In honor of worthless pregame coverage of exhibition preseason games, we thought we should warm up for the season with a little Beer of the Week practice.
August Beer.
Today was IPA Day. This makes sense because it’s August, you know, summertime, when it’s hot and an IPA tastes pretty good. And even though IPA’s time has now clearly passed in the hipster beer-geek world, at least that’s an actual beer.
As opposed to Pumpkin anything. As we’ve stated multiple times, pumpkin beer is a bullshit excuse to get non-drinkers to open their wallets and sugar their glasses. Even you PumpKing. And you Punkin. And all of you other horrible punning names stealing shelf-space, in the middle of the damned summer already, from real beer. Please go away. Pumpkin beer on an Ashburn porch is to the 2010’s what Strawberry Daiquiris were to the 80’s in a fern bar. Disgraceful.
Ok, glad we got that off our chests. Now on to a couple of football related items. As most of you know by now, the P5 conferences (formerly the BCS) voted to give themselves autonomy today from the rest of the NCAA teams. You’re welcome to deep-dive this, but the main effect seems to us to be pushing the G5 conferences (CUSA/MAC/SunBelt among them) back towards FCS. At least until one or more of those conferences vote, as they are now allowed to do, to keep up with the Joneses on the “full cost of attendance” and other benefits now coming for the big boys. Of course, this also officially means FCS/1-AA/JMU are officially Division II. But hey, at least NC State announced a game in five years with JMU! (a game they’ll almost certainly not be allowed to play under new rule changes but we can crow now and continue bilking our boosters under false pretenses)
On the positive side, Akeem Jordan was in on a couple tackles for the Skins tonight. We couldn’t bear watching long enough to see if Caussin played so fill us in below in the comments. Also, check out this cool story on Jordan Stanton, who’s certainly cranking up the press and hopefully forcing the Giants to take a long look.
The JMU football program kicked off practice for the 2014 season this week. The Dukes will have about a month of preseason camp before facing Maryland in College Park on August 30. After fifteen years of the Mickey Matthews’ regime, it’s now Everetty Withers time. With the change in coaches, there are a lot of questions heading into the season. There is also a lot of excitement. Here are three of the stories we’ll be watching closely during camp.
1. The Transfers
Former Georgia Tech QB Vad Lee might be the most prominent FBS transfer on the roster, but he’s definitely not the only one. Withers and his staff have brought in FBS talent in to compete for spots all over the field. Alden Hill, a former Tennessee Volunteer, will line up behind Lee at running back. And Sean Tapley from UNC will join a receiving corps anchored by Daniel Brown that should provide Lee with plenty of options. But it’s not just skill guys. Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Brad Davis will have some new blood to work with on the line. Nick Appel, another former Tar Heel, and former Toledo Mudhen A.J. Bolden are expected to compete for spots on a rebuilt offensive line that will feature only 2 returning starters from 2013.
Not every FBS player can walk into an FCS camp and immediately dominate, yet along earn a starting spot. The influx of FBS talent will probably increase the competition at certain spots though. And that seems to be a key piece of the Everett Withers plan, pushing the players to compete and be held accountable at all times. That’s great and something that is needed after the program essentially plateauing during Matthews’ last few years.
2. The Switch to a 3-4 Defense
I’m not going to pretend to be some film junkie who can break down the Xs and Os for you. I’m not Jaws. I’m sure that’s pretty obvious to any of you who are familiar with the blog. But I am curious to see how the Dukes’ defense responds to a shift to a 3-4 system.
Mickey Matthews’ teams were known for strong defense. He coached some truly great defensive squads over the years that were capable of shutting down opponents. With a new coaching staff comes a new philosophy however and JMU is now moving to a 3-4. The Dukes now not only need to replace Stephon Robertson, one of the program’s top linebackers in history, and Jordan Stanton, a guy who could get to the QB, they need to learn a completely new system. Personally, I think things will work out just fine. Gage Steele impressed me greatly last season and I think the young linebacker has the talent to make the leap to an All CAA type of player this year. Provided the Dukes can shore up some of the holes in the secondary and pressure the QB, the defense should be fine.
3. Vad Lee
We mentioned Vad as the most prominent of the transfers, but he really deserves his own spot on this list. In addition to installing a completely new defensive system in less than 30 days, the Dukes are switching offensive philosophies as well. They’ll be playing an uptempo system based on the read option. It’s a system that depends on the QB making the right reads and decisions. To say that much of the offense’s success will come down to Lee’s play is not just simple, it’s accurate.
