xu9697

If you are an OSU hater, put that aside for a moment. Fickell would make so much sense:He would most likely bring in a 4-3 DHe would be a big help to the young LBs, especially Wagner and hopefully HooblerHe would DRASTICALLY clean-up the special teams.He would bring in the d & st of "Tresselball", but b/c of his youth and playing with Cooper teams, very well will look at a downfield passing attack in an I-formation (along with some of the newer spread and Wildcat trends).His buddy, Mike Vrabel, might be ready to retire soon= would be a nice get as LB or DL coach.He might just stay here 5-6 years and wait out Tressel at OSU (who some have said will move to AD role in about 5 to 6 years).I think he makes all the sense in the world when you look at the big picture of D, ST, developing a different attitude, having Midwest roots, etc.

I have been talking up Chryst and Fickell since late September/early October when it seemed obvious JD was not going to get it done. I think Kragthorpe is worth considering since he did have a lot of success BEFORE Louisville, though I like Chryst and Fickell more based on Midwestern ties.

Paul Chrysthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Chrysthas connections with Tom Wistrcill and, yes, with The MAC's former commish. 3 to 5 years at UA, hit the big job in his late 40's.

The leaders of our O and D are both freshman= Nicely and Wagner. 2 of our most talented RBs are freshmem (Brod & Devoe). Our punter is a freshman. Fleming is showing some signs of being an impact player= freshman. We return 3 OL next year, and although they have not been great that USUALLY is a good thing. Sewell is back, Thomas is back. Recently our best WR has been LeFrance..he is back. Some REALLY promising WR coming in next year and some being redshirted. I think most will stay on board.We were SO CLOSE to winning against Buffalo and NIU. Forget about starting Nicely at the beginning. If Nicely would have been the starter AFTER Chris Jacq was gone, we would have 2 more wins MINIMUM. Take his lumps against IU and CMU, we win against OU and Buff. We need a coach that understands the finer points of this game and tweaks his talent better so that a team with TALENT to win 7 to 9 wins does just that!!!

Agree completely. As an example, Jeff Jagodzinski at BC kept a few of BC's coaches, including long-time DC Frank Spaziani, who is now the HC. Of course, in that situation, the AD had been there 10+ years and told Jags that Spaziani and a couple others were not going anywhere.

I guess someone like Dan Hawkins would be a "someone else" vote. Successful NON-BCS coach, unsuccessful BCS coach who is nowhere near retirement.Mentioning former BCS coaches:Glen Mason was "successful", based on what you think success would be at Can't, Kansas and Minnesota. Bob Davie was not. Both retired. One out of football for 7+ years, the other for less than 2 years. If we are looking at other MAC schools and their hirings, obviously the Mason hire looks a lot like the Solich hire. Personally, I still go back & forth with Mason. He would not be my #1 or #2, but he would be in the 6 or 7 that I would interview (if he is interested). We have to try and trust in Proenza/Wistrcill.

Mike London will be UVA's next coach. Mark it down.

Those 3 beers next to the large man looked good.

I am with you 100 percent. Have you ever noticed the team coming out in a second half of a game and changing something up? We consistently get out coached at halftime. Have our players progressed over four years of being with our program that they wouldn't have on their own? I would like to see more coaching and less gimmicks. If we took away all our gimmicks, lined up under center in a pro form offense, played a base 4-3 defense, lined up and punted the ball with hang time, I am confident a COACH can come in and change the win/loss record around (4-8 to 8-4). I just want to win games. The more I watch this years team, the more I understand why Jim Tressel is a successful COACH with his philosophies. (and yes, that pains me to type, but I am desperate)Teams that tend to line up and just play the game the "old fashioned way" that immediately come to mind are Wisconsin, Notre Dame, USC, Boston College and to some extents Ohio State (though they mess with the offense sometimes, like this year). Of course, you could say that Navy, Army, Air Force and Georgia Tech REALLY play the "old fashioned way".No matter what style we play on offense or defense, improving special teams MUST be a priority. And that is where Tressel and Beamer really get it right (though each team's special teams strengths are in different areas).I think we have enough capable DL to play a 4-3 (my preferred defense), and we definitely have enough LBs.

"System" stuff is totally overblown, especially as it relates to college football. PERHAPS you can say it about some QBs, but I think Nicely would actually be even more productive in a pro-set/I-formation offense. Yeah, we might have to find a FB or two. But it can be done.We need to bring in a coach that knows how to teach, knows how to coach (on gameday) and knows and how to WIN. Plain & simple. Well, maybe not simple.

Ah yes, well done. And we are stuck with Jacquemain photo on gozips.com when you read about the loss to OU (not to mention the 2008 photo gallery still being up).Sigh.

OK, now I am DEFINITeLY thinking 2010.Loss SUCKED. Should have won.But Nicely, Torrence and Wagner are immense building blocks. It is GOOD that we are "burning" Nicely's redshirt this year. He will be well along come 2010, getting many of the young mistakes out of the way. Finding WRs might be my only fear, but as long as we hold onto recruits through the coaching change, I feel that LaFrance, Brown, Greenwood and Schrock will be 4 of the main 5.Still hoping we find a way to win at least 4 games, but it is about developing now. Coach is past saving his job.

10 years ago, if I would have told you that Akron would be within 5 spots of ranking with Florida State, you would have locked me up as a looney!!!

UC totally fits the 3 things that are important: winning, more name teams (who also happen to have fans that travel), exciting product.IF UC was just average in the Big East, they would still do better than some of those early 2000 years b/c of name teams like Pitt, WVU (who brought TONS of fans to that 2007 game...I was there, I know) and to some extents Rutgers, Louisville (who was good and would bring fans) and Syracuse (not good now, but will most likely be again...argument could be made either way).I (and others) have for years said UC is the model for this program for so many reasons that have been mentioned before.

