The Firing Line: Robinson Moves Closer to Unemployment

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Syracuse Coach Greg Robinson…

With a fan base desperate for change and a failing head coach still at the helm, the players of the Syracuse football team are stuck in the middle. They are in limbo between the future and the present, even if they only want to deal with the latter. Despite his 8-34 record as a head coach and little visible improvement, Greg Robinson continues to run the Orange (1-6, 0-3 Big East). The team’s fans continue to call for his head. Meanwhile, reports and rumors involving Daryl Gross, the Syracuse director of athletics, taking action against Robinson continue to float around on message boards, talk radio stations and even The New York Times. Caught up in this mess, the Syracuse players say they only want to focus on the remaining five games on the schedule, starting with Louisville (5-2, 1-1 Big East) at the Carrier Dome 7 p.m. Saturday. – Daily Orange

Should Syracuse pull the plug on Greg Robinson at this point in the season, with five games left to play? In many respects, it would be the best thing for all concerned. It’s not as if Robinson hasn’t been given a chance — this is his fourth season, and the Orange is a collective 8-35, with two of those victories coming over Buffalo and another against 1-AA Northeastern. Nor would this mean that G-rob, as he has become known in Upstate New York, would have to get a job delivering pizzas. He has a lot of contacts in the coaching fraternity, was a successful defensive coordinator at Texas, and should land on somebody’s staff for 2009 if he has time to shop his resume around. But what if Syracuse were to run the table from here on out? Well, the last five games are against Louisville, Rutgers, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Cincinnati. Beating any of those teams would be a major upset for Syracuse. Winning all five would be like the Libertarian candidate upsetting McCain and Obama on Election Day. With the pressure to save Robinson’s job lifted, however, the Orange might still play better. At least they wouldn’t have to feel so guilty every week. One argument against firing a coach in mid-stream is that it might hurt recruiting, but the Orange recruiting is already mortally wounded. There are only four commitments, probably because Robinson has been walking the sidelines with an ax over his head. – RealFootbal365.com

The spirit of the Syracuse University football team is far from broken. But with a loss Saturday to Louisville, it may begin to dissolve. One more defeat will mathematically eliminate the Orange from bowl eligibility. A loss would secure the fourth consecutive losing season for Syracuse under head coach Greg Robinson. The math gets easier. Zero bowl games in four years equals zero chance for Robinson’s survival. Indeed, Robinson looked destined for the unemployment line when the New York Times reported last week that Syracuse had hired a consulting firm to begin research to find a replacement. Athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross denied that any action had been taken. The Times also stated that Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall — a former SU player and assistant coach — was listed as a strong candidate for the job, but Edsall vehemently rejected the claim earlier this week. To make matters worse, Robinson’s simmering hot seat began to sizzle when Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham was fired Monday. He will step down at the end of the season. What does it mean to Robinson? “We need to win some darn football games,” Robinson said. – Watertown Daily Times