NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Looking back on the 2024 season for the Syracuse Orange, you have to consider it a great success. Cuse finished 10-3, going 6-1 at home, 5-3 in conference, and finished the season with an impressive bowl game win. It’s not too shabby for a rookie head coach with new talent around him. However, Syracuse can’t be a team that rests on their laurels, it’s time to start thinking of what’s next. There’s a lot to look forward to after last season, but how will Fran Brown and his staff replace the talent that left?
The message to the team from the top down was always the same: D.A.R.T. How does that translate in year 2 under Brown? Detail, Accountability, Relentlessness, and Toughness are great building blocks for smart/fundamental football, but that mantra primarily leans on the mental aspects of the game. I
t’s a mindset that teaches these young men how to prepare themselves to conduct themselves professionally while they’re involved in the football program. It is a much-needed breath of fresh air for the Syracuse Orange, and it’s something that will carry over whether they’re on or off the field.
But how will the Orange build in year 2? What will be their style of play?
As of this article, the Syracuse Orange are working with the Colorado Buffaloes to put together joint practices and a scrimmage, a move that will work the Orange back into the national spotlight. After a comeback win against the Miami Hurricanes last season, people stood up and took notice of SU again. If they can perform well against one of the most talked about collegiate teams, it’s a foot back in the door for establishing the program.
So, will Syracuse continue on their speed and big-play approach, or can they mix in a bit of physicality and disruption? The table has been set for the Orange this year, but will they eat? They’ll face teams such as Notre Dame, Tennessee, Miami FL on a revenge game, and Clemson.
Those teams will come with their own speed and style of football. Will SU double down on speed and discipline, or can they elevate the physicality and develop the style of football that slows down high-powered teams? Can they accomplish both?
That’s the challenge of this off-season for the Syracuse Orange. It’s not just a matter of bringing guys in who will do the right things, its how much the team and program can grow and develop. Everyone in that building, as well as the fans along for the ride, should be proud of the job the Orange did last season but that was only the dash to the first hurdle. The second one is coming up soon and they have to be prepared to jump.
