Consolidated Patriot League Schedule Thread

[carney2]

I've been bouncing back and forth among these schedule posts for about a week and feel like a bobble head doll at a ping pong match. We have now degenerated into "who's going to win the league," "who has the most difficult schedule," and other things that do not belong on any single school's schedule thread. This is an attempt to get all of the Patriot League posters into one place.

I will start the ball rolling and make both a conscious and concerted effort to piss off as many of you as I can by (1) rating the schedules from toughest to easiest and then (2) giving my opinion as to the best (the rabbit's foot is really working; everything hits on all cylinders for 3 solid months) that each team can expect out of its schedule. (Note: This is not a prediction. This is one man's opinion as to THE BEST that they can do.)

Difficulty of Schedule (from Most Difficult to Least Difficult):

1. Holy Cross (Not a Marist in sight)
2. Lehigh (VMI is the only cream puff OOC + 3 of last year's top 4 Ivys)
3. Lafayette (Close between Lafayette and Colgate, but three top Ivys trumps a UMass)
4. Colgate (Throw someone - anyone - in for Cornell and Dartmouth and this would be a killer schedule)
5. Georgetown (Yale and Penn are top notch OOCs; the rest - well, not so much)
6. Bucknell (Richmond and not much else for OOCs)
7. Fordham (Any of the other 6 would kill for this schedule)

Fill your pockets with 4-leaf clovers and this is the best that you will get:

Bucknell: 6-5
Colgate: 8-3
Fordham: 4-7
Georgetown: 3-8
Holy Cross: 7-4
Lafayette: 8-3
Lehigh: 7-4

[BigApp]

well, brace yourself. You got about 7 months left of ping-ponging!

[Fresno St. Alum]

Will the Patriot League ever take on an 8th member for football?

[ngineer]

Eventually is the key. There have been discussions for several years with various schools, but nothing has materialized. The PL would, primarily, like to have an 'all-sports' member come in as the 8th team and that narrows the field because of the academic profile required. If it were just for football, then different parameters may get used, i.e. Towson as an associate for a few years in late '90's and early '00's. If the 'new' CAA/A-10 merger creates problems, I'd look for some interest in a team or two considering a move. Richmond and Villanova have always been viewed as the closest 'fits' in terms of student body profile. VU will never give up it's Big East affiliation in roundball, but that could be worked around. I've always wondered if Fordham wouldn't like to come back to the PL in b-ball since they haven't really smelled much success in the A-10, and now the PL has gone to limited scholarships in that sport.

[TheValleyRaider]

Difficulty of Schedule (from Most Difficult to Least Difficult):

1. Holy Cross (Not a Marist in sight)
2. Lehigh (VMI is the only cream puff OOC + 3 of last year's top 4 Ivys)
3. Lafayette (Close between Lafayette and Colgate, but three top Ivys trumps a UMass)
4. Colgate (Throw someone - anyone - in for Cornell and Dartmouth and this would be a killer schedule)
5. Georgetown (Yale and Penn are top notch OOCs; the rest - well, not so much)
6. Bucknell (Richmond and not much else for OOCs)
7. Fordham (Any of the other 6 would kill for this schedule)

I'll give you Dartmouth, but Cornell is hardly a slouch. Plus, we've also got up-and-coming Towson (digest that thought for a moment :eek: ) and NEC power Albany. You get Marist, we'll get the Green.

[LehighFan11]

Lehigh will go 8-3 at worse.

[ngineer]

Lehigh will go 8-3 at worse.

We should be in every game, which means we could be anywhere from 6-5 to 11-0. Horrible number of close losses last year. Much will depend on how the defense gets its act together. Should the 'D' gel, then we can run the table. IF not, then we'll be in a lot of track meets.xcoffeex

[carney2]

I'll give you Dartmouth, but Cornell is hardly a slouch. Plus, we've also got up-and-coming Towson (digest that thought for a moment :eek: ) and NEC power Albany. You get Marist, we'll get the Green.

As I said, a tough call for 3rd. Perhaps we are each making "homer" calls here. And, correction: Cornell IS a slouch.


Lehigh will go 8-3 at worse.

My crystal ball has Lehigh losing to all OOCs except VMI in a "best case" scenario. It is a difficult schedule. Replacing 16 starters and jumping on Villanova and Princeton right out of the gate will be a tall order, while Harvard and Yale appear to be among the class of the Ivys again. I am, however, a Patsy fan all the way and would love to see the brownclads prove me wrong. Three of these four projected losses are, after all, at Goodman. As I have said on this board many times, I always wish for Lehigh a 10-1 season.

