Brent Axe got his hands on a letter that former Orangeman and the last of the 44's, Rob Konrad, sent to DOCTOR Daryl Gross and Nancy Cantor. Much like his running style, Konrad doesn't dance around and make any big moves, he's just barrels right ahead:I've had the pleasure of spending time with Greg Robinson during the past few seasons and competed against him as a defensive coordinator during my time in the NFL. Greg is a quality individual with a deep understanding of defensive football. Should he be relieved of his position with the University, I'm certain that he will continue his coaching career with success. It's my contention the failings of the program are due more directly to a general lack of understanding of the environment in which to operate a successful program at Syracuse University.Duly noted.
Konrad then goes on to lay out what he, and a group of unnamed alumni, feel are the most important issues facing Syracuse and its ability to compete with the Penn States, Rutgers and Boston Colleges of the world.
#1 Facilitities
Syracuse facilities needed to be upgraded and expanded for the program to consistently compete with the state funded universities in the Northeast.#2 Rebuilding the lost recruiting relationships
Dick MacPherson, Paul Pasqualoni and George DeLeone had decades of history with high school coaches in Northeast, these relationships have never been replaced.#3 Steering clear of hiring a big name pro-style head coach (coughcoughLaneKiffincoughcough)
It's our contention that Syracuse University should not endeavor to acquire a "big" name during a coaching search in order to cajole enthusiasm for the program. A search of this kind would more than likely yield a fiscally inappropriate candidate that again would waste several years attempting to learn how to recruit the Northeast and build a successful program at Syracuse.Konrad could have then presented a list of candidates that he felt would best fit within the parameters he laid out. Instead, he offered up one singular choice:
Alright, you better get to it and research the crap out of this guy now so you can be the cool kid at the BBQ this weekend.Steve Addazio is currently the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach of the University of Florida. He coached at Syracuse 1995-98 before making stops at Notre Dame and Florida. Addazio began his career as a high school coach in Cheshire, CT and keeps many of the relationships of the past regime with the high school coaching element of the Northeast region. He has built a reputation as a tremendous recruiter and a passionate motivator who has become legendary for his pre-game speeches. Addazio has helped organize some of the most potent non-conventional offenses in college football including Florida's National Championship season and Syracuse's Big East Championship and BCS seasons. Besides coaching at the pinnacle of college football, local knowledge and motivational attributes, considering his past ties to the University, he may come with a reasonable price tag. I have not spoken to Steve Addazio since 1998, and I can't tell you if he's interested in the job. I can represent, with pure objectivity, that Steve Addazio is one of the most logical and qualified coaches to bring this once proud program back to life.
