02.02.16
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Groundhog Day And Temple Stadium

ambit

Theobald might want to call Ambit Architecture and have something that looks like these two photos from the outside with a view of the city from one end  from the inside (small photo below)

theo

About 24 hours ago, Temple president Neil D. Theobald and athletic director Pat Kraft showed up at the Student Activities Center to talk about a stadium. They did not wear top hats or pull a rodent out of the cafeteria to tell if there would be six more years of stadium talk, but it certainly seemed that way.

owlet

Something like this with smaller decks built deep into the ground (entrance at the top of the first deck) and the seats on top of the field and some view of the city would be perfect.

In March of 2012, a member of Temple Board of Trustees told a long-time athletics supporter that a stadium was a “done deal.” That was at a basketball win over North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament, but that was three years ago and nothing was done in this deal.

Mark that down as three wasted years.

accounts

Now, three years later, Theobald and Kraft marked the first time any Temple officials appeared before one or two reporters to talk about it and the guess here is that by next Groundhog Day, they will still be talking and not a single shovel will break the ground. Who knows how many years after that will we eventually see a stadium at Broad and Norris. My guess is well into the next decade, if at all.

 

Temple has several significant hurdles to jump over, the first being “the community”, the second the city and the third the unions.

What we will hear is a lot of what we heard yesterday—a lot of loud shouting and not much in the way of intelligent discourse.  By all accounts, there were about 200 students there and 180 wanted to hear what Theo and Kraft had to say. Because 20 or so did not, every answer was shouted down. That seems to be the way discussions go nowadays. The people who do not want something do not want to hear answers to questions, only to hear themselves.

misonceptions

That’s unfortunate because it doesn’t help their cause, however just it might be, going forward.

Temple will hire an architectural firm at Monday’s special BOT meeting (3:30 p.m., Sullivan Hall, Feinstein Lounge) and here are just a couple of words of advice, borrowed from someone we know but will just call him “Matt.” If you are going to build a stadium, do it the right way. That means any architectural firm will have to draw a stadium that includes seatbacks (no bleachers), 3D video screens, seats right on top of the action (not sloped back), and a mostly closed bowl to maximize the noise and make it a real home field advantage for the Owls.

If the architectural firm does not deliver those things for $100 million, either increase the budget or sign a 20-year renewal at the Linc. There are no other options.

Tomorrow: The 5 Best Things About This Signing Class

02.01.16
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Montel Aaron, We Hardly Knew Ye

montel

When Montel Aaron committed to Temple in the middle of October, he was just what Temple football needed—a mobile quarterback who could succeed P.J. Walker as the maestro of the read option offense.

Things change, people change, programs change and the parting of Aaron and Temple is a trade that will help both ball clubs. Very rarely does Temple get its No. 1 recruiting target, and this year the Owls got their No. 1 guy when quarterback Anthony Russo committed to the Owls. (It happened just once before, when Temple recruited Parade Magazine All-American first-team quarterback Kevin Harvey.) Having both Aaron and Russo around in the same recruiting class would have been an uncomfortable dynamic. It would have fostered great competition, but one guy would have eventually won it and I’m fairly certain after watching film of both that Russo would have been that guy.

aaron

Montel Aaron’s statement

Russo was the No. 1 guy all along and, with former Matt Ryan coach Glenn Thomas now the Temple OC, look for the Matt Ryan and Anthony Russo comparisons to commence in a couple of years. Already, Trent Dilfer’s nickname for Russo is Ryan.

For Aaron to make it all the way across the country and to find himself in a strange town under those circumstances would have been a tough thing, especially if he wants to play quarterback in the NFL. Aaron’s decommit from Temple was as classy as they come and, wherever he winds up, he will have a fan for the next four years in me.

My guess it will be in Hawaii for former Temple OC Nick Rolovich, the head coach of the Rainbow Warriors. (Rolovich was Temple OC for one day, accepting the job, then reconsidering the next day to stay with Nevada.)  When Aaron and Rolovich get together, they will at least have something in common.

I hope that Temple fans never become Rutgers’ fans and badmouth every kid who becomes a decommit. The qualities that originally attracted Temple to him still exist. Montel Aaron, we hardly knew ye, but best of luck to you.

