Category Archives: Temple football

05.03.16
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Sadly, Breaking Up The Owls

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Three great Owl fans (from left): Ted DeLapp, Rick Gabe, Phil Makowski. (Photo from STH twitter)

Over the last few years, St. Peter must have said out loud “break up those Temple fans; they are too good” and the boss must have taken it a little too literally.  The latest bit evidence is long-time Temple fan Phil Makowski, who passed away recently at the ridiculously young age of 51.

Break up the Owls indeed.

To that point, people living in Philadelphia might have heard the phrase “break up the Phillies” over the last few days and wondered why anyone would ask for a team which has won eight of nine to be broken up. It’s a joke many younger fans don’t get and relates all the way back to the time in the 1920s when only the Yankees were able to sign all of the good players for that Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig dynasty. “Breaking up” meant the team was too good and, for the good of the sport, to spread the talent around.

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Longtime TU beat writer Kevin Tatum also passed away. Of Kevin, OwlsDaily editor Shawn Pastor said this: “Kevin was without question my favorite guy to cover  the team in the last 25 years.”

They won’t break the Phillies, but The Man upstairs must have been annoyed at all of the phony Rutgers and Penn State fans and wanted a few genuine fans floating on those clouds up there. Say what you will about there not being enough of them, but Temple fans, if anything, are genuine. This site is dedicated not to the team, the parents, the players or coaches, but to Temple fans. Players, coaches, parents and staff (except for Nadia, Thank God) come and go, but fans stay forever and that’s why this site is called Temple Football Forever. Fans who come to every home game in the middle of 20-game losing streak and are still there on the other side are real fans. Fans who generously offer to give rides to other Temple fans on road games are real fans.



This site is dedicated
not to the team, the parents,
the players or coaches,
but to Temple fans.
Players, coaches, parents
and staff (except for Nadia,
Thank God) come and go,
but fans stay forever

Phil did both. I got to know him on a road trip to UConn in 2012. We stayed at the Sheraton East Hartford, which happened to be the UConn team hotel.

The ice machine in my room wasn’t working, and my one job was to keep our brewskis cold for the tailgate. Rather than knock on Phil’s door and wake him up, I kept getting up and going to the ice machine down the hall. All night, the UConn football players in team blue sweats were up and down walking the halls. I posted on Facebook and Twitter that night that there was no way this sleep-deprived team should be 5 ½-point favorites, so take the Owls outright.  It’s one thing for a fan in charge of the brewskis to be sleep-deprived;   it’s another thing for a 55-person team of athletes.

The Owls won, 17-14.

That morning, after breakfast, we made eye contact with former (and now) Temple, then UConn assistant, George DeLeone, who was coming out of a team meeting room. George saw us in our Temple fan garb, gave us a knowing nod, and left the room open and empty. For some reason, Phil said, “Let’s go in.” On a seat in the meeting room, we found a complete UConn playbook with the name of the kid on it—we looked him up, he was a deep sub—and stuck it under the seat of his car and we were off to the game.

Phil spent the first half of the game in the box of the athletic director, then came down to cheer with us peons for the thrilling conclusion.

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On the white-knuckler ride home, Phil must have driven between 85-90 mph. That was a two-seatbelt trip. I thought the two of us would never make it back to Philly safe and sound, but somehow we set a land speed record for a trip between Rentschler Field and Philadelphia and lived to tell about it. (I must have looked over at the speedometer and said “yo, Phil” 27 times. He would laugh and say, “don”t worry, Mike, I got this.”)

Every time I saw Phil, which was every home game since, I gave him good-natured grief about his driving and we had a few laughs about it and the playbook story and the game itself.  In between, we met and conversed with and converted a whole lot of future Temple fans who will outlive us both.

Phil now joins a long group of Temple fans who have left a lasting legacy. He will be missed and we will toast him before every kickoff but it will not be nearly enough to repay his devotion.

Related:

Doc Chodoff

NJ Schmitty

Wes Sornisky

Dan Glammer

Lewis Katz

Shane Artim

Steve Bumm

Thursday: Soul City Walker

05.01.16
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Owls Will Prove Character Prevails

Matt Ioannidis made one of the most iconic plays in Temple history at the 1:20 time stamp here.

Back when getting into college was literally a matter of life or death, a lot of the Philadelphia Catholic League high schools started shifting their focus from core subjects to doing well in the SATs. A lot of the tests and courses were geared to getting that minimum SAT score and thereby saving a lot of the lives of their students with a heavy does of late afternoon tutoring.

