When Fran Brown was hired back in December, there were a lot of clear elements to his staff. Elijah Robinson was talked about a lot, and so was Nick Williams, as was Nunzio Campanile sticking on in any capacity. What was not talked about enough because he had to finish up his season with the Giants was Jeff Nixon, the new offensive coordinator.
Now that spring practices are underway, we’re all finally starting to get some clarity on what his offense is going to look like and what they’ve been working on in practice with the season still five months away. The pro-style offense is new for a lot of players, but that’s why spring practice is important to learn and build away of the Spring Game, and then the summer.
“It’s been really fun,” Dan Villari said via syracuse.com. “I’m kind of like a football nerd, so learning a whole new offense, it’s kind of like an NFL offense – it is an NFL offense – it’s just been really fun for me.”
To be successful in that offense, Syracuse needs to bulk up. The Orange have been notable in not having very good strength and conditioning, plus nutrition as we learned at the ACC Kickoff a couple of years ago that became a major story that had to be handled. Now, things are changing and under Brown, there is a different standard starting to be established.
“I was at Michigan for two years, and that strength and conditioning program was very intense and legit, and I think this was the same exact thing,” Villari said via syracuse.com. “Very similar. I’ve been trying to bulk up myself and just get stronger. It was really hard. Everything’s been really, really difficult, but I think that’s good for us.”
If players are in better shape, that allows coaches to do more things on the field with the players, and everyone to have more success. Syracuse’s schedule sets up for potentially a lot of success this season, but that remains to be seen. For now, the Orange are learning who is going to be best suited for what the coaches want to do, and how they are going to do it.
“I think we have enough football to do anything we wanna do,” co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Johnson said via syracuse.com. “We gotta figure out who our best football players are gonna be and what’s our best personnel group and then go from there.”
A lot of changes have been made to Syracuse football and lot more are still to come under Brown, Nixon, and the rest of the coaching staff. How the players handle those changes, on and off the field, will determine just how much success SU can have, and if they can live up to what the man in charge has been preaching to anyone who will listen.
“We all just walk different now,” Alijah Clark said via syracuse.com. “Everybody look a little taller. Everybody’s chest’s a little broader. Walk with their chest out. It builds a lot of confidence.”