Tomorrow: Groundhog Day And Temple Stadium

Wednesday: The 5 Best Things About This Class

01.31.16
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Waiting for The One

Linwood Crump made the play of the day on Saturday for Temple.

While it might seem like the Owls are finished with their recruiting, a couple of positive things happened for Temple football on Saturday.

One, Linwood Crump remained firm in his commitment to Temple, tweeting that he was going to spurn Rutgers’ attempt to flip him.

linwoodmeister

A tremendous statement from Linwood Crump

Two, head coach Matt Rhule was working last night on a home visit with Temple Football Forever’s No. 1 recruiting target, Prep Charter lineman Karamo Dioubate. Hopefully, the fact that Imhotep’s Tyliek Raynor and Archbishop Wood’s Anthony Russo decided to play for their city convinces Dioubate to make this the Holy Trinity year of Philadelphia marquee recruits.

In other developments, the Owls are trying to flip wide receiver Isaiah Wright from Rutgers. This remains a possibility because the Owls really need a playmaker to replace Robby Anderson. While Ventell Bryant and Romond Deloatch appear ready to take that step, the fact that they have not so far is a bit disconcerting because anyone with two eyes knew Anderson was extra special right away.

You want that one receiver that you know is extra special right away and Wright might be the right guy.

It should be an interesting next few days.

01.29.16
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The 46 Percent Theory

fortysixpercent

In that rather large binder Al Golden took to the interview with former Temple University athletic director Bill Bradshaw was a chapter entitled the “46 Percent Theory.”

Golden had taken an interest in the Temple program from the time he was a tight end at Penn State and an assistant there, at Boston College and at Virginia. All the while the Golden Goal was to take over a program of his own and Temple had been on his mind because, he said, it was squarely in the middle of 46 percent of the nation’s population. Draw a 500-mile circle, put Philadelphia in the middle, and there’s just left than half the population.

goldengoal

Al Golden, who is interviewing in the NFL, should be back in college soon.

Golden’s theory was that since Temple was in the middle of 46 percent of the population, its unique geographical position could be a recruiting advantage over most other schools.  Parents could be sold on sending their kids to Temple because it is a short drive from anywhere on the East Coast and inexpensive to get to the games. It is also in the middle of transportation hubs like airlines, trains and buses. In that circle are big cities like Philadelphia, New York, Washington, Boston, Baltimore, Richmond and Charlotte. Heck, even Buffalo, Cleveland and Cincinnati are less than 500 miles away from 10th and Diamond.

That theory helped turn the Owls from laughing stock to respectability and, maybe someday, the Owls will be getting Tyliek Raynors and Anthony Russos at every position. Maybe that’s the eventual goal, but being in the middle of so many people gives Temple an advantage most other AAC schools just to not have. Golden, who was 35 when he took the Temple job, got the recruiting end as soon as his feet hit the ground.

Matt Rhule is getting there because, in the current crop of commitments, the Owls have dominated the circle. Of the 23 commits so far, only three have come from outside the circle and two are from Florida. One, Montel Aaron, is from California.

The Owls don’t have catchy phrases like Rutgers (“fence the garden”) or Penn State (“dominate the state”) but, if they do well enough within the circle Golden outlined, it’s a better system than any slogans.

There are two more scholarships left, and here’s hoping the Owls pull in a couple of big catches to close things out.

Related:

We’re No. 2

5 Questions That Should Be Answered

01.27.16
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Tyliek Raynor Another Home Run for Owls

http://www.hudl.com/v/DMRcG

Click on the above link and hit play. Unfortunately, there is not a single Youtube video on the internet of Tyliek. Hudl is a bad platform, but it’s the only one available.

By any measure, Temple football adding Tyliek Raynor is a home run for recruiting.

Since homer is a synonym for home run, the fact that Raynor is a homer himself had to help because, in his commitment statement, he said “I’m going to stay home and play for my city.”

If all great Philadelphia players felt the same way, that would have been Will Fuller catching the ball to beat Notre Dame on Halloween Night and not to beat his city. Maybe adding Anthony Russo begat Raynor and maybe Raynor will beget a player like Karamo Dioubate.

