Sam Keller defeats EA Sports in Ninth Circuit

Major decision out of the Ninth Circuit today -- and will have serious consequences for the O'Bannon case, which is also being tried in the Ninth Circuit.  I answer some questions for SI on today's developments.

Cornell Game Set For TV

As expected, there's another Dartmouth football schedule change with the Cornell game shifted to 4 p.m. as part of the NBC Sports Network package. Check out the Dartmouth release.

Here's the Ivy League TV schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 21
Lehigh at Princeton, 6 pm
Saturday, Sept. 28
Brown at Harvard, 7:30 pm
Saturday, Oct. 12
Lehigh at Columbia, Noon
Saturday, Nov. 9
Cornell at Dartmouth, 4 pm

Patriot Poll

The Patriot League poll is out and it looks like this:

1. Colgate 58 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Lehigh 56 (6)
3. Holy Cross 35
4. Lafayette 32
5. Georgetown 26
6. Bucknell 15

Coaches and sports information directors vote in the PL poll.

Dartmouth plays Holy Cross on Sept. 28 in Hanover and plays host to Bucknell on Oct. 19.

Green Alert Take: The video accompanying the poll is a great

Beware The Bulldog

The Pioneer Football League coaches have spoken and they've given Week One Dartmouth opponent Butler a solid shot at winning the PFL title and the coveted automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs that the league will receive for the first time this fall.

The Pioneer Football League Coaches Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. San Diego (5) 111
2. Butler (4) 110
3. Jacksonville (2) 99
  Drake (1

One Less "Decision" To Make in Columbus

Following OSU running back Carlos Hyde's 3-game suspension against a bunch of cupcakes Buffalo, SDSU and Cal for hitting a woman at a local Columbus nightclub-slash-flashlight hall, the MZone has taken the liberty of updating the "Decisions" wall inside the Buckeye locker room.

Here are the two versions:

Or:

One "decision" down, four to go.  O-H!

'Wilk' Lands In Chicago

Dartmouth's loss is the University of Chicago's gain as associate head coach Chris Wilkerson has been named the new head coach of the Maroons.

Wilkerson, who coached Dartmouth's running backs and shared special teams duties, replaces longtime Chicago coach Dick Maloney, himself a former Dartmouth assistant.

Read all about it here.

Green Alert Take: No question, it's a tough time to lose a

The Future

Say what you will about non-tackling practice, Dartmouth has been a significantly healthier team since the move away from full contact during the week. Big Green coach Buddy Teevens is at the forefront of the movement and has prepared a video that helps show how his program is practicing. Here are a few stills from the video, which appears to still be work in progress:



















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Surprise, Surprise

June grad RC Willenbrock's Dartmouth athletic career probably didn't go the way he hoped but thanks to the NCAA allowing grad students the opportunity to use their final season of eligibility, he's getting a one-year do-over.

A placekicker with a strong leg who had the misfortune to come along a year after always dependable Foley Schmidt and also struggle with injury, Willenbrock is walking

Here They Are- The 2013 Predictions

2013 USA South Predictions

 

This season will be like no other since I have been writing the Ferrum College Football Report. Overall, I see at least four of the nine conference teams being potential conference champions. This will be a year of close games and surprises. This will be a year with upsets, and blowouts, and This MAY be a year of two representatives of the conference in the playoffs, If there has ever been a season when the results are tough to predict, then this is it….but before I list my predictions for this season, I want to review last year’s finishing order.

 

Last year, I posted the following predictions:

 

1. CNU

2. Ferrum

3. Maryville

4. North Carolina Wesleyan

5. Methodist

6. LaGrange

7. Averett

8. Greensboro

As for those predictions, the first three were pretty good, as all three ended in a tie and were co-champions. Greensboro and Methodist however proved to be much better than I expected, and gave other conference teams a fit. The actual order of finish was:

Ferrum
Maryville (Tenn.)
Chris. Newport
Methodist
Greensboro
LaGrange
N.C. Wesleyan
Averett

 

 

So here are the 2013 predictions, and while there is no guarantee of their accuracy, I think it’s a sure thing that this will be one of the most exciting seasons in a while. Enjoy! Kickoff will be here soon.

 

9th Place- North Carolina Wesleyan (0-10, 0-8)

The Battling Bishops are coming off a disappointing 2012 season, and are starting with a new coach. Longtime coach Mark Henniger left the helm of the Bishops program to accept the head coaching position at Marian University.

The Bishops have hired Jeff Filkovski to replace Henniger, and thus a new era begins in Rocky Mount. Coming off of a 3-7 record, I look for this to be a year that initiates a building process for the Bishops. They will face a difficult schedule this year, and I think finding a win might be difficult. I see their best chance at a win will be their first game of the season at Stevenson, and I give the Mustangs the edge in that game.  Beyond that, I expect that the Bishops will be in for a long season.
 

 

8^thPlace- Averett University (2-8, 1-6)

 While the Cougars struggled to a 1-9 record, I look for some improvement this season. I expect that Averett will show improvement this season, and could be one of those teams poised to produce an upset. Last year, they were a much better team than their record indicated, and were contending in many of the games they eventually lost. Averett had the ability to put up points, but their defense seemed to be the chink in the armor. I do expect improvement, but improvement should be spread throughout the conference, not making the Cougars task any easier.

 

7^thPlace- Greensboro College (3-7, 1-6)

 I look for the Pride to level off a bit this season, as they only return 12 starters from last year’s squad. While the prediction seems to be somewhat negative for Greensboro, this is another team that can surprise some folks. I fully recognize that they showed steady improvement over last year, and while they may have some losses to graduation, Quarterback Ryan Throndset will be back under center. Throndset, was one of the best in the USA South last year, and I only look for him to improve. Do not take your eye off of this team. They may well be better than I think.

 

6^thPlace- LaGrange College (4-6, 3-5)

 Due to the addition of Huntingdon College, some conference foes will not face each other this year. Most schools will play their full three game non-conference schedule,  but will only play 7 conference games. LaGrange however is different. They will play only 2 non- conference games, and will play all 8 conference opponents.

I do not look for the Panthers to present a huge challenge, but if you paid attention last year, they have the upset capability. They defeated both CNU and Maryville last season, and both of these wins came on the road. Look for this team to possibly contend, but I am expecting them to finish about mid pack.

