After taking about 3 days and narrowing my choices down to 15 I decided to start my 2005 Dynasty with my created team the Canyon View University Cowboys, located in Avondale AZ (Just outside of Glendale AZ) I usually start off with one of my favorite teams and then eventually end up creating "the view" to play as and finish out my game playing experience. But this year I decided to start out as them right away, becasue i couldn't find a good fit to a team I like to run my option offense with. I'm intrested to hear who you guys will be playing as when the game gets here in the next few weeks. Here's a little info on Canyon View:
School: Canyon View University (Private Liberal Arts School)
Location: Avondale, SC
Founded: 2000 (formerly known as Arizona A&M)
Enrollment: 7948
Stadium: The Farm
Current Capacity: 30000
First Year of Football: 2000 (formerly known as Arizona A&M)
School Colors: Copper and Red
Mascot: Cowboys
2004 Preview: Canyon View Cowboys
NCAA2005CollegeFootballNews.com
The obvious big story in the off-season was the hiring of Doug Smith taking over for Jim O’Brien. All new coaches are supposed to turn things around right away, but new coaches aren't always forced to right the ship in a very tough Mountain West Conference.
Canyon View was on the verge of being a regular in the title hunt a few years ago, during the team years when Smith was the defensive coordinator and the program was still in the 1-AA ranks, and then the wheels fell off as the talent level dropped off dramatically. Now Smith inherits a very young and very raw team that'll need a year or three to get everything together, but the potential is there for a quick turnaround in overall production with several good athletes on both sides of the ball.
Oh sure, there are a few experienced players who'll stand out, but there isn't the oh-my-goodness star that'll scare the heck out of everyone on the schedule. Check that; there isn't an established star that'll scare the heck out of anyone. That could change in a real hurry if Smith and his coaching staff do the job they're supposed to and take young talent and make them great. It just might take a little while.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Tate Duke. A three year starter with a 317-pound bench press and decent athleticism, Duke will be the leader of the offensive and will have to be CVU’s dominant back.
Best Defensive Player: Red shirt Freshmen LB Ryan Smith. There are several promising linemen that could end up blossoming into stars. Smith is the son of new head coach Smith and grew up around Canyon View as a youngster before choosing them over BYU, Arizona, and Stanford. He'll provide the size in line backing corps for the smaller backers to operate.
Key player to a successful season: The CVU quarterbacks failed to provide much of a spark to the offense under O’Brien, and smith has come in and installed an aggressive option attack that will ask the QB’s to use their arms and legs to become the playmakers the offense sorely needs.
The season will be a success if ... CVU finishes with six wins. This isn't going to be easy needing a few upsets and not blowing any lay-ups, but the schedule isn't so horrible that five to six wins can't be expected.
Inside Scoop
Many defensive coordinators that you talk to who have to conjure up some sort of game plan against the flexbone/ wishbone offense will tell you pretty much, line and verse - You must stop the fullback. Smith brought with him to Canyon View Ivan Turner from the Air Force to oversee the offense, and install an aggressive attacking option offense.
Granted, if you let the fullback get loose in your secondary time and time again, you might as well sign your own death certificate. However, there's also a faction of DCs that disagree and say that the fullback is a bit player; he can't gash you like the quarterback and that you have to contain the quarterback, he's the one that can take it the distance.
Consequently, most coordinators feel as though stopping those two 'options' gives you a chance to 'slow' this offense. Tackle the fullback, hit the quarterback and sprint to the ball when it's pitched to the slot, i.e. if they pitch it to the slot, we're doing alright. Well, in Avondale, the slot position is the home run hitter, the long ball threat, and the overlooked guy who can burn you, big-time.
Defensively Coach Smith will be the defensive Coordinator, Smith’s background is on the defensive side of the ball so his influence on that side of the ball will be noticed right away. The most successful years of CVU’s football program were when Smith was the Defensive Coordinator. His aggressive schemes have been his benchmark for success at his other coaching stops.
Conclusion: Smith is in a wonderful situation, really. There's not a ton of pressure on him to win quickly, and he's not going to be run out of town, at least in the first three or so years. Consequently, he'll have the opportunity to establish his system and his style, recruit like mad in one of the most under rated, talent laden states in the country and bring back the tradition of 'nasty' Cowboy football. His defense is extremely young, which will be led by his own son Ryan Smith, who has the makings of a future defensive star, but they'll learn it on the run and do it together. If Smith can get any consistent offensive output, this team is going to be alright. His situation reminds people of the one at Oklahoma State when Les Miles arrived. The 'Boys were competitive in most every game, until they pulled the major upset against OU in the 2001 finale. That is the type of team that Smith can have, one that is his mold - ultra-competitive, nasty and, most importantly, never quits. Keep an eye on the 'Boys late in the season, if they feed off of Smith's desire to win, they may pull a huge upset late in the year. Titles are on hold for now, but this year is about getting better and bringing back an identity to this football team.
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