[ZachTheZip]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

[GP1]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

Of course he is. Pick the defensive guy who has no chance of getting hired because the mac is an offensive league. It gives you something to bitch about during this off season and the first losing season. You will have 18 months of material.

[ZachTheZip]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

Of course he is. Pick the defensive guy who has no chance of getting hired because the mac is an offensive league. It gives you something to bitch about during this off season and the first losing season. You will have 18 months of material.

Or maybe I picked him because he would be the best hire for football that Akron has made in a long time. Much better than Winters. Slightly ahead Johnson.

[Buckzip]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

Of course he is. Pick the defensive guy who has no chance of getting hired because the mac is an offensive league. It gives you something to bitch about during this off season and the first losing season. You will have 18 months of material.

Yes, the MAC is an offensive conference, so maybe hire a defensive guy to give Akron a little edge there.
If he is the right coach, I don't care if he is an offense guy or a defense guy.

As long as he hires a solid OC, I don't see a problem. There are plenty of programs that have defensive minded head coaches but have great offenses. Beckman at Toledo was a defense guy but had a good offense at UT.

[ZipRoo]

WHO is the "mystery" fourth candidate, whose name is not confirmed? Anyone we should be "excited" about? Geez, I'd hope that a *nationwide search* would produce more than the Usual Suspects identified already.

[Buckzip]

WHO is the "mystery" fourth candidate, whose name is not confirmed? Anyone we should be "excited" about? Geez, I'd hope that a *nationwide search* would produce more than the Usual Suspects identified already.

Nick Saban. He loves a challenge.

[ZachTheZip]

ESPN article on Akron being interested in Mike Johnson

[Dave in Green]

Here's the key quote I see in that story:

"I love L.A.," Johnson said. "L.A. is a place I grew up and a place I've always called home and I like it here."

Zips will have a much better chance with someone who can make the same statement about Akron or NEO rather than L.A.

[Dr Z]

ESPN article on Akron being interested in Mike Johnson

I just can't see MJ taking this job unless Akron is willing to overpay. Maybe some donor is willing to step up.

[zestycoyote]

Here's the key quote I see in that story:

"I love L.A.," Johnson said. "L.A. is a place I grew up and a place I've always called home and I like it here."

Zips will have a much better chance with someone who can make the same statement about Akron or NEO rather than L.A.

Exactly. As much as I love MJ's résumé, if he doesn't want to be here, I don't want him here.

We need an Akron guy. Is that Winters? Maybe.

[InTheZone]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

Of course he is. Pick the defensive guy who has no chance of getting hired because the mac is an offensive league. It gives you something to bitch about during this off season and the first losing season. You will have 18 months of material.

Right on.

[BirdZip]

Here's the key quote I see in that story:

"I love L.A.," Johnson said. "L.A. is a place I grew up and a place I've always called home and I like it here."

Zips will have a much better chance with someone who can make the same statement about Akron or NEO rather than L.A.

Maybe L.A. = Lower Akron.

[Lee Adams]

The attack on Paul Winters found elsewhere on this board is stupid. Frankly, most of the posts on the topic of the coaching search have been without foundation and are based on nothing more than some random facts that some lonely guy reads on the web at 8:30 p.m. and then spews back as if it is personal knowledge. This cycle is repeating again and again and it is sad.

It would be nice if people would stick to posting facts and things that they know first hand. Trouble is, this board and others like it would be blank if fact were a guiding light. Opinions should be based in something other than what your mind can conceive or what your barber's third cousin's carpenter told you over a beer over at the Moose Lodge. All of the ignorant posts here shape the environment that is part of the program. Akron Football is toxic - a career killer - because for all of the great things that we have going for us there is an overriding sense of false entitlement and that bricks and mortar make a championship program. It's a part, but what can anyone state factually about this program over the last 10 years other than when we played at the Rubber Bowl that we had more entertaining teams and a more Akron type attitude. Blue collar -go to work - get it done.

Here are the facts.

Akron Football is in the toilet. Easily the worst in D1 FBS football.

Akron Football has the best facilities in the MAC. These facilities have the potential to lift us up but in hindsight have made us soft.

Akron Football needs someone who knows how to build programs to revive the tradition of Larson and Dennison. We have gone the big time assistant route for the last four hires and NONE of them were ready to be a D1 head coach in all facets and NONE of them had any type of winning head coaching history on the D1 level. Not Faust, not Owens, not Brookhart of Ianello.

Akron Football, save for a very scant few moments, has been in the crapper since Jim Dennison was dumped for Gerry Faust.

The University of Akron can hire all of the consultants to help with the hire - national firms with big resumes - but in the end all politics are local. A big firm hired Rob Ianello - the biggest of them all - how did that work out? A big firm hired JD Brookhart, how did that work out?

At some point common sense has to come into play.

If there is a God then the only reason why a search firm was paid $25,000 to participate in this search was to cover the butts of the President and his overpaid administration in bringing in the most common sense coach to take over this program - Paul Winters. The problem is that none of these people have the knowledge or the fortitude to make this hire without an outside person telling them that it is OK. Most search firms want to make hires of coaches from big time schools because it makes them look better. See the previous four hires who came from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Big names, big let downs.

Those who do not respect history are doomed to repeat it.

Get off the psycho cycle and make the right hire. Akron has now invested over $120,000,000 in football over the past decade with salaries, buyouts, facilities (field house, outdoor practice facility, stadium, offices) and for that the deliverable has been one MAC title and only 3 winning seasons. 43 wins, 77 losses, 3 head coaches, 3 ADs, 1 President.

There is one head coach that is still coaching a team in 2011 that can lead us to a better place.

So, you have the only valid opinion in these forums?

You use a stupid post from one person as an argument to shut down the coaching search, and to select the guy you like best. A bit arrogant, don't you think?

I happen to disagree with you. I would be angry if UA did not conduct a thorough search to find the best coach to lead this program.

Who IS the BEST coach? I certainly don't sit here and pretend to know. You could throw out a name,he could end up hereand win the MAC next year. Or,he could end up like Ianello. We all have a list of what WE think are qualifications for the next guy. But,who is it?

[Zipgrad01]

Here's the key quote I see in that story:

"I love L.A.," Johnson said. "L.A. is a place I grew up and a place I've always called home and I like it here."

Zips will have a much better chance with someone who can make the same statement about Akron or NEO rather than L.A.

Exactly. As much as I love MJ's résumé, if he doesn't want to be here, I don't want him here.

We need an Akron guy. Is that Winters? Maybe.

We don't need an Akron guy. No Akron guy has been a winner here. We need "THE GUY" to turn around the program. I don't care where he is from.

[Doug Snyder]

Of the four finalists, Paul Winters excites me the least.

Narduzzi is my top candidate.

Of course he is. Pick the defensive guy who has no chance of getting hired because the mac is an offensive league. It gives you something to bitch about during this off season and the first losing season. You will have 18 months of material.

Right on.

Narduzzi is the favorite of more than just Zach. Unless you think others have the same reason for picking Narduzzi...maybe we should cut the kid some slack.

I pick: Narduzzi