07.27.16
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The Washed Masses

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The Sporting News has the Owls’ No. 1.

 

One of the benefits of Temple blowing the doors off Penn State and hanging with Notre Dame until the last play is a renewed respect for the program.

While you might have fans on other websites with a superficial knowledge of college football and not an insider’s view of the Owls saying the team “will take a step back,” journalists who do some real research have picked the Owls to finish in first place in the American Athletic Conference.

Call them the “Washed Masses.”

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SB Nation says title goes through Philly.

This post is to give both The Sporting News and SB Nation props for giving the Owls that kind of respect.

These are just two, although we saw one other preview that had the Owls finishing No. 22 in the country. I’m sure there will be more when the magazines with later deadlines hit the stands.

For now, though, The Sporting News is picking the Owls to win the AAC and SB Nation simply says that the road to the title goes through Philadelphia.

Aside from personnel issues (which we covered in Monday’s post) that seem to indicate that the Owls will be strongest in the areas where some of the best players have left (linebacker, center, wide receiver and cornerback), the schedule falls into place perfectly for the Owls. The toughest conference team on the schedule, South Florida, is home and it doesn’t take an overly sharp memory to recall that the Owls handled South Florida, 37-28, the last time they made it to Philadelphia.

UConn, Memphis and Cincinnati should also be tough, but the Owls beat UConn, 27-3, last year—at a time they were in a freefall—and Memphis has a new coach who probably will have growing pains. Cincinnati comes to Philadelphia and that should also make a big difference.

Now they just have to do it. September cannot come soon enough.

Friday: New Site for The Spring Game?

07.25.16
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The Unwashed Masses

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Sean Chandler could get a lot of interceptions playing safety.

When it comes to expectations or lack thereof about Temple football’s 2016 season, there is a loud murmur going around on the internet about “Temple not being as good because of all the graduation losses.”

Usually, you find those remarks on other fan message boards like Rutgers, Penn State and Pitt, people who think they know more about Temple football than they really do.

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Avery Williams, one of three returning starting linebackers.

We who follow the team more closely know better. Just what are these “graduation losses” anyway? The Owls lost linebacker Tyler Matakevich, the national defensive player of the year, but they lost someone at a position where they already are strong because three linebackers—Jared Alwan, Stephaun Marshall and Avery Williams—return with 41 college football starts under their belts. They also lose a great tackle in Matt Ioannidis and a really good corner in Tavon Young, but the trade off is a four-star recruit Alabama wanted (Karamo Dioubate, who took a phone call from Nick Saban minutes before committing to TU) so the upside is there. It’s a question of how quick the learning curve is. With guys like Averee Robinson and Freddy Booth-Lloyd, the Owls have enough bodies in the middle to get by. As far as corner, the Owls have a few guys earned a lot of playing time (Artrel Foster and Nate Hairston) and, if either one of them falter, they can always move Sean Chandler back to corner. I think Chandler is primed for a big season of interceptions playing in the middle of the field. On offense, losses of talent like Robby Anderson and Kyle Friend can be mitigated by experience returning at both positions.

So maybe “all of those graduation losses” will not have a significant impact on the record.

As someone once said more than 2,000 years ago, “Father forgive them for they not know what they say”. Call them the “unwashed masses.”

People who know this team know it is going to be very good this season. The only thing debatable is how good. The lowest bar among those in the know is 8-4, while the highest one is the sky’s the limit. How high is the sky? I think this team has a real shot at the school record of wins, especially with the 126th-rated FBS schedule. Of course, winning the championship should be the goal.

Wednesday: The Washed Masses

Friday: New Site For Spring Game?

Monday: What the Eff?

Wednesday (8/3): Temple’s No. 1 Foe Is Not on Schedule

Friday (8/5): Thoughts on Summer Camp Opening

 

 

07.22.16
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Temple Wins The Internet

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According to SI, the most popular team in Pennsylvania is .. Temple

We are now just about a few hours removed from the resolution of the strangest mid-summer controversy in the history of Temple University, the ouster of President Neil D. Theobald.

A couple of things came out of that settlement, one was that the Chairman of the Board, Patrick J. O’Connor, said the forward momentum of the university would keep moving forward in this letter to the Temple community (not to be confused with the North Philadelphia community):

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Not in the letter, but something O’Connor made clear to Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, was that the stadium project will move forward and Theobald being gone won’t impede progress in that area.

That’s interesting because Temple has had momentum recently, with a hard-fought win on the field against Penn State. The football team also “beat” Penn State in the offseason, winning a Sports Illustrated mention as the most popular team in Pennsylvania.

Keeping that momentum will require another win in State College this fall but, as of now, it was nice to see Temple dominating that state map.

