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Today is the day the Columbia football team reports to
training camp for the 2014 season.
This is the official beginning of the season for the
players, though most of them have been working out and practicing for months.
Getting any kind of real information out of training camp is
really not something we should demand or expect. It just doesn’t happen.
But we do learn a little something from the folks who update
the roster. Usually, a week or two into camp is when we see the new weights
posted for the players. And given how much Columbia has suffered the last two
seasons because of a too-light offensive line, you know I’ll be looking at
those new numbers very closely.
Also, you usually see one or two freshmen drop off the
roster after the first week or so. It happens to just about every Ivy team
every year. This is generally unavoidable in a league where quitting the team
has no effect on your admission to the school.
What are Columbia’s top priorities for this training camp?
Everything.
When you go 0-10 the previous season and aren’t really
competitive in even one game, you do have to work on everything.
But I know even Head Coach Pete Mangurian agrees with me when I say the offensive line needs
the most work. If QB Brett Nottingham isn’t protected and decent running lanes
aren’t opened in 2014, another 0-10 season is more than a little likely.
I wish there were more time to prepare for the season, but
that “training camp” title for what begins today is kind of a misnomer.
Sure, there are some intense stretches of workouts and
practices. But this is still the Ivy League, and prep and practice time is
still heavily regulated. Throw in the lost time the freshmen endure because of
mandatory orientation events, and prep time crunch is even tighter.
The extra lost time for the freshmen is the biggest problem,
since training camp is really their first best chance to shine. It’s amazing
that any freshman gets on the field at all when you realize how they fall
further behind in “exposure time” until the regular season begins.
I still hold out hope for some answers in the coming two
weeks. One big question I have is will the running back position really be
filled by junior Cameron Molina, or
will a freshman end up getting the job? Of course, every starting slot with a
few exceptions is still a question mark, but that’s my biggest curiousity so
far.
And there’s always the hope that there won’t be any
significant injuries in camp that make things even harder for a team with a lot
of hills to climb.
5 comments:
Molina has earned a shot to be the starter. He's the most qualified on the roster at this point. Watson should still get carries but the overall question is, can the O find any rhythm. We know the line has to be proven. The offensive overall needs to stay on the field, pick up first downs and find balance or it will put too much pressure on the defense. If they can get some momentum they have a chance to hang in some games.
It's Molina's job PERIOD. His problems in the past were fumbles and pass protection. Those have been abated. He's much faster than Watson and has better vision. Watson is a straight line runner.
You don't even know your own team danny. I only want the best for Molina but show me a play he has not run straight ahead OR (to your point) turned the corner. He has potential and certainly the physical tools but to say he is faster than Watson is ridiculous. I am over 3000 miles away and even with pixelation it is clear Watson is the speed back of the 2. You are just baiting.
Al, Molina runs a 4.5 forty. Watson runs a 4.7. The laser doesn't lie. Sorry to dissapoint you.
Sure it does because ain't nobody on that team running a 4.5 in pads. Maybe the distance was 35 yards, but if we had 4.5 than we would see longer runs or our rb's just have poor vision.
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