East Region Fan Poll

[Yanks 99]

I guess the "squeky wheel gets the grease".  Good read in today's Boston Globe about the Endicott Gulls.  Sorry can't link it the globe is a "pay to read page".  Yesterday a few of you were asking for stats, here you are.  Like all other stats they mean little. Each team needs to win the game on the field.

The Team is:
1)  Ranked 5thth in the “NATION” in Total Defense
2)  Ranked 10th in the “NATION” in Total Offense
3)   Ranked 10th in the “NATION” in Turnover margin (+12)
4)  Ranked 2nd in the “NATION” in Scoring Offense (Total Pts)
5)  Ranked 4th in “NATION” in Rushing Defense
6)  Ranked 6th in “NATION” in total First downs (Offense)
7)  Ranked 6th in “NATION” in 3rd down Def
8)  Ranked 5th in “NATION” in First Downs allowed
9)  Ranked 13th in “NATION” in sacks allowed Individuals:
10)   Endicott Has 5th ranked QB (QB rating) in “NATION”
11)   Endicott Has 2nd ranked RB (Total Yds) in “NATION”
12)   Endicott DB is leading “NATION” in total INT’s
13)   Endicott Has 2nd ranked K (Total FG’s) in the “NATION”

NCAA link (see National Rankings) http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/mainpage.jsp?year=2011

Those stats are great for Endicott in many aspects (recruiting, recognition, etc.)...but again, these stats are still only against other teams in the NEFC or the ECFC, which like I stated earlier is generally accepted by almost everyone as two of the weakest leagues in all of D3 football.  Could Endicott be the absolute best team in the East Region?  I guess anything is possible, though I am nearly 100% certain that they are not...and they never will even be considered as a top flight team, in my opinion, until they can prove that they can beat someone...anyone...that does not belong to the NEFC or the ECFC for the first time in their program's history.   

Endicott is off to a good start...and they will get a passing glance at the regional polls based on the fact that they are 7-0 and made the playoffs last year via the NEFC Pool A bid.  But they are the only team in the NEFC that should be getting some consideration right now.  WNEC has their one loss...to a bad team that got destroyed by Coast Guard. 

A lot of us are just looking at simple facts for now...and probably will continue to do so...until someone from the NEFC can win, and win at a marginally consistently level, against teams not in the NEFC or the ECFC. 

You want respect as a team, and even bigger as a league...get more than just a random win here and there (ie. Curry vs. Wick in 07 and Ithaca in 08) against teams from stronger leagues.  Be better as a league then 2-9 all time in the NCAA playoffs.    Stop scheduling ECFC teams for your non-league games.  Don't complain about long bus rides, especially ones that may be "3 hours long" one way.  You want to know about long bus rides?  Take a look at the E8 travel distances this year with the addition of Salisbury and Frostburg State.  Brockport and Buff State from the NJAC (though located in Western NY) have been traveling to NJ for years.  Endicott hasn't done any of these things yet...not just these past few seasons, but ever.  Curry came the closest to showing some consistency...getting playoff wins in back to back seasons in 2007 and 2008 after being the NCAA playoff participant doormat for the previous four seasons, but then proceeded to get lit up by their opponents in the next round (St. John Fisher in 2007 and Cortland in 2008).  Since then Curry hasn't been back to the playoffs, and the other NEFC reps have been pretty much destroyed in the opening round of the playoffs (Plymouth in 2008 as the committee got high as a kite that year and gave the NEFC two bids, Maine-Maritime in 2009, and Endicott in 2010).

You have to understand, many of us are suspect of the NEFC and the ECFC...and for good reason.  Last year some people were saying the same things about SUNY-Maritime that you are about Endicott.  I will fully admit, I am not the smartest person alive...but watching SUNY-Maritime go undefeated last year (but with close wins against Western Conn (0-10 in the NJAC) and the ECFC 2nd place team, Norwich, who had just left the E8 as a perennial doormat after a stellar conference record of 1-23 in their last 4 years in the league), I was pretty confident that their playoff berth was going to be a joke.  Quite a few people argued that they should have been ranked higher in the regional polls...and that they should have gotten a home playoff game (which I think they would have if their field was up to specifications).  I don't remember hearing a peep out of those people when the score was 50-0 out at Alfred...at halftime.

