ERGH! Adam Bergen Article

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Normally I'd be really happy about this draft article:

Bergen to Make Leap to NFL (http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/football/11431013.htm)

Then, when you read it, you read every - EVERY - bad cliche about a I-AA prospect ever written. Seriously, this has to be some sort of record.


Don't feel bad if Bergen's name doesn't sound familiar. Maybe only the most die-hard draft nerds or Patriot League fanatics have heard of Bergen, who led the Mountain Hawks and was fourth in the league with 54 catches for 634 yards and eight touchdowns.

...

National attention doesn't come easily for players like Bergen, who play in relative anonymity on small campuses with programs that have no national TV deals and, in Lehigh's case, gives no football scholarships.

...

The knock against players like Bergen and schools like Lehigh is the level of competition. Colgate, Bucknell and Villanova aren't exactly USC, Oklahoma or Miami.

First of all, TE Alex Holmes of USC might be taken *below* Adam Bergen in the draft. So obviously, level of competition really helped his draft position, right? :rolleyes:

Second, Colgate, Bucknell, and Villanova are not chump change, Villanova (#80), Colgate (#131) and Bucknell (#145) are pretty decent in the Sagarin rankings. Sure, they're not USC, Oklahoma or Miami (who is?). But they ain't Ball St. either.

Thirdly, they say "national attention doesn't come easy for the [Adam Bergen's of the world]... because there's no national TV deals." Well, I-AA.org honored him plenty of times during the year. He was on CSTV's national game of the week twice - versus Colgate and Lafayette. It's not like he's toiled in obscurity on public access TV. He has played to a national audience.

What a crock.

[Fordham]

who is Adam Bergen?

[polsongrizz]

Doesn't help when Adam is quoted as saying "I wouldn't expect people to come to Lehigh," he said. "It's out of the way and there's no one here."
As for the national attention you are correct that he has been on TV plenty of times. Yeah I-AA.org named him to their All-Star team this year, and AFCA/ECAC/Sports Network named him first team All-American. Heck, the writer's own organization (Associated Press) named him first team. What a dope! :rolleyes:
Did someone at Lehigh piss him off? Hard to believe he wouuld say this about the school he went to! :(

[Fordham]

all joking aside, I would guess that a quote like that can be attributed to being new to dealing with the media. He was likely joking around or trying to show that he's not upset about the fact that he didn't get more attention. Think about the question that must have been asked to get that response from him: something like "are you upset that you didn't have more national media coverage during your Lehigh career?" Now I understand there are different and better ways to answer the ?, but I don't think it's a big deal.

Just my .02.

[polsongrizz]

You are more than likely right about that Fordam. Didn't even get to that point of thinking.

[colgate13]

good thing he didn't go to Colgate... I wonder what he'd say about Hamilton! :eek:

[Engineer91]

good thing he didn't go to Colgate... I wonder what he'd say about Hamilton! :eek:


probably

I wouldn't expect people to come to Colgate," he said. "It's out of the way, there's no one here and its !#@%$! cold! ;)

Though the weather for the past week has been fantastic :cool:

... and in 2004 we had the 2003 NCAA DI-AA runner up and the 2004 NCAA DI-AA National Champion in town.

[ngineer]

Did someone at Lehigh piss him off? Hard to believe he wouuld say this about the school he went to! :(

You have to know the context of the quote. Bergen was referring to NFL scouts not naturally coming to Lehigh's campus as they would at Miami or Oklahoma. He was not referring to students coming to Lehigh. LU had well over 10,000 applications for 1,000 seats last year.

[Mr. C]

I guess these chumps have never heard of Brian Westbrook and Brian Finneran, who both played at Villanova. I expect Adam Bergen to do fine in the NFL, just like a bunch of other great I-AA players have done.