Fordham rams through again

Fordham rams through again

Offense minded Fordham Rams do it again to Lafayette

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 4- From their first possession up at Rose Hill Friday night when Lafayette took the ball away from Fordham, something said that was not going to dictate the final outcome. After all the Fordham University Rams have that good offense that sparked them to a post season last November.

The Leopards, who dealt the Rams their first loss last season, could not capitalize and punted on fourth down. And so it went as Fordham dominated on offense and went on to a 42-18 win, improving their overall record to 5-1, and 2-0 in the Patriot League.

Fordham would once again score more than 40 points. And for coach Joe Moorhead this has become a common occurrence. He has the quarterback and an offense that likes to run the ball, and there are no flaws with their pass efficiency,

“They ruined our undefeated season last year most important thing was to get a Patriot league win,” Moorhead said. “We were struggling in our first couple of drives. We needed a pass to get a score.”

That first score set the tone when Chase Edmonds ran the ball in from 44-yards, the first of his two touchdowns and 187 yards. That erased an early 3-0 Lafayette lead off their first drive and 37-yard field goal. The Rams say they practiced a scheme all week and there is no debate because it works.

So when Edmonds the Rams; leading rusher went with the scheme, so did the entire Fordham offense that compiled 524 yards. After a 50-6 loss to Villanova in their second game Fordham has won four straight and will host Penn next Saturday afternoon.

What made the win more special was the game being viewed by a national television audience on the CBS Sports Network. With the exception of annoying and constant media timeouts, the Rams will take the exposure.

Because something special continues to happen for this football program up at Rose Hill, there will be more national televised games on the slate. And why not, because America does fall in love with an offensive team.

“We certainly have the capability,” Moorhead said about his offense and their ability to score. Fordham has scored 52, 54, 49, 45 and 42 points  in their five games.

“It starts up front on our offensive line,” said the coach.  “Its a credit to these kids. “We put a scheme together. They practice and execute it and we improve every week.”

Quarterback Mike Nebrich at the half passed for three touchdowns and 206-yards, and compiled 287 on the night.

The Rams defense also has been a factor with this success that carried over from last year and Brett Biestek led that unit with 9- tackles. That was significant because it caused the Lafayette offense to force a fumble and also lose significant yardage. And to get by Fordham losing yards is not a part of the plan.

“The whole defense had a good night,” said Edmonds, “I did a good job with the scheme.” The freshman All state American, and first team all state selection out of Central Dauphin East in “Harrisburgh Pennsylvania, rushed for 46-yards in the first quarter.

Moorhead also commented about the penalty yardage that continues to follow off the success of last year. The Rams were penalized for 124-yards and if they did not continue to pile up points, the score could have been closer.

Fordham was leveled with 15-yard penalty roughing the passer that led to a Lafayette first down late in that first quarter. The drive continued and led to the Lafayette early lead on the field goal.

But you listen to Moorhead and he is aware that at some point the penalties will catch up to you.

“We have been a highly penalized team the past few years,” he said. “There are the late hits. It got a little chippy there. Hey it’s football, it happens.They are stupid penalties... ones you can control.”

In the end though, Fordham is an offensive machine and those penalties tend to be meaningless as they seem to be the team to defeat again in the Patriot League.

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso   www.newyorksportsexaminer.com

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Senior Moment for Yankees

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Senior Moment for Yankees: Senior Moment for Yankees Yanks have Aches and Pains from Aging Players  AND #A-Rod By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 3- Hal Stei...

Senior Moment for Yankees

Senior Moment for Yankees

Yanks have Aches and Pains from Aging Players 

AND #A-Rod

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 3- Hal Steinbrenner apologized to fans of the New York Yankees because his team did not do the job. The Yankees spent a half billion dollars on free agent acquisitions and failed to reach the postseason for a second consecutive year.

So Steinbrenner, the managing general partner of the richest franchise in sports, is sympathetic to the Yankees fan base. And he did not take a page out of the book from his late father, because George would have instantly leveled the failures on the manager or general manager or an entire coaching staff would be looking for other jobs.

