SYRACUSE - Summer football camp began Monday for the Syracuse Orange, and head coach Greg Robinson was more than ready for his second season to officially get under way.
“It's a time where a whole lot of the hard work has been done,” said Robinson, who sprinted well ahead of the team coming off the practice field in the morning. “Now the fun begins.”
The despair of last season's 1-10 team seemed collectively forgotten, at least on the outside.
“Last year was last year. I didn't know where we really were,” said Robinson, who holds the dubious distinction of having coached the first Syracuse team in 116 years of football to lose 10 games in a season. “It really isn't what this year is all about. We were optimistic, we're optimistic right now,”
“I just need to stay the course, don't deviate. I believe in what we're doing. I believe we're See QB headed in the right direction.”
The Orange began camp with a nine-game losing streak for added inspiration. Syracuse's only victory in 2005 was against Buffalo, which also finished 1-10. Much was made of the erratic performance of quarterback Perry Patterson, who completed only 47.9 percent of his passes and threw nearly twice as many interceptions (11) as TD passes (six).
Although Syracuse has been picked by most to finish last in the Big East, Patterson, as much as anybody, holds the key to the team's performance. And his dedication since the season-ending loss to Louisville has been impressive. He's lost 19 pounds since December and began camp at 236 pounds.
“I can't really predict what kind of success Perry is going to have,” Robinson said. “But Perry has extended himself in a way that is unusual. I'm proud of his effort to this point. He has given himself an opportunity to be a better football player. I think there has been an overall maturity in Perry, and that's a good thing.”
So is the fact that Patterson already has his degree and won't have to deal with regular classes this fall, leaving him more time to concentrate on football.
“I'm feeling normal. I don't feel pressure at all,” said Patterson, who has been helping instruct the other quarterbacks on the squad, including freshman Andrew Robinson, the heir apparent for the starting job. “There ain't no cloud hanging over us. Everybody's happy. And I'm a better player than I was last year. I have a better sense of what needs to be done.”
What needs to be done most of all is win, and nobody was more concerned about that than the man who hired Greg Robinson.
“We want to do well,” athletic director Daryl Gross said. “We think we're building it the right way. I'm nervous about seeing what's going to happen because I know eventually it's going to happen. It's just a matter of when. There's no question in my mind that we will win here. It's just one of the those things - we'll win when we win.”
The despair of last season's 1-10 team seemed collectively forgotten, at least on the outside.
“Last year was last year. I didn't know where we really were,” said Robinson, who holds the dubious distinction of having coached the first Syracuse team in 116 years of football to lose 10 games in a season. “It really isn't what this year is all about. We were optimistic, we're optimistic right now,”
“I just need to stay the course, don't deviate. I believe in what we're doing. I believe we're See QB headed in the right direction.”
The Orange began camp with a nine-game losing streak for added inspiration. Syracuse's only victory in 2005 was against Buffalo, which also finished 1-10. Much was made of the erratic performance of quarterback Perry Patterson, who completed only 47.9 percent of his passes and threw nearly twice as many interceptions (11) as TD passes (six).
Although Syracuse has been picked by most to finish last in the Big East, Patterson, as much as anybody, holds the key to the team's performance. And his dedication since the season-ending loss to Louisville has been impressive. He's lost 19 pounds since December and began camp at 236 pounds.
“I can't really predict what kind of success Perry is going to have,” Robinson said. “But Perry has extended himself in a way that is unusual. I'm proud of his effort to this point. He has given himself an opportunity to be a better football player. I think there has been an overall maturity in Perry, and that's a good thing.”
So is the fact that Patterson already has his degree and won't have to deal with regular classes this fall, leaving him more time to concentrate on football.
“I'm feeling normal. I don't feel pressure at all,” said Patterson, who has been helping instruct the other quarterbacks on the squad, including freshman Andrew Robinson, the heir apparent for the starting job. “There ain't no cloud hanging over us. Everybody's happy. And I'm a better player than I was last year. I have a better sense of what needs to be done.”
What needs to be done most of all is win, and nobody was more concerned about that than the man who hired Greg Robinson.
“We want to do well,” athletic director Daryl Gross said. “We think we're building it the right way. I'm nervous about seeing what's going to happen because I know eventually it's going to happen. It's just a matter of when. There's no question in my mind that we will win here. It's just one of the those things - we'll win when we win.”
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