 

 

 

5th Place- Methodist University ( 5-5, 3-4)

 With a new coach in place, the Monarchs look to continue the progress they showed under Dave Evanson. Evanson stepped down to assume administrative duties in the athletics department. He has been named assistant athletic director. Replacing Evanson, will be former assistant C.J. Goss. Goss has been on the Methodist staff since 2005, and I would expect for the program to stay the course it has been on.

After closing the season out with a win over Christopher Newport, the Monarchs finished with a winning conference record, and were very close to being in contention for the championship. Their last three games were conference wins, and really cast them as a force to be reckoned with in 2013. This team could be much stronger than the record I predict…watch out for the Monarchs.

 

 

4th Place- Ferrum College (7-3, 5-2)

Ferrum should again enjoy a strong season, and be right in the thick of things, but the level of competition for the top spot will make things tough for the Panthers. Look for QB Tim Reynolds to shine again as he guides the Panthers offense, but with lots of holes left from graduation, Ferrum needs to solidify their offensive and defensive backfields, and also needs to fill the wide receiver voids. Ferrum will give us an idea of how successful they can be, by how they finish their non- conference games. If they can come out with at least 2 wins, things could be even more promising for the Panthers.

 

3rd Place- Maryville College (8-2, 5-2)

The Scots were a solid team last year and look for more of the same this year. I do not expect them to do anything but improve, and I look for them to be in strong contention for the conference crown. Defense was the hallmark of the Scots success last season, and one can expect that to be solid again as well.

No matter how you slice it, Maryville presents a must win situation for its opponents. How the Scotts fare on the road will determine their ability to get the playoff spot.

 

 

2nd Place- Christopher Newport University (7-3, 6-1)

 It is hard to pick against a reigning conference champion, and it is especially hard to pick against a team that has had the consistency of CNU. While it is not a stretch to envision them in the playoffs again, I feel that there is a lot of competition, and it will be a challenge for them to get the automatic bid this season. Interestingly enough, the new conference format (9 teams this year) means that in most cases two teams will not face each other. CNU and Huntingdon will not play each other this year. This will be pivotal in determining the conference champion.

Look for another solid year from the Captains, but I think they finish on the outside looking in.

 

 

1st Place- Huntingdon College (8-2, 7-0)

I am thinking the Hawks will have too much for the rest of the field in the USA South, but it may also easily be described as barely enough. The newest entry into the conference brings a 6-3 record from last season, but those three losses were to some pretty good competition. (Birmingham Southern, Wesley, and Adrian) Huntingdon held a top 25 ranking for part of last season, but the loss to Adrian left them outside of the playoffs.

I look for this Hawk team to pick up right where it left off last year, and cause a good deal angst to any coach on their opposite sideline. The fact that they do not play CNU will assist them in their road to the playoffs.

 

So there you have my predictions. I am very conflicted about many of these, and am not sure that I will even be close to correct. Time will tell. Be sure to watch the USA South web cast of the USA South Media Day event being held at Averett University tomorrow. The coaches poll will be released then.

Re-Joyce?

A regular BGA reader Googling for information on someone else stumbled across a story about the powerhouse Darien, Ct., youth football program. Given that Darien is a Dartmouth hotbed – more for lacrosse than anything else – he's hopeful the Big Green might bring in a player or two from the town once the kids get a little older.


A reason why the reader is a little more hopeful: One of the head

20th Anniversary of Reggie Lewis Death & Its Sports Law Legacy

Today is the 20th anniversary of the death of Reggie Lewis, an all-star Celtics guard/forward who died from a heart attack on July 27, 1993, at the age of 27.

Growing up right outside of Boston, I was a big Reggie Lewis fan. He's still my favorite basketball player of all time. Lewis was one of the most efficient players in the NBA, and had he played today in an era of basketball analytics, he probably would have enjoyed higher star power and commanded discussion at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics and similar forums.

What made Lewis so good?  Terrific defense and all-out hustle were a big part of it.  So too was scoring efficiency.  Hitting close to 50% of his shots, Lewis averaged 21 points per game in each of his last two seasons (91-92 and 92-93) and in the 91-92 season did something that Larry Bird never accomplished -- he led his Celtics team in scoring, steals and blocked shots per game. As Celtics Blog highlighted, Lewis, who was 6'7, also famously blocked Michael Jordan four times in one game.

Lewis had the unenviable task of following Bird as the next great Celtic. It was a task that, had Lenny Bias not died from a cocaine overdose the night the Celtics made him the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, Lewis would have shared with another potential superstar and the Celtics probably would have gone on to be one of the best teams in the 90s.

But that didn't happen.

On April 29, 1993, Lewis collapsed during a playoff game in Boston against the Charlotte Hornets. A "dream team" of 12 Boston cardiologists concluded that Lewis had cardiomyopathy, also known as "athletes heart" and a potentially fatal condition whereby the heart becomes too thick and beats irregularly. I've written about cardiomyopathy in the context of Eddy Curry and Alan Milstein addressed it when he argued on behalf of Curry that the Chicago Bulls had no right to insist on a DNA test as a condition of Curry's employment. This is also the kind of topic well discussed in David Epstein's new book The Sports Gene.

The doctors told Lewis that his basketball career was over.

Lewis then received a second opinion from Dr. Gilbert Mudge, a cardiologist who as Time Magazine reported, diagnosed Lewis with neurocardiogenic syncope, "a fairly benign fainting condition caused by nerve irregularities during or after peak periods of exertion." At a press conference, Mudge said, "I am confident that under medical supervision Mr. Reggie Lewis will be able to return to professional basketball without limitations." Mudge's opinion was later supported by other cardiologists, although some disagreed and supported the original diagnosis instead.

Lewis did not return to play for the Celtics, whose playoff appearance ended with a 3-1 first round loss against the Hornets, but he did resume a limited amount of practicing. Less than three months later, he would collapse and die while practicing his jump shot.

The death of Lewis raised two legal disputes.

1. Malpractice Lawsuit against Dr. Mudge

In 1996, shortly before the statute of limitations would expire, Lewis's widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, filed a malpractice lawsuit against Mudge. She argued Mudge was negligent in his advice and care of Lewis.  Mudge's key line of defense was that Lewis admitted to Mudge that he used cocaine, but the admission came months after Mudge's diagnosis:

Mudge had testified that Lewis admitted shortly before his death that he had used cocaine, making an accurate diagnosis impossible. Harris-Lewis adamantly denied the charge.

