Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Weighty Issues



The CU Roster has now updated the player weights.

I am trying to remain calm.

Let's cut right to the chase and talk about the Offensive Line, a unit that Head Coach Pete Mangurian has consistently insisted on keeping much lighter than our Ivy opponents.

It still is too light.

1) Keith Ramljak, a projected starter at Left Tackle, is DOWN 14 lbs. to 257 from 271 last year. Great.

2) Some of the other key returnees are still too light. Kendall Pace is at 273 lbs, Billy Lawrence is up to just 275, and Marshall Markham is 270.

3) Freshman DL David Donovan has the most dramatic weight change, and it too is down. He's now at 214 lbs. from a reported 240 when he committed.

4) Freshman QB Anders Hill was 210 when he committed, and at 6-4 I was hoping he'd bulk up just a bit. Nope, he's now down 10 pounds to 191.

5) Freshman TE Bailey Popeck is down 11 pounds from 240 to 229.

6) Freshman DB Dylan Weldon is down 12 pounds to 168.

7) Sophomore DL William Carson is down 13 pounds to 270.

8) I guess the news isn't all bad. DT Niko Padilla is up to 288 lbs. from 276. I assure you, that extra weight isn't flab. He should truly be a force.

9) Sophomore Anthony Bonadies is still at 294, making him the heaviest guy on the team.

69 comments:

Jake said...

Yeah, I think we can safely say Callahan, (who has been moved to the defense), is not 70 pounds. If he is, please call child services and/or 911.

Unknown said...

Jake you've written twice that the projected starter at LT is Ramljak. Checking with my sources and they tell me he's not projected as a starter on the line at any position.

oldlion said...

Maybe Pete is trying to emulate the service academies on the OL. They usually are outweighed by 50 pounds on the OL. Navy has made it work, not Army.

Unknown said...

Looks like the updated weights have been taken own. Personally, I do not care what they weigh as long as they play strong. I hope the entire team emulates Padilla. I will root for guys that play with heart all day no matter what the score. Like they used to say in the military, "find a way to win, stop sucking now". Go Lions!

Unknown said...

My above post is not advocating small lines. I am a huge proponent of large lineman. I just want us to start dictating the tempo for a change.

Anonymous said...

Danny,
What happened to the 40 yard
list? If you're waiting for any kind of explaination of how he rationalizes his comments on this blog to come from the Wingman, give it up.
Most of the time he makes great statements. Other times
he just plain confuses me.

Unknown said...

Alawicius made a good point about not posting the bottom 10 so as not to embarrass any of the players. I'll post the fastest 10.

Big Dawg said...

We shouldn't ignore another possibility. It's a fact of life that stats are exaggerated,especially in HS.

So your "300 lb" incoming freshman may very well have actually weighed 280. At the college level, I would tend to trust the posted weights year over year. But not the frosh figures compared to previous HS weights.

Anonymous said...

Danny,
I for one would like to see more than the fastest 10.
40 #s for linemen are useless.
Still convinced that 20 yd shuttle speed is a telling number for ALL
Positions.
Pat

Anonymous said...

Can not believe that the 2014 roster with the new pics and stats would be taken down because of comments on this blog by Jake.

Pat

Unknown said...

Roane 4.42
Molina 4.49
Hill 4.52
Briscoe 4.55
Hollis 4.56
Augie 4.57
Dunn 4.60
Watson 4.61
Thaxton 4.61
Reim 4.69

Unknown said...

5-10-5 shuttle (olineman) fastest
Thomas 4.54
Pace 4.55

Unknown said...

Big Dawg, you are leaving out the biggest "Pink Elephant" in the room. 300lb freshman lineman are too heavy. They can't move and have no speed. The ones that are the exception go to Alabama and the like. When you see a lineman with kankles and their shin goes into their cleat it's a problem. Spread offenses were designed because many programs couldn't get road graders that could move their feet worth a damn. Lighter lineman don't bother me at Columbia because PM wants guys who can move forward and laterally and that can get to the second level. Many of the guys gained weight (muscle) just not 20lbs like many may have wished. The Columbia line is athletic and better understands the offense. Now shoot me with both barrels

Jake said...

