Colorado State University Athletics
RamWire Mailbag: Fans Have Football Decisions on Their Minds
12/26/2019 2:55:00 PM | RamWire
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The campus is pretty empty these days, which I hope means y'all are enjoying the holiday season with family and friends.
The schedule is pretty light for Colorado State athletics at this time, with the men's basketball team set to host Doane on Saturday (2 p.m.), then both the men and women jumping back into Mountain West play on Jan. 1 – the women at home vs. Nevada (7 p.m.), the men headed to Reno (8 p.m.).
Into the bag …
Will Addazio run a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense?
Steve Addazio headed back to Boston to spend the holiday season with his family and finish packing for the move to Fort Collins. He said the break would give him time to start making coaching hires, which feeds into this answer.
The defensive coordinator will have some say in this matter, but for the entirety of his head coaching career, Addazio's defenses have been a 4-3. That dates back to his first year at Temple and his run at Boston College.
Even if the base is a 4-3, certain coordinators will give more of a 3-4 look against certain offenses. How much they do that, and how frequently they move in and out of nickel and dime alignments, is generally up to the coordinator.
A 4-3 fits into what Colorado State has on campus right now. Up front the Rams return Manny Jones, Devin Phillips, Ellison Hubbard, Livingston Paogofie, Brandon Derrow, Rushton Roberts and Cian Quiroga, all of whom played last year. Aidan Cullen redshirted. They also return linebackers Cam'ron Carter, Dequan Jackson and Mohamed Kamara -- all seeing extensive action – with nine other linebackers on roster. Among those names, the Rams return half of their top-10 tacklers from a season ago.
Any word on the coaching staff?
We know a bit, but the key positions – the coordinators – are not, and Addazio has said he will not be calling plays. Even when selections have been made, the school background checks will take some time before anything becomes official.
We do know Louie Addazio is set to become the offensive line coach, but said he expects his father – one of the best teachers in the country at the position – will be heavily involved, just like he was at Boston College. Corey Dennis is in line to coach the quarterbacks, which Ohio State coach Ryan Day hinted at himself.
The changes will extend beyond the individual positions, too, as strength and conditioning coach Joey Guarascio is headed to Florida Atlantic to take the same position, according to Football Scoop.com.
News of moves will start to filter out more and more as bowl games are played and prior commitments are finalized.
What should we expect to see from this men's basketball team?
I'd say a lot of what we already have, with an upward arc that favors the Rams as the season progresses. That's what one should expect from a team getting so many minutes from younger players.
Fans watching the Tulsa game were pulling their hair out at times. The Rams had a big lead, only to see it slip away into one, then two, then a third overtime. At the same time, their finish was impressive, pulling away for the 111-104 win.
Sure, it would have been nice had the Rams pulled away in regulation, but it says there's a world of good to look forward to in the way they notched a victory with Adam Thistlewood not available.
For one, you'd have to expect Nico Carvacho will shoot better from the field than the 52.3 percent he's at now. Isaiah Stevens has had moments of brilliance, and you'd expect the gaps between them to close. The mother of all skills is repetition, and the more David Roddy, Kendle Moore, Dischon Thomas and John Tonje take, the better they will become. That includes the defensive side of the floor, as, as a team, they will become more tied together.
Buckle up, it should be fun to watch unfold.
Where is everybody?
Home for the holidays, though the break is shorter for the teams currently in season. While the majority of students are off until classes begin on Jan. 21, the basketball teams, swimmers and divers and track and field athletes all have a competition slated by Jan. 10
They get a few days to go home and learn to make Baby Yoda sugar cookies, but there are workouts planned into the break.
The basketball teams are back on the hardwood, preparing for Mountain West play to tip once again in the New Year, which they'll do in Fort Collins.
The swimmers headed home, but they'll leave for a training session in California which culminates in a double-dual with Pepperdine and New Mexico, while the divers are headed to Florida. The neat quirk here is, New Mexico's divers will also be in Florida, so the Rams and Lobos will compete on the 1-meter and platform on one coast on Jan. 8, while the swimmers are in a pool in Malibu. The divers will send the scores along, and they'll be factored into the dual results.
The track team returns for mandatory workouts on Jan. 6, four days in advance of the Potts Invitational in Boulder, but the Jack Christiansen Fieldhouse will be open as some will return the week prior to continue voluntary training on their own.
