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SU Football: Greg Robinson's Resume & The Connection To New Uniforms

Syracuse football is 0 for the season, the team is likely to debut new uniforms, and Greg Robinson is back! OK, so what's it all mean?

By Matt McClusky
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

I was lucky. No question about it. For the last few jobs, I didn't need a "real" resume. I kind of fell upwards in the local small-town media world (nothing to really brag about, I know). I went from print, to radio, to television, all without having to provide much documentation, or one of those God awful cover letters.

Word of mouth is a lifesaver sometimes.

Of course, word of mouth can also be a killer. Someone with a stacked resume and a perfectly coiffed cover letter can miss out on the right job because, simply, an employer heard something. Once someone knows something, somebody is likely screwed.

Not for me, though. Word of mouth has somehow been a Godsend. I like to think I've worked hard and produced some quality stuff, but whatever the case, there's luck. Which is why I couldn't help thinking of resumes and cover letters and luck when I heard this weekend that Greg Robinson, our Greg Robinson, was back in "big time" college football. This time as defensive coordinator with Mack Brown and Texas.

Whaa? Did the news of Greg Robinson: Syracuse coach, or Greg Robinson: Michigan defensive coordinator, not make it to Texas? I mean, OK, in small-town media, I can get away without submitting an official resume, but Texas, despite its problems, is Texas!

Right?

I mean, seriously! This is the dude who won ten games as Syracuse coach in four seasons; the same Greg Robinson who turned Michigan's defense into Western Michigan Central Tech...State. That guy got ANOTHER job in real college football? I mean, there are no words sometimes.

(SIDE NOTE: Good luck with that, Texas fan. By no means are you blindly talking yourself into a guy who practically took a flamethrower to Syracuse University football. Sure, it was a program on the skids, but how can you blame Greg for all the losing (so much losing), alienating fans and alumni, and running Syracuse football into the ground. And, you certainly can't blame him for helping push Michigan football to its lowest point in decades? Not at all. Seriously, good luck, Texas!)

I just don't have a good answer as to how Robinson gets more work despite a resume of destruction and devastation. But I do know I'm fascinated by it all. I can't wait for this. Can't wait to see if Robinson, the guy who killed FBS football in Central New York, can turn around Texas, Brown's legacy, and actually prove his football bona fides.

This has become an obsession.

Plus, I can't stop thinking about the timing of it all. Syracuse football is 0-2, suffering two disheartening losses under a new coach. The last loss coming in a blowout fashion that had some resemblance of SU football circa 2005. And on top of all that, there's talk that Syracuse is looking at debuting new uniforms - maybe as early as this weekend.

Eire.

I mean think back to 2005, won't you? Robinson was the new coach, new field, a new look Big East, new uniforms...and a ton of losing. For the Robinson years, it always felt like Syracuse football wasn't really Syracuse football. Sure, the losing was a major reason for that, but just the same, the uniforms went from this to this, with a ton of tweaks coming over the following years.

It wasn't until Doug Marrone started to change the culture, did Syracuse football have that familiar feeling. And while there have been further alterations to the unis since, the basic theme has remained the same, and the program has been more like Syracuse football than in the last few years. It's irrational, but given the news of Robinson's return to coaching, the 0-2 start for Syracuse, and the potential for change...does this mean 2013 is the new 2005?

Should we all petition Shafer to just leave things be based entirely on not disrupting karma? Let's go to the Twitter for reaction on potential uniform change and the connection, if there is one, to Mr. Robinson!

(NOTE: I couldn't delete the "parent" tweets here, so basically ignore the grey tweets and just concentrate on the white. It's a technical difficulty. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?)

Uniform changes don't equate to bad fortune? I don't know, maybe my symbolism is lost in translation.

James, you multiple-replying genius! You get it. But the thing is, maybe we're over-thinking this uniform change. Maybe it's more about style than some kind of superstition.Maybe appeasing the fans and, more importantly (?) recruits, is the answer here. I mean, some big time programs change uniform styles like changing underwear.

Given the "older" fan base Syracuse athletics seem to have, I'm not sure if new helmets, jerseys, pants, gloves, and cleats every game would go over well here. Plus, Phil Knight's wallet isn't lying around Marshall Street. This seems complicated.

Let's go to the boss for answers.

Totally agree (contractually I have to). Any change can't just be because Nike made Syracuse. The old "the other boys made me do it" defense doesn't work here.

So something new should mean something. I'm on board. But what alterations would you like to see then?

ALL WHITE on the road?

The boss, coming through. There has to be a common denominator here somewhere.

You son of a...

Alright, I guess throwing this question out on Twitter wasn't the greatest idea, given the range of responses. It's funny to me, though. The basketball team, with its winning ways and boatload of tradition, can change uniforms every two to three years without much fuss, but football makes a move and some fans turn into Joe Girardi inexplicably defending Alex Rodriguez.

Yet, ultimately, be it this weekend, next weekend, or even next year, Syracuse will have new uniforms. That means a portion of the fan base will be upset, a portion will be happy, and a portion won't give a crap as long as the team starts winning again.

Which is really the group we're all in. The just win, baby mindset. Syracuse alum Al Davis clearly knew what he was talking about.

It's exactly what Texas fans are thinking, too. Who cares how the sausage is made, or how it looks? Taste is the only thing that matters. Greg Robinson left a most foul taste the mouth of Orange fans, not to mention Michigan fans and football fans in general. But if things work in Austin, burnt orange fans will only remember Greg Robinson: Season savior.

There won't be any mention of "previous work experience" in the Lone Star State.

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