Syracuse Daily Links - Taj Smith Is In Your CFLz, Takin' Your Footbawlz

Roughriders' Taj Smith overcomes tough times to make his way in CFL
He carries a reminder of his brothers on the back of his right hand, a tattoo that says "BMLS." It stands for "Brothers' Memories Live Strong." "Those are the two I looked up to ...," Taj says, his voice quavering with emotion. "It was hard to go through life these past couple of years without them, but I tried to do everything to make them proud."

The Morning Orange: Don McPherson weighs in | syracuse.com
"With the Syracuse team last year, there were some disruptions in the coaching staff and personnel. Sometimes you can make that one wrong move in one of those areas and you can lose the team. And I think that’s what happened with SU. I don’t know what it was internally, but I believe that last year’s team stopped communicating with each other. It was very evident in the games I covered for SNY that you didn’t see that positive non-verbal communication happening. You saw a lot of hands in the air after plays which meant they weren’t communicating during plays."

Don McPherson: Disruptions In The Coaching Staff And Personnel Doomed 2011 Orange - Inside the Loud House
While Donnie Mac gave Orange fans one of the most memorable seasons in the history of Syracuse football, it is a bold statement to make if you are not inside the locker room. To say there were disruptions with the coaching staff, and then to say that you don’t know internally what the problem was, you are making a blanket statement that can be made by anybody. I understand that his opinion carries more weight than an average fan, but at the same time he is basing that opinion off of the same information that anyone else can get.

Soldier gave up football to serve in Army - YNN, Your News Now
"I always wanted to be infantry," Villanueva said. "I wanted to be boots on the ground with the ultimate experience of leadership. West Point offered me the fastest route to accomplish my goals."

Orange Watch: Our 2012 Syracuse football predictions Part I | The Juice Online
Orange Watch is going to be away on assignment until the eve of the season opener against Northwestern on Sept. 1. So, with one final opportunity, here goes how we forecast the 2012 football season to play out, understanding the many variables yet to come. This is Part I. Check out Part II on Saturday.

Poliquin: Sports and the advertising world aren't about to crash; rather they're going to join hands | syracuse.com
We should, however, brace ourselves because revenue-stream evolution is going to take us to a place where everything (including body parts) is for sale. Or as Daryl Gross, the Syracuse University A.D. who never saw an athlete's backside that wouldn’t look better sponsored by baby powder, might call it, Oz.

Coaching gives former Syracuse football player Cody Catalina chance to stay on the field | syracuse.com
"It’s awesome, because I get to work with Coach Marrone," Catalina said Thursday after the Orange finished a fourth day in a week of practices at Fort Drum. "You couldn’t ask for a better mentor, as a position coach. It’s really helping me learn not only the game of football, but what its like to be a coach."

Syracuse University football defensive end awakens memories of Orange blast from the past | syracuse.com
He is athletic enough that as camp approaches the two-week mark his performance has prompted these whispers among longtime followers of Orange football: "This guy reminds me of Dwight Freeney." They are spoken with reverence because Freeney was in a class alone when he set a school record for quarterback sacks (17.5) in 2001, a launching point for a first-round draft selection and all-pro career with the Indianapolis Colts. To mention Freeney’s name in connection with any SU end, let alone a newcomer who has never played a down for the Orange, is to hint of expectations that will be difficult to fulfill.

Syracuse University football preseason camp impressions from Thursday: rough day for offense | syracuse.com
Perhaps the tone was set earlier during a red-zone scrimmage when normally sure-handed tight end David Stevens dropped a perfectly thrown touchdown pass from Ryan Nassib (Stevens atoned for the error a few plays later). Maybe it was set when offensive tackle Lou Alexander jumped ahead of the snap count. "Red zone. No penalties. Focus," Marrone shouted. Maybe it was set when backup quarterback Charley Loeb misread a receiver’s cut and lobbed an interception directly into the hands of cornerback Jaston George in the end zone. Whatever the case, it was a rough day in general for the offense.

H/T: ‏@AndrewBucholtz