In other words, Mudge argued, he couldn't have provided reasonable care if the patient didn't inform him of a key (alleged) fact: the patient had a history of cocaine use.

The case took three years to litigate.  A jury was unable to reach a verdict and the case was ultimately declared a mistrial, a de facto victory for Mudge.  Harris-Lewis sued Mudge again, unsuccessfully, and an attempt at a third lawsuit was denied by a state appeals court in 2004.  Mudge is currently director of Brigham and Woman's Cardiovascular unit and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

2. Threat of $100 million Defamation Suit against The Wall Street Journal

The second legal controversy stemming from Lewis' death was a threat by then Celtics owner Paul Gaston to sue the Wall Street Journal for $100 million for a front-page story it ran on Lewis in 1995. Authored by Ron Suskind, Deadly Silence: How the Inner Circles, Of Medicine and Sports, Failed a Stricken Star attracted the outrage of Gaston, who called it called libelous.  The story suggested that the Celtics deliberately misled their insurance company as to the cause of Lewis' heart condition and that Lewis may have used cocaine. An autopsy of Lewis did not find any evidence linking Lewis with cocaine use.

Among other hurdles for bringing such a suit, it was never clear why Gaston would have had standing to file a defamation suit on Lewis' behalf or for the parts of the story that allegedly defamed Lewis.  The article did suggest that the Celtics withheld information about Lewis' health in order to increase an insurance payout, which means the Celtics (though probably not Gaston himself) could have sued on those grounds.

Critics also questioned why Gaston picked "$100 million" and the merits of such a number.  Use of such an extreme, round number has the unintended effect of diminishing the seriousness of a claim (think Dr. Evil and "$100 billion").  Similarly, many doubted the Celtics would have been willing to go through the pretrial discovery process associated with bringing the lawsuit -- especially one against the Wall Street Journal, which had the financial wherewithal to put up a good fight.  The Celtics' insurers would have surely paid attention to any findings that reflected poorly on the team.

Despite Gaston's threats, he never got around to suing the Wall Street Journal, and the 3-year statute of limitations on a claim expired in 1998.  Here is what Peter May of the Boston Globe wrote on March 18, 1998, right after the statute of limitations expired:

"We spent quite a bit of time with a libel litigator, and as much as I hate the fact that some injustices go unpunished, I decided that this was one that was going to get away," Gaston said yesterday. "I don't see my job to go on a personal crusade against one of the foremost newspapers in the country. My job is to help rebuild the Boston Celtics and run the company which oversees them."   ...

Gaston immediately threatened to sue for $ 100 million, calling the article "defamatory and libelous." He said any proceeds from the lawsuit would go to the Reggie Lewis Foundation.

Several libel specialists contacted by the Globe expressed doubt that a suit would be filed. One said it would be an "uphill battle," and another added, "The last thing the Celtics want to do is bring this to court."

Gaston said a suit would have cost millions of dollars to pursue and that he felt the money could be more efficiently spent. "But, personally," he added, "I am equally disgusted now as I ever was by what appeared. That bitter taste will never leave my mouth."

Dick Tofel, vice president for corporate communications at Dow Jones, the Journal's publisher, said yesterday, "We said when we published the article that we were confident the article was fair and accurate, and we feel the same way three years later."

 For a really good video about Lewis, check out this tribute:



This post is adapted and expanded from a post I wrote three years ago.

Mystery Man

Not really sure about this but in a Florida Sun Sentinel story about how members of a 2008 youth football team have gone on to success there's the following note about where they are headed now that they've graduated from high school (italics are mine):

Franklin notably received a football scholarship to Florida State University. Ham received a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M, Jones

New York's Legal Efforts to Combat Sexual Orientation Discrimination in Pro Sports

Earlier this year I wrote an article titled Loaded Question: Asking a draft prospect about his sexual orientation could land a team in a legal minefield for Sports Illustrated (page 16, March 25, 2013 issue). The article centered on the legality of NFL teams asking college players about their sexual orientation.

This week I spoke with Reuters Legal as a follow up to the article and specifically about recent efforts by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has invoked New York state’s human rights law, which protects employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, in warning leagues about sexual orientation discrimination. The NFL has responded by clarifying its policies and MLB and MLBPA have agreed to a new code of conduct barring sexual orientation discrimination.

The full interview is available to Westlaw subscribers but here is an excerpt:

* * *

Reuters: Do you think these matters are in Schneiderman’s purview? Why or why not? 

McCann: My impression is that AG Schneiderman is well within his purview. For one, he is the highest ranking legal officer in New York and he’s entrusted with enforcing New York law. New York law clearly prohibits sexual discrimination in hiring. Second, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players’ Association (not to mention several teams) are all headquartered in New York and a large extent of those leagues’ and union business activities run through New York. 

 
Reuters: Do you expect these policy efforts will make a difference in players’ and/or teams’ behavior in terms of the treatment and hiring of gays in sports? 

McCann: The policy efforts have already made an impact. The NFL has investigated teams that may have asked prospective players’ about their sexual orientation and the league has also pledged to aggressively enforce existing anti-discriminatory rules. MLB and Major League Baseball Players Association, for their part, have adopted a new code of conduct to strengthen protections against sexual discrimination. The more changes like these are made, the more I believe behavior will change.

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To read the rest, click here.

More fan speech

Here. A fan attended a Brewers game at Miller Park wearing a shirt of Ryan Braun's uniform, with "Fraud" in place of the name. An usher made her turn the shirt inside-out, which she did. Although when she went to the media, the Brewers immediately apologized, invited her to another game, and threw the usher under the bus. And that was the right move--that shirt was unquestionably protected expression that should be encouraged at a forum such as a ballpark--what better place to speak out about cheating in baseball.  Two other things.

First, Miller Park is 71% owned by the government (the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District), so it is a prime candidate for my arguments that through joint participation, the team becomes, at least for ballpark purposes, a state actor subject to the First Amendment and its limitations.

Second, note the vacuousness of the Brewers' statement, which toes the common line on ballpark speech:

We welcome the opportunity for fans to express their opinions. The only circumstances that would warrant us intervening is if someone were to display a message or item that would be considered offensive to other fans.

