FB: Empire 8

[Bombers798891]

I agree with that, but my personal preference for the best player has always been Stepnik. With him the Fisher D was way better than without. He was a shutdown corner, could cover, tackle, return picks...he was great. Made a huge impact on that side of the ball. Loved Robby too, and you can't go wrong with either.

Quarterbacks aside (obviously) I think Stepnick may have been the most irreplaceable player in the E8.

Great corners are my favorite players too. My favorite Bombers were probably Donovan, Welch, and then half a dozen CB's (Conti, White, Daly, Molisani, Chier...etc.)

[boobyhasgameyo]

Brenton Brady.  He was a beast.  Single handedly (as much as you can do anything single handedly in a game with 21 other players on the field) beat Fisher in 2005 in a 13-7 defensive showdown.  Fisher wins that game and they are in the playoffs so they had all the incentive in the world but I don't think Brady cared.  That was actually a really good Fisher team too, it was a shame.  They lost to Ithaca for the last time ever in overtime and then the Brady fiasco on the final game of the regular season.  The bowl game that they lost to RPI the next week I promise you was not indicative of how they would have performed in the NCAA's.  They were pretty lifeless that day.  Just like when they played against Husson in 2008 during their next trip to the ECACs. 


Damn you Brady!!! 

Anyways yeah he is my vote for best player in the E8 over the last decade.  So many good ones though. 

[sjfcards]

Brenton Brady.  He was a beast.  Single handedly (as much as you can do anything single handedly in a game with 21 other players on the field) beat Fisher in 2005 in a 13-7 defensive showdown.  Fisher wins that game and they are in the playoffs so they had all the incentive in the world but I don't think Brady cared.  That was actually a really good Fisher team too, it was a shame.  They lost to Ithaca for the last time ever in overtime and then the Brady fiasco on the final game of the regular season.  The bowl game that they lost to RPI the next week I promise you was not indicative of how they would have performed in the NCAA's.  They were pretty lifeless that day.  Just like when they played against Husson in 2008 during their next trip to the ECACs. 


Damn you Brady!!! 

Anyways yeah he is my vote for best player in the E8 over the last decade.  So many good ones though.

I should probably mention I don't count Garçon in this since he transferred, but he was quite good.

[fisheralum91]

Brenton Brady.  He was a beast.  Single handedly (as much as you can do anything single handedly in a game with 21 other players on the field) beat Fisher in 2005 in a 13-7 defensive showdown.  Fisher wins that game and they are in the playoffs so they had all the incentive in the world but I don't think Brady cared.  That was actually a really good Fisher team too, it was a shame.  They lost to Ithaca for the last time ever in overtime and then the Brady fiasco on the final game of the regular season.  The bowl game that they lost to RPI the next week I promise you was not indicative of how they would have performed in the NCAA's.  They were pretty lifeless that day.  Just like when they played against Husson in 2008 during their next trip to the ECACs. 


Damn you Brady!!! 

Anyways yeah he is my vote for best player in the E8 over the last decade.  So many good ones though.

I should probably mention I don't count Garçon in this since he transferred, but he was quite good.

I think you could put most of the UMU team in that category.....

[Bombers798891]

Bill Struzzi

[pg04]

Jason Boltus.

[dlippiel]

Thinking nontraditional; Mr. Chris Sharpe was straight up nasty!

[Yanks 99]

Since were pretty much dead even, I'm going to give the edge to Felicetti because of something random: If he were to get hurt, Ithaca would have been worse at more than just QB. This is totally odd to me too, but Josh emerging allowed Ryan Steenberg to move to LB for 2003 and 2004, where he provided solid depth. And in 2005, another one time Felicetti backup, Jeff O'Hara, caught 31-476-4 as a WR. Josh going down would have hurt them not only at QB, but the shuffling of bodies would have made them thinner elsewhere. (If this occurred at Fisher too, let me know, and disregard the rest)

Not sure Fisher would have been hurt by the shuffling of bodies, but I don't think Francis as a deep threat is as scary for opposing defenses without Baily's arm. Which forces D backs to play a step farther back which opens up passes out of the backfield...and on and on.

You are right that we are basically grasping at straws for some slight edge because both players were so good. If we are talking about making the players around you better, what happens if we add Boltus to the mix?

Maybe that's the question we should kick around... Who has been the best player over the last 10 years in the E8?  (only ten years because I do not recognize E8 football before 2003  )

Really, really tough call on best of the last 10 years. Assuming everyone is fully healthy, I think I'd pick Robinson. When you can hand the ball to a RB 386 times in a season, and he catches passes out of the backfield...I mean, how could you stop him?

Boltus was good, but if Felicetti or Bailey ever had 450 attempts, I think they'd do just as well. I think you could get his production from those two if you gave them the same weapons. On the other hand, Boltus' accuracy might not have been enough in Ithaca's system, which isn't really based on the deep ball, where he and Bailey really excelled.

I do wish Jamie Donovan hadn't spent his entire career sort of injured. The first eight games after he took over at starter spanning 2004-2005, he averaged 150 yards a game, 6.3 yards a carry and topped 200 yards in a game twice. But he started getting banged up even though he rarely missed time, and was never really that back again.

But of course, had Robinson not missed time in 2005 and been the backup in 2003, he might have run for 7,000 yards. So what can you do?

Sorry Bombers...I think you are way off on this one.