[JoltinJoe]

I've always wondered if Fordham wouldn't like to come back to the PL in b-ball since they haven't really smelled much success in the A-10, and now the PL has gone to limited scholarships in that sport.

FYI, Fordham is in third place in the A-10 . If the Rams had won yesterday they would have had sole possession of first place.

We lost by one point to Rhode Island with the deciding point gained on a free throw in the waning seconds resulting from what was a very weak foul call.: smh :

P.S. -- We also played in the A-10 semifinals last year.

[carney2]

FYI, Fordham is in third place in the A-10 . If the Rams had won yesterday they would have had sole possession of first place.

We lost by one point to Rhode Island with the deciding point gained on a free throw in the waning seconds resulting from what was a very weak foul call.: smh :

P.S. -- We also played in the A-10 semifinals last year.

All of that is very nice

BUT

How many times have the Rams been to The Dance since leaving the Patriot League?

AND

How many times do you honestly think you would have been there as a Patriot League member over those years?

If hoops is the be all and end all in Ramland as is frequently stated on this board, just how good was that "we're taking our ball to play elsewhere" decision?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

As I said, a tough call for 3rd. Perhaps we are each making "homer" calls here.



My crystal ball has Lehigh losing to all OOCs except VMI in a "best case" scenario. It is a difficult schedule. Replacing 16 starters and jumping on Villanova and Princeton right out of the gate will be a tall order, while Harvard and Yale appear to be among the class of the Ivys again. I am, however, a Patsy fan all the way and would love to see the brownclads prove me wrong. Three of these four projected losses are, after all, at Goodman. As I have said on this board many times, I always wish for Lehigh a 10-1 season.

I don't really know what to think about Lehigh's team heading into 2007. The loss of 16 starters is a bit skewed IMO. I think Coen went with experience last year and tried to ride it throughout the season since it was his first season and it basically an entirely new system. The one thing that seems like it should be a given is an improvement on offense. Sedale i think without a doubt is the best player in the league heading into this season which is always a good asset to have on your side. The WR's and RB positions will be very good with depth. The OL will be bigger and stronger but there is little to no depth so if there are injuries then the offense will be in trouble as a whole. On the defensive side the secondary looks to be pretty strong and the DL returns a good amount of experience but size will once again be a concern. LB has a few potential studs stepping in but depth is lacking. The starting 22 will be better than last IMO but the depth will be lacking along the lines and addressing this has been the primary focus for this recruiting class. Lehigh first needs to reestablish its homefield advantage that it has lost the last couple of years. I don't see them losing to Princeton, Harvard and Villanova, i think they'll for 1-2 against those 3. As for the league HC, LC, and Colgate seem to be the biggest challengers. Leh'gh's had Colgates number the last few years and Colgate doesn't appear to be much better this year than last. HC and LC both visit Goodman so we'll see what happens there. If i were to take a wild guess i'd say 7-4 8-3, maybe 9-2 if they can somehow manage a 3-1 OOC record. 6-5 would be a major dissapointment this year unless the team suffers a lot of key injuries.

[ngineer]

All of that is very nice

BUT

How many times have the Rams been to The Dance since leaving the Patriot League?

AND

How many times do you honestly think you would have been there as a Patriot League member over those years?

If hoops is the be all and end all in Ramland as is frequently stated on this board, just how good was that "we're taking our ball to play elsewhere" decision?

Beat me to it, Carney. I think Fordham would have been in the dance a couple times had they remained in the PL.

[JoltinJoe]

Beat me to it, Carney. I think Fordham would have been in the dance a couple times had they remained in the PL.

That may be true but that's water under the bridge.

I was not a wild fan about the A-10 move when it happened. I thought we were underestimating how difficult it would be to move from non-scholarship ball to a conference as competitive as the A-10. I told one of my college roommates about the A-10 move that we seemed to have the attitude that we just needed to roll out the balls and our New York location would do the trick.

Just as I thought, it has been a difficult transition. But the last two seasons have been solid. And we just might be the favorite to win the A-10 next year as we lose only one senior, and a roll player at that.

[carney2]

Beat me to it, Carney. I think Fordham would have been in the dance a couple times had they remained in the PL.

Holy Cross has gone dancin' 4 times since Fordham went to the "big time." No way that, given their equal or greater emphasis, the Rams would not have stolen a couple of those and added one or two others.