But there are more issues that pertain to the Yankees as they begin the process of rebuilding for next year. And without Derek Jeter, the emphasis is now on Alex Rodriguez.

The full season suspension will be complete in a few weeks and it seems, from all accounts, that A-Rod will be the center of attention and prime candidate towards assuring that the Yankees will be involved in baseball next October. But that remains to be determined and that will all transpire in 147 days when spring training camp begins down in Tampa Florida.

And don’t expect this huge spending spree from the Yankees upper brass when free agency commences after the World Series. Maybe there will be a shopping spree for another starting pitcher, other than that if the Yankees are to improve it will be a deal or two, though there is not much to offer with contracts locked in on players who were a part of another failure in the Bronx.

So that leads to an emphasis of rebuilding, more so getting younger, because the Yankees roster is the oldest in baseball. And not like the Pirates or the Kansas City Royals, or Oakland, the Yankees don’t have a minor league system of players that are developed to make a jump to the big league level.

Yes the Pirates and Royals with four of the smallest payrolls in the game, were postseason teams as the Yankees went home early again. 

Steinbrenner has to be aware of the implications but from his comments the emphasis seems to be, we will go on with Alex Rodriguez and the reality is there is no conception as to how a 39-year old third baseman will handle the daily regime with two bad hips.

And as one baseball observer said, “Alex will have to do it without the ability of using performing enhancing drugs. I doubt he will make it out of spring training,” he said. That may be premature shooting from the lip. Because the Yankees will have to depend more on Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran, their new “core” along with Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Alex Rodriguez is owed $60 million. So Steinbrenner has no other alternative than to inform the GM Brian Cashman and the manager Joe Girardi to play him. Unless otherwise known, the reports are A-Rod is getting into playing shape, and to be determined is how a year away from the game will be more difficult to adjust, also taking his age into consideration.

“We did not do the job this year,” said Steinbrenner in a Wednesday afternoon radio interview. “We know what you expect of us and we expect the same thing of ourselves.” That was the message to Yankees fans.

And he did not put the blame on Girardi or Cashman, but that someone is responsible for the failures of 2104. The coaching staff could see some changes, but the overall consensus is the Yankees need to get younger and that is not possible when locking in contracts on aging players of 35 years or older.

A-Rod is in that category and despite his flaws, Steinbrenner is looking at his abilities to make the Yankees better. 

“He always comes into camp fit, so we know that is going to be the case,” Steinbrenner said about the return of Rodriguez. “But he is also the age he is at. I don’t have any expectations.”

The expectations of no Derek Jeter, so A-Rod becomes the center of attention for the Yankees. Hopefully more good than bad, and with Alex Rodriguez there is always the drama and another storyline.

There has to be a new leader, not talking Captain, because there is only one Derek Jeter. Perhaps it can be McCann who showed signs of finally adjusting to a new league with his resurgence of the home run in the last few weeks of a dismal season.

A second place finish at 84-78, 12-games behind the division winning Orioles and scoring 633 runs, third fewest in the American League, would not be acceptable if George Steinbrenner was still around, not with a team payroll of $200 million plus.

You can say that the Yankees were in it until the final week of the season, and four games short of that second wild card was remarkable considering how many injuries this aging team had to overcome. Credit Cashman for making some roster moves and Girardi for his leadership.

If the Yankees are to play baseball in the Bronx next October they need a leader and Jeter won’t be there as the job to fill the void at shortstop begins. The leader won’t be Alex Rodriguez, though he will get cheered if healthy and something special comes form his play on the field and at the plate.

Yankees fans want to hear who is responsible for the failures. To them it is a combination of ownership, Cashman and Girardi. In the end the owner took the responsibility.  

“I want to make sure that went went wrong was for a reason,” Steinbrenner said. And that begins with more decision making than the return of Alex Rodriguez as the busy offseason has started for the New York Yankees.