:lol: If any of the three of them see the field at UA, I'd consider it a bonus. It's just as likely that I'll be named our head coach as it is that Henderson will ever play here.Why wouldn't Hoobler see the field?Traditionally our top recruit doesn't pan out for one reason or another, just preparing myself for disappointment.Well, consider that to be the case for Seth Cunningham (who some might say is our #1 recruit). Comments he has made seems he is looking for a BCS school.

:lol: If any of the three of them see the field at UA, I'd consider it a bonus. It's just as likely that I'll be named our head coach as it is that Henderson will ever play here.Yeah, I know Henderson and Tonga might not be here, but what is your take on Hoobler? You think he will sign with a BCS school?

While not as quick on his feet as Rodgers, Nicely perfectly looked fine when he had to scramble for yardage against OU. Did you miss his 15 yard (or so) run that put the Zips in the red zone late in the game? It's no surprise that BG went after him, because he reminds me of Tyler Sheehan in that regard. Both appear to be tall QBs who relay on their talented arms, but also have enough athletic ability to keep the defense honest.http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?sh...4&hl=xu9697

Akron's "front 7" all return next year. Add Henderson, Tonga and Hoobler= wow! I think it has the makings of an incredible D.Really, if JD fails and we bring in the right coach, they will come into a situation with lots of talent at DL and LB, 3 returning OL and a player like Nicely. A pretty darn good situation for a young coach to capitalize on or for a seasoned coach to resurrect their career.I would love to see a coach that stresses great D, great special teams and a balanced attack on O.

To improve attendance:Winning is #1.Bringing in BIG NAME TEAMS is #2 (yeah, Indiana has a name, but not in football. NE Ohio sports fans are smarter than that). Having an EXCITING product is #3. That product can include just a player that many want to see (typically a QB or a RB, Nicely could help that..however, great QB USUALLY leads back to #1 anyway).Having some "built in traditions" or making something "an event" helps. Playing Can't, say, the day after Thanksgiving every year (as an example) might help. Obviously, having reasonable prices helps too (and we have that right now)Other ideas to improve (but none matter that much if 1 through 3 are not there):Get rid of General Admission. It is bush league/high school like. Keep them at whatever price is deemed reasonable, but make them assigned seats.Sell alcohol to ALL. Blew this already, but chairbacks help for comfort. Stay longer in comfort, can still do the chairback rental that so many places do.North Endzone= make that a "party zone". Better beer, different food, etc. Perhaps even charge a different price. Maybe even an after-the-game band plays there...keep people at the game...party right there afterwards!!!And yeah, undoubtedly, getting in a better conference and being good in that better conference would help. UC is the example that I and so many others have alluded to over the last few years.I think it was Dr. Z that mentioned building the fanbase= so true. Students who go now will be more likely to go later..but wins, good teams, fun product has to be there.

When you see him play, you'll "get it"Yeah, if you haven't watched him, you are at a disadvantage. I kept an eye on him all last year...dude can play. Saturday just further confirmed that he has that "it" factor that QBs need.

JD really talks a lot about how unfair it is to Patrick ("burning" the redshirt). He also hints at that now he and Matt are very close in class. Uh....yeah...uh....JD, um...if you are still here next year, Patrick will be your starter. If you are not, Patrick will be the new coach's starter.

As fans, we can do both. No need for player or coach speak here.

I have not given up hope on 2009, but in reality it is going to be darn difficult to eclipse 6-6. Not exactly what I and many of us hoped for 2009.With that in mind, we need to show continued player growth in 2009 to be ready to strike in 2010. This is obviously made more difficult with the very real likelihood of a coaching change. Be that as it may...QB= Nicely is the now and the future. We know that. We can hope that Rodgers gets healthy and gets better to be a nice back-up. Sorry, I don't see him switching positions.RB= Tuzze should get his carries, but we need to find at least 1 guy that gives us hope for 2010. Torrence is the obvious first name that comes to mind for most of us.WR= Simply, we lose a lot here. Hoping that LaFrance builds on his relationship with Nicely and that another underclassmen steps up (Brown?). Greenwood(RFr) and Schrock could see some major playing time in 2010.OL= We will have 3 guys back in 2010. Nice start, though Anderson73 has really had some rough moments. Honestly, not sure what we have as far as youth here as many of them have not seen the field.Defense= if memory serves, our entire "front 7" that was starting against OU returns in 2010. I expect that Sewell, Wagner, Marcoux, Thomas and a guy like Hoobler (even as a true frosh) will be the backbone of one of the best MAC defenses next year.ST= ugh, what a mess. Hate Tressel if you will, but his and Beamer's teams know this part of the game. Hopefully we get a coach/coaches dedicated to DRASTICALLY improving this third and very critical part of a football team.There is a lot there. When you have a QB you can trust and a defense, you are well on your way. I would love to hear what others have to say, especially in regards to younger OL and DB as those right now seem to be the biggest future unknowns. Well, those and the 2010 Head Coach.

The Matt Rodgers era starts tomorrow. Guy has been here 3 years, and starting vs. IU with 1.5 days notice and playing at arguably the best MAC team in the rain is a tough way to go. 3 years, 2 tough starts, 2 weeks to prepare for a winnable game at home. If the coaches let him roll out and run some...Zips 31OU 23If they continue with the same crappy offense...OU 34Zips 20 (with a late score making it look closer)Walt, Shane and JD better have their act in gear and get MR5 going in the right direction!!!

I can't remember= is it 2 or 3 hours before kick-off? Is there a link to this information? I looked on GameDay central and found nothing. http://www.gozips.com/fls/10800/gameday/default.html