But every message potentially could be considered offensive to other fans. A friend of Ryan Braun or a member of his family easily would be offended by that shirt. Of course, that is not what the Brewers mean--that mean what they--as the governing authority--would consider offensive to other fans. But we don't allow the governing authority (when subject to the First Amendment) to decide what speech is OK and what is offensive.

Rage against the Infield Fly Rule

The Infield Fly Rule is back in the news and ticking off baseball fans, but this time because the umpires didn't call it. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins had runners on first and second with none out. The batter hit a low looping pop-up to the side of the pitcher's mound; the pitcher let the ball drop to the ground, then threw to first to start a double play on the batter and the runner on first (who had to be tagged out). Video here (H/T: One of my team of RAs looking at baseball games and reports looking for Infield Fly situations).

This certainly looks like a play warranting an infield fly call--it was a fair fly ball that could have been caught with ordinary effort in the appropriate game situation. And it did, in fact, lead to a double play (although not the double play the rule is designed to prevent), providing the defense the overwhelming advantage that the rule is intended to avoid. The crew chief explained the non-call as follows:

"For an infield fly, we look for if the ball has arc and if the fielder can catch it with ordinary effort and if the fielder gets comfortably underneath," said crew chief Ted Barrett, who was working third base. "That one definitely had enough arc, but the fielder has to get comfortably underneath the ball to catch it. That's the criteria that wasn't met."

Ironically, that explanation arguably makes the call worse. It looks as if the pitcher was standing still and waiting for the ball; he wasn't settled directly under it only because he already had decided to let it fall to the ground and wanted to be in good position to surround it and pick it up. The better explanation would have been that the ball did not have enough arc (the rule does not apply to line drives, so the umpires would have to decide whether this was more like a pop-up or line drive). If he truly wasn't settled under the ball, it's only because the ball wasn't hit high enough.

As always, the play tells us some things. First, note the shorthand the umpires have developed for when a ball can be caught with ordinary effort. Neither the rule nor commentary says anything about arc or the fielder being settled under the ball, but the umpires have adopted those visual indicators as indications that a ball is catchable with ordinary effort.

Second, this play is an example of why the IFR is necessary. Without it, double plays on intentionally not caught pop-ups are possible (watch the runner on first and see how hung up he is and how he has to retreat close to the base) and that infielders will intentionally not catch the ball to try for the double play. True, this did not produce the double play the rule is designed to prevent; had the batter been running hard to first, he probably would have beaten the throw (he starts running hard only when he sees the ball drop). But look at the :06 mark of the video--both base runners are about two steps off the base; the pitcher easily could have turned around and start a third-to-second (1-5-4, if you're scoring at home) double play on the base runners. The point is that many double plays would be possible if fielders could seek out multiple outs by intentionally not catching an easily catchable ball.

Take A Look

Dartmouth athletics issued a news release yesterday with information on its new digital network for streaming games – home and away. The release begins this way:

HANOVER, N.H. — Dartmouth Athletics, in partnership with NeuLion, announced today the upcoming launch of its brand new channel on the first-ever Ivy League Digital Network, featuring enhanced live video streaming of home games and

Latest on Aaron Hernandez Murder Case

Best Friends

This morning's email brought a note from the Friends of Dartmouth Football with links to a slide show from last month's Dartmouth Football Golf Classic as well as pictures of each foursome that took part in the event at Hanover Country Club.

If you are interested in learning more about the Friends of Dartmouth Football (covers from a few recent issues of the Friends' quarterly newsletter are

It's Coming

Memorial Field

On campus to conduct a couple of interviews yesterday I snapped this picture from under the visiting stands at Memorial Field. Click to enlarge.

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A press release was issued yesterday by the Ivy League and the Big Ten concerning their joint effort to deal with the concussion issue in sports. Find the release here.

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Former Dartmouth pitcher Kyle Hendricks continues to rip up

The Legal Aftermath of Ryan Braun's Suspension

I have a new article or SI.com on the legal aftermath of Ryan Braun's 65-game suspension.

Catching Up

After his playing career was ended by injury, former Big Green defensive back Joe Scola '07 spent several years coaching at Dartmouth. He then moved on to Florida State, where he served as a defensive graduate assistant under D-coordinator Mark Stoops while working on his master's degree.

A quick post on a coaching site this spring noted that Scola was moving on to Kentucky along with Stoops –

Urban Meyer Southwest Airlines Commercial

Nothing like a good ol' fashioned scandal in Columbus to pull us back to the MZone blogging machine.  Behold our latest creation...




Be sure to follow us on Twitter @MZoneBlog

Check It Out

Chris Wilkerson

The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier out of Illinois has a story on Chris Wilkerson, Dartmouth's associate head coach who works both with running backs and special teams.

The story details Wilk's progression from standout Eastern Illinois defensive lineman to coaching at his alma mater, to being on the staff San Jose State, and finally to coming to Dartmouth in 2005. It's a

More Johnny Football

By now anyone with Internet access, a TV or a radio knows that Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was sent home from the Manning Passing Academy. (Do you think they ever considered calling it the Manning Handing Off Academy or the Manning Scrambling Academy? Probably not ;-)

A regular reader has shared a link revealing that Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, one of the associate directors of the

Season Just Around the Corner- Outlook Promising, Despite Several Question Marks

With just a littler over a month before kickoff, The Ferrum football team enters this season as defending conference co champions.  This was, to me, somewhat unexpected, but well deserved as the team finished 7-3 for the second year in a row. In Coach Harper's two years at the helm, he has led the team to apparent consistency, despite having several challenges.

First was the departure of coach Jim Hickam. He was replaced by former all pro running back Chris Warren. Warren had served as a volunteer assistant in Harper's first season, and was given full time status when Hickam retired. Warren finished last season having served as running backs coach, but resigned at the end of last season.

Next to leave was second year offensive coordinator Ralph Isernia. Isernia, after leading two very successful offensive attacks for the Panthers, was hired at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's head coach. This position was filled by Ferrum when it was announced that Chris Bache had joined the staff. Bache brings an impressive resume to Ferrum. Chris Warren's position has yet to be filled.