Look...I have argued for years that the East Region is not the weakest conference of the four come playoff time, and that it is a sham that Mount Union keeps getting shipped over here.  Having two weak conferences (the NEFC and the ECFC) get Pool A bids is not doing anything to help my argument, or to keep MUC out of our bracket.  With MUC coming to the East a near certainty seemingly every year, and the E8, LL, NJAC, MAC, NEFC, and ECFC getting bids...that pretty much leaves one lucky second place team having a shot at a Pool C bid, which greatly dilutes the East Region talent.

Bottom line, as much as you think I am railing on the NEFC (and I am) simply to rail on them, the truth is the entire East region NEEDS your teams and your league to be better.  And not just a little bit better...much better.  And to be frank, you aren't going to get there as a league by doing nothing but playing each other in the NEFC/ECFC every year, with the rare exception when someone decides to step up and play against a non-ECFC team.  You aren't going to get there by demanding teams garner consideration for rankings in polls simply because they might be good.  You aren't going to get there by complaining about long bus rides and showing us stats against pop-warner teams.  You want respect...earn it.

[Pat Coleman]

You want respect as a team, and even bigger as a league... Stop scheduling ECFC teams for your non-league games.

This is by far the biggest piece, right here. Most NEFC teams also schedule other NEFC teams as non-conference games. It might make you all feel good but it doesn't help programs get better. Salve Regina is on the right path in terms of scheduling.

[lewdogg11]

Rams, it's just a joke.  I'm sure KS gets it.  Just read back a few pages...

Yanks brings up a good point about the ECFC.  A few years ago, the NEFC WAS the ECFC.  The NEFC, at least the top 1-2 teams each year, has improved dramatically, and I do NOT see them in the same category.  Here is how the East Conferences shake out to me:

1-3:  NJAC, MAC, E8 no specific order
4:  LL


5:  NEFC








6:  ECFC

[Charles]

Just for Endicott to be in the NCAA conversation is nice. The stats pasted previously is against NEFC competition only, so there foresince there is obviously such a gap in programs nationally, the stats are really useless, nice, but useless. I agree with the previous poster that until any NEFC team starts scheduling outside New England that they won't have the credibility. However, Endicott for example is a 10 year old program. I am sure they still have alot of the original pads. Ten years from now if they continue to win consistantly then we will have to see. That being said, the curren team is mostly seniors and most are 4 year starters. They have 3 legitimate All Americans who along with probably 80% of their starters will graduate. What Endicott does the next few years will tell if they are a legitamate program or another Curry, Plymouth State, etc.

[lewdogg11]

Just for Endicott to be in the NCAA conversation is nice. The stats pasted previously is against NEFC competition only, so there foresince there is obviously such a gap in programs nationally, the stats are really useless, nice, but useless. I agree with the previous poster that until any NEFC team starts scheduling outside New England that they won't have the credibility. However, Endicott for example is a 10 year old program. I am sure they still have alot of the original pads. Ten years from now if they continue to win consistantly then we will have to see. That being said, the curren team is mostly seniors and most are 4 year starters. They have 3 legitimate All Americans who along with probably 80% of their starters will graduate. What Endicott does the next few years will tell if they are a legitamate program or another Curry, Plymouth State, etc.

Curry was good for a long time.  I think Endicott should strive to be like Curry's program.  I understand Plymouth St. because they aren't consistent, but to most in the East, Curry is the class of the NEFC and has gained plenty of respect.(enough so that they received an at-large bid)

[SJFF82]

I guess the "squeky wheel gets the grease".  Good read in today's Boston Globe about the Endicott Gulls.  Sorry can't link it the globe is a "pay to read page".  Yesterday a few of you were asking for stats, here you are.  Like all other stats they mean little. Each team needs to win the game on the field.

The Team is:
1)  Ranked 5thth in the "NATION" in Total Defense
2)  Ranked 10th in the "NATION" in Total Offense
3)   Ranked 10th in the "NATION" in Turnover margin (+12)
4)  Ranked 2nd in the "NATION" in Scoring Offense (Total Pts)
5)  Ranked 4th in "NATION" in Rushing Defense
6)  Ranked 6th in "NATION" in total First downs (Offense)
7)  Ranked 6th in "NATION" in 3rd down Def
8)  Ranked 5th in "NATION" in First Downs allowed
9)  Ranked 13th in "NATION" in sacks allowed Individuals:
10)   Endicott Has 5th ranked QB (QB rating) in "NATION"
11)   Endicott Has 2nd ranked RB (Total Yds) in "NATION"
12)   Endicott DB is leading "NATION" in total INT's
13)   Endicott Has 2nd ranked K (Total FG's) in the "NATION"

