InTheZone

He was probably drunk. The guy's an alcoholic and a completely classless moron. He has quite a reputation around the coaching profession, and bashing his former team is right in line with that. He sucked as a coordinator here and I'm sure he sucks as a linebackers coach there. How does it feel, Mr. Fleming, to be over 50 years old and stuck as a position coach at Can't State, having made no progress whatsoever as a coach in the last 25 years of your career? All success we had as a defense in 2004 and 2005 was a result of Associate Head Coach and LB's coach Matt Wallerstedt. Fleming was the coordinator, but all the guys I talked to said Wallerstedt was the one designing the game plans and running defensive meetings. I think we all saw the result when Wallerstedt left after the '05 season. The defense went from a top 25 ranking to god awful in a very short period of time. When left to his own devices, Fleming showed what an incompetent bozo and failure as a coach he really was. He deserves to be an assistant coach at Can't State and Can't State deserves him.

Through the first part of the season, the similarities are striking.... Open the season against a subpar BCS opponent who we thought we could compete with and get blown out? CHECK 2004- Penn State 48, ZIPS 10 2010- Syracuse 29, ZIPS 3 Follow that up with a last second loss to a completely inferior opponent who was scheduled for an easy win? CHECK 2004- MTSU 31, ZIPS 24 2010- GWU 38, ZIPS 37 Recieve an absolute ASS KICKING from a second BCS opponent? CHECK 2004- Virginia 51, ZIPS 0 2010- Kentucky 47, ZIPS 10 Get absolutely HAMMERED by NIU? CHECK 2004- NIU 49, ZIPS 19 2010- NIU 52, ZIPS 14 A struggling head coach gets his first W at Dix Stadium as an underdog and proves once again that Can't State really does suck? TBD 2004- ZIPS 24, Can't 19 2010- WE SHALL SEE The second half of the season in 2004 was full of MAC lightweights and we went on a 5 game tear. As I recall, we had all equally lost faith then, though it's always easy to view the present as the worst it's ever been. In 2004, we found a spark in Brett Biggs and a few leaders on defense took charge and turned things around. Will the 2010 Zips find their spark??

JUCO at QB? I don't know... What I do know about QB is you can surround yourself with absolute garbage, and instantly win 4-5 games in the MAC, if you have a great scrambling/playmaker quarterback. Cribbs and Edelmann are two prime examples. Frye, to a lesser extent. Nate Davis leaves Ball State and they go from Top 15 to Bottom 10. http://www.fliqz.com/aspx/permalink.aspx?v...eb23c3d742a3897 Could this be the guy we're looking for? Reminds me a lot of #5.

He plays special teams. I have yet to see him in the backfield.

With the heart we've got on this team, they'd probably be content to just walk across the sidelines and give it back, so long as they could still collect their scholarship checks.

I wouldn't count him out yet.... a lot of guys I played with "left the team" for "personal reasons" for a little while before returning. The difference was we didn't have Rasor reporting everytime someone scratched their balls (not that we all don't appreciate that obviously). Whether he does or doesn't return, RI should have one thing on his mind right now: JUCO JUCO JUCO. JUCO at QB, JUCO at RB, JUCO at WR, JUCO on the O Line, JUCO in the secondary. A lot of top JUCO guys are just looking for an assurance that they'll come in and play, being that they have a limited time left to do so, and I think RI could certainly guarantee most of them that. Normally I would be opposed to building a team on JUCOs, but if RI doesn't turn this around quick, he will be fired after next season. He doesn't have time to "build" a program the "right way". Plus, it's in the Zips program's best interest at this point to get some guys in who can help us NOW. Building a team on JUCOs and winning will be far less destructive for the long term than laying claim to the nation's longest losing streak and becoming a complete joke. Win now, and we can get those good freshman recruits for the future. Go 0-24 over the next 2 seasons and it wont matter if we're playing in Buckingham Palace, no one is going to want to come here.

Spot on skip. That's what I've been trying to tell people. This year's team is experienced and talented. If we were going to win something, this would be the year to do it. It's not like we can look at this team and say "oh, well we're just young, wait until next year!". That's not the case at all. As hard as it is to fathom, we'll probably be worse next year. RI will probably be gone sooner rather than later. If he can't win with what he has this year, we might not come within 3 touchdowns of anybody next year.

Here's a question... Let's say by some miracle we win the East. Let's say we win it at 5-3 like we did in '05. We head into the MAC title game at 5-7, and somehow pull off a miraculous win. We're MAC champs at 6-7. Do we get a bowl bid with a losing record? If this scenario were to happen, it'd be the biggest turnaround of the century. I don't think we can win 2 games, much less 5. But I've always wondered about a scenario like that. If it can happen anywhere, it's the MAC

When are you getting the heck out of town so we can start cleaning up the mess you've already made?