You could be a real SOB but if you got the SAT score and the nice guy who got A’s in all of his classes sitting next to you did not, he was going to Vietnam and you were getting the student deferment.  It was a messed-up system, but it was the system of the day—SAT scores meant everything and grades meant little.

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Tavon Young closes fast on Will Fuller.

So it is today with the NFL combine scores and the NFL draft. A lot of Temple nice guys who got A’s on the field got passed over but guys who did well on that combine test by SOBs.

The difference this time is that the nice guys will not get shot at, but instead will have a shot at sticking in the  NFL. The only Temple guys who got a fair shake were Tavon Young (fourth round, Balitmore Ravens) and Matt Ioannidis (Washington, fifth round).

Tyler Matakevich, the consensus national defensive player of the year, was seriously overlooked and went to the Steelers (seventh round) and Robby Anderson and Kyle Friend, while undervalued, will get a more than fair shake with Todd Bowles and the New York Jets as UDFAs.  Friend did not go to the combine, but both he and Anderson ruled Temple pro day. The real pleasant surprise was Brandon Shippen, who went to the Miami Dolphins as an UDFA.

The biggest offenders in all of this were the Philadelphia Eagles, who chose to draft guys of questionable character in rounds five and after when they could have had all but one of the Temple players. If you are wondering why the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl, here it is:

Of the six players, the Eagles drafted on Day Three, three face character questions. Of the six players the Eagles drafted on Day 3, three face obvious character questions.  Fifth-round pick Wendell Smallwood (West Virginia), was arrested on criminal charges of witness intimidation back in 2014.  In the seventh round,  the Eagles dipped into the sordid world of the SEC and took LSU safety Jalen Mills, who was arrested and charged with battery of a woman in 2014. Later that round, they picked Florida defensive end Alex McCalister, who  was dismissed from the Gators for an undisclosed reason in December. When they say undisclosed,  it usually is worse than you imagine.

Meanwhile, in a related development, former first-round pick Johnny Manziel watched the first night of the draft from a bar and purchased 300 shots for his fellow patrons.

Tuesday: Double Loss

Thursday: Soul City Walker

04.29.16
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Football Stadium Protesters Misguided

 

How cool would it be for one of these to show up at the next protest?

There aren’t many great sports fantasies left out there but, if I had one, the next time the Stadium Stompers had a rally against the proposed new stadium at Temple, a wicked dust devil would descend upon the crowd and all of the “No New Stadium” signs would be blown away.

In the above video, you can see a cow mascot pretty much oblivious to everything. I do not know if the Stadium Stompers have a mascot, but I would suggest a horse’s ass because that’s how oblivious they have been to the facts surrounding the stadium.

more

From the FAQ section of the Stadium  Stompers’ website. Since the new stadium “takes over” only Geasey Field, which Temple has had for the past 40 years, the word “more” is invalid. Wonder where these people were when Temple built the SAC, Morgan Hall and the Library? All are similarly inside campus-owned property.

Facts are pesky things and they often get in the way of emotions, but the stompers do not have much off a point.  They seem to have two main objections to the stadium. One is that the university will infringe on lands beyond its campus and another concern is that the money used for a stadium can be used on other projects, like a health clinic.  “No New Stadium” signs are popping all over campus even though polls by both the student newspaper and television station demonstrated overwhelming support for a stadium from the student body as a whole.

nonew

Got to wonder what  their problem is when the stadium will be entirely within the campus. That “students say no” sign is incorrect. Every single survey of students show widespread support of a new stadium.

When those two points are easily debunked—the land for a stadium exists entirely on the site of a turf complex, Geasey Field, all entirely inside the campus—the protesters do not want to hear it. Since the money for the stadium will be entirely raised by private donations from stadium supporters, that objection is also unfounded.  Imagine Temple fund-raisers going to deep-pocketed donors and saying, “Sorry, change of plans. You know that $15 million donation you gave to a stadium? Can we use that for a health clinic instead?” Phones would be hanging up all over the Philadelphia area. It’s not an either/or proposition; the money will go to a stadium or there would be no money. At least that’s the way things are supposed to work in a free marketplace. Big donors will give big money to projects they support and, generally speaking, it is easier to raise money for a stadium than a health clinic.