[DFW HOYA]

Holy Cross has gone dancin' 4 times since Fordham went to the "big time." No way that, given their equal or greater emphasis, the Rams would not have stolen a couple of those and added one or two others.

That having been said, Fordham fans are nearly unanimous in considering the move to the A-10 a better one than the decision to go to the PL, given the league's perceived lack of emphasis on the sport.

[Pard4Life]

We should be in every game, which means we could be anywhere from 6-5 to 11-0. Horrible number of close losses last year. Much will depend on how the defense gets its act together. Should the 'D' gel, then we can run the table. IF not, then we'll be in a lot of track meets.xcoffeex


:eek: oooooookkkkkk

Coming off a 6-5 campaign with arguably big holes to fill, questions along the lines all the while being unsure about the coaching staff? Lehigh is the Notre Dame of the east!

We Pards have won three titles in a row and have excellent talent coming back to grab a fourth... but I'm not going to be that sure about it.. personally, I'm feeling reserved about the Pards this year... some unknowns..

[Pard4Life]

I've been bouncing back and forth among these schedule posts for about a week and feel like a bobble head doll at a ping pong match. We have now degenerated into "who's going to win the league," "who has the most difficult schedule," and other things that do not belong on any single school's schedule thread. This is an attempt to get all of the Patriot League posters into one place.

I will start the ball rolling and make both a conscious and concerted effort to piss off as many of you as I can by (1) rating the schedules from toughest to easiest and then (2) giving my opinion as to the best (the rabbit's foot is really working; everything hits on all cylinders for 3 solid months) that each team can expect out of its schedule. (Note: This is not a prediction. This is one man's opinion as to THE BEST that they can do.)

Difficulty of Schedule (from Most Difficult to Least Difficult):

1. Holy Cross (Not a Marist in sight)
2. Lehigh (VMI is the only cream puff OOC + 3 of last year's top 4 Ivys)
3. Lafayette (Close between Lafayette and Colgate, but three top Ivys trumps a UMass)
4. Colgate (Throw someone - anyone - in for Cornell and Dartmouth and this would be a killer schedule)
5. Georgetown (Yale and Penn are top notch OOCs; the rest - well, not so much)
6. Bucknell (Richmond and not much else for OOCs)
7. Fordham (Any of the other 6 would kill for this schedule)

Fill your pockets with 4-leaf clovers and this is the best that you will get:

Bucknell: 6-5
Colgate: 8-3
Fordham: 4-7
Georgetown: 3-8
Holy Cross: 7-4
Lafayette: 8-3
Lehigh: 7-4

I dunno carney.. sounds like a rebound year for the league... I'll wait till spring ball before predictions.. actually can make the game this year..

just out of curiousity who do you have Lafayette beating? You do emphasize that Ivy curse...

[carney2]

I dunno carney.. sounds like a rebound year for the league... I'll wait till spring ball before predictions.. actually can make the game this year..

just out of curiousity who do you have Lafayette beating? You do emphasize that Ivy curse...


By a "rebound year for the league," I assume that you expect (A) the league as a whole to do well vs. OOCs, and (B) the top team or two to be legitimate Top 20 material. Is this a fair read?

My "best case scenario" has the Pards losing to Penn, Princeton and Harvard as you suggest. Until they prove that they can beat these teams - and I'm talking about more than just one, or once as in once every decade or so - I'm saying that they can't. Since our maroonclads will, in my opinion, be at least competitive with everyone else on the schedule, and since this is a "best case scenario," I have them beating the other 8. One more time - and as I tried to state when I opened this thread - this is in no way a prediction. If you gave me an 8-3 right now and told me that we didn't have to play the season I'd seriously consider it. This schedule is no cake walk.

Frankly - and contradicting your "rebound" statement - I see gaping holes for every contender and no reason to believe that this will be an "up" year for the Patriot League. If they could not be dominant or even competitive last year with what appeared in February, 2006 to be three pretty solid teams, then a 2007 "rebound" that is dependent on 4 contenders with unknowns at QB (2 teams), big questions down in the trenches (3 of the 4 qualify here), unproven running attacks (again 3 of the 4 qualify) and so many questions on defense that each of them could be a Jeopardy contestant, seems unlikely. A League champion with, again, 6 or maybe 7 wins would not surprise me in the least.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

:eek: oooooookkkkkk

Coming off a 6-5 campaign with arguably big holes to fill, questions along the lines all the while being unsure about the coaching staff? Lehigh is the Notre Dame of the east!

