FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[RetiredMule]

When a placekicker gets invited to the Heisman award ceremony you will win your case.

When a placekicker or punter wins Rookie of the Year or League MVP......then you will have won your case.

When a kicker is invited to an NFL combine....u will have won your case

When a kicker is on the front page of the dang Football program.....you will get a slap on the back.

When a kicker is hosting MNFL.....as a color analyst.....then U are getting closer.

When a kicker is the leading vote getter for the Pro Bowl....u will be even closer.

BUT AS U CAN SEE.....ALL JOKES ASIDE......YOU CANNOT AND DO NOT HAVE A VALID RESPONSE. 

They are specialists baby.

Well number 1 negates a fair number or positions and "real football players"

Kickers get invited to the combine every year

Kickers have been on the front page of programs.

"U" on the other and respond like a child throwing a tantrum. Are you sure you're a father? Or did you merely pick the name to seemingly lend credibility to your claims? There was a point we all liked to scream baseless claims with poor grammar; we were pre-teens. If you are truly a father, I feel bad for your supposed son and the lessons in rethorical argument you should have taught him.

[Grabowski]

Who cares?!?!?  Can we cease and desist about kickers please?!?!?

How about this weekend's predictions.... my buddy has a list.... how about this:

o   Hamilton 21 @ Colby 14
o   Trinity 31 @ Bowdoin 14
o   Bates 14 @ Middlebury 35
o   Amherst 24 @ Wesleyan 13 
o   Williams 13 @ Tufts 27       




ATS, I'll take Colby and 7 points, Trin giving 17, Mid giving 21 (tough one, well placed line), Wes +11, and Tufts -14.  I'd feel better about Colby with 10.5, that is also a good line.  Not that any are bad.

[Jonny Utah]

When a placekicker gets invited to the Heisman award ceremony you will win your case.

When a placekicker or punter wins Rookie of the Year or League MVP......then you will have won your case.

When a kicker is invited to an NFL combine....u will have won your case

When a kicker is on the front page of the dang Football program.....you will get a slap on the back.

When a kicker is hosting MNFL.....as a color analyst.....then U are getting closer.

When a kicker is the leading vote getter for the Pro Bowl....u will be even closer.

BUT AS U CAN SEE.....ALL JOKES ASIDE......YOU CANNOT AND DO NOT HAVE A VALID RESPONSE. 

They are specialists baby.

Well number 1 negates a fair number or positions and "real football players"

Kickers get invited to the combine every year

Kickers have been on the front page of programs.

"U" on the other and respond like a child throwing a tantrum. Are you sure you're a father? Or did you merely pick the name to seemingly lend credibility to your claims? There was a point we all liked to scream baseless claims with poor grammar; we were pre-teens. If you are truly a father, I feel bad for your supposed son and the lessons in rethorical argument you should have taught him.

Funny how the most successful (highest paid anyway) NESCAC player in NFL history is a kicker. 

I think logically westcoastDad's argument fails at many levels.  If a pitchers "job" is to get people out, a kickers "job" is to score points, or simply "kick".  Not much different than "throwing", "tackling" or any other skill involved in the sport.  Quarterbacks can't tackle, and Linebackers can't throw, and Wide Receivers can't kick.

I think westcoastdad is stuck on the physical size of the position, and how most of them aren't "tough" enough to play other positions, just like most Nescac players aren't "tough" enough to play D1, or even playoff d3 for that matter (if you use his faulty line of logic).

[polbear73]

Maybe it's just me, but as an offensive guard, it always seemed much easier and preferable to block a defensive tackle 60 pounds heavier than the thought of converting an extra point or field goal for a win.  Football is about physical AND mental toughness and some positions demand more of the latter than the former.  That doesn't make him any less than a football player in my mind. 

[Jonny Utah]

Maybe it's just me, but as an offensive guard, it always seemed much easier and preferable to block a defensive tackle 60 pounds heavier than the thought of converting an extra point or field goal for a win.  Football is about physical AND mental toughness and some positions demand more of the latter than the former.  That doesn't make him any less than a football player in my mind.

You played guard?  Ha.  Guards aren't football players.  When is the last time a guard won the Superbowl MVP?

[polbear73]

Maybe it's just me, but as an offensive guard, it always seemed much easier and preferable to block a defensive tackle 60 pounds heavier than the thought of converting an extra point or field goal for a win.  Football is about physical AND mental toughness and some positions demand more of the latter than the former.  That doesn't make him any less than a football player in my mind.

You played guard?  Ha.  Guards aren't football players.  When is the last time a guard won the Superbowl MVP?

I played with a few running backs who thought the same thing. 

[RetiredMule]

Yeah but when was the last time an offensive guard was on the cover of a program?

[Grabowski]

Wow is this horse ever dead, but I can't help myself.  Please don't reprimand me Amh63, I'm not the only one keeping this going!

Another reason we are even having this discussion is that the K role is so divorced from the normal ebb and flow of the game.  To extend the baseball analogies, let's say there was a rule that in baseball, when there are two outs and a runner on third, the offensive manager could stop the game and call for a quick round of Bocce between the mound and the plate to determine whether or not they get credit for half a run.  Would the bocce guy that comes in for this be a baseball player?  Ortiz participates in the normal flow of the game, as do lefty specialists and AL pitchers.  Let's leave Manute Bol out of this until we really need him.

OK, I give, you guys win, kickers are football players.  That occasionally face incredible pressure.

RMule: great clip of PSU 99!

[Eagle322]

WCD were you bullied by a kicker when you were a little kid?

