Quick Thoughts About the 2020 NFL Draft (1st Two Rounds and Early Applicants)

Two days from now fans starved for sports (not only NFL and College Football fans) will be glued to their screens (TV/Laptop/Phone) as they follow the 2020 NFL Draft from Thursday thru Saturday.  What is usually a big-time event will probably soar to new heights even though it will be a remote, virtual selection process rather than the planned physical Las Vegas location.  For me personally, it is like a parent going through the range of emotions that one experiences at their child’s graduation.  You can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness as they go from being a child to a man or woman, while being thrilled that they are one step closer to achieving their dream.

Enough of the emotion – it’s now time to take a quick look at the 2020 NFL Draft from the perspective of a College Football fan/researcher.  I can’t think of a better place to begin than with dissecting Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft of the first two rounds (Thursday’s Draft).  The first round was light on running backs, which was no surprise, but was pretty evenly spread between all the other positions – excluding tight ends and specialists, which were shutout.  Quarterbacks started early and fast, but tailed off by mid-round, and that is when defensive backs seemed to take over.  Momentum for the defensive backfield continued through the second round, so that group would have to be considered the deepest when looking at the draft’s first day.

Something else that stood out in the first two rounds were the early entrants.  Kiper identified 40 of them in his first two rounds, with 26 of them coming in the first round – that’s 80% of the first round!  All of the defensive backs (7) and offensive linemen (5) that are expected to be selected in the first round are underclassmen, while five of the six wide receivers came out early as well – the lone exception being Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State. 

Teams that you should hear early and often will be no surprise:  LSU, Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.  This is mostly on the strength of those who left eligibility on the table.  And there are solid programs that you won’t hear from in the first round, (USC, Notre Dame, Washington and Texas) that will appear more than likely in the second round.  Then there are others, such as Louisiana, Southern Illinois, and Dayton, that have that one special prospect that might get called before the night is out.

Looking more closely at the numbers of those who declared early for the draft in 2020, their numbers are down slightly from the previous year – from 135 (2019) to 120 (2020).  The SEC leads the parade with 36 declaring, while the Big 10 is a distant second at 22.  Scouts have said that early entry will benefit between 30 and 40 of this entire group, while 33% (probably closer to 40%) will go undrafted.  Kiper’s mock draft seems to prove the scouts right, as he has 40 underclassmen slated to get picked on the first day – five each from LSU and Alabama.  Time will tell as to how many won’t hear their name…

You can cut and slice this in so many, many ways, but no matter what happens in the draft, there is no doubt in my mind that there will be surprises, excitement and heartbreak. But most importantly, many of us can take our thoughts away from the pandemic for a while and see, think, and talk sports for a few days!

150th Anniversary of College Football

Today is the recognized 150th Anniversary of the first college football game to be played between Rutgers and Princeton in front of about 100 spectators.  I say recognized because fifty years ago Harvard abstained from commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1869 game between the Scarlet Knights and Tigers as they claimed that their 1874 game against McGill was the “real” first football game.  What no one can deny is that 150 years ago nobody could imagine that some teams today would be playing in front of more than 100,000 fans!

Unfortunately Rutgers will not be playing a game this weekend, but they did celebrate this very special day in their history with a couple of special events.  First off, the captains of this year’s team joined Gil Greenberg, who at 97 is the oldest living Rutgers football letterwinner, where they rang the bell at Old Queens – which is only done to mark significant occasions.  The gathering then strolled down to the College Avenue Gym, the site of the game.  There a new plaque with an inscription titled “The Birthplace of College Football” was revealed.  Word has it that the school also hoped to make a new announcement on a head coach, but Greg Schiano was making significant demands in his talks with the University.