We Pards have won three titles in a row and have excellent talent coming back to grab a fourth... but I'm not going to be that sure about it.. personally, I'm feeling reserved about the Pards this year... some unknowns..

There aren't as many holes to fill as you think. Last years team was really a patchwork bunch. Coen seemed to go with experience and ride it for what it's worth. This year the offense will be very good, Threatt at QB, Pastore and McGowen 1-2 punch at RB, a solid WR corps and the OL will be bigger with experience. On the defensive side, once again a lot of experience from last years two deep. The big question will be whether or not the DL can be effective even though it will once again be undersized and how much depth is at LB. The secondary looks to be very good. Also what are you talking about being unsure about the coaching staff? I haven't heard any questions about the coaching stuff other than the players love him. A 6-5 record and share of the league title under a completely knew coaching stuff isn't that bad. Usually the biggest improvement after a coaching staff comes in year 2 and then year 4 after recruiting classes kick in, since the players then become accustomed to how the coaches will run the program. Like i said earlier the starting 22 will be more talented then last years, we had guys playing out of position all over the place in '06. Anything less than 7-4 would be a major dissapointment barring key injuries to either Threatt or the OL or DL.

[ngineer]

:eek: oooooookkkkkk

Coming off a 6-5 campaign with arguably big holes to fill, questions along the lines all the while being unsure about the coaching staff? Lehigh is the Notre Dame of the east!

We Pards have won three titles in a row and have excellent talent coming back to grab a fourth... but I'm not going to be that sure about it.. personally, I'm feeling reserved about the Pards this year... some unknowns..

In a year of transition, last year's 6-5 could easily have been 10-1. Our loss to the 'pards was the only game where we got beat. The other four losses, if played again, could just as easily gone the other way.
I like what I see returning. Yes, a number of seniors from the D-front seven leave, but there was a lot of rotation with underclassmen going on, so there will be decent experience coming back. I think it's easier to replace on defense than offense.
I see Lafayette and Lehigh being the two pre-season favorites. LC's biggest Q's will be QB and WR's. Everyone will have question marks. But HC, 'gate, and Bison will likely be improved and in the hunt--HC with an excellent qb. FU and GU have more room for improvement.

[carney2]

Lehigh is the Notre Dame of the east!

My God, P4L, you are the volunteer fireman who shows up at the fire in a gasoline suit; you're a metal duck in a shooting gallery; you are our squad leader taking us into a mine field. You are my hero. Kick a Squawk and feel the peck marks.


I'll wait till spring ball before predictions

Spring practice isn't going to unravel much of anything with the PL. Come Memorial Day you will still be looking at this:

1. Lafayette (without some guys to play pitch and catch this falls apart in a hurry) and Lehigh (the faithful say that there are linemen aplenty, but they were not in evidence last November; also, I'm with you: Coen shows signs, but is still on probation)

3. Colgate (same QB questions as Lafayette and, I think, worse problems in the trenches than Lehigh) and Holy Cross (very one dimensional the last two years with first Silva and then Randolph; just how many rabbits does Gilmore have in that hat?)

5. Bucknell (a legitimate dark horse that could surprise; I'm not a big fan of Landis's triple option offense)

6. Fordham (played a lot of underclassmen last year; I'd feel better about the Rams if they had played talented underclassmen)

7. Georgetown (Kelly needs a deep and talented recruiting class to move this program up)

Very few of the questions will be answered in the spring conditioning meat grinder.

[Fordham]

6. Fordham (played a lot of underclassmen last year; I'd feel better about the Rams if they had played talented underclassmen)



:confused: :confused:

what do you base that dig on?

[carney2]

:confused: :confused:

what do you base that dig on?

"Dig" is a bit strong. I prefer "humorous observation," although, based on your response, the modifier should perhaps be changed. Here's what I saw with the 2006 Rams:

DEFENSE: Marcus Taylor was the whole show. He was the only guy you looked for when you broke the huddle. He was the only guy to cause you to call an audible. He's gone.

RUNNING GAME: Prydatko was injured and did not have the kind of season that most expected. Be that as it may, like Taylor he's gone. That leaves us with Larry Dortch, a 5'10", 205# freshman who gained 314 yards on 89 carries. Not what dreams are made of; not the second coming of Jordan Scott; but he may become a serviceable back in a year or two.

PASSING GAME: The receivers were pretty commonplace, but at 6'5", 215#, freshman John Skelton at least looked like a QB. He was 74 for 167 for 960 yds. with 6 TDs and 8 picks. Not an all-league or a breakout year, but, hey, he was only a freshman. Did he look like he will be a Dominic Randolph in year two? No, but then Dominic Randolph gave no indication that he'd be a Dominic Randolph as a freshman.

