FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[lumbercat]

Middlebury should do the requisite "National Search" (so tired of that phrase) to satisfy the compliance team and give the job to Mandingo who has worked like hell in that program for this opportunity. He has declined  many other opportunities over the years and has remained loyal to Houdini Ritter and the Blue and White. Don't compromise the great Middlebury legacy by passing this guy over.

This is the first HC opportunity in a while in The Nescac that has developed due to the retirement of a great HC. If you fire the HC you go outside, if a great coach resigns you hire from within. The program is not broken, nothing to fix. Mandingo is the guy.

Also, do not pay huge money to the phony headhunting firm out of Atlanta that recommended Malik Hall to Bates.

I know what Russ Reilly would do here.

[Charlie]

Charlie I'm sorry but you are making terrible points. By your logic, why didn't Jon Girard go D1? Was he not good? Just because a kid is from the west coast or the south, it doesn't mean they suck if they don't go D1. Just like if a New England kid goes D1, it doesn't automatically mean they'll be good in college. scouting is not a science. The NESCAC has a ton of guys who are more talented than some "D1 guys".

And to say Tufts "takes too long" clearly shows that you don't understand their advantage. If they're recruiting out of region, they're not competing against the NESCAC schools, so they're not bound by the typical NESCAC timeline. They're competing against places that, as nescac247 said, don't have D2/D3 ball. So those kids are waiting out their local D1 timelines, and Tufts has to work on that timeline. As Loch Ness said before, it's high risk high reward. Tufts is clearly okay taking the risk to land those kids.

And I'm going to say this and be done with this conversation. You clearly have it out for Tufts for whatever reason. To continue to bring up Tufts loss to Trin isn't fair on a couple of levels. 1st Trinity beat the hell out of EVERY team but Williams. So why are you singling out Tufts' failure as if they were the only team to get wrecked by them. 2nd, Girard and Reid put up 120 catches, 1700 yds, and 17 touchdowns between them on the season. Unless the box score is wrong, that didn't all come against Tufts. Those guys are good, and they beat Tufts' guys (and everyone elses). As for their kicking game, yes it was terrible. Aside from the Trinity game, they probably should've and could've won every other game they played if they had a halfway decent kicker. Looking at their roster, they did have a freshman kicker on the roster, so they did their job in recruiting one. He clearly wasn't very good as a freshman, but hopefully he'll bounce back this year. Either way, you're trying to demonize a staff and team that was within a touchdown in almost every loss, and clearly had some bad breaks with injuries. It's fine to have a grudge against the guy, but just say you have a grudge instead of pulling nonsense out of your rear end.

First off I have nothing against Tufts. As I stated they are attempting to turn this program around with their facility upgrades. Again the recruiting thing you may have a valid point. I will grant that and a compelling argument. However if you loo at the last time they had great seasons it was under the Papas and Samko years as HC. In those years they had a combination of local and out of state talent on the rosters. While I applaud them for thinking outside the box in recruiting has it paid dividends. Civetti has a terrible record. Then your next argument would be it takes time. Look how fast Raymond turned around Williams couple years and NESCAC championship. I just think they are going to need a better HC and staff to make the next jump.

However more importantly you clearly supported my case about the coaching staff. If you are facing a high powered offense why in the world would you attempt to go man to man. Do you think when the Patriots play the Chiefs Belichek goes man to man on Tyreek Hill. He has never done that. I am not saying the Trinity receivers are of this caliber. However one could clearly see that the matchups were awful for Tufts and the coaches had a terrible scheme. I am not saying that Tufts would have won that game at all. But the job of the Coach is to try and devise a scheme to put the players in the best position. This is a crazy concept and the other Coaches on Tufts approved this ?

Lastly as you stated Tufts was in every game although I question that. Would you not agree by that statement that if you are in very game as you say the talent is there. If the talent is there what is preventing you from getting over the top ....The Coaching

Tufts has a great deal to offer recruits and there program should be way better than it is.

