Daz hearing the call for a rolling pocket

By the time Homecoming comes, the Temple offense could be revamped.

On this website, I have a site meter installed at the bottom.
It helps me get a pulse of what posts people are reading and where they are reading them from. Not surprisingly, the No. 1 place where people read "Temple Football Forever" is from temple.edu web addresses. Now this could be students from the tech center, professors in their offices, administrators, players and even coaches.
I don't care.

'Get the ball out of the quarterback's hand a little quicker so we are not sitting there in the pocket too long. Move the pocket. We are going to address those things.'
_ Steve Addazio

I think it's great that the Temple community is taking interest in the football team in general and in this website in particular.
That's one of the reasons why I found this quote to be particularly revealing by Temple head football coach Steve Addazio today from the Philadelphia Inquirer: "So we've got to grow there," Addazio said of the passing game. "Maybe more quick game. Get the ball out of the quarterback's hand a little quicker so we are not sitting there in the pocket too long. Move the pocket. We are going to address those things."
The three most important words there are "move the pocket" in my mind.
To me, the key message of my Monday post was "move the pocket."
The post about that very issue appeared here Monday. Addazio addressed it at the Tuesday media gathering.
Hmm.
Listen, I think there's a less than one percent chance Steve Addazio read my post and stole my idea, but I'm glad that he figured it out on his own, which I suspect.
Heck, even Stevie Wonder, let alone Stevie Addazio, could see how moving the pocket would help this Temple team as currently constituted.

Heck, even Stevie Wonder, let alone Stevie Addazio, could see how moving the pocket would help this Temple team as currently constituted

My only question is why the Owls didn't use this approach the first three games. It seemed like they were pounding their heads against a brick wall with this run-first approach.
No matter, the kind of head-pounding that resulted in so many headaches for Owl fans could be over if Daz is serious.
The Owls have a terrific weapon in New Mexico Bowl MVP Chris Coyer, who is a good pocket passer with protection, even under pressure in the pocket. The QB who runs like a tailback could be deadly, though, if you roll him out to his left where he could buy time to see the field and strike fear of his running the ball in the defense.
If DBs come up in run support, Coyer could dump the ball over their heads for big gains to guys like Jalen Fitzpatrick and Deon Miller, let alone an occasional safety valve pass to Montel Harris or Matty Brown.
If the defense blitzes, Coyer can direct Wyatt Benson as the protection. I have not seen a better blocking fullback at Temple since Shelley Poole led Heisman Trophy runner-up Paul Palmer through the hole.
Fitpatrick, Harris and Brown are terrific playmakers in space, as is Coyer.
Running Harris and Brown up the middle, where there's not much space, doesn't play to their strengths.
The best way for the Owls to move the sticks, maintain possession, turn the scoreboard into an adding machine and keep their defense off the field is to run the offense through Coyer. The beauty of this tweak is that it also plays to the strengths of backups Juice Granger and Kevin Newsome. Coyer rolls left, Juice and Kevin roll right.
Whatever, I'm glad the braintrust at the E-O recognizes this and are using these two weeks to work on it.
I can't wait until they, err, roll it out Oct. 6.

The most-anticipated TU season ever

Scotty Hartkorn's brilliant Temple trailer is worth watching more than once.

A hot forecast for what could be an even hotter season for Temple

As a 30-year season-ticket-holder (and Temple football fan long before that), I can say one thing clearly and unequivocally:
THIS IS THE MOST-ANTICIPATED TEMPLE SEASON OF MY LIFETIME.
Will it be the best-ever?
That is yet-to-be determined, but I will write this down now for the historians and the pundits to revisit come November:

Temple will not finish last in the Big East this season. In fact, the likely landing spots are either No. 1 or  No. 2. I refuse to go any lower.

