By Kyle Bauer

Did you see when Rich Rodriguez fumbled that ball in the end zone?

You should check this out too.

Jonestown was a settlement in Guyana, South America. Founded in the early 1970s by religious cult and socialist group, The Peoples Temple. The population peaked in 1978 at over 900 residents. The temple’s leader, Jim Jones, had billed it to his followers as ‘the promised land’ and ‘paradise on earth’. However, those who went to live there told a different story of armed guards, meagre rations and brutal discipline. Several tried to escape as Jones forbid people to leave. Those who made it back to the United States told harrowing stories. One woman who escaped warned that a mass suicide of everyone in the camp was planned. Concerned relatives of people in the group convinced an American Congressman, Leo Ryan, to make a trip to Jonestown. He left with some of these relatives and news crews on November 14. By the evening of November 18 Congressman Ryan was lying dead on an airstrip. After a fairly uneventful visit to the settlement, several residents had come forward to either Ryan or his aide, Jackie Speier, or had approached one of the news crews to say they wanted to leave. Though giving the appearance that he was ok with it, Jones did not want anyone to leave and began to put his final plan into action. Ryan was attacked, but unhurt, by a Jonestown resident wielding a knife, then he, Speier, the news crews and defectors all departed Jonestown. They were bound for the nearest airstrip to fly to Georgetown, Guyana’s capital city. As they boarded the waiting planes a tractor-trailer containing some of Jones’s most loyal followers arrived and the men inside began shooting at the Ryan party. Leo Ryan, defector Patricia Parks, photographer Greg Robinson and NBC cameraman Bob Brown and news reporter Don Harris were all killed by the gunfire. Jackie Speier, reporter Tim Reiterman and NBC sound engineer Steve Sung were among nine injured, Speier critically. Back in Jonestown Jones was commanding his followers, who were surrounded by armed guards, to take cyanide poison, mixed with flavor-aid drink. Some took the potion willingly, but many were forced. The event was captured on audiotape. There were only nine people who were in Jonestown as the poison was being taken and survived. 916 died including Jones, who was killed by a gunshot to the head, his wife Marceline and some of his children. At the temple’s headquarters in Georgetown temple loyalist Sharon Amos shut herself in the bathroom with her three children and slit their throats. After the mass murder/suicide the remaining members closed down the movement. Jonestown stayed deserted until the Guyanese government allowed Hmong refugees from Laos to live there for a few years during the early 1980s. By the late 1980s the buildings of Jonestown were virtually destroyed in a fire and what was left was abandoned and has since, mostly, been reclaimed by the jungle. Thanks for reading.

Ohio State is the conference’s new best squad

Not only did the Buckeyes win last Saturday, but they destroyed Penn State, at Penn State. And in doing so, regained their early-season claim as the league’s best.

Nobody on offense had stunning numbers, but Jim Tressel went back to playing more “Tressel-ball.” Running backs Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron rushed a combined 36 times, good for 126 yards on the ground. Terrelle Pryor wasn’t fantastic, but passed for two touchdowns and added a third on a gutsy run.

But it was the other side of the ball that really made the difference.

The Buckeyes held Penn State to just 201 yards and nine first downs. The Nittany Lions were 4-of-16 on third down.

This week’s game against Iowa will probably be the deciding factor on who will finish Number 1 on the power ranks, and more importantly, who is going to the Rose Bowl.

Is Rich Rodriguez back on the hot seat?

What is going on in Ann Arbor right now? Things have gone from bad to worse and is it fair to say now things are out of control?

In their last four conference games, the defense has failed to hold their opponents to under 30 points. At least the offense was good for 36 points this week.

The last two losses have really put the pressure on head coach Rodriguez, but maybe more-so, new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson. Granted, Robinson, the former Syracuse coach, has inherited a subpar defense.

The defense does have a first-round pick on the D-line in Brandon Graham, as well as a future high-round draft pick in corner Donovan Warren. But there is also a lot of youth on that side of the ball, so errors are going to happen.

The loss makes things very difficult in the road back to a bowl game for the Wolverines as they will need to win in Wisconsin or against Ohio State for any hope.

After loss, Iowa shouldn’t call this a lost season

Iowa was a great story while it lasted. The overachieving Hawkeyes were narrowly escaping questionable teams while outside of the Penn State game over a month ago, had yet to play a team deemed “a real test.”

