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The Daily OrangeStarting over: Mitch Browning was hired to fix the Syracuse offense. The no-nonsense coach is not afraid to change everything
By John Clayton
Posted: 4/13/08, 11:37 PM EST Section: Sports
"More games are lost than they are won by the opponent at the end of the day," Browning said. "They need to know that, no, it's not OK to jump offsides. It's not OK to drop the football. It's not OK to throw a bad pass. It's not OK to block the wrong guy or make the wrong call up front."
Those errors were common last year, when the Orange too often took itself out of the game with early miscues. Browning knows this. He sat in Iowa's Kinnick Stadium last Sept. 8 and watched the Syracuse offense muster 103 yards in a 35-0 beating. He watched the SU offensive line get pushed around and the offense commit penalties.
Syracuse fans endured a year's worth of similar mistakes from SU, culminating in the departure of Brian White after a two-year stint at offensive coordinator.
Browning abhors mental mistakes like the ones he saw in Iowa. Any coach does. But Browning's offense is predicated on avoiding those errors.
While newer schemes like the West Coast and spread offenses rely on complex plays and fancy verbiage, Browning keeps his system simple and the playbook thinner. He spends time teaching fundamentals, like blocking. The theory is if the players are fundamentally sound and control the line of scrimmage, it doesn't matter what play is called.
"I think things are simplified in a lot of ways," SU's rising junior quarterback Andrew Robinson said. "There's definitely more of an emphasis on running the ball. Establishing a balance between the run and the pass."
Browning will tell you the key to any offense, and especially his system, is the offensive line. The line's struggles doomed Syracuse last year, too often leaving Andrew Robinson on his back.
That's why Browning spends so much time with SU's offensive line. He sees the playmakers - a stacked group of running backs and an all-Big East receiver in Mike Williams - and assumes if he fixes the offensive line, he can fix SU's offense.
Knowing this, it's understandable why Browning is so neurotic when it comes to his linemen's fundamentals. Coupled with his straight-shooting nature, Browning has no problem calling his players out.
Those errors were common last year, when the Orange too often took itself out of the game with early miscues. Browning knows this. He sat in Iowa's Kinnick Stadium last Sept. 8 and watched the Syracuse offense muster 103 yards in a 35-0 beating. He watched the SU offensive line get pushed around and the offense commit penalties.
Syracuse fans endured a year's worth of similar mistakes from SU, culminating in the departure of Brian White after a two-year stint at offensive coordinator.
Browning abhors mental mistakes like the ones he saw in Iowa. Any coach does. But Browning's offense is predicated on avoiding those errors.
While newer schemes like the West Coast and spread offenses rely on complex plays and fancy verbiage, Browning keeps his system simple and the playbook thinner. He spends time teaching fundamentals, like blocking. The theory is if the players are fundamentally sound and control the line of scrimmage, it doesn't matter what play is called.
"I think things are simplified in a lot of ways," SU's rising junior quarterback Andrew Robinson said. "There's definitely more of an emphasis on running the ball. Establishing a balance between the run and the pass."
Browning will tell you the key to any offense, and especially his system, is the offensive line. The line's struggles doomed Syracuse last year, too often leaving Andrew Robinson on his back.
That's why Browning spends so much time with SU's offensive line. He sees the playmakers - a stacked group of running backs and an all-Big East receiver in Mike Williams - and assumes if he fixes the offensive line, he can fix SU's offense.
Knowing this, it's understandable why Browning is so neurotic when it comes to his linemen's fundamentals. Coupled with his straight-shooting nature, Browning has no problem calling his players out.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Bill Graizel
posted 4/14/08 @ 12:26 PM EST
Now how about changing the head coach. With nowhere near the football tradition that Syracuse has, just take a look at the football players they've recruited at Connecticut over the past few years. (Continued…)
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