Tonight I hope that those who love the game will tune in to watch the Miami (Ohio) vs. Ohio game, as it is the only college football game being played on the 150th anniversary.  There are three good reasons to watch this game.  First off, it is a rivalry game, “The Battle of the Bricks”, that is being played for the 96th time (Miami leads the series 53-40-2).  The second reason to watch is because the winning team will be a strong favorite to win the MAC East Division.  And the last reason to check out this matchup is that if Ohio defeats Miami, Frank Solich will have the most wins of any MAC head coach with 111.  Ohio is going all out to make history tonight as they attempt to create the first-ever sellout of a MAC midweek game.  The school is even offering free tuition for the spring 2020 semester for one enrolled Ohio University student in attendance!

Princeton’s celebration of their first game will be a matchup against Dartmouth on Saturday in Yankee Stadium.  The two unbeaten rivals are each hoping to take a giant step toward winning the 2019 Ivy League Championship – all while being seen on ESPNU.  This matchup is one that I hold near and dear to my heart, as I saw these same two teams play in Hanover, New Hampshire 42 years ago on September 17, 1977.  It was the first college football game that I attended.  Little did I know when I saw my uncle in his Princeton attire, what significance his alma mater had on the history of college football!  But that can be for another blog…

Before wrapping up for the night – if anyone has a chance, check out the Empire State Building tonight.  In honor of this great game’s anniversary, it will be lit up in scarlet and orange!

Thank you Rutgers and Princeton for everything you have done to make this game of college football so very special!

LaVell Edwards

I have been remiss in not acknowledging on my website that a great coach passed away at the end of 2016.  LaVell Edwards, a College Football Hall of Famer passed away on December 29th at the age of 86.  He took over a BYU program that had just 14 winning seasons in 49 years, and with his dynamic passing offense, finished his career on a streak of 27 seasons without a losing record after going 5-6 in his second season (1973).

He won the 1984 national championship, along with 20 conference championships - and his teams went to 22 bowl games.  LaVell's overall record was 257-103-3 with the Cougars, which ranks seventh all-time in the FBS, and 2nd behind Joe Paterno among those who coached only one team.  During the 1980s, only Nebraska (103 wins) had more victories than BYU (102).

The game of College Football has lost a great coach, but more importantly, his family and friends have lost a great man, leader, and father figure...

An October Saturday at Whittier Field

I am now four days away from something that I have been looking forward to for the last ten months!  Bowdoin’s 2016 season and their 125th year of football started last week at Middlebury (a beautiful venue in the Green Mountains of Vermont), but to me the true season opener happens this week at Whittier Field.  The game will probably not be competitive because the defending 3-time NESCAC champion, Amherst, is coming to town – but to me that doesn’t make one bit of difference.

Ever since my first game at Bowdoin fourteen years ago, I have faithfully attended most of the games with one or more of my family members no matter the weather or the opponent.  Although I must admit, the Colby game every other year does take on its own special meaning due to the history of the teams in both years and family.

Speaking of history, the Polar Bears have now been playing on Whittier Field for 120 years.  To put that into perspective, here are some events that occurred in 1896 – the year the field opened:  Utah was admitted as the 45th state, William Jennings Bryan gave his Cross of Gold speech to get the Democratic presidential nomination, only to be defeated by William McKinley, and John Philip Sousa composed “Stars and Stripes Forever”.

A few years later in 1903, a grandstand was built thanks to a donation from a Bowdoin Alumnus, General Thomas H. Hubbard (class of 1857), who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  This structure was state of the art as it also contained locker rooms and showers.  By today’s standard, it isn’t going to necessarily impress or entice scholar-athletes, but nevertheless it is a part of the historical significance of Whittier Field.

And, we can’t talk about Bowdoin football without mentioning the Bowdoin Pines – a symbol of the college going back to the early 1800’s.  There are but a few “mast pines” that are still in existence today, but this college campus seems to have a whole forest of them.  A simple stroll under these magnificent pines at halftime was (and is) always exciting for a dad and his daughters.

Lastly, there is no better place to be than here to feel like you are a part of the game.  Standing along the track just a few feet away from the field will do that.  In fact, I once had to grab my girls, who were sitting just on the grass, and move them so that they would not get run over by a player going out of bounds.  It’s like going to a baseball game and always watching for foul balls headed in your direction.