So we shouldn’t be that surprised to see a gritty Northwestern team come into Iowa City and upend the league’s only unbeaten.

But let’s not forget, this team and their fans shouldn’t give up now. Three months ago, anyone realistically thinking that Iowa would be in the driver seat to earn a right to Pasadena this late in the season would have been dubbed partially delusional.

But it’s real, and the Hawks are just two games away from that being a reality.

Monday October 19th, 2009
Philadelphia, Pa.

Derek “Pooh” Ennis captured the USBA Jr. Middleweight title with a thrilling twelve round unanimous decision over Eromosele Albert this past Friday night at The Legendary Blue Horizon.

This memorable bout was the main event of a seven bout card that was part of Greg Robinson’s Power Productions 10th anniversary show.

Ennis of Philadelphia and Albert fought at close quarters for the full thirty-six minute fight and the battle became another Legendary Blue Horizon classic.

The two banged away at each other as Ennis used quick combinations that he divvied up between the body and head while Albert continued to press forward and gave as good as he took.

As the fight ended, ringside media members were split on who should have received the decision but Ennis took it by scores of 116-112; 115-113 and 115-113.

With the win, Ennis wins the USBA belt and will be ranked in the prestigious IBF. Ennis must make one defense and then will be at the top of the line to face IBF champ Cory Spinks.

The co-feature saw Victor Vasquez score a knockdown en-route to a six round unanimous decision over Tyric Robinson in a battle of Philadelphia Jr. Welterweights.

The undercard was not void of action as every fight was competitive as Mario Mina waged war with Tommie “Big Poppa” Speller that saw Mina score a unanimous decision in the four round see-saw Super Middleweight bout.

Coy Evans, Derrick Webster, Rachel Clark and John Mecurio also scored victories in crowd thrilling fashion.

The Fights were seen all over the world on www.gofightlive.tv and can this can’t miss fight card can be viewed by clicking here.

FULL RESULTS
12 Rounds—USBA Jr. Middleweight Title—Derek Ennis (19-2-1) 151 ½ lbs of Philadelphia U DEC over Eromosele Albert (22-4-1) 153 lbs of Miami…Scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113

6 Rounds – Jr. Welterweights—Victor Vasquez (10-3) 137 ½ lbs of Philadelphia U DEC over Tyric Robinson (9-5-1) 141 ½ lbs of Philadelphia… Scores were 60-53, 59-53 and 59-53

4 Rounds—Heavyweights—John Mecurio (3-0, 3 KO’s) 262 ½ lbs of Philadelphia TKO 1 (1:23) over James Pratt (2-7) 233 lbs of Charlotte, NC

4 Rounds—Super Middleweights—Mario Mina (3-0) 163 ½ lbs of Brooklyn, NY U DEC over Tommie Speller (4-
3) 167 lbs of Philadelphia…scores were 40-36 on all cards

4 Rounds—Ladies Welterweights—Rachel Clark (4-2-1, 3 KO’s) 144 lbs of Fayetteville, NC TKO End of 2 over Natoya Ervin (1-4) of Akron, Ohio

4 Rounds—Super Middleweights—Derrick Webster (3-0, 2 KO’s) 165 lbs of Glassboro, NJ TKO 1 (2:50) over John Colvin (2-8) 166 lbs of Pennsboro, WV

4 Rounds—Featherweights—Coy Evans (5-0-1) 126 ½ lbs of Philadelphia U DEC over Carlos Diaz (10-22-4) 128 ½ lbs of Dorado, FL… Scores were 40-35, 40-36 and 40-36

Philadelphia, Pa.

Wednesday at The Fox and Hound in Center City Philadelphia, Derek “Pooh” Ennis led a group of fighters that will be participating on this Friday night’s big show at The Legendary Blue Horizon that will showcase Ennis taking on Eromosele Albert for the USBA Jr. Middleweight title.

Albert was not present as he was en route from Miami for this very important fight.

The fight will highlight Power Productions 10th anniversary show.

Greg Robinson (Promoter Power Productions)—“It’s been ten years, a long time and I never thought I would make it to this point, fifty-plus shows later and we are still here”

“We are going to do this Power style with great fights and great entertainment.”

