FB: Empire 8

[boobyhasgameyo]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Im not sour because of the Alfred game. But what they did to Alfred, they should have beat Utica and Frostburg State the same way and at least split the IC/Gulls game. They never lived up to their potential until 1 quarter at the end of the season. A ball bounces the other way and this could be a 4 loss football team the way they were playing.

Well I watched every single Fisher game this year and I assure you that you are wrong.  That "ball bouncing the other way" theory you had could have easily led Fisher to being undefeated this year.  There is too much wrong with your post to merit a full response, so I'll just stop there. 

[Bombers798891]

I'm not being a defeatist, I'm just stating that we are unlikely to effectively pressure their QB. 

Fisher's got 30 sacks on the season. Seems like a pretty good number to me. I know there's more to pressure than sacks, but still, that's a pretty good total

[sjfcards]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Im not sour because of the Alfred game. But what they did to Alfred, they should have beat Utica and Frostburg State the same way and at least split the IC/Gulls game. They never lived up to their potential until 1 quarter at the end of the season. A ball bounces the other way and this could be a 4 loss football team the way they were playing.

To argue the other side, they did beat a middle of the pack OAC team 28-0 (identical margin of victory as JCU against a common opponent - JCU Bid= no brainer), the PAC champion and a tournament team 42-21, and the two teams that beat the conference champion by a combined 31 points. With 9 starters out, including the starting QB, top wide receiver, one of the best athletes on the team, and several members of the D line, they beat a decent Buff State team 24-6 (Buff State scored with about 13 seconds left). AU turned the ball over 6 times against Fisher and lost 48-13. Fisher turned it over 5 times against IC and lost by 3. If Fisher gets one of those turnovers back they are probably a one loss team who gets the AQ (lets not forget IC did fumble into the endzone and recovered it for a touchdown. If that was recovered by Fisher they also win the game).

Fisher did struggle against teams like Utica and Frostburg, but I think the "if the ball bounced the other way" argument can/does go either way. Fisher is probably one turnover away from winning the league outright.

[sjfcards]

I would also add that Fisher went 8-2 and played 8 teams with a record of .500 or better.

[fisheralum91]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Im not sour because of the Alfred game. But what they did to Alfred, they should have beat Utica and Frostburg State the same way and at least split the IC/Gulls game. They never lived up to their potential until 1 quarter at the end of the season. A ball bounces the other way and this could be a 4 loss football team the way they were playing.

To argue the other side, they did beat a middle of the pack OAC team 28-0, the PAC champion and a tournament team 42-21, and the two teams that beat the conference champion by a combined 31 points. With 9 starters out, including the starting QB, top wide receiver, one of the best athletes on the team, and several members of the D line, they beat a decent Buff State team 24-6 (Buff State scored with about 13 seconds left). AU turned the ball over 6 times against Fisher and lost 48-13. Fisher turned it over 5 times against IC and lost by 3. If Fisher gets one of those turnovers back they are probably a one loss team who gets the AQ (lets not forget IC did fumble into the endzone and recovered it for a touchdown. If that was recovered by Fisher they also win the game).

Fisher did struggle against teams like Utica and Frostburg, but I think the "if the ball bounced the other way" argument can/does go either way. Fisher is probably one turnover away from winning the league outright.

Cards has hit the nail on the head....
That said..this team is becoming a cohesive unit despite injuries and lost players.  Getting hot at the right time may be a blessing...Being able to overcome turmoil says a lot about the character of the team as well!

[Bombers798891]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Man, what is it with you Alfred guys and the would have, could have game? A few weeks ago, Saxon57 was talking about how it would be great if the NCAA decided to consider Alfred a one-loss team because they'd beat RPI now, and now this? Your record is your record. As far as I know with the NCAA selection process, "how the ball could have bounced" is not a criteria. Win the games you need to win. Fisher apparently did.

[boobyhasgameyo]

I'm not being a defeatist, I'm just stating that we are unlikely to effectively pressure their QB. 

Fisher's got 30 sacks on the season. Seems like a pretty good number to me. I know there's more to pressure than sacks, but still, that's a pretty good total

I agree - but they had 11 against Hartwick.  Looking at the other 9 games that gives 19.  So they are more likely to finish a game with maybe a sack or two then to have the QB hearing footsteps all game.  I just remember thinking in the games against W&J and Cortland specifically that we were not effectively pressuring the QB.  Against Ithaca as well now that I recall.  The W&J quarterback, Bliss, shredded our secondary up a fair degree.  His performance was negated by the fact that our offense hung up over 700 yards - but take a QB as talented as the JCU quarterback apparently is...well it could be Bliss 2.0. 

Like I said, I hope Fox and company take a page out of the Mount Union game plan with respect to dropping back into coverage.  Concede the under, don't get beat long, make your tackles, and hopefully the redzone defense will crowd the field and prevent touchdowns on every drive.   

[skunks_sidekick]

SJF guys......

Curious over here.  Some of you have referenced some big umm....blowup/interruption/drama/issue with the team at some point this year.  Would any of you care to elaborate?  Just looking for some "insider info" on a boring Monday.

Thanks!

[AlfredSaxon8]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Im not sour because of the Alfred game. But what they did to Alfred, they should have beat Utica and Frostburg State the same way and at least split the IC/Gulls game. They never lived up to their potential until 1 quarter at the end of the season. A ball bounces the other way and this could be a 4 loss football team the way they were playing.

