Chris Rippon
When the excellent defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa left the Lions after last season it was definitely not a good omen.
Lempa was one of the best assistant coaches on all of the Ivies and the best coaching hire Pete Mangurian has made to date.
But when Mangurian brought in Chris Rippon to take the job we were told he was a great "get."
Yeah, not so much.
Once again, let's compare the stats of the 2013 Columbia defense to the last 0-10 Ivy team, the 2008 Dartmouth Big Green.
Remember, Dartmouth's defense that year was universally considered to be the WEAKER of the two units that season.
Columbia 2013 Defense vs. Dartmouth 2008 Defense
Points Allowed
CU ‘13: 402
Dartmouth ‘08: 343
1st Downs Allowed
CU ‘13: 272
Dartmouth ‘08: 230
Rushing Yards Allowed
CU ‘13: 2,429
Dartmouth ‘08: 2,310
Passing Yards Allowed
CU ‘13: 2,712
Dartmouth ‘08: 2,207
Opponent TD/INT Ratio
CU ‘13: 24/5
Dartmouth ‘08: 15/7
Total Yards Allowed
CU ‘13: 5,141
Dartmouth ‘08: 4,517
Touchdowns Allowed
CU ‘13: 52
Dartmouth ‘08: 46
Yep, that's pretty ugly.
54 comments:
It's not fair to judge Rippon on the basis of a comparison of the 2013 CU defense and the 2008 Dartmouth defense. Rippon had nothing to do with the 2008 Dartmouth defense. However, he was the defensive coordinator of the 2012 Marshall defense. Marshall's defense gave up 517 points in 12 games for an average of 43 points per game (a school record). Compare this to CU's 2013 403 points (a school record) in 10 games for an average of only 40 points per game. Clearly, Rippon defenses smash school records wherever he goes. Also, the reduction of average points scored from 43 in 2012 at Marshall to only 40 in 2013 at CU shows that CU got MORE than it had a right to expect from Rippon.
Now I feel better... not.
I would like to know what this guy's eating habits are so I can critique them.
wow!
WTF?
2008 Dartmouth offense was weak, but not gadawaful. 2008 Dartmouth defense was one of the worst ever.
Jake,
I used to eagerly read your blog (daily) for more information on my beloved and beleaguered Lion Football Team. You were the most fanatical fan we had and your research especially about recruits was fun to read all year long. Others found your opinions too critical and controversial for their tastes, but I defended your right to make them. (WTF: it’s a free country.)
Earlier this year as the 2013 season disaster worsened, I commented that I thought your ego was getting in the way of your reporting. Recently you have “recruited” a group of alumni who are fed up with 50 years of terrible results. You have also had a tremendous upsurge in comments which contain vulgar ad hominem attacks by people we only know as “anonymous”. That they are all disgruntled parents is only one of several possibilities. The dialog has become coarse and very disagreeable.
Your posts are now more about you and your perception of how the “powers that be” are ignoring you and therefore how stupid and (unbalanced) they must be. You are now posting information about next fall’s incoming class with a real snarky bent.
I prepared the above prior to the . Perhaps you now see that others agree with me that you have lost your way. Let me just paraphrase: “At long last, have you no decency?”
There is no difference between anonymous and joc/doc.
Jock/Doc- criticizing "anonymous" postings is hypocritical. And you are? Isn't there something in the bible about "stones" and "sins"??? Hmmm?
Yes, agreed that too many posts have become too personal (sans the PM "fat" article because of the irony).
As far as analyzing the recruiting, the guy simply doesn't have an eye for talent! Nobody who has committed thus far is of any substance. None of these guys have offers from good FCS programs. Just look ar rivals.com and see what the other Ivies have for their incoming classes. Unless we get a handful of three and four star recruits (like the other schools), PM has screwed us (again) and set the program back even further!
Pete recruits Student Athletes... The other Ivies recruit Athletic Students. There is a HUGE difference and we saw it on the field this year. Thus far, we are seeing more of the same...
