It's all anyone seems to want to talk about so let's dig in. First up, we finally hear from the man-child himself on the exciting news:
I don't know how to feel about Ryan's current 'do. I'm not a fan of the shaved-head QB. I feel like the QB should have some kind of flowing locks. But from the looks of things, Ryan's got more of an 80's Corey Haim thing going on right now. I'm not feeling it. Let's get him in the salon so we can work this out. It's a long season, we've got time.
You can get to know young Ryan a little better, courtesy of Donnie (or myself). Donnie does insert a rather interesting anecdote though:
They also signed him when it was clear the coaching staff was on the thinnest of ice. It seemed that Nassib wavered near the end of his recruitment, though ultimately signed. Now he's the starter. And he won the job in basically one week of spring practice
So exactly...why did Ryan Nassib get the job and not Cam Dantley or David Legree?
Nassib got the job because of several factors, Marrone said, including good release, good mechanics, high accuracy, good arm strength and good decision-making.
"Everything youwant out of a quarterback, he's shown," Marrone said. "When we see something and we're ready to go, that person is going to get more reps at that position. We feel he's the best player for us right now. Ryan's in development. He's earned that and we put him there and he's going to get more reps so we can get him ready to play."
Speaking of Marrone, the decision shapes opinions of him as much as it does Nassib. In a matter of one week Doug Marrone stamped his mark on Syracuse football so succinctly that it no longer resembles the team he was handed in December. He's cemented his place in charge of SU football and quickly made that a position worth admiring again:
In a few short weeks, he has revived long-lost SU traditions, immersed himself into the community, whipped his team into a disciplinarian frenzy and opened up practices to the public and media. But doesn't he realize he's bucking a trend of big-time collegiate football?
Other teams play keep-away with personnel decisions, toying with reporters who try to squeeze the truth from coaches who have perfected their press-conference poker face. Other teams fight hard to feel safe.
Not Marrone. So far, he's flaunted his team's accessibility. He's opened his arms to the community - and sleuth scouts, too. In an age when paranoia runs the decision-making of almost every major program, Marrone throws the spotlight back onto his program's exposure.
Marrone knows what he wants and he's not afraid to make the choices he needs to get it done without second-guessing himself or casting doubt. Refreshing.