FB: Midwest Conference

[scottie]

So is it time to start looking ahead to 2013 yet???

Gee, let me think....  What team could be primed for a comeback to their rightful place atop the conference???   

[fulbakdad]

I think Lake Forest will be sitting pretty good.  But I hope the Coaches poll puts them in 8th or 9th!

On Defense, the Foresters return almost eveyone that started this year.  There are 2 seniors, but one of them is eligable for a 5th year due to a injury redshirt.  The Defense was the difference maker, I believe, from last year to this year.  They played hungry and looking for respect.  The 4 starting Linebackers and Van Meter behind them played very well and with the additional confidance from this year should return solid.  There were a couple Freshman D-backs that got some good playing time and showed some promise too.  If they can tighten up the pass defense some more, they could be scary.

On Offense, losing Scaffidi, Mitchell, Sobe, and Al-Mutawa will hurt.  Scaffidi was the true leader of this group.  His on field leadership will be missed.  But like every other team in the nation it's time for others to step up and take the torch. 

Junior QB Mike Lewis (I believe he has two years left to play) was in compitition with Scaffidi at the start of last year for the starting spot.  Like Bill Bellicheck said when asked about a player stepping in when someone left, it's not like we went out on the street to find a replacement.  Lewis had some big plays this year. One of my favorite TD's was when he took off like it was a QB sneak, then stopped when the LB's bit and threw a 10 yard toss to a wide open tight end. 

The Offensive Line was the big surprise this year.  There was only one starter at the begining of the season with any College playing time.  They came together and gelled through the year.  They played above all expectations.  I hope this year will only drive the harder next year.

Valdivia and Howe were solid running the ball behind Mitchell and both should do better next year.  Valdivia was the new kid who caught a lot of attention.  He runs tough, more of a north/south guy, and is hard to take down.

The recievers will have to jockey again for the "go to guy" label.  Sobe did it this year.  We'll see who steps up next year.

Talking to a couple of players from the past coupe years, they're all saying there's a different attitude with this bunch.  They are confident and a little cockey.  On Monday after losing to SNC, I saw numerous Tweet's about meeting in the Gym to get going on next year.  I like the attitudes and how Coach Cat is driving them. 

Looking forward to next August!

[wnc52]

I've been following this conference in some detail since I began playing for IC back in 1998.  It seems to me that once a few teams establish themselves at the top--and for a while it was just one team with St. Norbert--it takes several seasons for some new blood to break through.  That being said, is there any reason to think the top four for next season won't be Lake Forest, St. Norbert, Monmouth, and IC again?  I know IC was still fairly young, but not real sure about the other teams.

[fulbakdad]

And once again at D3football.com, the crew misses the boat.  They pick the all West teams and nobody from the two teams that won the conferance make the team, including the Midwest Conferance Offensive Player of the year.

Nice!

[Pat Coleman]

We definitely don't always agree with coaches' all-conference picks. All-conference picks tend to favor the champions and tend to favor the seniors, while we really try to favor the best players when we can (although, no doubt, we also tend to have a lot of seniors and a lot of players from conference champs -- good teams tend to have good players). Sometimes a sophomore is better than a senior.

For my ballot particularly, when I looked at how the coaches' pick and our pick fared against the other top common opponents in the conference, I saw a pretty significant difference that made me comfortable with picking against the coaches' selections.

[pg04]

And once again at D3football.com, the crew misses the boat.

So when else did they miss the boat in your opinion? Just wondering.

[Pat Coleman]

And once again at D3football.com, the crew misses the boat.

So when else did they miss the boat in your opinion? Just wondering.

Not ranking Salve Regina.

[pg04]

And once again at D3football.com, the crew misses the boat.

So when else did they miss the boat in your opinion? Just wondering.

Not ranking Salve Regina.

This is why I asked the question. I am hoping there was more basis to saying that. Because if that's it, results very quickly showed that wasn't a boat missed.

[fulbakdad]

I was gonna sit back and watch you two have a conversation answering questions for me longer but that's not really fun.

So if you don't use the All Conferance picks to come up with your choices, what do you use?  Just stats?

On defense, a team that loses more than it wins will boost the stats of thier players up because they are on the field longer and making more plays.  You're right, you shouldn't use the choices of the coach's that watch them each week. 

Or do you watch all of these players?  You've posted reply's to me that you don't. 

To say which boat did you miss, all you have to do is look at the East.  You picked a QB in a league that plays 8 games, against defensive players that absolutely don't measure up to 90 percent of the teams in other leagues, which makes it much easier to boost stats.  And I can say that because I've actually watched that league in a number of games, both in person and on video. 

I say instead of a group of guys that are far detached from where the teams are (or did you have a group from each area pick these teams?) defer to a group that is in the area.  And yeah, maybe the coaches that see them....To me you appear to be too focused on the top 10 teams in the country and then there is this soft spot for that league that doesn't play anyone else...

See, Salve didn't come into play at all.  I acknowledge they slipped up.  Haven't spoken about them for a while.  I was only doing that when they were actually trying to do the right thing and seemed to be going in the right direction.

[pg04]

You picked a QB in a league that plays 8 games, against defensive players that absolutely don't measure up to 90 percent of the teams in other leagues, which makes it much easier to boost stats.  And I can say that because I've actually watched that league in a number of games, both in person and on video. 