Monday: The Unwashed Masses

Wednesday: The Washed Masses

Friday: New Site For Spring Game?

07.20.16
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Owls: Recharging The Batteries

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The team that toasts marshmallows together wins championships together. 

One of the fathers of the players mentioned to me a few years ago that being a Division I football player was a 365-day-a-week job.

As someone who took the Fox Chase Regional rail into Center City for many years past the 10th and Diamond complex, I nodded affirmatively. All of those years, mostly Al Golden ones, I marveled how the players worked out in the elements, be it snow in January, driving rain in April or 90-plus degree heat of July. In none of those months did the Temple Owls have a scheduled game.

I believe grind is the word we’re looking for here.

That same grind did not exist with Bobby Wallace, who lived in Gulph Shores, Alabama for two-plus months in his time at Temple coach. Not coincidentally, with Wallace gone and Golden here, the grind turned into winning and it was all worth it.

Even with a tough taskmaster like Golden, though, he understood that the grind needed to be interrupted by recharging the batteries from time to time. Golden did it on site with things like Youtube singing videos and having the team go over to the Student Pavilion for some full-court basketball. Golden had a Masters in Sports Psychology at Penn State, so he was applying what he learned.

Recently, though, Matt Rhule took it to another level when the Owls went upstate for some camping. How does this help the Owls beat, say, Penn State? Simple. The team that bonds together off the field sticks together on it.  From all reports, the Owls bonded nicely on the camping trip and extended the bonding to the numerous Community Service duties they have done since.

The grind is real, but mix in a little bonding with the grind, and that cannot hurt. As always, we will be able to tell for sure by December.

Friday: Temple Wins Internet

07.18.16
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Englert: The Andres Blanco of Temple

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Richard M. Englert usually can be found in the middle of Temple crowds.

If the BOT moves at the same glacial pace to replace President Neil D. Theobald as it did when the subject of the stadium was given the “done deal” tag five years ago, Temple University should have a new President by, oh, say, July 20th, 2025.

So get to know Richard M. Englert, the Andres Blanco of Temple.

If the name sounds familiar, it should. Like Blanco with the Philadelphia Phillies,  when the lead guy goes down and Temple needs a capable fill-in guy, Englert seems to do the job. The last time Englert did the job—bridging the gap between Ann Weaver Hart and Theobald in 2012—the university was so impressed it gave Englert the title of Chancellor.

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Dick Englert

That title is not dispensed casually as only Peter J. Liacouras and (surprise) David Adamany have been named Chancellors in the long history of Temple. A very good President, Marvin Wachman, wasn’t nor was any of his predecessors.

Englert is probably highly thought of because he has in the past implemented the outline the Board of Trustees gave him. From a sports standpoint, he is pro-stadium and pro-football and seems to have a good relationship with Matt Rhule. One thing he has in common with Theobald is that he does not seem to have the connections in City Council or the community to get the stadium project done. Maybe the next President will (hint, hint).

As far as minor sports, do not expect volleyball to be cut during his tenure. He is a bigger fan of Temple women’s volleyball than he is of any other Temple sport. Meanwhile, he has been here since 1976 so he should be a familiar face in the tailgating crowd. If not, get to know the face at the top of this post.

He should be here for awhile and, if he can hit like Blanco, they might decide to keep him right where he is.

Wednesday: Recharging The Batteries

07.15.16
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Ed Rendell For President (of Temple)

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Patrick J. O’Connor has turned to Ed Rendell before.

By the end of this month, they will be packing away the last folding chair at the Wells Fargo Center signaling the end of the Democratic National Convention.

It will also signal something else: Ed Rendell, the DNC Chairman, will need a job.

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Won’t need directions to get to TU.

As good fortune would have it, Temple has an opening that Rendell, the former Governor of Pennsylvania, would be perfect for: President of Temple University. Russell Conwell, the founder of the university, liked to talked about finding Acres of Diamonds in your own backyard and Rendell is that gem a stone’s throw away.

This is not about Temple football, or sports, because even if Temple was New York University and had no sports, Rendell would be perfect for the position because he checks off all the boxes:

1) He’s balanced big budgets before

Rendell served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania (2003-2011) and oversaw a budget of $28.3 billion as the chief executive of the nation’s 6th-most-populous state. As Governor, he successfully cut wasteful spending and improved efficiency leading to savings of over $1 billion. During his two terms as Mayor of Philadelphia (1992-2000), Rendell eliminated a crippling deficit, balanced the City’s budget, and generated five consecutive budget surpluses.

2) He’s a people person

Let’s face it. A lot of the President’s duties are largely as a figurehead with a heavy dose of fund-raising and pressing the flesh. Rendell has a lot of experience in that area. He will raise the endowment of the university to a respectable level.

