Tulane chat - Live Blog Live Blogging

Tulane chat

(08/19/2008)

11:50

Kevin Spain, T-P:

We'll go live with our weekly Tulane football chat with Ted Lewis in 10 minutes. Go ahead and start submitting your questions.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 11:50 Kevin Spain, T-P

12:00

Kevin Spain, T-P:

Welcome to our weekly Tulane chat. We're going live.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:00 Kevin Spain, T-P

12:00

[Comment From JamesJames: ]

I have no doubts about Tulane's offensive capabilities, but what about defense? Can we stop the run? Can we stop the pass? Will this finally be a season that games aren't determined by who had the ball last, like that Saints/Texans game?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:00 James

12:01

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Good question. The defense is truly a work in progress. They are really mixing and matching at linebacker and safety. The loss of Dominique Dade didn't help because he was a prime backup at both cornerback and safety. David Skehan needs to get healthy as well. In Conference USA, stopping the pass is paramount, and Tulane must improve in that area to have any kind of shot at a winning season.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:01 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:02

[Comment From Mark WilsonMark Wilson: ]

What is the key for Tulane to beat Alabama? I don't think Alabama has a lot of depth on defense so would you suggest wearing them down slowly as opposed to big plays?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:02 Mark Wilson

12:04

Ted Lewis, T-P:

I'm not enough into strategy as to suggest what the offense should and shouldn't be doing. Obviously since it's Alabama's home opener Tulane will be an intimidating setting. They need offensive success on the first or second series, especially when you consider that they will be going with a first-time starter at QB. Then just hope the defense can hold on.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:04 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:04

[Comment From Mark WilsonMark Wilson: ]

Does Tulane have any three or four star recruits on the horizon? If so, who and at what position?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:04 Mark Wilson

12:04

Ted Lewis, T-P:

You need to go to our recruiting guru Mike Strom for that one. I have enough trouble keeping up with the players they have now.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:04 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:05

[Comment From FrankFrank: ]

Travis Olexa has not been on the O-Line recently. Is he injured

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:05 Frank

12:06

Ted Lewis, T-P:

He did not run with the second unit in Saturday's scrimmage. If he's injured it hasn't been mentioned. It would appear that the freshman, Eric Jones, has passed him at this point.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:06 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:06

[Comment From Johnny MacJohnny Mac: ]

We've heard some good things about impact freshman from coach Toledo in recent days... in your opinion, who has really stepped up since your last live chat?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:06 Johnny Mac

12:08

Ted Lewis, T-P:

It was interesting to see the three freshmen lineman running with the second unit in the scrimmage. Fullback Kasey Stelly is certainly making his presence felt. I really like the running back, Albert Williams, and the other freshman running back, Nathan Austin is impressive to look at.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:08 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:09

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]

Do you think Tulane should follow the LSU model and decrease the emphasis on academics for its football players?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:09 Guest

12:11

Ted Lewis, T-P:

I'm not sure what you mean by "LSU model." Tulane has enough exemptions that it can admit any high school player who meets the NCAA standards. Keeping marginal students in school is another matter. Dominique Dade flunked out after one year. Without knowing how much effort he put into his classroom work, it could be said that the Tulane coaches and academic support group whiffed on him.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:11 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:12

[Comment From Johnny MacJohnny Mac: ]

Will the team continue to borrow the Saints indoor facility, when available, to avoid practice cancellations due to bad weather?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:12 Johnny Mac

12:13

Ted Lewis, T-P:

They'd certainly like to. There's usually no practice or just a light workout on Mondays and Tuesdays for the Saints,. so they can perhaps have a standing agreement there. But that also entails lining up buses, possibiliy on short notice. It was good to see the cooperation between the two on Saturday.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:13 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:13

How many games will Tulane win this season?
9 or more

( 3% )

7-8

( 45% )

5-6

( 38% )

4 or less

( 14% )

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:13

12:14

[Comment From Steve FarnettSteve Farnett: ]

Is there any chatter of building an on campus stadium?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:14 Steve Farnett

12:15

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Chatter, yes. But none from the people that matter. An on-campus stadium at Tulane is just not feasable because of the lack of space. And where would people park? It's amazing to think that crowds of 80,000 could make their way to Tulane stadium ijn the day.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:15 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:16

[Comment From James E.James E.: ]

Looking at the current roster, 14 Seniors, 20 Juniors, 17 Soph., and 10 Redshirt Frosh., and 33 true Frosh, would you agree that no matter how they do this year, 2009 will be better? Having 14 guys in your senior class is pretty low, don't you think?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:16 James E.

12:18

Ted Lewis, T-P:

It is a low number, although just about all of them will be major contributors.