“Our 1st show was October 19th, 199 with Calvin Davis fighting for the Pennsylvania State title and now we are back on October 16th, 2009 at the place where it all began, The Legendary Blue Horizon”

Derek “Pooh” Ennis (18-2-1, 12 KO’s, Jr. Middleweight contender who will be fighting for the USBA Title) —“I hope everybody comes out as I will put on a spectacular show”

“I am in shape and ready to box. Hit and not get hit”

“After I beat him, I am ready to take on all comers next”

Tyric Robinson (9-4-1, 3 KO.s—Jr. Welterweight)—“I don’t need to talk too much but I am ready”

“I sparred Vasquez once or twice and it really doesn’t matter”

“its like I have an X on my head as everybody in Philly wants to fight me.”

Derrick Webster (2-0, 1 Ko—Middleweight)—“I am in good shape and looking to get better fight by fight”

Rachel Clark (3-2-1, 2 KO’s—Jr. Middleweight)—“I have a good management team and the best is yet to come”

Coy Evans (4-0-1—Super Featherweight)—“I am ready to fight everybody. I have never complained about fighting anyone

The special 10th anniversary show will feature a special awards ceremony as well as a video highlighting the best fights from the ten years of Power Productions.

THE FIGHT WILL BE SEEN LIVE ALL OVER THE WORLD ON www.gofightlive.tv

Ticket prices for this great night of boxing are $60, $40, and $30 can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-215-336-2000, Power Productions at 1-215-240-9987 or Total Car Care Detailing at 1-267-385-7648. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM

Saturday October 10th, 2009
Philadelphia, Pa.

This Wednesday at noon at the Fox and Hound Restaurant on 1501 Spruce Street, Greg Robinson’s Power Productions will be holding the final news conference and Luncheon in association with the 10th anniversary show that will feature the USBA Jr. Middleweight championship bout between Derek “Pooh” Ennis and Eromosele Albert on Friday October 16th at The Legendary Blue Horizon in a bout where the winner will be at the head of the line to receive a world title shot.

The conference will start at 11:30 am with check-in with lunch being served at noon.
Ennis and Albert will headline a big nine bout card that will have an Philadelphia showdown between Tyric “Too Sweet” Robinson taking on Victor Vasquez as the anticipated Jr. Welterweight co-feature.
The Press conference is open to the public

WHO: Derek “Pooh” Ennis (18-2-1, 12 KO’s)—Jr. Middleweight Contender-Philadelphia
Eromosele Albert (22-3-1, 10 KO’s)—2 time Olympian—Jr. Middleweight contender
Victor Vasquez (9-3, 5 KO’s) – Popular Jr. Welterweight from Philadelphia
Tyric “Too Sweet” Robinson (9-4-1, 3 KO’s)-Philadelphia Jr. Welterweight

PLUS OTHER FIGHTERS FROM THE CARD WILL BE PRESENT.
WHAT: Final news conference before Friday night’s Power Productions 10th anniversary show that will feature the USBA Jr. Middleweight title bout
WHEN: Wednesday October 14th at noon (media check-in at 11:30 am)
WHERE: Fox and Hound Restaurant
1501 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA

FOOD AND BEVRAGE WILL BE SERVED TO MEDIA MEMBERS
The special 10th anniversary show will feature a special awards ceremony as well as a video highlighting the best fights from the ten years of Power Productions.

THE FIGHT WILL BE SEEN LIVE ALL OVER THE WORLD ON www.gofightlive.tvTicket prices for this great night of boxing are $60, $40, and $30 can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-215-336-2000, Power Productions at 1-215-240-9987 or Total Car Care Detailing at 1-267-385-7648. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM

The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA

On Friday night October 16th, at the Legendary Blue Horizon, it will be a very special night for several reasons as Greg Robinson’s Power Productions celebrates its tenth anniversary with a fight with major implications as Derek “Pooh” Ennis battles Eromosle Albert for the vacant USBA Jr. Middleweight title.
Ennis of Philadelphia has a record 18-2-1 with twelve wins coming by knockout. Ennis has been longing for this opportunity as he quietly has been climbing the ladder by racking up six consecutive wins which includes his latest outing being a six round unanimous decision over John Mackey on July 10th in a nationally televised contest by ESPN 2 at The Arena in Philadelphia. In that bout, Ennis scored two knockdowns en route to the victory over the game visitor from Alabama. Ennis was undefeated in his first eleven bouts (10-0-1) before a knockout loss to Allen Conyers on Showtime.