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso  www.newyorksportsexaminer.com 

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Where to take your Kids this weekend

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Where to take your Kids this weekend: Weekend Family Events Click here

Where to take your Kids this weekend

Weekend Family Events

Click here

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Kennedy Campus Goes Solar

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Kennedy Campus Goes Solar: Riverdale Report By Robert Press Kennedy Campus Goes Solar BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 2- Mayor Bill de Blasio came to the Kennedy campus la...

Kennedy Campus Goes Solar

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

Kennedy Campus Goes Solar

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 2- Mayor Bill de Blasio came to the Kennedy campus last Tuesday to announce Plan 2050. This is a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by the year 2050 on city owned buildings. The Kennedy campus is one of nine current schools that have had solar panels (500 here) installed. Fiften more schools will bring the total to 24 schools that will have solar panels installed for 6.4 MW of solar power. This will be the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road every year.

More city and private buildings will have solar panels Mayor de Blasio said. He went as far to say that the entire globe will be participating in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Congressman Engel who was present had to say that the Republicans in Congress are against President Obama's energy program, but that the president made it happen through an executive order. It was a great day for the Kennedy Campus even if there was a fight in one school yard that had to be broken up by over a dozen School Safety officers, and a fire drill where many other students were disruptive before the mayor came out.

Questions were asked on topic and were answered. One percent of all city buildings have solar panels, 100 megawatts of solar power in the next 10 years by the city, and 250 from private use. A 5 million dollar grant from NYSERTA, and the Department of Buildings is in charge of this project.

On off solar questions, I asked about stagnant student performance the past 12 years, and what the mayor is doing to improve overall student performance. Since Chancellor Carmen Farina was not present Mayor de Blasio said that there will be many things to come in struggling schools, and the mayor even came back to my question later saying that many parts of the school system are not working, and have to change. Without any mention of how or what he wants to change the mayor said that he is devoted to the public school system.

There were questions about the ground hog's death, and if the mayor was going to pick it up this coming year, which the mayor answered that is up to the zoo. About possible legislation for letter grades on nail salons proposed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. the mayor said that he has not seen the proposal. The mayor was also asked about the recent pedestrian deaths during his Vision Zero program. The mayor said that it is up to individual behavior, but with the deterrents like speed zones and cameras that he thinks peoples behavioral patterns can be changed for the better.

At the last Community Board 8 Parks Committee meeting the public got to meet the new concessionaire of the Riverdale Stables at Van Cortlandt Park, Mr. Scott Tarter and his wife who own another stable in Westchester County. Also on hand was Ms. Kathleen O'Daly the Director of concessions for the Department of Parks. Both were asked many questions by the committee members and public in attendance, who seemed to be pleased with the Tarters as the new concessionaire. I asked Ms. O'Daly about the ice skating rink at Van Cortlandt Park, having spoken to the concessionaire of the rink at the end of the past years season. I said that I was told there were major problems with the chillers, and that it would take a lot of money to either buy new chillers or even try to repair the old ones. Ms. O'Daly said that the concessionaire Ice Rink Events had decided not to return for a third season since last year was a much poorer attendance and other problems arose. She said that a new Request For Proposal would be sent out by the Parks Department, but it may be a season with no ice skating in Van Cortlandt Park.

Other Community Board 8 committee meetings of note are – Thursday October 2^nd Land Use 7:30 p.m. at the Riverdale Y. there is no discussion of the Montefiore or Self-help buildings on the agenda. Monday October 6^th – Public Safety 7 p.m at the 50^th Pct. Tuesday October 7 – Economic Development 7:30 at the board office 5676 Riverdale Avenue. Thursday October 9^th – 4 p.m the Self-help working group of the community board. The full board meeting will be held on Tuesday October 14^th at a place to be determined.

Also the KRVC Greenway Gala will be held on Sunday October 19th at the Hebrew Home of Riverdale. The gathering begins at 5 p.m with dinner and the presentations starting at 6:30 p.m. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com archive on the lower left to KRVC or go to krvcdc.org/gala for more.

If you have any comments about this column, would like to have an event listed here or covered on my blog, or have any news that you want to share, you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.