Captain Kangaroo

I don't know that any of the previous staff would be kept, but Wattley and Nemec are two that would make sense. They're local HS football coaches without any legacy ties to Bowden. I'd think they have some great value.

I can't see it working out any other way. By the time 2025 rolls around that will be a 1.5 million dollar payday. Maybe more.

Ok, now I see Banks in street clothes too. Wonder what’s up?

Banks nowhere to be found? Toles in street clothes?

I disagree. There's a point where you're waiting too long. And I don't think there will be a bevy of talent remaining after this upcoming week's signing day. At the beginning of this year Bowden wasn't expecting to get fired. He had a lot of redshirts and gray shirts sitting out 2018 in expectation that he'd be coaching them in 2019, so it will be interesting to know how many scholarships are available. Maybe half the class is already on campus? Then we need to see how many incumbent guys bail. I look at Jabari Arthur's story, and the change from Owens to Brookhart really pissed him off. He wanted to transfer. And it ended up being the best possible thing to happen to his football career. I hope once our new coach is selected, the incumbent guys take a deep breath and interview the new staff themselves before making a their transfer decision.

I think accepting the CBI or CIT invitation depends on your team. I would loved to have seen the Dru/Rome 25-win team get any sort of post season chance to strut their stuff. I'm sure they would have too. But for other, disinterested Dambrot teams it was a complete waste of money.

I just fired the coaching staff that won the MAC East in 2017. How are you going to make me look like I made the right decision?

Zips Interview, and Huff Rebuffs

I wonder if they got Huff and Getsy screwed up?

In football? They haven't had a decent coach since Don James. You could make arguments for Dean Pees or Doug Martin, but they fired them. So even when they hire a decent guy, they're too dumb to keep him. Darrell Hazell? Two seasons at Kent. Bombed at Purdue.

Why is it so unfathomable the Kent State could pass on a good football coach? They've never shown any acumen when it comes to judging coaching talent.

So you think we'd wait until almost 2 weeks after National Signing Day to announce our coach? I'd be horrified. We shouldn't be in a hurry to select our new coach, but we need to be quick. If we didn't have a coach named by Monday December 17th I'd be profoundly concerned.

Zips are always enamored with Notre Dame re’sume’s. He’s gotta be the front-runner.

Chuck's Fine Wines in Chagrin Falls

Still looking for a gift for that discriminating beer drinker on your list? Had this 2 nights ago. Maybe the best barrel-aged beer I've had to-date.

I spoke to Nemec a couple months ago. A big part of his job is just helping newer student athletes get adjusted to college life. Finding their way around campus, scheduling classes...he helps them with a lot of the stuff most people would take for granted, but that's critical for an 18 year old kid who's away from home for the first time needs. He's not drawing up X's and O's or going out and recruiting. He doesn't have a big salary. I was surprised to learn he was only allowed to travel with the team to one of the OOC away games. He's the perfect guy for that position. He seems to be a helpful "surrogate grandfather" to a lot of the kids, but with the added benefit of being a HS football coach for 40 years. I think his dad even coached at Penn Hills for a couple decades. A good, unsung hero of the Zips staff that took some administrative burden off the coaches and let them focus on their jobs. I'd hope the new staff would consider keeping him around. At least for the full transition year.

If it looks the second coming of Rob I-and-II-o, I’ll have my pitchfork sharpened after game #1.

This is what you get when you make a coaching change. Hopefully the grad assistants are keeping some of the other commitments on the line until the new staff is announced. You make a change like this for the next seven years, not one. So I hope Williams takes his time and get the best candidate. If it lasts into next week, so be it. As long we aren't courting Old Man Winters up in Michigan.

Quan is gone...

Let’s Go Zips!!

Dammit...then we'd be like Toledo or NIU. Wouldn't that suck, Zips fans?

And the settlement is....what?

As a position coach, maybe.

I guess if you are the first, and only candidate to interview so far, you’re no doubt the “leading candidate.”

His players stayed at Akron, and graduated from Akron. That tells me they didn't mind playing for him. In a 100 person company you'll always have a few discontented people, but I never saw much complaining about Bowden from players on social media. I was at several practices and I never heard any negative comments from players about Bowden. They seemed to like him.