FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[westcoastDad]

Trinity also has a great atmosphere from what I witnessed at last years Amherst game.  Good to hear Williams is figuring it out too!  That place is in the sticks but once u get there its very "hip". 

Will be my last game to see (at Williams).   Looking forward to it.

[JEFFFAN]

It might be time to consider the possibility that the Ephs are actually pretty good.  An absolutely massive day from the frosh once again, on both sides of the ball.  Including a break out game from Rashad Morrison ... we will see as the competition is much tougher in the second half of the season.  But dang they look better each week ...

I was there.  My take aways:

• Bobby Maimaron is the real deal.  Hard to believe this kid is a FY.  INCREDIBLE poise, reads and checks down like an SEC QB, great legs, and fearless.  All of you who hold Sonny Puzo, Mac Foote, et. al. in high esteem, take note:  If Bobby stays healthy for 4 years, he's going to rewrite the record books.  If he was 3 to 4 inches taller, he could be playing at Bama, Florida State or Notre Dame.


• Rashad Morrison also has D1 talent.  Stola and Jaelon Moaney are top notch talent for D3.  The Ephs' biggest weak spot is their Special Teams, as both their kicker and punter are pretty weak, even by CAC standards.  But other than that, this team is just going to get better down the stretch.  I'm going out on a limb here, but 7-2 is not out of reach.


• The Ephs may lose 2 or three games this year, and 1 or 2 next year, but Coach Raymond is going to win the important battles: in recruiting.  I watched him in warm ups.  The guy just carries himself with authority, and he is wrapped in a mantle of leadership.  He even pulls off the blowing-the-whistle-to-run-drills bit with eclat.  Any other coach in the CAC would look like a buffoon, but Raymond looks like the head of JSOC.  Any recruit watching the warm up would get a hard on.  And Williams even has a freaking MARCHING BAND.  They're a small unit, they don't perform like the Trojans or the Buckeyes, but wow, do they add a lot to the atmosphere.  It felt like an honest-to-God college football game in Willytown today.   A HC who's a stud ... the facility ... the uniforms and equipment ... the marching band ... the fact that FY's get to play, and play well ... the team singing the fight song after the victory ... and the value of the Williams diploma ... how can any other program compete with that?

amh63, be very afraid.

Time for someone to give Polarcat his meds ...

[ColbyFootball]

I feel your pain Polarcat.

[PolarCat]

Time for someone to give Polarcat his meds ...

I am self-medicating as we speak.  With Single Malt.

Circle back to me on November 11th and let me know if you still think I am on drugs.

[jburrell21]

I can only address Colby. But the failures there are obvious to me. If any of you are close the situation I'd love to know what you're hearing from the players. What I heard and saw at Middlebury after the game was depressing for the players. Several young guys feel so beaten down by the coaching they're ready to pack it in. They are the future and they're being lost. Three games into the season and its that bad.

If coaching is a concern, allow me to rephrase the question ... would any of the four teams currently at the top of the NESCAC trade rosters - just the players - with any of the four teams currently residing at the bottom of the NESCAC?  In theory, if coaching was the issue, the implication is that the talent levels are comparable from top to bottom.

Rephrase it all you want, you still don't get it. Good coaches recruit well, don't lose an unually high number of players for no good reason, know how to manage personnel before, during and after games, and put their players in the best position to be successful. Colby just lost to Middlebury 34-6, and Middlebury's roster us no stronger than Colby's. Ritter has a great system and using his players to maximum benefit in his system.

I watched the Midd-Colby game.  I realize you are passionately attached to the Mules and I applaud you for that.  However, you are blind and don't really understand the game of football if you think that Midd's roster is no stronger that Colby's.  Probably the only team worse than Colby is Bowdoin.  Colby's QB play was terrible.  Midd's WRs are head and shoulders above Colby's DBs.  I don't mean to disrespect the men working hard in Waterville.  I just found your comment absurd.  Full disclosure:  Midd Class of '91, 20+ year college coach, 3 years as DC at Bowdoin.

I tried to clarify in subsequent posts, but they get passed over easily. The point I was trying to make is that Colby's players are capable of hanging with Midd. That the team is capable of competing. Might not win, but capable of competing. And I respect your years of coaching. Have you followed Colby game planning and play calling? I'd love to know your head best take, if you're capable.

