-AA team. I certainly didn't imagine the SU athletic department charging full price for this game. Dr. Gross you're joking, right? You understandably jack up the price for the Penn St. game. Well, why can't you decrease the price for the less than thrilling match-up with Northeastern?

This game should be treated like an NIT basketball game at the Carrier Dome. Make the ticket price $10 for every seat. It would interest people who don't normally go to football games and would have others excited to get a seat on the first level. At least the athletic department would be honest with the SU fan base. It would be a little token of appreciation for the fans who have watched a program take a mighty tumble down the food chain.

But instead of showing SU football still has a little pride and tradition, Dr. Gross says nonsense to lowering the ticket price. If this team starts the year 0-3 god forbid, I'm afraid to see the crowd at that game. If there's even a crowd to see.

Stick This In Your Pipe and Smoke It Gottlieb

Ah yes, I'm referring to the much maligned and Syracuse basketball hater Doug Gottlieb.

The man has a vendetta against head coach Jim Boeheim and takes every opportunity to bash the Orange's soft non-conference schedule. The most frequent criticism is that the 'Cuse don't play on the road or leave New York State until late January.

Well that won't be the case for the 2008-09 season. While the full schedule won't be released until late August or early September, Syracuse Post-Standard beat writer Mike Waters says the Orange will play at Memphis on December 20.

Now Memphis probably won't be as good as this past season's Final Four team, but Tigers head coach John Callipari has brought in four top 100 recruits according to Scout.com. And in a pre pre-season top 25, ESPN.com college basketball writer Andy Katz ranks Memphis number 7 and believes they have a chance to make another deep run in the tournament.

The Tigers will have a legitimate shot to reach a third-straight Elite Eight with Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Shawn Taggart anchoring a team that brings in a stellar recruiting class led by Tyreke Evans and the latest pickup in former Nebraska signee Roburt Sallie. Losing Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey will change the moxie of this team -- and its primary scoring options -- but the Tigers are still the team to beat in Conference USA.

Of course Gottlieb will still find a way to get under the skin of every Orange fan. For the record, Jimmy B doesn't like him either.

"They don’t know what they’re talking about so I don’t pay much attention to them. … One guy in particular was in our league for a minute or two but he couldn’t play in it. He seems to do the most talking, probably because he wasn’t a very good player and he’s not very smart about basketball."

We all know who that 'one guy' is.

Donte' Green's Stock Falling

People questioned his decision, but it looked like Donte' Green was going to be drafted in or just outside of the lottery. Now that may not be the case.

Syracuse Post-Standard beat writer Mike Waters says Green has not been invited to attend the NBA Draft held in New York City Thursday. Now this doesn't mean that Green won't be drafted in the lottery. All it really means is that he won't be able to shake hands and look ridiculously tall while posing for pictures with commissioner David Stern.

But of course it isn't good news either. And on ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford's most recent mock draft is certainly telling of Donte's falling draft stock. Ford has the Houston Rockets selecting Green with the 25th pick. Only last week Ford had Green going to the Toronto Raptors at number 17. Here's what Ford thinks about the former Orange...

This seems like an unbelievable fall for a player with as much upside as Greene. Indeed, teams like the Kings and Warriors will look at him in the lottery, and likewise for the Raptors in the mid-first round. But if he slips past them, he could be on a free fall. He's a great shooter with upside, but he's not ready yet.

The last sentence sums up what most people around here think about Donte'. He has tremendous potential, but most people would say he could have used that extra year to mature and build up his body a little more. But mock drafts are just speculation anyways and should be taken with a grain of salt. Trying to project the first 30 picks of a draft is an inexact science to put it lightly.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas has a breakdown of Donte' Green on video and I think he's right on the money. Bilas is one of the best basketball analysts, period.