Your quarterback is a sophomore. Your tailback is a junior. Your best receiver is a junior. This year's freshman class looks better than Toledo's first, at least in terms of immediate contributions. So yes, next year promises to be better than this year.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:18 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:18

[Comment From larry Mlarry M: ]

How many games Tulane can win this year?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:18 larry M

12:19

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Since the seson hasn't started yet, they can still win them all.

I think six is realistic, if the defense comes around.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:19 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:20

[Comment From FrankFrank: ]

A lot of people have been upset over the change of schedule with Alabama. I personally think Rick Dickson negotiated a good deal for Tulane in the long term. What do you think?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:20 Frank

12:22

[Comment From Big WaveBig Wave: ]

How do you feel about Bama and ESPN bumping next year's game from our home schedule. As a local fan I don't like it. Bama would have brought 30-40K to the city, BYU won't bring anyone.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:22 Big Wave

12:22

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Rick did what he could without much leverage. With Nick Saban bringing in No. 1 --rated recruiting classes, Tulane might have a better shot against BYU next year than it does against Alabama. And that's what matters - winning. Hoping to draw fans based on who you''re playing isn't good for long-term success. Beating people in your conference should be Tulane's measuring stick.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:22 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:22

[Comment From larry Mlarry M: ]

how many recruiting classes will Tulane need to get up to par in the conference?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:22 larry M

12:23

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Maybe a couple. The new Conference USA has yet to have a dominant team establish itself. That means unlike say a Vanderbilt in the SEC, no team is necessarily at a permanent disadvantage.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:23 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:24

[Comment From Johnny MacJohnny Mac: ]

I've been hearing a lot from casual observers about how much more size our kids have after going through the offseason workout program... are the coaches happy with the progress the kids made this offseason in that regard?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:24 Johnny Mac

12:25

Ted Lewis, T-P:

They talk about it quite a bit. It's not just size - it's strength and agility. Also, on the offensive end, everyone talks about being more familiar with the system. Getting the freshman on campus all summer is already paying dividends.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:25 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:26

[Comment From Steve FarnettSteve Farnett: ]

I don't see Tulane beating Alabama or LSU, but do you see any upsets possible this season? Maybe USM?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:26 Steve Farnett

12:27

Ted Lewis, T-P:

East Carolina in week two is the home opener, and you should always play well in that one. Memphis is at the end, so it's hard to say where things will stand then, but both teams could be playing for a bowl berth, and that will make it interesting. Tulsa and Houston on the road look a litlte too tough right now. Tulane doesn't play USM - unles both teams make it the conference championship game.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:27 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:27

[Comment From AlbertAlbert: ]

What is the biggest thing Bob Toledo brought to Tulane football?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:27 Albert

12:28

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Optimism. Bob is a very upbeat guy who is confident in what he is doing. I'm not sure you could ever say that about Chris Scelfo.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:28 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:29

[Comment From Johnny MacJohnny Mac: ]

We severly lack any 300# run stuffers in the interior DL... could that hurt the team in the long run in the 4th quarter when teams try to pound it inside?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:29 Johnny Mac

12:31

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Everybody, including the Saints, would like to have 300-pound run stuffers. Julian Shives-Sams and Tony Bryant will have to show something or they will be pressed by the freshman Aluko and Asumnu. It's a very vital area if the defense is to have success.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:31 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:31

[Comment From James E.James E.: ]

Is there a current depth chart available for the fans to look at or is that still a week away?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:31 James E.

12:33

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Bob has said he won't issue a depth chart until the week of the Alabama game. Things are still very fluid on the offensive line and all over the defense. Luckily, we get to attend practice so we can notice in team drills and scrimmages who's moving up or down, but until the end of the end of this week it's still too early to tell.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:33 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:33

[Comment From larry Mlarry M: ]

do you think if they win 6 games they can go to a bowl?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:33 larry M

12:34

Ted Lewis, T-P:

They will be bowl eligible and Conference USA has six or seven bowl tie-ins. Certainly the New Orleans Bowl would like to have Tulane.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:34 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:34

[Comment From JimmyJimmy: ]

Looking at the big picture, where does the Tulane program stand? Is it stronger than ever or weaker than it has been historically? It's unlikely that this team will go undefeated, but is the program going in the right direction?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:34 Jimmy

12:37

Ted Lewis, T-P:

That's tough to answer. Certainly there's optimism. But there are also realities about facilities, lack of fan support, etc. that make sustained success difficult. I think the most important thing is that the school is committed to seeing this through. It would have been very easy to have dropped all sports after Katrina, but they didn't.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:37 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:38

[Comment From Wave baseballWave baseball: ]

Ted I know this is Tulane football chat, but as a college baseball fan I'm very upset at what the MLB has done to raid our high school recruits, could you comment.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:38 Wave baseball

12:40

Ted Lewis, T-P:

If you think you're upset, you should have talked to Rick Jones last week. There's a lot of money being thrown at mid to low-level draftees and players Tulane signed just happened to be among them. And since you get players of that caliber in the fall, it's hard to predict where a player will be drafted and how much he will be offered. Rick would like the signing deadline moved up a month so that schools that lose recruits can find replacements, but MLB doesn't seem interested.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:40 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:41

