FB: Liberty League

[D3pc]

All teams report already?

[ITH radio]

All save for UofR since they don't have their first game until 9/12. Same deal as USMMA but I did see some pix over the wkd of the Mariners  stretching out / practicing.

[D3pc]

Thoughts on a week 1 bye? I think i saw some chatter about it somewhere. Seems to me like it would be frowned upon by the players for having to wait so long and then not have a break mid season. However, most injuries happen during camp so a chance to rejuvenate may be appreciated.

[dlippiel]

Having watched Union go through it for a number of years Dlip is not a fan of the week #1 bye for a couple of reasons.

He feels that after a week 1 bye you come into week 2 well behind the eight ball. First off you came into camp a week late so really your "bye" is not a bye at all. Your bye week is your final week of practice. Which gives you the same amount of practice time as others however you are starting one "real game" behind everyone else. That real game behind hurts IDHO. You go into week #2 having not experienced "game stamina" (which every athlete knows practice cannot give you) and your opponent is a step faster and stronger for having it.

This first week may seem to give you time to deal with camp injuries but really, as mentioned before, that first week is the same for you as every other teams last week of practice. Mid season injuries and player fatigue seem much more prevalent during the season after week #2. That bye can really provide a time to get healthy and reenergize players during the brunt of the season.

Everyone has week 1 kinks to work out. Dlip feels it's better to work them out against another team in the same position. Week 1 mistakes can hurt against a team with a real game under their belt. Coaches also have more tape and game experiences (with the current group of starters) and can make necessary adjustments that can really help a team to improve.

Early on you scrimmage teams that have a week more of practice. It may not sound like much but Dlip has really seen the difference. When you scrimmage after just one/two weeks of practice you are a mess and the players know it. Dlip believes it really carries over and can be deflating.

Just some thoughts based on what Dlip has scene over the years.

[ITH radio]

Agree Dlip - not a great plan if you can avoid it but I understand why some programs opt for it.

What's your read on the Dutchmen? Cioffi to Reynolds could be said a lot this season but who does the defense bring back? And how do they get better from last season?

[lewdogg11]

Bye weeks on week 1?  Might as well join the NESCAC.

[dlippiel]

Agree Dlip - not a great plan if you can avoid it but I understand why some programs opt for it.

What's your read on the Dutchmen? Cioffi to Reynolds could be said a lot this season but who does the defense bring back? And how do they get better from last season?

Well Dlip believes the Dutcmen look pretty good on O. He likes Cioffi and thinks that he is exactly what Audino likes, a pocket passer with a great arm. Dlip believes Union has one of the best receiving cores in the region with Reynolds, Baker, Vito, and Callahan. Reynolds is a stud and has the potential to be an All-American this season. Soph Connor Kinzelmann brings speed and quickness to the RB position but the question is with his lack of size can he handle the brunt of the work without getting hurt. The key this season on O is the line which Dlip hasn't been this excited about in sometime. You've got a solid Junior line that's been together going on three years now. They have grown and been through many ups and downs. Cioffi's downside is his lack of mobility. Both he, the backs, and the entire O will need this line to be very consistent to reach their potential. Dlip thinks it worth mentioning that his father, Mr. Rlip said after Cioffi's 5TD performance last season that he felt Dante may be the best freshman QB he has ever seen at Union. He's been watching Union Football forever and then some...

On D you bring back a solid core of LB's that were excellent against the run last season. Thomas Hayes and Jake Larovera have been side by side for 2 seasons and have, at times, been excellent. Also Dlip likes Nick Littas and Tyler Valenti as well and feels they can surprise some. The D-line will be mostly new and really will have to step up to stop the run as well as the D did in 14'. As always, to Dlip the big ? is this D's ability to defend the pass. We have a couple athletic DB's but it seems that year in and year out we struggle to defend the pass. That has to improve this season.

Kicking wise you have Barnes who is a solid punter and David Pope kicking. Pope deserves tons of credit for how hard he has worked to improve his game. He is a great kid!

So all in all Dlip is optimistic and feels there is some potential here for a solid team. It's been a bizarre past few seasons for Union and Dlip is hoping it will turn around this year. Hope this helps.

[ITH radio]

http://saintsathletics.com/news/2015/8/19/FB_0819150726.aspx

[dlippiel]

http://saintsathletics.com/news/2015/8/19/FB_0819150726.aspx

The Saints will be a team (the team IDHO) to watch this season for sure. Obviously Hobart isn't far behind with their recent success. However the amount of returning starters from a very successful and good 14' team gets dlip thinking they are the team to beat based upon individual player achievements/accolades. SLU has a tough schedule with Morrisville, annoying nemesis Norwich, and Endicott. They better f#%king beat Norwich this year!

With that said Hobart is still the king of the LL hill until they are knocked off. Will that happen? We shall see...

[dlippiel]

By the way...Dlip and his two girls just watched the Dutchmen practice for a bit and it was his oldest daughter's idea 😎 Anyone else excited for The D3 football season?

[dlippiel]

First blog entry of the season on www.dlipthedutchman.blogspot.com. Much more to come...

[dlippiel]

New post on www.dlipthedutchman.blogspot.com about the make up and importance of Union's O-line.

[Pat Coleman]

I wanted to take a moment here as we go into our final crunch time on Kickoff 2015 to thank LL fans for their support of Kickoff 2015. You guys are among the top five conferences supporting the site and our ongoing coverage of Division III football very nicely so far this season and Keith and Ryan Tipps and I really appreciate it. If you haven't subscribed yet, earlier is always better than later!
http://www.d3football.com/notables/2015/08/time-to-get-kickoff-2015
Publication set for noon ET on Tuesday.

[Bartman]

LL title race will be interesting this year as St.Lawrence has some strong returners and Hobart has lost some "once in a lifetime players" in Coleman and Marpet. I appreciate the analysis of many of the early posts. Do not lose faith Union followerers, you should have a great passing game this year and Cioffi is a scary talent for opponents.
  Can't help to give a shout out to Ali Marpet as he continues his progress and certainly needs no support from "Whittfoot"(http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/Standouts-from-Training-Camp-August-19/b7fb25ff-d385-4b6e-b8fd-2d41314ecec6) . Less than 5 years ago I saw a 230 pound Marpet level a 285 pound High School lineman that eventually played for Boston College. His natural acceleration through a hit is super human and should help make Winston safe. But Ali is now an alum(unfortunate for the Hobart QB's).
   If coach Cragg can win the LL after losing his 2 top coaching coordinators and loss of key seniors from last year, it will be his greatest season. Driving past the "Boz" during the beginning days of practice and watching the new transfers , freshman and returners that are looking to make their mark gave you the feeling that these kids are hungry for their time. Coach Cragg looked totally "in charge and confident". Can't wait for the season to start as the purity of the D3 football competition is a great game...so let's support our league this year . Good luck to  all in OOC games and hopefully we will have some good wins in the early games .

[ITH radio]

2015 HC preview is up on CA blog:

Http://gohobart.blogspot.com