"...three-year starter at running back and four-year varsity performer... considered one of the top running backs in the Midwest and the nation... finished as the school's second-leading all-time rusher with 3,727 yards... rated the 19th-best running back in the nation and the sixth-ranked player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com... ranked with four stars by Rivals.com and Scout.com... ranked 25th in the country by Scout.com." "Martin rushed for 21 touchdowns and more than 1,600 yards as a senior at Boling Brook High School (Ill.), and - in addition to Louisville - received scholarship offers from Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. He spent the majority of his redshirt season as a Cardinal nursing injuries." He is by far the most highly recruited and prized talent on our roster. And yet he never sees the field. What gives? Have all the injuries just taken their toll where he isn't close to the talent he used to be or is he an attitude problem guy? Anyone know?

Wow, that was certainly a different day for Zips football. What that team lacked in ability, it certainly made up in desire and heart. Starters on that team like Jay Rohr, Brian White, Dion Elie, Luke Getsy, Brett Biggs, Mike Donaldson, Jason Montgomery, etc. certainly weren't elite talents, but they played each and every week ABOVE their abilities, and you could just tell they took pride in their school and what they were playing for. This team is the exact opposite. It has a lot of talent, b,ut just doesn't give a damn. Outside of Alex Allen (who coincidently, or not so coincidently, was on that team), the guys now could care less about Akron, winning, or accomplishing anything above themselves.... they just collect their paychecks (scholarships) and show up on Saturday. The best thing RI could do right now would be to bring a few of those old guys in and let them explain what it means to put on the Blue and Gold and represent your school and your alumni. Maybe they should also get one of those rings fl@shed in their face and be told what it feels like to be a champion as opposed to a joke and a loser. I really wish Brett Biggs was still here and working in the strength staff, he knew what I'm talking about better than anyone.

You not going Roo?

Nori was a complete tool. Guys I played with that had the displeasure of having him for a coach in the early JD years said he was nothing but a hot head that had no clue how to coach. I'm sure there was elation amongst the team when he parlayed his NFL connections into a job. A few years later, he's at Stow High School. Go figure.

Maybe I had one too many cocktails at an early dinner, but I've got a funny feeling about this one, same feeling I had before NC State in '06. Against all evidence and all logic, Zips win straight up.

I have been awaiting a certain player-to-be-listed from you all day long. Don't let me down! James Battle Geof Beuchesne Bret Hrivnak Jarvis Givens. I don't know who you mean. I'm very disappointed in you. Click here if you are a quitter. What would of made you think that? Was I enamored with him or something? I don't recall. I was happy we got him but I wasn't that concerned with him. Now, if you would have said kevin Garner that would be different. Kevin Garner, Terricko Marshall, Antwon Hight, Marlon Terry, Dantley Cline, Jerell Stoudemire.... I think we have our entire D-line on one of JD's "big time recruits" classes alone!

ITZ, you've been in England a while now. Are you implying Brutus has a face that looks like a cigarette? That was exactly my implication jz Actually I've been back in the US for a while now. I should change my location.

The complete fag look permanently painted on Brutus' face makes this picture even better!

I dont know how good i would be at legends of the practice squad, but there were some pretty good players during the Faust years that spent/are spending time in prison. Now that would be a fun topic. I'll have to put some thought into it. We could call it "Legends of the prison exercise yard brought to you by the University of Akron.....or something like that. If we can get 22 guys from that, it will be truly sad! Only guy off the top of my head that I played with that served any real time was Thomas Plummer.

My first nominee at QB has got to be Jonathan Gill, a walk-on with arm strength not even surpassed by the legendary Brett Farve. I mean this guy could damn near throw the ball 100 yards, and could fire a 50 yard bullet that would break a receiver's hands. Most of his passes in practice were dropped because they were simply thrown too hard for anyone to catch. It's too bad his accuracy stunk and he couldn't read a defense to save his life. He was a true legend of the practice field.

There's room for all. We can have a depth chart.

Something to keep it light during a sickening season. We all know those guys who we hear great things about, who show up on rosters and depth charts in the spring, who we hear are maybe in camp, and then never, for one reason or another, find the field. Who's on your Zips all-time "Legends of the Practice Field" team? We all now the recent ones like Bain and Tonga, but I'm curious to see who the old timers around here can dig out of their memory. We've certainly had quite a few of them through the years. NOMINEES: QB- Jonathan Gill RB- Ben Ruhlin, EJ Lilly, Christian Morgan WR- TE- OL- DE- DT- Ryan Bain LB- CB- S- K- P-

Ooooh the memories... Can Patrick Nicely pull a Getsy? He was looking pretty pathetic before he turned things around for a MAC title. Thoughts?

Let's take one of our best defensive players, put him on offense, and then not play him. Another genius move by Captain Fighting Irish.

Thanks Mrs. Nicely. And oh btw, your son sucks.

Here's a 3-star JUCO, #2 JUCO QB in the country according to rivals, with no offers yet. GO OFFER HIM!!!! He's an Ohio boy who played HS at Dublin Coffman. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting...d945xj2S5hGPZB4