SGRATZ05-A

Gratz’s Javon Whitfield can’t stop Imhotep’s Tyliek Raynor on his 58 yard TD run on the first play during the 1st quarter Friday night in North Philadelphia, September 4, 2015. ( Photo courtesy philly.com)

We can only hope. The protractor for recruiting starts in North Philly and a 500-mile circle around it includes 46 percent of the nation’s population. Temple is one of the few schools in the country squarely in the middle  of roughly half of the nation’s population.

With the addition of speedy running back Raynor, that was a good start. Raynor was No. 3 on our final five countdown list, behind only West Catholic defensive end Tymir Oliver and Prep Charter defensive lineman Dioubate. Raynor, who was offered by Temple on the spot after he ran a 4.3 at the Matt Rhule Football Camp in June of 2014, is very, very good.

How good?

Consider this: He could not play in seven games this year because of an injury that limited his effectiveness in other games, but his backup, Mike Waters, scored 44 touchdowns and was named Philadelphia Inquirer Player of the Year. That’s not just for Philadelphia, but for the entire Inquirer coverage area, which includes the entire Philadelphia suburbs, most of New Jersey and all of Delaware. He was also named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

That’s pretty good. I saw a lot of Waters, including a performance for the ages in the Pennsylvania state championship game against Erie Cathedral Prep. This is what I tweeted out to my followers after that game.

good

 

Much to my surprise, Waters saw the tweet and retweeted it to his followers. The bottom line is that if a great coach like Albie Crosby says Raynor is better than THAT kid, then Temple has something very special indeed. They will have the luxury of red-shirting Raynor.

The Owls will have to get Raynor healthy and keep him that way, but once he returns to 4.3, 4.4 speed, he gives them the kind of home run hitter they need. They have a home run hitter in Jahad Thomas and some fast backups in Jager Gardner and Ryquell Armstead, but neither Thomas, Gardner nor Armstead has a 4.3 40 in the books.

The clock never lies.

01.26.16
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All Players Should Be Like Keyvone Bruton

bruton

You’ve heard of the movie “Be Like Mike.” Well, at Temple in one, two or three years the saying could be “Be Like Keyvone.”

When it comes to making commitments, there are few men of their word quite like Keyvone Bruton. The little woman who eventually marries him is going to be one very lucky girl.



“Just seeing how
passionate the fan
base is and watching
the team execute
and get a big win
– it was great.
Temple is where
I want to be.”
_ Keyvone Bruton

Bruton, from Lake Taylor (Va.) knows how to make a commitment and stick with it. Once Bruton saw the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the Temple fans at the Penn State game, that’s when he decided to commit on the spot. Even though Duke and Virginia Tech offered scholarships, Bruton never waivered from Temple and decided to make no other visits. If all players were like Bruton, fans would never have to worry about decommits in the final week before National Signing Day.

Fans were a big part of the decision, Bruton said: “Just seeing how passionate the fan base is and watching the team execute and get a big win – it was great. Temple is where I want to be.” The best part of that statement was Bruton’s shout out to the fans, who even by Temple hater standards, made a big difference in Temple’s 27-0 finish of that game.

If anyone had any concerns about how the snow impacted decisions of football recruits over the weekend, what Bruton tweeted out recently should put all concerns to rest:

 

Bruton is the 56th-ranked safety in the country (he also played wide receiver for Lake Taylor) and could fight for playing time with players like Nate L. Smith and Delvon Randall next season. While the Owls figure to redshirt a majority of true freshmen, probably even including marquee quarterbacks Anthony Russo and Montel Aaron, Bruton plays a position where they will need depth. The Owls cannot redshirt everyone and seven to 10 players could see the field right away.

Bruton figures to be one of those players.

If he is committed to sticking to his football assignments as he is with the other commitments he makes in life, he should rise rapidly up the depth chart.

01.24.16
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5 Questions You Will Never Hear Pravda Ask

pravda-bg

On a snowy Saturday, while shoveling out of our driveway, a number of rhetorical questions occurred to us. Rhetorical, because they are the kinds of questions Pravda never asks once of Chairman Matt and probably will never ask. On the way out to the garage to pick up the shovel and the rock salt, I perused Pravda for some of the latest recruiting updates. There was one long posted update by one of the editors there and every word was glowing. In fact, I don’t remember a single word being written negatively about recruiting there in three years. One of the posters over there last week called a recruit “a reach” but prefaced that with the obligatory “I know we’re not allowed to be negative here. ….”