Albert has been in with the biggest names in boxing and the native of Nigeria is a two-time Olympian.
He has a record of 22-3-1 with ten knockouts.

The Impressive resume has some of the top Jr. Middleweights in the world such as a win over former world champion Yory Boy Campas, top contender Daniel Edouard, a loss to top contender James Kirkland and a draw with tough Ossie Duran.

The winner of the bout will not only receive the prestigious USBA belt but receive a ranking by the IBF which would put the winner in line for a future crack at the world title that is currently held by Cory Spinks.

The co-feature for this exciting night of boxing will feature Tyric “Too Sweet” Robinson as he will take on the vastly popular Victor Vasquez in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Robinson of North Philadelphia has a record of 9-4-1 with three knockouts and is looking to get back into the win column after suffering two disappointing losses to then undefeated Jason Cintron and most recently to Julias Edmonds back on April 3rd at The Legendary Blue Horizon.

This will be Robinson’s eighth appearance at the Legendary Blue Horizon (3-4, 1 KO).
Like Robinson, Vasquez is from Philadelphia and has built up a strong following and has amassed a record of 9-3 with five knockouts.

He has endeared himself to the fans with his blood and guts style that has produced some of the best fights in Philadelphia boxing recent history.

One of those fights was two bouts ago when he and Rod Salk waged war over six rounds before Salka won a unanimous decision. In his last bout, Vasquez took a six round unanimous decision from Linwood Hurd at The Legendary Blue Horizon on May 1st.

This will be Vasquez third straight appearance at the Blue (1-1).
In a six round Jr. Lightweight bout, undefeated Coy Evans (4-0-1) of Philadelphia will battle an opponent to be announced in a six round bout.

Popular Tommie “Big Poppa” Speller (4-2, 3 KO’s) of Philadelphia will take on Dameon Marshall (1-2) of New York in a four round Light Heavyweight tussle.

Undefeated heavyweight, John Mercurio (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Philadelphia battles James Pratt (2-6, 2 KO’s) of Charlotte, NC

Derrick Webster (2-0, 1 KO) of nearby Glassboro, NJ will fight an opponent to be announced in a four round middleweight bout.

Alando Swaine of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Maurice Williams (1-5, 1KO) in a battle of Philadelphia based middleweights

Impressive looking Mario Mina of Brooklyn, NY via Ecuador returns to The Legendary Blue Horizon to take on James Denson (4-5, 2 KO’s) of Akron, Ohio.

The special 10th anniversary show will feature a special awards ceremony as well as a video highlighting the best fights from the ten years of Power Productions.

THE FIGHT WILL BE SEEN LIVE ALL OVER THE WORLD ON www.gofightlive.tvTicket prices for this great night of boxing are $60, $40, and $30 can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-215-336-2000, Power Productions at 1-215-240-9987 or Total Car Care Detailing at 1-267-385-7648. Doors open at 6:30 PM / 1st bout begins at 7:30 PM

The Legendary Blue Horizon is located at 1314 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA

THERE WILL BE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14TH AT THE FOX AND HOUND RESTAURAUNT AT 15th and Spruce at 12pm

In this interview, Prof. Greg Robinson talks about his new book, which examines the internment of Japanese North Americans in the United States, Canada, and Mexico after Pearl Harbor. All three countries interned people of Japanese ancestry living on the west coast.

I like the fact that this book takes a pan-North American perspective, looking at all three North American countries.  Call it NAFTA history. All too often, historians based in the United States conflate the “United States” and “North America”. Historians in Anglophone Canada are a little better– they make cross-border comparisons with the US but rarely think about Mexico.

Robinson’s biography is as interesting as this book. He is a native of New York City who now teaches, in French, at l’Université du Québec à Montréal .  For a link to Robinson’s personal website, click here.

Image of book cover used with permission of the author.

The beleaguered Syracuse Orange football program reached a whole new level of desperation on Monday when they named Greg Paulus it’s starting quarterback for the 2009 campaign.  While any college program would roll out the red carpet for a signal-caller who completed 66 percent of his passes, 43 touchdowns, and a state-record 3,677 yards as a high school senior, few would do so for a player four years removed from their last competitive drop back.

Clearly Syracuse needed to try something.  After the failure of Greg Robinson, who went 10-37 with a 3-25 conference record in his four-year tenure, newly-appointed head coach Doug Marrone’s hands were virtually tied.  How do you not start the city’s prodigal son?  The prized recruit Syracuse lost to Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke basketball program would have to start on his abysmal hometown team.

