FB: Empire 8

[theoriginalupstate]

Out of curiousity, can someone explain how the Bills decided on Fisher ?

Bills current GM/COO Russ Brandon is a SJF graduate, he played Football and Baseball for the Cardinals...

Brandon was a key member of former GM Tom Donahoe's staff during the decision making process...

Bills wanted to expand their fan base, they previously held camp at SUNY Fredonia, and decide to move camp...

[theoriginalupstate]

Fisher hasn't improved with the Bills, so I think that line of logic is wishful thinking and pretty fallacious.

Please elaborate a bit more with this...

I have to question his statement as well. Fisher was a 1 win a year team before the bills came.

Yeah I passed on SJF coming out of HS, their facilities were a joke before the Bills came.  After I finished at JUCO I picked SJF  (over Cortland, Brockport and two NAIA schools in Missouri where I was offered partial scholarships) because the improvement in the facilities, stadium and the Bills were stunning compared to what they had been previously...

That and Coach Faggiano is a hell of a salesmen!

[Saxon73]

Upstate,
Thanks for the info.

Having grown up in a small town near Utica, the Bills became popular rather quickly.  A working man's city, Buffalo was inspiring as oposed to the Big Apple teams.

[Jonny Utah]

Fisher hasn't improved with the Bills, so I think that line of logic is wishful thinking and pretty fallacious.

Please elaborate a bit more with this...

I have to question his statement as well. Fisher was a 1 win a year team before the bills came.

Yeah I passed on SJF coming out of HS, their facilities were a joke before the Bills came.  After I finished at JUCO I picked SJF  (over Cortland, Brockport and two NAIA schools in Missouri where I was offered partial scholarships) because the improvement in the facilities, stadium and the Bills were stunning compared to what they had been previously...

That and Coach Faggiano is a hell of a salesmen!

The Bills actually practicing there might not have helped, but if facilities were built/paid for because of the bills then I can see it helping. 

I believe Cortland was getting great facilities whether the Jets were comming or not. 

[union89]

Out of curiousity, can someone explain how the Bills decided on Fisher ?

Bills current GM/COO Russ Brandon is a SJF graduate, he played Football and Baseball for the Cardinals...

Brandon was a key member of former GM Tom Donahoe's staff during the decision making process...

Bills wanted to expand their fan base, they previously held camp at SUNY Fredonia, and decide to move camp...

Wow.....good win for Fisher.

[theoriginalupstate]

The Bills actually practicing there might not have helped, but if facilities were built/paid for because of the bills then I can see it helping. 

I believe Cortland was getting great facilities whether the Jets were comming or not. 

The difference between the two eras is literally night and day JU, I saw better HS facilities when first being recruited to SJF...

[sjfcards]

Facilities are a big part of it. Nevermind the stadium, which when they built it was a lot better than almost anyone in the area, but the locker room, the weight room, the practice fields are all a piece of the puzzle. I played soccer when I was at Fisher, and the two grass fields behind the stadium, were probably the two best grass fields in the conference.

[maxpower]

The Bills actually practicing there might not have helped, but if facilities were built/paid for because of the bills then I can see it helping. 

I believe Cortland was getting great facilities whether the Jets were comming or not. 

The difference between the two eras is literally night and day JU, I saw better HS facilities when first being recruited to SJF...

Fisher played at night before the Bills came? No wonder they couldn't win!

[theoriginalupstate]

Facilities are a big part of it. Nevermind the stadium, which when they built it was a lot better than almost anyone in the area, but the locker room, the weight room, the practice fields are all a piece of the puzzle. I played soccer when I was at Fisher, and the two grass fields behind the stadium, were probably the two best grass fields in the conference.

Agree, SJF's practice fields were better grass fields than Brockport's, Norwich's and RPI's grass playing fields...

[Bombers798891]

My point being that new recruits WILL know about Cortland... hell i knew about Cortaca before I applied to Ithaca...

True, but what are we telling players about Cortaca? We gotta get them back for beating the 2006 team which finished 7-3? We need to keep the two-year streak of victory alive? This team stands between us and greatness?

The ironic thing about Cortaca to me is that, once it started being a competitive rivalry around 1996, Ithaca stopped being the Ithaca they once were. It also doesn't help that Cortland's never really been a great program. I think the rivalry is a bit manufactured by proximity and the Jug. Too often recently, it's been a game without playoff implications between two teams not really doing much nationally.

That's why last year's Curry game was so disappointing. Here was a chance to really have Cortaca have something extra riding on it. A game played between the two best teams in the East, winner take all.

How was it winner take all with the NJAC title locked up?  Your revisionist history fails to see how you got beat by Curry who in turn was destroyed by Cortland a week later.  Yes you had a great program but the fact is now both schools play football that is very equal with the higher ceiling being Cortlands's especially with the influence of the Jets on their campus.

Because I was referring to the potential playoff game that would have been played had Ithaca not choked, not the one that was played...I think we probably still would have called it Cortaca, no?

Cortland may have a higher ceiling than Ithaca, but the problem is, with the way D-III football is now, is either team a legitimate National Championship contender? No. The best hope for either team is what, winning the conference and getting to Mount Union in the NCAA's? So regardless of which team's is higher compared to the other, the ceiling compared to the rest of the NCAA is lower.

Back in 1988, both teams probably could have won the National Championship, but the they met in the second round and someone had to lose. Maybe the Jets' influence will put Cortland over the top. Certainly your baseball and lacrosse teams are at that level. But I just think the presence of Mount Union (and to a degree Whitewater) has changed the complexion of the rivalry a bit

[sjfcards]

Agree. As much as we hate to admit it, most teams in the country are playing for smaller goals than a national championship because MUC is out there. We hope for a deep run into the playoffs, but that is about where our realistic thoughts end.

The question now is, does MUC and Whitewater being so dominant help or hurt DIII football?

[maxpower]

Someone should really write an article about this... 

[SJFF82]

I think it is quite clear that MUC and UWW are in a league of their own, however, I am not so sure other programs are not training and shooting for a national championship.  Their certainly are enough athletes around the East for one team to gel in one season and make a run at 'em in the semi's or in VA.  Problem now is that MUC has become our East #1.  I guess that just means someone's gotta take em on just 1 round earlier.

It will be done ala Rowan style again...just takes some time and some luck.

[Bombers798891]

Someone should really write an article about this... 

K+ Max. Thanks!

[maxpower]

Ty, welcome. Are you a UC guy?