Captain Kangaroo

You don't think KD has already gone "Allen Hanson/Ced Middleton" on Ennis? The day Ennis de-committed, I guarantee KD, McFadden and Company pulled out their little black books and began re-kindling some relationships. Ennis seems to act like Favre...but I don't think the Zips are as desperate for Ennis as the Vikings are for Favre.

I think it's funny that, 5 months ago... hell, 2 months ago.... many were complaining that we had too many small players. That we couldn't guard the longer, more rangy players from schools like K.e.n.t, or BCS-type schools. Now we have size, so I guess there needs to be a new fear to take it's place (nature abhors a vacuum). If KD's new group of recruits works out...and that's a BIG if...then we won't need shades. We'll need welder's masks.

I get that Captain, but I'm still allowed to not like it! If it's someone we want, then we should be unhappy about losing them to another MAC school every time. We need to become the destination school of choice for MAC & some BCS caliber players. There will always be a few players that tip the scale based on location or a certain academic program, but we need to start Toledo in recruiting...that's why facilities were built and the iCoach was hired. I would guess we offer scholarships to about 75 kids per year. Maybe more? I could care less if some of them attend Toledo. The only teeny tiny caveat would be if it were an Akron kid. Maybe that would bug me a little. And even then, if the kid wants to go away (from home) for college, I guess... more power to him. I did. F YSU

One beaten dead horse down... 1,345 to go. Maybe with the Lot 9 discussion closed, we're down to 1,344? That's making MAJOR headway! Come on KD... sign another point guard and take us down to 1,343!! If GP1 dropped some of his rants, I think we might get the number down to single-digits?

No way these kids redshirt, after already sitting out a full season to gain eligibility.

You're welcome to stop in at our Lot #9 party any time...and stay as long as you'd like!

I get that Captain, but I'm still allowed to not like it! Fair enough.

Here is my final note on this topic: A few months ago, someone predicted this would happen: It really sucks that someone could make a decision that pissed off, or at minimum stressed-out scores of long-time, devoted Zips fans with a pie-in-the-sky fantasy of filling a gravel parking lot with $5k+ donors. Whomever made that decision has absolutely no touch with reality. That both scares, and disappoints me. I shake my head at the unnecessary public relations blunder. I'm back in Lot #9. I'm happy. Time to move on - drink some beer, eat some food and enjoy the upcoming college football season.

There are 13 MAC schools. At 25 scholarships per year, that's 325 scholarships annually. Many high school players have scholarship offers from multiple MAC programs. Unless the Zips can offer 325 scholarships per year, I think we will always "lose" kids to other MAC programs. I don't think Gabe Gilbert will make or break our 2011 recruiting class. It is August of 2010...somehow we'll recover.

Redshirt = scout team He won't learn one more thing on scout team at the end of the year that he doesn't know right now. Not starting Nicely this year would be like not running your fastest, healthy horse in the Kentucky Derby because you want to breeze him some more so he knows how to run around the track in a circle. No offense Zach, but offering the idea to redshirt potentially one of the best QBs in the league is an example of how comfortable UofA fans have become with losing and the "building process". The Zips have 12 games THIS YEAR, not next year. Fans have bought tickets for this year, not next year. Fans want to see winning this year. It's time to start winning. 20+ years of losing and "building" is enough for me. I can't take it anymore. I'm not saying that's what we should do unless Nicely will sit anyway. I'm saying that if Rodgers wins the job, we shouldn't let Nicely waste a year on the bench if there's the option to redshirt. As for him not learning anything that he doesn't already know, you're telling me that he has a 100% knowledge of a brand new, fundamentally different offensive scheme that he's never played before after just a month or two of practice? He's perfectly comfortable taking snaps under center after spending his entire life in the shotgun spread? How could anyone even fathom Matt as our QB for 12 games this year? I've said it a million times before -- Matt is a super, super kid. Awesome. But he is the #2 QB on this team. It is a stone-cold lock.

Before we do that let's count up the number of fairly serious injury free seasons Rogers has had here. To paraphrase Steve French -- Matt Rodgers has as much chance of winning the "QB Competition" as my big toe.

I dunno about that being a universal truth...

I think you worry way too much about something that's - A.) A huge positive B.) Going to work itself out anyhow We had Dru Joyce as our only PG for 4 years. It worked out fine. I'm sure we will get someone to spell Abreu. Be it an existing player, or a TBD newcomer. Of the bigs you've listed above, one or more will not pan out for one reason or another. If by some miracle they all survive the next calendar year @ UA, it is a much bigger blessing than a curse. You can kick some serious ass in the MAC, and beyond the MAC (OOC), if you have depth with your bigs. We need someone to spell Zeke for maybe 10 minutes per game over the next 3 seasons. That can easily be accomplished by an athletic 6' 8" guy. Especially in MAC play. Could Zeke or Abreu suffer some season-ending injuries, or academics, and expose a lack of depth? Sure. But it's - A.) statistically unlikely (in the last 6 seasons, who have we lost to severe injury or academics...Wood and Steward?) B.) irrelevant, because we probably aren't doing any damage with back up PG's or C's anyhow. It's just our bad luck if something catastrophic occurs. Smurf-ball is a thing of the past. KD has potentially formed the best roster I've seen at UA since the McLaughlin/Boyce/Buford/Roberts era of the mid-80's. Love it.

