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People reporting now that Chip turned SC down when they met. Said he'd like to stay in the NFL.
******* Giants had one job.
******* Giants had one job.
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But the teams they beat WERE rankedIn other more interesting news...
good point.Oklahoma barely beat Tennessee...
Syracuse, N.Y. — Every Friday at 8 p.m. during the season, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer holds a team meeting.
The session usually lasts no longer than 15 minutes. It serves to provide a final point of focus before his players grab snacks and go to sleep before game day.
This Friday, though, Shafer didn't address the team. He couldn't. Around 7:30 p.m., he pulled redshirt senior guard Rob Trudo, a team captain, into an adjacent room and handed him a stack of papers.
"There's no f***ing way I'll be able to say this tonight without getting all emotional," Trudo recalls Shafer telling him. "I want the seniors to run the meeting."
Shafer hugged Trudo and cried on his shoulder for a moment. Then Trudo returned to the meeting room and waited for the rest of the team to file in.
"It changed my complete mood from relaxed and focused up to, 'OK, this is some serious s*** now,'" Trudo said. "You see Superman cry … you know what I mean?"
The other players who had arrived early could tell Trudo's demeanor had changed. Some of those who walked in noticed, too.
Trudo glanced down at the letter as he waited for the clock to reach 8 p.m. It was titled: "For The Love Of The Game." He read through it.
When all the players were seated, Trudo asked redshirt senior offensive linemen Nick Robinson and Ivan Foy to hand out copies to everyone.
"Look, I need 10 or 15 minutes for some serious s*** right here," Trudo announced, his mind unable to escape the thought of Shafer crying minutes earlier. "Shafer, whether you love him or you hate him, he dedicated the last seven years of his life to this community.
"The least you can do is show some respect in this meeting. Give me your silence and attention."
Trudo began reading.
Trudo fought through his own tears as he read Shafer's message, interspersing a handful of personal anecdotes and directives of his own. About how Shafer was there for anyone who needed help on the field or off it. About how Shafer established brotherhood in a locker room that was "cliqued out" in 2011 and 2012. About how even Shafer's assistants are viewed by many as family.
"Think about everything Shafe's done to you, done for you," Trudo told his teammates, "all the personal relationships he's built."
Trudo reflected on the idea of the love of the game. He saw redshirt senior quarterback Terrel Hunt, who Trudo believes would kill to play another snap; Hunt suffered season-ending injuries each of the last two years and was denied a sixth season by the NCAA. He thought about himself, playing through a torn MCL down the back half of a 3-9 2014 season. He spoke to the 110- and 400-meter sprints the team ran each preseason camp, the extra dead lifts and squats and early morning runs.
And finally, Trudo called up each senior to give their parting words to the team.
"I think that was the hardest thing that I've here done here," Trudo said, "was leading that meeting."
At the end, Trudo made it clear that Shafer's message was meaningful, to the point of emotionally moving most in the room, but his motivation was wrong.
Saturday wouldn't be about the love of the game.
"When we go out and strap up tomorrow," Trudo said, "we're strapping up for Shafe."
As Cole Murphy's game-winning field goal sailed through the Carrier Dome uprights about 19 hours later, Trudo gave Shafer a bearhug on the sideline that lifted him off his feet. Moments later, Trudo and Robinson carried Shafer off on their shoulders.
The memory of his teammates' demeanor after the meeting stuck with Trudo all the way through the weekend.
"They knew it was bigger than just what it was," Trudo said. "It was bigger than just the game. We wanted to send Shafe off the right way."
People reporting now that Chip turned SC down when they met. Said he'd like to stay in the NFL.
******* Giants had one job.
Max Meyer @TheMaxMeyer 48m48 minutes ago
Per a source in #USC's athletic dept., a few former USC players who played for Chip in Philly told Haden they didn't like playing under him.
Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB 1h1 hour ago
Hearing from several old #Trojans players very pissed off about Clay Helton getting hired by Pat Haden as permanent #USC coach.
It's rumoured that he's keeping Pruitt and bringing Napier with him as OC.Chris Low @ClowESPN 14m14 minutes ago Connecticut, USA
Colleague @Mark_Schlabach talked to high-ranking Georgia source who said Smart was the "only choice." Jives with everything I've heard.