Captain Kangaroo

Celtics 88 Heat 80

I don't like "negative." You can be negative, and just be a jerk. Gaffney has the access to ask legit, tough questions to Ianello that have nothing to do with being negative. "Did you consider using a wildcat RB formation at games-end with one of your existing players, rather than pull Potts' redshirt?" "How could #83 be so wide open up the middle on virtually every passing play?" "Why do you always go for a field goal when your offense needs a touchdown?" "Did you see that lowly Presbyterian ended the nation's longest 1-AA losing streak, beating Gardner Webb, at Gardner Webb?" Ok, maybe I was being a jerk with the last one.

I've read this BS statement on this board umpteen times and have never commented on it once. After watching this year, this statement now brings my blood to a boil! I'd give my left pinky for another "lucky" year. Lucky. Lucky we beat NIU TWICE that season. Lucky we had a team that stomped K.e.n.t. to clinch it.

I think is is simple to look at this Saturdays match up between the Zips and Broncos and say, "Man, the Zips S-T-I-N-K." But that really doesn't do justice to how bad this Zips team is actually performing. A better gauge of what we're dealing with in the big picture can be seen in the epic Presbyterian vs. Gardner Webb match up this past weekend. In that game, the Blue Hose...yes, you heard it correctly, the Presbyterian Blue Hose snapped the nation’s longest losing streak in the Football Championship Subdivision at 20 games and spoiled the Gardner Webb Bulldog's Homecoming 26-24. This really hit me in the gut because after the Zips-GW game, I slunk into our parking lot, post-game, thinking, man...Gardner Webb was bigger, faster and executed better than the Zips...these guys are going to do some 1-AA damage?! Nope, they stink. So to all of you clamoring for the Zips to move to the 1-AA (FCS) level I say... baby steps, my friends. Let's work our way up first. Rob Ianello, a graduate of Catholic University, could not be reached for comment as of Blog Time today. I would also like to take this time to clear up a misconception that ZipWatcher's "Quit on the Zips Hall of Fame" is not adding new members due to limitations in ZipsNation's available bandwidth. Like Matt Rodgers presence on the Zips sideline in the first half...or big foot sightings...there's absolutely no truth to it. Stop it with the rumors. I think the best zinger from the crowd came as the girl's golf team received some recognition on the field immediately after WMU's first TD pass. "HOW ARE YOUR COVER SKILLS? WE NEED YOU!" rang out. Even though it came from the upper deck, the snickering girls on the field seemed to hear it pretty clearly. I thought it was interesting that everyone who shook TW's hand after a 1st half ceremony made a beeline for the Purell dispenser? Odd... Bagdad Rob continued to stay-the-course with his field goal fetish. Like K.e.n.t, like Syracuse, like OU, he faced a dire situation where the team was in need of some hope...some confidence...something meaningful to build on...and down 35-0 before the end of the half....he trotted out the field goal unit. 35-3 at the half. Yippee. I saw several ex-Rowdies, now alumni, get the boot from InfoCision. What a shame that we're putting on such a horrible show...and now giving the boot to some of the few that showed up to watch the debacle. Did you know -- the Zips led in time of possession Saturday? Please take this next statement for what it is and nothing more -- The Zips played at a noticeably faster speed with Potts in the backfield taking the snaps. While it might hurt our gaudy time of possession numbers, I thought the faster pace kept the defense more honest. Yeah, we moved the ball against 4th-stringers on a mediocre MAC team, but we at least attacked. Running PN7 out in the pro set and watching him get snowed-under within 2 seconds has officially run it's course for me. That offense is a slow death. Could we have ran Pride or Burney in the wildcat and saved Potts' redshirt? Since it is gone, I hope to see more of him. Note - Had Potts played on special teams prior to Saturday? I thought he had, but I could be wrong. Speaking of slow death, I turned another corner watching the game Saturday. I went from being angry, to just flat-out being sad about what's become of an Akron Football Saturday. Watching the Zips bungle every offensive possession, while getting stomped into the ground and scored upon every defensive series is like watching a loved one dying on the operating table. You have to be there for support, but it rips your heart out to see that monitor work it's way from beeping, to the inescapable flat-line. On the less-morbid side -- I think the best on-field moment Saturday came when the Jumbotron showed Brian Wagner on the sideline after his TD rumble. He had a big smile on his face. It was cool to see a smile coming from our sideline...I couldn't recall the last smile I'd seen on the home side. Speaking of #34...on the off chance that we ever get inside the 5 yard line again this season, can we give him the rock? He'll score. I guarantee it. And speaking of not scoring inside the 5. I feel terrible for Alex Allen. A healthy AA circa 2007 would have scored 4 out of 5 tries from that spot. He's one of my favorite players. It's too bad it's ending this way on the field for him. As usual, we had a great tailgate party. Chili is a great social food...you can just walk up to everyone's pot with your empty bowl, it gets filled up and you shoot the breeze (so to speak) for a while. It was fun to taste everyone's different takes on the American classic. Sausages, smoked meats, ground meats, 10+ varieties of peppers...if you like home-style food, it was a great event. Hopefully it grows next year. Always great food and great company in the Lot...the Zips Tailgate is the one thing YouTube Tom can never kill. Even though he's tried... Lunch is done. I hope we can hold Temple under 65. And since Buffalo lost to Temple 42-0, I'm looking at November 26th as a mighty big day. Oh - and a final note to TW: Do iCoach a favor and stay away from the Blue Hose on our 2011 OOC schedule.

