Rob Drummond and Rob Carpenter Talk Syracuse Football

Rob duub and Rob Carpenter joining us here in studio a couple of cuse greats uh gentlemen thanks so much for coming in how are we today I'm pretty well and thank you for having us AB absolutely I I should ask you Paulie as well how how are you doing I didn't mean to ignore it's all right I'm great doesn't matter how I feel it's big game tomorrow I mean we've been talking about it forever we finally get to see it I guess we'll we'll start with that I mean you know what what do you guys make of of Fran Brown and all of this excitement that he seems to re-energized this fan base here so you know Rob Drummond I'll I'll start with you what do you think about the job Fran Brown has done and are you kind of buying in what he's selling know we we're we're lucky at the Syracuse University uh organization and City to be blessed with the likes of a coach like bran Brown you know what I was I was telling um slow-mo over here and I'll get into it why we call him slow-mo because everybody always ask me why do you call him slow-mo but anyway uh I was told you're going to meet a coach at Syracuse you know coming into Syracuse now who's a lot like you and then I went to the first interview with Coach Brown when he was when he accepted the job and and he blew me away the simple fact of how he cares about those kids how he cares about the community and how he cares about the people around him just you know it's like that's a lot like coach Mack you know and it's just that I I had always say when I was at Syracuse here and in my life here in Syracuse as a resident being born and raised here that coach May could have w w ran for mayor and won a 100 to 100 points you know but he just embraced the city embraced the people and he wanted to be a community team and not just a un University team and that's what something that that bran Brown you know emulates you know and not just uh with the players but what he does for the city you know even going to the basketball games and after the games you know just going around and he doesn't have to just picking up garbage and just throwing it throwing it away that's just something the coach that's making you know millions of dollars doesn't do but it's someone in him he he doesn't think he's better than anybody else and as a player you respect and you love a coach like that who puts himself know behind and know and puts you first you know and that's something you know nothing against coach babers who had a great game I guess I I was watching on television out there in Arizona you know but um bapers just didn't embrace the city in order to get the community behind you you have to embrace the city and that's what I feel coach brand is doing and what he's brought and I'd imagine it's gone a long way with both of you that in Fran Brown's introductory press conference he brought up coach Mack and he brought up Coach P and he talked about the history and those who helped build the program you know we've got a couple of of those players you know sitting in front of us here today that you know you guys were a big part of what Syracuse football was all about and it seems like he's he's rcing that can you speak to that you know Rob Carpenter here will come to you just um you know and again nothing against Dino babers as you said Rob but he didn't really embrace the alums and it seems like Fran Brown is is doing that can you speak to that absolutely that's one of the big differences that I've noticed speak to any other alumni that's the first thing that they notice um you know friend in his in his introductory press conference he basically brought it up and was like you know you got to get back to what made it happen here and so him bringing up number 4 4 um him bringing back mostly all of us and embracing embracing us you know into the program so he's made it feel like um you know it's like a family atmosphere um we were talking about that a little earlier where if you can put a family together you know you can keep everything together and we just hoping that now that you know he can build the program like coach Mack did you know took it over when it was kind of down low and then built it up to like like Rob said you know he got to the point where he can run for May around here and you know everybody would voted for him so you know Fran seems like he's doing that right now and he's genuine with it um you know from where he came from in cam New Jersey um he speaks about that um bringing himself here and trying to make it where everyone from there can come here with no problem uh the kids actually can get out have a have a sense that they see someone who made it um and they have that feeling of them they can make it out as well um the little boys the little girls everyone that's around um so he's embraced the city which is great to see um and like jum said he's going around the city just you know at will um you don't have to call him to do anything he just all of a sudden shows up in in places um which is actually great and again for the alumni thing um we've taken a hold of it you know um right away so soon as he soon as he opened the door basically say call them anytime walk in anytime um if you're going to make comments be around um just don't you know make off the cuff comments just being you know at a distance be around show your face you know his door is always open the facility is always open wasn't like that you know years past you didn't see you didn't see many of us around here but you know in the in the months that he's been here eight nine months whatever it's been since he's been here tons of guys have been back here um and and are embracing everything that he's doing just hoping that you know the winds come eventually and it'll just be so much better that's it's great to see and you mentioned you know Fran Brown being from Camden we know Robert Drummond here is from uh from here and went to JD uh you're a New York guy Rob uh not from here in Syracuse but you went to school here bring us up to date on on what you're up to these days where you living what are you what are you doing I'm actually I'm from Long Island from Amityville um lot of people used to call me damville har uh from from way back when but um I live in Jersey now so um I live in North Jersey three hour drive here so it's easy for me to get here um not doing much nowadays trying to stay healthy that's basically it for me um like like all of us we just talking about we getting old oh my goodness I got grandkids now so you know you at that point like man we are up there you know so um I'm just trying to trying to take it easy