I hadn't gotten to your subsequent posts yet.  I try to get on here on Friday night before games but wasn't able to until after the games today.  Midd beats the Jeff Smallpox Blanket Mamoths!!!

Responding to your question about the Mules offense, I think that Michaeles is a passionate coach who cares a great deal about his players.  I do think that his playcalling is somewhat predictable.  I was 1-2 against him so who am I to judge.  You're only as good as your players when you are a coach.  Colby's players are not very good.  It's not easy to recruit in Maine, especially Waterville.  You enter Maine and see Bowdoin, which is amazing regarding campus setting, college town, etc, then you go to Bates .  Nice campus and facilities but Lewiston can be a setback.  Finally you get to Colby.  Waterville has little to offer.  Nice campus, better facilities than Bowdoin.  Bottom line is that parents and recruits are going to look at rankings.  Most recruits who can  get an offer at Bowdoin would never consider Bates or Colby.  They are hoping that Amherst, Williams or Midd will offer.  Those who Bowdoin choses not to offer pick Bates or Colby. 

Just my two cents.  Cheer boys cheer!

[ColbyFootball]

jburrell21 - You are too kind when describing Michaeles play calling. His game planning and play calling never changes. And coaches are only as god as their players, but good players will underachieve without s good coach. And Michaeles is a terrible coach. His record of wins and losses, and feeble offensive production speaks for itself. Colby's scored 20 points in 4 games. In 4 games they've thrown about 5 passes beyond 20 yards. They threw about 25 WR screens today. Some to slow tall WRs. The guy just can't coach offense.

And as for recruiting, you provide generalizations without any factual basis. Are your arguments don't add up. If Bowdoin gets the pick of the litter in Maine, why aren't they better than Batesand Volvy year after year? And although Williams and Amherst have academic reps that may set them apart, they're likely tougher admission requirements than Colby. Trinity may not "rank" as high, but they can get more kids accepted. And while Maine may not be for everyone, it's appealing to enough people. But the coach has to sell it. Michaeles has an absence of passion in recruiting. 

What it comes down to is having a HC that builds and maintains a program. And part of that is playing exciting games, and winning your share.

So nothing should prevent C, B & B from competing if they are committed to it.

And the Colby players are not as bad as you suggest. I think that utter BS. And I've seen every game for two years now.

[Grabowski]

CF, I feel your pain, like your passion, and admire your stubbornness, but I do think there are a couple things you are missing:

1) There is a talent gap when comparing to the top teams.  A couple of your starting O-linemen look like they could be promising FY kids that could be solid enough after two off-seasons of hard work (one example).  As someone else on the board pointed out, the whole team plays hard, but IMO a 14-7 half score was a darn good coaching job.
2) If you want to throw down field, you need time to do it and weapons to make the connections.  I believe the talent gap forces the conservative play calls.  You might have a small point here, though.  Gotta keep defenses honest.
3) if I've followed you right, your son joined a program that was coming off 2-6 and 1-7 seasons.  You had to have some idea that this might be in the pipeline, no?

I hope they can hang tough and have a competitive second half of the season.

[middpantherpride]

CF, I feel your pain, like your passion, and admire your stubbornness, but I do think there are a couple things you are missing:

1) There is a talent gap when comparing to the top teams.  A couple of your starting O-linemen look like they could be promising FY kids that could be solid enough after two off-seasons of hard work (one example).  As someone else on the board pointed out, the whole team plays hard, but IMO a 14-7 half score was a darn good coaching job.

I hope they can hang tough and have a competitive second half of the season.
[/quote]
I feel the exact same way. I genuinely wish the Mules the best. Out of all the teams I played against, Colby stood out on having kids that would play their hearts out every single play. Anytime we made the trip to Waterville, the first half we would normally get our butts kicked physically and still find ourselves up 14-7 at halftime. I really don't know if I can say it was the coaching. It seemed like they needed a few game breaking WRs that they were missing. I recall Luke Dunclee to be that, but he just didn't have the supporting cast to take over games. That kid was tough as nails and always a tough match-up. Trinity, Wesleyan, Amherst, and Midd always seemed to have those kids plus the supporting cast. Whether it was a QB or O-Line or another WR those teams had insane depth. As a coach, it seems impossible to keep up with the insanely talented teams that had the depth and so many playmakers.

