Coach Mangurian has just published the following statement
on his Facebook page:
“Starting to fine tune the team. 5 or 6
unselfish guys will work going both ways. Best players will play. "The
more you can do".”
In a word… WHOA!
Whether he means those 5-6 players will be
starters or not we don’t know, but this is a big deal.
We also don’t know WHO the 5-6 players are
right now, but allow me to speculate just a bit.
One good possibility is Brian DeVeau at DB and
WR. He’s had plenty of time playing both positions in his Columbia career… and
with the varsity no less.
But I think this development is much more about
the linemen, especially since the Lions are in real need of help on the O-line.
So let me throw out some other possibles:
Eric Stock: he was a strong DL prospect last
year and is a sophomore now. He played both OL and DL at the Pingry School in
New Jersey and was a standout. At only 6-1, he would be at a disadvantage
height-wise along the OL, but he is a strong player.
Daren Napier is one of our highest-regarded
freshmen. At 6-4 and around 270 pounds, (at his high weight), he could make a
good offensive lineman if he gets heavier.
Shad Sommers: I didn’t think the coaches were
that high on this senior DL from Milton Academy, but it’s possible that his 6-2
283-pound frame works on the O-line as well.
Billy Lawrence: at 6-8 and 250 pounds, this freshmen OL
stands out for a lot of reasons. Perhaps he’s switching to tight end? I’m not
sure where he could work on defense, but who knows?
I’m going to stop guessing here because I am really stumped about
the specific personnel Mangurian is talking about. HOWEVER, remember that the
coaches have been most concerned about the O-line, tight end, running back and
secondary positions. (And I would throw in the need for a real H-back candidate).
So whoever is tagged for two-way play, I expect them to fill in at one of those
positions.
11 comments:
My thoughts on his comments are that they are meant to light a fire among some of the players. At best I could only imagine spot duty on one side and full duty on the other. I know that CU is better conditioned than in previous years, but to have the stamina to play both ways would be an unbelievable feat now (I do know Stanford did this with a LB/FB combination). If these are lineman, then that seems even more difficult given that every play is movement as well as contact. WR/DB seems more plausible.
Wiley went both ways occasionally.
Ray used Wiley as a running back in the red zone. He also used Des Werthman as a running back in his senior year. Both strategies worked very well.
Many of the current players went both ways in high school. There are several players who, in my mind, could help out on both sides of the ball. However, we need to see what Coach Mangurian is planning to do. I assume he is talking about some very talented players who have the athletic ability to play on offense and defense on particular types of plays and not continuously. There are quite a few players on the team who fit that bill. For example, at the skills positions, you have guys like Thaxton, Skalitzky, McCarthy, Braddock, Nelligan, Prince, Hollis and others who are very good athletes, and could play on both sides of the ball. At the very least, I am glad that the new Coaching Staff is considering this option.
Des Werthman is a perfect example of a terrific football player who coul play numerous positions effectively. Coach Mangurian is probably looking for players like Des to execute certain types of plays. I assume that Coach has lots of players in mind for what I would describe as his "Special Forces" Units. Go Lions!
Martin, Adebayo, Murphy, Ollinger, Childress and Melka are just some of the bigger veterans who I can see helping on offense. I'm not sure of their blocking skills, but they are all good, strong athletes who can accelerate quickly. In any event, you certainly will have more depth when players have the ability to step in and go two ways. That can really help you in certain situations such as injuries and travel squad limitations.
Martin could be an occasional TE.
If he wants his best athletes on the field at all times, where's Brackett going to play on defense?
Jake, do we now have a numbers problem because some of oir guys are now academically ineligible? Your tweet says as much.
The grades issue is not making a serious dent in the overall roster numbers, but it has hurt us at some key positions. So we have the horses, just some of the best horses are out. One player should be back by next week, but will miss the key parts of practice for another few days due to NCAA rules, (you can't come into camp and go full speed). Another key player already officially off the roster is gone maybe for good. Not great news.
So who have we lost?
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