I don't think the updated roster went down because of the blog. It looks like they had technical issues.

As far as our line goes, I can't believe that anyone would be proud of our weight numbers considering what we've seen the last two years. You don't get any wins for getting your O-linemen under 280... in fact, at Columbia, I mean that literally, we didn't GET ANY WINS! I'm sure you noticed. Everyone knows our O-line was a dangerous joke last season and it also happened to be the lightest. Now, maybe it will be better this year, but the fact that our key players are coming on light again should offer no one any renewed confidence.

Anonymous said...

Conditioning drills and other measures of athleticism are useful up to a point. BUT any kind of team orchestration will come down to game planning, as I have been chirping since last season as I watched the wheels come off from game 1.

Regardless of a player's weight or body fat there is the matter of how this staff actually prepares these guys for the level of competition. Thus far I am interpreting this staff thinks they can do as they please with their personnel. The quality of preparation is where this team will either fail or manage to surprise and be able to hang in games.

Anonymous said...

Danny,
Seems to me that the quickest OL men should be guards, not a center and a tackle.
Those 20 times are very good for big guys.
Thanks.

Pat

oldlion said...

The best Princeton OL is all Ivy left tackle Spencer Huston, from Summit NJ. He is listed at 6'4" and 270, and a family friend has told me that he actually weighs less than 270. I would like five Spencer Hustons , even at 270 or less.

Jake said...

Training camp started 9 days ago. We still have not one report, none. All we've had are a few pics on Twitter that show us nothing. Same Old Lions. Same old indifference to the fans. We are a loser program in every possible department.

Jake said...

By contrast, look at what Harvard does on its site to promote the program and give fans a taste of camp. Look at how HYP promote their players for awards. Then look again at our site. We still have a pic of our players raking dog shit out of a city park. It's such a stark contrast that it is indeed laughable.

Jake said...

But wait, I shouldn't forget that we DO get quality information from a fan who gets unimportant info from one of the juvenile assistant coaches. This is what passes for fan info.

Anonymous said...

Well, that info is coming from a command center - a whopping 8000 sq ft command center. So at least there's that.

you know what is funny is I run into CU grads all the time, most of them are in some form of silicon valley finance. Not a single one cares a wink about the football program. i get a blank stare and have to shift the conversation.

Unknown said...

Jealous Jake? My unimportant info is more than you report and at least my info is accurate. You report stuff that I know to be false and sometimes I correct it for the forum and sometimes I don't. But hey, to each his own.

Unknown said...

By the way Jake, I'm not stupid. You are not going to bait me into releasing program info of high importance. I'm a friend to the program. Do your job and get some juvenile coaching sources.

Jake said...

There's only one stat worth reporting: 0-10. And that's accurate and more important than all the rest. 'Nuff said.

Jake said...

You don't get it. I don't want sensitive info. I want the program to do some PR and not just a week or do before the season. And not in the comments section on this blog via someone getting info via an immature asst coach. We want real player potholes and build ups for the players like almost all the other schools do. For Padilla especially. And it's already so late. We want to see this on the official site and yesterday. But nothing. It's an embarrassment all around.

Jake said...

Player profiles not potholes. But potholes is what we get.

Unknown said...

Well I was at the scrimmage yesterday and saw the teams with my own eyes. Since it's unimportant I'll just report the gist of what I saw. The first team offense destroyed the first team defense. 5 scores on 5 drives and no turnovers or sacks. The second team offense was not very effective and had several turnovers and negative plays. This is the last scrimmage of training camp and camp will be over Monday.

Roar Lion said...