IN THE TRENCHES: Now, here is where we see perhaps the biggest upside for the Rams. All of those undersized offensive linemen were upperclassmen. The freshmen, at least on paper, appear to be dozers. Lafayette's Frank Tavani seems to be making a statement about the state pf PL football by "saying" that PL recruiting is not going to turn up many "difference makers," the kind of skill position guys who take over a game all by themselves. If you are going to win in this League you have to do it with a gang of these lunch pail "grunt" guys who can control the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately for the Rams, not many of these guys seem to really emerge until their junior years. 2007 looks like maybe another year for the young jumbos to get some experience and maturity.

Perhaps a better way of stating my rather flip and, as you seem to indicate, offensive remark would be to say that, in my opinion, that underclass talent was not overwhelming, not better than I see through the rest of the League. Was this the best freshman class in the PL? I don't think so. Will they be the best as seniors? Who kows, but the answer is not an obvious yes. They are the freshman class however, that circumstances granted the most playing time and they may eventually make Fordham competitive. Just not this year.

[Fordham]

how many Fordham games did you actually see last year?

[carney2]

how many Fordham games did you actually see last year?

Two. Both on TV and both late in the year. (Actually, a little less than two because I taped the Fordham at Lehigh game and was almost certainly concentrating on Lehigh when I watched it.)

Before you come back with the self righteous "Aha, what could you possibly know after seeing only two games?!!," I should point out that, given that this is the Patriot League and not the Big Ten, two is, I think, a pretty high number in this regard.

[Pard4Life]

carney: triple-option offense is extremely hard to thrawt if it is run properly and you have the proper personnel to run it. Bucknell had solid gains last year all-around and they are the clear unforseen 'mover and shaker' in the PL this year.

Remember, Bucknell was oh so close (save a horrible loss to Lehigh) from being 9-2 or 8-3 in 2004. They were not mega-talented, but they had the right players and ran their offense well. Young players i.e. what we've seen lately at BU don't perform complex offenses well.

[cosmo here]

carney: triple-option offense is extremely hard to thrawt if it is run properly and you have the proper personnel to run it. Bucknell had solid gains last year all-around and they are the clear unforseen 'mover and shaker' in the PL this year.

Remember, Bucknell was oh so close (save a horrible loss to Lehigh) from being 9-2 or 8-3 in 2004. They were not mega-talented, but they had the right players and ran their offense well. Young players i.e. what we've seen lately at BU don't perform complex offenses well.

you also have to have 3-4 quarterbacks and 6-8 slot backs/fullbacks to account for how banged up you'll be being exposed to the shots you'll take. Bucknell was fortunate to keep Daris Wilson healthy in 2004, at the same time Lafayette was also fortunate that Daris put the ball on the ground in the first half and had to be pulled. then we still needed the blocked kick at the end.

in other news, does anybody have an idea of how many PL schools will be releasing recruiting class information by the end of the week?

[carney2]

carney: triple-option offense is extremely hard to thrawt if it is run properly and you have the proper personnel to run it. Bucknell had solid gains last year all-around and they are the clear unforseen 'mover and shaker' in the PL this year.

Yes, but

1. Very abusive of your personnel. (Think of 2005 - Bucknell's year without a quarterback.)

2. Requires serious depth at some positions. (See 1., above.)

3. Can be defensed if you can force it to go east-west. (John Loose and the 3-4 this past September.) If you can make the QB get a "false read" on the defensive end by actually covering that area with a linebacker you can create havoc.

4. Requires talent that Bucknell does not yet have (a large and mobile offensive line; depth at running back) to run effectively.

5. It's tough to come from behind with the triple option. If you don't control the game from the get-go (and I don't think that Bucknell is in that position yet) you could be in trouble.

I agree that Bucknell could be a force. Their biggest advantage is that, in most cases, their offense is the only one of its type that their opponents will see all year. In addition, it is a good offense for teams that don't match up well talent-wise (think Navy and Air Force). Landis could make this work. He's done it elsewhere. He merely needs to get the right kids - and they may not be the kids that everyone else in the PL is looking for. Sorry. I still don't like the triple option. In some respects it's an admission of failure in the recruiting wars. I'm glad that I don't have to watch it week in and week out.

[carney2]

in other news, does anybody have an idea of how many PL schools will be releasing recruiting class information by the end of the week?