The schedule is pretty light for Colorado State athletics at this time, with the men's basketball team set to host Doane on Saturday (2 p.m.), then both the men and women jumping back into Mountain West play on Jan. 1 – the women at home vs. Nevada (7 p.m.), the men headed to Reno (8 p.m.).
Into the bag …
Will Addazio run a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense?
Steve Addazio headed back to Boston to spend the holiday season with his family and finish packing for the move to Fort Collins. He said the break would give him time to start making coaching hires, which feeds into this answer.
The defensive coordinator will have some say in this matter, but for the entirety of his head coaching career, Addazio's defenses have been a 4-3. That dates back to his first year at Temple and his run at Boston College.
Even if the base is a 4-3, certain coordinators will give more of a 3-4 look against certain offenses. How much they do that, and how frequently they move in and out of nickel and dime alignments, is generally up to the coordinator.
A 4-3 fits into what Colorado State has on campus right now. Up front the Rams return Manny Jones, Devin Phillips, Ellison Hubbard, Livingston Paogofie, Brandon Derrow, Rushton Roberts and Cian Quiroga, all of whom played last year. Aidan Cullen redshirted. They also return linebackers Cam'ron Carter, Dequan Jackson and Mohamed Kamara -- all seeing extensive action – with nine other linebackers on roster. Among those names, the Rams return half of their top-10 tacklers from a season ago.
Any word on the coaching staff?
We know a bit, but the key positions – the coordinators – are not, and Addazio has said he will not be calling plays. Even when selections have been made, the school background checks will take some time before anything becomes official.
We do know Louie Addazio is set to become the offensive line coach, but said he expects his father – one of the best teachers in the country at the position – will be heavily involved, just like he was at Boston College. Corey Dennis is in line to coach the quarterbacks, which Ohio State coach Ryan Day hinted at himself.
The changes will extend beyond the individual positions, too, as strength and conditioning coach Joey Guarascio is headed to Florida Atlantic to take the same position, according to Football Scoop.com.
News of moves will start to filter out more and more as bowl games are played and prior commitments are finalized.
What should we expect to see from this men's basketball team?
I'd say a lot of what we already have, with an upward arc that favors the Rams as the season progresses. That's what one should expect from a team getting so many minutes from younger players.
Fans watching the Tulsa game were pulling their hair out at times. The Rams had a big lead, only to see it slip away into one, then two, then a third overtime. At the same time, their finish was impressive, pulling away for the 111-104 win.
Sure, it would have been nice had the Rams pulled away in regulation, but it says there's a world of good to look forward to in the way they notched a victory with Adam Thistlewood not available.
For one, you'd have to expect Nico Carvacho will shoot better from the field than the 52.3 percent he's at now. Isaiah Stevens has had moments of brilliance, and you'd expect the gaps between them to close. The mother of all skills is repetition, and the more David Roddy, Kendle Moore, Dischon Thomas and John Tonje take, the better they will become. That includes the defensive side of the floor, as, as a team, they will become more tied together.
Buckle up, it should be fun to watch unfold.
Where is everybody?
Home for the holidays, though the break is shorter for the teams currently in season. While the majority of students are off until classes begin on Jan. 21, the basketball teams, swimmers and divers and track and field athletes all have a competition slated by Jan. 10
They get a few days to go home and learn to make Baby Yoda sugar cookies, but there are workouts planned into the break.
The basketball teams are back on the hardwood, preparing for Mountain West play to tip once again in the New Year, which they'll do in Fort Collins.
The swimmers headed home, but they'll leave for a training session in California which culminates in a double-dual with Pepperdine and New Mexico, while the divers are headed to Florida. The neat quirk here is, New Mexico's divers will also be in Florida, so the Rams and Lobos will compete on the 1-meter and platform on one coast on Jan. 8, while the swimmers are in a pool in Malibu. The divers will send the scores along, and they'll be factored into the dual results.
The track team returns for mandatory workouts on Jan. 6, four days in advance of the Potts Invitational in Boulder, but the Jack Christiansen Fieldhouse will be open as some will return the week prior to continue voluntary training on their own.
Tuesday, May 13
Wednesday, April 17
Thursday, April 20
Thursday, December 15