There are other benefits as well.  On more than one occasion I have talked with or laughed with a player and/or an official.  We have heard the head coach word for word yell at his players or more frequently at the referee.  E.J. Mills (Amherst Head Coach), though he has mellowed, has been one of the more entertaining personalities that I (or my daughters) have heard.  And the tailgating is always close at hand, as you can walk a short distance from the field and be back at your vehicle for a quick halftime break.

For all these reasons, my family and I will be gathering once again this Saturday on an autumn day to enjoy all the sights and sounds of a Bowdoin football game. Whittier field might not be the newest field, or have superior facilities, or even the latest amenities such as a jumbotron (new to Trinity this year), but there is no better place to watch a football game and truly feel like you are a part of this great pastime.

See you at the game – I’ll be the one with a grin that competes with the cat that ate the canary!

The NESCAC: For the Love of the Game

There are ten teams yet to begin their 2016 season, but their wait is about to end in four days!  A conference that covers New England (less New Hampshire and Rhode Island) and New York State, the NESCAC, is about start its 46th campaign though many of the teams have rivalries that go back much further.

The ‘CAC (as it is known to some) had its origins back in 1955 with an agreement between Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, and Bowdoin, but the teams in this conference, like the Ancient Eight, have rivalries that extendback to the late 19th century.  The first one that comes to mind is Williams-Amherst.

Known as “The Biggest Little Game in America”, these two teams will meet for the 131st time later this year in a series that got its start in 1884.  They are also two of the most successful teams in the conference since 2000 - between them, the Lord Jeffs (6) and the Ephs (4) have won ten titles in 16 years, including 5 of the last 7 by Amherst.  In fact, it was these two teams on television, via NESN, that got me interested in the NESCAC.

The conference’s representatives from Maine – Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby, established the CBB Championship and subsequent trophy in 1965 when UMaine moved up to Division I ending the Maine State Championship.  Like the Amherst-Williams series, these schools have played each other as early as 1889 when the teams were establishing their programs.  No matter the records, these games are always a joy to watch because of their rich heritage.

Another big rivalry is Trinity and Wesleyan, which the Hartford Courant thinks is perhaps the greatest state rivalry in Connecticut.  The current head coaches for these schools were young assistants on Trinity’s staff 15 years ago and they used to play golf together.  Now their relationship is lukewarm at best, but that is due to the nature of a true rivalry:  a little disdain, some admiration, and a whole lot of appreciation for the history.

Looking ahead to this season, it appears as though there will be three tiers of competition with 3-time defending champ Amherst ready to defend their title against Trinity.  The Lord Jeffs have a 19-game winning streak and plenty of experience returning to the field, but if defense truly wins championships, then perhaps it will be the year of the Bantam.

The next group of teams will include Wesleyan, Tufts, and Middlebury.  The Cardinals and Jumbos have been gradually building their programs, while the Panthers are rebuilding – but I wouldn’t count them out.  At the end of the season they might be sitting in 3rd place. 

Down at the bottom of the standings, I expect to see the trio of Maine schools.  At least they have the CBB trophy, which will be a strong motivator for these teams.  Bates has won 3 of the last 4 trophies, but I have a feeling that this will be the breakthrough year for the Mules, which makes their November 12th meeting with Bowdoin up in Waterville a must win.

The two remaining teams, Hamilton and Williams, are tougher to place.  The Continentals made great strides last year, winning two of their last three games while losing four of their six games by five points or less.  If I were visiting Clinton, NY this year as an opposing team, I wouldn’t be circling it as a sure win. The Ephs have a new coach, as they hired Mark Raymond away from Saint Lawrence.  While coach of the Saints, Raymond won at least seven games in three consecutive seasons, when the team posted just one winning season in the past twenty years before his arrival.  At Williams he will have the talent to win quickly, but the question that remains is how soon the players pick up this new system.