This is just an absurd statement. So you are saying that All the teams in the NESCAC are worse than 90 percent of the other teams in Division III?

Also, I'm not sure that because you've watched a handful of games, that makes you more knowledgeable than those who selected the team, but who knows.

[Pat Coleman]

I was gonna sit back and watch you two have a conversation answering questions for me longer but that's not really fun.

So if you don't use the All Conferance picks to come up with your choices, what do you use?  Just stats?

On defense, a team that loses more than it wins will boost the stats of thier players up because they are on the field longer and making more plays.  You're right, you shouldn't use the choices of the coach's that watch them each week. 

Or do you watch all of these players?  You've posted reply's to me that you don't. 

To say which boat did you miss, all you have to do is look at the East.  You picked a QB in a league that plays 8 games, against defensive players that absolutely don't measure up to 90 percent of the teams in other leagues, which makes it much easier to boost stats.  And I can say that because I've actually watched that league in a number of games, both in person and on video. 

I say instead of a group of guys that are far detached from where the teams are (or did you have a group from each area pick these teams?) defer to a group that is in the area.  And yeah, maybe the coaches that see them....To me you appear to be too focused on the top 10 teams in the country and then there is this soft spot for that league that doesn't play anyone else...

See, Salve didn't come into play at all.  I acknowledge they slipped up.  Haven't spoken about them for a while.  I was only doing that when they were actually trying to do the right thing and seemed to be going in the right direction.

Fulbakdad -- I know you are still relatively new to this site but this is not our first rodeo. I've been watching D-III ball closely since 1992. We know a decent defensive player can rack up huge stats on a bad defense. We know the guy who has a lot of interceptions may not be the best corner on his team because they're avoiding the other corner. I know you don't respect the NESCAC, but others do, and in all honesty, if ONE time in eight years we name a NESCAC kid the offensive or defensive player of the year, I'm fine with that and I will have no problem sleeping at night.

You shouldn't have to guess as to the geographic makeup of the voter group. It's written in black and white.

I know you apparently think that I am stupid, but I promise you, it just isn't the case. Been here, done that, and have learned quite a lot in two decades.

[fulbakdad]

You two are quick!

PG I didn't say that all NESCAC teams are in the bottom 90.  I said that he was playing against players that are in the bottom 10 percent.  But take a step back and think.  I will agree that 2 or 3 NESCAC teams could COMPETE in lower conferances each year.  Not win, but compete.  Each team is sprinkled with 10 plus good players, but then finished off with some marginal players.  Below the two or three top teams there is a big drop off. 

And to be honest, I'm not against the NESCAC players, it's you (whoever you who make these choices on this site) who choose thier teams and rate them up on your rating lists.  How do you base your ratings?  They only play themselves!  You can at least rate the NEFC and ECF, they play outside of thier leagues (some more than others).  Until Trinity or Amherst go and suit up with someone out of NESCAC, they should be left out of the team ratings!

The NESCAC teams are sprinkled with good players, but not throughout thier lineups and 2 deep.  I have experience with the NEPSAC players which are pretty common players on these teams.  So I've seen them before they got there and watched them now they're there. 

If you took a GOOD QB, let's just say for sake, like Scaffidi (LFC).  I truly believe he would tear that league up.  But Scaffidi played against a number of good defense's this year.  His numbers were down from last, but as a player, he was very good this year.

If you take a reciever like Green (SNC), he would have huge numbers with defenses in the NESCAC as long as he had a decent QB getting him the ball.

A running back like Mitchell (LFC) get's overlooked for the region team because why?  His numbers were split on running and recieving pretty equal.  He was a dual threat this year and was named the Conferance Offensive player of the year.

Pat, Never said you were dumb.  Looked back at all of my posts.  Can't see where I even came close to that.  But you are not a fan of anyone challenging your thoughts.  I will say that. 

This is a public board.  I am posting in the MWC section.  I am just posting my thoughts......

[Pat Coleman]

In football, the Midwest Conference can't be far removed from the NESCAC. You can't simultaneously argue for more MWC support and less NESCAC support. Yes, as you have noted many times, the NESCAC plays only within itself, but they are in Division III and we are not going to ignore them just because you watched some video of their opening week game after everyone else had been playing for three weeks. Everything is a judgment call in a division of 239 teams that barely play out of conference games and even less often play out of region games. But that's why we get the small money.

[pg04]

PG I didn't say that all NESCAC teams are in the bottom 90.  I said that he was playing against players that are in the bottom 10 percent.

I must be the only one who doesn't understand this...

[fulbakdad]

Pat,  Can you tell me the post where I said the MWC was anywhere above anyone? But since you asked, I would put these five conferances in the following order.  1 Liberty League, 2 MWC, 3 NEFC, 4 NESCAC and ECFC tied. 

PG, I said PLAYERS, not teams.  You will find some very weak players in the NESCAC. And a good QB and coaching staff will find the weak players and expliot them.

One thing I find funny, is if I go back and look at prior posts, it's totally ok for some to blast teams or conferances, but if others question picks, you go and blast them too.  I've watched others stop posting when this happens and thinking of doing the same.