Hilltopper

I think Nitros rise to the top might have something to do with defense. The Zips need a shutdown defender to replace Linhart. One of the reasons the Zips were so sucessful last season was Nates ability to shut down the other teams best scorer. In the MAC, most of teams best players are either a 2 or 3 and Nitro matches up well size wise at 6-4. McClanahan has the size and the athletic ability to be that type of defender.

I disagree that we experienced a "perfect storm of problems." Then what did we experience in 2008...or 2007...or 2006...etc, etc, etc? Another series of "perfect storms?"I believe we have experienced a "perfect storm of excuses." That's it.Lee Owens didn't have the stadium or the training facilities. Then JD had the training facilities, but not the stadium. Now we have the training facilities and the stadium, BUT <insert next excuse here>.In JD's 6th season, playing what is likely the easiest schedule in D1 (maybe it is tied with some other MAC East program, but I don't count them). He's 1 - 5. Not only is he 1-5, but he's 0-5 vs. D-1 competition. He's 1-2 at home, and winning 25% of his home games over the past 1 1/2 seasons.Was Jacquemain's suspension crippling? Sure. But who's idea was it to tether the ship to this train-wreck of a kid? His history as an unreliable player on-the-field were only exceeded by his known issues off it. Yet JD rolled the dice that Jacquemain could keep his hands out of the cookie jar for 1 semester. Shocking that this 5th year senior QB...who mysteriously escaped the nomination of Team Captain prior to the start of the season...couldn't do it? Rodgers as the #2 QB was again not any "perfect storm" problem. He's a great kid. He's not a Division 1 QB. If he was, JD would have played him over Jacquemain in the first place. Rodgers blowing his ACL is a convenient excuse to play Nicely, but the truth is, Nicely was warming up on the sidelines prior to Rodgers' injury. If not for the quick OU turnover, Nicely would have entered the game on the ensuing series. There's a reason JD told Nicely not to play in the Football World Championships this past summer...he knew there was a damn good chance he'd need to play him this season, and it was more important that he was in Zips camp.The Ferri "recruiting scandal" is a joke. If this is the excuse for 1 - 5, I have to laugh. I think Tom Gaffney and Elton Alexander have given it all of 100 combined words of print. The University's reaction to the "scandal" (BTW - now downgraded to "an investigation of recruiting practices") has been more damaging than the allegations themselves. Go to a BCS school and see what a real "scandal" looks like. Like Dr. Z, I'm tired of losing. I'm tired of excuses. I'm tired of traveling to support the team, only to watch 20yard rugby punts, pop-up kick off and the 3-3-5 defense get shredded late in a close game. I'm tired of watching other MAC programs go bowling while we sit at home with our woe-is-me laundry list of "prefect storm" excuses. I'm tired of explaining to my kid why, as a Zips fan, he always walks out of the stadium a loser.F*ck losing. I'm tired of it.This is my 41st season of supporting Zips football and I have never felt as low as I do this season. The only thing JD has done since his arrival was to slip in the back door to win the MAC championship in 05. Even that should be viewed with skepticism because of how it all played out for us to get to the MCB that year. Since that highpoint we have been in a serious downward spiral. As much as I hated Lee Owens, at least his teams were good enough in one area of the game to make things entertaining. This years team is a disgrace. If this is the best that JD can do, when he knows his back is against the wall with all the expectations of the new stadium, than he will never be sucessful. I would be thrilled to see the AD hire a known quantity at head coach to create some hope about the future of Zips football. The only thing left for me this season is the hope that we at least can take down the flushes. All the rest is meaningless at this point. I have a feeling that Ron Zook might be available at the end if the year. He couldn't be any worse than JD.

, .Who cares? I want to win today, not next year, maybe.

Cribbs is the best player on the Browns. Hixon is a nice player, but he is way more fragile than Cribbs. As much as I hate the flushes, I really enjoyed watching Cribbs when he played there. The guy plays all out on every play.

Woudn't a better idea be to sell the tickets, at face value, to a person who wants to donate the tickets to the non-profit for the tax benefit. There is always more than one way to skin a cat.No offense, but youth football, non-profits, band days, etc. spell minor league baseball. The Big Phone Booth was not built to make UofA have the appearance of a minor league event.Please tell the children at the Can't game to do the opposite of whatever Can't is doing on the field.Is there really a difference between taking a child to a Can't game or child abuse? Its only child abuse if they are rooting for Can't!

I think there is some marketing and discounting being done with local non-profits and youth sports organisations. My sons youth football team is having an outing at the Can't game. I think they are getting $5 per ticket sold. They are charging face value for GA tickets, $20. This is a good way to discount, without diminishing the value of the product.