[PolarCat]

When a poster who purports to be a parent disparages coaches, teammates, or even an entire position, I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the kid calls home.  I remember two years ago when a father from one of the CT schools BRUTALLY critiqued one of his son's teammates on here.  Within days, he was on here reversing his position faster than the French Army.  I was dying to know if his son had gotten to him, or if it was the other kid's parent who straightened him out.

WRT to predictions: I think Wes will give Amherst a tougher battle than NFO thinks.  The game may well hinge on another blocked FG or PAT: We know Amherst is vulnerable, and Wes blocked one of John Baron's when they played Colby, and came damn close to blocking Bates.  (The Bates kid saw the blur of movement out of the corner of his eye and sped up his motion to make the kick).  So maybe the "bocce game" will determine the victor on Saturday.  My crystal ball says Amherst 23, Wes 21, or maybe Wes 21, Amherst 20.  Other than that, I think his picks are spot on.

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

WRT to the Amherst at Wes game... A couple of weeks ago I'd have said "Wes by 10" given Wes is at home and Amherst seems not as strong as the last 2 years.

But when I read that Wes beat Bates 28 - 7 AND saw that the 3 TD drives were 36 yards, 2 yards, and 1 yard........

Well...... That tells me that Wes couldn't run against Bates. 

If they can't run - or at least sustain and finish greater drives than those 3  (albeit the 4th was 75 yards or so) - against Bates.... well, as you all have seen... they won't be running against Amherst.

And I do believe whoever controls the LOS will win that game.

And given Amherst leads the nation in run defense....... Well... I don't see Wes throwing its way to victory with the Amherst DL and LB's teeing off.......

Thus my prediction.

Just an IMO.... But I wanted to give you guys why I scored it that way.    Just a feeling........

[PolarCat]

Appreciate the insights.  As Wes found, the Bates D can be pretty darn good good; it's the offense that is struggling to find its way.  Yes, the Bants beat up on the 'Cats in the opener, but the Bates D lost a key player in the secondary the day before the game, and they were struggling to develop chemistry.  I think they surprised the Jumbos the following week, in a game that was closer than many had expected.

Either way, I think it's going to be a pretty exciting game.

And it may come down to the kickers. 

[amh63]

Today's WSJ had a noteworthy story....D3 schools investigated for recruiting violations.  It wasn't about football...basketball.  Wait it was not men's basketball, but women basketball.  Guess the pressure to have winning teams is everywhere.  The subject school is one in CUNY...in NYC and yes it is providing money.
Now back to Nescac football and picks....nice try NFO.  Plus K  to all the posters on  this weekend games.  Me, I am focused on this week's big game...Amh vs Wes at the historic grass field in Middletown.  Yes, I am bias wrt to my choice of the "big" game.  Hope it is not wet weather.  Amherst did win in wet conditions in OT in Middletown in 2014.  I think the game will be close and hope it will not come down to a last second play that a kicker has a role. .   It is a "little three" game for Amherst...important one for the players, alums and for tradition!
PolarCat...covering your bets? 

[warriorcat]

I did not have access to the WSJ article but I did find this story about the case of impermissible aid in an online journal from July.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/07/01/baruch-college-gave-players-more-250000-impermissible-aid

[westcoastDad]

Lol,  why can't a person have a different take without the personal attacks?  Do you really think someone is having a tantrum because they've listed facts to support their thoughts?  Or, is that just your way of saying your pissed because you can't argue your point better.

Of course PK and PUnters are invited to combines.  So are assistant coaches.  So are field doctors.  So are equipment managers.  But, who do you see "up close" by the TV analysts?  The players they feature are everybody but the PKs and Punters.  Am I wrong?  Just answer Yes or No please.

As for Kickers on the front of programs.  That was really a joke.  Because I've seen clowns on the covers of Football programs.  Has nothing to do with the game.

I think if you read closer instead of leading with your emotion..........I have and did say awhile ago that kickers were "football players" just not in the true sense of the word.  They are specialists.   I seem to remember that I used Wes Welker as an example.  In high school, he played on the field but he also kicked a 40+ yard FG in their Texas championship game. 

I try to back up my "takes" with examples so that you get a better understanding.  but, obviously, you choose to ignore how I see things because your prism is the "only way". 

I'm not type of person.  I see America through a different lense.  Just like I see what I consider to be a bonafide "football player". 

Let's put it this way Mule.  We can get rid of extra points.  We can get rid of field goals.  There is a coach that never punts.  We can even get rid of kickoffs (the NFL has actually considered it).  And the game would go on.  But, the guys that block, tackle, and catch?  Would be hard to watch without them. 

but, that's just me.

When a placekicker gets invited to the Heisman award ceremony you will win your case.

When a placekicker or punter wins Rookie of the Year or League MVP......then you will have won your case.

When a kicker is invited to an NFL combine....u will have won your case

When a kicker is on the front page of the dang Football program.....you will get a slap on the back.

When a kicker is hosting MNFL.....as a color analyst.....then U are getting closer.

When a kicker is the leading vote getter for the Pro Bowl....u will be even closer.

BUT AS U CAN SEE.....ALL JOKES ASIDE......YOU CANNOT AND DO NOT HAVE A VALID RESPONSE. 

They are specialists baby.

Well number 1 negates a fair number or positions and "real football players"

Kickers get invited to the combine every year

Kickers have been on the front page of programs.

"U" on the other and respond like a child throwing a tantrum. Are you sure you're a father? Or did you merely pick the name to seemingly lend credibility to your claims? There was a point we all liked to scream baseless claims with poor grammar; we were pre-teens. If you are truly a father, I feel bad for your supposed son and the lessons in rethorical argument you should have taught him.