I like this quote from PN7 - Predicting the Zips to finish last in the division, the media doesn't share Nicely's confidence. "They're basing their stuff off last year," Nicely said. "They're not in camp. They don't see how hard we're working. If we don't get to a bowl game with this kind of talent . . ."

Yes!

We have our team, comprised of 4 ZN members. I say we get some action going on the ZipsNation foursomes? Is a buck a man too rich for anyone's blood? But is isn't really about the dollar... it's about 365 days of ZN bragging rights, and the coveteted Jakubik Cup trophy.

I appreciate the information and look forward to learning more about this mystery Zip. When this information does become public, feel free to return to ZipsNation and tell any doubters -- "I kinda...sorta told you so!"

I'm not sure they could put Dan on the radio. Great guy and love him to death, but I have a feeling he'd be a little too honest... and shall we say... forthcoming with his opinions on what he's seeing on the field. I vote for Mrs. Basch over her son Dan. Better overall football knowledge than Dan, and brutally honest and forthcoming.

ESPN recruiting site had him down with 40 time of 4.86 and no other offers - wonder why the Zips are so high on him?? Look at the "Interest" schools on the Scout and Rivals site. He's probably the most highly-recruited kid in our 2010 class?

Seniors: DB Tyler Campbell - "Sleigh Ride Campbell" - Named after his 17 tackle game @ Wisconsin, where #48 was drug all over the secondary by Badger RB's. A common occurrence for Zips safetys in the 3-3-5 stack. LB Viktor Rajek - European Olympic bobsledder. Great story. Not so great a football player. WR Richard Sandilands - Walk on WR. OL Jason Sekinger - Massive OL from Minnesota. Rarely, if ever played. Juniors: P Eric Lee - Never heard of him. LB Da-Von Moore - More injuries than Evil Knievel. WR Shawn Roberts - One of Bob Huggins better power forwards. Did not know he had eligibility remaining? LB Aaron Williams - Broken arm last season. An undersized LB at 205lbs, but he was pretty tough. Sophomores: DE Abdullah Homayed - Had a lot of promise. Fingers are crossed that his omission was a mistake. OL Adam Bice - Never played. WR Nadir Brown - transferred to Nassau CC - Great WR body, but was definitely a raw project. DB Thomas Miller - Total unknown. LB Nate Schuler - Punishing hitter at the Division VI HS level. But unlike Brian Wagner, Schuler was unable to elevate his game to play with the big boys. DB Norman Shuford - transferred to Grand Valley State. Just didn't fit in @ UA. RB Devoe Torrence - transferred... somewhere? Wrote his own ticket out of Akron. Very high-maintenance player. QB Jared Wackerly - Walk on A handful of minor-contributing scholarship players and several scout-teamers. Not a big deal.

Ianello cannot lose to Can't. It simply isn't an option. If you go strictly buy the betting line, the Zips will be an underdog in each of their first four D-1 games leading up to K.e.n.t. on October 9th. If things play out as Vegas predicts, the K.e.n.t. game will be a must-win for two teams owning only a single 1-AA win to their credit. The loser of that game will be crushed, and fall into the abyss that is the bottom of the MAC. The winner will be 1-1 in MAC play, riding a HUGE momentum surge. The two times in the past decade that the Zips have lost to K.e.n.t., the K.e.n.t. QB went nuts. If the Zips can contain Spencer Keith, and prevent him from going Julie-anne Edelmann/Josh Cribbs on us, we'll win. Keep it close, and K.e.n.t. will always find a way to choke it away.

Watching the Zips play Penn State last season, it was really frustrating to see the ultra-mega-conservative JD pretty much run out the clock from the get-go, and try to get out of the game without any injuries. Conversely, Penn State tried the fake kicks...went for it on 4th-and-1...threw the ball down field...etc. We had a nice lead @ Cincinnati a few years ago, and JD went into his offensive shell. We were down 3-2 to Ohio State in the 3rd quarter, and JD was happy to run it up the middle 3 times and punt. We were pounding NC State, and he let them come back by coaching conservative. Only when we had to score at games-end did he loosen things back up and drive the ball. I'd rather see the Zips lose to K.entucky 52-27, trying to win, than lose 31-3 with Zach Campbell punting 14 times. I think September's BCS games will give us some great insight as to what type of coach Ianello is. I hope he tries to win every game.

I wish I learned something from reading that. My favorite response: 1. Why did you choose Akron? I chose Akron because of the opportunity that was presented.

I was told yesterday that season tix will be sent out on the 9th.