I made a commitment more than 10 years ago to never stifle the fans' right to vent their frustrations and anger over losses and mistakes, (with some obvious exceptions), and I'm sticking with that.
BUT, just in response to the angriest folks commenting here:
1) These losses are not all on Coach Fabish and his staff
2) Lashing out at Al Bagnoli and attacking his reputation is unfair and only makes you look a bit stupid
3) Pre-Bagnoli and Pilling, this was a very different program. The administration and athletic department wanted to win, but was never willing to make major, bold moves to do so. Fear of what others would say was the dominant force for them. That is no longer the case and anyone who doesn't see that isn't being fair.
4) Those who consider comments on this board to be a problem even worth caring about for more than two minutes as opposed to fixing the real problems are equally unfair and annoying.
90 comments:
Thanks. Well said. On the bright side, anger is better than apathy. From all involved.
Come on Jake, Bagnoli elevated a disaster of a program to mediocrity at best. His time at Penn? Fabulous! His time here? Mediocre at best. Why should he get to hand pick Fabish as the replacement? Politics at work.Unless we clean house at the end of the season, we will be stuck.
I think all the criticism against Fabish is unwarranted, as well as any criticism of Bagnoli in supporting him. I have no ties to the team (not a parent, never played) except for the fact that I am an alum from the 90s and have watched the team in person and on TV over the past 30 years. Prior to Bagnoli's arrival, the team was just awful. While we didn't get an Ivy title during his tenure, he undoubtedly left the team in a much better position than when we arrived. The two losses this season against Princeton and Penn were, of course, disappointing and missed opportunities. The team is trending in the right direction because IMO, in the past, those games would not have even been competitive. Had some passes been caught at crucial times, perhaps we would have been looking at a team with a 4-1 record right now. It isn't impossible to salvage the season and I think we should wait to see how the season goes before we start saying Fabish isn't up to the job. Just my 2 cents.
How about making him OC again!
It's really easy to be focused on the losses and inept offense but I hope everyone is paying attention to recruiting.
Fabish and staff are so far behind other Ivys at key positions. Players are falling off the board every day. His inept tactics since taking over will be felt by fans not only on the field this year but in years to come with a set of players that simply don't have the ability to compete and win against the top teams. Ivy wins will not come from skill guys that play lower division HS football against weak competition.
It's unfortunate for the players they are signing now as well. When someone competent gets hired that knows what it takes to win, all of these kids will never see the field and most likely will be encouraged to find another school if they want to play football.
I think you made most of that up.
If you are referring to my comments on recruiting as made up...fabish actually just proved my exact point tonight. Again, no disrespect to the kids, I more feel bad for them in terms of football. At least they will go to a great university.
WHAT HAPPENED TO RALEIGH ERWIN?????
What happened to freshman phenom Raleigh Erwin? Junior defensive linemen out of Lake Travis Highschool appeared in game vs Dartmouth in 2021. Ever since the big impact he had as a freshman for the lions, I, along with many fans, thought we found our next Marcelus Wiley. Ever since then he hasn't made much of an impact. I saw him on KOR this past Saturday and he looks like he has gained quite a bit of weight, you would think they would be able to mix him in on the defensive line. The Co 6A defensive player of the year could be the missing piece for the lions.
Totally made up.
Come on now. This is getting silly. Now we are calling for our favorites at all positions. What high school you attended stops mattering the third day you are on campus. The best players play, period. Now as a fan we may not be privy to all the criteria that goes into those decisions but it is just plain silly to ask for what happened to so an so. And btw if you watch the player mentioned he seems to me to be a great teammate, one of the most engaged and enthusiastic on the sidelines. I for one hope he gets his chances (I remembering him being a pain in the butt for the offensive line 2 spring games ago).
But no, nothing has happened to him
And what about our D lineman who had offers from Bama and ND?
Maybe get him some snaps at QB? Any thoughts?
Maybe Baby Gronk could play QB?
Going to reiterate it, pay attention to top Ivys and the type of kids that have committed and the number of commitments at key skill positions. Columbia is so far behind on all fronts. Recruiting is critical and these guys have failed miserably during their short time as leaders. Each loss and inept offensive performance just seals the deal that they are going to get kids that will never have columbia competing for a title. How can a team that just made it into the mid-tier of the league expect to rise when this is how the staff handles recruiting?
