FB: Liberty League

[pg04]

I seriously wonder if you would be so lax on this scandal if it involved any team outside of miami.  Just sayin'

[Jonny Utah]

Dear NCAA,

Instead of chasing $20 cover charges that may have been provided to players by Ponzi schemers, please spend your time on more fruitful subjects -- such as codifying a rule that states teams can only have one home and one away jersey style.  Please also require that there be some sort of symmetry in the color scheme.  Perhaps you could start with Maryland.  Thanks!

- Frank

I'm actually suprised but glad that Miami hasn't tried any of these funky uniforms yet.  I have to admit that I like the Oregon unis every time I see them, but these other teams are too much.  Georgia looked foolish and Maryland looked even worse.

[Knightstalker]

There was a twitter post out there that stated the Miami players thought the Maryland uniforms were so ugly you couldn't pay them to wear them.

[lewdogg11]

Got a bit to do today, but just a quick thought from the weekend in the LL....

What a BAD weekend for the Liberty League!!!  Reigning champ St. Lawrence gets stomped by Utica, MMA gets smoked by Johns Hopkins, WPI loses by 57 to Merrimack, and Union loses to Salve Regina!!!  I realize St. Lawrence winning the league last year was mostly due to the rest of the league completely sucking but I really expected more out of Union.  MMA and WPI were outmatched.  It's a rough start for sure. 

Congrats to Hobart.  Atleast we have 1 bright spot to hope for.  And i'm hoping RPI lives up to my expectations and can compete with world beater Alfred next week. 

All I can hope at this point is that Union goes 2-7 again, because we don't need the NEFC saying their 5th place team beat a top LL team.

[Frank Rossi]

I seriously wonder if you would be so lax on this scandal if it involved any team outside of miami.  Just sayin'

First off, it was a commentary on those gawdawful uniforms of Maryland.  However, regarding Miami, the Yahoo! Sports report and subsequent ESPN reports appear to show the value of giving the spotlight to a $1 billion Ponzi schemer who made a living off embellishing and exaggerating financial details.  In jail, it appears that he has continued to embellish and exaggerate financial details.  And you seem to be buying into it as much as his financial victims bought into his load of BS.  Miami players that did wrong are paying the price, but everybody and his brother I talk to is saying, "The findings are no different than what goes on at any other major FBS institution -- nothing unusual was seen in the NCAA's findings thus far."  So, let me ask you, PG, what was this guy's motivation in selling out the team he supposedly supported with hundreds of thousands of dollars of booster funds?

[Frank Rossi]

All I can hope at this point is that Union goes 2-7 again, because we don't need the NEFC saying their 5th place team beat a top LL team.

I'd be shocked if Salve doesn't win the NEFC.  As Keith pointed out in the "Around the Nation" podcast, Salve last year was the only team that had a defense ranked in the top 15 nationally that didn't make the playoffs.  Most of that defensive crux is back, and as long as they learn to balance their offense a bit more to allow Richie Edwards a little less resistence in his running, their offense seems to be on the right track.  It will be interesting to watch how they perform from here on out just to get some sort of indication of the NEFC's relative strength.

[Jonny Utah]

All I can hope at this point is that Union goes 2-7 again, because we don't need the NEFC saying their 5th place team beat a top LL team.

I'd be shocked if Salve doesn't win the NEFC.  As Keith pointed out in the "Around the Nation" podcast, Salve last year was the only team that had a defense ranked in the top 15 nationally that didn't make the playoffs.  Most of that defensive crux is back, and as long as they learn to balance their offense a bit more to allow Richie Edwards a little less resistence in his running, their offense seems to be on the right track.  It will be interesting to watch how they perform from here on out just to get some sort of indication of the NEFC's relative strength.

Well the entire ECFC is 0-8 as a conference.  It does make the LL look a little better.  But I thinkg Endicott, Curry, Plymouth St, and maybe another suprise team (Coast Guard) can take the NEFC.

[Doid23]

I'm actually suprised but glad that Miami hasn't tried any of these funky uniforms yet.  I have to admit that I like the Oregon unis every time I see them, but these other teams are too much.  Georgia looked foolish and Maryland looked even worse.

Agreed, I dig Oregon's unis. I'd argue that the Maryland helmets were the ugliest helmets ever. Actually, they are two of the ugliest helmets ever. Either side wouldn't work alone, and certainly didn't work together. I also agree with Skip Bayless' take:

"@realSkipBayless These Maryland uniforms are shockingly hideous. But guarantee you, they'll be talked about on every show tomorrow. National pub for Terps."

[Frank Rossi]

Why, though, Johnny?  Even if a surprise team bites Salve in NEFC play, usually one loss in their division (since Curry fell back down a bit) will at least get them to the NEFC Championship game.  I don't see the same strength in the list you made there.  Coast Guard is not the same team it was when it dropped down to the NEFC (also, CGA is not in Salve's division).  Plymouth State seems to have plateaued since its playoff year.  Endicott looked decent last year, but how much did they lose to graduation?  Curry had taken such a step backward last year with 2009 graduations that I still think they're going to lose a couple games (probably early).  Again, though, a lot of my projection relies on the offensive coaching looking back at why the fourth quarter provided a 22-point scoring frenzy for the team -- and how their play in the fourth quarter differed from the rest of the game (better balance).