To argue the other side, they did beat a middle of the pack OAC team 28-0, the PAC champion and a tournament team 42-21, and the two teams that beat the conference champion by a combined 31 points. With 9 starters out, including the starting QB, top wide receiver, one of the best athletes on the team, and several members of the D line, they beat a decent Buff State team 24-6 (Buff State scored with about 13 seconds left). AU turned the ball over 6 times against Fisher and lost 48-13. Fisher turned it over 5 times against IC and lost by 3. If Fisher gets one of those turnovers back they are probably a one loss team who gets the AQ (lets not forget IC did fumble into the endzone and recovered it for a touchdown. If that was recovered by Fisher they also win the game).

Fisher did struggle against teams like Utica and Frostburg, but I think the "if the ball bounced the other way" argument can/does go either way. Fisher is probably one turnover away from winning the league outright.

I appreciate the well thought out and educated response Cards. Clearly my critique of Fisher was too much for Booby to handle.

Most of my post was directed at the unimpressive E8 games. The W and J game was impressive, Im not disputing that. But to me, you make your money in the E8. And as far as that goes, yes, they beat HC handily who beat IC. And Alfred very handily who beat Salisbury. But they didnt beat IC or Salisbury head to head. And they scraped by Utica and Frostburg State.

Frostburg State was 1-9. Utica 3-7. Buff State and Otterbein were both .500 teams with tough schedules. Hartwick, Cortland, Salisbury were 6-4. Alfred 7-3 and W and J and Ithaca finished 8-2.

W and J was SJF's best win. Then Alfred. Then... Hartwick? Because they beat IC? Or maybe Cortland? Or a 5-5 Otterbein? Sure wasnt Utica and Frostburg. Sorry, I just dont see it. They beat 1 of 3 teams in the E8 that finished with a winning record. The E8 is tough but they didnt win when it mattered and still made it.

Im glad they made it. Any team from the E8 is a good thing. But they just did not impress me this year. And you have to remember, all those injuries and things you guys know about Fisher doesnt matter to the people picking the playoff teams. And based strictly on wins and losses, I just dont see it for Fisher.

Do they have the talent to play with the best? Yes. And thats why Im so critical of them. This should be an undefeated or 1 loss team. Plain and simple.

Just my $.02. I expected a lot from the SJF team and personally was disappointed.

[AlfredSaxon8]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Man, what is it with you Alfred guys and the would have, could have game? A few weeks ago, Saxon57 was talking about how it would be great if the NCAA decided to consider Alfred a one-loss team because they'd beat RPI now, and now this? Your record is your record. As far as I know with the NCAA selection process, "how the ball could have bounced" is not a criteria. Win the games you need to win. Fisher apparently did.

Yeah and a few weeks ago, the SJF guys were banking on an ECAC game...

[boobyhasgameyo]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Man, what is it with you Alfred guys and the would have, could have game? A few weeks ago, Saxon57 was talking about how it would be great if the NCAA decided to consider Alfred a one-loss team because they'd beat RPI now, and now this? Your record is your record. As far as I know with the NCAA selection process, "how the ball could have bounced" is not a criteria. Win the games you need to win. Fisher apparently did.

Yeah and a few weeks ago, the SJF guys were banking on an ECAC game...

I guess we weren't expecting to drill Alfred so bad that it maybe made some committee members do a double take. 

[boobyhasgameyo]

SJF guys......

Curious over here.  Some of you have referenced some big umm....blowup/interruption/drama/issue with the team at some point this year.  Would any of you care to elaborate?  Just looking for some "insider info" on a boring Monday.

Thanks!

One of our best all around players was kicked off the team a few weeks ago.  He said something he shouldn't have said (not exactly sure who he said it to), but I think it was during the Ithaca game. 

[skunks_sidekick]

SJF guys......

Curious over here.  Some of you have referenced some big umm....blowup/interruption/drama/issue with the team at some point this year.  Would any of you care to elaborate?  Just looking for some "insider info" on a boring Monday.

Thanks!

One of our best all around players was kicked off the team a few weeks ago.  He said something he shouldn't have said (not exactly sure who he said it to), but I think it was during the Ithaca game.

Ahhh.....got it.  Thanks for the reply.

[Bombers798891]

And based strictly on wins and losses, I just dont see it for Fisher.

But based on wins and loses, you're 8-2 regardless of if you win a bunch of close games or by blowouts. I don't think the selection committee differentiates between the two.

[AlfredSaxon8]

I will probably receive quite a few smites for this but I dont think Fisher should be in. I think Fisher has been very unimpressive in their wins minus the game at Alfred. Other than that, they didnt beat the teams they needed to (IC and the Gulls) and still made the playoffs. I think they are getting a little love for past success. Too many close/unimpressive victories and lackluster performances against two top conferences foes really isnt a playoff resume to me.

Man, what is it with you Alfred guys and the would have, could have game? A few weeks ago, Saxon57 was talking about how it would be great if the NCAA decided to consider Alfred a one-loss team because they'd beat RPI now, and now this? Your record is your record. As far as I know with the NCAA selection process, "how the ball could have bounced" is not a criteria. Win the games you need to win. Fisher apparently did.

Yeah and a few weeks ago, the SJF guys were banking on an ECAC game...

I guess we weren't expecting to drill Alfred so bad that it maybe made some committee members do a double take.

Maybe if SJF played like that all year round you wouldnt have to hope for a non AQ.