Please Disregard My Last Message...

8 Days to Kickoff!

So the Columbia Website just released these quotes from Coach Wilson about the team and it looks like we've been all wrong about a few things:

1) The Harvard scrimmage is ON.

The event will take place today at Wien Stadium and it is still going to be closed to the public. So, I'll have to start worrying about injuries again just when I thought I was safe.

2) No Starting Jobs Have Been Decided

Contrary to some reports in the Columbia Spectator,
Coach Wilson says Craig Hormann has not won the QB job and Chris Allison is still in the mix. But I still think this is Craig's job, and should be Craig's job... I also think this is a motivational scheme by Wilson to keep Hormann on his toes and Allison motivated enough to not act like a backup. We shall see.

Wilson did say that Jordan Davis pretty much has the starting tailback position sewn up. And that's good, because Davis is a good athlete who probably needs as much positive encouragement as he can get after the fire sale kind of year he experienced as a freshman in 2005.

Obviously, the coaches know who's starting at every position by now, but they're keeping this all close to the vest. I suppose we won't know for sure until this coming Tuesday or Wednesday when the two-deeps should be released.

3) "Slash and Burn"

Coach Wilson is comparing our running game this year to shaving, of all things. He promises to send our backs into the holes and hack away until they make a gash. This sounds pretty gory to me, but nothing's gorier than an offense that averages 46 yards running per game, and that's what the Lions did last year.

4) It's a 3-3-5 Defense, Not 3-5-3... and it will be Mobile

I've been describing Lou Ferrari's defensive set as 3-5-3, when it's actually 3-3-5, apologies all around. The key is that Wilson says the Columbia defense will be shifting constantly in an effort to beat the man-blocking offenses everyone uses in the Ivy League.

5) So Much for Simple

Contrary to previous reports, the coaching staff is drawing up a sophisticated playbook, not keeping it extremely simple, especially on defense. Complicated schemes worry me in the Ivies, since even the best teams' players are really challenged by academics and other responsibilities. Just being in the Ivies doesn't make you a "smarter" football player. But I assume the Lions have adapted well so far in practice, or all of this would have been scrapped already. It's one thing to be beaten, it's another thing entirely to be beaten and look like you're totally lost doing it. Let's just hope our kids have their heads in the game better than the Fordham captains who actually screwed up the coin toss in their opener last weekend and were forced to play into the fierce wind!

Again, let's just hope everyone stays healthy in today's scrimmage, and the team gets some injury-free experience.


FACES IN THE CROWD

It was a nice surprise yesterday to see that pictures of this year's freshmen are now available on the team online roster. Usually, we have to wait for the first game program to get a look at the 1st year players' faces. Most importantly, freshman offensive lineman Moose Veldman does indeed look like someone named "Moose," something I had been curious about ever since I read he was coming to the Lions. 312-pound frosh guard Caleb Spear also very much looks the part. In any event, it's nice to see some faces and the football office deserves all the credit for getting this done and making it available so soon.

GEARING UP

I got my season tickets in the mail this week. Nice artwork on each ticket, and I feel like a little kid tearing off the perforated tickets one by one. In a nice development, the pocket schedule thankfully does NOT feature a player who has quit the team! Last year's schedule pictured Gordon Radlein on the cover and he bolted the squad before the season.

Now I'm just waiting for my media guide. I kept waiting for them to offer it on the CU Web site as they have in the past, but I ended up having to email the football office directly. It's no biggie, I just wish I had known earlier.


GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND

Columbia's opening opponent Fordham makes the long drive up to Albany to play the Great Danes. Albany is coming off what may be that program's greatest modern-day victory with a 17-16 win over Lehigh. Fordham was mistake prone in an ugly 23-9 loss to Monmouth in its opener last week. The weather should be really nice tomorrow and that should help us get a better read on both the Rams and the Great Danes, who may have seen their fortunes seriously influenced by the strong rain and winds that plagued both games. Fordham needs to figure out if QB Derric Daniels is worth keeping as a starter, and Albany will want to keep the momentum going. I expect a tough defensive battle, but still more scoring than the teams put up last week.

THE PICK: Albany, 23-13


Columbia's week 2 opponent Georgetown will host Long Island's Stony Brook University in Washington, D.C. Stony Brook is coached by the man who could have been the Lions new coach, (he was a finalist in the selection process last year), in Chuck Priore. Priore had the Sea Wolves looking pretty good, especially on defense, in an opening week 17-8 loss at home against Hofstra. Georgetown looked bad in their home opener, particularly on offense, in a 26-13 loss to Holy Cross. Neither Stony Brook nor Georgetown can blame their offensive woes on weather as Stony Brook played last Thursday night before Ernesto hit New York, and Georgetown played its game in Washington which had already taken the brunt of the storm by kickoff. This game will also be pretty low-scoring, but maybe a little more exciting than it looks.

THE PICK: Stony Brook, 20-17

Columbia's week 4 opponent Iona goes to Wagner on Staten Island to face the Seahawks. Wagner has a good program and the team looked good in a 38-15 win over La Salle in Philly last week. Iona looked weak in their 21-7 home opening loss to Montclair State and the Gaels fell at home to this Wagner team last year, 14-0. I think Wagner is a better team this year and Iona is worse.

THE PICK: Wagner, 28-10

And we'll all be watching as I-AA power New Hampshire travels to Evanston, Illinois to face the Northwestern Wildcats. This should be a pretty good game for three quarters or so, but NU should come out ahead with some points to spare. And I say that with all due respect to UNH, despite the fact that I got my Master's at Northwestern.

THE PICK: Northwestern, 31-17