While Paulus under center may be the best way to bolster attendance figures and put the program back in the national spotlight regardless of their win total or competitive level, is it plausible to think he can adequately lead a Divison I football team?

For those of you who say no, it has been done before.  But few have been able to achieve success after long lapses from the gridiron; and even fewer have been able to do it as a quarterback.

Chris Weinke is the first name to come to mind.  Weinke gave up a football scholarship to play in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system for 6 years.  Upon realizing his baseball potential was reached, he opted to attend Florida State for football, as he had originally committed there.  His four-year career included a national title as a junior and the Heisman Trophy as a senior.

Quincy Carter also enjoyed a successful college football career after a failed attempt at pro baseball. He signed with Georgia Tech in 1996, but was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and played three years in their system before returning to play at Georgia. He was a revelation as a freshman, and left school after three years as a second-round draft pick of the Cowboys to start an inconsistent pro career marred by a number of skirmishes with the law.

So it has been done before.  But Weinke and Carter each had four years to regain their form and find success.  Paulus’ window of opportunity is just 12 games.

It’s not like Paulus is joining an established program as Weinke and Carter did.  The Seminoles in the ’90s were a juggernaut, with two national championships and eight ACC titles. Carter’s Georgia had success in spurts, but still reached six bowls in the 90s.

The 2009 Orange is anything but.  Paulus is inheriting a team that passed for a Big East-worst 121.5 yards per game in 2008, has an atrocious offensive line, and whose defense surrendered 32.7 points per game.

On top of those ugly realities, first year coach Doug Marrone spent his last three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the pass-happy New Orleans Saints in the NFL.  Drew Brees, his gunslinger in the bayou, passed almost 40 times per game.  If Marrone sticks with the scheme he is most familiar with, most of the offensive load will be squarely on the shoulders of Paulus.

While he hasn’t read defenses in a while and will be making the high school to college transition after a four-year hiatus, he is more mature than most college players—an advantage Weinke and Carter enjoyed as well.  Starting at point guard for three years at basketball titan Duke is an experience no other QB in the college ranks can claim.  The “intangibles” you hear analysts talk about—his composure, ability to handle pressure, ability to take command of the huddle, etc.—will no doubt be his strong point. Will that be enough?

We will find out on Sept. 5 when the Orange takes the field against Minnesota.

-James Hill ‘11

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Mike Shanahan became the latest and most stunning victim of the NFL coaching purge, fired Tuesday by the Denver Broncos after a late-season collapse knocked the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year.

From the Associated Press:

Shanahan joined Eric Mangini, Rod Marinelli and Romeo Crennel on the unemployment line after going 24-24 over the last three seasons, including three straight losses in 2008 that turned a three-game division lead to an 8-8 record.

Despite that, and the 52-21 loss to the Chargers that ended Denver’s season Sunday, this was a shocker: The ouster of a 14-year coaching veteran who brought two Super Bowl titles to a city yearning for a championship and was considered my many in this town to be “coach for life.”

“After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos,” owner Pat Bowlen said.

Shanahan, 56, was 146-89, but the Broncos remained stuck at only one postseason victory since John Elway retired in 1999 after Denver’s second championship.

This season was especially ugly. It included a historic collapse that saw Denver become the first team since divisional play started in 1967 to blow a three-game lead with three games left.

The Broncos’ defense gave up 448 points, third worst in the NFL, including 112 during the three-game collapse at the end. It was ranked 29th in yards allowed and tied for last in the NFL with a minus-17 turnover margin.

In years past, Shanahan had relieved defensive coordinators — Greg Robinson, Ray Rhodes, Larry Coyer and Jim Bates — in almost revolving-door fashion.

On Thursday night I received a text message from a friend informing me that Doug Marrone was going to be named the new head coach at Syracuse. My first thought was how the hell did we let Skip Holtz and Turner Gill get away from us. My next thought was to call my dad, a lifelong fan and the reason I root for the Orange.

When I informed him of the news, my dad seemed surprisingly upbeat, hardly the reaction I was expecting. You see my dad is the type of fan that will stay at a sporting event to the very end, no matter the result. Countless times we have sat through blowouts, both victories and losses, freezing conditions, monsoons, and other weather that normal people would not be caught in at all sorts of sporting events.  We never left until the end. I don’t even know if my dad missed an SU football home game between 1996 and 2006.

