Once again, Greg Paulus has proven he should never be underestimated.
On Monday night, coach Doug Marrone named Paulus the starting quarterback at Syracuse. Paulus, who took a four-year hiatus from football while playing point guard for Duke, beat out sophomore Ryan Nassib, senior Cam Dantley and freshman Charley Loeb to earn the position.
At Duke, Paulus proved not to be as athletic as some had thought after he was named the 2004 Gatorade National Player of the Year in football. He couldn’t move his feet fast enough to stop ultra-quick opposing point guards from penetrating, so he was a liability defensively.
But what he lacked in pure ability, he made up for with hard work and savvy. He wasn’t an outstanding perimeter shooter when he entered Duke, but emerged into a dangerous 3-point threat. When the Blue Devils defeated No. 3-ranked North Carolina in 2008 at the Smith Center in one of the biggest games of his junior season, Paulus’ 6-for-8 performance from 3-point range was the difference.
Paulus also found other ways to beat people. He flopped to draw offensive fouls on his opponents, chased loose balls out of bounds and was the first player to the floor when an opponent lost control of the ball.
When Paulus was quarterbacking his high school team at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, his coach had to leave the locker room to find a pump for his footballs before the state Class AA championship game. The coach, Joe Casamento, returned to find his players in tears.
While Casamento was gone, Paulus had told each player on the team what they meant to him. Fired up beyond belief, CBA stormed out of the locker room and won the state title over a New Rochelle team led by a superb running back named Ray Rice, who’s now in his second year with the Baltimore Ravens.
Even if Paulus isn’t the most athletic in college football, that kind of leadership makes him special and gives him an incredible one-year opportunity to start at quarterback in his hometown.
Ken Tysiac
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Plucky Paulus named QB starter at Syracuse
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
16 comments:
Paulus also found other ways to beat people. He flopped to draw offensive fouls on his opponents.
will that work in football?
actually it was quite easy to underestimate him when he was playing basketball. boy couldn't play a lick.
Who's going to give Paulus his first bag in the Big East?
Greg Paulus and Rob Spence....quite an offensive juggernaut....I hope Paulus has learned how to throw those 4 yard outs on
3rd and 9.
Is Marrone trying to get fired on purpose?
Unless you have your Masters degree and it has been a free trip through 2 great schools, you should just keep quiet. Only very little people criticize those who raise themselves up in this world - athletes or not. Paulus is a true leader. He would not seal his records.
The observer sure has a thing for former duke players.Paulus has done what very few,if any unc athletes do.......graduate early with honors.I think tarheel fans are secretly envious of dukies.Come out of the closet unc fans!!!!
Good story. These comments are hilarious. I'd like to see these anonymous posters guard a division 1 point guard or take a snap in a college football game. I'll take a kid like Paulus on my team any day of the week.
Syracuse must really suck...again
Shut up tarholes.
Lets see, first it was that he'll never make a team, then it was he will not get playing time, then it was he won't start. Now its, he's gonna suck and so will Syracuse. Whats next? The thing is he's getting to live a dream most athletes cant touch, and he's earned it outright. And if he has the skills, that remain to be seen, he will have greater visibility by pro teams. This guy is really doing something special. But you are always going to have your naysayers and haters...
I am a Duke fan and a UNC fan! It is great to see someone with the drive and determination to succeed use their abilities to their maximum. Hopefully, he will have a respectable stint as a collegiate quarterback, He doesn't have to have the great footspeed to keep up with the athleticism of todays top collegiate guards o complete some passes and hand it to the running backs, few do! Good Luck Greg and kudos for having the drive to achieve something most of us could only dream of.
Someone tell Paula you can't draw a charge on a blindside rush lol. He should have taken his obligatory coaching spot at the end of the rat's bench this year instead of next.
As of now 7 is the Over/Under on how many times FUMBLE!! will be yelled during this season's Sportscenter 'cuse highlights. This clown is in for a rude awakening.
tar heel fans commenting on "flopping"?? wow. guess Hansbrough getting airborne on "charges" from small point guards isnt flopping?? Give the kid a break. Hes a competitor and best of luck to him. At least ONE paulus kid can start at D1 QB
This sounds like a ticket selling ploy...hometown kid, comes home to save the football program?...could be a Family Channel made for TV movie. I wish him all the best, the kid is obviously a hard working intelligent leader. Those who can, DO!
Maybe he's just that good, but you have to admit that when a guy who hasn't played competitive football in four years can transfer over the summer and win the starting quarterback job by the fall that's a sign of how bad the rest of the talent pool is.
Is "Anonymous" synonymous with panty-waisted baby blue Tar-Hole fans? I wish you gayfers could field a decent football team so you had something to do with your time before basketball season...pathetic!
Post a Comment