I told YouTube Tom to do THIS back in May 2010, but he was too busy kicking season ticket holders and Z-Fund donors out of Lot #9 at the time (...for "5k and up Donors," as I was told by UA Athletics). If your AD believes in unicorns, it is not a good thing. I wonder what You Tube Tom promised Proenza when he was interviewing for the AD's position, and how close he is to delivering on those promises?

Rodgers wasn't on the sideline in the first half, and he wasn't ever warming up. You may be old, but your eyesight remains keen, Dave.

How's that new football coach doin'?

...to NOT play Purdue. I'm sure Spencer Keith is excited to get his head removed in Alabama, rather than have a shot at a competitive match up in West Lafayette. *Moderator note - Deleted a duplicate post on this topic from ccoon44 (I think we hit the post button within 30 seconds of one-another).

Branching out from YouTube?

Murrow snippet from today's PD

i saw a bunch of people putting their tents up to the fence and just watching the game from there....that's the way to go. They ruined a great tailgate. We had a great time against the fence. The tent kept our heads dry, and the beer kept our throats wet. You'd be surprised what you can withstand if you have enough cold beer.

The Zips cover punts well.

Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but that was nice of Tom to say.

Who needs Gatorade when you're going 3-and-out every series? Or getting drug into the endzone like a sled?

Then Rob Ianello's soul is so clean it makes surgical instruments jealous.

Yes, but "Family Weekend" is horrifically marketed! I told them they should have done this months ago....but nooooooooooo.... Way to spring it on the public with a few days notice. I hope it is successful. And those families that attend bring some chili. I hear that if you already paid $15 for your kid's ticket, you can bring it directly to Tom Wistercill and he'll give you the $10 per ticket difference right out of his wallet. Nice gesture.

I think you are a mortal lock to have the first-ever sweep of both Basketball AND Football Fan of the Year.

I don't believe you. Can you provide a Internet site like google.answer to verify your assertion that someone other than a Zip fan came up with the Titanic deckchair statement? The phrase was actually first uttered by Sir Horatio Shuttlebobberzipswin, whom ZipsWin! honors in his ZN board name. Shuttlebobberzipswin was a deck hand on the Carpathia, and not-so-coincidentally the college room mate of one Johnathan Heisman. Shuttlebobberzipswin was notorious in the late 1800's for his raucous buggy-gating prior to Buchtel College football games. While the UA Company line touts "Zips" as being derived from a rubber shoe...it is as true as crediting SeeTeeZip with the phrase "You win some, you lose some." The name indeed comes from UA legend "ZipsWin!" (an abbreviated nickname for Shuttlebobberzipswin, given to him by none other than Heisman himself in 1893). And now you know....the rest of the story. Sir Horatio Shuttlebobberzipswin...one of the great pioneers of University of Akron Football.

PD article stated LeVon quit by texting his position coach. What an age we live in... Too bad he couldn't stick it out...I think he'd have received a decent ovation from whomever might be at the Buffalo game for Senior day. If we beat Buffalo...do the Zips put Ianello on their shoulders and carry him off the field, like the guys did with Faust after we won the 1993 Toilet Bowl? When are we going to honor the Toilet Bowl team anyhow. Long overdue...

Mmmmmmmmm........lamb baste........

Nicely is the least of our problems. He's a better QB than Rodgers. But the guy has no OL, and no WR's. Because he's apt to run, Rodgers may be a better QB for our present situation. I'd like to have seen him get a shot. But I'm under no illusions that changing a QB is anything but, to quote ZipsWin!, "rearranging chairs on the Titanic."

Can't argue with you there.