But the for the past two seasons, my father has not hesitated to stay at home on Saturday to do something else as significant as cutting the grass. Or he has done the previously unthinkable and left a game before the final whistle. He has given tickets to his friends, taking a huge loss like so many other fans. I never thought he would ever do that, but he started to feel like it was a complete waste of time to use a whole day to watch extremely horrendous football. This is something similar to what a lot of SU fans have gone through over the past few years.

But my dad said that he was intrigued by the choice of Marrone. He was happy that someone who genuinely seemed to love the university, his university, got the job. Dad seemed content while I remained unconvinced.

Then I watched Marrone’s introductory press conference. I heard him speak about how proud he was to have this job. How happy he was to come back to a place that he considers his home. I heard him talk about how he kept his recruiting ties even while he was coaching in the NFL, and heard people talk about how every move he has made in his coaching career was building towards this moment.

I was sold.

I understand there are concerns about Marrone not having any previous head coaching experience. That is a valid point. But I honestly think Marrone will be able to put together an experienced staff to help him. I think he understands what it takes to be a head coach even though he has never been one.

It is also valid to be worried about him not being active in the college game over the past seven years and how that will negatively impact recruiting. But who is better suited to sell potential recruits on the idea of playing in Syracuse than a former Syracuse player? I think him growing up in the Northeast and playing at Syracuse is the difference between Marrone and Greg Robinson. Robinson had no ties to this area. He didn’t know the high school coaches in the region and he was not able to create the ties with those coaches that are required to succeed in recruiting. I believe Marrone knows enough about the region, and has the passion to persuade recruits to come here.

Is it going to be a tough road? Absolutely. Will he need as much luck as he does skill in order to turn the program around? Of course. But I believe he can do it.

At the begining of this process I didn’t know who he was. Even after learning who he was I wasn’t convinced he would be a good coach, let alone land the gig. But now I believe he can do it. I think he will get the job done. And maybe this year my dad won’t have to skip any games.

Could Robinson (right) join Les Miles' staff at LSU?

LSU has reportedly shown interest in recently-fired SU head coach Greg Robinson.  Tigers head coach Les Miles is apparently interested in interviewing G-Rob for the team’s defensive coordinator position.

Robinson doesn’t deny the interest, but says it is far from a foregone conclusion that he will interview for the position.

“I don’t see myself having the ability to do something right now,” he said. 

Robinson added that he is worrying right now about helping his staff from SU find new jobs.  He also has said he has received interest from other schools as well

Robinson has experience as a defensive coordinator both at the NFL and college level, including two super bowl rings as coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998.  G-Rob also served as Kansas City Chiefs coordinator, and before coming to Syracuse, Robinson worked under Mack Brown at the University of Texas.

Kevin Rogers

He may not know the NFL’s overtime rules, but Eagles quarterback and former Syracuse great Donovan McNabb knows who he wants to replace Greg Robinson as Orange head football coach. McNabb is one of several SU alumni to voice an opinion to The Sporting News.  

Kevin Rogers, McNabb’s former mentor during his time as Eagles quarterbacks coach and current Vikings QBs coach, is a good fit, McNabb told the Sporting News Magazine, because ”he’s a guy who can recruit the East…He could be a guy that could come in and do the right things with the offense and the defense.”

Other alumni who weighed in on the coaching search include former Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett, who thinks New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone is the man for the job.  Marrone is a Syracuse grad who, Burnett says, “cares about the program and would not be a guy who is just picking up a check.”

Former SU receiver Qadry Ismail continued to endorse Randy Edsall, saying he’s spoken with the UConn coach, but Edsall firmly denies that.  He told the Associated Press, ”This is ridiculous. The last time I talked to Qadry Ismail was over a year ago on a plane.”

Ismail also promoted Buffalo coach Turner Gill as a good fit for SU.

Robinson's final press conference was, at times, worthy of this reaction. (Associated Press)

Greg Robinson pulled a single sheet of paper, highlighted in green and orange. Why, people wondered, was he able to stay so optimistic through everything — the 10-37 record, the constant speculation and the perrenial losing. He attempted to answer that.

Defiant to the final moments of his tenure as Syracuse football head coach, Robinson read the plot of “The Little Engine That Could” to the 25 or so media members gathered for his final press conference.