[Comment From AlbertAlbert: ]

Is Tulane working at getting more games out at Gormley?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:41 Albert

12:42

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Nothing will be done until after this year's game.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:42 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:43

[Comment From larry Mlarry M: ]

what is Chris Scelfo doing now?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:43 larry M

12:43

Ted Lewis, T-P:

He is the tight ends coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:43 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:44

[Comment From FrankFrank: ]

Currently, how many scholarships is Tulane under the 85 limit? Do you think that Tulane should be over-committing in the recruiting process like many other schools seem to do?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:44 Frank

12:45

Ted Lewis, T-P:

They are at 80 or 81, which is about where most teams stand. Actually, Tulane has been very fortunate about the lack of turnover in the program. UAB, which also changed coaches last year, has only 72 players on scholarship, thanks to attrition.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:45 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:45

[Comment From richardrichard: ]

ted, could you comment on our kicking game.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:45 richard

12:47

Ted Lewis, T-P:

There hasn't been much to see yet. Ross Thevenot and Darren deRochemont appear to ber about where they were a year ago. Albert Williams and Jeremy Williams should perk up the return game. Having each coach work with a particular area of the kicking game seems to be working out well.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:47 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:47

[Comment From larry Mlarry M: ]

Does Tulane have enough depth in the offensive and defensive lines?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:47 larry M

12:48

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Having three frreshmen in your top 10 isn't a good sign. They need the first five or six guys to stay healhty.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:48 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:48

[Comment From hnakhnak: ]

ted- can tulane win 6 or 7 games with this schedule? i looked back at the schedule buddy teevens had his last year and now wow a big difference much harder then

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:48 hnak

12:50

Ted Lewis, T-P:

In Conference USA anything is possible. Alabama, LSU and Houston and Tulsa are the only ones in which they should be double-digit underdogs right now. They talk about finishing the job after the close calls against Memphis, Army and UAB last year. You do that a few times and you have a winning season.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:50 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:50

[Comment From Jimmy OJimmy O: ]

Who have been the most impressive players you've seen thus far, on both offense and defense?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:50 Jimmy O

12:51

Ted Lewis, T-P:

Jeremy Williams looks sharp as does Brian King. I like Albert Williams a lot. Kevin Moore didn't wow anyone in the scrimamge, but he looked pretty confident in his role. On defense, Josh Lumar and Travis Burks are having very good camps.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:51 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:52

[Comment From KevinKevin: ]

What do you think of Tulane's commitment to play in the Superdome? Do you think they would ever build their own stadium for 30,000 or 40,000 fans or play in city park on a more regular basis?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:52 Kevin

12:55

Ted Lewis, T-P:

I think Tulane having its own stadium if further off than most fans would like, You just don't get much of a vibe that anything going to happen until they get the basketball practice facility/Fogelman renovation completed. Tulane still puts two pages promoting the Superdome in its media guide. That doesn't look like they're ready to move out next week.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:55 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:55

[Comment From FW ChicagoFW Chicago: ]

Have you heard or seen Matt Forte play in preseason. Can he start?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:55 FW Chicago

12:55

Ted Lewis, T-P:

I haven't seen him, but the Bears are listing him first on the depth chart.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:55 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:56

[Comment From Jerry G.Jerry G.: ]

Where would you put Conference USA in relation to other non- BCS conferences? It hasn't had a team in the BCS, but does have some good teams.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:56 Jerry G.

12:58

Ted Lewis, T-P:

CUSA hasn't had a BCS bowl team yet, and it's going to take somebody going undefeated for that to happen. Tulsa might have as shot this year, The toughest non-conference game is at Arkansas, and the Razorbacks are no world beaters. There's just a lack of identity about the league because of the membership turnover and the fact teams are spread from North Carolina to west Texas.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:58 Ted Lewis, T-P

12:59

[Comment From tommytommy: ]

Ted, Rice, ULM, UAB, SMU look like likely wins from here. What other two games appear within reach to bowl eleigible?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 12:59 tommy

1:00

Ted Lewis, T-P:

I wouldn't make ULM an automatic. They won at Alabama last year and have 17 starters returning. I wasn;t impresssed with UTEP last year. Memphis at the end of the year is doable.
And what kind of Tulane fan are you if you don't think you're going to beat LSU?

Tuesday August 19, 2008 1:00 Ted Lewis, T-P

1:00

Kevin Spain, T-P:

That's it for this week, thanks to all of you for joining in to this week's Tulane chat. Join us tomorrow for our first high school football chat of the fall. We'll be back Thursday for Saints chat and Friday with LSU.
Thanks again.

Tuesday August 19, 2008 1:00 Kevin Spain, T-P

1:00