[nescac1]

More often than not it's the jimmies and joes not the x' s and o's.  Other than Reid, Trinity's three leading receivers last year were bigger, slower dudes, two of them tight ends.  Personally, I would not want those guys operating in space where they can catch the ball, build a head of steam, and plow over small DB's.  Especially with a precision short rhythm passer like Fetter.  Stick faster guys on 'em and try to send extra pass rushers instead and risk the big play rather than having Trinity kill you with ten yard play after ten yard play.   If memory serves, Williams played Trinity with mostly man coverage and Giandomenico basically shut down Girard, so it's more about execution than system.  More generally, if you rely on a man scheme it's hard to switch to a zone for one week; especially with as little practice as you get in Nescac, there are bound to be a lot of miscommunications if you do. 

[Charlie]

More often than not it's the jimmies and joes not the x' s and o's.  Other than Reid, Trinity's three leading receivers last year were bigger, slower dudes, two of them tight ends.  Personally, I would not want those guys operating in space where they can catch the ball, build a head of steam, and plow over small DB's.  Especially with a precision short rhythm passer like Fetter.  Stick faster guys on 'em and try to send extra pass rushers instead and risk the big play rather than having Trinity kill you with ten yard play after ten yard play.   If memory serves, Williams played Trinity with mostly man coverage and Giandomenico basically shut down Girard, so it's more about execution than system.  More generally, if you rely on a man scheme it's hard to switch to a zone for one week; especially with as little practice as you get in Nescac, there are bound to be a lot of miscommunications if you do.


Let's also consider though that Williams DB were much better than Tufts.  Really loved the play of the Williams safety last year they had a solid defense. Williams did shut down Girard last year. However it would also be noted that Trinity travelled to Williams last year or should I say pounded in a rain game. Tough to throw in that game in fact I believe if memory serves me Williams only really threw a handful of times and merely pounded the ball all game. A great game plan. So shutting down Girard in the rain would be easier.

Although not statistically great Tufts in my opinion had a good DL last year posed problems for Williams and other schools. I would much rather doubled up on the outside and trust that your DL/LB could shut down the run. Slow the game down instead of get in a shootout.

[MRMIKESMITH]

Lehigh is on the hot seat (whisper was he would have been fired if he didn't beat Lafayette). No excuses, this is a pretty good situation. Traditionally a PL heavyweight they have been limping and does not make sense. You can win there.
Lafayette is safe--new guy from F&M who is an alum, he'll get 4-5 years
Bucknell is awful. Not on the hot seat, but it is warm, they need to show some progress, he'll get maybe one more year after this one. They have won the PL ONCE since inception in 1986. That is pretty inept in a 6/7 team league that ain't exactly a juggernaut. No one has been able to win there with consistency. That is a red flag.
Fordham is safe--they have a good amount of talent but cannot catch Holy Cross. Should be better despite facilities relative to the rest of the league, probably safe for now, but job has been a perennial stepping stone once someone gets success (Clawson, Moorhead)
Colgate--took a big step back with DH now at Williams, but current guy is an alum and long time staffer, he'll get it fixed and they tend to stay with coaches and don't think he's going anywhere
Georgetown--only PL school not giving scholarships and they do not care. Every 5-7 years they make it interesting but program stinks overall due to lack of support
Holy Cross is a plum gig with wonderful weight room and alumni support. This would get a pretty strong pool of applicants after Chesney leaves (matter of when, not if).

It is very unfortunate too. It has been talks about the basketball program struggling and other sports, because of the lack of support in football. I don't think the correlation is 1 to 1, but I know having a scholarship football program for Georgetown that is in the heart of the DMV, where many FCS and DII come in grab game changers, could help tremendously. Being in the DMV, the lore of playing at Georgetown is not there as it was 15 to 20 years ago. The administration needs to stop sitting on their hands with this...Sorry for the FCS talk, rant over.

[Nescacman]

Mole + Facts = Buzzkill....

In the face of historical stats; here's to small point spreads, exciting finishes, & unexpected upsets! 

