Tim Lester’s promise to Steve Ishmael was a bold one for a player that had made just six catches for no touchdowns to start his five-game career. And it was bold for an offensive coordinator just a couple days into his tenure.

But as the two stood in Manley Field House at 11 p.m. — Ishmael perfecting his craft days ahead of Syracuse’s game against then-No. 1 Florida State, and Lester on his way to calling it a night — the new offensive coordinator could afford to proclaim the start of a transition to a reshaped offense.

“Man, this week,” Ishmael recalled Lester saying, “we’re coming out and we’re slinging it.”

And Lester kept his promise. Ishmael became the star, reeling in two second-half touchdowns and collecting 93 total yards.

“He meant what he said. He came out and slung the ball,” Ishmael said. “After that game, I really liked Coach Lester. He’s not afraid to do anything.”

After Lester took over as Syracuse’s offensive coordinator for George McDonald five games into last season, he was reluctant to “change everything.” Through 15 spring practices, Lester’s been able to implement his own style of offense and Syracuse will unveil the first glimpse of it in its annual spring game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Once he gave out his playbook in January, he said he hoped to hammer home 50 percent of his new offense — Lester estimates about 15 plays — by the end of the spring, a number he reached and had surpassed by the last practice on Tuesday.

Last season, the Orange generated buzz with McDonald’s up-tempo, no-huddle approach. This year, Lester isn’t committing to an identity.

“We have the ability to do both. It can do either,” Lester said. “It depends on what we’re good at. If we think the up-tempo is going to help us win, we can crank it up. We’re going to run the same stuff regardless, but we have the ability to huddle or not.”

Lester had the raw plays on offense installed within the first two weeks of spring. But those plays lacked the precision or execution that would inevitably come in the weeks following. Three of the first four practices were dedicated to their installation. Days five and six were dedicated to “getting good.” After that, there was more installation and a repeating process.

Part of his offense — which he shows players in large part by playing videos from other teams — comes from the Seattle Seahawks. Other aspects come from the Denver Broncos of the late 1990s. He often refers to his time as the head coach at Elmhurst College from 2008–12 as a model for what he’d like to see at Syracuse.

“You only have to do that when you don’t have your own film,” Lester said. “Every time I’ve been new and taken over, I’ve always had to use the old film or find film of this team doing it or that team doing it, just to show them what it looks like.”

After last season ended, he met with each offensive player individually. He told them how he saw them fitting into the offense. In turn the players could say what they thought and ask any questions that they were reluctant to do in front of a group.

He remembers the conversation where he told Ervin Philips how he viewed him in more of the hybrid role, a position then in its infancy and now a full-fledged aspect of the developing offense.

He talked to Terrel Hunt about slimming down — he’s since lost 15 pounds — and becoming more of a passing quarterback than one that thrives as a scrambler.

“Coach McDonald wanted us to run a different type of offense, and sadly we didn’t have the tools we needed for that offense,” Hunt said. “So we kind of failed. But Coach Lester switched it up. He just put in little nicks and knacks into it. I think everybody is in the right position.”

Last year, the Syracuse offense was a failure. After Prince-Tyson Gulley ran for a 65-yard touchdown in the first week, no one else in the running back group reached the end zone. Syracuse threw for just six touchdowns, compared to 19 by its opponents.

For Lester, this spring is about “building consistency.” There are some good practices, where the new plays he’s put in have been executed. And there are bad days, where he can tell the players are just waiting for him to explode at them.

But that’s not his style. He admits that his players don’t know him as well as he knows them. He’s not the type of coach to shout. Instead, he just tells them to do it better next time.

“They’re getting to know me,” Lester said. “This is a big spring for that. Just because they get to know what I’m like after a good practice and after a bad practice. They know when I’m angry, when I’m happy. I give them a feel for what I’m going to be like on a daily basis and what I believe in.”

Published on April 2, 2015 at 11:33 pm

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