I think Pete is recruiting these guys because it's the best he can do based on an 0-10 season. There will probably be some winners amongst them nonetheless.
that is absolutely not true. every Ivy League school and every quality university recruits student athletes. Columbia is always a little behind the 8 ball because of history. you need a good sell for the football program.
You guys simply don't get it! It amazes me year in and year out. It is NOT hard to recruit at Columbia at all!!! Go to any prep-school in the Northeast (where Harvard and Yale "hide" their post-graduates) and you can get a GREAT team. The prep-school chain should extend through NJ as well (Lawrenceville, Blair Academy, etc.). Pete just doesn't make the rounds like the other coaches do. And when his staff does, they don’t judge good talent; it’s that simple. Who cares about TX, FL, or CA, all of those bubble kids are doing PG years at Avon Old Farms, Choate, Lawrenceville, Andover, etc.. We are the 4th rated college in the nation (although I believe we should be 1st), THAT is what is selling the school. It's not a 15-20 min bus ride. It's not the facilities. All of those comments are convenient excuses.
Another excuse is when Pete’s Coaching Staff says that Norries left the cupboard bare. How convenient to explain the worst season in Ivy League history. Pete has convinced the administration, BC, the yes-man Tellier and some alums that was the case. You can say what you want about Norries (and I agree we should have let him go), but he never would have lost that many games (and by those margins).
PM owns several IVY/CU records now and those records will only be broken if another Ivy school is stupid enough to hire this guy; or Dianne takes over at another Ivy school and re-hires him.
Jock/Doc you are the king of projection! You say the posts have become all about Jake but that makes no sense. He never writes about himself at all. The last three posts have been about potential recruits, the fact that Manguruan has put on big time weight even as he pushes his players to foolishly lose too much weight, and now a very simple listing of objective stats. What is really happening is that YOU want the posts to be all about what YOU want, which I suspect is just a lot of rah rah stuff that gets us nowhere. So you come up with some kind of crazy idea that Jake has made the blog about him. No one else sees that. I know you've posted the same ego accusation on the VOY board too. It's senseless and stupid. Not a word once this blog is dedicated to himself or self-promotion. In fact it's quite the opposite.
Rich '66
Does anyone know the NCAA regs concerning speaking with HS athletes?
I understand that alums can't reach out unless the kid initiates an inquiry. It would be good to understand, so anyone wishing to help recruit can do so appropriately.
Also, I'm curious as to why we have NEVER been reached out to by the athletic dept (any regime, not just the current) for help in recruiting. Interesting, no?
My recollection of an offer from Yale to an athelete that was just short on test scores, was commit and we will set you up at one of the above mentioned prep schools. Not sure about the tuition. Guess some kind of FB scholarship.
Alums have sent in info about kids in the past and have had them rejected..see skinner who played at fordham and then in the pro's. I believe Norries group said he was not good enough.
Otherwise it appears that the staff's have not initiated contact regarding players..
Have you noticed that the comments to these coach reviews swiftly change the subject to Jake's imagined shortcomings or recruiting or anything other than the performance of the coach in question? Of course, it's the work of the AD's trolls but it's also the fact that you can't really discuss performances as historically abysmal as our offense and defense last season. What is there to say? In a case like this, the entire staff should have been allowed to resign with some dignity at the end of last season. The fact that they are still around is embarrassing, for themselves and the school. Are they really going to show up on the sideline at Baker Field next season only to endure the inevitable chants from the crowd for their dismissal? Isn't the situation ugly enough now?
Rules are firm. The following is partial content from the NCAA. For full rules, do a search.
Only NCAA certified coaches and university staff members can be involved in the recruiting process. Boosters and other representatives of athletics interests are prohibited from making contact, (in person on or off campus, by phone, fax, or letter) with a prospective student-athlete for the purpose of encouraging participation in collegiate athletic programs.
The prospective student-athlete remains a prospect even after signing a National Letter of Intent or financial aid award.
The prospect does not lose this status until the start of classes or until the official beginning of team practice prior to the start of classes.
IMPERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
A booster may not have any contact with a prospective student-athlete. Contact includes phone calls, letters, and faxes.
A booster may not provide tickets, transportation, or room and board for a prospect, coach, or relative to visit the campus.
A booster may not entertain in any way or give gifts, benefits, and free or reduced services to any prospect, coach or relative.
A booster may not contact a prospect’s coach, principal, or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospect.
PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES:
A booster may view a prospect’s game as long as no contact is made.
If an established relationship already exists between booster and prospect, the relationship may continue as long as these relationships are not for recruitment purposes.
If unavoidable incidental contact occurs, only normal greetings may take place.
A booster may receive calls from prospective student-athletes only if the prospect initiates the call and no recruitment takes place during the conversation. Limit only information to the university in general.
According to this article he also set points against records at Marshall as DC: http://www.goherd.com/football/1113-rippon-resigns-as-marshall-s-defensive-coordinator
Let's face it we have bottom of the barrel coaches who have bad track records. Some are ex-=collegiate tennis players (OC) and some just have extremely poor records as their bposition coaches. What do you expect? This is npota personal attach, these are just facts. Why don't we hgave a JV team? Obviously these coaches can't handle the committment (that all other Ivy coaches can somehow execute). I hope the next HC brings back the JV program...
Interesting parallel with Kyle Smith in what I believe is his fourth season. I like what he is doing now that he has a few big men who can run and score. Watching his court side manner and his game time coaching, and listening to him in interviews, I am cautiously optimistic that at least in one of the two showcase sports we may have found the right combination.
OldLion- In a nutshell, Kyle Smith is the ray tellier of basketball. He's a nice guy, GREAT family man (sat with him at HC, but just a poor recruiter and bad coach. Has he had some statement wins? yes, Villanova, Harvard, but overall a disappointment. last year he was supposed to finish second, and he came in last. Basketall should be the EASIEST spoort to get good recruits. Look at Ammaker's roster, he's got 3-4 kids from NE Prep schools (Northfield Mt. Herman seems to be a feeder school). Just an FYI, Max Hooper from St. Johns, PG'd at NMH, went to Harvard for a year and then transfered to St. Johns. the point is that there is talent in those schools. We have no 3-4 star revcruits. yes, the guard from Archbiship Molly will be a nice addition, however, he's not in yet. He still needs to take the SATs again from what I heard.
Rich '66
Thx, Wingman.
I'm thinking of the college fairs our Alum recruiting (ARC) at various HS. I'm in ARC, and would like to tout sports in addition to normal topics.
Also, possible contact w/HS coaches who could refer kids to me for info.
I just don't want to screw things up any more than they are now.
Luke Petrasek chose Columbia over other D-I schools.
C.J. Davis chose Columbia over Stanford.
Kyle Castlin is listed as a Georgia All-State.
It's one thing to be a fan. But the notion that the Smith is anything other than an excellent coach is just nuts.
Re Kyle Smith and last season: if Smith could be accused of anything last year it was being too loyal to his seniors, specifically Barbour who was injured and not himself, and Cisco who had regressed.
Rich '66
Back to Jake's initial point,
Here's a quote from Marshall U:
On defense this year, Rippon's last, Marshall finished with 517 points allowed.
That number topped the school record of 411 scored by foes in a 3-9 season under former Coach Mark Snyder in 2007, when the Herd allowed 34.25 points per game.
Marshall’s average score against per game in 2012 was 43.08 for 12 games and 517 points allowed, topping the former school worst of 38.33 by former Coach Carl Shipley’s 1-7-1 Marshall team in 1917.
So, what does this say or not say about how qualifications are judged?
Big Dawg, what can you tell us about Marshall's personnel, schedule, offense, game planning, and whether Rippon as defensive coordinator was fee to run the defense as he thought best. as well as what was going on in the program at the time? What can you tell us about Rippon's prior football experience and his football acumen? What happened at his interviews? Who else was available and willing to come to Columbia at the time? What was Mangurian's reasoning and expectation when Rippon was hired? No one can answer your question without that information, at least not with a reasoned and informed answer. Those of us who have had experience and learned from it know that results often don't tell the whole story, whether in sports, business or politics. The how and why are necessary most of the time to understand the what.
