I apologize for mentioning He Who Must Not Be Named but it's important that you understand what we're up against. Just as the spectre of Greg Robinson seemed to have left the program for good, his eerie presence haunted the Dome all over again this past weekend.
Offensive ineptitude.
Shoddy decision-making.
Losing to Rutgers.
All three were hallmarks of the Greg Robinson Era. So what happened to all of a sudden make them return?
Bob Toledo happened.
Toledo is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Tulane Green Wave. Before that, he was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins between 1996 and 2002. Going way back, Bob took over as head coach at Pacific University between 1979 and 1982, replacing Chester Caddas.
Caddas' Pacific coaching staff has become the stuff of legend. The coaches on it included:
Pete Carroll (USC, Seahawks), Walt Harris (Pitt, Stanford), Jim Colletto (college & pro coach), Dante Scarnecchia (Patriots asst), Ted Leland (Stanford AD), Bob Cope (Arkansas/KSU DC) and Greg Robinson.
Yes, that Greg Robinson.
The careers of Greg and Bob criss-crossed for years to come. Robinson was a longtime assistant at UCLA between 1982 - 1989. He left to pursue a career in the pros and, in 1994, Toledo came to UCLA as an assistant. In '96, the head coach position became available and both Greg and Bob vied for the spot. Bob got it.
Toledo coached the Bruins for seven mostly-successful seasons, briefly spent time in New Mexico as a OC/Asst. Head Coach before taking the Tulane job. The current job has not been as successful.
In fact, you could say it's been downright Robinson-esque.
Greg Robinson's four seasons at Syracuse (1-10, 4-8, 2-10, 3-9).
Bob Toledo's four seasons at Toledo (4-8, 2-10, 3-9, 4-8).
And just in case you think Toledo's connection to SU ended with Robinson, think again. Remember, Doug Marrone coached in New Orleans before he got here...
"(Head) Coach (Bob)Toledo and I lived in the same neighborhood. (Former Tulane and New Orleans Saints defensive coach) Tom Hayes, lived four houses down and was with us at the Saints and then was a defensive coordinator for Tulane. Early on when Coach Toledo had gotten there, I went to practice. I wish I would have studied it more than just going down and watching them.
Syracuse needs to beat Tulane to once and for all free themselves from the clutches of the Greg Robinson Era, of which Bob Toledo is a reminder. Beat this harbinger of doom and the curse is gone...again.