Discussion Topic
They won't have AK to try to kick around anymore
For four years, we were dazzled by Columbia's once-in-a-generation wide receiver Austin Knowlin.
For four years, we loved seeing him get open even when everyone in the stadium knew he was going to be the intended receiver.
For four years, we loved hearing how Knowlin's presence on the field "drew a crowd," allowing the other receivers to go up against single coverage or even no coverage.
But now, Knowlin is gone and the question is: how much will the Columbia offense suffer?
You could be optimistic and say the Lions will either make up for "AK's" absence through the running game, or simply by spreading the ball around to a wider array of receivers.
You could be pessimistic and say Columbia will struggle, especially in obvious passing situations.
The good news is two of Columbia's better passing threats in 2009 return this fall in TE Andrew Kennedy and WR Mike Stephens. The even better news is that they both return as co-captains and you know they're 100% invested in the teams 2010 success.
The bad news is someone could argue that both Kennedy and Stephens benefitted greatly from Knowlin's presence on the field, and there's no telling how strong they'll be on their own.
The good news is the receiving corps is unusually large. There are already eleven WR's on the current roster, (if you include Kurt Williams and Brian DeVeau who are switching to WR), and another eight WR's that we know about already in the freshmen class, (or eight players with WR experience). Basically, we're looking at a bumper crop of about 20 wide receivers for 2010 and the chances of another one or two being top quality are pretty good.
The bad news is 20 wide receivers may be a bit too many for the coaches to get a good quick read on the best weapons available.
Of all the discussions about the variables for the upcoming season, this one may be the most important. So I'm asking my readers to answer the following question:
"What will Columbia do this season to overcome the loss of Austin Knowlin?"
You know where to write your answers.
One More Thought...
How funny/odd is it that Dartmouth's shortest road trip in 2010 is the October 23rd game at Columbia?
It's funny and odd because Dartmouth is Columbia's longest road trip in the Ivies.
Last fall, I published a list of all the distances between Ivy teams and it turned out Yale and Columbia have the shortest average trip mileage while Cornell and Dartmouth have the longest distances to travel in any given year.
It pays to be centrally located.
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posted by Jake @ 12:26:00 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
The question of a succesful receiving corp and who in that corp is the most productive can depend as much on what type QB is running the offense as it can the skill level of the receivers (A K being the exception). The really accurate drop-back QB can make your wide outs look very good while the scrambling QB,with good reading abilities can create big receiving stats for the tight ends,running backs ,and wide outs that have the bodies to go over the middle. So tell us who is our starting QB and we can tell you who might have success receiving.
I'd say it's fairly obvious that Sean Brackett is the #1 QB on the depth chart right now.
Not only #1 QB on the depth chart, but likely First Team All-Ivy.
Jake,
I think you're making too much of the loss of Knowlin. With the new recruits added to what we already have, there's more talent and speed than ever. Just a matter of how it all plays out.
Actually there are 9 (not 8) incoming freshmen whose primary or secondary position is wide receiver. You may have left out Maurice Rothschild, who is listed on your roster only as a CB but actually is generally regarded as a WR first and foremost (as well as a pretty good QB).
There are also some very good tight ends coming in including Hamilton Garner who is reputed to have WR speed (and was voted Top Tight End in his county consisting of 27 high schools).
Well, I meant that NYC is centrally located for the Ivies. Three of opposing teams are extremely close, (Yale, Penn and Princeton), while Harvard and Brown are less than one-tank trips. Cornell and Dartmouth are the only rough trips... but they're rough trips for everyone.
AK scored 7 out of the 32 TDs scored by the Lions in 2009. While this is notable, I do not believe this is so dominant as to be impossible or even that heard to replace. With Brackett's mobility and a deep class of receivers and some wildcards in the incoming frosh class (e.g., Garrett, Andrade)...opposing defenses may still have threats to contend with. If anything, I think we have the chance to be a more potent offense, if key players stay healthy.
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