There are no guarantees or advance warnings for any of this. I'm betting that at least one or two release their news tomorrow ("Letter of Intent" day) or Thursday. These are the ones, in my opinion, who have confidence in what they got. Others, for whatever reason, will still be unheard from two weeks from tomorrow.

[Fordham]

Two. Both on TV and both late in the year. (Actually, a little less than two because I taped the Fordham at Lehigh game and was almost certainly concentrating on Lehigh when I watched it.)

Before you come back with the self righteous "Aha, what could you possibly know after seeing only two games?!!," I should point out that, given that this is the Patriot League and not the Big Ten, two is, I think, a pretty high number in this regard.

It is absolutely not a big number when speaking about someone's frosh. analysis, although I was actually expecting the honest answer to be zero given the analysis.

*Our 6'5 QB who actually showed he can run as well, when needed, is a tremendous find for the most important position on the field. To have a frosh who has tremendous physical talent gain as much experience as he did in his first year is great. In those two games you saw, if you had focused on Fordham just a little, you would have seen a guy with great physical tools who played behind an awful o-line. O-line and DB's were our far and away our worst spots on the field last year.

*288 of Dortch's 314 came in the last four games. No one has ever called him the second coming of Jordan Scott but did he show enough for us to be excited about finding a RB to go with our 4 year starting QB? Yep. How many frosh RB's did better?

*Again, our o-line blew last year. I agree that the jury is out since they tend to develop slowly but imo it's part of the reason why if you had seen a game you would have known that what Skelton and Dortch did, they very much did on their own.

*Iseijah Allen was 2nd in the league in KO returns and averaged over 10 yards on punt returns AND gained valuable time starting at CB last year.

*Tommy Martin started at both WR & FS in many games last year.

*Several other frosh started on the o & d lines as well as secondary at various points throughout the season.

*Note that I actually took issue with your dig about our underclassmen and your first response is about Marcus Taylor. Realize that I didn't take issue with your placing us next to last in your pre-season rankings, I'm calling bs on your line "I'd feel better about the Rams if they had played talented underclassmen". That has nothing to do with Taylor.

So, which team showed you more so that you could say "that underclass talent was not overwhelming, not better than I see through the rest of the League"? G-town had the Rookie of the Year and played alot of frosh as well and Bucknell did also. Is there any team that can say that they found their starting QB, RB & WR's (w/one soph in there) in last year's frosh class? Is that not enough to at least prevent a comment wishing that they were 'talented'?

What so much of this comes down to is that I usually see you as a 'call bs' on stuff guy. I think of this particularly when it comes to recruiting and I agree with you. Who the hell knows how these guys are going to pan out? I view this frosh. analysis the same way. You admit to not even paying attention to Fordham in the Lehigh-Fordham game but yet feel you have enough info to question their talent. Doesn't add up to me and this really feels like a post that carney would usually call bs on. Put us down as next to last or last in your PL predictions - whatever, you can say we earned that. To say that you were looking for more or question the talent of the underclassmen we played last year? You pretty much hung your hat on the lone bright spot we had.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I...

I seem to recall last year we were anointing FORDHAM the school that could make a move towards the "big three" while BUCKNELL had a major rebuilding job on their hands. How times change. (Caveat: I was also one of those people.)

Point being, how little separates Fordham and Bucknell, and how little we know at this point.

[carney2]

I was actually expecting the honest answer to be zero given the analysis.

if you had focused on Fordham just a little

Is that not enough to at least prevent a comment wishing that they were 'talented'?

You admit to not even paying attention to Fordham in the Lehigh-Fordham game but yet feel you have enough info to question their talent. Doesn't add up to me and this really feels like a post that carney would usually call bs on.

I stand humbly - no, make that feebly, even wretchedly - bashed, battered, berated, beguiled, bewitched, besmirched, bedraggled, beheaded (help me here - I'm running out of "b" words), but, alas, neither befriended nor beloved. As I recall, I said that the Fordham frosh (I may have used the more encompassing "underclassmen") while perhaps not the heads and shoulders best of this past year's Patriot League crop, could certainly lead the Rams back to the land of competitiveness. "Just not this year." If I didn't say that, I need to take a writing course. All of this of course comes with the caveat "one man's opinion." These unsolicited and, apparently, unappreciated opinions will, unfortunately, be our cross to bear for the next seven months as long as we continue to click that AGS button under Favorites.


how little separates Fordham and Bucknell, and how little we know at this point.

