Saturday, August 01, 2026

Here It Comes

Happy August, everyone!

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Which reminds me that this went up on Dartmouth's social media yesterday:


Green Alert Take: I can't say I'm happy about the graphic, but not because of the football piece. I'm looking forward to the season, of course. What makes me unhappy is the reminder that we're 50 days (make it 49 today) from Sept. 19. Wasn't it spring just yesterday? And now we're on the doorstep of fall.

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College and pro teams increasingly do little or no tackling in practice once their seasons begin. But when Buddy Teevens banned tackling in any practice – including preseason – a lot of people thought he was crazy.

Mike McCarthy, in his first year as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, would disagree. From a FootballScoop story (LINK):
For nearly two decades, a trip to Latrobe meant one thing around the league. Mike Tomlin ran one of the most physical training camps in football, and everybody knew it. That era is over, and the man replacing him is wasting no time putting his own fingerprints on how the Steelers practice. 
Mike McCarthy told reporters this week that Pittsburgh will not do live tackling in camp, a first for a franchise that built its camp identity on physicality.

"I feel like we'll be able to get it done in other ways of training, particularly in our tackling drills and the team drills," McCarthy said, defending his stance. "Injuries are part of the game, and I think you've clearly got to do the best you can, and it's a judgment. You try to reduce risk."

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Dartmouth alum Bond Almand made a quick stop at the home of the Baltimore Ravens' on his bicycle ride to every NFL stadium and the Baltimore Sun has a story about his epic journey HERE.

But here's the thing. Since his stop in Baltimore he's already continued on to Philadelphia, East Rutherford, and Foxboro. As we speak he is midway across Massachusetts on his way to Buffalo. Track his progress HERE.

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Another Ivy Leaguer has been recognized in the HERO Sports countdown to the start of the FCS season. This time it's Princeton corner Evan Haynie at No. 27. Haynie had 31 tackles, five breakups and two interceptions last fall.

The list of Ivy Leaguers in the countdown to date (pun intended):

96: Yale DT Jaylin Tate
86: Cornell TE Ryder Kurtz
85: Columbia WR Titus Evans
77: Harvard OL Spencer Doan
75: Penn OL Luke Sacchetti
71: Harvard OL Thomas O'Brien
64: Princeton OL Barrett Eddlemon
37: Penn S Ty Cortes
35 Harvard LB Sean Line
29: Harvard K Kieran Corr
27: Princeton CB Evan Haynie

Green Alert Take: Will Dartmouth safety Harrison Keith get the nod when the countdown hits 24? His numbers certainly compare favorably to Haynie's with 46 tackles, four interceptions and four breakups last year.

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If you don't think Power Five football is out of control, this may change your mind. And here's something to think about: Notre Dame is considered one of the schools at that level that kinda, sorta has things in perspective, right?

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EXTRA POINT
If you are a regular visit to this electronic precinct, you've seen pictures showing the view of Mount Moosilauke from our property. (If not, find one HERE.)

Well, this was the view this morning:


We've had thick fog here on occasion, but this was porridge thick. Visibility does not extend beyond our property.
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