In a recent conversation with SID Gary Holden, I learned that there is reason for optimism this season. Holden seemed to think that the number of players that will be in fall camp will be strong. Besides strong recruiting efforts, Holden indicated that player retention efforts are paying off as well. This is a huge development, and is the foundation for success in any program.

With graduation taking a solid toll on last season's starting lineup, I think it is important to identify who is returning.

On offense, the Panthers look solid up front. With J.L. Tyree, LeRon Cameron-Fuller, Joe McDonagh, and Taylor Mendler leading a host of returners.
Also, look for quarterback Tim Reynolds to be back for his Junior season. He not only broke the all time passing record for Ferrum as a sophomore, he was named the USA South Offensive Player of the year last year.

The receiving corps is somewhat depleted due to graduation, but the list of wide receivers is deep, despite there playing time being minimal. I have no clue who the starters will be. Interestingly enough, the football roster on the Ferrum website lists Makaya Jackson but as a graduate.  If he indeed has another year of eligibility left, this would be huge!

At running back, I am certain that Jericho James is expected to return, but beyond that, I have no information as to who will start. This will become more clear as we get closer to kickoff. This is another area that may lack experience.

On the defensive side of the ball, I again expect the line to be solid with Lynwood Pickett, and DeRon Dillard anchoring the defensive front. There are several others who saw a good amount of playing time last season, so I look for this unit to be strong.

Linebackers will be led by Senior Jatavious Adams. Adams who led the Panthers in tackles last season will be the most experienced returner at this position.

The defensive backs and safeties will also be looking for new starters.  Tarrell Owens will be back to guide the defensive backfield. Also expected to see plenty of playing time is Marco McNeal. While the defensive unit is going to have new faces, I expect coach Adams to have them ready for the season.

Punting will be handled by  by Senior Wesley Franklin, and I would expect Franklin to not only carry out punting duties, I think it is likely he will be called on to replace Scott Puschell for field goals and extra points.

It is hard to say how Ferrum will end up this season. They have a strong nucleus to build around, and the fact that the player retention is improving is a positive sign.  Each year, it seems that the conference has a greater level of equality, and I feel sure that you can count on the following teams (In no particular order) to be the strength of the conference.....on second thought, I will hold off on that list. My predictions will be out on July 28th.

A VERY Familiar Name

A defensive end with great speed, Anthony Gargiulo '06 made the All-Ivy League honorable mention team as a sophomore and the All-Ivy first team as a junior and senior. After deciding not to pursue an NFL contract he changed his mind about pro football and following a year away from the game earned a starting spot with the Calgary Stampeders. He might be in the NFL today if not for a cheap shot in

Ed O'Bannon adds Six Current Football Players; Why no Basketball Players?

Ed O'Bannon has added six current football players as named plaintiffs to his lawsuit against the NCAA, EA and CLC. 

Why no current basketball players?  I explore in a new article for SI.com.

Counting Down The Days

The Ivy League is in the midst of conducting its media poll predicting how the 2013 football race will go. The results will be released when the conference holds its annual coaching teleconference on Aug. 6.

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Speaking of the 2013 season, have you been following Dartmouth's 100 Days Kickoff Countdown? There are 64 days until the opener against Butler – which means there were 65 days left

Men Of Steele

More from Phil Steele's College Football, which has six Dartmouth players on its preseason All-Ivy League team:

First Team 

Linebacker Michael Runger
Safety Garrett Waggoner

Second Team 

Receiver Ryan McManus
Punt Returner Ryan McManus
Running Back Dominick Pierre
Linebacker Bronson Green
Kick Returner Kirby Schoenthaler
Find the full Phil Steele preseason All-Ivy team here.

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Speaking of

That's A Wrap

Having written my share of bios over the years I feel pretty confident there's relief in the Dartmouth sports info office that all the player profiles for the 2013 season have been posted ;-).

A highlight purloined directly from each of the last five bios . . .

Sophomore defensive back Josh Winslow . . . contributed to the varsity efforts in every game, mostly on special teams

Junior defensive

Let them wear towels

Last night, ESPN premiered Let Them Wear Towels, the third in its Nine for IX documentary series (nine films, all by female directors, marking the 40th anniversary of Title IX). Directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, the film examines the experiences of the first generation of female sportswriters and their efforts to get equal access to lockerrooms. This one has a lot of law to it. For one thing, many of the early women sportswriters got those jobs because many of the major news outlets (including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Newsday) had been sued for employment discrimination and were looking to hire female sportswriters. The film also discusses Melissa Ludtke's successful 1978 lawsuit challenging Major League Baseball's exclusion of women from clubhouses as applied to Yankee Stadium^,* which somewhat started the slow move toward league-wide policies in all four major sports.

    ^* The district court found that MLB and the Yankees acted under color of law, because New York City owned the old Yankee Stadium. This decision is a big part of my arguments about the First Amendment rights of fans at publicly financed ballparks.

The film closes with the story of Lisa Olson, who in 1990 was sexually harassed by several players in the New England Patriots lockerroom, then suffered public harassment and vilification that pushed her to move out of the country for six years. The film's presentation of the Olson case illustrates something about the evolution of social movements. The early cohort of women reporters, who are the main subjects of the film, talk about turning a blind eye and deaf ear to offensive behavior. For them and their period of the mid-'70s to mid-'80s, the goal was simply access and getting inside the lockerroom so they could do their jobs; lewd comments and actions were the cost of that access. Olson's story is the second wave of the movement--having been granted access (a given by 1990), the demand was for a certain minimum level of behavior and treatment when they were there.

The one other thing I would have liked to have seen was some update on the views of the men who strongly opposed women's access back in the day--do they still hold to what they said 30 years ago or are they embarassed by it? Several of them are dead (former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Patriots owner Robert Kraft Victor Kiam, whose public comments exacerbated the Olson situation). ESPN does have a short companion film in which journalists and athletes of that era talk about the past and come across as largely supportive.

Bios, Cont'd

Still another batch of bios on the Dartmouth football page have been updated. Here's a chosen highlight from the 2012 season taken directly from this latest group:

Senior safety Garrett Waggoner . . . recipient of the Bob Blackman Award, given to the Big Green player who contributed most to the success of the team

Sophomore defensive end Sawyer Whalen . . . sidelined for most of the season by

Didn't You Used To Be . . .

