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Dumb tradition #1: having to pose with a dog
Reno 911
Tony Reno was finally introduced as Yale's new head coach late yesterday.
Then they made him sit on
The backstory getting passed around the Ivy football world is that new Yale Head Coach Tony Reno was probably the 3rd choice for the job.
And that's not all...
Another unconfirmed story is that Don Brown withdrew his previous agreement to coach the Elis when Yale President Richard Levin vetoed a plan by the Bulldog bosters to significantly augment Brown's salary.
Again, what a MESS in New Haven!
But the biggest issure is just about everyone is just underwhelmed by this hire.
Not every hire has to be a big name, but this is Yale and this is Yale's third straight, "who is that?" hire since Carm Cozza retired in 1996.
You'd think the Ivy team with the most storied history and the biggest stadium would do better than this... at least one time... over the last 15 years.
The best thing Reno apparently has going for him is just about all of his players over the years have bonded with him. He seems to really speak to the young guys and that's probably what makes him a great
recruiter.
But younger coaches who have great relationships with the players as "one of the guys," don't tend to make it as head coaches very often.
The relationship changes once you become the head guy, and you just can't be as familiar with the players anymore.
I'm not sure this means Reno will be a flop at Yale for sure. But count me among those who are decidedly underwhelmed by this decision.
Reno is just 37, strike one in my book after seeing two immature head coaches in a row take the helm at Columbia.
It makes Columbia's choice of Pete Mangurian look a lot more solid in comparison and I welcome the recruiting and on-the-field battles we will have with Yale in the coming years.
And of course, there's the issue of having to pose with that stupid dog who has nothing to do with anything when you get named the head coach of a football team.
The place to be this weekend
Big Games this Weekend
Yes this is a football blog, but the Ivy League schedule begins tonight for the surprisingly decent men's basketball team.
I say "surprisingly decent" because the team's top player, Noruwa Agho, went down with an injury early in the season.
Since that event, the team has won 11 of their last 12 and has found a real new star in sophomore Meiko Lyles.
Tonight's big Ivy season opener is against Penn at 7pm in Levien Gym. Tomorrow night, the Tigers come into Levien also at 7pm.
Please go and root for the Lions if you can or catch the game on SideLion Pass.
Tebow Times
Columbia's new offensive coordinator/QB coach Ben McDaniels figures prominently in a new article about the Patriots-Broncos game this Saturday night.
Remember, Ben was Tebow's first NFL QB coach and his brother Josh drafted Tebow out of Florida when he was Denver's head coach.
Ben's assessment on why Tebow wasn't playing so much his first season and the beginning of this year?
He wasn't ready.
Check.
Josh Martin: the best of the best at Columbia's strongest position
Linebacker U?
Columbia is switching back to a 4-3 defense this coming season after going with the 3-4 alignment in 2011.
But linebacker play will be just as important this fall, and luckily there were some positive developments last season when it comes to finding new talent at this position.
In fact, even your typical Columbia detractors would be hard-pressed not to call the Lion linebackers a true team strength.
Josh Martin took his position change from DE to LB VERY well, becoming Columbia's best overall defensive player and registering his second straight All Ivy season. Martin's seven sacks were a headling, but he also improved against the run.
Ryan Murphy followed a similar script, switching from DE to record five sacks on the season.
Both Martin and Murphy are seniors this fall and looking to make that one big final statement.
Another rising senior who made a huge impact last season was Mike Waller. He finished as one of the team's top 10 tacklers and emerged as a serious force against the run and defending the pass. I don't want to say that Waller came out of nowhere last season, but not many Lions fans banked on him even getting on the field this time last year.
The best rising junior is Zach Olinger, who despite missing three full games to injury still managed to be the teams #5 tackler.
I'm also looking for great things from Olinger's fellow junior Brian East. East go onto the field an impressive amount for a sophomore last season and certainly has the size and skill to make a impact.
I thought the best two freshmen linebackers last year were Vinny Pugliese and Ray Pesanello and I expect them to get decent playing time this fall.
The bottom line is that this unit performed pretty well considering it was without the graduate Alex Gross last season, The biggest graduation loss this coming season will be Nick Mistretta... but more than his play, the team will miss his emotional leadership in the locker room.
Despite all the returning talent here, one of the key seniors, (Martin, Murphy, or Waller), will need to step up as a leader for the linebacking corps to truly have a stellar 2012.
3 comments:
The mess at Yale that you described doesn't even mention the Voy reports that recruits who were expected to sign with Yale are going elsewhere. Princeton appears to be the main beneficiary thus far...
Didn't we pick up Gerst the Younger as a result?
Wondering what will become of Martin and Murphy in the 4-3. They are built to be outside backers in the 3-4 rushing the passer and setting the edge. Back to DE?
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