Apparently law school was not the right path if he can't fund his own blog. Why pay for it yourself, if someone will pay it for you? That's just smart. Integrity. Apparenly the bloG comes with strings attached. He is not an Akron zips blogger he is an ABJ puppet? Isn't that what the conversation is all about? I think it is pretty unfair to question the guy's integrity. He's always been up front regarding funding of his blog. And I think he is typically been pretty objective in his opinions, maybe sometimes to his detriment. I agree that his last blog comes off like he wrote it with a gun to his head. But I don't think it is anything to get worked up about. I did think this passage was kind of a cheap shot: I guess iCoach has an "out" if recruiting doesn't go well this year...it was ZNO's fault. Maybe we should just all be sheep, and enjoy the abyss. Make everone happy.

Not having attended the game, it is difficult to gauge the vibe on the Zips sideline. I can only offer a game summary from the point of view of a guy listening to his radio...then turning it off...then raking leaves...then turning it back on...then throwing it... I thought the Zips showed tremendous improvement in their offensive production when compared to the opening of the K.e.n.t. game. We had only one negative-yardage possession in our first 6 series! Of course, our first 4 possessions were 3-and-out punts...followed by 2 INT's. We punted 4 times in the 1st quarter. OU punted 0 times in 4 quarters. Also - It was crippling to our offensive production to have only 38 penalty yards assessed against OU. We need at least 125 if we are to keep games competitive. Down 24-3, the Zips moved the ball to the OU 20 yard line. On 3rd and 4, PN 7 lobs a ball into Allen's hands for a sure 1st down...and possibly a TD. Allen drops the ball. Between LaFrance, Burney and Allen, I'm guessing we've dropped 7 TD balls this year? It really is unbelievable. Speaking of PN7 - His performance has been a let down this year. But I will "Go Rasor" on the topic and say: On PN7's weapons -- Jesus our receivers are horrible. And LaFrance...our best WR...may not play the remainder of the season. Our offensive line is the worst I've seen in the past 20 years. On PN7's game plan -- We do not play to our strengths. We run late-developing routes... PN7 is snowed-under while all three receivers are streaking down the sidelines. We roll PN7 out...and he's not a good QB when he's running. PN7 is a straight-up, Dan Marino-type pocket passer (despite his 43 yard scamper Saturday, he's not a runner). With the pocket collapsing on him constantly, and no receivers to catch his passes...he's doomed. Is Rodgers the answer? With the team structured as it stands today, yes, he's our best chance to get a win. He can't throw deep, so maybe the staff will go heavier on the short routes where we have a chance for aerial success. Rodgers can throw short passes. And if Rodgers is flushed from the pocket, he can run for decent yardage. His knee has had 1 year to heal...he should be good to go. That said - If iCoach goes "Denard Robinson" with Rodgers, look for another season-ending injury. Rodgers doesn't have the body to be running 15 times per game. I haven't given up on Nicely, but he is a bad fit for the state of our OL and WR's right now. In October 2010, we need someone that can run. Rodgers gives us a chance to win... to get a couple 1st downs...move the chains...and give our D a rest. Andy Alleman pointed to Rodgers statistics and said the staff needs to look at "Production over Promise." Rodgers went 5-5 with a TD to close the game, which can be considered Hall of Fame production in this dead ball era of Zips ball movement. But it is an unfair comparison to have 1st team defenses pound on Nicely for 3 quarters, then have Rodgers come in against the scrubs and look like an all star. Even worse for the comparison is the fact that PN7 has faced the toughest part of the schedule...3 BCS schools + the MAC East and West leaders. Do you give him a crack at a sorry WMU squad, just to be fair? No. We go with the Dink-and-Dunk offense and try to get a win any way we can. Rodgers starts this weekend. Back the the OU game for a second -- on 4th and 4, on the OU 20, iCoach has the option of trying for the TD, or kicking the field goal. Down 24-3, and with red Zone opportunities as rare as fan sightings in Lot #34 this Saturday, iCoach elects to kick the FG. I'm really tired of him playing like 3 points is some sort of victory. Down 24-3, a field goal sucks. Grow some stones and try to get a TD. Show the fans you're at least trying to win. Lunch is over. Great game by Bryan Wagner with 15 tackles. And Waller, Holmes and Hall get some love too. No Dozen Goose Eggs (0-fer 12)! Win this Saturday! Cheat...steal the Bronco's uniforms...hell...try to score TDs instead of a field goals. Whatever crazy stuff it takes. Just win. Oh...I almost forgot -- Good to see K.e.n.t. choke a double digit lead away on Saturday. Took a little bit of the sting out of the Zips loss. Thanks, Doug Martin. Chili Cook-off in Lot #9 this Saturday. See both of you there!

Apparently law school was not the right path if he can't fund his own blog. Why pay for it yourself, if someone will pay it for you? That's just smart.