When Temple head coach Matt Rhule was wooed by Missouri at the end of last year, the university convinced him to stay with a hefty pay raise and a commitment to “improved facilities” and that meant a stadium.  The new contract did not say anything about improved facilities unless a lot of protesters objected.

This is what Temple will have to deal with until a stadium is built and probably beyond, but while protesters might have an issue they feel is worthwhile, sometimes a little research would save both shoe leather and needless stress.

Sunday: Draft Aftermath For Temple

04.27.16
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Frank Nutile: Only One Play Away

Hopefully, the Owls can get Frank some mop-up duty in a 49-14 win at Penn State.

On the list of things a head coach has to worry about between the time that spring football ends and summer camp begins is backup quarterback but when the subject is Temple football and the head coach is Matt Rhule that item has to be thumbtacked at the top of the list.

It appears as though Frank Nutile, a former star at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, has won the job but that should not stop Rhule from biting his fingernails until August. Nutile clearly looked better than the other backup hopeful, Logan Marchi, but facts are facts and the facts are that neither quarterback has any experience to speak of playing in a real game.

frankster

Frank on his signing day.

The stats show Nutile (pronounced NEW TILE) completed one pass for four yards in a 49-14 win over visiting Tulane. Since it was a rollout designed to get him away from pressure, there was not much to tell from that appearance. More telling was the fact that the coaching staff kept starter P.J. Walker in for 99.9 percent of the other plays in a 14-game season, an indication that the staff was addicted to the comfort level a four-year starter like Walker provides.  Remember, Walker played four games with a separated left shoulder and that would not have been possible had the cheap shot hit in the PSU game come on his right shoulder.

Walker has been someone the Owls could count on the last four years but that, like everything in college football, is subject to change.

The Owls are going to have to wean themselves off that formula this year and one way is for the staff to work more playing time in for Nutile in the opener against Army and the second game against Stony Brook. If things go as expected, the Owls should have a comfortable lead in the first game and a larger one than that in the second game, and having a guy like Nutile shake off the rust in those games can only increase the comfort level in later ones.

The closest the Owls could get to real football was the spring game when redshirt sophomore Nutile threw a touchdown pass. It should have been enough to get him some more time in the fall. If not, the Owls will be forced to burn the redshirt of three-star recruit Anthony Russo and they do not want to do that.

If they have to, though, they should and they will.

Friday: Stadium Stompers and Dust Devils

Sunday: What The NFL Draft Means for Temple

 

 

04.25.16
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landing

While Thursday is a big day for the first- and second-round NFL draft choices, there are no bigger days for Temple football than Friday and Saturday. On those days, up to five Owls could be and likely will be drafted in rounds two through seven, making it easily the biggest day in terms of the school’s relationship with the NFL. While Temple boasts of the only player in league history to make All-Pro at three positions, Joe Klecko of the New York Jets, and numerous players with Super Bowl rings, the Owls have never had five players drafted in the same year. Here are the five likely picks and their likely landing spots.

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5. ROBBY ANDERSON, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Playing against a consensus No. 1 NFL draft pick in Houston’s William Jackson, Anderson had 12 catches for 150 yards in the AAC championship game. Anderson helped himself by running a 4.37 40-yard dash at Temple’s Pro Day. The Packers are interested.

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4. KYLE FRIEND, NEW YORK JETS
The Jets have had tremendous luck with Temple players in the past, from All-Pro defensive lineman Joe Klecko through Muhammad Wilkerson. Coach Todd Bowles is another Temple grad, who should be able to pick up Friend, a center, in the sixth round.

3. TAVON YOUNG, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
When the Steelers allowed corner Brandon Boykin to sign with the Carolina Panthers, that left a glaring need for a less expensive option. Young has a similar skillset and should be available as a fifth pick.

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2. MATT IOANNIDIS, CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Browns have a need for a lockdown run-stopper and the 6-foot-3, 303-pound Ioannidis certainly is that. He is also a better-than-average pass rusher who the Browns would be wise to pick up by the fourth round.

1. TYLER MATAKEVICH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

New England head coach Bill Belichick is a disciple of former Temple coach Wayne Hardin, both big believers in film over combine measurables. Matakevich, the national defensive player of the year, has film and should go no lower than the third round.

04.23.16
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Penn State’s Spring Game Raises Questions

 

The best thing about this game was the crowd.