Lee was very impressive in the spring and the clear frontrunner for the QB1 spot prior to Michael Birdsong transferring. As soon Birdsong left, it cleared the way for Lee to take the helm and make the Dukes his team. According to reports, he’s done just that. Lee has impressed teammates with his work ethic and attitude and seems like the sort of leader the offense needs. He’s got some serious weapons at his disposal. If he makes the right reads and gets the ball to some of the Dukes playmakers, this offense could be very exciting.
We’ve collectively almost made it through the JMU offseason. Football kicks off at Maryland in less than four weeks and many of the Olympic sports will be well underway long before then (Women’s soccer kicks off the year August 22nd vs. Xavier!). We’ve been on vacation wrapping up our summer research for Beer of the Week this year but it’s time to ramp up our two-a-days, or hopefully just back to three-a-weeks.
Here’s a quick Old Guys Leave roundup of some news, notes and links to finish out these last weeks of vacation:
First, pretty cool that two current JMU Women’s Soccer players spent the summer playing on the Washington Spirit’s Reserve Squad, where they made it all the way to the title game. Great work ladies!
Jordan Stanton’s been making some early noise at Giants camp and we’re excited to see all the Dukes in camps and preseason action this fall (especially given most of them are now with the two teams we cheer for). Check out this cool story and keep it up Jordan!
Damn those Dukes look good in burgundy and gold!
And here’s something rarer than a unicorn, a great piece in the RTD, in this case on the Skins’ Akeem Jordan playing for his boyhood team and trying to balance out essentially playing for the home team.
Lastly, as I’ve sort of mentioned this summer (and probably overmentioned @JMUSportsblog), I moved to Greensboro, NC this summer for work. So JMUSB will be split up other than BFS, but we’ll also have a odd presence (ok, just me) at some off-brand road games this year. So feel free to comment and let me know if you’re interested in W’s Soccer at Wake Forest August 29, M’s Soccer at UNCG September 5, or of course any of the roadies at Elon.
Groundhog Day. Pretty sure I wrote a similar thing last year but here goes. We’re pretty sure many of you are as tired of conference discussion as we are. And we’re definitely sure most of you are tired of our split personality disorder @jmusportsblog on this. As always, Rob is thoughtful, patient, and not overly concerned. He’s never really thought the JMU admin was actually motivated about leaving the CAA or FCS to begin with and that’s helped him stay sane. I am reactionary, upset and generally depressed about the lack of movement and what I perceive to be a severe lack of communication, vision, and execution from both the Rose and Alger administrations on this issue.
But I need to get this off my chest before the season starts in earnest. I’m as excited about Withers, Lee, and the new era ON the field as anyone and I would like to stop being depressed and join in the party with everyone else. Despite the low expectations from outside of JMU Land, I’m cautiously optimistic that if the Dukes can get out of the first four games with at least two wins, this could be big year (especially because you damned well better make it into a 24-team playoff field with no App, real GSU, and ODU). But I’m also really concerned about the slippery slope between being excited about the program’s changes and direction on the field and allowing the administration to perceive that as blind cheerleading that will continue unchecked by sheepish fans even without communication or a move. Basically this is just one last (tired I know) reminder that while you’re having fun celebrating all the bruhaha over Drew Mohringer’s new offense and the fact JMU could be scoring by the truckload with a stacked offense this year, just keep in mind what it is your celebrating: that JMU clearly hired the type of coach and staff that were lured here with the promise of FBS, and that coach and staff have clearly been kicking ass luring transfers and 2015 recruits with that same promise and someone damned well better find a way to deliver or the next season or two’s going to amount to one last blip on the radar of JMU football’s journey back to irrelevance.
Earlier this week was Media Day for the CAA, CUSA, and the MAC, the three relevant conferences now that JMU has shot down the Sun Belt.
CUSA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said “I believe (realignment) is (over). The seas are pretty calm. … Western Kentucky last piece to puzzle.”
MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said “We have 12 full-time members, and I don’t see us changing that in the near future.” He specifically said the MAC has no plans to expand once UMASS leaves.
Really getting tired of running this pic.
