FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[79jaybird]

One other thought NCC-  I don't think you have to worry about NC on offense.  With Fanthorpe and Sulo I think NC has one of the best offenses in the CCIW.

[NCC.2008]

Jaybird,
Don't forget about Steve Hlavic on offense as well. With the way he played in the playoffs he could be the next Tyke Spencer. Put those three together with an O-line returning 4 starters, the offense should be pretty outstanding.

As far as Lester moving to Elmhurst I think that they have the advantage over NCC. Lester has teaching the 3-3-5 down to a T and I know personally that it wont take long for Elmhurst's defense to figure it out.

[79jaybird]

Hey CardinalAlum or NCC 2008,  I know about NC's potent offense, what are your thoughts about the Cardinal D?

[NCC.2008]

The Cardinal defense in 2008 should be pretty good. I'll break it down by position.

Linebacker:

Of course they are anchored 1st team all conference linebacker Matt Wenger who in my opinion will probably be the CCIW defensive player of the year. They do lose two veteran linebackers in Wes Kostellic and Nick Hammers, but there are a few young guys who should have no problem coming in and making an immediate positive impact.
Matthew Wenger   5-11 220lb Junior
David Treglown   5-11 220lb Senior
Jim Clendenning 6-1 220lb Soph
Kane Thompson 6-1 185lb Soph


Invert:

At the invert position they return both starters from last year Nick Swanson and Tyler Venier who will both be seniors, Swanson being a 4 years starter and Venier a two year guy. Both are solid players and have a lot of experience and are good leaders.

Nick Swanson 5-11 185 Senior
Tyler Venier 5-11 190 Senior

Defensive Back:
At safety they will probably start the return specialist from last year Joe Schneiderbauer, who has incredible speed and can really lay the wood. At corner they have the other Sulo, Derek who is a great lock down corner, and on the other side Kevin Johnston who is a good cover guy.

Joe Schneiderbauer 5-11 195 Sophmore
Derek Sulo 5-10 190 Junior
Kevin Johnston 5-11 175 Senior

Defensive Line:
With the loss of John Guzaldo and Anthony Imbordino one would think that the d-end position could be hurting a little bit, but the Twin Towers Tim Janacek and Zach Baldacci saw a considerable amount of playing time when both Guzaldo and Imbordino where injured and should have no problem filling their shoes. . At nose guard the Cardinals return Chris Kuhn who is a returning starter.They also return 5th year senior David Hortman who can play both nose and d-end.

Tim Janacek 6-2 230 Junior
Zach Baldacci 6-4 250 Junior
Chris Kuhn 6-2 275 Junior
David Hortsman 6-3 235 Senior

Overall the Cardinal defense hasn't lost that much from last year and they should have a pretty solid team for 2008. The defense will probably be just as strong if not stronger than they were in 2007.

[usee]

The Cardinal defense in 2008 should be pretty good. I'll break it down by position.

Linebacker:

Of course they are anchored 1st team all conference linebacker Matt Wenger who in my opinion will probably be the CCIW defensive player of the year.

I have gone on record as saying Wenger is one of the best LB's in the league and is as dominant as any LB we have seen in a few years. However, keep in mind the CCIW DPOY from last year is back and he isn't too shabby.

[CardinalAlum]

It is official.  Lester is the new head coach at Elmhurst.

http://athletics.elmhurst.edu/mfootball/news/25351834.html

[New Tradition]

It is official.  Lester is the new head coach at Elmhurst.

http://athletics.elmhurst.edu/mfootball/news/25351834.html

Congrats both to Coach Lester and to the Elmhurst organization.  This is a HUGE loss for NCC; however, I do have full confidence in Coach Bill Wienke and his ability to run a successful defense, especially with the players he has to work with that NCC.2008 has so eloquently broken down for us.

[79jaybird]

Lester is the new HC at Elmhurst.  Best of luck to Tim, his family, the Bluejays, and North Central this year.  Don't fret Card fans, I still think NC is going to be one of the top 3 teams this year.

[Comet 14]

This goes out to anyone with an opinion. Will Lester concentrate more on the Offensive or Defensive side of the ball in his first season as Head coach in Elmhurst? Or will you see his fingerprints on both sides of the ball?

[nccardboy]

I have to disagree with NCC2008. NCC should be quite alright with the loss of Lester. I cant see them bringing anyone else in besides Wienke to run the defense. Wienke is a great coach and ran NCC's defense during their first playoff appearance as well as their first share of the conference title the following year.  I think their biggest decision will be whether to stick with the 3-3-5 or go back to the 4-3 considering Lester knows how NCC runs the 3-3-5 inside and out. Going back to the 4-3 shouldn't be that big of a transition for NCC either seeing as many of the seniors and juniors played under Wienke's 4-3 (and they have the players to play it this year). Although NCC had a great past year with Lester and the 3-3-5, I think bringing him in as the D-coordinator last year for Wienke caused alot of unnecessary drama as well as pressure on the players, seeing as he left within a year. NCC has made some large coaching changes and has had its share of drama over the past year. Their decision to bring in Lester last year had a significant effect on the defensive side of the coaching staff, which resulted in the cards getting rid (whether it was their own decision or not) of some GREAT coaches on that side of the ball (prentice, gordon, schwiegert were lost last year). Some of the higher ups on the staff *cough cough* at NCC really need to think alot more about these changes before they make these decisions that are not only going to effect the staff but the players as well.