3) He’s well-connected in state and city government

He’s more likely to get big projects through the City Council, whether it is another campus high rise or a stadium, than Neil D. Theobald was. He knows the landscape and he knows how to twist arms and get things done.

4) He’s an academic

He currently is a Professor at Penn, teaching two courses.  Rendell being perhaps the best education Governor the Commonwealth has ever had, securing more funding for the state’s three major institutions (Temple, Penn State, Pitt) than five of his predecessors combined . He has a Bachelors from Penn and a Masters from Villanova, just like his future boss and former classmate, Patrick J. O’Connor.

As you can see by the photo at the top of this post, O’Connor has turned to Rendell before. It is now time for him to turn to Rendell again. Temple has what Rendell needs, a job, and Rendell certainly checks all of the boxes for Temple’s needs now.

Related:

Ed Rendell For President of Temple (Facebook page)

Rendell on Temple Stadium

 

Monday: The Andres Blanco of Temple

07.13.16
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Don’t Mess With Phil

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Last year’s team leader and this year’s.

According to the website Songfacts.com, there is not a single song about a guy named Phil.

The closest thing we could find is “Don’t Mess With Bill” by the Marvelettes but, if Phillip Walker wins an AAC title with the Temple football Owls, there could be one about him around the beginning of the new year.

Phillip?

Yes, the four-year starter at quarterback officially changed his name from P.J. Walker to Phillip, at least if his twitter page is any indication.

 

It might be nothing but the whim of a college student, but it might represent the transformation a lot of us expect from the four-year starter at quarterback. During his freshman year, I thought he established himself as a future star with 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions in a year where he did not start until after the Idaho debacle. In his sophomore year, he was as poorly protected as any Temple quarterback I’ve ever seen—more to coaching schemes than the offensive line—but he still managed to squeeze out a bowl-eligible season.

Phillip will have all of the TU QB records, with the possible exception of rating, by the end of the season.

Phillip will have all of the TU QB records, with the possible exception of rating and Walter Washington’s rushing numbers and TDs, by the end of the season.

Last  year, he became more than a game manager but less than a star thanks, in part, to some help by a coaching staff than limited empty backfields (and opportunities for the bad guys to blitz) and inserted a blocking fullback (Nick Sharga) on a regular basis. Sharga was in there ostensibly to block for lead back Jahad Thomas, but he also picked off more than one blitzing linebacker headed straight to the quarterback.

This year, I think he graduates from that gray area between game manager and star to fully-fledged star. The only way that doesn’t happen is if the Owls go back to four- and five-wides and hopefully they learned that lesson two years ago.

Don’t mess with Phil, coming soon to a record store near you.  It might not be by the Marvelettes, but it will be Marvelous.

Friday: Checking All The Boxes

07.11.16
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The Easiest Money In All of Sports

First week has the Owls favored by 19. I would stay away from that.

First week has the Owls favored by 19. I would stay away from that, but Indiana covering the 4 at FIU looks tempting, as does Paul Johnson covering the same number at Steve Addazio.

 

For a lot of us, probably me included, it is a good thing we don’t live in Las Vegas.

We would either be living in a poor house or a mansion but probably not in between.

I don’t feel a great urge to gamble much, but when I see certain things involving Temple football—like last year’s ambush of a bowl game in Boca Raton or last year’s opener in South Philadelphia—the urge is strong enough to walk to Las Vegas and place a few sheckles on an event. (I know tons of friends who do bet online and leave their credit card information offshore, but I am not willing to do that.)

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I would never bet against the Owls, but the administration put the team in an impossible spot with really nothing to win by beating Toledo last year and a few dollars would have eased my pain for that loss I saw coming a mile away.

This year’s “easiest money in all of sports” involves the Owls’ third game of the season, a Sept. 17th date at Penn State. The Owls are 6.5-point underdogs and they shouldn’t be. Looking at this objectively, which I can do (see last year’s pre-Toledo post), I cannot see how this should be anything but a pick-em at worst and a slight Owl lean at best.

That’s why grabbing the 6.5 now is a gift you can thank me for later.

My reasoning is simple. Two relatively easy tuneups, Army and Stony Brook, ease some talented newcomers into the lineup to help the holdovers and bring them up to speed. Penn State has a tough, emotional, game at Pitt the week before and that will take a lot out of Nits. (They don’t think it will be emotional, but Pitt will hit them in the chops and they will respond but the fight could be bloody.)

