Countdown to Camp

No. 2: The new offensive coaching staff

Moriah Ratner | Asst. Photo Editor

Tim Lester took over for the final seven games of the 2014 season. He has a chance to actually install a new offense for the beginning of the 2015 season.

With Syracuse football training camp approaching, The Daily Orange beat writers, Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty, Matt Schneidman and Paul Schwedelson, will reveal the top 15 preseason storylines with a new one every other day. Make sure to check dailyorange.com and click here to see all the posts as we count down to camp.

Tim Lester took over as offensive coordinator five games into a season that Syracuse’s offense had generated fewer than 13 points per game in its losses. Despite the lack of production, he decided to not change much from then-demoted George McDonald’s playbook, instead riding out the string on the final seven games that saw little improvement putting the ball in the end zone.

The former Elmhurst head coach decided to wait until the spring season to install his new offense. He said he installed and tried to perfect 50 percent of the playbook — about 15 plays, in his estimation — during that time.

Now with a new offense, a new tight ends coach in old college teammate Jake Moreland and former TE coach Bobby Acosta switching to coach the wide receivers, there’s a different look to a coaching staff trying to improve on SU’s six passing and 12 rushing touchdowns from the 2014 season.

McDonald preached an offense that ran no-huddle. Lester, though, is completely different, instead trying to shift quarterback Terrel Hunt into more of a pocket passer and utilize a new position that Lester has dubbed the “hybrid.” It’s a position that will be used for both running and catching the ball, as well as blocking when needed.



Last season, with an ever-in-flux quarterback situation, an offensive line that couldn’t stay healthy and two primary offensive threats in Ashton Broyld and Brisly Estime both hurt, there was no semblance of consistency on the offense. As reported by Syracuse.com’s Stephen Bailey, there was never more than one cadence used to snap the ball.

So even though Lester got a taste of what being in charge was like in 2014, there was hardly a chance for him to turn around a historically bad offense. The clean slate in 2015 provides him just that.





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