All and all the cards will be solid in 2008, and should be the team to beat in the CCIW.  With camp bringing in players after a long summer of training the cards only have a couple question marks to fill up position wise. Who they pick to fill the D-coordinator spot will be the biggest question mark NCC needs to answer.  The easiest transition in my eyes would be to bring back Wienke who has been there since the beginning of Thorne (but for some odd reason I get a feeling some others might be added into this decision).

[79jaybird]

My gut feeling is Lester is going to focus on the offense moreso than the defense.  He liked working with Dom Demma/Todd Evans and that offensive group that were putting up some big numbers offensively.
You have Adam leading the offense and Nichols leading the defense, so I don't think Lester has to devote tons of time leading these groups.
I think priority number one is getting his philosophy and system in place, and have the AC's and players adapt to the system pronto. 

[NCC.2008]

Nccardboy,
I agree with you that Coach Wienke is a great defensive coordinator and his defense is just as good as Coach Lester's. My problem with the Lester deal is that with only a couple of months until the season begins all the work that the players have put in during the off season, in regards to the 3-3-5 will be lost if they go back to the 4-3. For the upperclassmen this shouldn't be a problem since they have played in Wienke's 4-3 scheme but for the young guys, especially the sophomores, who's only experience with college defense is the 3-3-5, it is going to be a big transition that is going to take more than a two week camp to get them ready to play a game. Also, don't forget that we aren't playing a Benedictine the first game of the season. We have Ohio Northern who is a better than average opponent.

Overall, I think that the talent that the Cards have on defense will make up for the problems encountered with the coaching change, but it is going to take a while for the players to adjust back to their old ways and this year they don't have the liberty of playing an easy game for the opener.

p.s. for all the Elmhurst players reading this... have fun with the pursuit drill!! lol

[79jaybird]

NCC2008  You do know that Lester was an Assistant at Elmhurst prior to Elmhurst right?  hehe,  I remember watching those pursuit drills during practice thinking, "Gee, I'm glad I am in the booth and not on the field anymore." 

[nccardboy]

NCC.2008-

I agree it might be rough on the underclassman, but whether they change to the 4-3 or not they are going to have to tweak the defense either way, due to Lester knowing the ins-and-outs of the entire defense. Im just not as worried as seeing half the team (juniors and seniors) have played under Wienke's 4-3 and they have the players to play the 4-3 this year so it might be a easier transition than you think. Hopefully the higher ups in the staff decide to give Wienke the nod, or else its going to be a much bigger transition.

On a side note are they playing a scrimmage this year?

[CardinalAlum]

I have to disagree with NCC2008. NCC should be quite alright with the loss of Lester. I cant see them bringing anyone else in besides Wienke to run the defense. Wienke is a great coach and ran NCC's defense during their first playoff appearance as well as their first share of the conference title the following year.  I think their biggest decision will be whether to stick with the 3-3-5 or go back to the 4-3 considering Lester knows how NCC runs the 3-3-5 inside and out. Going back to the 4-3 shouldn't be that big of a transition for NCC either seeing as many of the seniors and juniors played under Wienke's 4-3 (and they have the players to play it this year). Although NCC had a great past year with Lester and the 3-3-5, I think bringing him in as the D-coordinator last year for Wienke caused alot of unnecessary drama as well as pressure on the players, seeing as he left within a year. NCC has made some large coaching changes and has had its share of drama over the past year. Their decision to bring in Lester last year had a significant effect on the defensive side of the coaching staff, which resulted in the cards getting rid (whether it was their own decision or not) of some GREAT coaches on that side of the ball (prentice, gordon, schwiegert were lost last year). Some of the higher ups on the staff *cough cough* at NCC really need to think alot more about these changes before they make these decisions that are not only going to effect the staff but the players as well.

All and all the cards will be solid in 2008, and should be the team to beat in the CCIW.  With camp bringing in players after a long summer of training the cards only have a couple question marks to fill up position wise. Who they pick to fill the D-coordinator spot will be the biggest question mark NCC needs to answer.  The easiest transition in my eyes would be to bring back Wienke who has been there since the beginning of Thorne (but for some odd reason I get a feeling some others might be added into this decision).

ncccardboy,

Well said.  I am hearing some names that I wouldn't be real comfortable with as far as the defensive coordinator position.  Weinke should be the only person they should look at this late in the summer.   This team has a chance to be pretty good and need to avoid a circus within the coaching staff.