Another year of this competitive league is about to start.  Each team plays a conference-only eight game schedule, and they don’t participate in the Division III playoffs, so there is no room for error if you want to win the title.  Much like the Ivy League, these are true scholar athletes where they compete in the NESCAC for the love of the game.  For that reason alone, attending a 'CAC game is a must for a fan who claims to love the game!

The Ivy League and Its Place in College Football

For me, a very important part of the college football season (I’ll save most important for next week) is about to start Friday night when Rhode Island visits historic Harvard Stadium to take on the Crimson.  The Ivy League may not have been created until 1956, but the connections that these colleges have to the game go back to its’ roots. 

In fact, it was a future Ivy League team, Princeton, who played in the very first college football game back in 1869 against another New Jersey school – Rutgers.  Meanwhile, Walter Camp of Yale developed major rule changes that started football down a different path than rugby.  Other firsts by the “Ancient Eight” include:  the first forward pass, the first night game, and in a 1973 game between Penn and Brown, it was the first time in major college football that both starting quarterbacks were black.

A couple of stadiums and a field have also had their roots in the college game – of which two are on my bucket list, while the third (Yale Bowl) was crossed off two years ago.  Franklin Field, home of the Penn Quakers, is considered the oldest field still in use for football and is the site of the first scoreboard.  In Cambridge, MA, Harvard Stadium was the first collegiate stadium built in the United States.  Its U-Shape construction was a model for future structures and the stadium was made a National Historic Landmark in 1987 – along with the Yale Bowl.

It was at the Yale Bowl that my father attended his first college game with his family, so I was very proud when my family and I made the pilgrimage there in 2014 – its 100th year of hosting Yale football!  This was the first bowl-shaped stadium in the country, and like Harvard Stadium, it influenced other structures, particularly “The Big House” in Ann Arbor and the beautiful Rose Bowl.  The peculiar thing though about this unique stadium is that it doesn’t have locker rooms.

Enough about the past, lets now talk about the present.  If last season is any indication, in which there was a three-way tie for first, this season should be just as exciting!  Two of those first place teams (Harvard and Dartmouth) had significant graduation losses, so that would make Penn (the other co-winner) the conference favorite.  To borrow the catchphrase of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”

Harvard has the two essentials it takes to win every year, great coaching and great depth, so they are not going down without a fight.  The only issue I see for them is that all of their key league games are on the road, except for the Yale game.  Meanwhile, Penn came out of nowhere last year to surprise everyone, but can they do it again?  Their offense will be explosive, but their defense susceptible.  Yale returns the most starters of all the teams, but they have to replace a record-setting quarterback.

The sleeper could be the Tigers of Princeton.  They return a lot of experience, and their front seven on defense will be tough.  Last year, the Tigers lost four league games by seven points or less.  I am predicting that Dartmouth will be in the middle of the standings, but the depth that they developed last year might suit them well this year.  A bad break, here and there, will drop them to the bottom of the standings

Lastly, don’t fall asleep on the other teams – Brown, Columbia, or Cornell.  There is a lot of experience returning to each of these teams, but I’m not quite sold on their skill level.  One or two of them though will be at or near .500 at the end of the year.

As you can see, there is a lot to like about this league, both in terms of history and talent (an Ivy League-record 24 players were in NFL camps this summer).  I know that I look forward to their TV schedule every summer, but I had a special interest in this year’s schedule because I believe that there will be a great title race in the Ivy League in 2016!  Take some time and watch a game or two of these “Ancient Eight” teams this year – I know that you’ll enjoy it.

Evolution of a College Football Fan (Pt. 3)

It has been almost a week since I published part two of my article in how I evolved into a big fan of college football.  After a few crazy days of games, now is the time to wrap up my story....

While at Maryland, the sport started to develop a TV market – and it helped me to be on the outskirts of ACC country.  Jefferson-Pilot out of Charlotte, NC was the provider of ACC football, and this was the first time that I got to see other conference matchups.  It was also an opportunity to follow my beloved Terps when they were on the road, in particular Frank Reich’s miracle comeback against Miami in 1984!