Actually, in a League such as the Patriot, the difference between first and last is not as great as most of us would like to believe. An injury (Mark Borda or every QB in Lewisburg, PA) or the emergence of a single player (Dominic Randolph or Jordan Scott) can shuffle the entire deck.

[letsgopards04]

I have been away for a while. Who does Frankie T have to play QB this year?

[Pard4Life]

I have been away for a while. Who does Frankie T have to play QB this year?

Nobody really knows. Many people on both boards don't feel that DiPaola can get the job done nor should start since he will be a senior. Others point to Curley or Josh Jones... or maybe an incoming frosh.. nobody knows..

[carney2]

Nobody really knows. Many people on both boards don't feel that DiPaola can get the job done nor should start since he will be a senior. Others point to Curley or Josh Jones... or maybe an incoming frosh.. nobody knows..

Apparently Frank isn't sure himself. After repeatedly expressing confidence in (soon to be senior who has never taken a meaningful snap in a college game) Mike DiPaola, he has also stated that one of his top recruiting goals for this year is 2 QBs who can contend for playing time. Here's the rundown as of 1:00 eastern on 2/7, "Letter of Intent" day:

Mike DiPaola - the aforementioned senior who has proven a whiz with a clipboard

Bob Curley - Did not get even one smudge on his uniform as a freshman. Since the Patriot League does not allow non-medical redshirts, he is a sophomore. Supposedly the srongest arm of the returners.

Josh Jones - Technically a sophomore, but injured for most of 2006 and will, I suppose, qualify for a medical redshirt. Some feel that he was the better of this year's two freshmen - on paper.

The Lafayette board is reporting that Frank has met and possibly even exceeded his goal of two QB recruits. Only one is known at the moment:

Marc Quilling - 6'3", 206# from Parkland (PA) High School. He lead his team to an 11-1 record. His high school coach runs a wing-T and depends primarily on the running game, so Quilling's stats (unavailable) may not be overwhelming.

The 2006 3rd teamer who would have been a junior this coming season apparently saw the writing on the wall and has transferred.

[ngineer]

I have been away for a while. Who does Frankie T have to play QB this year?

That will be the million dollar question for you guys this year.

[Fordham]

I stand humbly - no, make that feebly, even wretchedly - bashed, battered, berated, beguiled, bewitched, besmirched, bedraggled, beheaded (help me here - I'm running out of "b" words), but, alas, neither befriended nor beloved. As I recall, I said that the Fordham frosh (I may have used the more encompassing "underclassmen") while perhaps not the heads and shoulders best of this past year's Patriot League crop, could certainly lead the Rams back to the land of competitiveness. "Just not this year." If I didn't say that, I need to take a writing course. All of this of course comes with the caveat "one man's opinion." These unsolicited and, apparently, unappreciated opinions will, unfortunately, be our cross to bear for the next seven months as long as we continue to click that AGS button under Favorites.


meh! This is obviously no big deal since I agree that we deserve to be in the slot you put us in, rankings-wise, but just took issue with the line about our underclassmen. I just think if nothing else that they showed more due to having more PT opportunities than other schools due to 'the sucking' problem we had. Long-short, they're a great base to build on. I would just say that finding a new leader on D (we may have that person in an Indiana transfer that tore up our team in practice last year, but I digress...), developing a "I-AA" offensive line and playing such a young team while trying to shed the losing attitude we've developed would be the rationale for the pick.


I seem to recall last year we were anointing FORDHAM the school that could make a move towards the "big three" while BUCKNELL had a major rebuilding job on their hands. How times change. (Caveat: I was also one of those people.)

Point being, how little separates Fordham and Bucknell, and how little we know at this point.
I agree with last line completely, although I do think HC has done the most to warrant being called the team on the cusp of the "big 3" ... or it may even be more appropriate after last season to call it the big 2 with the middle 2 clearly capable of being in the mix in Colgate and HC.

What I don't agree with overall is that anyone truly thought we were going to challenge the big 3 last year. I seem to recall it more as a case of HC losing so many seniors, Bucknell disappointing tremendously in '05 and then a toss up between Fordham & G-town with the new staff. Given how much flak Foley caught for us I think the thought was that we had better talent that it showed on the field in '05 and this new staff might turn things around fairly quickly. Unfortunately that obviously proved to NOT be the case but I still think that the thought was more that Fordham might be the best of the bottom but not a realistic contender for the top 3.

