FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[P'bearfan]

Look for one or more NESCAC schools to drop football in the foreseeable future ....

Jumpshot - have to ask: what made you write this?  Do you have an "inside perspective" or are you just "stirring the pot"?

[polbear73]

Well, his record at Bowdoin was better than JB Wells'.  Maybe the problems in Brunswick weren't due to the coaching

There are a lot of football alumni who believe that the problems aren't entirely due to the coaching.

[Nescacman]

I am sure that Dave Caputi is a fine gentlemen, but what about his record would suggest that any NESCAC program would want to hire him to turn a program around?   He has knowledge of the NESCAC but Bowdoin is an excellent school and he should have had every opportunity to be successful there ... and he wasn't.   There is absolutely no reason why any NESCAC school should think that he would be an attractive candidate for a vacant HFC position.

Amen to that JEFFFAN...and I will remind everyone on this Board that the Coach Caputi stuck with the QB Caputi despite the latter being perhaps the worst starting QB in NESCAC history. The Coach Caputi should never have been the HC at Bowdoin. He is a coordinator pure and simple. Nothing more or less. Let him stay at Middlebury where he is doing all he is capable of doing.

[Nescacman]

Ephs lost a good player yesterday for good, he's out. #38

Fall 2015 recruiting game is also rife with rumors of no one knowing what's going on. Several players who were recruited heavily early on had coaches fall silent. Not sure whether this is is the usual sifting out or a sense of a coaching staff that is in flux.

Our sources tell us that the HCOF has already been told that his services are no longer needed in Willytown. Saturday against Amherst will be Kelton"s last game, perhaps ever, as HCOF of anything. We hear he may be headed back to his alma matter, Springfield, in some capacity.

As far as replacements, one name being kicked around by those in the know is Kevin Morris, Eph's Class of '86, and current OC at Monmouth College. Not only did Morris play QB in the 'CAC, he has been a HC (WPI and UMass), a coordinator in the Ivy League, and has a ton of other good experience. In that talent on-hand is very limited and Williams will probably take too long to hire a replacement thus jeopordizing this year's recruiting, whomever they hire is going to have their hands full returning Williams to football glory and everyone will need to be very patient.

[PolarCat]

I will remind everyone on this Board that the Coach Caputi stuck with the QB Caputi despite the latter being perhaps the worst starting QB in NESCAC history. The Coach Caputi should never have been the HC at Bowdoin. He is a coordinator pure and simple. Nothing more or less. Let him stay at Middlebury where he is doing all he is capable of doing.

Calling you out on this one, which is a cheap shot even by your own standards.

The 2013 Bowdoin roster had 6 QB's, only one of which was named Caputi.  By 2014, the only QB's available were Mac Caputi and Drakely.  Drakely struggled in the 3 games he started this year before being replaced by the FY Nelson.  So in my mind, it's entirely possible Mac Caputi was the best QB the Polar Bears had on the roster last year.  And Mac did win more games - and kept the score closer in the losses - than Drakely and Nelson combined this year.

What Dave Caputi is capable of doing is helping to build fine young men, and playing the game with class, regardless of the help he got from Admissions and the Administration.  And what 2nd Lt. Mac Caputi USMC is doing today is learning how to lead Marine riflemen into combat to protect your right to be a keyboard warrior. 

What are you capable of doing today that compares?

[NewtoNescac]

Ephs lost a good player yesterday for good, he's out. #38

Fall 2015 recruiting game is also rife with rumors of no one knowing what's going on. Several players who were recruited heavily early on had coaches fall silent. Not sure whether this is is the usual sifting out or a sense of a coaching staff that is in flux.

Our sources tell us that the HCOF has already been told that his services are no longer needed in Willytown. Saturday against Amherst will be Kelton"s last game, perhaps ever, as HCOF of anything. We hear he may be headed back to his alma matter, Springfield, in some capacity.

