It
was three days before Christmas, and during a 7:15 a.m. telephone call, Joe
Conlin had just accepted the job as head football coach at Fordham University.
He
hurried into the kitchen to share the news with his wife Karen, but to his
surprise, she “was crying,” Conlin said. “Did you not want me to take the job?”
the stunned Conlin asked. “No, they’re
tears of joy,” Karen responded.
The
38-year-old Conlin, who was the offensive coordinator last season at Yale,
which compiled a 9-1 record and won the Ivy League championship. He said giving
the news of his decision to go to Fordham to the coaches and players at Yale
was tough for him. He spent six years building that relationship.
Conlin
also went to the NCAA FCS playoffs seven years in a row (2004-10) as an
assistant at New Hampshire, is now charged with reversing the fortunes of a
team that was 4-7 last year despite having running back Chase Edmonds and
quarterback Kevin Anderson among its offensive weapons.
Edmonds,
the league’s all-time leading career rusher even though he missed five games
last season, is now in the NFL; and Anderson, who threw for 73 TDs in his
career, is also gone. So, Conlin was asked during the league’s preseason
teleconference call, how is the Fordham team going to look different in 2018?
“Offensively, we won’t be that different,” Conlin
said … “a little more spread out … we’ll utilize more formations than they did.
We’re still going to be a zone team, utilizing tempo, take shots down the field
with play action … still do some of RPO (run-pass option) and things like that
… we’ll end up with balance, but the offense will strive to be more ground
based, kind of open up the pass game with a ground attack, try to establish
ourselves on the ground each and every game.
“Defensively, I think we’ll be markedly different …
a little more agressive in terms of blitz packages and things like that … more
man coverage. But hopefully, you’ll just see the guys playing hard, running to
the football and having fun playing the game. That’s very much a hallmark of
our program, to see our kids generally enjoy playing together and for Fordham.”
But
because 15 spring practices were the only exposure the Rams’ players have had
to the thinking and working of Conlin’s plan, the coach, asked about expectations
for 2018, said, “To think about the season at this point would be kind of a
wasted exercise. Now is just about 25 practices before we play a game and
making the most of every day we have to work together before we open with
Charlotte. In terms of the players, we’ll keep it very simple. This is as close
as these guys are to NFL players. No classes. No distractions. Excited to
attack each day and get a little better.”
Fordham,
you’ll remember, went four seasons (2010-13) in which its league games didn’t
count in the standings because it adopted merit-based scholarships while the
rest of the league was operating on need-based aid. The Rams struggled for three years, but went
12-2 in the fourth. And in 2014-16, they compiled a 16-2 league mark, winning
the title in ’14 and finishing second the other two seasons.
The
big shocker for the Rams in 2017 may have come against Lafayette. The Leopards
came in off a 10-7 win over Holy Cross on a last-second field goal but had
allowed 166 points in four losses. Fordham had an identical 1-4 record and had
allowed 211 points in its four defeats. Still, the Rams figured to be the
favorite.
Fordham
led 10-0 after three quarters, but Leopard freshman quarterback Sean O’Malley
had what might have been his best effort of the season in the fourth period,
hitting 10 of 11 passes on one drive and four more on another, teaming up with
Rocco Palumbo for s pair of touchdowns that produced a 14-10 victory that put
Lafayette at the top of the league standings.
PRE-SEASON
ALL-LEAGUE PICKS – WR Austin Longi, TE Isaiah Searight, OL Dominic
Lombard, LB Glenn Cunningham, DB Dylan Mabin.
PRESEASON
LEAGUE FINISH PREDICTION – 3rd.
2018
LAFAYETTE GAME: at Fordham, Oct. 27, 1 p.m.
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