SBNation.com User Blog: someguyonacomputer

Re: TNIAAM: A Numbers Game

someguyonacomputer — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:13:27 -0000

I couldn't post anything because it was closed (sorry bro...). So this is my response to the numbers.

I congratulate those who made the top lists. Many of you put time and thought into your posts and I benefit from having you put into words many of the feelings I have toward SU, pop culture, weird references. No one reads any of my posts or comments (Except for mainly trolls who enjoy crapping on something I do FOR FUN) so I am likely just saying thanks to the wind, but well...thanks. I also wanted to say that while I am no where near as high up in numbers as some I do appreciate being able to comment and use this place as an escape from syracuse.com trash.

I would also like to thank my fellow SU fans for being there for me when I am watching a game alone. To have friends that I can talk to as if we are sitting on the couch/in the same room together is greatly appreciated. I considered stopping in for the official TNIAAM tailgating experience earlier this year but I was coming of of my 24 hour shift and desperately needed sleep. That being said, I may try for next year because you all seem like a truly awesome group of fans.

So again, I may not post in anywhere near the frequency as some, and have no aspirations of doing so but I do appreciate being able to post whenever I am able. Knowing that I can come here and get a wide variety of opinions that help me to round-out my own is invaluable. So thank you all for being there for me. I am looking forward to another great year.

-Someguyonacomputer

via blog.syracuse.com

I couldn't post anything because it was closed (sorry bro...). So this is my response to the numbers.

-Someguyonacomputer

Ryan Nassib = Scoop Jardine

someguyonacomputer — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:17:39 -0000

I have been thinking about Ryan Nassib a lot over this past week and I finally was able to put thoughts together as to what bothered me.

I have been struggling with my emotions regarding Ryan Nassib this year. Much like my feelings for HCDM I want Ryan to succeed if for no other reason then that he seemingly is a good person. The way the year started I thought it was finally a breakout year for him, the kind I always wished he would have. But even during his times of success, as the commentators and sports writers heralded him as a future NFL QB (which always felt wrong to me), I just couldn't drink the kool-aid.

Finally it hit me. As I yelled at Nassib for the 10th time this week and covered my eyes to hide my disgust, It was perfectly clear. Ryan Nassib is the football equivalent to Scoop Jardine. Now I am willing to admit this comparison may not work for everyone, but I believe it is extremely close when you give it sincere thought with a sprinkling of open mindedness.

Ryan is a decorated leader and senior on his team, just as Scoop was. Ryan has done everything asked of him by coaches, and has shown that he is better than others competing for his starting job. He is a leader and has a decent supply of self confidence (on this Scoop has him beat). But much like our old friend Scoop, we seem to have quite a few of the 'No, no, no, no! Yes!' moments with Ryan that we were all too familiar with during the reign of the Scoop.

Like Scoop, Ryan is a good but not great player. A player that for every seemingly great thing he does, it is quickly squashed by his next bone-headed play. And while I believe him to be competent at his position, he has glaring flaws that everyone tries to erase with statistics. With Scoop it was stupid turnovers, a similarity that Ryan shares with him to a painful degree. Both could be competent game managers, but when things hit the fan, they try to do too much and end up finalizing their own defeat.

Another similarity is that people seem to think that Ryan will play at the next level. There weren't many who thought Scoop could make the jump to the NBA, but enough did to make me scratch my head and wonder what they were seeing that I wasn't. Scoop would lock in on one player and force passes to them even when double or triple teamed. Then there was Scoop trying to throw a bonehead alley-oop to someone way out of range. But because of the wins, and Scoop's occasional late-game heroics (which we needed for him to dig us out of the holes he put us in), many thought he was good enough to play with the big boys. With Ryan, he was an future NFL quarterback on paper for the first three games of the season, but never passed the eye test. Anyone who watched the games knew that he can't throw an accurate deep ball (a NFL must), or for that matter throw deep well at all (everything was under thrown). He also can't change reads more than once, locking in on his primary receiver and then checking to the running back. He is seemingly incapable of making a secondary read, which he should be able to do as a senior. All of this screamed that he is not even close to being an NFL QB. Could he potentially surprise me and be a NFL bench warmer? Yes, I think Ryan does things well in a practice environment, which has helped him keep his job so far, and could help him land on a NFL roster.

The main difference between Ryan and Scoop is that Scoop was running a team of some of the Nation's top players and was able to split much of the leadership with other seniors. Ryan tries to do well with what he has, and what he has is a much less talented team than Scoop ever played with. Scoop was able to be bailed out of mistakes by all the ridiculously talented players on the team with him. When Ryan makes a mistake, there is no one like that outside of Marcus Sales who has bailed him out numerous times, but can only do so much.

I know this comparison isn't exactly apples to apples, and many of you will be sure to tell me to keep my day job when it comes to writing, but this comparison has brought me some peace of mind. The frustration I feel for Nassib is eerily similar but not as severe as the sheer disdain I had for Scoop. I always hated that he seemed to make an amazing team mediocre by helping opponents stay in the game. With Ryan, I know he does his best and I admire his work ethic, I just hope it pays off and he is able to leave with me comparing him more to G-Mac than Scoop.

Poll

Does Ryan Nassib remind you of Scoop Jardine?

Yes, he does make me scream at my television, just as Scoop did.

29 votes

No. One is football, the other basketball...you my friend are a quack.

5 votes

Please shut up and let Sean do all the writing from now on.