OldLion- Both points very true, however, with the talent that they had, they NEVER should have come in last! Furthermore, a good coach would have known how to react to Cisco and being too loyal. A loine has to be drawn if you want to succeed. Again, a GREAT guy, but he's had more than enough time to make a difference, yet nothing...
We've all liked what Coach Smith has been doing, but where are the wins?
Several weeks ago I mentioned that any new AD would come from a successful coach and that there were not any major sport coaches at CU with personality and winning records.
Someone countered that coach Smith had all of the above. Now, is this not true? My point then was that DM did not want to hire her potential replacement.
Is that theory back on the flag pole?
For people who insist that juniors and seniors are better, at least in football if not in basketball, you folks have a remarkably short fuse. Smith's sophomore cohort is effectively just his second recruiting class (he recruited Osetowski and Rosenberg, but was just getting the feel of recruiting in Ivy League). I expect this cohort will propel us to our first winning record in decades this year, and with the normal maturation process + the new recruits, we should be up near the top next.
"...what can you tell us about Marshall's personnel, schedule, offense, game planning......"
Not a hell of a lot. :-)
I don't have to. What I can state without too much difficulty is the record (again, the infuriating "record" which all you apologists prefer to ignore in favor of metaphysical concepts) that our current DC has pulled off almost a perfect duplicate at CU of his most recent season at Marshall; record setting failure.
I don't know how else you can spin that, but we all want to see you go for it. C'mon; make us proud.
"Those of us who have had experience and learned from it know that results often don't tell the whole story, whether in sports, business or politics."
I love these hilarious defenses of 0-10 by the AD's trolls. So we laymen lack the information and training to understand that 0-10 may very well be the product of a gifted coaching staff's brilliant preparation and game management. Look, 0-10 means that we don't have to "understand" the coaches' shortcomings; 0-10 means "Go. Good-bye. No discussion. Get out."
Last season's performance by the coaching staff was the equivalent of a Columbia biology professor turning to a colleague at a conference and saying "Who's this Darwin guy they keep talking about?" It's that disgraceful.
There are records, and then there are records.
Mangurian was 0-10.
Jake attacked Mangurian for being overweight.
There's nothing metaphysical about that.
Ok, "Big Dawg", let's debate. First, I'm not defending an 0-10 record. I said nothing about that. I was stating the obvious, that without knowing the circumstances of the record at Marshall, you cannot know the degree to which Rippon was responsible for it. Without knowing that, you can't criticize his hiring. And I was chiding you for your laziness in speaking up without informing yourself first.
Does this record make a difference in your analysis: "During Rippon's tenure at Syracuse, the Orange produced many record setting performances on defense that translated into one of the top eras in Syracuse history. His 1999 defensive unit was one of the nation's top-15 defenses throughout the season and the following year Syracuse ranked in the Top 25 nationally in multiple defensive categories. The 2001 SU defense accumulated an impressive 40 quarterback sacks, the second most in school history, and forced 30 turnovers, the most takeaways during Paul Pasqualoni's coaching tenure at SU.
While coaching at Syracuse, Rippon was on the coaching staff of teams that won or shared the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004 BIG EAST Championships and participated in the 1996 Gator, 1997 Liberty, 1998 Fiesta, 1999 Orange, 1999 Music City, 2001 Insight.com and 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. He also coached in the 2002 Blue-Gray Senior Classic."
Do you think he forgot how to coach while at Marshall, more likely there was something going on there that you don't know about? Enlighten us, "Big Dawg", but let us know it's too hard for you to think this through. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself.
"Do you think he forgot how to coach while at Marshall, more likely there was something going on there that you don't know about?"
I don't care what else was going at Marshall and Columbia when he presided over the two worst defenses in the history of BOTH schools. When you do that, you go. This nonsense of giving this guy a shoulder to cry on ("The kids don't do what I tell them.""The dog ate my play book".) is the product of sleepless nights of folks in the AD worrying about their jobs. If these people in the AD had the self-respect to resign, I might have some sympathy but they don't. They're willing to inflict another miserable season on the players, parents and alumni just to pick up a few more paychecks before the inevitable ax.