The light OL arguments would be more persuasive if we actually ran a spread offense or a no-huddle, and were using speed and fitness as an advantage against heavier, slower opponents. But we don't do that. Remember, we had the best running QB in the Ivies two years ago and Pete forbid him from running! He sat in the pocket and got the hell beat out of him, while completing 50% of his passes throwing under constant pressure.
This year, we have a true drop back passer with a big arm, not a runner, and we are going to form a pocket for him with a light OL! The same linemen with the same philosophy got trampled last year. We turned in the worst performance by an offense in CU history, scoring-wise, despite having an all-Ivy RB. So why exactly is anyone defending this OL philosophy?



Big Dawg said...

Too much sniping.

Danny, your info, if correct, is much appreciated by all.

Jake's comments re PR and general info are right on the money as well. Why are we left in a black hole and treated like a necessary evil? (Not just this blog but all fans)

Every other program I know goes out of its way to kiss the public's butt; not CU. Maybe because they're too good?

Danny, I'm not giving you both barrels, per above, because you misinterpreted my earlier comment. I simply wanted to point out the undependability of HS stats. If a guy can be a beast as a tackle @ 220 lbs, good for him. I just don't think that's ever going to happen @ CU.

In the meantime, I have only one adamant position re football; Let's see what year 3 brings, hoping for the best and prepared to pull out all stops in the event of another disaster.

Jake said...

This is what passes for sports pr and information from this program. The reports from a fan who doesn't identify himself and it's still only found in the comment section of blog. Danny, it's not that your info is wrong or right, it's that you're the one disseminating it in this ridiculous way. Do the other coaches know you're doing this? Do they condone it? Are they frustrated that the actual official ad website is so terribly lame? Are you actually working on their behalf? This team and program are the laughingstock of the Ivies and all of college football precisely because of what you're doing now.

Unknown said...

Jake, I'm just trying to get the information out there to you and the alums. Although I enjoy getting under you guys skin it's still info for the benefit of the forum. If you don't want me to post football info on the site then what is your blog for?

Jake said...

Feel free to post info, just try to keep it in the proper perspective. This is not how we should be getting info of any kind. And try to not forget how much of an embarrassing failure this coaching staff has been so far. If they turn it around this season, then great... but if they do it isn't going to be because we had the lightest line in the league or we had a super-fast freshman DB who may or may touch the ball at any time.

Anonymous said...

Danny,
My source says no 40 times taken yet.
Also, no 20 shuttles times taken.
Where are you getting these numbers?
Also, different feedback on yesterday's
scrimage.

WOF said...

Danny

Jake is 100% right that you seem to be the only source of information from the program. Doesn't that seem odd to you?

Also, roar line beat me to it about your light linemen/spread offense concept. PM runs a traditional drop back/play action offense, doesn't he? I agree that our lineman don't necessarily need to be 300 lbs but if you are arguing that we don't need big guys because we run the spread I am totally confused.

Big Dawg, great comment that we (aqnd all the CU fnas) are treated like a necessary evil. How in the world does PM not get that seling the program is important? It is mind boggling!

Anonymous said...

Jake,
My posts are not showing on blog.
Trying to ask Danny where he is getting 40 and 20 times. My guy says no 40 or 20 times tested recently.

Pat

Anonymous said...

Danny,
Where are you getting your numbers from?
My guy says no 40 or 20 tests recorded recently.

Pat

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the repeats. Big delays in seeing published comments.

Pat

Seeunt said...

even if those times for the 40 and shuttle are correct, how does one explain the oline getitng beaten repeatedly last year? if the tackle has such great lateral movement skills what happened? technique? ok, but we have a pro oline coach!
the 40's are nice, but i would prefer game speed to 40 times. i have seen kids with average 40 times become absolute beasts on the field because they have instincts and game speed, which cannot be measured only seen..kind of like a Columbia game plan that actually works

Unknown said...

Those times were done 2 weeks ago. Preliminary times were done in July and then done again when everyone returned. I saw the PDF myself.

alawicius said...