At about the same time, ESPN got involved in televising games, and through them I was introduced to the SEC and Big Ten.  Most of the games were during the day, but with time we were introduced to the new phenomena of night games.  What college student wouldn’t like an all-day tailgate?

In addition, they created College Gameday, a pre-game show that has now been broadcasted for almost 30 years.  It took me a while though to become a dedicated viewer as I attempted to be a dedicated husband and father.  But then they came up with great theme music, the concept of broadcasting on college campuses (how about that person who waves the Washington State flag at each broadcast!), and casting dynamic personalities who were having a great time doing the show.  I was now hooked!

By the 21st century, there were so many games on television, I resorted to taping the best of the best on our VCRs (remember them?).  This way, I could watch them whenever I wanted to, even on a day in April.  My sister even obliged my request of having her tape the Yale-Harvard game one year because it was broadcasted in her area, and I just had to have the game for my collection.  College football was fast becoming a part of my life every day.  Eventually though, my wife Deb, made me give up my boxes of tapes since they were taking up quite a bit of space.

It was something I was willing to do because I had other ideas - I wanted to go to games again and tailgate.  The final leg of my journey as a college football fan was about to begin. This magnificent road led to Brunswick, Maine, and a small Division III school, Bowdoin College.  I didn’t know what I was about to experience as I prepared to take my girls to their first football game.  After all, my first recollection of Bowdoin football was of my brother going there with his friend in the mid-70s, but I had no idea as to why he would go.  I got my answer to that question almost 30 years later.

As soon as I arrived to see Bowdoin play the Ephs (love that nickname!) of Williams College, I fell in love with the whole package – from the walk through the towering “Bowdoin Pines” (some of the trees are more than 125-years-old), to historic Whittier Field, to the sight and sounds of the game.  To me, it was everything a football game should be!  I could stand right on the sideline and hear and feel every facet of the game.  I felt as if I were actually a part of the game!

Years later, I still look forward to the arrival of each home game for the Bowdoin football team:  the proud alumni giving their support, the kids throwing footballs just beyond the end zone (all waiting and wanting to catch the ball that goes through the uprights), hearing coaches scream, players yell, and fans cheer, and last but not least – owners being tugged around the track by their dogs.  The weather doesn’t matter – I have experienced it all here, just like at Dartmouth.  What does matter is that I am there on the sideline soaking up every minute of the game I love!

This past weekend of college football was exciting, but to me the season hasn’t yet begun in earnest.  There is only one date that signifies the official start of the college football season to me, and that date is on the chalkboard down in the man cave.  October 1st – Bowdoin’s first home game of the season. 

Evolution of a College Football Fan (Pt. 2)

A few years later in 1983, I found myself at the University of Maryland, partly because of its location (I am also a big history buff), and partly because of their sports programs.  Here I got to witness “big time” college football in person at Byrd Stadium, an un-impressive horseshoe-style stadium.  I can’t downplay it too much though because some pretty impressive Eastern teams came to visit:  Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, UNC, Clemson, and Miami with Jimmy Johnson.

As with any good college experience at these events, there are always some memorable moments.  There is always the first game (even though it was a loss), which was against a good West Virginia team coached by Don Nehlen whose quarterback was Jeff Hostetler.  Then there was the first homecoming, with a weak Duke team as the opponent.  It wasn’t so much the game, as the pre-game that was memorable.  This is when I horrified my mother for a second time.  Soon after their arrival from Maine, my oldest brother drove my parents to the dorm, but unfortunately it was the night of a keg party, and my room was the host.  My roommate, Doug, and I were caught red-handed.  My brother had a proud look on his face as he laughed, but my mother was appalled, and that was the last time in my four years at UMD that she set foot in my dorm!

