FB: Northwest Conference

[MonroviaCat]

Small gripe....not sure how Taylor Summers wasn't the NWC defensive player of the week again or didn't make d3football.com's team of the week in recording 4 sacks vs Menlo.  3 of those were against a returning 1st team All-NWC tackle.  Summers dominated that guy.

Same reason that "half" the players in the conference get all conference honors at the end of the year....I mean would it be "fair" to give him the honor two weeks in a row?

nevermind

[RedandPurple]

I think Linfield College placekicker Scott Birkhofer (Sr., Boring, Ore.) could kick in the NFL.
Any thoughts about this?

[MonroviaCat]

I think Linfield College placekicker Scott Birkhofer (Sr., Boring, Ore.) could kick in the NFL.
Any thoughts about this?

I agree BUT kicker has got to be the hardest NFL position to attain because (a)  most teams only have one kicker  (b) kickers are often able to work longer than most other positions (i.e. less turnover)  and (c) playing in D3 reduces his exposure.  That being said, the guy is a great kicker and certainly could do what most of the NFL kickers do. 

[wildcat11]

Small gripe....not sure how Taylor Summers wasn't the NWC defensive player of the week again or didn't make d3football.com's team of the week in recording 4 sacks vs Menlo.  3 of those were against a returning 1st team All-NWC tackle.  Summers dominated that guy.

Same reason that "half" the players in the conference get all conference honors at the end of the year....I mean would it be "fair" to give him the honor two weeks in a row?

nevermind

EXCELLENT POINT!  I'm going to make my plead right now to the NWC coaches (who probably don't read this board but I'm sure people in NWC athletic staffs do).  PLEASE STOP PUTTING 25 PLAYERS ON THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE OR DEFENSE!

I know coaches want their kids to be recognized but the All-Confernece honors start to become a bit of laughable when you have 6 Defensive linemen, 5 Linebackers, or two place kickers on the first team. 

If you look at the 2006 All-Conference award we had 18 players on 1st team offense on only 5 players on 2nd team offense.  That same year we had a total of 12 Linebackers names to the 1st and 2nd team combined.  


Let's take our 13 best offensive players (11 + Punter and Place Kicker) and our 13 best defensive players (11 + kick and punt returner) and just make the choice on who is deemed best by the coaches.  It will add that much more weight to the honor.

[speedybigboy]

Small gripe....not sure how Taylor Summers wasn't the NWC defensive player of the week again or didn't make d3football.com's team of the week in recording 4 sacks vs Menlo.  3 of those were against a returning 1st team All-NWC tackle.  Summers dominated that guy.

Same reason that "half" the players in the conference get all conference honors at the end of the year....I mean would it be "fair" to give him the honor two weeks in a row?

nevermind

EXCELLENT POINT!  I'm going to make my plead right now to the NWC coaches (who probably don't read this board but I'm sure people in NWC athletic staffs do).  PLEASE STOP PUTTING 25 PLAYERS ON THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE OR DEFENSE!

I know coaches want their kids to be recognized but the All-Confernece honors start to become a bit of laughable when you have 6 Defensive linemen, 5 Linebackers, or two place kickers on the first team. 

If you look at the 2006 All-Conference award we had 18 players on 1st team offense on only 5 players on 2nd team offense.  That same year we had a total of 12 Linebackers names to the 1st and 2nd team combined.   


Let's take our 14 best offensive players (11 + Punter and Place Kicker) and our 14 best defensive players (11 + kick and punt returner) and just make the choice on who is deemed best by the coaches.  It will add that much more weight to the honor.

I agree completely, but wouldn't that be 13 on each side of the ball??   

[wildcat11]

Small gripe....not sure how Taylor Summers wasn't the NWC defensive player of the week again or didn't make d3football.com's team of the week in recording 4 sacks vs Menlo.  3 of those were against a returning 1st team All-NWC tackle.  Summers dominated that guy.

Same reason that "half" the players in the conference get all conference honors at the end of the year....I mean would it be "fair" to give him the honor two weeks in a row?

nevermind

EXCELLENT POINT!  I'm going to make my plead right now to the NWC coaches (who probably don't read this board but I'm sure people in NWC athletic staffs do).  PLEASE STOP PUTTING 25 PLAYERS ON THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE OR DEFENSE!

I know coaches want their kids to be recognized but the All-Confernece honors start to become a bit of laughable when you have 6 Defensive linemen, 5 Linebackers, or two place kickers on the first team. 

If you look at the 2006 All-Conference award we had 18 players on 1st team offense on only 5 players on 2nd team offense.  That same year we had a total of 12 Linebackers names to the 1st and 2nd team combined.   


Let's take our 14 best offensive players (11 + Punter and Place Kicker) and our 14 best defensive players (11 + kick and punt returner) and just make the choice on who is deemed best by the coaches.  It will add that much more weight to the honor.

I agree completely, but wouldn't that be 13 on each side of the ball??   

  yes.....going home now....

