FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

Mount Union got new helmets.  Nice.

http://bottlegate.com/2015/02/06/mount-unions-new-helmets-are-the-sexiest-thing-this-side-of-the-mississippi/

Having all those ridges and oval holes in a flatter style Helmet will not allow injuries.  Using Physics the old rounder shaped helmets with only a little hole is a safer shape for a helmet.  Also current helmets are shorter the 70's 80's models were long enough to push down on the shoulder pads on big hits for some people.  Mine did.  I'm sure the padding is much better but I believe the shape of the helmets is more towards cool looking vs safety.  Which can be said for the rest of the uniform padding which is now much thinner so you dont see the pads in the uniform anymore.  This has also extended to players at skill positions wearing ridiculously small pants that either just touch the top of the knee or higher.  Heck our qb at Wheaton is one of them.   Some school is going to get sued when a player gets a knee injury being allowed to go on the field with misfitting pants.  Add to that they are also wearing the very thin knee pad that doesn't fill half of the pocket it goes in.  We all know that the skill positions have always worn smaller shoulder pads etc but now its as if they are out there unprotected. 

That's my two cents on today's uniform.

If you truly think the newer helmets are designed with "coolness" in mind before "safety", then we can end the discussion here.  These helmets are designed first and foremost to prevent head injuries.  The guts of a modern helmet are light years better than what was used in the 90's and early 00's let alone the 70's and 80's.

Your wrong the physics and math say so.
These helmets have bigger levers when you consider the coefficient of friction on a flatter helmet vs a round helmet.  Even if the round helmet has the same radius the coefficient of friction cancels it out so you get a working lever of a much smaller radius.
The round helmet has a smaller lever vs the bigger lever of the flatter helmet.
You may not be able to understand the math and physics but I am very extremely confident I am correct!!!!!!!!!
Yes I do have 2 degrees in electronics both 4.0/4,0 with extensive math and physics classes.

LOL.  I love being corrected like this.

If I use one exclamation point more, does that make me right?

!!!!!!!!!!

They're eye win.   

[reality check]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/football-helmet-safety-testing-exclusive-flex-helmet-design/story?id=26400061

Check out some video on these new style "cool but less safe" helmets.  By the way, the purple version of the Raiders helmet designs, is that Riddell helmet in the video.  But the VaTech folks probably don't have even one degree in electronics so what do they know?!?

[formerd3db]

rc:

I know the head team physician at VaTech and they have actually been in the forefront of research, development and testing of helmets and study of the concussion effects, working with the helmet companies.  Some of the testing techniques are quite awesome and the innovation electronics aspects of these is some of the newest.  Very interesting.

[Knight Raider]

Is Cecil Shorts' next stop Cleveland?
http://espn.go.com/blog/jacksonville-jaguars/post/_/id/11214/jaguars-free-agents-cecil-shorts?ex_cid=espnapi_public
http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20150116/Sports/150119432

[reality check]

rc:

I know the head team physician at VaTech and they have actually been in the forefront of research, development and testing of helmets and study of the concussion effects, working with the helmet companies.  Some of the testing techniques are quite awesome and the innovation electronics aspects of these is some of the newest.  Very interesting.

But are they cool looking?

[joelmama]

Mount Union got new helmets.  Nice.

http://bottlegate.com/2015/02/06/mount-unions-new-helmets-are-the-sexiest-thing-this-side-of-the-mississippi/

Having all those ridges and oval holes in a flatter style Helmet will not allow injuries.  Using Physics the old rounder shaped helmets with only a little hole is a safer shape for a helmet.  Also current helmets are shorter the 70's 80's models were long enough to push down on the shoulder pads on big hits for some people.  Mine did.  I'm sure the padding is much better but I believe the shape of the helmets is more towards cool looking vs safety.  Which can be said for the rest of the uniform padding which is now much thinner so you dont see the pads in the uniform anymore.  This has also extended to players at skill positions wearing ridiculously small pants that either just touch the top of the knee or higher.  Heck our qb at Wheaton is one of them.   Some school is going to get sued when a player gets a knee injury being allowed to go on the field with misfitting pants.  Add to that they are also wearing the very thin knee pad that doesn't fill half of the pocket it goes in.  We all know that the skill positions have always worn smaller shoulder pads etc but now its as if they are out there unprotected. 

That's my two cents on today's uniform.

If you truly think the newer helmets are designed with "coolness" in mind before "safety", then we can end the discussion here.  These helmets are designed first and foremost to prevent head injuries.  The guts of a modern helmet are light years better than what was used in the 90's and early 00's let alone the 70's and 80's.

Your wrong the physics and math say so.
These helmets have bigger levers when you consider the coefficient of friction on a flatter helmet vs a round helmet.  Even if the round helmet has the same radius the coefficient of friction cancels it out so you get a working lever of a much smaller radius.
The round helmet has a smaller lever vs the bigger lever of the flatter helmet.
You may not be able to understand the math and physics but I am very extremely confident I am correct!!!!!!!!!
Yes I do have 2 degrees in electronics both 4.0/4,0 with extensive math and physics classes.