That Certain '14 had a gathering yesterday here on Moose Mountain for fellow staff members and volunteers with Dartmouth's SEAD program. From the SEAD web page on the Tucker Foundation site:

The Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) program empowers promising high school students from under-resourced backgrounds to thrive in high school and college and provides Dartmouth students transformative

4-Verticals and Some Rambling on the Passing Game, Part II

 Another post by my guest writer:

In Part I of this article, I wrote about how my offense coaches the Four-Vertical play as well as some different variations that could be created by simply tagging the base play. Previously, I focused on running the plays from a 2 x 2 formation, whereas now I will shift my focus into 3 x 1 formations. Please note that while the diagrams shown will be from true spread formations, attached formations can often yield effectively the same play. The key would be if an attached TE or Wingback can get to the same landmark as a displaced receiver and create the same spacing that the play requires. For example, if the ball is on a hash, a TE or Wingback into the boundary can execute the same assignment as a boundary slot receiver in a 2 x 2 formation. Another example with the ball on a hash would be to use a TE or Wingback to the field as the #3 receiver in a 3 x 1 formation.

The play-calling system for a 3 x 1 version of our Four-Vertical play is the same as in 2 x 2 formations: it starts with calling the letter of the player who runs the Locked-Seam. The slot receiver who is not running the Locked-Seam is still the Seam-Read. The outside receivers run a Stop or a Go route based on their respective Cornerbacks. Finally, the RB check-releases, and if he is able to release he runs a Dump route which breaks toward the Seam-Read if he is matched.

We will now start with our two basic versions of Four-Verticals before moving on to the different variations. In addition to talking about how the plays are run, I will also discuss why I would call one version over the other.

                When studying how different passing offenses run this play, you are likely to find the coaches split on which guy is their Seam-Read or “Bender” as it is often called. While there are advantages to each, I believe that it is best to have both options available in order to create the most stress against the defense you are playing against. In the above example, the Rhythm Locked-Seam is by the #2 receiver, and the Seam-Read is run by the #3 receiver. The way we would call this is by giving the letter of the #2 receiver before the play, such as “H-Verts” or “Y-Verts” or “Z-Verts,” depending on who the #2 is in that formation. Our QB’s basic progression is the same as it was in 2 x 2, only now both his Rhythm and Read routes are on the same side of the field. Should both of those routes be CAPed, the QB would then go to the RB on the Dump as his Rush route. The specific coaching points for the Seam-Read do not change, as his goal is to get into unCAPed and unoccupied space. He is still looking to get vertical down the field first, and if he is CAPed he will break on whatever angle is best to work into the open grass. This may end up being a Post cut, a sharp 90 degree Dig break, or something in-between. The key is avoiding collision from the LBs and working to the unCAPed space in a time frame that allows the QB to know where he is going and deliver the ball after one hitch.

                In the example above, the Rhythm Locked-Seam is run by the #3 receiver, and the Seam-Read is run by the #2 receiver. The way we would call this is by giving the letter of the #3 receiver before the play, such as “H-Verts” or “Y-Verts” or “Z-Verts,” depending on who the #3 is in that formation. Our QB’s basic progression is the same as it was in the previous example, only now the Rhythm and Read routes are run by different receivers. Should both of those routes be CAPed, the QB would then go to the RB on the Dump as his Rush route. The only thing that changes for the Seam-Read here is that he does not have a high-angle Post option because that space is occupied by the Locked-Seam. He is still looking to get vertical down the field first, and if he is CAPed he will make a sharp 90 degree break inside (Dig), or he can roll into something slightly deeper if the defense allows it.

                In order to maximize the effectiveness of your Seam routes in the Four-Vertical play, the first thing you should look to do is create a situation where you have the potential to hit an unCAPed Rhythm throw. Since our Rhythm route here is a Locked-Seam, our only chance to hit it is if he is unCAPed when the QB’s hits the last step of his drop. With this in mind, a coach should call the play based on which slot has the best chance to be open based on the pre-snap defensive structure.

                
     In the example above, the defense is showing a strong-side rotation into Cover 3. Traditional thinking is that you run the slots down the hashes and put the FS is in a bind. People have been doing that for years, and if that is how you do it and it works for you, then keep doing it that way. I used to coach the play like that, but since jumping into the world of R4, I learned that there were other ways to do it. The main reason in going away from defender keys is to eliminate the grey area. I could say to my QB “key the FS and if he goes right, you throw left, and if he goes left then you throw right.” Well, what if he doesn’t go anywhere? To eliminate hesitation by the QB (the main reason I was open to changing how I coached the passing game) he must have an initial plan of what he is going to do and something must force him to deviate from that plan. Instead of an “either-or” situation (which may not always be black and white), it is “throw the Locked-Seam on Rhythm unless you can’t, in which case you would move along in your progression.” Another benefit of the R4 system is the accelerated decision-making process. My QB has the potential to get the ball off faster since he is ready to throw the Locked-Seam at the end of his drop and without a hitch if it is unCAPed.

If both receivers were to run vertical in the example above, the #2 receiver is the most likely receiver to be unCAPed based on my pre-snap look. Granted, both receivers would have to avoid collision by the LBs, but #3 has the FS on top of him and inside. Traditional thinkers would say something like “Duh, the #3 receiver needs to get to the opposite hash so you can horizontally stretch the FS.” While that is the ideal end result, I again must go back to the principle of timing. The #2 receiver only has to avoid the rolled-down SS to enter into unCAPed space. The #3 receiver on the other hand must avoid collision by the Sam, as well as work across the FS’s face, where he may encounter the Mike. While a gifted receiver playing against inept coverage might make all that happen by the time the QB takes his drop (and a shotgun 3-step drop doesn’t take very long), it is likely that the QB would see the receiver collisioned or rerouted by the LB and have to move on in his progression. Regardless of what the FS does, collision and rerouting of receivers by the undercoverage throws off the timing of the play. This forces the QB to eliminate that route from his progression and move on to his next option if he is staying true to the timing of the play. These factors that help the QB make decisions faster are known as “accelerators” in the R4 system (for more information on the R4 accelerators, go buy the book). Maybe in 7-on-7 you can stay on a receiver indefinitely until he is open, but in real football there is a pass-rush, and those guys coming after the QB do not want to let him stay upright in the pocket for any period of time. Going back to the example above, if we make the #3 receiver the Read route, that receiver now has more time to work release moves, avoid collision, and then make a more distinct break to get to the unCAPed space. Bottom line is that by choosing the Rhythm route that has the best chance of success, you increase the likelihood of the QB being able to throw to him.