Colby has the worst schedule of any team in the CAC. Opening with Trinity, Williams, Midd, and Wesleyan is an impossible task for the Mules. Anybody that knows the ins and outs of NESCAC football would tell you that. They all present different challenges and game plans that are so tough and intricate it is impossible for the players to learn in one week. That is why teams like Amherst and Midd have the privilege to start game planning for their classic week 4 match up in the offseason and in the weeks leading up to the game. As a former safety at Midd, each offense and roster takes hours and hours of breaking down film and studying players to truly be prepared. I cannot imagine having to do it for those 4 teams all in row to start a season. There simply is not enough time in the day or week to go to school and do that.

I feel it is so easy to criticize the coach. Look at all the criticism of NFL coaches on Monday mornings from Joe 6-pack. These coaches are at the highest of their field and have dedicated their lives to it. Do they make mistakes? Sure. But it is tough to imagine anybody in this world could know as much as them and is unfair to say they do not know the game of football.

Having talked to Coach Michaeles in the past, he is a world-class guy, and I would argue a top half coach in the NESCAC. Are there times where he might be conservative in his play calling? Sure. But Colby HAS to play a possession game. They must bleed that clock to take the ball away from those 4 super talented offenses. Sure, they may need to try to push the ball down field, but, look at the DBs on each of those 4 teams. The All-NESCAC teams are full of DBs from those 4 schools. Its insane how good they are compared to the rest of the league. It's a recipe for disaster asking his WRs to beat those DBs.

It really does come down to talent. And this is a first hand knowledge of the league. I would watch tape on Trinity, Wesleyan, and  Amherst DBs to try to emulate a lot of what they did and learn how to be a better player. And that was out of respect. The DBs on those teams are generally always so good. Each of those teams has at least one corner or safety that could be on an ivy roster IMO. If not more. I had the privilege to play in the same defensive backfield as some guys that were on that level. They had Ivy offers but had to make a decision to go early decision to Midd or to try to be another number on an Ivy. Trinity, Wesleyan, and Amherst especially, are filled with those type of quality guys. It is simply not for Colby because of an almost impossible recruiting task.

[ColbyFootball]

CF, I feel your pain, like your passion, and admire your stubbornness, but I do think there are a couple things you are missing:

1) There is a talent gap when comparing to the top teams.  A couple of your starting O-linemen look like they could be promising FY kids that could be solid enough after two off-seasons of hard work (one example).  As someone else on the board pointed out, the whole team plays hard, but IMO a 14-7 half score was a darn good coaching job.
2) If you want to throw down field, you need time to do it and weapons to make the connections.  I believe the talent gap forces the conservative play calls.  You might have a small point here, though.  Gotta keep defenses honest.
3) if I've followed you right, your son joined a program that was coming off 2-6 and 1-7 seasons.  You had to have some idea that this might be in the pipeline, no?

I hope they can hang tough and have a competitive second half of the season.

I agree with most of your points. As for signing on for Colby, kids are sold on future improvement and being part of the building process. The Mules may not be able to compete for a championship, but they should be able to compete in more game than they do. Yes being ahead after 1 quarter and close at the half is nice. But games are 4 quarters not 1 or 2.

And as for stretching the field, lack of time is an issue. Understood. But they do not throw the ball vertically. 95% of their passes are thrown outside the hash marks and at near the los. It's the same every game. You don't need a lot of time to take a 2 step drop and throw a 7 yard slant where a guy can find a seam and turn upfield. It takes 1.5 seconds to get to the QB without anyone blocking a player. And they have vertical WR threats. He is not using them. And the play designs are terrible. With little time to throw he can use quick crossing patterns, and try to get the ball in kids' hands while running vertically. Most passes are to flat footed players that don't have the explosiveness to get it into gear. You see ZERO motion at the snap. Motion forces D's to adjust on the fly. The bottom line is 22 receptions for 111 yards yesterday cannot be justified, nor can 20 points in 4 games.

Williams had a top program, then Whalen leaves (and builds Wes in no time) and Kelton enters (driving that great program into the ground) only to be resurrected QUICKLY by Raymond.