There is not a team on this schedule Temple can't beat. Conversely, there is not a team on this schedule who can't beat Temple. I like that because of the focus factor. No games off, no plays off.
That's where Temple's edge, toughness, comes into play. This is a very tough, proud team who will play the whole season with a huge chip on their shoulder.
If it was a tough team without talent, that would be one thing. This team is every bit as talented as any team they will play.
Heck, the 22 starters on this Temple team are as good as any 22 starters on any Temple team I have ever seen and that includes the 10-2 Temple team that was only 17 points (split between two losses to Penn State and a 10-9 loss to No. 1 Pitt) from being 12-0.
Yes, that's how close Temple was to being a national champion in 1979.
Two games.
Seventeen points.
Seventeen.
Two games.
In almost all areas, I like this Temple team better than that one and this schedule is easier than the one that team faced.
As good as Brian Broomell was then, Chris Coyer has shown flashes of being a better quarterback now. Broomell called the greatest audible I've ever seen a Temple QB make. It was in the 1979 Villanova game at that tiny high school stadium they still have. Broomell went up to the line and saw that Gerald "Sweet Feet" Lucear was being single-covered. Without saying a word, Broomell pointed to Lucear, pointed to the end zone, tapped the center on hip, took the snap and threw a perfect 70-yard strike for a touchdown.
Temple 42, Villanova 10.
Coyer has the same kind of intelligence and skills, but they have better communication methods now. I see him doing the same thing with, say, Jalen Fitzpatrick.
It's not even close between the Montel Harris/Matty Brown hybrid and a great running back named Kevin Duckett.
Not close because Duckett wasn't good but because Harris and Brown are great.
I have to take Mark Bright over Wyatt Benson at fullback only because they gave Bright a chance to carry the ball. Bright was a great blocker. Benson is a better blocker. Both were/are team-first guys. Give Benson the ball as much and Benson is better, but I'll never be able to prove that hypothesis. The game has changed enough in 30 years that the fullback rarely gets the ball.
The one area I would give a big advantage to the 1979 team was offensive line. Joe Paterno called the Temple offensive line "the best offensive line in the country" before the 1979 game and that was not mere hyperbole. Still, Martin Wallace and Sean Boyle could have played on that line and Benson's role as a blocker means that the Owls will block enough people for Harris, Brown and Coyer to make explosive plays downfield.
Defense, I like the athleticism and line play of Chuck Heater's group over the 1979 team.
Special teams?
No contest.
The 2012 team is the far and away better, especially with Brown returning kickoffs and Brandon McManus handling the plackicking and punting duties.
I have to take Wayne Hardin over Steve Addazio only because Hardin was to coaching what Bobby Fischer was to playing chess. He was able to fully transfer the 152 IQ he had into checkmating virtually every coach with similar talent. And Hardin was crazy like a Fox. Fischer turned out to be just plain crazy.
Yet as a motivator and CEO Addazio is every bit Hardin's equal and no (none, zero) coaching staffs in the Big East are as good as Temple's now.
Vince Hoch was a great defensive coordinator, but he could not hold Chuck Heater's clipboard.
I know all of this because I've seen it with my own eyes.
The people who pick Temple last in the Big East have seen nothing.
Yet.
That's why this most-anticipated season could turn out to be the best one as well.
Five days until kickoff.
It can't come soon enough.

Tomorrow: Why I hate everything about Villanova not named Andy Talley or Joe Eichhorn

Bernard Who?

Villanova (and Rutgers and South Florida, among others) have never seen anything like Montel Harris.


What can be said about Montel Harris that hasn't already been said?
We all know the facts, that Harris was the second-leading rusher in the HISTORY of the ACC, that he was LAST YEAR'S runaway choice for Preseason Player of the Year in that same conference, that he once ran for 252 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-28 win over North Carolina State and had 22 games of over 100 yards against ACC teams such as Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami.
Much bigger-time teams than even the ones he will be facing in the Big East.

David Wilson and Luke Kuechly were first-round NFL picks.
Danny O'Brien is the starting QB at Wisconsin. Few considered
them nearly as good as Montel Harris in the ACC media poll.