[Jonny Utah]

Why, though, Johnny?  Even if a surprise team bites Salve in NEFC play, usually one loss in their division (since Curry fell back down a bit) will at least get them to the NEFC Championship game.  I don't see the same strength in the list you made there.  Coast Guard is not the same team it was when it dropped down to the NEFC (also, CGA is not in Salve's division).  Plymouth State seems to have plateaued since its playoff year.  Endicott looked decent last year, but how much did they lose to graduation?  Curry had taken such a step backward last year with 2009 graduations that I still think they're going to lose a couple games (probably early).  Again, though, a lot of my projection relies on the offensive coaching looking back at why the fourth quarter provided a 22-point scoring frenzy for the team -- and how their play in the fourth quarter differed from the rest of the game (better balance).

Well Coast Guard only needs 1 or 2 speed players like they did 2 years ago to beat anyone with that spread offense they run.  Curry recruits MA high schools like no other school I've seen so you don't know who they will get as freshman or soph.   Curry and Plymouth are two schools that are big enough up front to not get pushed around by anyone as well.  Endicott is probably in the same situation as Salve.  They are a program that keeps getting better and better.

[Yanks 99]

All I can hope at this point is that Union goes 2-7 again, because we don't need the NEFC saying their 5th place team beat a top LL team.

I'd be shocked if Salve doesn't win the NEFC.  As Keith pointed out in the "Around the Nation" podcast, Salve last year was the only team that had a defense ranked in the top 15 nationally that didn't make the playoffs.  Most of that defensive crux is back, and as long as they learn to balance their offense a bit more to allow Richie Edwards a little less resistence in his running, their offense seems to be on the right track.  It will be interesting to watch how they perform from here on out just to get some sort of indication of the NEFC's relative strength.

Maybe Salve does win the NEFC...but it is going to take a lot more than a win over what could be a bad Union team to make me think they will for sure, or be "shocked" if they don't.  In the context discussed above...Salve reminds me a bit of Utica.  In the discussion, but have never really won any meaningful games in their own league.  Maybe they are an "up and comer"...maybe they finish undefeated...but should they really be in the discussion of, or held in some high esteem, that one is "shocked if they don't win the NEFC"?  Based on what?  The fact that they finished 6-4 last year in what I can tell is their only winning season over the past decade in one of the worst leagues in the country, and a win to start this year over a team that finished 2-7 the season before?

I am going to need to see more first...

[lewdogg11]

All I can hope at this point is that Union goes 2-7 again, because we don't need the NEFC saying their 5th place team beat a top LL team.

I'd be shocked if Salve doesn't win the NEFC.  As Keith pointed out in the "Around the Nation" podcast, Salve last year was the only team that had a defense ranked in the top 15 nationally that didn't make the playoffs.  Most of that defensive crux is back, and as long as they learn to balance their offense a bit more to allow Richie Edwards a little less resistence in his running, their offense seems to be on the right track.  It will be interesting to watch how they perform from here on out just to get some sort of indication of the NEFC's relative strength.

Maybe Salve does win the NEFC...but it is going to take a lot more than a win over what could be a bad Union team to make me think they will for sure, or be "shocked" if they don't.  In the context discussed above...Salve reminds me a bit of Utica.  In the discussion, but have never really won any meaningful games in their own league.  Maybe they are an "up and comer"...maybe they finish undefeated...but should they really be in the discussion of, or held in some high esteem, that one is "shocked if they don't win the NEFC"?  Based on what?  The fact that they finished 6-4 last year in what I can tell is their only winning season over the past decade in one of the worst leagues in the country, and a win to start this year over a team that finished 2-7 the season before?

I am going to need to see more first...

I agree here.  And personally, I view the LL much higher than I do the NEFC.  Top teams in the NEFC, outside of a Curry win and a couple teams who scored a few touchdowns, have not fared well in-post season play against top competition.  So even if Salve is the cream of the NEFC crop, i'm hoping Union is down, because it looks bad on the LL if Union is a player.  I said the exact same thing last year with RPI's 6-3 win over Endicott, and it came true for the LL last year.  I'm hoping for a bounce back for the league.  If Union competes, it doesn't look good for the LL.  Right now, Hobart has shown potential, and RPI is an unknown that i'm staying optimistic about. 

[Frank Rossi]

Note:  My statement concerning Salve was made without relative comparison to Union, the Liberty League or any other conference other than the NEFC.  It was made solely to refute LD's assumption that Salve is the 5th best 2011 NEFC team (in what I assume is a slightly exaggerated statement to show he doesn't have faith in Salve).  Salve has now won six games in a row, five of which were league games.  They beat Curry and Plymouth State during that run.  That's my science on this matter.  You guys can debate among yourselves how one game defines the relative strength of two conferences.  I'll go get some Starbucks and watch.

[lewdogg11]

Note:  My statement concerning Salve was made without relative comparison to Union, the Liberty League or any other conference other than the NEFC.  It was made solely to refute LD's assumption that Salve is the 5th best 2011 NEFC team (in what I assume is a slightly exaggerated statement to show he doesn't have faith in Salve).  Salve has now won six games in a row, five of which were league games.  They beat Curry and Plymouth State during that run.  That's my science on this matter.  You guys can debate among yourselves how one game defines the relative strength of two conferences.  I'll go get some Starbucks and watch.

All i'm saying is in the eternal optimism of hoping that the LL is going to overcome their downward spiral of late, it didn't start well.

[Knightstalker]

Didn't TCNJ have the top rated or close to the top rated D a couple of years ago and as soon as they got out of region they got stomped on?  I know it was Mount doing the stomping but still they had a top ranked D.  A team can have a highly ranked D but if they are achieving it against the Blind Sisters of the Poor then it will get exposed.