As much as every Columbia fan has good reason to be
concerned about the Lion offensive line, the defensive line is also in Code Red
territory.
The team roster shows just seven returning defensive
linemen, making the loss of Chad
Washington that much more serious.
The good news is that
Columbia’s best overall defensive player, Niko
Padilla, returns for his junior season. The bad news is the rest of that
unit is questionable to say the least.
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Niko Padilla
Padilla was the only Lion in 2013 to gain any All Ivy recognition at all with an Honorable Mention. He had an impressive 41 tackles for a D-lineman and 9.5 tackles for a loss. But only one was a sack, since Padilla is mostly a weapon against the inside run. By contrast, the lost Washington had 70 total tackles but just two sacks. Columbia’s top sacker last season, Nick Melka with 3.5, has graduated.
Padilla was the only Lion in 2013 to gain any All Ivy recognition at all with an Honorable Mention. He had an impressive 41 tackles for a D-lineman and 9.5 tackles for a loss. But only one was a sack, since Padilla is mostly a weapon against the inside run. By contrast, the lost Washington had 70 total tackles but just two sacks. Columbia’s top sacker last season, Nick Melka with 3.5, has graduated.
The best two returning D-linemen not named Padilla are
juniors JD Hurt and Toba Akinleye.
Hurt started six games and had 35 tackles with a sack. Hurt played better last year than I expected,
but Akinyele was a bit of a disappointment for me as I had him pegged as a
possible break out player. Akinyele wasn’t terrible, with 29 tackles and 2.5
sacks, but I still think he could do a lot more.
Sophomore William
Carson, at 283 pounds, didn’t do as much as I’d hoped in his freshmen
season. But he’s still the biggest guy on the team and should have a shot to
make a difference this fall.
The three returning seniors are Hunter Little, Eric Stock and Roy Schwartz. Of that group, Little
was the biggest contributor last year but even he only started one game.
In other words, this is a position where CU needs a lot of
help from the freshmen.
A total of six defensive linemen are in the class of 2018,
but only one currently goes at over 275. That’s Collin Breckenridge at 280 lbs. The other five all go at about 245
pounds, which leads me to believe almost none of the freshmen will really be
reading to play against Ivy offensive lines or the against the bigger guys from
Fordham and Albany.
In short, this is not an encouraging picture. Without
Washington, it’s just going to be too easy to double-team Padilla and
neutralize the CU defense at the line.
Last year at this time, Padilla was Tweeting about winning the Ivy championship. He won't be doing that again.
Last year at this time, Padilla was Tweeting about winning the Ivy championship. He won't be doing that again.
The biggest reason why Columbia is in deep trouble this fall
is the offensive line, but the defensive line really isn’t much better.
Who’s ready for some football?
Not us.
19 comments:
I'm not fond of the straight brimmed cap look. I guess that is what the kids feel comfortable with these days.
Was Chad dismissed from school or just the team or something else?
Losses keep mounting in all areas, definitely a concern, especially since having that huge freshman class is now essential rather than a nice to have for depth.
Padilla has NFL strength. He can bench 225 37 times. Seriously. And unlike the OL, defensive linemen can be effective in the 250 range. The bigger question mark is at LB.
Toba is not a defensive lineman anymore. He is linebacker.
Nik's cap would go very well with this CU blazer. I'm giving him some ideas for the team banquet.
Maybe Toba will be another Josh Martin, who made the same move.
What is Willie Wood's resignation about? T and F may not be in the public eye that much but he's certainly run a successful program.
T &F has fallen well behind the other Ivies on the men's side with the exception of the middle distances, where we excel. We have not had a sprinter for years, we have no field events, and no weight events.
Was he not also head coach of the women' s T and F plus both men and women's cross- country? And doesn't factoring in those three squads make his record considerably better?
Seems to be a lot of that going around the Ivies, athletics coaches who are successful being compelled to resign. We will see if hypocrisy holds true if Pete and his weak staff are not given the same treatment in November.
I wasn't aware of this resignation. Are there any details?
As Director of Track and CC, he won an Ivy title this past year in men's CC. His record overall was way above average compared to the rest of the coaching staff. So this deserves more intent analysis.
Was he forced out, or did he quit on his own, for a better job or out of disgust?
It's all on the website.
What's on the website? It says he "resigned to pursue
new opportunities." Period. The usual pre-printed form on the pr boilerplate. It says also he has presided over the most successful period in CU Track and Field and Cross Country. Both men and women. If so, why move?. There is room for improvement, to get at least in the neighborhood of top programs. Was it over money?
The coach made a statement why he chose to leave. Take him at his word. Everything is not a conspiracy.
I don't see a "conspiracy"; I just wonder why coaches who have achieved some modicum of success these past few years tend to leave more frequently than those who have worse records. BTW, This has nothing to do with football, but with Athletics in general.
The comment on the website is corporate HR-speak and not a legitimate explanation. He either has another job, quit in disgust, or was fired.
Why does it have to be "quit in disgust"? Why can't it be quit for new challenges, new environment, or just being tired of the job and wanting to take a hiatus? It seems we are always looking for a reason opposite of what's given. Because the university posted his leaving doesn't mean they posted something that was not true.
TF in middle distances and XC is very strong on the men's side. Also successful in women's events. But the rest of the men's program is basically non-existent. No sprinters, no field events and no weight events.
I have no interest in watching overly--muscled men throw
heavy balls and even less in watching women do it.
I would like to see some sprinters who can also play WR.
^ that trick has been tried before and it doesn't work out too well. To be a great or even a good receiver takes so much more.
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The problem of good, longstanding coaches resigning is not confined to Columbia. I'd like to know the real truth why it is happening. I will stop short of drawing an analogy to what I see in Silicon Valley where older, proven, experienced talent (not just technical, all areas of business) are being displaced by a much more savvy younger generation. On top of that I am seeing a massive push to level the playing field with women in the workforce. I'm just saying it is happening on a broad scale and I have to say it is a little alarming when a 20 something year old female consultant stands in front of a room of nerdy boys and men and can not only hold her own but run rings around them intellectually. I am all in favor of women's rights but wow, have they come a long way. This is not your mama's gloria steinem.
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