As we’ve been reminded many times by more level-headed fans, the “end of realignment” is likely a mythical creature. But those are very scary statements for those of us that think there is no status quo (exactly what the Carr Report said) and that staying in the CAA is simply falling farther and farther behind.
In the last week, we’ve also seen this released (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/07/16/college-football-playoff-financial-revenues-money-distribution-bill-hancock/12734897/) regarding the revenue structure and streams for all FBS conferences under the new College Football Playoff regime. Needless to say, exactly as Carr predicted ALL of the FBS leagues, even CUSA/MAC/SunBelt, are expected to see enormously increased revenue and to speed up the separation between the bottom of FBS and even the tippy top of FCS (a place JMU hasn’t been in a few years on the field though they certainly are in terms of expenditures and overall athletics program). For the last decade or so, it’s been easy to say if you were spending like a lower-level FBS program but were still in FCS, that was basically alright because the rewards of the move up weren’t worth the hassles. That dynamic has clearly changed and no one, seriously no one, can competently argue that point.
So when you see JB and co. on Godwin Field this year, if this matters to you the way it does to me, please just keep all that in mind instead of just slapping people on the back about the new, hopefully high-flying and WINNING, era of JMU Football we’re all looking forward to so much.
Alright, I’m putting away the soapbox for till the postseason and we can return to the “juice, the new era, and Vad Lee doing his Rodney Landers impression” season-long celebration!
It’s a year of change for the JMU football program. A new coaching staff, new starting QB, multiple new skill players, and revamped philosophies on both sides of the ball. Apparently that all adds up to low expectations for the voters in the CAA Preseason Poll, who picked the Dukes to finish eight in the league. The results of the poll and the All CAA teams were revealed at CAA Media Day yesterday. Only Rhode Island, Albany, Stony Brook, and the league’s newest entrant, Elon, were picked to finish below the Dukes. New Hampshire was the runaway favorite and preseason pick to win the league with 15 first place votes. Villanova, Richmond, and William & Mary also received first place votes. Senior Safety Dean Marlowe was selected to the CAA Preseason All Conference Team. He was the only Duke honored.
Just two quick comments about this. First of all, we’ve made it pretty clear in the past that this preseason polls and honors are virtually worthless. They’re a total crapshoot and for evidence all you need to do is look back at a number of very mediocre JMU teams that were picked to contend for the conference title. Second of all, it’s the oldest cliche in the book, but the “nobody believes in us” strategy still seems to be pretty effective. Playing with a bit of a chip on your shoulder is never a bad thing. The Dukes will have the opportunity to do just that in 2014.
Two bits of football news today. First, the CAA announced its full TV schedule today, and while JMU will not be hosting any NBCSN national games, we now know they’ll have at least seven games televised. As it stands now, here’s what we know about the schedule:
Sept 6 at Lehigh 12:30pm
Sept 13 St. Francis, likely Madizone
Sept 20 at Villanova 12:30pm CSN
Sept 27 Delaware 4pm CSN
Oct 4 at Albany 6pm
Oct 11 Towson 12:30pm CSN
Oct 25 at Charlotte 12pm
Nov 1 William & Mary 3:30pm American Sports Network
Nov 8 at Stony Brook 1pm
Nov 15 at Richmond 12:30pm NBS Sports Network
Nov 22 Elon 12pm American Sports Network
Good Luck Mike!
In other news, I’m delighted (though Rob’s certainly not) to note that former Dukes Tight End Mike Caussin was signed by the Skins today after they cut another player to make room. Caussin was a true stud on the last relevant Dukes teams and has battled injury during his time in Buffalo, but seems to be a solid guy who’s certainly never given up or ceased to work his ass off to get back. He’ll have stiff competition to make the roster in Washington, but as a capable special teamer and basically the fourth TE with the top two firmly entrenched, he should get a great chance to play a ton in the preseason. He’ll also be joining fellow Duke LB Akeem Jordan in Washington and now I’ll have to put some extra thought into my new jersey selection.
Way back when we were in school, our favorite Thursday tradition might have been Dime Drafts at JM’s. Ever the innovator, Coach Withers has introduced a new Thursday tradition for the JMU football program that should be much more impactful that cheap Natty Lite. It’s called Life Lessons Thursdays and it centers around successful JMU alums speaking to the team about life after football. It’s one of those ideas that is so simple, you wonder why nobody has thought of it before.