(I'm joking about the point spreads... )

We think the UBates/Polars spread will be small...

[Nescacman]

Noontime's first pre-season poll goes Trinity, Wesleyan, Tufts, Amherst, Williams, Colby.  I know the Maimaron in particular is a huge loss, but still, not much respect for Williams coming off a 9-0 season, with nearly 30 seniors, including 17 seniors who have been starters at some point in their career ... I guess we shall see!

https://noontimesports.com/2022/06/28/noontimes-way-too-early-new-england-d-iii-football-top-20-poll/

Apologize for the delay and getting caught up...Been busy with a keg watching Hudl's and reading up on HS stats in Maxpreps. 

As we have said previously, Noontime, is a complete hack. Come on, ranking the Ephs after the Lord Mammoths...we all know better than that!

[Nescacman]

So, who are the guys who folks think are missing from these lists, besides Banks?

In terms of prominent players who aren't mentioned, there are Estevez and Berlutti at QB, but that position is pretty loaded once again.  I think Fischetti will be a dynamite RS IF the Ephs give him that role next year to get him more touches, but A. Smith is clearly the top RS specialist in the league.  Jovan Nenadovic still has a year of eligibility for Tufts, but I've not heard that he is a returning (would have to be a grad student).  Wesleyan has Simco coming back at WR, whether he is ahead of Tomlinson would be a question for Wesleyan fans (as a duo they will certainly be scary).  Kirby will have a big year for Trinity at TB, but is clearly behind Eden and Nicholas.  Honestly, it's hard to really take fault with the picks for 2022, if we are only saying they got one spot wrong.

We would say Estevez, Simco and Van Jess are big omissions, but frankly, who cares? We do wish that people putting out rankings and lists would not insult our intelligence and do their homework if they are going to put in the effort to post a list like this.

[Charlie]

So, who are the guys who folks think are missing from these lists, besides Banks?

In terms of prominent players who aren't mentioned, there are Estevez and Berlutti at QB, but that position is pretty loaded once again.  I think Fischetti will be a dynamite RS IF the Ephs give him that role next year to get him more touches, but A. Smith is clearly the top RS specialist in the league.  Jovan Nenadovic still has a year of eligibility for Tufts, but I've not heard that he is a returning (would have to be a grad student).  Wesleyan has Simco coming back at WR, whether he is ahead of Tomlinson would be a question for Wesleyan fans (as a duo they will certainly be scary).  Kirby will have a big year for Trinity at TB, but is clearly behind Eden and Nicholas.  Honestly, it's hard to really take fault with the picks for 2022, if we are only saying they got one spot wrong.

We would say Estevez, Simco and Von Jess are big omissions, but frankly, who cares? We do wish that people putting out rankings and lists would not insult our intelligence and do their homework if they are going to put in the effort to post a list like this.

Agreed no way Williams will finish middle of the pack there defense alone will earn them 5 to 6 wins. What they see in Amherst is amazing. I understand tufts offense will be good but defense has numerous question marks. they are going to be like Wesleyan last year.

[Nescacman]

It's great to be back....looking forward to an exciting NESCAC season...for those new to "the Board", welcome. For those returning, great to see all of you alive and well.

We will have lots of comments on recruiting, coaching, players, schedule, rosters, predictions, MA sack records, etc but just enjoying the banter for now. Nescac1 and Spring, looking forward to seeing you in Middletown this Fall. Mole, we'll see you September 17th at Andrus when the #rollcards face-off against UBates and the Coynettes...should be epic.

[Charlie]

It's great to be back....looking forward to an exciting NESCAC season...for those new to "the Board", welcome. For those returning, great to see all of you alive and well.

We will have lots of comments on recruiting, coaching, players, schedule, rosters, predictions, MA sack records, etc but just enjoying the banter for now. Nescac1 and Spring, looking forward to seeing you in Middletown this Fall. Mole, we'll see you September 17th at Andrus when the #rollcards face-off against UBates and the Coynettes...should be epic.