“In the tale, a long train must be pulled over a high mountain,” Robinson said. “Various larger engines are asked to pull the train. For various reasons, they refuse. The request is sent to a small engine, who agrees to try. The engine succeeds in pulling the train over the mountain, while repeating…

Robinson then turned to his right and looked at Syracuse play-by-play man Matt Park.

“What did he say, Matt?”

“I think I can, coach,” Park replied. (Later, Park told me that was not rehearsed in any manner at all.)

“That’s right,” Robinson said. “Well you know what? I still think I can. I do.”

In an opening statement that lasted nearly 16 minutes, Robinson rambled on just about every subject that caused his demise. He harped on the infrastructure he installed and the positives he saw.

But mostly, Robinson let four years of frustration out in about 25 minutes. From bad penalty calls during his final game, injuries, missed recruits, to the way he and his team “fought the fight.”

“My stomach is sick,” Robinson said. “I need relief. I need a pill, because I’m sick to my stomach that it’s done. That’s what I hate. Is what’s in my gut. Shoot. That’s the biggest regret. Pulling boxes into my office. That’s ugly. It is.”

He talked about his wife, who sat in the very back of the auditorium, and how she embraced the community. He spoke about his son, Dominick, who will continue to live and work in the area while his parents leave. He recalled his relationship with the late Jim Valvano, who motivated him.

He took swipes at the schedule his teams have faced, yearly the toughest non-conference slate in the Big East. He lamented over injuries to Delone Carter, Curtis Brinkley and Jermaine Pierce. He wished, again, that he had Mike Williams and Taj Smith at wide receiver this year.

He even talked about his first recruiting target, Colt Brennan, who wasn’t allowed by school officials to enroll at Syracuse because of charges against him at Colorado.

“I was told to do my homework on him,” Robinson said. “I did. I did my due-dilligence way past what anybody would have ever thought. … I knew we needed a quarterback. And I checked that kid out. You know what? He came in third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. And then he decided to stay his senior year at Hawaii because he felt like those people reached out to him. But hey, he was coming (here). I think if our people knew me better like they do now, they would have said, ‘Go ahead. Work with him.’ That’s easy to say, but that would be a good way to start. That was the first guy I started recruiting.”

At times, he was upset. Mostly, he was fiery.

“My stomach is sick,” Robinson said. “I need relief. I need a pill, because I’m sick to my stomach that it’s done. That’s what I hate, is what’s in my gut. Shoot. That’s the biggest regret. Pulling boxes into my office. That’s ugly. It is.”

For now, he said he will focus on helping his staff find jobs elsewhere. Robinson said he is certain he will coach somewhere next season. He joked about going for the job at nearby Christian Brothers Academy, and even coming back to SU.

“My intent is to re-apply for my job,” Robinson said. “But I don’t know if I’m getting anywhere with that. As a matter of fact, I’m maybe willing to offer up compensation if I get my job back, to give back to the facilities or do whatever.”

It was as surreal as press conferences come. A dizzying and sad ending to four years of futility under Robinson.

Yesterday the 2008 Syracuse Orange football team finished their season with a 30-10 loss in Cincinnati, finally bringing to an end the Greg Robinson Era. Syracuse didn’t have any shot yesterday and never held a lead over the Bearcats.

This was the fifth time this year Syracuse never held a lead in a game, which got me wondering what the total amount of time Robinson’s teams actually held a lead during the past four years. Lets just say it isn’t that surprising that a team with such a poor record would hold a lead so rarely. Just another thing to show how bad the program was under Robinson. Home games are in caps.

2005: In G-Rob’s first year, the Orange held a lead in just over 98 out of a possible 660 minutes (or 14.87% of the time). The only game in which they held a lead for a majority of the game was the win over Buffalo.

2006: The most successful year of the Robinson Era (4 wins) featured the most time with a lead (surprise!). The Orange were in front for almost 190 out of a possible 720 minutes (26.38%). They had the lead for a majority of the Illinois, Miami (OH) and UConn victories.

2007: The Orange only held a lead 16.35% of the time in 07, never holding a lead in seven games. It did however feature the stunning Louisville game, which the Orange led almost wire-to-wire.

2008: Robinson’s final team provided some interesting numbers. They held the lead 26.35% of the time, second best in the G-Rob years. They also had the least amount of time in a victory (Notre Dame) and the most time with a lead in a loss (Pitt).

