First Ivy Team Hits the Practice Field

Here we go. Cornell has hit the field and started practice. (It always amazes me that Ivy schools can start on different dates. They must have the same number of practices, but they can spread them out differently.) Here's a story from the Ithaca Journal about the Big Red getting going along with a couple of quotes. Tailback Luke Siwula: “Our expectations are to win (all) 10 games, and nothing less than that.” Head coach Jim Knowles (reiterating what he said at media day): “Every champion since 1999 has scored 32 points (per game). We didn't quite get to 27 last year. How do you get to 32? Certainly not by running the ball up the middle. We have to throw it around a little more.”

Brown's Nick Hartigan was cut before ever appearing in a game with the New York Jets. ... Some Ivy League types are annoyed when writer after writer talks about how smart Ivy grads in the NFL are. That being the case, they won't like this story about some of the lesser-known players who could have an impact this year in the AFC. Princeton's Dennis Norman (Jaguars) and Cornell's Kevin Boothe (Raiders) are both described as being smart. The story suggests, by the way, Boothe might be making a run at a starting job. That's probably a little over the top, but it sounds good.

Princeton grad and Virginia wide receivers coach John Garrett is the subject of a story that includes this: "From being able to say he played and coached in the NFL to laying claim to having suited up for two, yes two, different Ivy League schools in college, Garrett has seen it all."

Former Cornell quarterback Bill Lazor is the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins. At 34, he's two years younger than Mark Brunell, the QB he's coaching. Nice story in the Washington Post.

Admit it. You were wondering how the Chariot Races and Fieldstock were received by the Dartmouth student body over the weekend. Find out here.

Check the premium Green Alert site by midmorning for the Princeton season preview, part of a series of looks at Dartmouth's 2006 opponents.