Working Title
Owen Fraser leads a promising crop of rising sophomore linemen (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)
The Steel Curtain.
Doomsday.
Purple People Eaters.
Orange Crush.
The Fearsome Foursome.
The New York Sack Exchange.
Those are the most memorable nicknames of the greatest defenses, defensive front fours actually, in NFL history.
You have to be really, really great to earn nickname status. You need guys like "Mean" Joe Green. Bob Lilly, Carl Eller, Lyle Alzado, Deacon Jones, and Joe Klecko.
You need to cast fear into the stomachs of opposing quarterbacks, frustration in the minds of running backs, and excitement in the hearts of the hometown fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, with some of the best returning defensive lineman in the Ivy League I think the 2009 Columbia front four may indeed be "nickname worthy."
The group is headlined by the 2008 Ivy League sack and tackle-for-loss leader Lou Miller. The 1st Team All Ivy rising senior makes things easy for sportswriters and announcers as we can simple say "it's Miller time" every time he makes a play. But we're looking for a nickname or a calling card for the whole unit.
After Miller we have rising sophomore Owen Fraser, who not only grabbed a rare starting slot for a freshmen linemen in 2008, but he finished with Honorable Mention All Ivy honors. Fraser showed remarkable speed for someone with his size and he really helped plug the middle, especially against the run.
I don't know who the other leading contenders for that starting front four are right now. As I wrote last month, there's a lot to like about Chris Groth, Matt Bashaw, and a good many others.
If the front four ends up being as good as I think it will be in 2009, we will really need a great nickname.
Here are some potential monikers, feel free to comment or add your own:
1) Monsters of Morningside
2) The Blue Wall
3) Columbia Crush
4) The Front Four-Point-Oh
(get it? Like a perfect GPA in that the four guys make sure the opposing offense gets zero points.)
5) The Sack Pack
6) The Broadway Beasts
Okay, now it's your turn.
posted by Jake @ 2:37:00 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Jake, of all the nicknames you suggested, the one that makes the most sense to me is "The Broadway Beasts," because there is only one university that plays football on Broadway in Manhattan and that, of course, is Columbia. Incidentally, you might want to consider a nickname for the entire Lion "D" and not just the front four. Anyway, I'm prepared to purchase the first tee shirt.
Let's wait until they actually do something
Agreed..that ridiculous video they made last year looks pretty foolish in retrospect. We haven't been "good" nickname worthy in a long time so let's fly under the radar and surprise some people this year-will be much sweeter...
Of course we want to see who will actually make up the unit in 2009 and how they do, but let's not forget how much they accomplished in 2008. It was a dramatic improvement and exciting to watch week after week.
I think they earned a nickname.
This is all a bit premature, and the last thing you ever really want to do is give next year's opponents (already well into their own spring practices, need I remind?) something to laugh about and make fun of if things somehow go awry next September.
Which as Columbia football fans know is quite likely to happen.
Jake, asmuch as I love everything you do for Columbia football, I would urge that you put this project into hibernation. I just don't think it's healthy to give opponents something to hang on their locker room walls. Nor do I think it's good for team morale to pump up a few players at the expense of the rest of the team. Let's leave that for the NFL. finally, I really think we should not place undue expectations upon any one player. With respect, I thought that we did a disservice to Phil Mitchell, a good, steady player, by hyping him as thee second coming of Marcellus Wiley.
Oh dear, lets not show any self-confidence
lest we offend the other teams players...puuuleeze!!
You are never going to be a champion
in football unless you act like one.
I love the nicknames, and would add
Lion Pride for the front four or the
entire D.
I would opt for the collective singular form in vogue these days, and go for "The Morningside Monster."
Thought this might work for the DL:
BLUE CRUSH
Keep up the good work,
AVD
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