9 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

The next letter Doug Marrone should send:

someguyonacomputer — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:22:34 -0000

Dear Fans,

Recently, we asked for more than the usual support from you and even offered free game tickets to any students with valid Syracuse University ID's. Unfortunately, we did not produce on the field.

Not only did we not execute our game plan, we failed to give a supportive crowd any reason for sustained joy. We committed mental error after mental error, and appeared to take a step back to what we used to be in recent years instead of what I know we are, and that is winners.

Some of you may question why on 4th and inches with the ball near the goal line, I decided to kick a field goal instead of simply having Ryan dive forward on a play that works 90% of the time. The answer is simple, I blew it. I didn't have the same faith in my team and their abilities that I expect them to have in each other in a high pressure situation. After all the mental mistakes I had witnessed over the course of the afternoon, at that moment I committed one of my own. For that, I apologize.

So what is the plan going forward? To state it simply, we have to get better. Obviously something I am doing is leaving the team unprepared for the tasks that they are facing this year, and I take responsibility for that. We have tremendous players who have proven themselves to be great both on and off the field. So I vow to you that if you continue to support this team, we will be better.

Thank you for your continued support of the team, which I promise I will prove to you is not unfounded.

Sincerely,

Doug Marrone

Dear Fans,

Recently, we asked for more than the usual support from you and even offered free game tickets to any students with valid Syracuse University ID's. Unfortunately, we did not produce on the field.

Thank you for your continued support of the team, which I promise I will prove to you is not unfounded.

Sincerely,

Doug Marrone

Optimism

someguyonacomputer — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:37:29 -0000

I realize that it is stupid, and that it may just be the two vodka and orange juice drinks that I just consumed. But I truly believe we are going to make a bowl game this year. My heart, despite all the reasoning of the mind, just will not allow me to think otherwise. I am so psyched for this upcoming football season that I can hardly contain myself whenever asked about SU football at work or even at church. I have been steadily working all my friends with FIOS to arrange a place to reside and watch the games on ESPN3. I also have been working on sucking up to people at work who have the ability to score me some tickets to games throughout the year (seeing as how if I had their salary I could afford season tickets anyways....). I believe the X-Files has coined my motto for this year: "I want to believe." I seriously would give anything to have this proud tradition restored to its once resonating glory. I believe Doug Marrone can do it if given enough time and support/patience from the fan base. I guess I will sum it all up this way.... I believe, do you?

Poll

SU will make a bowl game this year.

I believe

81 votes

I am a negative person and hate all that is nice and wonderful in the world, and SU will not make a bowl game.

14 votes

95 votes | Poll has closed

Expectations Abound For The 2010 Basketball Season

someguyonacomputer — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:18:02 -0000

For the past three years or so we have been spoiled by having perenial basketball success to lean upon during the cold winter months here in Syracuse. But next year will present a different challenge such as has not been experienced in quite some time. And that challenge is talent. Or more precisely the fact that there will be more of it (allegedly) in this recruiting class than there has been in years past. We have seen what our hall of fame coach can do with with a bunch of no-names and one star, but what about when he has multiple stars to align? Will we be like the recent Connecticut or North Carolina teams that had highly touted recruiting classes and then proceeded to fall flat on their faces when that talent had difficulty meshing? The simple answer is that only time will tell if a collective group of young talent can be coached into working together to pick up where a veteran squad left off. But for the more cerebral individual who prefers to analyze and predict, the answer is more complicated due to several variables which will determine the course of next year's team.

For instance, what if Wesley Johnson stays? Please allow me to premise this as purely hypothetical because the odds of a talent such as our beloved number four staying and turning down millions to help an unproven squad with whom he has never played, is as crazy as it sounds. But if he stayed that would add a credibility and leadership to a squad which could then be immediately viewed as was Kentucky's band of freshmen this season. But all things being as they are in the world, we have a better chance of getting a million dollars and a Mercedes Benz parked in our front yard by a mysterious donor than having that smiling talent gracing our court next year.

The next variable is improvement. Can the young and or sporadic talent that remains from this year's team truly improve? Will we see a more wise Brandon Triche? Will we see a stronger more coordinated Riley? Will Scoop and Kris truly step up and become leaders and not just excellent supporting cast members? We have every reason to believe based on their track records that they can and will rise to the occasion as well as mentor these young incoming players. But somewhere in the back of the mind some of us still have our doubts.

To summarize, the outlook is good. For a change, the question is not whether we have talent but rather we can utilize it. But there is one thing we do know. With our support, and willing the team onto victory just as we did this year, the odds are in our favor to be surprised and not disappointed.

Poll

How do you think the Syracuse Mens Basketball team will do in 2010 in comparison to this past year?

Better

26 votes

Worse

59 votes

The same

30 votes

It is all dependent on Wesley Johnson staying

19 votes

134 votes | Poll has closed

Who to root for

someguyonacomputer — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:13:46 -0000

With SU bounced its up to Butler to play WVU in the national championship game. I am one of those crazy people who rationalizes that we (SU) look better if the team that beat us goes to the national championship game. The only trump to that is WVU (who we beat and who is from our conference) beating said team in the championship. Long story short, one of those two teams must win and keep the forces of evil from Michigan State and the school that must not be named from winning it all. Again, before the posts come in that what I am saying is ridiculous……..I agree 100% with you.

Poll

Do you think SU looks better if Butler or West Virginia wins the National Championship?

Yes

37 votes

No

5 votes

No.....and you're crazy for writing this and wasting my time

13 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed