Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Here We Go!

Dartmouth practice may still be two weeks away but double sessions have started here at the Moose Mountain world headquarters of Big Green Alert, with two stories yesterday and two more today.

A story detailing reactions to the Ivy League poll is available to everyone, no password needed. Find the direct link with thoughts from the coaches on how the poll went, click here.

There's also a lengthy story for subscribers on the financial aid divide on Green Alert premium.

The first season preview – Brown – will be on the site tonight along with an interesting look at what position Ivy League coaches think is the hardest to recruit. The answer may surprise you.


Note: If you took the subscription option of receiving an email notification when new stories are posted and didn't get one, shoot me a quick email and I'll add you to the list. I think I've got everyone, but sometimes my bookkeeping gets a little sloppy.



Harvard coach Tim Murphy made a point yesterday of telling me he thinks Dartmouth was undervalued when the media picked the Big Green seventh in the media poll. Here's his quote from the New York Times' recap of media day:
“We have a chance to be a good team, but I don’t know how hungry we are. I see five teams in the hunt: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth and Penn."
Murphy didn't mention Princeton being in the hunt, but several coaches think the Tigers belong in that mix. For what it's worth, former Dartmouth assistant and current Princeton head coach Roger Hughes told the Trenton Times:
I'm not predicting a season like 2006 (when the Tigers shared the league title with Yale), but I think a lot of characteristics of this team reminds of that team ...
Former Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer was well known for his enthusiasm and his, um, aggressiveness in practice. It appears little has changed in the NFL where Cramer is bidding to retain a roster spot with the Tennessee Titans. From a story in the Tennessean:
As tight end Casey Cramer worked his way downfield against tight end Jamie Petrowski during a kick coverage drill, some of his teammates heckled him from the sideline. ”Unnecessary roughness on 48,’’ linebacker Stephen Tulloch said. “Eject him from the game.’’
(Hopefully that was said in jest ;-)

And this from a Titansonline story about Justin McCariens, brother of former Princeton star Jay ...
While strolling the halls at Baptist Sports Park, the training center of the Tennessee Titans, you will typically hear the chatter of extroverted players like fullback Casey Cramer, running back Lendale White or defensive tackle Tony Brown. But if you happen to walk past wide receiver Justin McCareins, you’ll hear, well, nothing.
Canadian Clifton Dawson, who broke the Ivy League records for rushing yardage, career touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards, was cut by the Indianapolis Colts, could end up with the Toronto Argonauts, but probably not until he exhausts his NFL options according to this story.

The suspicion is building that UNH is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the ground this year. A practice report from Fosters Daily Democrat that noted the Wildcats had 60 players stay in Durham over the summer (that number is not a typo) and have four fifth-year seniors on the offensive line does nothing to change that idea.

And finally, high school football practice kicked off this morning and that certain Hanover freshman to be has made his choice. After really agonizing since last spring over whether to play football or golf, he ... finally ... chose ... football. He's been running most of the summer and is in pretty good condition, but we'll see if that's football condition. Double sessions are tough on everyone, particularly freshmen. They are even tougher when you need to stand on a few nickles to reach 5 feet.

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