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I thought it was great having the LeBron welcome party and the Browns Family Night on campus. I think it would be awesome having thousands of people who would not otherwise see what UA really is, walking on campus every day for two weeks. I want to see enrollment start trending upward again. I want to see the U break the community college stigma it has in NEOhio. I look for ways of getting asses on campus, that's why I believe in an on-campus arena that hosts many other events, getting asses on campus and creating revenue on an otherwise money pit for the U. (Just like the Browns training camp could). I'm proud of where I graduated. I'm proud of the National Championship too, but I am not convinced having training camp here would ruin the program forever. BTW there are threads about this week's football and soccer games. But most people are like minded in those threads. It's where there's a difference of opinion that a thread often takes off.

Thanks. That's what I thought you were saying. Good to have a tangible piece of evidence, whichever way it leans. I wonder if UA officials ever bothered to poll the current student population about this among other demographics. It would be interesting to have some sense of the impact of the look/feel of the campus on student selection of UA. It's interesting that when I attended UA, it was an "urban" campus with Buchtel and Carroll Streets open, yet enrollment was 26k - 28k. Spring 2014 shows 23,342 at Akron main campus. I'm trying to verify my figure for 1987, but the page won't load from UA's website. EDIT: Of course, when I started at Akron in 1982, the cost was ~$37/credit hour with open enrollment. I think the tuition cost was the lowest in the state. That would trump a lot of factors especially with local commuting students who didn't have to add room and board. Gasoline was also in the $1/gallon range. Can't compare enrollment then vs now. Data is skewed.

Their board is rather hilarious when you look at their analysis of our team and the potential outcome of the game. Some of their fans think that they will hang 60 on us! They are a delusional bunch over there. I kind of enjoy them thinking that we are still the same pile of dog shit team we were a few years ago. I can't wait until Saturday.

A 2nd reliable source tells me there are no "rent' (payments) from the Browns in the proposal. Will funding from parking and concessions be enough to make this a worthwhile venture? Crickets chirping from the records officer thus far. Not even a response stating he received my e-mail and will get back with me. Plenty of logical reasons why hasn't responded for me not to question his motives, and I do mean that. He could be on vacation or swamped with other things and my request is waiting in his queue for him to get to it. I will give him more time, and then call tomorrow to ensure he received it and find out if he needs clarficiation as to what I want. As far as the AD, President, and others, even the best people can make mistakes when they don't give due diligence to what they're doing. Sometimes, they make mistakes even if they do, but at least they went into it with eyes wide open. The purpose of my quotes from the AD was to point out that he is often wrong and has been BIG TIME wrong in the past. The things he stated about Rob Ianello were so far off the mark, I can't believe Tom still has his job. It also points out that it is completely possible to have a resume that may paint of picture of a person in one light, yet their actions prove otherwise. Trust and respect are earned. The new UA president may have an outstanding resume, but he has to earn my trust through his actions. I'm not giving it away so easily as some would just from reading a piece of paper. This president has already earned a demerit by saying one thing "We told Moody’s and Fitch that we would be a disciplined organization, with disciplined people engaged in disciplined thought and actions." and doing another ... having Tom put together a proposal in 2 weeks. Two weeks is not enough time for diligence, and Tom Wistricill has not demonstrated the leadership necessary to understand what he's putting together and all of it's potential repercussions. Another well-meaning, Texas-born president of UA told us back in the 1980's that we were getting a great, new arena for the University of Akron. The result was the JAR. He also said that our first football coach from Notre Dame would bring glory to the Zips. Yeah, that turned out well. Took the Zips 23 years to return to the NCAA Basketball Tournament after Bob Huggins went to Cincinnati following that great decision. Keener'92 had a good point. I don't want to join the illustrious ranks of the institutions that he listed. That group indicates this not to be the helpful venture it's thought to be. I suggest that members on this board heed the advice implied in Spin's signature line from Steven Covey. "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." It could also be said that "Many people do not read with the intent to understand; they read with the intent to reply." I sincerely thank everyone who has responded positively or negatively to my posts and I do mean that. It took me awhile, as I said in an earlier post, to understand that I started this thread over the wrong issue. The real issue is the effect of the Browns Training Camp on UA as a whole. That is the point I will continue to make to university officials in any correspondence I have with them. I believe UA is on the verge of entering into an agreement of which they have not diligently explored all of the possible outcomes/repercussions. UA could get into an agreement with the Browns that doesn't fulfill the administratrations hopes and further strains an already overly constrained budget. How often have we seen politicans enact something, and it has an effect they didn't expect. Business owners have a real stake in their business because it is their livelihood, and they make decision based on business models, risk asessments, cost-benefit analyses, etc. Politicans, including university presidents, don't have the same motivation. If they make a mistake one place, they can move on to another. As fknbuflobo stated, UA students and alumni are the ones left with the mess. I made the mistake of being satirical along the way and pissing off Browns fans and others with incendiary remarks. I apologize for that. I think most of us can agree that we love UA, or we wouldn't even be on this forum. I encourage all of you to demand more of UA's leaders than just assumptions and hope. Those of us who pay tuition or make donations to UA deserve it. That answers the question of why the president and AD should have brought this subject to light at Saturday night's soccer alumni event. There were many donors in that room who give significant yearly donations to UA. They deserve proper respect from the UA Administration who are only with UA temporarily. EDIT: I bolded things not for emphasis or to shout them out but rather to point them out since this turned out to be "a novel". I think you can read the bold print and get most of my points if you don't want to read everything.