                In the above example, the QB drops back with the intent of throwing the Locked-Seam to #2 on Rhythm. If that receiver is collisioned, or the FS makes a drastic move to CAP him, then the QB will move his eyes and he hitches to throw to the Seam-Read. Again, being the “Read” route has given that receiver extra time to work himself around the Sam and into the unCAPed space near the hash. Should something happen to take away the Seam-Read (deep dropping Mike, hard-walling Sam, etc…), the QB will move his eyes hitch again to his RB on the Dump.

                In the above example we see a defense that appears to be in Cover 2. If both slots were to run vertical, which one has the best chance of being unCAPed? If you said #3, you are correct. Against the defense shown above, I would make #3 the Rhythm Locked-Seam, and #2 would be the Seam-Read. There are other many other ways to attack a defense like this (and we will look at some of those later), but this is the version of the base Four-Verts play that I would use.

 

In the example above, the QB drops back looking to throw the Locked-Seam to #3 on Rhythm. If that receiver is CAPed or collisioned, then the QB will moves his eyes as he hitches to the Seam-Read, which again has had the benefit of extra time to work himself around the Sam and into the unCAPed space between the Sam and the Mike. Should something happen to take away the Seam-Read, the QB will move his eyes as he hitches to throw to his RB on the Dump route.

                In the first two examples, we have seen defensive structures that were set up to allow the likely  Rhythm throw to be chosen pre-snap. There are also defensive structures that appear to not allow Rhythm throws. When this is the case, two things must be considered. These are if the CAP can be eliminated, and if not, what is the best Read route option?

     There are some cases where a pre-snap CAP can be eliminated post-snap. This can often be determined through film study (both coverage scheme and personnel), as well as in-game analysis (both scheme and personnel). Some Safeties will align with some cushion (8-10 yards) and dare you to try to run by them, and you can’t. Others will show cushion, but post-snap will allow you to get behind them. Personnel should be strongly considered, both offensively and defensively. Utilize your best personnel in positions that you think you have the best chance of winning. Remember, we are talking about the ability of a receiver to quickly close the cushion on a defender and be in a position to clearly get behind him in the time-frame of a Rhythm throw. It doesn’t do any good if the receiver needs 50 yards to run by a defender, because the QB will have long since moved on in his progression. 

     The next thing to consider when you cannot win on a Locked-Seam is which player/position has the best chance of winning on the Seam-Read. If you know that you won’t be throwing to the Rhythm route, it wouldn’t make sense to waste your best receiver there unless there was a ridiculous defensive overreaction that made it much better to throw to your second-best guy. Otherwise, the Rhythm route becomes a sacrificial lamb, and serves to give the QB a natural look-off as he allows his Read route to develop. (It should be noted that sometimes better Rhythm routes exist other than verticals, but for the purposes of this article we are sticking with a Four-Vertical concept. There are definitely times when you should just take a quick drop and throw the dang Hitch route if the coverage is playing 10 yards off).

                The example above shows a form of Quarters coverage with the FS aligning almost over #3. Assuming that you don’t anticipate winning on a Locked-Seam, your thinking should go to figuring out which player has the best chance to win on the Seam-Read. To determine that, there are a few factors to consider. First, does one safety look to be giving more cushion than the other? More cushion typically means softer coverage, and a less-contested throw. The next would be horizontal leverage. Outside leverage on an inside-breaking route is ideal, while heavy inside-leverage on the same break offers the defensive player a better chance to CAP the route horizontally. The third thing to look for is a possible bracket or disruption by underneath coverage. This could vary game to game, but hopefully a coach has an idea of how the underneath coverage of an opponent plays when they see vertical route stems. In the example above, both Safeties are giving the same amount of cushion, but the FS is much further inside of his respective receiver than the SS. So far the thinking is that #2 is the best option for the Seam-Read. Lastly, the alignment of the Sam being so far inside #2 indicates that #2 should have a free release and most likely will not have to worry about collision by the Sam.

                At the snap of the ball, #3 bursts down the middle of the field on the Locked-Seam. The FS drops back, CAPing that route. Seeing this, the QB eliminates the possibility of throwing the Rhythm route, and moves his eyes to find the window for the Seam-Read as he hitches to set the hallway for the throw. It is possible that the undercoverage could somehow take this route away, in which case the QB would move his eyes as he hitches again to the RB on the Dump as his Rush route.  

                The next situation to look at is a disguised secondary rotation. I am referring to a situation where the offense is totally fooled and has the play called to defeat the pre-snap look, only to have the defense change the coverage (and the CAPs) at the snap. The example above shows a pre-snap look of a Quarter-Quarter-Half coverage. You decide to use #3 as your Rhythm Locked-Seam.

                At the last second, the defense rolls into Cover 3. With the FS dropping to the middle of the field and the Mike walling off the Locked-Seam, the QB knows that this route is CAPed, and moves his eyes to the Seam-Read. The Seam-Read, upon recognizing the SS rolling down, knows that he is now unCAPed and continues vertical down the hash. The QB sees the adjustment by the Seam-Read as he hitches to set the proper hallway and fires the ball on a line to the #2 receiver. If something were to happen to the Seam-Read to prevent the QB from throwing to him, there would not be a Rush route available due to the RB having to block the blitzing Sam. In this case, the QB would be forced into an early release, which could either be a scramble situation or simply taking off and running for positive yards.

                Now that we have established the basic versions of 3 x 1 Verticals, the next thing to do is look at how tags can be used to create different variations. The one shown above is a strongside directional tag, and is the same tag discussed in Part I. The directional tag tells the QB that his Rhythm and Read routes will be the two left-most or right-most receivers (not always on the same side of the field). The play-call will include the #2 receiver called as the Rhythm Locked-Seam, followed by the directional tag (the example above shows a “Right” tag). As stated previously, the directional tag tells the RB which way to go on his Dump route if he is matched. A good time to use a directional tag is to create a horizontal stretch on an OLB (or a rolled-down Safety) in Cover 3 or Quarters coverage, or as a way to horizontally stretch a Cover 2 Safety. Even though OLBs in Quarters coverage don’t have to carry Seam routes, sometimes they get overzealous about collisioning the slot receivers, and do not get out to the flat. To take advantage of these players, we want to have the Rhythm and Read routes next to each other.