So the billions in lawsuits that the helmet makers have defended make them likely to still choose style over safety?  You truly know nothing about business.  Players do not buy helmets at this level or even at high school or middle school.  These schools buying these items are also potentially liable for a lawsuit if there is any chance that style is chosen ahead of safety.  These company have spent a lot of money developing safer helmets over time.  Their largest outlay in product cost is liability insurance.  So yeah I am sure they think style is more important than safety.  Unless you have the specs and drawings and compare and test them with a some other version you also cannot make the statement that you made. 

[badgerwarhawk]

But he understands the math and physics and has two degrees in electronics with extensive math and physics classes. Not to mention that he has !!!!!!!!!   


Considering I only passed high school physics because I was smart enough to pick a lab partner who went to Annapolis I probably should have stayed out of this.  But sometimes I just can't help myself.

[Knight Raider]

Besides Helmets, Mount Union is getting new uniforms!

https://www.facebook.com/purpleraiders/photos/pcb.10153005712525306/10153005711325306/?type=1&theater

[Purple Badger]

Besides Helmets, Mount Union is getting new uniforms!

https://www.facebook.com/purpleraiders/photos/pcb.10153005712525306/10153005711325306/?type=1&theater

Not that crazy about the gray pants. Would of have liked more white with gray accents like the jersey.

[Knight Raider]

Besides Helmets, Mount Union is getting new uniforms!

https://www.facebook.com/purpleraiders/photos/pcb.10153005712525306/10153005711325306/?type=1&theater

Not that crazy about the gray pants. Would of have liked more white with gray accents like the jersey.

I would have liked black instead of the gray.

[reality check]

Never a fan of men's unis with a name scrolled across the waist/tramp stamp.   And I agree that the gray doesn't make much sense to me.   But maybe they're as tired as the rest of the country of all-purple Stagg Bowls too.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

I attended the Small College Recruiting Fair today at Jefferson HS in Tampa, FL trying to find schools for a few of our Seniors.

OAC Schools in Attendance:
Mount Union - Coach V. Kehres, Coach Ely and Coach Denton
Heidelberg - Coach Hallet and a couple of Assistant Coaches
ONU - 2-3 Assistant Coaches
BWU - A couple of Assistant Coaches
Wilmington - Coach Fries
Capital - Coach Kelleher

Other Ohio/Michigan/Pennsylvania Schools in Attendance:
Wittenberg
Ohio Wesleyan
Defiance
Adrian
Alma
Hiram
Albright
Allegheny
Geneva
Lebanon Valley
St. Vincent

[bceagle80]

Besides Helmets, Mount Union is getting new uniforms!

https://www.facebook.com/purpleraiders/photos/pcb.10153005712525306/10153005711325306/?type=1&theater

Not that crazy about the gray pants. Would of have liked more white with gray accents like the jersey.

I would have liked black instead of the gray.

The uniforms are not horrible but black offers a more stark, noticeable contrast. I like the current uniforms they have had. If Nike is offering them money to change them, it makes sense for them to consider it.

[bceagle80]

It was interesting to see the Mount Union 2015 Spring roster posted so soon.  We have lost 4 juniors from last year and only 64 freshman remain from the original 101 players.  Also a couple of last year seniors by mistake.  Is that the usual attrition rate for Mount union? Does any of the other OAC schools have a similar or a different story?

Can't speak to Mount Union specifically, but that's typical of most D3 schools from what I've seen and heard in my (limited) experiences.

Ballpark estimates of what happens at most schools (acknowledging that certain "circumstances" can result in particularly high/low retention at certain schools) would be about 75% retention of freshman -> sophomores, probably about 75% of the sophomores -> juniors, and then usually a bit better (90% or more, I'd guess) of juniors -> seniors.  The biggest "losses" happen in the first couple of years; after freshman year you lose the guys who either can't hack it academically or decide they'd rather be regular college guys than football players, after sophomore year you lose another handful of guys who realize they're never going to play and don't feel like spending two more years giving up two hours every day for practice.  Most guys that hang in 'til they're juniors will probably stick it out the rest of the way.

That's my quick-and-dirty summary of what seems to be the typical retention rate at most D3 schools.  YMMV depending on the coach, program, success, specifics of the kids, dynamics of their friendships, etc.

I know for a fact that some of the football players are transferring to play football at other schools. It depends a lot on the temperment of the young man. it is important for some not only to play but to start and "star". If they can not do this at Mount Union, then they will do it some where else. In addition, some have transferred to go to schools where their friends (and girlfriends) from high school are going. They, most likely, are not playing football.

When playing on the offensive line, the attitude of the young men must be a long term perspective. Normally, it takes longer to learn offensive schemes and to become really successful in its blocking. I am sure half of the freshman from this past season were learning the system at Mount for the first time. It puts you behind the other lineman who have worked the system in high school. It makes it harder to be an impact player in the first year. I believe you will see next years sophomores on the offensive line playing in the games just as it happened this year.

[SaintsFAN]

Regis Scafe is the new Thomas More Coach:

http://www.tmcsaints.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150217txiqgi