When one team wins a spring game 37-0, you know the coaches just are not paying attention so wherever James Franklin’s mind is (maybe the pros), it has to be good news for the third Temple football game of the season.

It certainly is not on the kind of detail you need to choose competitive sides in a spring game. That’s a bad job of picking teams by Franklin or whomever he gave that job to and probably a wasted day of preparation for the Nittany Lions. Kids playing pickup basketball across the street from Beaver Stadium probably picked better sides than Franklin did.

That’s Penn State’s problem, though.

(The biggest blowout we could ever find in a Temple spring game came in 2001, when the White beat the Cherry, 36-0. No surprise that Bobby Wallace was the head coach. Most of the games in the last eight years have been competitive.)

The big player for the Lions was Blue quarterback Trace McSorley, who will have to replace NFL-bound Christian Hackenberg. He hit 18-of-19 passes in the first half against a squad that obviously had bottom-end, for Penn State, talent. Penn State’s defensive line lost players like Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson and Carl Nassib so it is not going to be at the level it was even a year ago when Jahad Thomas ran for 135 yards against them. If Ryquell Armstead or Jager Gardner are good enough to wrest the starting tailback job from Thomas and Thomas goes to the slot, there will not be enough PSU defenders to cover the weapons the Owls will have at their disposal.

Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead (from Fordham) will bring a faced-paced tempo this season, but the Owls are used to seeing that in the AAC. Other stars among possible Temple opponents this season.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Florida State v Houston

Isaiah Johnson

Houston’s Isaiah Johnson

Johnson, a sophomore, caught all three touchdowns from quarterback Greg Ward in the Cougars’ spring game and it appears the two have developed a special chemistry. Those were just three of the 15 balls Johnson caught in the spring game, totaling 292 yards. His touchdowns covered 48, 51 and 90 yards. Fortunately, Houston will not be an opponent of the Owls until the championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. At least that has to be the plan.

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Navy’s Tago Smith

If Houston isn’t an Owl foe in the title game, Navy could be. Certainly the most unusual first name in the league, it will fall to Smith to replace the NCAA’s all-time rushing touchdown leader, Keenan Reynolds, who many thought should have own the 2015 Heisman. Fortunately for Midshipmen fans, Smith looked good all spring and runs a 4.4-40-yard dash—a full tenth of a second faster than Reynolds.

Connecticut at Temple

Javon Hadley

UConn’s Javon Hadley

Hadley is one of three starters returning from an already strong Huskies’ secondary. The Huskies were 12th in the nation in interceptions last year and Hadley, a corner, picked off one in the spring game.  He also led all Huskies’ defenders with nine tackles.

South Florida’s Quinton Flowers

Playing at the school’s soccer complex, quarterback Flowers led the White team to a 32-19 win over tailback Marlon Mack’s Green team. Flowers, an equal threat to run or pass, had his team out to a 17-0 lead on three flawless drives.

Monday: 5 Temple Players Who Will Be Drafted

04.21.16
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Black Helmets and Dual Threats

Only Cherry and White helmets here and it should remain that way.

Somebody up there must not like black helmets on Temple football players.

What happened against USF—a 44-23 stunner—was just another reminder that nothing good happens when Temple football players wear black helmets. From the loss to Navy in 90-degree temperatures in 2014 and last year’s USF disaster and even some awful play against winless UCF, black helmets and Temple football do not mix. It’s just bad Karma. Temple is blessed with two great colors, Cherry and White, and the Owls should count those blessings. Counting to two should not be that hard.

Quinton Flowers, South Florida football,

Quinton Flowers

Putting the black helmets away should be the first thing on the 2016 Unfinished Business agenda, and the easiest. The next thing could be the biggest key: stopping dual-threat quarterbacks.

For all of the talk about position changes, recruiting and surprises coming out of Temple football’s 2016 spring camp, the real key for the Owls this season will be stopping Greg Ward and Quinton Flowers.

South Florida’s Flowers is on the regular-season home schedule and Houston’s Ward could play against the Owls in the AAC championship game and they better devise a method for stopping them or their expectations of a great season could be dashed. Quite likely, the Owls will have to beat Flowers to get to Ward, so today is not too early to devising a plan to stop one to get to the other.

tffstats

 

Flowers posted 320 total yards, passing for 230 and running for 90 with three total TDs (two passing, one rushing) in the Bulls’ 44-23 win over Temple in November. Those numbers were unacceptable because the Owls insisted on playing their base defense against Flowers with no tweaks designed to slow him down. That was pretty much their approach in two other losses to dual-threat quarterbacks. The Owls lost four games a year ago and three of them were to dual-threat quarterbacks—Flowers, Ward and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer. The other loss was to a conventional drop back quarterback with functional mobility, Toledo’s Phillip Ely.