[Pat Coleman]

EXCELLENT POINT!  I'm going to make my plead right now to the NWC coaches (who probably don't read this board but I'm sure people in NWC athletic staffs do).  PLEASE STOP PUTTING 25 PLAYERS ON THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE OR DEFENSE!

I know coaches want their kids to be recognized but the All-Confernece honors start to become a bit of laughable when you have 6 Defensive linemen, 5 Linebackers, or two place kickers on the first team. 

Indeed -- and it means for those of us who vote on and select regional and national awards that the All-NWC team is meaningless as a guide.

[RedandPurple]

I think Linfield College placekicker Scott Birkhofer (Sr., Boring, Ore.) could kick in the NFL.
Any thoughts about this?

I agree BUT kicker has got to be the hardest NFL position to attain because (a)  most teams only have one kicker  (b) kickers are often able to work longer than most other positions (i.e. less turnover)  and (c) playing in D3 reduces his exposure.  That being said, the guy is a great kicker and certainly could do what most of the NFL kickers do. 

I agree. Here's a link to an interesting article concerning place kickers:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/41556-the-place-kicker-the-most-important-position-in-the-nfl

[Foss]

Interesting article, R&P.

Regarding Birkhofer, I would think statistically he has possibly the best range of any kicker in Linfield history. In only 12 games played (unless he was the kicker in '06, I forget) he has...what....three kicks over 50 yards and has broken the school record 3 times? By the way, the one he missed against Menlo was due to an extremely high snap that completely threw off everyone's timing. The holder did a great job even getting that ball on the ground in time. Now in fairness, most of the guys before him didn't have the luxury of kicking off the turf.

However, I would think kicking in the pressure-filled NFL is an entirely different animal vs. kicking FGs during regular season games at the college level. I would think in the NFL the mental aspect plays a much larger role than the physical. Not saying he couldn't do it, just saying it's a way different gig.

I am hoping Birkhofer will get a chance to make some pressure filled kicks later this season. As I said last year, if we can make it into the playoffs, where close games are usually expected, he could prove to be a big time advantage.

[Bearcat Press]

Small gripe....not sure how Taylor Summers wasn't the NWC defensive player of the week again or didn't make d3football.com's team of the week in recording 4 sacks vs Menlo.  3 of those were against a returning 1st team All-NWC tackle.  Summers dominated that guy.

At the risk of drawing ire, as the lone Willamette poster on here it's my obligation to stick up for Tommy Grove.  He had nine tackles last week, but more importantly his interception with the score tied in the fourth quarter basically won the game.  Overall, he's got more tackles than anyone else in the conference, and he leads in tackles per game.  I agree that Taylor Summers had a monster game, but I think the idea here was to select the defensive player of the game from the conference game of the week.

I should also stick up for Shawn Kelly of L&C (9 tackles, a pick, and a forced fumble against PLU) since he went to my high school.

[coco]

Hey Coco,
  Are going to be healed up enough to play in the annual  BWC Golf Tournament this Fri ?  I expect you will be there and medicated to some level so you won't feel any pain. 
We will be down early and staying at The Casa WC 11 , nothing but the best and great rates.
                                              NOTICE[/glow
  GHC will be selling the remainder of the Catdome shirts this Sat.  Remember all of the money goes to Charity.  Hey I don't give a crap if they fit or not buy one.

Phone it in  GHC

GHC,
Yeah, I'll be there Friday. I'm finally getting paroled, but I won't be able to play. Hell, I can hardly walk, so I'm going to hang out at the clubhouse or annoy the beer cart girls. I'm still on great meds.

I can't wait to see the 'Cats in person for the first time this season. Time for a rat killing!

WC11 said he'd save a shirt for me, so one of us will pick it up before the game. The rest of the tribe have theirs.

This is a good thing 11 is doing.

[Bearcat Press]

My recap of last week's edition of Cats vs. Rats just went online:

http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2008/10/08/fairytale-season-continues-for-undefeated-bearcats-21-in-poll/

The quotable Mark Speckman: "Tackling Adam Anderson is like tackling a refrigerator."

[AllmyfriendsRpirates]

I remember 2005 at the rat house when they get REALLY inventive and called the butcher gay.

Wow is right!  You are complaining about that.  Have you never been to a game at Linfield? (rhetorical) You know, the field where they put the biker gang folks on the visitor sideline to drop f-bombs and p-words (syn. for Cat by the way) - just to name a couple - all day long?  Kinda makes the conference's sportsmanship PA announcement into a joke.

Agreed! Those groupies say a lot of mean things.

[RFB]

My recap of last week's edition of Cats vs. Rats just went online:

http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2008/10/08/fairytale-season-continues-for-undefeated-bearcats-21-in-poll/

The quotable Mark Speckman: "Tackling Adam Anderson is like tackling a refrigerator."

Then he must have been a college, dorm size mini-fridge against Redlands.

[D O.C.]

but I won't be able to play. Hell, I can hardly walk,

coco, what'd you do, catch some island bug when you stayed there too long?

Play eh you not gonna walk aniwey.