Jake, quit being such a goddamn crybaby. New revised weights are out and they look real good (although Isiah Gross not listed??). This team will be better than you or anyone thinks.

Unknown said...

Pat, they did the 5-10-5 shuttles on the same day they took pictures. Conducted all tests that same week.

alawicius said...

Danny, good to have you here, you're one of the few truly positive voices on the blog. Would love to hear more details about the scrimmage, especially the skill positions. Sounds like the offense has improved which is most important. Feel free to write to me at: alawicius@aol.com. , same for my good buddy Chick and anyone else who wants to shoot the breeze.

Seeunt said...

Here is what we know
-we return off the worst record ever
-we have the same coach
-we have, what looks to be, an average recruiting class on paper relative to other Ivy schools
-we still have no insights into what we have changed if anything
-we do not have size up front to stage a massive running game and do not have a two dimensional qb to run the spread
-we have a house divided among alums and players on the team
Wow, this all sounds like a recipe for winning...wait, actually just sounds like same old Columbia football

Seeunt said...

Also, I find it hard to believe that our offense is so far in front of our defense since any coach worth his weight in salt would tell you the defense gels faster than the offense.
I put little faith in mr. White's description of the scrimmage and if by some hand of Zeus this is true than we better be able to score a lot of points because our defense must really be bad....no our offense is not that good much to the chagrin of the snake charmers on this blog

oldlion said...

If Nottingham is on the field and throwing I would not be surprised if the offense is ahead of the defense. I also think that Pete has imposed radio silence, both for himself and the team. Mast season there was a lot of preseason information, most of it harmful. Now he wants everything under wraps. And on the weight of the OL, I don't see any response to my post about all Ivy LT Spencer Huston at 6'4" and an inflated 270. So I don't necessarily agree that we need 5 300 pounders if they can't get out of their own way.

Unknown said...

Seeunt, do you think before you type? Are you saying that 100% of the time defenses are ahead of the offense in camp? It couldn't be that the offensive players better understand the offense and with a healthy QB are better able to execute? Since you were not at the scrimmage to see for yourself, why make such assertions? It comes off as assinine.

Jake said...

Old Lion: Princeton runs the spread and has an extremely mobile QB. That's what makes Huston good for their program. With a drop back QB set, he and his 270 pound ilk are less effective.

Jake said...

Again, Nottingham is not mobile. And even if he were, Pete wouldn't let him run as he did to Brackett who was left to get pummeled regularly. Pete is married to his lighter O-line philosophy even though it got him fired eisewhere. He's also married to the drop back set to a fault. Any coach will tell you that a drop back set with no inside running game and a lighter O-line is a recipe for disaster. And last year that's exactly what it was. And in 2012, it wasn't much better. So let's repeat: 1) Pete's dumb lighter O-line mania got him fired in Atlanta and Tampa Bay and caused near fistfights between him and players and other asst coaches with the Giants. It also led to an historic 0-10 season with 73 total points scored last year. In the face of all that overwhelming evidence, Pete is staying this course straight toward the next iceberg. 2) Pete is also the only head coach in the Ivies devoted to a drop back set with an immobile QB look. Had enough yet?

Anonymous said...

Danny,
Either you have a photographic memory or you have a copy of the 40 and 20 times.
How about releasing another 10 or 20?
Thanks.
Pat



Anonymous said...

In the case of Princeton, what you have is a savvy QB (Epperly) who can move around. Their OL is trained to move with him. This is what CU is missing. Nottingham's big arm is handy if they can execute plays from the pocket. They have to give him time to avoid pressure - not roll him out or force him to run. I disagree weight is the core of the issue. You don't want guys too light of course or they get steamrolled but any OL in the FCS should be able to handle the opposition and give their QB time to execute. Otherwise you have no football team. It's a talent, coaching and recruiting issue to get the right guys in there.

Did anyone notice Villanova almost took out Syracuse in double OT? 26-27.