This year’s version of the Owls’ defense—which returns three starters at linebacker in Stephaun Marshall, Avery Williams and Jarred Alwan—return. Despite the loss of Tyler Matakevich, this should be a better linebacker group. They are faster and better at pass coverage and, in Alwan’s words, their “chemistry is ridiculous.” Ridiculous, as in good. The linemen in front of them—Haason Reddick, Karamo Dioubate, Avery Robinson, Greg Webb and either Praise Martin-Oguike or Sharif Finch—represent the fastest Temple group in the last decade. There is solid depth behind them with guys like Michael Dogbe and Freddy Booth-Lloyd, who can easily fight themselves into the starting lineup.

With a four-year starter at quarterback in Phillip Walker, and an All-AAC running back like Jahad Thomas, the offense should not have too much difficulty moving the ball against Penn State. On the other side of the field, Penn State will have a rookie quarterback facing a four-year starter.

Mix all of that in, and a don’t think a home-field advantage is going to be enough to rattle these Owls. In fact, I think the South Florida game at home later in the season will be much tougher to win.

Wednesday: Don’t Mess With Phil

Friday: Checking Off The Boxes

Monday: The Andres Blanco Of Temple

Wednesday (7/20): Recharging The Batteries

Friday (7/22): Owls Will Internet

Monday (7/25): The Unwashed Masses

06.29.16
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Immediate Help Is On The Way

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Every so often, something happens in the offseason that leads to immediate help during the season.

Montel Harris, the running back Steve Addazio was able to lure from, of all places, Boston College, fit into that category. Vince Picozzi might be the latest.

Picozzi, a 6-4, 270-pound offensive guard (and also defensive tackle), from Lansdale Catholic is intriguing because, although overlooked in recruiting season, dominated games in the Philadelphia Catholic League. That league is about as good as it gets from a competition standpoint in the state, and probably the country as well.

For Temple to add a guy like this so late in the recruiting process, and for him to be eligible to play in this coming fall, is a real coup. Give me a high-achieving guy in the Philly Catholic League over a four-star in a weak league any day.

Picozzi reminds me a little of Kyle Friend, who became an immediate starter as a true freshman despite coming to Temple largely unheralded out of Central Pennsylvania. He seems to have all of the attributes needed to compete on an offensive line that could use some help, even if he doesn’t earn an immediate starting berth.

Picozzi got some great reviews here in this story by Rick O’Brien of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He strikes me as a guy who is ready-made to play and could easily transition into being Temple-Made.

Tomorrow: TFF Goes On 10-Day Summer Hiatus

(back Monday, July 11)

06.27.16
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5 Things We’d Like To See By Opening Night

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T for Temple U.

The incoming freshmen already have started to come into Temple University, and soon real practice will begin for the Labor Day weekend game against Army. Here are five things we’d like to see by that night:

  1. Anthony Russo Entrenched At No. 2

Let’s face it: Anthony Russo is, to borrow a political phrase, the presumptive nominee as starting quarterback at Notre Dame in the 2017 opener. The transition from P.J. Walker to Russo will go a lot more seamlessly if Russo gets a lot of snaps in 2016 blowout wins and is allowed to air it out this fall.

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  1. Karamo Dioubate and Greg Webb Starting At DT

The Owls have an overabundance of playmaking defensive ends and are somewhat light in the middle. If Dioubate and Webb get squared away in the four weeks prior to Army, they will provide lock-down run-stopping skills up the middle flanking nose guard Averee Robinson and just enough push up the middle to collapse the pocket. Otherwise, the Owls will have to lean on converted defensive ends at tackle.

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  1. Jahad Thomas At Slot

This will accomplish several important objectives. One, to give P.J. Walker a symbiotic partner with whom he can trust to get the deep ball. Two, it will allow future stars Jager Gardner or Ryquell Armstead to emerge as a Thomas-level first-team All-AAC running back. Three, it will add another edge threat that the Owls do not seem to currently have.

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  1. Sean Chandler At Free Safety

Chandler has been handcuffed by playing at corner because he has break-on-the-ball instincts. Playing Chandler at the corner is a little like playing Willie Mays in his prime in left field. You want a guy who can close on the ball that quickly in the middle of the field jumping routes. This can only be done if guys like Nate Hairston, Artrel Foster and Kareem Ali Jr. step up and start at the corners. That scenario seems more likely every day.

  1. Killing The Dog Stare

One of the benefits of having a four-year starter at quarterback like Walker should be he has the playbook memorized from front to back, back to front, is able to recognize a defense in his sleep and can call four plays in a row when needed  to get the job done. The Owls cannot afford a scenario like last year’s AAC title game when, down 24-13 to start the fourth quarter, they continually wasted 20-25 seconds staring over at the sidelines for a play. They did not have that time to waste, but waste it they did. That was like watching a slow and painful death. That dog needs to be put to sleep.

Wednesday: Help Is On The Way

Thursday: A 10-Day Summer Hiatus

Monday, July 11: We’re Back