Worst part of all of this is that Bagnoli had the team on the cusp of competing for an ivy title between recruiting, coaching and facilties over a number of years. Fabish, D'Orazio and staff have destroyed it in a matter of weeks and it will take years to get back to where things were at the end of last season.
Anyone that claims to be a fan and isn't upset right now needs a reality check or a different team to pull for.
Ooof so this new RB is really going to take Columbia to the top of the Ivy League?!!? Fabish, D'Orazio and all the clowns that have this kid as RB1 are a freakin embarrassment. It proves my point, we are getting the sloppy recruiting seconds/thirds/fourths and it is bc the coaches have screwed it up. To go all in on a Rb that plays in a 2nd tier HS league in a terrible football state....do they even care about Columbia Football?!? Do they have any sort of accountability?!?
What a joke...anyone that endorses this...enjoy your 3-7 seasons for the foreseeable future.
This is an idiotic comment. The current players on this team, especially the underclassman has tons of talent, guys with Power 5 offers who chose Columbia over those schools. So to say “these kids will never see the field” is absurd.
None of us ever expected to be 2-3. None of us expected what we have seen.
But, maybe, we should just give it a rest for the next five weeks.
Our rantings are not going to reach Fabish or Piling. It will not change anything for the remaining games. It will not get Green playing time. No one is listening, at least not at this moment.
Refraining from weighing it should not be confused with apathy.
It just seems that people are getting worked up beyond what is required. And for what purpose?
Yea, the season thus far has been embarrassing in many ways, for many reasons.
And yes, venting helps.
But maybe valor and common sense dictate that we wait until the final whistle in five weeks and then pour it on, whether we are Pro Fabish/Anti Fabish or Love Al/Hate Al.
Let's keep pouring it on so we don't get into another Engles situation!
What’re you talking about?
Pilling doesn't read this.
What the hell are you talking about?
Let’s support the coaches and the team—we lost two Ivy games by a total of 6 points, and either game could have just as easily gone the other way.
“A great university” that just hired
a farce like Hilary Clinton as “University Professor.”
Winning teams attract the best recruits.
Who wants to play for a team that never gets past mediocrity and has not been in contention for sixty years.
It's great to say the Columbia by itself is attraction enough but we're competing against Harvard, Yale, and Princeton and not Podunk Junior College.
This is not the fault of the current coaches or the students. This is a University problem.
Over the years, multiple administrations have been ambivalent about having a football team. Their support has been at best mediocre consistent with the teams performances over those years.
On many occasions, I have noted gloating by various campus effete intellectual snobs whenever the team lost.
The University needs to decide whether we're in or we're out.
This will be a long term process and will not be decided by substituting a different QB.
Sorry, I lied. Cant keep quiet. The only embarrassment so far are the longtime Columbia supporters. Disappointed? Fine. Embarrassed by a team a few points away from being 4-1? Go F you and your checkbook. You jagoffs dont deserve these young men
Recruiting: not many agree with me but my take is that HYP collectively get the pick of the litter and they leverage that to get early commitments. For several years Columbia could perhaps be thought to run a close 4 th, but to my eye something changed 2 or 3 cycles ago. Penn definitely picked up a lot of momentum (and this was before last season’s good record) and Brown has gotten much more aggressive
If correct -
1) this trend is not of current HC’s doing
2) Dont ask me why or how to fix it. The reality is there is a finite universe of academically qualified, ivy-interested players who project to Div1 level after their junior season
3) Dartmouth clearly does way more with what they recruit than any other team
4) recruiting is about the probability of success. There are 4 star recruits that never even play but I would bring in as many 4 star players (or 3) as I could each year and the probability will work in my favor
Actually, she would be the most
OFFENSIVE coordinator ever.
Amen
Joshua Powell is in every week in the speed package… yet has zero career stacks? Might be time to make some changes from a personnel standpoint. Second string players that have exponentially better stats than the starters?
Players want to be part of programs that are fun. Playing any sport can be a grind, but none more than football, which requires the greatest time commitment.
Losing is not fun. Trekking 100 blocks through urban traffic ito get to Baker is not fun.
To many, having more than 60% of your courses (the Core Curriculum) be chosen for you, has no appeal.
At the same time, it should not be impossible to attract a core of 30-35 high caliber athletes.
Would it be great to be able to go “two deep” with all studs? For sure. But, you can win without that, and winning breeds more winning.
This is extremely insightful. Thank you.
Excellent analysis.
Yet another dumb poster.
Ok, I’ll play. Defense has been pretty solid. How many players are getting significant reps each game (lets say 20%+). I am guessing 20. What are you talking about?