All I was interested in finding out Tuesday during a media sitdown with the new Temple running back (and quite possibly this year's Big East Player of the Year) was finding out if Montel Harris was 100 percent because, if he is, he will make people forget Bernard Pierce.
No bigger Bernard Pierce fan than me but, as good as Pierce was (and still is), a healthy Harris is better.
There's a lot of empirical evidence out there to suggest that. Harris had more yards in a much higher level of football playing roughly the same number of games as Pierce did.
Harris says he's 100 percent. I believe him.
If that holds up, people might be saying Bernard Who if not by September, then certainly by October.
He says he's fine and so does head coach Steve Addazio and the cuts he made on the field on Tuesday said so the loudest.
"I'm feeling 100 percent," Harris said. "The knee is good. It was the left knee, but most people aren't able to tell."
When I first saw the many video highlights of Harris, his running style reminded me a lot of not Pierce, but Matt Brown, the other half of Temple's 1-2 running punch. Harris is bigger and heavier. Brown might be a tad faster. Both are tough and both can make runners miss and make what Addazio calls "explosive plays" downfield. Throw in a great running quarterback like Chris Coyer and a spread offense that opens the field up and a few bulbs could break this year on the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard.
"I'm a balanced runner able to make things happen in the open field but also able to break tackles," Harris said.
Even though Harris ran into some trouble at Boston College, I think he will be a solid citizen at Temple.
"I'm just here to say I'm here to play football and I'm a great football player and I have great character off the field," Harris said.
Everyone at the E-O has known that for the past month or so.
In eight days, the seamless transition from BP to MH could become just an unquestioned upgrade to Temple's fans.

Newsome: 'I'm a Temple Owl until the day I die'

"When I was at Penn State ....  I would always look at when we played Temple. They would always get close to us, and I used to see just the fight in these guys, knowing they were the underdogs, and they kept fighting with the big dogs. I thought that was very impressive, really impressive, with their fight. And that was a big deal as to why I came here." _ Kevin Newsome

Kevin Newsome spoke to the media for the first time after practice on Tuesday and I have to say that I was very impressed. Not only did Newsome come up with the quote of the summer camp "I'm a Temple Owl until the day I die" he opened the door for the possibility of playing on defense and special teams to help the Owls. Go to the 1:50 mark on the time stamp for the exact quote.
Another great quote was this one:


"When I was at Penn State ....  I would always look at when we played Temple. They would always get close to us, and I used to see just the fight in these guys, knowing they were the underdogs, and they kept fighting with the big dogs. I thought that was very impressive, really impressive, with their fight. And that was a big deal as to why I came here."
I always thought Newsome would make a great starting OLB or  safety for the Owls and I still think that.
Newsome was 240 pounds three months ago and has now slimmed down to 215, which would probably make him a better safety candidate than a linebacker.

Whether head coach Steve Addazio or defensive coordinator Chuck Heater think that is more important.
Everything I've been hearing from Addazio so far is that Newsome is in a battle with Juice Granger for the No. 2 quarterback spot. If Addazio thinks it is more important to have three athletic and solid QBs, then Newsome will remain in the QB rotation.
Newsome was Darryl Clark's backup at Penn State for the entire 2009 season.
Whatever Daz says about this, I agree with but seeing Newsome holding the clipboard as No. 3 QB when he can be a playmaker on defense right away would be frustrating from my standpoint as a fan and maybe Kevin's as a player.
There's no law against Newsome playing defense for the Owls this year and moving back to the other side of the ball if needed. Brian Broomell started on defense as a true freshman at safety, then moved over to quarterback by the time he was a senior and led the nation in passing efficiency.

Temple's Fan Fest is Wednesday
(8/22) from 5-7
at Xfinity Live (outside section).
It's free but $15 to park due to
Phillies game that night.

I don't think Kevin would have brought up defense or special teams if he wasn't being considered for one or both.
We'll find out in less than two weeks.

Tomorrow: 2011 ACC Preseason Player of Year Montel Harris

New TU President: Success in BE a priority

Board of Trustees chairman Pat  O'Connor introduces Neil  Theobald.

“Looking at the fundraising program, how do we expand that, what’s our strategy, how do we make contact with people — that’ll be number one. Then, how do we make the athletic program successful in the Big East, that’s a very important step."
_ Dr. Neil D. Theobald, President-elect, Temple

While this week at 10th and Diamond was dedicated to the short-term success of Temple's football program, possibly the best indication of the long-term future of the program came on Tuesday.
That's the day Dr. Neil D. Theobald was introduced as the new president of Temple University.
I must say I was a big advocate of Ed Rendell for the job because of the former Governor's immediate identification as a "Joe Philadelphia" fan, the kind of subway alumni Temple football must attract to sustain success.
Still, I was impressed by Theobald's first press conference at Mitten Hall when he listed "success in the Big East" as one of his top two priorities in office.
Theobald, a lifelong baseball fan, hit one out of the park with that comment.
As someone who lived through a Temple president who cared little about athletics (err, David Adamany), the correlation of priorities from the top and results on the field often coincide.
Temple University now has a $17 million practice facility that is more than adequate to succeed in a Big East environment and that was funded by a Board of Trustees that understands the importance of success in big-time college football.