NCAA link (see National Rankings) http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/mainpage.jsp?year=2011

A few years ago TCNJ was the top ranked defense in the NATION, you can look up what happened when they got to Mt Union.  National rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt.  Endicott is ranked high based on a great record in weak conference, stopping the running game of WNEC is different than stopping Mt Union or UWW' running attack.

first of all "Knightstalker", I'm willing to bet that the NEFC has a team in Salem before any NJAC team returns.


and second, dude, you're way out of line dissing student athletes, that's just wrong and not very nice. They all work extremely hard from the 0-7 teams to the 7-0 teams.


saying kids suck is wrong, please refrain from calling our student athletes, perhaps on this board you may think that you're something special but to call out student athletes is rude  and wrong.

that is f-ing funny...i was reading it by scrolling not realizing it wasnt Charles/Softballs....and I was like "WTF....is they guy for real or what", and then it dawned on me as I was continuing to read....ahhh, this must be one of our resident jokesters....ala LD11


+K

[AUPepBand]

Pep had a feeling that mock post would fool a few....LD keeps us on our toes!  +K

[SJFF82]

I actually 'like' the stats of 'Dem New Spicy Girlz'

... they are 7-0, score alot, play defense and have many seniors as I pointed out in a prior post.  I was thinking about whether they had any players with nationally ranked statistics, and apparently they do.  Of course they are playing weaker opponents....but if they were 6-1 winning games 20-17, instead of being undefeated by an avg of 48-12, we would be yelling "start crushing your cream-puff opponents and then talk"....well they are.  Top flight players at key positions, that have experience, and have had a taste of success, and are hungry, are dangerous.

Hey...Aaron Rogers played JUCO cuz nobody recognized his talent....and those were expert recruiters...we are d3 bloggers that have never seen this team play....

Remember what Apollo Creed thought of Rocky.....

[SJFF82]

as for the whole schedule/strength of opponents thing....take SJF 2006 for example....they were still beating up some creampuffs as well....


They beat Kings, Mt Ida, Utica and Norwich by a combined 181-ZERO that year.  They only appeared legitimate because they had the OPPORTUNITY to play and beat Ithaca.  However, the rivalry had begun to form there and SJF had some cracks at them before....but not because they went and scheduled them, but because they were in their conference.     

I wonder how much weight you can put against Endicott for beating no one, while at the same time ignoring their margin of victory, point out-put and the fact they have kids highly ranked in national statistics...

[pg04]

Well when Endicott makes it to the National Semifinals let me know  . I understand your points and agree to some degree, and think that they do belong somewhere between 7 and 10 in the region.  I do use the mindset of "If these teams faced on a neutral field do I think Endicott would be such and such."  I think they'd lose in most games vs. Salisbury, Hobart, Del Val, Montclair... etc.  It's a subjective thought but it is what it is. 

[Charles]

Endicott has not won anything yet this season, in fact they may need to win out just to get the NCAA invite. 

[softballrz]

drop the may.  they will need to win out to get the NCAA bid.

[Knightstalker]

I actually 'like' the stats of 'Dem New Spicy Girlz'

... they are 7-0, score alot, play defense and have many seniors as I pointed out in a prior post.  I was thinking about whether they had any players with nationally ranked statistics, and apparently they do.  Of course they are playing weaker opponents....but if they were 6-1 winning games 20-17, instead of being undefeated by an avg of 48-12, we would be yelling "start crushing your cream-puff opponents and then talk"....well they are.  Top flight players at key positions, that have experience, and have had a taste of success, and are hungry, are dangerous.

Hey...Aaron Rogers played JUCO cuz nobody recognized his talent....and those were expert recruiters...we are d3 bloggers that have never seen this team play....

Remember what Apollo Creed thought of Rocky.....

Don't you mean what Mohammed Ali thought of Chuck Wepner?

[AUKaz00]

Remember what Apollo Creed thought of Rocky.....

Don't you mean what Mohammed Ali thought of Chuck Wepner?

I thought it was what Apollo thought of Ivan Drago.

If he dies, he dies.

[Frank Rossi]

Who am I going to see at the Montclair/TCNJ game tomorrow?