I wonder what gave him that impression?  It would have been nice to hear the answers to just one of these five questions:

gelb

Zach Gelb

  1. What happened to the hurry-up offense in Houston?

Only Zach Gelb of the reporters in Houston highlighted the Owls’ atrocious clock management in the 24-13 loss in the AAC championship game. Gelb dutifully reported he asked Matt Rhule, Jahad Thomas, P.J. Walker and Marcus Satterfield about it and said nothing was wrong, yet even Stevie Wonder could see wasting 20 seconds on every play call was very wrong. The fact that nobody else asked about it was also very wrong. We still have not heard a satisfactory answer. It could be about time we did.

stadium

  1. What did you mean by you are in favor of a stadium if they “do it right?”

Rhule has been quoted that he is in favor of an on-campus stadium “if they do it right.” One would presume that spending “only” $100 million is probably not conducive to doing it right.  A simple question to Matt on signing day is “what is your vision of a stadium done right?” A good answer might be comfortable 40,000 seating with a couple of state-of-the-art replay scoreboards and that’s probably not possible with the frugal price tag.

airhockey

  1. Would there be less air hockey at the next bowl?

Air hockey, touring the Everglades, bowling, liberal curfews and beach volleyball were all part of the Boca Raton Bowl experience. What wasn’t part of it was hoisting that bowl trophy at the end of the game. It was a learning experience for the first-year bowl staff, so maybe there will be a more business-like approach at the next one. It would be nice to get that on the record soon.

  1. If Missouri wasn’t a distraction, why did Tyler Matakevich say it was?

Rhule said his pre-AAC championship experience being interviewed for the Missouri job was not a distraction but Tyler Matakevich said on 6abc tv that Sunday afternoon that “it’s just another thing we have to block out and concentrate on the bowl.” If it wasn’t a distraction, there would be no need to block it out. Probably would have been better to tell Missouri no right away and say something like “I’m the Temple coach and the only thing I’m thinking about is winning a championship.” Instead, the “I can’t tell what the future holds” and “this is not about me” quotes let the papers talk about just that for two days when the focus should have been on the team and the school’s first shot at a title.

  1. If you had to put your finger on one thing, what was the main cause of the 3-4 finish?

This is something the staff will have to figure out in the offseason and inoculate against next season. It would be nice to know if they have identified the problem now so they can address it in the next few months.

01.22.16
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Add Snowmageddon To Temple’s Luck

snowmageddon

Being a Temple sports fan, I’m used to a number of odd things happening at strange times that seem to stunt the Owls’ growth in the two marquee sports.

Add this latest Snowmageddon Episode to Temple’s dumb luck.

Arguably, it is probably the biggest recruiting weekend of the season with Temple trying to close the deal on some high-profile football recruits and the forecast of a crippling blizzard cannot help things. Sure, once in a blue moon you will find a kid from Florida who loves the snow and thinks it is the greatest thing in the world and decides to commit on the spot.

Ninety-nine percent of the other people living on the planet do not think that way.

templethings

It was a good idea in the first place because the Temple basketball team was going to host unbeaten AAC rival SMU on Saturday night in a game that figured to pack the Liacouras Center and show the recruits a packed house of spirited Temple fans. Now, that game is moved to Sunday and probably will not have nearly the same atmosphere.

Ironically, this snow is not going to be a good first  impression because it had not snowed all winter—not even a flake—and the winter had been relatively mild with quite a few 50- and 60-degree days. You can tell the recruits that all you want, but they see what they see.

Logistically, it is just not going to be a good thing. Even though the recruits will be on campus, other things are routinely planned on recruiting weekends that will just not go off—like trips to Lincoln Financial Field and Center City.

There is always the hope that things go well and the Owls pull in the haul they expected, but the snow will not be their friend this weekend.

In another development, Penn State–a place where it snows all the time–is hosting Temple recruit Dae’Lun Darien this weekend.