I remember when Syracuse was an excellent program. They were never consistently excellent with wins and losses but good enough for bowl games usually. They drew a lot of above average recruits based on reputation of the program.
Same with Marshall, though not in the same echelon as a (then very good) Big East conference team or ACC for example. Marshall is in West Virginia, so-called coal country and if you notice, there is plenty of excellent football recruiting to do done there (region would include Ohio, Kentucky, PA, etc).
So a good coach can work with talent if it is there. You need the support of the administration to give you the tools to bring in the talent and you need a solid staff working together, facilities and a good strategy what to do with that talent. You need good breaks, few key injuries and great timing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have no idea why this Rippon guy was good in some places and not in others. It does seem he came on to CU as sort of on the cheap because he was coming off a down experience at Marshall. He'll need to continue to get the most out of less since he will not be getting the same recruits he got at Syracuse.
Jake attacked PM for being a hypocrite, not for being fat. NW weighed a lot more than PM, but Jake never mentioned weight because NW wasn't trying to get his players to slim down.
So you're generally against the team conditioning program unless the coaches themselves participate fully?
No I object to a slim down program that has not worked, has left our offensive punchless and putting our QB's on the trainer's table more often than the field.
"offense punchless"
You want to object to slenderizing as a football strategy, fine. Two points are worth mention, however.
1) The previous incarnation of the Columbia line was often criticized for being big and slow. Amid all the eagerness to fire PM, this point is often forgotten in the grass is always greener thinking that often prevails here.
2) Once again, your comment about physical appearance completely vitiates whenever merit your criticism about football strategy might have.
Sorry, fixing lots of typos:
Nice try, but the only thing that should disqualify someone is going 0-10, especially in year TWO.
It's all too easy for those supporting this terrible status quo to try to disqualify me for stating the obvious terrible irony: Mangurian is killing this team with a stupid slenderizing policy while he HIMSELF is overweight and has put on BIG pounds since he came here! I really don't judge people by their weight, but Mangurian DOES and he's a terrible hypocrite. And like all hypocrites, he and his cronies hate being called out for the truth.
Whenever someone correctly points out the emperor has no clothes, some silly sanctimonious sycophant cries foul... just as I predicted when I wrote the post.
As far as the old O-line, I don't care how much criticism it took, it was still better at every level even if it wasn't all that great.
What we have now is a clearly worse O-line that's downright dangerous.
Sounds like Mangu can't take what he's dishing out. He's got Elizondo and probably his family posting stuff to defend his stupidity. I frankly don't care if Mangu hurt the players' feelings about being overweight, because that's not the point. the slimdown stuff has made us worse... a whole bunch worse. I watched the bowl games and the FCS playoffs this weekend. Not one team had slim offensive line. Man, this guy is a dope, and it just goes to show how much Columbia loves losing to see so many dopes here supporting this dope.
Excellenyt point. On top of that he blames his predecessor for leaving the cupboard bare! How convenient an excuse for hinm and Ray Tellier. They keep telling alums these lies. It's insane the amount of BS the Staff and Anminstraytion spew out to Sr. level alums!
Is Mangurian blocking? Is he runninng? Is he throwing a pass?
Mangurian is a 56 yr.old football coach of 20 yr. old men. He thinks his linemen should be thinner. He may be right or wrong about that, but he is a coach, not an athlete. It's delusional to assert as Jake does that there is something hypocritical about his PM's strategy, because his weight should never enter into it.
A good coach always uses his diet to encourage his players. Do you think that Norries enjoyed stuffing his face until he couldn't see his own feet? Of course, he didn't. He did it to inspire his offensive linemen to "supersize" their game, to let them know that he would match them pancake for pancake, burger for burger. That's what leadership is all about.
^ really weak attempt at sarcasm there.
Curious about what Mangurian actually said about physical conditioning for his linemen. Jake, do you have his actual quotes? I don't recall him saying anything about thinner linemen. Didn't he say something about reducing body fat and building size back with muscle?
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