Syracuse never led in 20 out 47 games the last four seasons.

Head coach Greg Robinson and company celebrate yesterday

Say what you want about Greg Roinson as a head football coach, but throughout his four years as head man of the Syracuse football program, I have never heard anyone – from the players on the team, to athletic director Daryl Gross, to other coaches around the country – question Robinson as a person. And that’s why even the most bitter SU football fans should be happy for Robinson after the Orange’s 24-23 comeback win over Notre Dame last night.

For anyone who watched the game on national television yesterday, there was no question how hard the team was playing, and just how excited the team was to win. I’ve heard some people say they expect the Orange to play hard the rest of the way just to attract a potential replacement for G-Rob, but part of me honestly thinks the team was playing for its lame-duck head coach. Not necessarily to help him win his job back, which is out of the question, but out of respect for Robinson as a man.

“It really isn’t necessarily a surprise at all to our team,” Robinson said in his postgame press conference. “They knew somewhere along the line this team was going to do something special. This was an opportunity for them and they knew they had to make the most of it. I give them a lot of credit.”

Who would have thought coming out of this game the opposing head coach would be the one hearing the critcism? Charlie Weis, who started at Notre Dame the same year Robinson took over at SU, is starting to feel the heat after last night’s unthinkable loss. There’s a good chance if Weis didn’t have a $20 million buyout, he would be shown the door at season’s end.

So we all knew that the day was soon coming when Greg Robinson would be fired. And yes, it was a smart move by Daryl Gross that many SU football fans and alums are excited to hear about. But what took Gross so long to finally make a good decision for the athletic department, and is it maybe time for some changes to be made higher up on the SU Athletic Administration food chain?

Let’s look at Daryl Gross’ past experience as an AD real quick. Oh wait, he has none. His last job was as an assistant director of athletics at USC, which is a good football school regardless of who’s running the ultimate show. And an assistant? Why would SU hire a guy who had no prior AD experience to begin with, only assistant experience? You can read more about Gross’ time at USC at this site, where he is so lovingly referred to as a “villain” that could potentially be blamed for the entirety of Syracuse’s abismal football program.

Ever since he was hired, Gross has really done nothing but harm Syracuse’s major sports programs. Obviously football is a main concern here. The Orange had never reached double digit losses in a season until Gross hired Robinson. And the basketball program. The Orange won the National Championship in 2003, and what have they done since then? Big East Champions in 2006, lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Two NIT appearances without even a single championship there. The only real good thing Gross has done has been hiring good coaches in non-revenue generating sports like field hockey.

And the attitude’s gotta go. Gross is entirely too concerned with winning championships and hence tends to dismiss the things that start as small problems that have the potential to grow into huge and devastating ones. Had he fired Robinson earlier, for example, perhaps the Orange could have seen a winning season this year.

And I’m not the only one that thinks Gross has to be the next to go if there is any hope of seeing an improvement in Syracuse Athletics. Check out this blog that was created for the sole purpose of bashing the guy. The author’s got some good points in there.

So Syracuse fans, if you really want to see your teams start performing better, they’re going to need a bigger change than just a new head football coach, and I really think the solution is to find a new AD altogether. The Athletics Department could only benefit from hiring someone with more experience and a better overall view of an entire department that involves more sports than just football. So let’s keep on this track of change and see what else we can do.

One heavily publicized candidate for the Syracuse football head coaching position has removed his name from consideration. Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall – a Syracuse alum who this past weekend beat his alma mater by 25 – says he is not interested in the opening created by Greg Robinson’s dismissal.

You can read Donnie Webb’s blog for more, but here are some quotes Webb refers to from The (New London, Conn.) Day:

“There has been speculation in various media outlets that I am a candidate for the job. But with all due respect to my alma mater and the people at Syracuse, I am not interested in being a candidate.”

“I just want to continue to coach at the University of Connecticut and prepare my team for this week’s game against South Florida and the rest of our 2008 schedule. I don’t want this to become a distraction to my players or coaching staff as we move forward.”

I agree with Webb’s interpretation of these quotes that it still may be premature to count Edsall out. The quotes – especially the second one – sound like typical coach speak. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him backtrack down the line.

Edsall is a former backup quarterback for the Orange and served as Syracuse’s offensive coordinator from 1980 until 1990. The ties are there, but it will probably come down to money in the end.