Anyone who isn't familiar with Vision 2020, the blueprint for UA's future, should take a closer look. Hosting the Browns training camp fits well into the following three Strategic Pathway sections: * Connectivity for Economic Vitality (This involves working with the local community to enhance economic vitality for the whole area and not just UA. It's well documented that Berea businesses get a positive economic bump from the thousands of Browns fans who flock there for training camp. That enhancement could be transferred to benefit the Akron area's economic vitality.) * Campus and Community Enhancement and Engagement (This involves engaging community members by attracting them to various activities on campus. The Akron Beacon Journal has documented that there is more interest among Akron citizens in the Browns than in Zips athletics. If UA brings the Browns on campus for the benefit of local citizens, it would represent one of the biggest and most popular examples of community enhancement and engagement. Part of the positive spinoff may be more local interest generated for UA and Zips athletics.) * Enhancing Revenues to Support Growth (This involves broadening and diversifying UA's revenue sources. Renting facilities to the Browns during their training camp offers a new opportunity. It requires that the Browns pay a rental fee that more than covers UA's expenses. Someone in a single department at UA might see only the potential negative impact to their little world while those at the top with knowledge of the full impact on all aspects of UA would understand the overall benefit, i.e. the big picture. Revenue growth is an area where Dr. Scarborough has a reputation for being especially effective.)

There are three personnel packages that employ a 0 back offense, 00, 01, and 02. 00 would be no RB, no TE, and five WR. 01 would be no RB, one TE, and four WR. 02 would be no RB, two TE, and three WR. A couple of weeks ago on the coach's show he made a comment about the QB leading the team in rushing at Akron, I thought a 0 package might be in the Zips offensive future. The red zone becomes an issue when running 0x as your "base." Obviously you change out of a 0x based package when you enter the red zone, but the lack of reps sometimes becomes an issue. Go back and look at my photography from the Howard game. Look at the first offensive set compared to what personnel package Tommy Woodson was given in the same game after the "dogs" were called off. Watch the substitutions on both offensive teams during the game to see how the packages change. You will start to recognize situational trends and how teams adjust. One analyst on the NFL sirius radio keep track of how many times each personnel packages are used by each team on Sundays. Here is an example of Scott Linehan's offense (Cowboys) first week 11 Personnel (51.62%) 12 Personnel (19.74%) 21 Personnel (13.26%). Here are the 2013 numbers from every NFL team. BTW, PFF is awesome to show what player is grading high and low each week. Don't count out running the ball out of a 0 package. QB sneak and end around are effective in this package. You can also audible into a 1 package, if you have a WR that can either run, or block (blitz pick up)....or have a TE, that can also play fullback/h-back. Lot's of options that are mainly based on the talent you have on your team. Going to this sort of package might be what people like to say, "playing to your strengths." Maybe AJ and staff, have discovered tape of the Herd D struggling with this package. Maybe they just wanted to install this package for future use, and had the time to do it during the bye week. Again I apologize for the Steeler reference, but it's what I know. Back when Ken Whisenhunt (successfully) run the Steelers offense he used a lot of 00 personnel. I loved it. Since then, they have not run it. This year I noticed the 00 personnel set has returned on a few series. Maybe Snoop is the difference. ;-) The Dri injury has probably limited the use of the 00. Dri gives a QB good options out of the 00, to audible into the 10 easily. Right or wrong, this is one of the reasons the Steelers placed value on his skill set. Edit: They get Lance Moore (Toledo) back this week. Let's see if we don't see some 00 against the Panthers on Sunday night. Hopefully it's not when they are down 21. If this subject interests you, I recommend this book. Take Your Eye Off the Ball, is a book that takes you inside a coach's mind as he builds a roster or constructs a game plan, to the line of scrimmage with the quarterback, and the chess match between offense and defense. There is an entire chapter on personnel sets and what you can learn when you watch other things than just the ball. I heard a former NFL player yesterday say "you can only learn about 20 percent of what is going on when you watch a game on tv." When you are at a game, you have the opportunity to "take your eye off the ball" and learn whats really going on...if you know what to look for.

Has anyone calculated the price of the publicity and "eyes on campus" that such an event (check that, 14 events) would provide? Each one in Berea had >8000 eyes. A camp with more capacity and centrally located in the market could draw a lot more daily. Or are we still ignoring the concept?

Is this the blackout game?

An undefeated Group of Five team (AAC, MAC, C-USA, Sun Belt, MWC) can certainly make a major bowl but just like before it is not guaranteed. What is guaranteed is that one team from those five conferences will be playing in a major bowl. This year the Rose and Sugar Bowls serve as part of the playoff so a Group of Five team will be in one of the Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, or Peach Bowls. This team, as far as I know though, has to be the highest ranked conference champion of the Group of Five conferences. So if a 10-2 Group of Five Champ, lets say UCF, is ranked #16 and an undefeated MAC squad is ranked #17 then UCF goes to the big bowl. Technically, the committee could put the undefeated MAC school in a major bowl as an at-large but one would have to doubt that they'd ever pick them over a second place power conference team.