Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTaking the reigns
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 9/11/08, 10:25 PM EST Section: Sports
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The arm was never a problem. Cameron Dantley always had a big arm, a right cannon attached to his 6-foot-1, 218-pound frame. That arm got him out of jams as a high school quarterback. That arm helped him earn a scholarship after walking on to the Syracuse football team in 2005.
When people talk about Cameron Dantley - when they're not talking about his father Adrian, inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame last Friday - they usually talk about his arm strength. Which is fair: Dantley, a redshirt junior, said he fired a ball 75 to 80 yards, one day last year.
But his arm didn't get him where he is now, starting again for the Orange (0-2), on Saturday, as it rekindles a rivalry with No. 17 Penn State (2-0) at 3:30 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. It helped, for sure. But it didn't put him over the top. That was something else.
"The thing about him is," said quarterbacks coach Phil Earley, "he's really done a nice job with his feet."
Not running with them. But footwork and coordination: Earley preaches the basics to his quarterback pupils. Dantley just needed to polish them.
See, the arm was always fine. So was his agility. So was his field sense. The problem was his feet. Dantley was off-balance when he dropped back to pass, when he ran the Syracuse offense in practice. He wasn't consistent.
Dantley understood. That's why he pounded his way through a consistent jump rope routine to refine his feet. It's what he needed to do to displace Andrew Robinson, the incumbent starter behind center.
"This is what I've been pushing myself to since I've been young," Dantley said. "I always expect to start. That's just the confidence I have in myself."
Doug Boswell, his coach at the St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., used to see that confidence every day - he first coached Dantley in sixth grade. Boswell knew his strengths. He knew his weaknesses too. "For his arm," Boswell said, "his feet are average."
So Dantley stayed late after practice, walking through plays, adjusting his feet to Boswell's hybrid Wing-T offense. The Bulldogs had receivers who could stretch the field and a quarterback who could find them with ease: Dantley threw for 2,850 and 28 touchdowns as a senior.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Rachel
posted 9/12/08 @ 8:33 AM EST
Just wanted to let you know that I think you meant to use the word "reins" (used to steer a horse) in the headline, not "reigns" (ruling over something). (Continued…)
Alan
posted 9/12/08 @ 12:31 PM EST
What bad timing to start a QB with one game of experience against Penn State. Colin Cowherd of ESPN said the scoreboard will need three digits to contain Penn State's scoring. (Continued…)
stu1411
stu walters
posted 9/13/08 @ 4:30 PM EST
Chancellor Nancy Cantor has become the spinmeistress as much as her Athletic Director Daryl Gross. They both hail the past greatness of Syracuse Football -- because they cannot build now in the present. (Continued…)
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