Felicetti and Bailey were both great, great QB's.  But neither one of them are in Boltus' league.  Not even close.  We can argue systems and weapons, etc. all day long.  But neither of those two are in the same sentence...and I fully admit that both Felicetti and Bailey are almost certainly Top 5 QB's all time in the E8.

There was a simliar conversation about 2 years ago about who the top 4-5 players ever were in the E8...and my Top 4 were Boltus, Garcon (fully stating that if he was in the E8 for 4 years he would have probably been #1), Brady, and Robinson.

[fisheralum91]

Lets change things up as this is a great argument...What about linemen or D....Special teams?

I stick to Stepnick and Fortune for D and line.....
Special teams......Kickers ....anyone?
Punters?
Return specialists....
Homer pick- Francis.....

[sjfcards]

Lets change things up as this is a great argument...What about linemen or D....Special teams?

I stick to Stepnick and Fortune for D and line.....
Special teams......Kickers ....anyone?
Punters?
Return specialists....
Homer pick- Francis.....

IC has had a lot of good return men, but I really liked Jimmy Smith as a return guy as well.

[Bombers798891]

Lets change things up as this is a great argument...What about linemen or D....Special teams?

I stick to Stepnick and Fortune for D and line.....
Special teams......Kickers ....anyone?
Punters?
Return specialists....
Homer pick- Francis.....

Return specialists...Ruffrage is on my list. Unstoppable this season. Ithaca's had a lot over the years, but Ruffrage was the best of the bunch

[Bombers798891]

Here's another one: Most underrated player

My homer pick: Jamie Free. This was a fullback, who caught 91 passes in three season. Here's a great stat. In 2003 and 2004, Vinnie Dargush was a 1st team, all conference tight end. Here were his stats.:

68 catches, 793 yards, 11 TDs

Here were Free's those same two seasons:

76 catches, 853 yards, 7 TDs

A running back, maybe I could see it. But a fullback with those numbers is unheard of. I wish the E8 all-conference teams recognized the FB position so Free could get his due

[AUPepBand]

Brenton Brady.  He was a beast.  Single handedly (as much as you can do anything single handedly in a game with 21 other players on the field) beat Fisher in 2005 in a 13-7 defensive showdown.  Fisher wins that game and they are in the playoffs so they had all the incentive in the world but I don't think Brady cared.  That was actually a really good Fisher team too, it was a shame.  They lost to Ithaca for the last time ever in overtime and then the Brady fiasco on the final game of the regular season.  The bowl game that they lost to RPI the next week I promise you was not indicative of how they would have performed in the NCAA's.  They were pretty lifeless that day.  Just like when they played against Husson in 2008 during their next trip to the ECACs. 


Damn you Brady!!! 

Anyways yeah he is my vote for best player in the E8 over the last decade.  So many good ones though.

Pep appreciates this post. Pep remembers that game oh so well....and when Pep needs a little boost in his spirits, he replays that game in his mind. A rugged Fisher Defense couldn't find or tackle Julio Fuentes on a late fourth quarter drive culminating in a Saxon field goal and a 13-7 lead. (Fuentes will likely be seen at some AU games as his younger brother Maleke suits up as a Saxon). Pep believes that Brady shook up Suchyna's career, be it the first half power bomb or the last hit that resulted in a fumble with Fisher in the red zone threatening to pull out a squeaker. Suchyna, Pep suggests, was never the same.

But while we're talking about best players of past decade (and homers), Pep would like to introduce Jared Manzer into the discussion. 237 career catches for 3517 yards and 46 TDs...with a Fisher reject throwing to him three of his four years.

[sjfcards]

Here's another one: Most underrated player

My homer pick: Jamie Free. This was a fullback, who caught 91 passes in three season. Here's a great stat. In 2003 and 2004, Vinnie Dargush was a 1st team, all conference tight end. Here were his stats.:

68 catches, 793 yards, 11 TDs

Here were Free's those same two seasons:

76 catches, 853 yards, 7 TDs

A running back, maybe I could see it. But a fullback with those numbers is unheard of. I wish the E8 all-conference teams recognized the FB position so Free could get his due

I always thought James Reile was really underrated due to the fact that he was in the same backfield with one of the best RBs in E8 history. He was a more than capable runner and found a way to get carries even with Robby on the roster.

[Bombers798891]

Here's another one: Most underrated player

My homer pick: Jamie Free. This was a fullback, who caught 91 passes in three season. Here's a great stat. In 2003 and 2004, Vinnie Dargush was a 1st team, all conference tight end. Here were his stats.:

68 catches, 793 yards, 11 TDs

Here were Free's those same two seasons:

76 catches, 853 yards, 7 TDs

A running back, maybe I could see it. But a fullback with those numbers is unheard of. I wish the E8 all-conference teams recognized the FB position so Free could get his due

I always thought James Reile was really underrated due to the fact that he was in the same backfield with one of the best RBs in E8 history. He was a more than capable runner and found a way to get carries even with Robby on the roster.

While not in Robinson's class (who was?) he was absolutely a great, great back.

I have a hard time calling him "underrated" simply because he ran for 1,273 yards and 17 touchdowns and was tied for 1st-team all conference in 2005. Hard to fly under the radar with those numbers. He certainly could have put up better numbers sans Robinson, but I think any E8 fan would call him a total beast. I don't think there's another team in the conference he wouldn't have started for