and live and enjoy what's going on right now here um you know it's it's good to relive some of the things that we did here you know we talk about it quite often um but you know sooner or later those young kids will be taking over and it's just fun to watch them right now uh a name that's come up a couple times so far in this interview already was coach Mack and he's going to be put in the Ring of Honor I was honored enough to work with him in the radio booth for a long time you know what was what was he liked to each of you and you know what was your first impressions of him is you know he was automatically likable right you you automatically liked that guy for me um I know drum is from here but for me it was a little different I transferred here so um he embraced me as soon as I walked in the door um I knew that the trouble if you want to call it um academic trouble I was in in in Notre Dame not that I didn't know what I was doing I just really just didn't want to be there um I wanted to be out um and he embraced me from that point um he's like listen You Got a Brand New Start do it over get your stuff together and and make it work but for me he talked to me off the field a lot didn't really have to do anything with football um he talked to me about being a man um and doing the right things off the field so that's one of the things I embraced with him um even after my days of not being here um you know long after it was all over the times I spoke to him it was just off the cuff stuff just talking about the house of family and everything like that um so I took that to heart and took it for me you know as a coach that actually cared about what was going on with you with or with me off the field rather than on the field on the field stuff just you know took care of itself um and as long as you were doing everything that you're supposed to be doing classroom and everywhere else you know he he was good with it but if you were screwing up he would let you know he M was that kind of guy he was a he was a it was tough love at times um for everybody I don't J speak this as well let me ask you about that cuz Us in the media and we didn't see that side of him there was it was always a smile and a friendly guy please yeah God love you what was the uh what was he like when he was upset with you honestly it was funny I mean my my relationship with Coach ma started earlier my my freshman sophomore year in high school because uh Scott swades was being recruited I I played with scottes at JD the red ramsy you know um and uh they would come to you know recruit Scott and business Scott to the school and that's that's how I got noticed because of Scott suedes you know and and I and I I got a chance to meet coach M and he said he sit there and talk to me and things of that nature and he I said to myself what a nice what a nice guy you know and then boom fast forward year later when I got to Syracuse God Dam it guys you you know it's just coach ma saw everything and as a football coach he was tough you know he he didn't expect Perfection but he expected Perfection know he expected you to go out there and do the best you possibly could give 110% and if you failed get back up dust yourself off and do it again a lot of guys had a LoveHate relationship with with Coach Mack and I mean that in the earnest and you know in in a loving way you know he wanted the best for everybody and it's not just the football players it's the city as well you know he would always embody in us you know have the mindset you know just don't do for ourselves do for others also you know that that's what makes great you know not just great football players but great gentlemen you know and great leaders I learned so much from coach Mt God Rest his soul you know and his family you know with all the players will say you know we we Embrace him all with Sandra God Rest their soul also you know happen to go to her funeral this past year you know it was just a family that I'm proud now when I speak speak of him you know because he is a part of the man I am today you know and and undeniably he he got the both best out of all of us and I mean I think Rob would also sit here and say that it's odd for me sitting there and say Rob and Rob back it's slow-mo to me but but um coach Mack is just somebody who you know embrac the university embrace the city and just love to see his you know young men you know and women you know become successful in life all right you've brought up the nickname a couple of times what's what's the story tell us the story first I'll tell the story I'll tell the story so my transfer first of all slow-mo it means like the Robs a 4243 40 yard dash guys so that's not why but go ahead so when I my transfer year you know back then transfer rules of course were were so much different and basically it was just go to practice and go to class so I didn't really have to worry about anything that had to really do with football like like those guys did so I was literally the last one to practice and the last one off to feel I was in no hurry to go anywhere so these guys would actually be eating dinner by the time I just got out of shower so I know I'm like all right they're not going to leave me so you know everything was there I would be the last one everywhere and I walked so slow and then they're like dude you like the slowest person on the earth until you get the ball you going to call you slow-mo and literally from that day at practice it stuck so that's the that's the Baseline of the of the story right there that that is that's funny that's that's a great not he he literally we be almost done with the food and he still show what you do uh you know we bring up coach Mack and there's another Legend being honored this weekend as you guys well know Dwight freeny just went into the the Pro Football Hall of Fame he's in the College Football Hall of Fame and now he's uh going to have his jersey retired uh I know you guys didn't play with Dwight but when you see you know part of the Syracuse football family have that kind of Honor bestowed on him you know that that he's had this last year with the Pro Football Hall of Fame now having his jersey retired I me what can you say about Dwight Frey and again just the the Syracuse football family at large that's what it is it's a family I mean again like you just said we didn't play with him but we know him um um like Marvin same thing we didn't play with him but we know him so anybody that's come through you know these these doors here um we're all you know part of a family and that's that was a good thing about it off the field everyone knows everyone um in in in a certain