Question do not know if it is accurate but was told that Tufts is playing Bowdoin in a scrimmage game and or joint practice/controlled scrimmage ? Has anyone heard about this or the legitimacy of this. If so does that mean possible preseason games or a joint practices on horizon ?

[jmcozenlaw]

More often than not it's the jimmies and joes not the x' s and o's.  Other than Reid, Trinity's three leading receivers last year were bigger, slower dudes, two of them tight ends.  Personally, I would not want those guys operating in space where they can catch the ball, build a head of steam, and plow over small DB's.  Especially with a precision short rhythm passer like Fetter.  Stick faster guys on 'em and try to send extra pass rushers instead and risk the big play rather than having Trinity kill you with ten yard play after ten yard play.   If memory serves, Williams played Trinity with mostly man coverage and Giandomenico basically shut down Girard, so it's more about execution than system.  More generally, if you rely on a man scheme it's hard to switch to a zone for one week; especially with as little practice as you get in Nescac, there are bound to be a lot of miscommunications if you do.

It's almost always the "Jimmy's and the Joe's" vs. the "X's and the O's".........as Jimmy Johnson once said. He wins squatta without Mike Lynn, the former brain dead GM of the Vikings, giving up the world for Herschel Walker. Said another way, give Lou Saban a month coaching Vanderbilt and the head coach of Vanderbilt coaching Alabama. Alabama still wins by 5-6 TD's! Coach K. coaching Florida Gulf Coast? Uh, no!!

Evenly matched teams up and down the roster? The "X's and the O's" matter. Anywhere else, give me the Jimmy's and the Joe's all day. Mary Hardin Baylor, Mount Union, Whitewater, North Central have Jimmy's and Joe's out the ying yang. Most other teams have a few Jimmy's here and a Joe or two there..........and a bunch or guys named Stanley and Robert!!

[The Mole]

Nescacman, looking forward to the season. I will have to find you at the tailgate and have you sample a Philly pork sandwich. Feel free to message me and we can exchange numbers, etc.

This could be our year....a lot to like about what the Cards have returning. IMO, QB play will be the key. Also need to get tougher up front. However, with a more balanced offense that should prevent the opposing D from stacking and keeps the D off the field.

Lots of competitive balance and no easy games in the league. The opener vs the Coynettes (LOL) will be emotional, for sure. 33 days and counting....

[Nescacman]

Nescacman, looking forward to the season. I will have to find you at the tailgate and have you sample a Philly pork sandwich. Feel free to message me and we can exchange numbers, etc.

This could be our year....a lot to like about what the Cards have returning. IMO, QB play will be the key. Also need to get tougher up front. However, with a more balanced offense that should prevent the opposing D from stacking and keeps the D off the field.

Lots of competitive balance and no easy games in the league. The opener vs the Coynettes (LOL) will be emotional, for sure. 33 days and counting....

Yessir, Ezra Jenifer (33) and counting...

Just as 2021 was the year of the Cow (purple variety, of course), 2022 could be the Year of the Card...a lot will depend on the QB play but with arguably 3 QB's on the roster better than 1/2 the league's #1, we're not worried...the Cards could have 4/5 QB's on the field at the same time which could def open some things up for new QB Coach/Passing Game coordinator Benoit (former WNEU OC)...how do you defend Tomlinson, Simco, Estevez, Elkhoury, et al? High expectations this year...

[LochNescac]

[/quote]

Yessir, Ezra Jenifer (33) and counting...

Just as 2021 was the year of the Cow (purple variety, of course), 2022 could be the Year of the Card...a lot will depend on the QB play but with arguably 3 QB's on the roster better than 1/2 the league's #1, we're not worried...the Cards could have 4/5 QB's on the field at the same time which could def open some things up for new QB Coach/Passing Game coordinator Benoit (former WNEU OC)...how do you defend Tomlinson, Simco, Estevez, Elkhoury, et al? High expectations this year...
[/quote]

4/5 QB's on the field at once!?!    Just think of the potential penalty yardage gained by a "roughing the passer" call.....!!!