[ASU]

Eventually is the key. There have been discussions for several years with various schools, but nothing has materialized. The PL would, primarily, like to have an 'all-sports' member come in as the 8th team and that narrows the field because of the academic profile required. If it were just for football, then different parameters may get used, i.e. Towson as an associate for a few years in late '90's and early '00's. If the 'new' CAA/A-10 merger creates problems, I'd look for some interest in a team or two considering a move. Richmond and Villanova have always been viewed as the closest 'fits' in terms of student body profile. VU will never give up it's Big East affiliation in roundball, but that could be worked around. I've always wondered if Fordham wouldn't like to come back to the PL in b-ball since they haven't really smelled much success in the A-10, and now the PL has gone to limited scholarships in that sport.
:hurray: What is the limited scholarship program in the Patriot League?

[ngineer]

I think what last year also showed was that when any school goes through a major coaching transition, it effects the team on many levels. Lehigh and Fordham in our league. Georgia Southern in the SoCon. New schemes, personalities, personnel moving around..we seem to take it for granted that this shouldn't matter, but it does seem to have an impact. An exception is when an HC leaves and a smooth transition occurs from within, i.e. when Higgins left Lehigh and Lembo, who as Assoc. Head Coach slid right into the HC AND BOTH the OC and DC (Gilmore and Cecchini) remained in their positions. They recognized they had a good thing going and that disruption would have negative impact. Lehigh went 11-0 that year and got to the second round of the playoffs.

[Pard4Life]

That will be the million dollar question for you guys this year.

You might want to add a few more to the mix...

In addition to DiPaola, Curley, Jones..

..you have frosh Quilling, Raymond, and Carey

If Curley and Jones haven't taken a snap at any level... and I mean including practice and JV games due to injury.. DiPaola might be the clear front-runner...

Quilling, Raymond and Carey look to be very good.. but these are high school numbers..

Unless they have a stellar camp, DiPaola should get the nod.

If it's a close contest, you might have rotating QBs in the Marist game (and somehow, I see it as a reason for biting us in the butt in those early Ivy games... we always seem to find a new way to lose to them)

But, I believe Tavani when he says he is not afraid to play frosh who can prove themselves..

[carney2]

If Curley and Jones haven't taken a snap at any level... and I mean including practice and JV games due to injury.. DiPaola might be the clear front-runner...

Quilling, Raymond and Carey look to be very good.. but these are high school numbers..

Unless they have a stellar camp, DiPaola should get the nod.

As you may recall, I've never been a Mike DiPaola fan. I would not be that upset to see him get an early start or two - more or less a payoff for loyal service as well as buying time for additional development of the youngster or two who separate themselves from that 6-man cavalry charge. If, however, this team comes back from the bye week (vs. Columbia and then Harvard) with Dipaola still under center, we are, IMHO, in serious, serious trouble.

I really don't envy Frank and what may be an embarrassment of riches. Since the freshmen won't be on campus until August, he may just have too many candidates and too little time. How does everyone get a reasonable opportunity while the front runner(s) get enough snaps to settle in?

[Pard4Life]

As you may recall, I've never been a Mike DiPaola fan. I would not be that upset to see him get an early start or two - more or less a payoff for loyal service as well as buying time for additional development of the youngster or two who who separate themselves from that 6-man cavalry charge. If, however, this team comes back from the bye week (vs. Columbia and then Harvard) with Dipaola still under center, we are, IMHO, in serious, serious trouble.

I really don't envy Frank and what may be an embarrassment of riches. Since the freshmen won't be on campus until August, he may just have too many candidates and too little time. How does everyone get a reasonable opportunity while the front runner(s) get enough snaps to settle in?

How can you know QB is going to fail, or not even like him, if you've never seen him play in a game? :confused:

[carney2]

How can you know QB is going to fail, or not even like him, if you've never seen him play in a game? :confused:

You've never seen me under center either. Are you willing to risk, let's say the Princeton game, on me? I thought not. There are just some things that are obvious, although obvious to me is not necessarily obvious to someone else. In my opinion - and the operative word here is opinion; they're like noses, you know - Mike DiPaola is not a D-1 QB.

[cosmo here]

You've never seen me under center either. Are you willing to risk, let's say the Princeton game, on me? I thought not. There are just some things that are obvious, although obvious to me is not necessarily obvious to someone else. In my opinion - and the operative word here is opinion; they're like noses, you know - Mike DiPaola is not a D-1 QB.

As I've said before, anybody who played scout team QB against Bennett, Costanzo, Witherspoon, et. al. and had good things said about them is ok with me.