A couple of other games at Byrd that come to mind would be our upset of #3 ranked UNC in 1983 (we were ranked #13 at the time) and another frustrating loss to Penn State.  Needless to say about the Tar Heel victory, the goal posts were torn down, and I am proud to say that my dorm mates of Cambridge A, 3rd floor came away with one of the posts!  I am not proud to say that I missed out on this exciting opportunity.  As for the Penn State loss, we were ranked #7 heading into the season, but even that couldn’t stop our 20-game losing streak to them that extended back to 1961! While I was a Terp, we went 0-3, and the losses were by a total of 5 points.

I was also lucky enough to experience two “Neutral Site” games in Baltimore at Memorial Stadium.  The first was against Clemson, who had “The Fridge” and were only three years removed from their NCAA Championship in 1981.  The second game was against Jimmie Johnson’s 7th ranked Miami Hurricanes, a team that we beat the year ago thanks t Frank Reich’s miracle comeback.  We weren’t so fortunate in Baltimore, but it was a great game as we lost by seven points.  My parents were able to attend this game as well, which was probably unfortunate for my mother.  As you can guess, I mortified her for the third time and final time in all things related to tailgating.  I won’t get into details, but the trip home was prolonged a bit because of extra stops due to having a beer or two too many.

Evolution of a College Football Fan (Pt. 1)

(Part 1 of 3 to be published)

As the last of my summer vacation is wrapping up, it is now time to get really excited for my favorite time of the year – fall. This time of year doesn’t only bring bright, brilliant colors to the trees, or cool, crisp air in the morning, but it also means the return of my favorite game, college football. Of course, the addition of Halloween Ale from Gritty’s of Freeport, Maine doesn’t hurt – which only enhances the season.

Mind you, it wasn’t always this way. The end of summer used to be a time of mourning, as it brought about the return of school. And my first love was the NFL. I couldn’t wait to get home from Sunday school, and turn on the television to see Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier on “This Week in Pro Football.” Then it was the customary Patriot or Giant (my dad grew up in Connecticut) game, followed by the late game of the week which usually contained one of the following: the Cowboys, Vikings, Rams, Dolphins, Raiders, or my favorite team – the Steelers.

Things started to change for me though in 1974 as my first recollection of college football was watching two of the finest rivalries: USC vs. Notre Dame and Ohio State vs. Michigan. Not much sticks in my mind regarding my first Buckeye-Wolverine matchup, except the screaming coach in spectacles, Woody Hayes, and a future Heisman trophy winner, Archie Griffin. Oh – and there were those great Michigan uniforms, the old Maize and Blue! But if you saw the other game, you would never forget it. Down 24-0 late in the first half, USC scored 55 points in 17 minutes, led by Anthony Davis’ 4 TDs, against the IRISH! Like the Wolverines, the Trojans had great uniforms and a great fight song, but they also had Traveler – the white horse, and the Song Girls. USC quickly became my new favorite team.

In the next couple of years, more rivalries were added: Oklahoma-Nebraska, USC-UCLA, Texas-Texas A&M, and Pitt-Penn State. And of course New Year’s Day Bowls, primarily the Rose Bowl. But it was in the fall of 1977 that I got a taste of something different - I attended my first college football game at Dartmouth College and was privy to tailgating! I believe that this was the first time that I horrified my mother regarding game days. I don’t think she was very proud of her 13-year old son when he insisted on wearing a t-shirt that stated “Keep Dartmouth Beautiful – Swallow your Beer Cans”. Looking back at it through pictures, I must admit that I looked like a dork wearing a short sleeve t-shirt over a long sleeve plaid t-neck shirt, but who cares – it was the 70s.

The weather did its best to temper my excitement because on more than one occasion I had to eat wet pizza and sit on large Glad garbage bags in hopes of staying somewhat dry – especially the Yale game of 1978. But I would have none of it. Over the next four years, I saw each Ivy League team visit Memorial Field, so named in honor of Dartmouth’s World War I veterans. In addition, I saw Dave Shula (Don Shula’s son) catch passes from Buddy Teevens (current Dartmouth Head Coach) and Jeff Kemp (future NFL QB and son of Jack Kemp).