Anonymous said...

Danny,
If you have a copy of the stats,or have a photographic memory, please add another 10/20 times to the 40s list and a bunch of the 20s.
Thanks.
Pat

Unknown said...

Pat, I had the fastest 10 and the slowest 10 as well as the Oline and Dline 5-10-5 shuttles. Alawisius made a good point about not posting the slowest 10 so as not to embarrass any players. After posting the info I deleted the email. I can tell you, per my source, that the overall team speed is great. We have two olineman with sub 5.0 40's. The entire secondary is sub 4.75. He told me that's outstanding for the Ivy's and many FBS programs.

Seeunt said...

Dear Danny,
I missed you so much.
I have yet to see an offense be ahead of the defense when the offensive players have not been a cohesive unit for a period of time, which happens to be the case at CU where poor Nottingham was basically killed with that lovely offensive line we had against Fordham. What has changed? The players are have not spent years together, our online, one would think could only get better, but then again that may not be possible with inferior coaching, the Jenny Craig bulk up methodology, and gaps in scheme that a semi could get through, and many did get through last year.
If the offense is ahead of the defense we have serious problems because I am sure our offense is not great which by definition means our defense must really be bad.
So stop calling me names and stop with the dribble you try to pass off as information and that you are in the know because most of your comments are useless to people on this blog who are actually trying to get a handle on what is going on with CU football.
You insult most yet offer no real football intelligence to this blog. Perhaps you are the tennis player mow coaching football...wait that is one of the Cu football coaches. Regardless of who you are, don't bother me with your childish summaries of the scrimmage or times guys ran because it does mot matter..what matters is wins and you got none and that is all that matters. As the quote goes, if you ain't first you are last...

alawicius said...

Seeunt, you're a grunt, stay on the bench, we don't need you on the field, you bring nothing to the game.

Dsnny, thanks for taking my point about not publishing the slowest times. The players have more than enough to deal with already
It's to Pete's credit that nearly all of them are back, remember they don't have to play to stay in school. I think they think they can win now that the.Sheriff is back in town.

Unknown said...

Seeunt, I stopped reading your rant after the first few lines. It's just too many words on a holiday.

WOF said...

The best news out of all of this is that in about 13 weeks we all know for certain if Pete is the right coach or not...

I will be among many who will be very disappointed if we wasted another one or two win season and embark on yet another prolonged rebuild and thrilled if Pete proves us all wrong and we go .500 or better

Anonymous said...

I agree with the above. Seeunt you sound an awful like another poster from a year or two that was a negitive blow hard with nothing to add to the blog.
Last year is over. 19/20 year olds do change a lot.
If Nottingham is putting the ball where it needs to be than the offense is way ahead of the D.
Pass D is way more complicated than running patterns.
Pat

Unknown said...

Hey weight fanatics, good news. Those listed weights were taken from the beginning of camp. Since then with the lifting 2x a day and training table with energy providing and bulking foods provided 4x a day have put an additional 5-10 pounds on most players. There is only one starting olineman less than 275lbs and 2 of the starters are over 280lbs.

Anonymous said...

speed is good, healthy body fat ratio is good, light on your feet and able to deliver open field tackles is good, drills are good, scrimmages, etc.

The real questions are how this team will execute against someone other than themselves and with actual competition standing in their way. So I'm not real clear on understanding the need for times and other inconsequential data. What are the specific changes observed in camp and mentioned by the coaching staff that will make this year's team competitive?

Unknown said...

Al, inconsequential info directly deals with all the rhetoric and complaining on this blog. The weight of the line was a big deal to many. Now that it has been addressed its inconsequential. Moving the goal post I see!

Anonymous said...