Thats pretty close to 2 deep with all studs. Btw we lost our most experienced/best dline and nobody here seems to have noticed. Pretty good 2 deep
No one with a power 5 offer has ever chosen an Ivy. Thats is ansurd. Now maybe they had Power 5 schools looking at them or gave them a preferred walk on spot but no one was offered a full scholarship to play at a power 5 school and chose and ivy much less Columbia.
How many players do we have that could start for everyone of the four top teams in the League?
You are 100 percent correct
You are wrong, I know first hand 3 current players who have chosen Columbia over P5 program due their desire for academics
No way. Players have been “looked at” by Power 5 but no scholarship offers. You are showing your ignorance.
Brevin White Princeton turned down Alabama. Very well known example. But certainly not unique. Princeton also had a DE a few years ago turned down Michigan. Come on Einsteins, tell us more
Those offers were preferring walk on spots. Those were not scholarship offers
I would say Brevin White is very unique. What you are proposing is that its common for players to turn down power 5 scholarship offers to play Ivy football. And that is just not true. You mentioned 2? Its just a ridiculous argument to keep up.
Dumb. Overall talent has to be considered even so far for Columia/Pe/Pr. Last year I would give overall talent edge to Pr (the single fastest defense I have seen). I may be crazy but I thought Columbia was going toe to toe w Yale before someone activated self destruct mode. So yeah, dumb question.
Top notch analysis here.
Correct, yes. But nothing new here. This has been the case forever and it's well known.
Post from a dad of a second string player
You said guys on the current CU team had power 5 offers. That was you original statement. That is not true.
The mediocrity of the team's play is vastly superior to the quality of the petty squabbles noted above.
Sorry i was replying to the Anonymous who stated there were no instances of Ivy players receiving P5 offers. Not true, provided 2 documented examples without even googling. Please keep your Anonymouses straight
This couldn't have happened in "a matter of weeks" if it's actually true. You may have made this up.
I completely agree, John Martin is the truth.
Could use Owen Thomas’s third leg out there in the starting 3 tech position.
Frustrated mom here... My incredibly talented son was assured a starting spot on the CU Lions' defense this year when he committed. Will Rubalcava, #29, is an impressive 6'0" and weighs 180 lbs – the ideal build for a defensive back. I believe it's time for Fabish to honor the commitment he made to our family.
what in the hell...
Are you serious?
The CU offensive line is in need of assistance. It's time to bring in the secret weapon, Dave Bartholomew, who stands at an impressive 6'6" and weighs 285 lbs, boasting a physique that many aspire to achieve throughout their lives.
I see a lot of other members posting their recommendations for players. I figured I’d put my two cents in. I think the obvious dark horse in the mix is Reid Englert.
Omg these posts lobbying for players have to be a joke right? Players would cringe if they saw this
Caroline?
Caroline,
Your post was a bad idea. Your son was accepted into one of the best universities in the world (woke shit-hole notwithstanding). He had zero chance of getting admitted otherwose. Which freshman is starting anywjere in the IL? I cannot beleive anyone guarenteed him a starting position. He may have been handed an free admission ticket to Columbia but he'll have to earn playing time. Dont embarass your son.
Jake: time to close down comments!
Jake,
I am grateful you have maintained the blog all this time. It's quite a feat! I would only note in fairness that
1) Coach Fabish and his staff do bear some of the responsibility for the losses. No one would really know to what extent but they share some responsibility. I personally would like them to be more open about the process they are using so I could at least understand just what they are trying to accomplish. I suspect public relations is a huge learning curve for Fabish and the staff and it is at the low end right now. Classically, when people don't know what is going on they default to stuff that makes the most sense to them. That's how I read the comments on the blog.
2) Lashing out at Al Bagnoli is like commenting on yesterday's dinner. Depending on one's tastes it might have been terrific or it might have been so-so, but that was yesterday. It doesn't matter anymore. It's tonight's dinner that counts.
3) Al Bagnoli got a lot of promises fulfilled as a precondition for taking the job. They were critical to establishing a truly competitive environment by the Columbia football program. I imagine the administration is still fulfilling those promises meaning the coaching staff has assets at its disposal that pre-Bagnoli staffs did not. The combination of Bagnoli's success in just getting CU to competitive Ivy levels and the ongoing promise fulfillments by the administration causes greater expectations by everyone concerned. That may be unfair but that is a big part of what is going on - unfulfilled expectations at many different levels.