The video above gives you a brief overview of the program. Essentially, it connects some of JMU’s most successful alums with some of its most visible (and hardest working) students. It’s a complete win-win and an example of how alums and students should be interacting all the time. Well done Coach Withers, well done.
If there is one thing we’ve learned about Coach Withers thus far, it’s that the man is not afraid to make some changes. A second thing is that he really likes to use the word dude (regardless of whether or not a certain former JMU coach finds it appropriate or not). But really it’s the changes that stand out.
Withers has come in and completely shaken up the JMU football program. A more intense academic system, increased competition for starting spots, better student outreach, new locker rooms, etc. There are no sacred cows in Withers eyes. If he thinks there is a change that can help his players, he’s going to make sure it happens. That same philosophy apparently extends to mixing things up and making improvements for fans. Because as the DNR’s Matt Jones explains, Coach Withers is helping revamp the fans’ game day experience ($).
In the article, Jones explains that Withers, Jeff Bourne, and the football operations staff are putting their stamp on JMU game days this fall. More games will be played in the middle of the afternoon, in an attempt to be more student friendly. The hope is that by wrapping things up before Saturday night parties kick off, more students will stay for the entire game. The fact that it also means an earlier drive back home for alums ain’t bad either. Withers and the team will bring back the walk through the tailgate areas prior to kick-off, rebranding the activity the “Dog Walk.” Something tells me, Withers version might be a little more enthusiastic and fan friendly than versions under the previous regime. Prior to entering the locker room, coaches and players might make a pit stop to join Curt Dudley at a sort of JMU version of college game day outside the stadium. The only thing that would make that better would be if Curt invited two JMU bloggers to join him as well. (ed. note: Make that happen people. Please.)
In terms of the stadium experience, the pre game cartoons featuring the Duke Dog fighting the visiting team’s mascots are a thing of the past. They will be replaced by some other form of video, but nobody is sharing details just yet. We can expect the same sort of fireworks and team entrance, but newer music throughout the game. One thing we might not see a lot of is in game replays while the Dukes are on offense. Not because Withers or anyone else has something against them, but because JMU is expected to play at a tempo so fast there won’t be time to show replays or highlights between plays. Mickey ball this is not.
So as most of you know, we’re VERY thankful for Twitter, especially in the summer months, as it helps us stay active without writing a bunch more gimmicky stuff on here during the offseason when we ran out of those gimmicks three years ago. Plus it’s incredible for connecting with other non-power conference dorks like us. And now…
…Duke Dog is on Twitter. Because of course he is, and we’re betting he’ll have exactly the kind of boring, PR-filled, yes-man bullsh*t that everyone already hates on FB and has infiltrated Twitter more and more over the last couple years. But still, it’s @TheJMUDukeDog and of all the JMU athletics accounts, it’s sort of a must.
Summertime = All Duke Dog, All the Time!
But more interesting, and considerably more substantive, to take take you through the home stretch of the college offseason (46 days to Maryland!), is the fairly cool idea from the new-look, and apparently newly-imagined, JMU Sports official site to have a student-athlete (NCAA-endorsed term!) blog from Senior Volleyball standout Meghan Niski as she’s competing this summer in the European Global Challenge tournament in Croatia and Montenegro as a member of some kind of Midwest All-Star U22 squad. Congrats and good luck to Meghan and please write frequently.
We’re both doing the family vacation bit this weekend so we’re not going to write at length. But thankfully Brian Ewart over at his outstanding Villanova site, VUHoops.com, gave the college sports world this fantastic think-piece on some huge issues on the horizon for college athletics, especially college athletics in a no-man’s land of the non-power conferences. This piece is in-depth and it’s not for everyone, but we think our diehards will appreciate it as much as the level of research, craft and structure only drives the home the difference between a pro like Brian and fans like us. By the way, Brian obviously covers a lot of ‘Nova hoops stuff, but his twitter over @Brian_Ewart is all college sports all the time, he does care about CAA football unlike most Wildcat writers and he doesn’t often stray into Nats/Mets/Title IX/Beer/WorldCup/bullshit the way that we do if you’re interested.
Now go find yourself a great beach beer (Harrisonburg’s own 3Brothers’ Drift comes to mind) and a lawn chair and enjoy the heavenly sound of cooler rustlin’, truly life’s most exquisite aural pleasure.