You're in the wrong forum. http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=192

I predict your gonna have a rough week!

The fancy punt formation deep in our own field really was stupid. Special teams really needs to keep it simple and not lose the game. Also...could they find a damn kicker?The Zips aren't the only team that uses that idiotic spread formation for punting. Alot of teams are using it and the Rugby style punters who roll out and then hit that low line drive punt. I'm starting to wonder if the NCAA has done something to the ball that makes it a nightmare for kickers.

Before it's operational it has to be built.Before it's built it has to be planned.Before it's planned it has to be researched.Before it's researched it has to be discussed.It's never too early to discuss a project that will take years to complete, and discussion time is the time for pie in the sky.So don't put those winged forks away. OK here I come!

Sorry fellas, as much as I would love a new arena, until the economy improves this discussion is nothing more than...

Thats the same shirt the players have been wearing at the football games. They have a tent set up next to the rec center for the BB team and they were all sporting the same shirt.

This is how not to build a championship program. Lots of transfers and recruits with questionable backgrounds. Remember a few years ago when we destroyed them by 50 pts at their place, the coach chastised his players and said he wanted them to use Akrons success as an example? Should have followed his own advice.http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll...NEWS01/90925035Six players and the AD have gotten the axe so far. The president of the Uni is on the hot seat now.http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll...NEWS01/90930035

I don't know, he really hasn't posted much lately. Besides, he is more of a basketball fan.

I always suspected you were a closet USC fan! :blink: Frontrunner!

That would be the same Proenza that just gave the CFO of the university a year off with pay in order to deal with a drinking problem.

Sounds like he a good fit for KD's style of play. A team player.

CK, I'm glad to know that you can see the real problem with the offense. The O-line play is horrible. Until we can run the ball and have some succes at the line of scrimage, it doesn't matter who the QB is.

Winner!

We saw Zeke at the football game on Saturday. He is limping and wearing an ankle brace on his right leg. Hope its nothing serious.

It looks like the NCAA is not too thrilled with Martins outburst.NCAA Slaps down Martin

It looked to me that there was quite a wind blowing from north to south. Stecs' bad punt was into the wind.

If a politician is a Republican, they get a pass from their own party on things like cheating on a wife or soliciting sex in an airport bathroom. I don't think a beer bong will hurt his career.Rasor has all he needs to be a successful politician in northern Summit County suburbs. First, I believe he goes to The Chapel. The Chapel, like many new Christian churches, is as much cult-like social club as it is a place of worship. It falls right into the Republican's playbook of "us vs. them". "Us" means those that believe what we do and belong to our little group. "Them" means....well, I'm not certain they even know what it means. These churches also serve as recruiting tools for the modern day Republican party which has become more liberal than FDR with guys like Bush 43 and follows the intellectual lead of lightweights like Sean Hannity and neo-conservatives (code word for big government liberals). There was once a time when great thinkers of small government like William F. Buckley were the intellectual leaders of the Republican party (Buckley would have vomited out his bong water on neo-conservatives). Now, high school graduates and Sunday Christians have taken over that role. I honestly don't believe many modern day Republicans believe the childishly legalistic theology they are forced to spew for political purposes, which makes the party thoughtless and pandering to the most intellectually vacant, shrill masses. In a lot of ways, it makes them dangerous. The Republican Party has turned itself into a cartoon of itself. Like a lot of good cartoons, it is both funny and uncomfortable to watch......like South Park.Secondly, he writes about sports in an area where people love sports.I think this politician is a good guy. I hope he doesn't use his chance in politics to force others to behave and act as he may believe they should based upon his religious beliefs. Instead, he should think about freedom and what that means. Freedom is for everyone all the time. Not just when it is word that helps someone get elected.Let freedom ring!Go Zips!Thanks for showing us all what a bigot you are GP1. I'm sure you have some twisted rational for your opinions, but this is a sports message board. I for one, would appreciate it if you would take your convoluted wisdom to some other teams fan site. Perhaps one of those vaunted SEC or ACC teams you talk of here on the Zips message board so often. The fine folks at the Chapel will continue to contribute and invest their time, energy and money to make the Akron community a better place. People like you who think its ok to fire some cheap shots while hiding behind a computer screen are not needed as the only thing you contribute, is a sad twisted life view. Perhaps you should not post to this message board if you have to put someone else down in order to get your jollys. You now have the honor of being the first member on my ignore list.

It appears that the Buchtel HS coaching staffs' treatment of "Little Dru" was the reason the fab four ended up at SVSM. The Irish gauranteed Dru a spot on varsity and the rest is history.http://www.bvonsports.com/2009/09/11/lebro...shooting-stars/

Looked like a hip pointer possibly?