4) I don't know what you think the real problems are. And I am not asking you to elaborate. It's sufficient that you think there re real problems to be fixed.
Thanks again for all you do. The kids are great. I wish them all the luck in the world!
Methinks the players have decided to troll!!
The comments about promised
playing time are laughable. Nobody is ever promised a starting role. Or even a playing role. As a freshman, the best thing you can do is bust your ass and learn the system, sell out in the weight room and dominate every rep you are in. Just remember there's upper classmen in front of your kid who has been through the same deal for at least a year. Patience.
I know several student who had full rides to P5, and turned it down in order to get Columbia education, play in a competitive league, and be able to play sooner rather than later. So please making uneducated statements that Columbia players did not have Power 5 full rides
If a freshman is better then a upper class men, the fresh should start ! Sorry? The best 11 players should be in the field at ALL times ! Is these happening here ?!!
Yes
Thanks, Coach. Great advice. Nobody's ever heard that before.
Hey - this is what you get. Lots of football alums here doing a good job bashing Fabish, the QB, Bagnoli, Piling. Playing 4 years of football, winning 2-3 games and everyone is an expert now. No coach or administrator reads any of this. However, fans, players, parents and recruits do. One thing is certain....all of this hurts the program. These posts hurt the program.
Problem here is that there are 50 year old latex salesmen lobbying to fire the coach after a few games. Anything goes.
Freshmen need time to develop.
Mom - Its called recruiting. Nothing they promise ever pans out. Once your son hits the door he is on his own to make his way. Promises are just a way of getting him in the door.
Thats not true
As much as I love our Lions. We do not have players who were offered Power 5 scholarships…those players go to to Princeton and maybe Yale. Do we have Power 5 PWO players? Absolutely.
Most of these comments are uninformed or off the wall. Had we lost to clearly better teams in Princeton and Penn, but two scores o=r more, we could say it’s a lack of talent. BUT WE LOST EACH GAME IN LOUSY CONDITIONS BY THREE POINTS!!! had we won both of those gamers by three points, which was certainly possible, the same naysayers would have been saying that our coaches are great and our talent is worthy of competing for championships. The fact is that there really are players on our team who turned down HYP because they wanted to be here. Ivy recruits pick various schools for various reasons—personal chemistry with the coaches, assessment not of being able to get on the filed, geography, academic interest.
I agree, Anonymous. We didn’t lose those two games because we don’t have talent or because there’s a huge talent disparity between us and the P’s. We lost because we generate almost no offense, which meant that our D had to be on the field for forever and a day. In both games, our D got (understandably) tired in the fourth quarter, and both opponents took advantage. Unfortunately, I expect more of the same in Hanover.
That is some top notch analysts. No offense, D on the field too much. Got it.
I dont believe anyone thinks our offense has performed great. I think many just dont understand why the call for coaches’ heads so quickly. Be careful what you ask for - you may just get it. I would think longtime supporters of Columbia football would know that better than most
I’ll throw this thought out there… Have we seen the offensive unit look as sharp as it did in 2017? My guess is the QB coach, Santos, and the WR coach, Gilchrist, played a lot larger role in the success of that offensive unit than we give them credit. Santos went on to take an HC job and I believe Gilchrist took an OC job. The offense has been historically bad since 2017 outside of a few spectacular individual performances.
ALSO.. can we be honest with ourselves? If Fabish was let go tomorrow, do we really think he would get another opportunity as a OC/HC at the D1 level..? My answer is absolutely not.
Who is the new rb recruit mentioned earlier that's "going to take us to the top"?
Fabish has no integrity and it is finally starting to show. He is a horrible coach, terrible at recruiting, the players don't like him, the coaches put up with him bc they have to (for now)...such a shame that a great University has to be beholden to someone like him.
Translation: my son didnt see the field in four years so I have to blame his position coach and not the substandard genetics I passed on to him
Tell your son to transfer, moron. If you believe all that bu11shit, you should get your kid out of there.
Our coaches are standup guys and the talent on this team is endless. Let’s stop bashing the coaches or calling out players. Players need to earn a starting position and our coaches should be leading this team for years to come.
So what's the word on this RB commit?
Second the Amen!
You're questioning the Core Curriculum on a football blog? Puh Leez.....it's what distinguishes Columbia undergrad.
Latex salesmen....Best comment on this thread!!!....so many lug headed critics here. Support the bloody team people!
Post a Comment