     In the diagram above we see the defense in a Cover 3 look. Hypothetically, let’s say the SS has been collisioning and running with the Locked-Seam by #2. In doing this, he is neglecting his flat coverage responsibility, therefore opening up the Stop route by the outside receiver. The QB will still take his drop and look to hit his Rhythm Locked-Seam by #2. If he sees collision by the SS, he will moves his eyes and hitch to throw to the outside receiver, who still will run his route based on the cushion of the CB. If the outside route is not there, the QB moves his eyes and hitches again to the RB on the Dump route.

                Here we have another example of a strongside directional tag (Right), in this case against Cover 2. The QB starts with his Rhythm route, which is #2 on the Locked-Seam. Something that was mentioned before is that the Locked-Seam does not deviate from his vertical track unless that ball takes him off of it. A Cover 2 Safety might play deep and outside of the Locked-Seam, and the QB could treat this as unCAPed and throw the Seam slightly inside. If the Locked-Seam is CAPed by the SS, the QB would move his eyes outside to the #1 receiver (who should outside release a hard CB and get vertical outside) and hitch to set his feet to the throw. As always, the directional tag would have the RB work in that direction if matched.

     While it is possible to use weakside directional tags to go from a #3 Locked-Seam to the Singleside #1 as the Stop/Go, it is not recommended for every situation. The above example shows a Quarters look with the Will in the box. This play would be called by using the letter of the receiver running the Locked-Seam, followed by the directional tag (Left in this case). The Rhythm Locked-Seam by #3, while it is possible that it could be open, does not do anything to affect the drop of the Will. However, the natural look-off created by looking at the Rhythm route could hold the Will in the box, and therefore open up the Stop route on the sideline. If the Will does end up buzzing out to take away the Stop route, the Dump route still has a chance, although he does not have nearly the same space he has when working toward the field. If your goal is to feed the ball to the singleside receiver and the Will is buzzing after reading pass, you may be better off signaling a Hitch (or Out) the pre-snap look is there and the quick throw does not give the Will time to get out to cover him.

                Here we see another weakside directional call (Left in this case) against a Cover 2 look. The idea here is to horizontally stretch the FS. The QB starts with his Rhythm Locked-Seam by #3. The possibility exists that it could be unCAPed. The final decision will be based on how the Mike and FS play post-snap. A Mike who walls deep creates a need to throw the ball further downfield, which allows the FS more time to react to the ball in the air. More on that later… Bottom line is if the Locked-Seam is CAPed, the QB moves his eyes and hitches to the boundary #1 receiver who will have read the coverage and run the appropriate route based on the cushion of the CB. Against a clouded CB, the receiver should attempt to outside release, but not get himself run out of bounds. If the CB widens to maintain his leverage, slip him inside, stack him, and get vertical. If for some reason the CB should bail and cover deep, the receiver still has the option to run a Stop route. If the outside receiver cannot win, the QB moves his eyes and hitches again to the RB on the Dump route.

     Back to the Locked-Seam against Cover 2- A coach with a really gifted QB could teach a back-shoulder throw, which creates more opportunities to stay with that route even if the Mike is running stride-for-stride with it. At the end of the day, the QB needs to have a set structure in place of how and when he can/should throw the Locked-Seam against Cover 2. I can provide a rigid definition of when to throw it, but that may cause you to miss out on opportunities to throw and catch some balls deep down the middle if your QB/Receiver tandem is very talented. If you know that you will have opportunities to call this route against a look like this, then it would be worth spending a little bit of time to figure out exactly what throws your QB can make and come up with your own guidelines, which will provide your QB with a structure he can be confident in working within.  

                Just like we saw in 2 x 2, a backside Shallow route can be tagged in a 3 x 1 set to give the QB a different Rush route. In this case, the #3 receiver should be the Locked-Seam in order to prevent the Seam-Read from being thrown working into the unoccupied defenders on the weakside (which would happen if #3 was the Seam-Read). The QB starts with his Locked-Seam by #3 as his Rhythm, and if that is CAPed, moves his eyes and hitches to #2 on the Seam-Read. If that isn’t there, the QB moves his eyes and hitches again to the Shallow route. Because the Rush route here is being run by a receiver, there is no risk of losing him in blitz pickup, which makes it great in the case of defensive pressure. Even if the defense does not blitz, the Shallow tag is a great way to hit an athlete on the run out in space when the coverage has dropped off to defend the vertical routes. This may offer a great chance at converting 3^rd and long when the defense has softened to defend the sticks, and is now out of position to tackle your best athlete in the open field. A reminder that when a Shallow is tagged, the RB on the Dump route works to where the Shallow came from, and is sure to let the Shallow clear before working through the line of scrimmage (after checking for blitz).

                The last tag I’m going to discuss is a “Fin” route by the strongside #1 receiver. The picture created is essentially a “Levels” look. We want the Fin route to be adjacent to the Seam-Read, so the #3 is must be the Locked-Seam. QB starts here, trying to throw on Rhythm if it is unCAPed. If it is CAPed, he moves his eyes and hitches to #2 on the Seam-Read. If that isn’t there, the QB moves his eyes and hitches again to the Fin which is his Rush route. The RB’s job when a Fin is tagged is to check-release Dump and work away from the Fin route if matched. The Fin tag is a great adjustment when OLBs become aggressive in walling off Seam routes, or when OLBs let go of Seam routes when #1 runs the Fin route. It is also a way to guarantee a Rush route in the case of a blitz.

                I hope this article on the Four-Vertical play and adjustments gave you some ideas to incorporate into your offense. I have very few original thoughts when it comes to football plays. Pretty much everything I do has been borrowed or stolen from someone else, whether I realize it or not. I did not write this article for any reason other than I love to talk about football, I want to share what I know, and by writing my thoughts on computer it gives me a chance to articulate what is in my head. If you decide to use any of this stuff- great!  If not, I won’t know anyway so no worries. In either case, I only ask that you at least take an honest look at what you do and why you do it, and make sure that whatever it is you do, you are doing it as well as it can be done.