Coach Robinson is unsure if the tight end will play against Florida State.
Syracuse University senior tight end Joe Kowalewski of Warners is making strong progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained against Virginia.
Whether or not that's enough to make him game-ready on Saturday when the Orange visits Florida State remains up in the air.
Syracuse head football coach Greg Robinson said he'll have a better gauge early this week when Kowalewski starts running around. Kowalewski was held out of practice last week to rest his shoulder, which Robinson said would not require surgery.
"Doing better," Robinson said. "He wants to be better today. He's definitely improved. Joe is so intense. I don't talk too much to him. He wants to be well."
The break allowed a number of injured Syracuse players to rest, including starting offensive tackle Kurt Falke (knee, ankle), starting receiver Tim Lane (knee) and starting punt returner J.J. Bedle (knee). Falke was off crutches last week, but his return this week remains questionable.
Receivers in motion?
The loss of two front-line receivers to season-ending injuries has left an already shaky position exposed. Starter Landel Bembo broke his leg prior to the opener against West Virginia. Freshman Lavar Lobdell is waiting for inflammation in his shoulder to subside before undergoing surgery.
Last year's leading receiver is now the team's starting cornerback - senior Steve Gregory. Is Robinson contemplating moving Gregory back to receiver?
"No way," Robinson said. "I'm not big on that stuff. We're going to work through this thing. We're in a new system. It's why we moved Nick (Chestnut) over (from cornerback). He's going to be a fine cornerback, but he's helping us at receiver.
"We'll just figure out how to make it work. Rice (Moss) is feeling better. Tim's been gimping around for a month. Quinton Brown is starting to come on. Bedle is starting to feel better. We'll assess it a little more this week and move forward."
SU is messing with Texas
Syracuse executive senior associate athletics director Mark Jackson said the Orange is closing in on completing a series with Texas for 2008 and 2009.
"They work for both our schedules," Jackson said. "They'll agree to come here first which is something we wanted. We feel good about it."
The other obvious school sitting there for Syracuse is Southern Cal. Jackson was director of football operations under head coach Pete Carroll and SU athletic director Daryl Gross was the associate director of athletics with the Trojans.
Asked if it'll happen, Jackson said, "I think so. I think down the road. It's a natural. I'd be disappointed if it doesn't happen. Daryl knows the schedule. There just isn't any availability with them in the immediate future."
One QB is enough for SU
Robinson confirmed this week that the Orange will only take one quarterback in this recruiting class.
"That's a fact," he said.
Senior quarterback Andrew Robinson of Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore has made a verbal commitment to sign with the Orange in February of 2006. He said Syracuse told him as part of his recruitment that he would be the only quarterback in the Orange recruiting class.
It's likely that making the one-quarterback pledge was critical in convincing Robinson to sign. The Orange told other potential quarterback recruits it had its quarterback and would not recruit another. Robinson said if the Orange gets burned by the strategy, it gets burned.
Robinson said the team could sign between 15 and 22 players when it's all over.
"I like our commitments. I really do," Robinson said. "I think they're firm. You never take it for granted. We're following up on those guys. I like the core of what we've got there.
"There are another three or four guys that I would think are talented football players that we're competing with against good company that I think we're very close with. Then, maybe a group of oh, seven, eight, nine guys that are in that upper stratosphere. We're competing. It's going to take time. It's going to take having some success (on the field at SU), all of the above, to pull it in. They're hanging and they're watching."
Syracuse University senior tight end Joe Kowalewski of Warners is making strong progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained against Virginia.
Whether or not that's enough to make him game-ready on Saturday when the Orange visits Florida State remains up in the air.
Syracuse head football coach Greg Robinson said he'll have a better gauge early this week when Kowalewski starts running around. Kowalewski was held out of practice last week to rest his shoulder, which Robinson said would not require surgery.
"Doing better," Robinson said. "He wants to be better today. He's definitely improved. Joe is so intense. I don't talk too much to him. He wants to be well."
The break allowed a number of injured Syracuse players to rest, including starting offensive tackle Kurt Falke (knee, ankle), starting receiver Tim Lane (knee) and starting punt returner J.J. Bedle (knee). Falke was off crutches last week, but his return this week remains questionable.
Receivers in motion?
The loss of two front-line receivers to season-ending injuries has left an already shaky position exposed. Starter Landel Bembo broke his leg prior to the opener against West Virginia. Freshman Lavar Lobdell is waiting for inflammation in his shoulder to subside before undergoing surgery.
Last year's leading receiver is now the team's starting cornerback - senior Steve Gregory. Is Robinson contemplating moving Gregory back to receiver?
"No way," Robinson said. "I'm not big on that stuff. We're going to work through this thing. We're in a new system. It's why we moved Nick (Chestnut) over (from cornerback). He's going to be a fine cornerback, but he's helping us at receiver.
"We'll just figure out how to make it work. Rice (Moss) is feeling better. Tim's been gimping around for a month. Quinton Brown is starting to come on. Bedle is starting to feel better. We'll assess it a little more this week and move forward."
SU is messing with Texas
Syracuse executive senior associate athletics director Mark Jackson said the Orange is closing in on completing a series with Texas for 2008 and 2009.
"They work for both our schedules," Jackson said. "They'll agree to come here first which is something we wanted. We feel good about it."
The other obvious school sitting there for Syracuse is Southern Cal. Jackson was director of football operations under head coach Pete Carroll and SU athletic director Daryl Gross was the associate director of athletics with the Trojans.
Asked if it'll happen, Jackson said, "I think so. I think down the road. It's a natural. I'd be disappointed if it doesn't happen. Daryl knows the schedule. There just isn't any availability with them in the immediate future."
One QB is enough for SU
Robinson confirmed this week that the Orange will only take one quarterback in this recruiting class.
"That's a fact," he said.
Senior quarterback Andrew Robinson of Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore has made a verbal commitment to sign with the Orange in February of 2006. He said Syracuse told him as part of his recruitment that he would be the only quarterback in the Orange recruiting class.
It's likely that making the one-quarterback pledge was critical in convincing Robinson to sign. The Orange told other potential quarterback recruits it had its quarterback and would not recruit another. Robinson said if the Orange gets burned by the strategy, it gets burned.
Robinson said the team could sign between 15 and 22 players when it's all over.
"I like our commitments. I really do," Robinson said. "I think they're firm. You never take it for granted. We're following up on those guys. I like the core of what we've got there.
"There are another three or four guys that I would think are talented football players that we're competing with against good company that I think we're very close with. Then, maybe a group of oh, seven, eight, nine guys that are in that upper stratosphere. We're competing. It's going to take time. It's going to take having some success (on the field at SU), all of the above, to pull it in. They're hanging and they're watching."