As far as replacements, one name being kicked around by those in the know is Kevin Morris, Eph's Class of '86, and current OC at Monmouth College. Not only did Morris play QB in the 'CAC, he has been a HC (WPI and UMass), a coordinator in the Ivy League, and has a ton of other good experience. In that talent on-hand is very limited and Williams will probably take too long to hire a replacement thus jeopordizing this year's recruiting, whomever they hire is going to have their hands full returning Williams to football glory and everyone will need to be very patient.

Kevin Morris would be a smart choice. He has a very extensive coaching resume as a HC and assistant. He knows the NESCAC, and he's a Williams alum. I think he would be well received by the Williams faithful.

[maineman]

Back to the 9th game discussion.  Maybe a good strategy would be to request 10 games, then the Presidents might split the difference with us and accept the 9 game schedule?  A lot of players reject the idea of playing less games in a season than they did in high school.  10 games would be great.  Imagine old non conference rivalries could be renewed like Midd-Norwich.

[lumbercat]

NESCACMAN
That's a classless low blow against Caputi and son.
The Bears struggled as a team- I remember QB Caputi as a very tough kid who competed well in the state series games I saw against Bates and Colby.

In 2013 he played well in loss at Bates. He managed a gutsy drive late in the game only to see a great forced fumble on Bowdoin all conference RB Donnarumma seal it for Bates late in a close game.

Beleive he also happened to be on the field for one of the most spectacular comebacks in college history against Colby when he managed the miraculous late game comeback and threw the winning pass.

Sad to see you rip a D3 kid like who played hard every time he stepped on the field and was a lot better than you are giving him credit for.

[amh63]

Maineman....do not confuse the CAC pres!  The 9th game should fit into the academic schedule...by replacing the present time period for the " scrimmage"....thereby not needing to start practices earlier, etc., etc. Any hint of more time and money will provide an excuse N OT needed .

[gridiron]

On the topic of Colby's Coach Michaeles, it should be acknowledged he cares a great deal for each and every player in his program and works hard to ensure they mature into responsible and capable adults. He is articulate and carries himself with dignity and class.  Others can judge the football side of things but should not forget he has many positive qualities as an individual.  He helped the Colby football program navigate past the challenging circumstances around the previous coach's departure.

Let's also not forget had 2013 All NESCAC sophomore QB Ciero not transferred, Colby's record these past two seasons would most certainly have been better. While unforeseen circumstances affect all programs at times, Colby was not deep enough at the QB position to weather the storm and continues to pay the price this season, which would have been Ciero's senior year.

Without question, the program needs to get back on track.  The new president is committed to many new initiatives for the college and being more competitive on the athletic fields is included.  In his short tenure he has already hired a new admissions director and a new AD from Harvard, who is equally committed to improvements.  Beautiful new baseball and softball facilities are almost finished, and a plan for a new athletic center is in the works as well.

The football players, coaches, alum and parents are passionate and proud, and if there were rankings for participation in tailgates (home AND away), Colby would be at or near the very top of the league. 

And as noted by an earlier poster, Colby still has the best looking uniforms in the league

[NewtoNescac]

On the topic of Colby's Coach Michaeles, it should be acknowledged he cares a great deal for each and every player in his program and works hard to ensure they mature into responsible and capable adults. He is articulate and carries himself with dignity and class.  Others can judge the football side of things but should not forget he has many positive qualities as an individual.  He helped the Colby football program navigate past the challenging circumstances around the previous coach's departure.

Let's also not forget had 2013 All NESCAC sophomore QB Ciero not transferred, Colby's record these past two seasons would most certainly have been better. While unforeseen circumstances affect all programs at times, Colby was not deep enough at the QB position to weather the storm and continues to pay the price this season, which would have been Ciero's senior year.

Everything you have said about Coach Michaeles is true as far as I'm concerned. A really decent guy that cares about his players.

And yes, Justin Ciero leaving hurt. He was a terrific QB. But, Colby should have won more games without him (just my opinion), and the blame must be shared by the players and coaches to varying degrees.

In my opinion, change is needed, but that doesn't mean Michaeles needs to go. And, it doesn't mean personnel needs to be changed.