So what happens in the defensive war room at the team’s practice facility between now and the start of the season is just as important as any personnel developments along the way. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow could have tipped his hand this spring that help is on the way when he moved his best cornerback, Sean Chandler, to safety. Having the speedy and sure-tackling Chandler spy Flowers could cause USF problems because Flowers won’t have the time to see the field and make plays.

At least that should be the plan. Executing it will go a long way toward unlocking a great season for Temple.

Saturday: Opponents Spring Games

Monday: 5 Temple Players Who Will Be Drafted

Wednesday: One Play Away

Friday: Millennials and Dust Devils

04.19.16
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5 Things Learned From Spring Practice

Connecticut v Temple

Sharif Finch #56, Tavon Young #1, Jahad Thomas #5, and Dion Dawkins #66 of the Temple Owls celebrate with the American Conference East Division trophy. Most of the guys in this photo return.  (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The outside perception of Temple football is that the Owls lost so much senior leadership that they cannot possibly repeat as AAC East champions, let alone contend for the title.

Temple fans know differently, though, because the tradition of single-digit numbers dictates the Owls have plenty of battle-tested leadership returning. Teammates vote single digits to the nine toughest players on the team and five of those single-digit players from last year are returning this season. That’s a solid enough foundation of both leadership and toughness returning for the Owls to make a significant run at the overall title.

Other than the bombshell of three-year starting receiver Romond Deloatch being switched to defense, the Owls had a number of surprising developments coming out of the annual Cherry and White game on Saturday. These five stood out most for head coach Matt Rhule’s team.

Connecticut v Temple

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

5. Jahad Thomas Could Be Switched To Slot

Thomas was named first-team All-AAC tailback with 17 rushing touchdowns and 1,287 rushing yards, but all six of his 100-yard games were in the first half of the season. To maximize his game-breaking talent and preserve his body, Rhule said Thomas could be split out and used as a slot receiver.

Temple v SMU

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

4. Ryquell Armstead Leads Tailback War

The war for starting tailback appears to be won by sophomore Ryquell Armstead, whose experience as a high school track star—he ran a New Jersey state-best 10.8 in the 100 meters as a senior—makes him a home run threat. Do not sell another sophomore, Jager Gardner, short. Against SMU, Gardner had the longest run from scrimmage, a 96-yard touchdown, in Temple history.

AAC Championship - Temple v Houston

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

3. Sean Chandler Moves To Safety

Only two players in the nation had multiple interception returns for touchdowns and one was Temple cornerback Sean Chandler. With the emergence of four-star recruit Kareem Ali Jr. at one corner, Chandler could take those break-on-the-ball instincts to the middle of the field and play safety.

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2. Linebackers Strength Of Defense

While Temple opponents can be comforted by the fact that All-American linebacker Tyler Matakevich has graduated, Temple fans know the real deal is that three starting linebackers—Avery Williams (2), Jarred Alwan (41) and Stephaun Marshall (6)—return with a total of 40 starts under their belts. “Our chemistry was ridiculous (in spring practice),” Alwan said. That meant ridiculously good, not ridiculously bad.

AAC Championship - Temple v Houston

  (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

  1. QB P.J. Walker Is Difference-Maker

While the focus is on Houston quarterback Greg Ward and USF quarterback Quenton Flowers, P.J. Walker could be the conference’s best quarterback this season. If he makes the same jump from junior to senior year as he did from sophomore to junior season, the Owls could take home the AAC title. Walker jumped from 13 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions as a sophomore to a 19 and eight as a junior. A similar jump should mean a title.

Thursday: Real Key To Season

04.15.16
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Cherry and White: A Day For Good Guys

My favorite answer here comes at the 10:35 time stamp.

Full disclosure: I hate the Cherry and White game, but love Cherry and White Day.

I always have felt the same way about the game, because the Cherry and White game pits the Good Guys vs. the Good Guys. If, say, Marshall Ellick beats Nate Hairston on a fly pattern for six, half of me is high-fiving, but the other half is not returning the high five. The reasoning is simple. Half of me thinks we’re going to have a great vertical passing game and the other half is concerned about replacing Tavon Young at a corner.