The forecast there is a coating to an inch.

01.21.16
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Top 5 Recruits On TFF Wish List

karamo

Should be No 1 target.

With one week left in the recruiting process, there are a number of guys the Temple coaching staff is still involved with but, in our minds, if the Owls get three of these five guys, the 2016 recruiting class goes from decent to great. This is just our list, not Temple’s, but from a public perception standpoint, getting most of these guys would be quite a haul.

KelvinHarmon

  1. Kelvin Harmon, WR

The Palmyra (N.J.) native currently is uncommitted, and his most recent offer was from Virginia Tech. The All-American wide receiver has 165 catches for 2,674 yards and 36 career touchdowns. He’s a longshot for Temple, chiefly because he had the foresight to pick a visit to Miami (Fla.) this weekend during a snowstorm.

sebastian

  1. Sebastian Silva, LB

Silva, a teammate of Anthony Russo at Archbishop Wood, is under-recruited, much like Tyler Matakevich was coming out of high school. He is a clone of Matakevich (6-0, 215) only stronger in both the bench press and dead lift now and 1.5 seconds faster in the 40-yard dash. If Temple thinks this kid is coming as a preferred walk-on, they are making a big mistake because he has a full ride to a couple of FCS schools and his family does not have the money to pay his way through Temple. He is more than worth the scholarship. It’s amazing when a high school senior has measurables superior to the National Player of the Year, but it’s true.

  1. Tyliek Raynor, RB

Amazingly, Raynor, from Imhotep Charter, missed most of the season with an injury and his backup, Mike Waters, scored 44 touchdowns to become the Philadelphia Inquirer Player of the Year. If Raynor is good enough to beat THAT guy out, he deserves a scholarship to Temple. He is an Arizona decommit and he runs a 4.3 40 with the moves of a Bernard Pierce or a Paul Palmer. He would fit in well at Temple.

tymiroliver

  1. Tymir Oliver, DL

With the last two picks, the Owls really need to go after lineman and Oliver, from West Catholic, is one of the two best remaining on the board. He has an official visit to Illinois this weekend and it’s hard to believe that playing for Bill Cubit will be more appealing than playing for a charismatic guy like Matt Rhule. This is where Rhule will have to earn his recent pay raise and close the deal.  Oliver is a Rutgers’ decommit.

 

  1. Karamo Dioubate, DL

Dioubate, a 4-star tackle from Prep Charter, decommitted from Penn State and is said to have had three visits to Temple since the decommit day. Only one, of course, was official, but it would seem to indicate that Dioubate has the kind of comfort level with his possible future Owl teammates that does not exist elsewhere. He is also involved with Michigan State. He would be for the Owls’ line what Anthony Russo was to the quarterback position.

01.19.16
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Kareem Gaulden Should Be Fan Favorite

If, on or around Feb. 3, the browser on your laptop or other device seems extra slow, resist the temptation to throw the gadget against the wall. Just remember it is National Signing Day for college football. In about two weeks, the internet will be shut down or close to it and the cure is readily available. Curing crazy is always a good thing and one way the NCAA can do that is to approve an early signing period.

That is the only way reasonable young men of their word will not have to go through what Temple football recruit Kareem Gaulden is going though now. Gaulden, a defensive back, was one of the early recruits Matt Rhule was able to snag for the Owls. If there had been an early signing day, like last summer when Gaulden gave his word, there would be no poaching of recruits of other programs.

Gaulden took to twitter and expressed his displeasure with the situation last week.

 

That tweet immediately made Gaulden a fan favorite at Temple, someone who to this class might be what All-American defensive back Kareem Ali Jr. was to the last class. Ali is the son of two former Temple athletes, one a football player and the other a track star, who grew up going to Owl games. After originally committed to a Power 5 school, Ali realized his dream was to play for the school that he cheered for all his life.

Gaulden, another defensive back, earned the same kind of love from Temple fans after that tweet. Fans love players who keep their word, and those are the great majority of athletes who commit early. An early signing period would eliminate the craziness of other schools coming in to try to flip recruits and those high school players deserve that option.

The others who take time to make their decisions can wait until Feb. 3 and that’s why an early signing period would be a victory for all recruits.