Danny,
Great job with the times!
I have also heard Nottingham is sharp and the WRs are catching the ball.
Both Fordham and Monmouth scored 50+ on Saturday.
Going to be tough playing them with so many games under their belts,

Seeunt said...

pat and danny, it is funny how you both deflect the real question that keeps being asked...what has changed to afford this team a chance to win?

you guys are smoke and mirrors and really get off on being sycophants.

what exactly have either of you added to this blog. absolutely nothing, say it again.

the weight issue has not been addressed, the lack of coaching has not been addressed, the lack of information has not been addressed, and yes danny and pat your passing of the runs of information, literally runs, does not classify as anything more than propaganda has not been addressed. where some players are now has not been addressed, the reason why certain kids do not dress while others do has not been addressed.
i do like how the people who questioned things last year are blowhards...what are the people who did not question anything called? Let me guess, winners?

Chick said...

Seeunt, I like your spirit, humor and refusal to back down.
I feel everybody on this board wants the team to win, but the Pollyannas are willing to just wait and wait. They go by the motto that this a new season, even though the previous 60 have mostly been the same. Sure I believe in having hope or I wouldn't be here.

Thing is that hope, especially after many decades, has to be based on some shred of evidence. We get none from the coach and Admin, no communication, No sharing of any kind, not even hope. Guess they don't have any. No, I don't want PM to publish his game plans, play lists or how he intends to make optimal use of the talent he has in this group of players.
But I would like some assurance that he has plans to mold them into a well-functioning team, not overnight but soon, and that the Admin gives a damn.

What we get is jazz about some kids who allegedly can run a little faster than others, which is leaked by insiders who require anonymity because the AD does not authorize them to speak publicly about anything
optimistic about football, because.....there isn't anything? Why is anyone surprised that hope may be disappearing?

WOF said...

How in the world did the team, let alone Danny, address the weigtht issue?

Just a week ago his argument was that small lines are good for teams that run the spread. He ignored the posts from some of us asking why that matters since we don't run the spread, so that was a ridiculous post.

Now a week later he says that he has good news for us becuase some of the linemen have gained 10 lbs.

How in the world can our administration be satisfied with the way Pete has handled things? His team has been awful and his public relations possibly worse, and that is really saying something.

Can it be any more obvious they just don't care?

alawicius said...

WOF & Co. , I adamantly disagree that the administration doesn't care. Ever hear of the Campbell Center? You don't break ground for a project like that unless you care. And we loyal Lions also need to remember that not everyone loves football, and that our beloved alma mater is first and foremost an academic institution.

WOF said...

I think it is quite clear that our beloved alma mater cares about our academics, with that they spare no expense.

So you are saying that our football facilities and our athletic facilities as a whole are at the top of the Ivies?

I wholeheartedly disagree with that. If you could see Penn's facilities alone you would realize we aren't at the forefront. Its not even close..

Anonymous said...

Nothing wrong with having a new stadium and facilities. The problems with the program go way beyond a stadium discussion. Well documented outside this thread.

Brown's stadium is crap BTW and they get a small handful of spectators I'm sure everyone here knows that and Yale's stadium is just a bit aged as well as Harvard's stadium.



alawicius said...

WOF, you are infiltrating my post with your own agenda. Did I say we are at the "top of the league" with respect to facilities? No, I did not, only that we are trying. And I believe that we'll see the fruit of those efforts before we head for the Big Lions' Den in the sky, maybe even in the next year or two.

WOF said...

I am not trying to infiltrate you, trying to get you to understand our point of view. I get that you are blindly loyal and optimistic and I respect that. But too many of us have been there, done that, and we are through. We are no longer satisfied with " we are trying" and those of us who have lived through less than simple mediocrity for 30, 40, 50, 60 years just don't buy that line anymore. We want to hear "we are committed to excellence". We want to see us try to be at the top of the Ivies in sports just like we are in academics but the school does not do that. We have never heard anything close to a commitment to be the best, and we have never seen it, not once, in all these years...

To add insult to injury we have a coach who has put out an awful product for two years and seems to think we have no right to call him on it. He takes none of the blame...