way um and that's a good thing about what Fran is doing right now everybody back and everybody gets to see everyone all at one time um you didn't play with a lot of guys that that have come back through these doors but it's all feeling like a family so it's it's great to see I saw a crazy stat when uh coach Mack was coaching and I want to ask you guys if it's attainable again Syracuse with Coach Mack was had a run of the third winningest program in college football over a three-year span and the only two schools ahead of them were Florida State and Miami do you think that's attainable again at Syracuse is is that something that can be uh replicated it's very attainable I mean first thing you have to understand about winning football games it's a mindset you could have the best athletes in the world out there but if they're not cachable if they're not a culture that learns how to play together if they don't believe in the system they don't believe in each other they don't believe in the community they're not going to Jael you know I mean I I looked at Syracuse last week and I of course I was frustrated but I mean I always cheer for my boys but and I I understood it's like they have to learn how to play together when you learn how to play together you play as one when you play in as in in the as individuals you play as one one set unit but then you you break off like that you need to work on a few things but it can be attainable when we went uh undefeated in 1987 we always told ourselves we're not going to go out there and be perfect but let's just go out there and do our jobs as a running back I had to worry about my job as a quarterback Dy mcferson had to worry about his Moose Johnson had to worry about his Tommy Kane Deval Governor Pat Davis you know the guys like Terry Wood not canon go on and on and on about the defensive players and the guys the special Team guys that uh worry about their positions also or just their job just do your job when Fran gets in the mindset of these gentlemen to go out there and just be able to do their job they'll be fine I said predicted before this year that Syracuse had the possibility of going undefeated or they' be undefeated going into the Miami game I'm still going to stick with that premonition because they'll get it together you know defense they understood what they what they did wrong and now now it's a pride test within themselves you know forget what anybody else thinks forget what a alumni thinks the fan thingss whoever it may be now they have to test themselves they have Georgia Ted coming in here who's a running team and in order to get to that next goal you have to take it like coach Max said one game at a time one down one to go that was our motto and our Mantra during the 1987 season we didn't worry about the games the pen game you know the West Virginia game the Boston College games the games later on in season all we cared about was the next game up the next game up for Syracuse this week is Georgia Tech and I have a feeling they're going to take care of business understand what they did wrong enjoy that week enjoy that day off because you literally get just a day off to enjoy a 24-hour period or 24-hour rule you know and they get ready for the next game so right now the mindset should be on Georgia Tech fixing them fixing their mistakes and believing in one another Rob C I got one question for you cuz uh it's come up in the chat and I asked you about it before as soon as you walked in the door uh the Louisville game in Japan the Coca-Cola Bowl three catches 144 yards you know you single-handedly basically won that game what was that game like what was that experience like uh uh for you and maybe even how that game came about it was uh it was a weird game um you know we got over to Japan um a lot of guys had the flu so uh practicing early on in the week was terrible um and you know Billy got hurt U we didn't really have a quarterback going into the game uh pregame well I was the fourth quarterback like literally like uh and you know I was a quarterback in high school I practiced a little bit here and there um you know during the year and so I was the emergency quarterback and during pregame when we found out there's no one left um so it was was like all right I have to take my equipment off to get back into the mode of actually being a quarterback now and then we just convinced uh coach mag said listen give wend the shot wend Lowry the one and only game he actually played in his in his Syracuse days um and he went out he did he did a good job like I literally was probably like 10 minutes before the game started was coming running back out on the field with my my regular receiver gear back on but it was a little weird situation right before that game but um you know we trusted W you know he practiced enough trusted him but uh they was just literally trying to redirt him that year and like nah just give him a shot does that go go to what you were talking about about the culture and a guy just coming in and winning in his one shot 100% I mean we were we were just joking about it before we came in here it's like coach ma us to have a have a saying on next man up y you know I mean football is a game of injuries you look at look at the team last week you know Marlo wax goes out there and gets hurt you know what we can't worry about him all you know we wish the young man well we can't wait for him to come back but the next man up has to step up and do the job you know injuries are a part of the game and it's it's just it's always going to be a part of the game so the next person up has to do the next job all right we're running short on time here but real quick uh you guys are going to be at the orange crate tomorrow can you tell us about that if if fans want to to you know meet and greet and uh and and uh you know chat it up with you guys a little bit like we're doing here today yeah we'll be in there um 10 o'clock in the morning um all the pregame stuff um fans could come by we'll be in there you know photos autographs you know just chop it up and actually have a good time pregame um with everybody that's around you know fun time during the pregame stuff so uh walk up to the walk up to the hill get into the Dome you know 12:00 and hopefully they they pull his victory off against George day this was a lot of fun guys thanks so much for coming in Robert drumond Rob Carpenter again orange crate tomorrow 10: a.m. kickoff set for noon inside the Dome between Syracuse Georgia Tech we got to take a quick timeout John schmel will join us as we talk New York Giants football on the other side back after this on ESPN Radio