If I were Coach Michaeles this would be my plan:

1)   I would make sure marketing of the program, ie. social media, weekly pre and post game HC interviews posted online etc. This would help in the long term.
2)   A meeting of all returning players and coaches would be held shortly after season's end. I would tell the coaches that every coach   needs to step it up, including the HC. If not, changes may be necessary. I would tell the players that ALL positions will have open competition. Hard work, and results, will be rewarded. Ties will go to players with seniority, but no player will be handed anything. Competition will bring out the best in the players.
3)   An offense must be installed that is best suited for the personnel, and that scores. The offense must be flexible enough to make productive changes if necessary. It is far too predictable this season. You can't keep doing the same thing over and over, and expect different results. Colby will never win barely scoring 80 points in 7 games. No team can win with that little production. If necessary, I'd hand the OC job over to someone else.
4)   As for defense, I'd let the very talented DC keep coaching his defense just the way he has done all along. Given offensive support, they can hang with anyone.

Again, Coach Michaeles is a good guy, so I hope everything works out for him and Colby. But, they must start winning.

Good luck Saturday, and beat Bowdoin!

[Nescacman]

I will remind everyone on this Board that the Coach Caputi stuck with the QB Caputi despite the latter being perhaps the worst starting QB in NESCAC history. The Coach Caputi should never have been the HC at Bowdoin. He is a coordinator pure and simple. Nothing more or less. Let him stay at Middlebury where he is doing all he is capable of doing.

Calling you out on this one, which is a cheap shot even by your own standards.

The 2013 Bowdoin roster had 6 QB's, only one of which was named Caputi.  By 2014, the only QB's available were Mac Caputi and Drakely.  Drakely struggled in the 3 games he started this year before being replaced by the FY Nelson.  So in my mind, it's entirely possible Mac Caputi was the best QB the Polar Bears had on the roster last year.  And Mac did win more games - and kept the score closer in the losses - than Drakely and Nelson combined this year.

What Dave Caputi is capable of doing is helping to build fine young men, and playing the game with class, regardless of the help he got from Admissions and the Administration.  And what 2nd Lt. Mac Caputi USMC is doing today is learning how to lead Marine riflemen into combat to protect your right to be a keyboard warrior. 

What are you capable of doing today that compares?

Polarcat and Lumbercat, we only deal in facts. So here are the facts...

Let's talk about QB Caputi first. To be clear, we are sure he is a great kid and we thank him for his service to America. Our father served, our father-in-law was a Marine, we have lots of other friends and family that served, and have worked very closely with the American Legion for 35 years. We have the upmost respect for those that serve to preserve our way of life. Shame on you, however, for criticizing us when all we were talking about was the QB's playing abilities. We were in no way commenting on his character, intelligence, integrity or anything else having to do with him personally. We were only commenting on his ability (or lack thereof) as a NESCAC QB. For the record, he played 4 years at QB for the Polar Bears. During that time, his teams had a combined record of 10-22. He threw for 7 TD's and while being intercepted 23 times during his career. He barely completed 50% of his passes (we hope his aim is better as a Marine than it was as a QB! kidding!!!). Your comment that he kept the games closer than the QB's this year is also not really true (for example, last year QB Caputi lost to the three Little 3 schools by a combined score of 101-7). This year's Bowdoin offense is averaging 12.6 point per game while last year's team averaged 11.8 points per game. The team is passing for 233 yards per game this year versus 149 yards per game in 2014. To be honest and consistent, as we have said over the last couple of years, we do not believe it is QB Caputi's fault for being put in that position.

Whose fault is it? It is Coach Caputi's fault for one of the worst examples of "Daddy Ball" we have ever seen. It's bad enough to play Daddy Ball in Pop Warner, but in D3 college football? Come on. And if you had any question about Coach Caputi's coaching abilities, let's look at his record. In 15 seasons as HC at Bowdoin, he was 35-85 for a winning percentage of .292. That is the worst HC record of any Bowdoin coach in their history with 2 or more seasons coached.