If our defensive line gets 10 sacks, I’m worried about our offensive line. If Jager Gardner, Ryquell Armstead and Jahad Thomas gain 300 yards against the defense, I’m just as worried about the defensive line as I am excited about the offensive line.

stadiumnew

Work, in  a manner of speaking, already being done on new stadium site.

And on and on …

You get the idea.

There are really no winners and losers when the good guys play the good guys. To really get a feel for how the Owls will be this summer, we will all have to wait until the Army game. Or Stony Brook. Even then, it might be too early because

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Field samples taken earlier this week.

Penn State should be the telling game.

For the first 10 or so Cherry and White games, I left Geasey Field or Temple Stadium or Ambler thinking the Owls would go unbeaten. It’s the last 30  years or so I’ve discovered the real truth. You cannot tell anything from the game itself.

The day, though, is another story. It’s a chance for Temple fans to get together again and that is  where the real victory is. There is no better place to pick up Temple “stuff” than Cherry and White Day, so bring cash.

kid

Just what is this guy’s problem?

This year, with a new stadium on the horizon, there should be a palpable excitement among those fans knowing this is one of the last two or three games on the East side of campus. With that in mind, it would be nice to see a drawing depicting two things: 1) What the stadium will look like; 2) Will it be North-South or East-West? Fifty percent of the people swear up and down on a stack of bibles that the stadium will be East-West, while another 50 percent will swear that it is North-South. Me? I would like for it to be North-South (better view of Center City), but the land configuration dictates East-West.

Other than that, as Jose from Norristown might say, I would like to see a donation jar to purchase former Owl kicker Wes Sornisky his own grave stone (he is buried anonymously in a Potter’s Field in Delaware after dying alone in a fire),  a folding chair in Doc Chodoff’s name to given to a loyal fan and the revival of the Mark Bresani Spirit Award given to the most spirited player of the spring.

Maybe not this year, but certainly in the future.

Sunday: General Cherry and White Thoughts

04.13.16
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Practice Concerns

 

P.J. Walker is ready for a big senior year in 2016.  Interesting that Adam DiMichele (background) is never far away.

So far, I haven’t seen the word “ameliorate” as a word of the day at the end of the Bill O’Reilly show, but it is a good word as any to describe how the Temple football practices have evolved this spring.

The definition of the word is “to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory” and, since head coach Matt Rhule has not canceled any practices in the last two weeks, the trend has to be interpreted that, in his mind, things have gotten more satisfactory.

cherryweather

Weather could not be better.

Rhule canceled practice a couple of week ago citing concerns about both senior leadership and the speed the redshirt freshman were learning the system.  Since Rhule the football CEO, we fans—the shareholders—should have been concerned that he had practice concerns. Since those concerns have “ameliorated” we have less to worry about.

The senior leadership has gotten markedly better and hopefully they will show the red shirt freshmen the way.

There is not much about this team I worry about. I think it is a double-digit win team but that doesn’t mean it is perfect. A little more girth in the middle of the defensive line would help. Not all that concerned about the linebackers, safeties or corners.

On offense, I have confidence in the line as tackle Dion Dawkins is the next NFL draft choice and Brendan McGowan has proven to be a capable replacement for Kyle Friend and there is a whole lot of talent battling for the remaining spots.

The running backs are deep and talented and I have a gut feeling that Jager Gardner is a future star.

In the passing game, I would like to see P.J. Walker able to fake it into the line, sucker up the LBs and safeties to the line of scrimmage, and float a long ball in stride for six. I haven’t seen that since Jalen Fitzpatrick (UConn, Penn State) in 2014. Maybe Cortrelle Simpson is that guy; maybe it’s Marshall Ellick. I was somewhat surprised Robby Anderson ran a track 4.37 on pro day, because he didn’t show it on the field last year. Maybe a guy like Ellick, who runs a track 4.5, runs a football 4.37.

On special teams, would be nice to see a Delano Green, a guy who can flip the field position all by himself, and fewer fair catches. Maybe, out of Sean Chandler, Simpson and Kareem Ali, one guy will emerge.

Either way, since it snowed last Saturday and will be 70 and sunny this Saturday, any other concerns have been, well, ameliorated.

Friday: Good Guys vs. Good Guys