Daily Links - Praising Rob Long

In praise of Syracuse punter Rob Long - Big East Blog - ESPN
Long says he "stumbled into" becoming a punter. He was a hockey player at his Pennsylvania high school until one day he stood around the football field waiting for his friends to finish practice. He started kicking a ball around, and the football coach said he was looking for a field goal kicker. A year or two later, Long figured he ought to learn how to punt, too.

Torian Phillips makes an easy choice with Wagner College | SILive.com
Phillips had intended to stay at the Big East school, but when he learned grandmother Rowena Phillips and stepfather Jessie Barnes had become ill, he suddenly had a change of heart. "My family is important to me," Phillips said. "My mother (Sheri Barnes) and stepfather wanted me to stay at Syracuse, but I thought it’d be better if I was closer to home and they understood when I made my decision to come back (to Staten Island)."

Football Friday: Schedule Analysis | Otto's Army
Here’s a look at the season’s schedule from three different points of view.

Syracuse University Athletics - SU To Host Football Poster And Ticket Giveaway At The State Fair
Syracuse fans will also be able to get 2010 football posters and schedule cards at the booth. Each day, fans will be able to sign up at the SU booth to win two tickets to the SU football home opener against Maine on Saturday, September 18, at 7 p.m. SU staff will draw one winner daily at 7 p.m. The winner does not need to be present to win.

College Football Preview 2010: Free Analysis on Every Team from Paul Bessire @ PredictionMachine.com
This site predicts Syracuse's best offensive player will be...center Ryan Bartholomew.

Orange::44: BlogPoll 2010 - Preseason
Check out Brian's Preseason Top 25 picks

Art Jones on Rookie Life in the NFL (Audio) | syracuse.com
Art has a few things going for him in cutting his teeth on the NFL level as he has arrived on a team that takes tremendous pride in defense and he has a mentor in another former Orangeman Jameel McClain to keep an eye on him.

An open letter to Carmelo Anthony... - Denver Stiffs
But as you mull over your options about whether or not to sign a contract extension to play in Denver, I hope you'll give what's written here some serious consideration. After all, for all those millions we've thrown your way, perhaps you could give staying in Denver another hard look. And here's why... If you really want to win a championship while playing with a good friend or two and get the maximum amount of dollars plus guaranteed years while doing so, then Denver is the place to do it. That's right, Denver.

Hey, it's former SU offensive coordinator Rob Spence.  He looks well.