We do have to admit, we are a bit confused. You seem to say that football at Bowdoin is not successful because of lack of support from admissions and the administration. Other Bowdoin teams (look at this Fall for example) seem to have lots of success. Are they doing that despite not receiving support from admissions and the administration? Are they receiving support and football isn't receiving any support? If not, why? Our guess is that coaching (X's and O's as well as recruiting) has a lot more to do with that .292 winning percentage over the last 15 years than lack of support.

Lastly, we think people need to lighted up a bit. These are college athletes and college coaches. Not high school or pee wee players and coaches. We should be able to criticize, as well as praise, those that deserve it. If they can't take the heat, get out of the NESCAC.

[NewtoNescac]

While I think Nescacman's comments as articulated were harsh, I tend to agree with his general assessment. Facts are facts. Other than flashes, Mac Caputi was not a very good QB. Probably a great kid. Dave Caputi was a very nice man based on my experiences with him. But the fact is that he did not win, or even compete, while HC. That's just a fact. And while involved in the recruiting process, he was the most disorganized HC I encountered, and actually came across as lazy. But, I still grew to like the guy.

Regarding HC's, we can all talk about who is good, who is bad, who should stay and who should be let go. We tend go let our hearts get in the way at times, whether because we like or dislike a coach. But the facts do not change. Caputi just was not a winning coach and could arguably be accused if "daddy ball". Kelton has not won with "his" teams. Wells has only had one season so he has time, but he needs to start improving, and that includes some wins. And, Michaeles is 3-12 the past two seasons, with a very predictable offense that barely scores one TD a game.

As much as we may like these coaches, facts don't lie. So, the AD's can retain nice guy coaches, but don't complain when the team doesn't win.

[hamfan88]

Re: Michaeles' situation moving forward, although Colby will end up with a poor season this year, I am interested in seeing what next year's crop of recruits looks like.

No doubt he faces an uphill battle recruiting against the rest of the league that finished higher up in the standings, but it is not often (I think) that you see a change in president/AD/and admissions director in one year (saw it last with Wesleyan maybe?). If you get the right combo I think it can make a huge difference in the quality of player you can land.

I have met Michaeles on a number of occasions, I think he is a great guy. Hopefully he can turn things around.

[JEFFFAN]

While I think Nescacman's comments as articulated were harsh, I tend to agree with his general assessment. Facts are facts. Other than flashes, Mac Caputi was not a very good QB. Probably a great kid. Dave Caputi was a very nice man based on my experiences with him. But the fact is that he did not win, or even compete, while HC. That's just a fact. And while involved in the recruiting process, he was the most disorganized HC I encountered, and actually came across as lazy. But, I still grew to like the guy.

Regarding HC's, we can all talk about who is good, who is bad, who should stay and who should be let go. We tend go let our hearts get in the way at times, whether because we like or dislike a coach. But the facts do not change. Caputi just was not a winning coach and could arguably be accused if "daddy ball". Kelton has not won with "his" teams. Wells has only had one season so he has time, but he needs to start improving, and that includes some wins. And, Michaeles is 3-12 the past two seasons, with a very predictable offense that barely scores one TD a game.

As much as we may like these coaches, facts don't lie. So, the AD's can retain nice guy coaches, but don't complain when the team doesn't win.

One aspect of NESCAC football that this blog probably doesn't talk about enough is how good the college presidents and athletic directors really want to be in football.   Football alumni, interested alumni, and current parents care deeply, but at what are relatively small colleges the commitment to football is proportionately insanely high.   At Amherst, for instance, one out of every 20 students is on the football team.    So when an AD and a president or Board are discussing where to allocate athletic spots throughout the student body, how many really want to make a similar commitment after 15-20-25 years in the bottom half of the NESCAC?   Do they really want to make the commitment to try to get to that upper tier of NESCAC football given that it might take away from other sports?  For the teams already in the top half it is a perpetuation exercise ... success begets success so the better players are easier to get.

Just saying that it is a hard choice for a president or an AD to make a full commitment to such a numbers heavy sport ...