One-Trick Pony?

Does Yale have enough weapons to bolster Mike McLeod?


Offense

Not that anyone is debating this, but just in case you were considering debating whether Mike McLeod is the best tailback in the Ivies... you can stop now. He is. There is some talk that incoming freshman running back Alex Thomas could be better... but I doubt he will see much varsity action in 2008.

Unfortunately for Yale, almost everything else is in question and the questions start at quarterback where senior Ryan Fodor is the presumed starter with a whopping five varsity pass attempts under his belt.

Fodor doesn't have too many well-known options to throw to either. But look for junior tight end John Sheffield to play a bigger role this season in the passing game. The top returning wide receiver is senior Jarrett Drake who caught just 14 balls last season.

The offensive line is more solid, returning two All-Ivy players who should ease the loss of the incredible Jeff Monaco to graduation. The Elis also lose Langston Johnson to graduation, an excellent tight end who focused on blocking and opened up some good lanes for McLeod outside.

It's hard to believe Yale will be able to mix things up too much this year with a brand new QB and no true weapons in the receiving corps. If the offensive line is even a little weaker this season without Monaco, this offense will be in trouble.


Defense

Was all-world defensive lineman Brandt Hollander as big a star for the defense as Mike McLeod is for the offense? Not quite... but it was close. Hollander was a force on the line and his absence will be felt all season as Yale tries to repeat it's impressive feat of allowing just 13.7 points per game last season.

Hollander isn't the only graduation departure. Kirk Porter and Jared Hamilton are also departing from the D-line leaving Kyle Hawari and Brady Hart to lead the front of the defense, (although Hart plays more like a linebacker).

Speaking of linebacker, the Elis may have the best one in the league in senior Bobby Abare. But he will have more work this season without a dominant defensive line in front of him.

The secondary should be solid with Bobby's twin brother Larry back from injury and Steven Santoro back there as well. Yale was second in the Ivies behind Columbia in pass defense last season.


Special Teams

The Bulldogs need a new placekicker to replace the steady-if-not-spectacular Alan Kimball. Yale will look in every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in the area to find a replacement for Kimball! (Okay, that was a "Fugitive" reference and a stretch, sorry).

Tom Mante is a solid punter and will return this year.

Yale does not return any real threats as kick or punt returners, but that didn't hurt them last year. The Elis cover kicks well.



Intangibles

After going 9-0 only to be smashed by Harvard on their own field to end the season, there's really no way I can be convinced that this team isn't going to be looking ahead to The Game all season long. The only trouble is, Yale will need to pick up its intensity to win some tough games well before week 10. There are a lot of "trap" games on their schedule including an early game at Cornell, a tough mid-season tilt at Fordham, and there's a very big challenge at Brown in week 8.


Jake's Overall Take

McLeod is going to have great season, and while the offensive line will not be as good as last year, it will still be strong. Those two factors alone should be enough to keep Yale in the championship run most of the year.

But there just isn't enough diversity in the Eli attack to think that Yale has what it takes to beat Harvard in the end.