I have no personal bone to pick with Michaeles, but he is a failure as a HC. Winning 2-3 games at the end of the season, after getting blown out in most games, is unacceptable. It short changes the kids and every single person connected with the program.

[ColbyFootball]

Midpantherpride - I agree that the Colby schedule is a killer. But you have 9-10 months to prepare for your opening game. You should at least be competitive. Week 1 Hamilton lost to Tufts in OT at Tufts. Bowdoin was tied with Williams at the half and lost 24-14. Colby lost 35-0. Not a point. Started the game with a Trinity turnover on the KO getting the ball at the 30 yard line. Michaeles rotated QBs that game every series which told me he didn't plan on being competitive. And after 9-10 months preparation they weren't. I'm sick of the player/roster bashing. It's the coaching.

[ColbyFootball]

Big news to me at least. On yesterday's broadcast, Whalen confirmed they will be switching up the schedules every year starting with the 2019 season. It's pretty much been decided. The end of year rivalries will be retained.

[middpantherpride]

Trinity v Colby: 35-0
Trinity v Bates: 51-0
Trinity v Williams: 17-9
Trinity v Hamilton: 41-13

But, the problem is coaching. Should Bates and Hamilton also fire their coaches?? Trinity is on another level. They may very well and probably should go 9-0 with that roster. Their talent level from top to down is phenomenal. Each year they graduate kids that were All-NESCAC and it seem the next guy in line is better than the one before him. Look at Puzzo and Chipouras. And then try to argue the Trinity defense isn't the gold standard of the league.

Big sigh. I thought we were making progress here.

[middpantherpride]

I think schedules should switch. I just saw Colby plays Amherst next week. That is just not fair to Colby coaches or players or fans. That just flat out sucks for them. I can't imagine what you are going through. I apologize if I am being too blunt or harsh. I feel for you man.

[nescac1]

PolarCat, while I appreciate the love for the Ephs and for Raymond (and for the MooCow band!), I'm not sure I'm ready to go quite THAT far.  I love Maimaron, who looks likely to be a tremendous QB in this league, but he doesn't have the kind of arm strength or zip on the ball you see at a high D1 school.  But in terms of poise, leadership, mobility, intelligence and command of the field, he is definitely ahead of the curve for a frosh.  And he certainly has nice touch / accuracy on his throws.

The other guys you mentioned surprised me.  Morrison while he killed Bates on the fly sweeps only caught one pass and hasn't been a factor really until this game.  Moaney is sixth on the WR depth chart.  On the other hand, P Regensburg just had an off day I think. He was flat out awesome in the first three games.  The two frosh LBs Wesner and Rothman are to me , other than the QB, the biggest difference-makers in the class so far.  A position of huge weakness for the Ephs for years now has guys who are flying all over the field making plays everywhere.  Dramatic change to the defense which otherwise has largely similar personnel from last season.  Those two guys HAVE to be neck-and-neck for conference ROY on defense. 

In all events, after five rough years, finally fun to be an Eph fan again!   Next week of course will be an immense challenge vs a Midd team with two big-time wins vs the top tier already.  The Ephs will need to clean up all of the costly penalties and miscues (a WR left unguarded for a long TD, special teams issues, etc.) to have any kind of shot.  But the fact that they have any shot at all represents amazing progress since even the start of the season. 

[ColbyFootball]

I think schedules should switch. I just saw Colby plays Amherst next week. That is just not fair to Colby coaches or players or fans. That just flat out sucks for them. I can't imagine what you are going through. I apologize if I am being too blunt or harsh. I feel for you man.

If your post was directed to me, no need to apologize. I understand your points. And according to Whalen at Wes, the schedule will be changed yearly beginning in 2019. A great change.

You're right, it's not fun having to take on Amherst next week. But the frustration is not failing to win, which I believe Colby can pull off with some breaks. It is the frustration with seeing the same tired offensive game plan and play calling week after week. Without success. You just can't blame that on the players. Who the heck wants to watch a game where you're lucky if you put 1-2 scores. Again, 30 points in 4 games. That is the frustration.

But next week we begin anew. Let's take it to the LJs (I can't shake the old nickname). GO COLBY!!!