FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Mugsy]

Good to see Coach Dartt coming back to the Raiders!

My apologies for hitting on a topic that was already covered here quite awhile ago (I've been infrequent on the D3 football boards in the offseason).

This is a big loss for Wheaton.  Coach Dartt was doing an outstanding job coach the OLine.  Coming into the 2011 season, I thought the OLine was a huge question mark for Wheaton with the loss of several multi-year All-CCIW linemen from the previous season.  Coach Dartt plugged in a Freshman center and a Sophmore OT (who was a TE as a FR), coached them up and the OL actually had a very solid season.

Coach Dartt will not be easily replaced.

[matblake]

Good to see Coach Dartt coming back to the Raiders!

My apologies for hitting on a topic that was already covered here quite awhile ago (I've been infrequent on the D3 football boards in the offseason).

This is a big loss for Wheaton.  Coach Dartt was doing an outstanding job coach the OLine.  Coming into the 2011 season, I thought the OLine was a huge question mark for Wheaton with the loss of several multi-year All-CCIW linemen from the previous season.  Coach Dartt plugged in a Freshman center and a Sophmore OT (who was a TE as a FR), coached them up and the OL actually had a very solid season.

Coach Dartt will not be easily replaced.

Agreed.  He was also responsible for recruiting in Ohio.

[jaypeter]

- The NY Giants were for real!

I'm a Giants fan and I'm still not fully convinced they were for real.  Although the Patriots weren't coming into the game undefeated, when you look back at the season and team as a whole, this Giants run was a little more improbable than the one they put together in 07.  That team looked and played like a playoff team for nearly the whole season.  That team didn't use nearly as much luck in its run.  This team was a Miles Austin catch away from being out of it with three weeks left in the season.  This team needed a successful Hail Mary to regain momentum against Green Bay in the playoffs and a knee being barely grazed by a football to stay in it against San Francisco.  This team had three fumbles in the Super Bowl, one recovered by NE but overturned on a penalty and the other two bouncing directly to the Giants.  This team was a slight bounce away from losing on the final play Hail Mary.  OK, both teams had amazing catches on the final scoring drives and this year's wasn't quite as much luck.

I'm not sure if they were for real, but getting hot and lucky at the right time is good enough for me!

[BoBo]

- The NY Giants were for real!

I'm a Giants fan and I'm still not fully convinced they were for real.  Although the Patriots weren't coming into the game undefeated, when you look back at the season and team as a whole, this Giants run was a little more improbable than the one they put together in 07.  That team looked and played like a playoff team for nearly the whole season.  That team didn't use nearly as much luck in its run.  This team was a Miles Austin catch away from being out of it with three weeks left in the season.  This team needed a successful Hail Mary to regain momentum against Green Bay in the playoffs and a knee being barely grazed by a football to stay in it against San Francisco.  This team had three fumbles in the Super Bowl, one recovered by NE but overturned on a penalty and the other two bouncing directly to the Giants.  This team was a slight bounce away from losing on the final play Hail Mary.  OK, both teams had amazing catches on the final scoring drives and this year's wasn't quite as much luck.

I'm not sure if they were for real, but getting hot and lucky at the right time is good enough for me!

IMO, they were rather flukey.  This was a team that were the losers of 4 consecutive games toward the end of the season and holders of a less that stellar 7-7 record in mid-December. Regardless how the season turned out, teams that are for real do not lose 1/3 of their games.

[Raider 68]

- The NY Giants were for real!

I'm a Giants fan and I'm still not fully convinced they were for real.  Although the Patriots weren't coming into the game undefeated, when you look back at the season and team as a whole, this Giants run was a little more improbable than the one they put together in 07.  That team looked and played like a playoff team for nearly the whole season.  That team didn't use nearly as much luck in its run.  This team was a Miles Austin catch away from being out of it with three weeks left in the season.  This team needed a successful Hail Mary to regain momentum against Green Bay in the playoffs and a knee being barely grazed by a football to stay in it against San Francisco.  This team had three fumbles in the Super Bowl, one recovered by NE but overturned on a penalty and the other two bouncing directly to the Giants.  This team was a slight bounce away from losing on the final play Hail Mary.  OK, both teams had amazing catches on the final scoring drives and this year's wasn't quite as much luck.

I'm not sure if they were for real, but getting hot and lucky at the right time is good enough for me!

IMO, they were rather flukey.  This was a team that were the losers of 4 consecutive games toward the end of the season and holders of a less that stellar 7-7 record in mid-December. Regardless how the season turned out, teams that are for real do not lose 1/3 of their games.

For real for me was that the Giants won in the playoffs, when most thought they would get bounced based upon the regular season and their less than consistant record. I really thought GB was going to win it all again, but unlike their great season they did not have in the end.

[reality check]

That Lombardi Trophy sitting in the Giants offices looks pretty real.  And at the end of the day, that's all that matters.  They won when they needed to and they're Super Bowl Champs.

[badgerwarhawk]

That is reality isn't it.

[ExTartanPlayer]

This was a team that were the losers of 4 consecutive games toward the end of the season and holders of a less that stellar 7-7 record in mid-December. Regardless how the season turned out, teams that are for real do not lose 1/3 of their games.

Nor do teams that are "for real" lose by 17 points at home in their first playoff game (Packers).

I am an Eagles fan.  I do not like the Giants, although I respect them.  But I think it's ridiculous to hear people arguing that they are a fluky Super Bowl champion because their regular-season record wasn't that good.  Since when did that matter?  Once you're in the playoffs, all of the wins count the same.  There's a reason that we have the playoffs - to allow the "best" teams to duke it out and rightfully earn the championship against one another without differences in record due to an unbalanced schedule.  Otherwise, we could just crown the team with the best regular season record the champions. 

Painful as it is to admit it, the Giants won four straight playoff games in fairly impressive fashion.
They won the first by 22 points against a team making its third straight playoff appearance. 
They won the second  by 17 points against the 15-1 defending Super Bowl champions.
In the third, they beat a team with one of the best defenses EVER (statistically speaking).
All of the above occurred on the road, by the way.
In the fourth, they beat a team led by arguably the greatest coach-QB combination ever.

All of that stacks up to be pretty "real" in my book.

Would they have been out of it with one more regular season loss?  Yes, they would have - but that's a moot point because they didn't lose one more game.  Whatever you think of their seven regular-season losses, under the NFL's current playoff system, the Giants were in, and once that is the case their playoff wins count exactly the same as those of the 15-1 Packers.  You can't even chalk it up to the dilution of the playoffs because of the new four-division setup; even with the old NFC East intact, the Giants would have been the division champs and would have been in.

[beenhit2hard]

  Nick Sirianni, former MUC WR has just been promoted to WR coach for the K C Chiefs

[Raider 68]

P Garcon is listed as one ot the top 10 free agents at WR. Also, Cleveland Plain dealer
article that the Browns are also interested in him. A once Browns fan (pre 1999), Pierre can to better than the Browns, IMHO!

[pradierguy]

Mount holding a Pro-Day March 14th. Any word on who will be working out? Any other OAC'ers visiting Alliance to take part?

http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/20120216jn3fqy?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[formerd3db]

Raider68:
Hey, congrats on your 600th +k!  

[Raider 68]

Anyone hear anything on OAC recruits?

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

I attended the Small College Recruiting Fair at Jefferson HS in Tampa today.

Mount Union, Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, Marietta and Baldwin Wallace were there.

[Raider 68]

Congrats to the Lady Raiders BB team for winning the conference, now the second season begins, well done!