Bloomington Herald-Times likes Temple's choice.

Temple now has all of the pieces in place to be successful in the Big East in the two marquee sports, football and men's basketball. A great BOT, a great president and, more importantly, great coaches in Steve Addazio and Fran Dunphy.
Addazio and Dunphy can work for anybody, but they chose Temple because of that kind of support from the top and because they are Temple-type people: Hard-working, sincere, honest and genuine.
"Coach Addazio is the realist (sic) coach who ever lived," Oakland Raiders' wide receiver Rod Streater said, paying Daz perhaps the highest compliment a player can pay a coach.
I think Theobald would like Daz and Dunphy and vice-versa.
I'm sure Theobald would want to be successful in baseball, too, but that's not a high-profile sport at the collegiate level.
I'm all for Temple being succcessful in everything but, if I had my druthers, I'd take football first and men's basketball second.
Those are my priorities.
It looks like those are Theobald's, too.

Father's Day tradition continues at TU

Newspaper clipping chronicling Jim Cooper's heroics in Temple's win over West Virginia.

"My dad could have gone to USC or Florida or Alabama and I still would be going to Temple. I know it's where I want to be."
_Jim Cooper

Appropriate that Jim Cooper Jr. committed to Temple around Father's Day this year because, if the name Jim Cooper rings a bell, it should.
Jim Cooper Sr. used to kick for Temple in the Bruce Arians' years. Cooper even kicked a field goal to beat West Virginia at Veterans Stadium.
Jim Cooper will kick for Temple again in name only as junior is the son of the senior.
The son also gave the coolest quote so far of any Temple recruit:
"My dad could have gone to USC or Florida or Alabama and I still would be going to Temple," said Cooper. "I know it's where I want to be."
The Mainland (N.J.) Regional kicker enters his senior season with 24 career field goals, just six shy of the all-time New Jersey record for field goals. He should break that this season.
I don't know if any other school has as many father/son connections as Temple University.
Some just off the top of my head:

Dan Klecko

Joe Klecko/Dan Klecko: Joe was an All-American at Temple, but made his fame as the anchor of the New York Jets' fabled "sack exchange." Joe should be in the NFL Hall of Fame. Dan was Big East defensive player of the year at Temple and has three Super Bowl rings as a role player with the Patriots and Colts (three more than his dad). Dan is now a sports talk radio host in Philadelphia.
Zach Dixon/Hassan Dixon: Zach was a 1,000-yard rusher for Wayne Hardin's 1978 team which went 7-3-1. Hassan Dixon is his son and currently listed as a DB for the Owls.

Raheem Brock: representing 

Zach Dixon/Raheem Brock: Yes, the same father of Hassan is also the father of Super Bowl champion DE Raheem Brock and they both played at Temple. Brock was an outstanding TE and DE at Temple and currently looking for another NFL opportunity. He is a successful restaurateur in Philadelphia.

Mark Bright follows his blockers.

Jim Bright/Mark Bright: Jim Bright was a fullback for the Owls in the 1950s. Mark Bright was also a fullback for the Owls, but in the 1970s. Mark was named MVP in Temple's 28-17 win over California in the Garden State Bowl. Mark was one of Hardin's last recruits one year. Jim was the long-time principal at New Hope-Solebury High School. "His dad was a fullback at Temple," Hardin said. "I told him, 'At Temple, we take care of our own.' So I took a chance on Mark. I'm glad I did."

Not a father/son connection, but certainly one worth noting is that current starting Temple quarterback (and New Mexico Bowl MVP) Chris Coyer also has a family tie to Temple. A great uncle, Harry Cochran, was Dean of the Business School at Temple in 1959. Chris is majoring in business.

Now the Jim Coopers become part of the Temple football family once again. It's a nice Father's Day trend worth mentioning.