72 Roo

You bet it's encouraging. I hope Woody comes back motivated with a chip on his shoulder to prove something. The team needs him. Hell we need him to restore our sanity after last season. I was talking with Bre Ford recently and he was super high on Austin Wolfe. be said Austin was a bitch to cover in practice, far more of a challenge than Lane. Be predicted Austin would have a breakout season. be said Gladney had trouble picking up the offense and that would hinder him again this year. be had more hope in Coney altho' he said Gladney had a world of physical talent. Bre is from Western PA (Bethel Park), same as Woodson, and he had a tough time understanding why TW didn't take conditioning seriously. He said TW needed a major attitude shift because so much rode on his shoulders this year. He wasn't sure TW was there yet. TW is rehabbing but not like a maniac like Bre would be if he was returning from injury. I guess we shall see but if he isn't ready to reach his potential I am glad Johns and Nelson are waiting in the wings. I thought Bre was being straight up and honest whereas when you talk with coaches you get the general statement "all will be well". Not exactly inspiring, but I respect coaches must say that because jobs are on the line.

Let's face it, we have to have a lot of things go well for us to be successful this year. Some would say too many things. When I hear we want to run the ball this season I welcome that decision. My main concern here is if our O-line can be nasty enough to drive defenders out of the way. I didn't see that last season. They pass blocked well, but when the chips were down and we needed short yardage we rarely got it. My hope is that with time, coaching and strength training this O-line can reach the potential we all hold for them. We can develop everything but nastiness. It's either inside you or not. I hope our boys have it and show it.

Just to cover my ass, I like the videos too. I look forward to seeing as many as they can put together. They give us hope and as Andy Dufraine in the Shawshank Redemption says "hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things." I'm a fan but I still want proof this is a good football team. I'll be there to see them in the fall. I hope the videos convince others to come too.

I'm really glad that our team is ready to give dance lessons. Now if they can only give football lessons to our opponents. That will be even more heartening. Remember every other team on our schedule is working the snot out of their players this summer and all are getting bigger, stronger and faster. I love the enthusiasm but after last fall they have something to prove to me. Come on Zips, I want to believe.

What's a TE? When you find out please explain the concept to Milwee. Also explain that a team is not penalized for throwing to him. i don't think that's very clear in our OC's mind.

I find it ironic that one of the MAC's best football progrums, Toledo, finished dead last (12th) and one of the worst, Akron, finished first. Don't get me wrong, I like anything that we can win and receive notoriety for, but in today's world of college sports football rules and your reputation and budget are generally established by how good your football progrum is. In dual major sport universities (football and basketball), football is still king. Come on Terry, turn our fortunes around.

I'm glad to be discussing football after all the turmoil of the basketball post season. Here's how I see this season: 5-7 gets Bowden fired 6-6 buys TB another year 7-5 gives the faithful reason for hope 8-4 restores my confidence in the long term positive outlook for the progrum, I may even begin to believe in Milwee as an effective OC. Ahhh ...... then again, forget it. I can't see that happening.

Jerome did get very bad advice. But let's not forget that he is an adult and he made his own decisions. He now has to live with the consequences. My issue with him turning pro has always been that he did not have a pro's mentality. Let's face it, everybody in the NFL has great talent. Perhaps Jerome did too, but it is attitude that separates those who make it and those who don't. In that area he is deficient and that is the area that holds him back. I hope he returns to complete his degree and I wish him well in his next endeavor. This may be a good learning opportunity with much good to come from it.

What a nice Mothers Day present! Welcome Malcolm. Make it official and look forward to a great experience at Akron. You'll like what you find here. The recent change in our coaching staff may prove to be the best thing for our progrum (that's not a misspelling, have someone who follows our football explain it to you).

I also did not think he was ready for the pros. Not because of his speed but because of his commitment to being the best i.e. practice habits, discipline (on and off the field), maturity. Physical attributes aren't the "be all" in the pros. Everybody is good. It's the intangibles that separates those who want to be a pro from those who can be a pro.

OU Dude, not that. I'm expecting more. Don't mess with my hopes!

Thank God for a vigilant press. It never would have occurred to me that a coach taking over a successful progrum, that had lost its two best players and had 5 transfer out, would be hosting possible recruits within a few weeks of that coach taking the job.

This was not a bad situation. It wasn't great either. It was just change and every athlete knows that change is highly likely in D1 sports. Few coaches stay 4 years. Antino ended up doing what he thought was best for him. OK. Go and good luck. New Mexico is a bigger progrum, but it may not have been better. At NM he will just be a forgotten number who played a year and was gone. At Akron he could have built a legacy that could have been far more rewarding after he is done playing. To each their own. But it was not bad at Akron. That's as immature as the posters you criticize.

Next recruit up. Good luck to David. meanwhile we are building something special.

Sounds like you get your information the same way I get mine to post on ZNO i.e. from a guy in a bar who knew someone who was the second cousin of a girl who dated a guy who hung out with the guy in question.

Without being able to put pressure on the QB we can be picked apart, even by MAC QB's. If our returning DLine players and incoming frosh can do that then we will be much better than last year. I'm doubtful the improved LB's and DB's can compensate for a DLine that gives the QB too much time though. I desperately want to have the optimism that many posters on this subject have. But for me I don't see us having an offense that can score at will which can also compensate for a D that struggles to shut down opponents. Recent seasons have me skeptical that this is a turnaround year for us. I like TB and I am rooting for him to prove me wrong.

I think you look at our situation with rose colored (or Zip colored) glasses. The coaches who handle our D line have a lot to prove as far as I am concerned. Their work during last season was poor. When injuries hit they could not find " the next man up". That does not lead me to regard their competence very highly. Make no mistake in what I say. i want to believe they are the very best, but performance tells me otherwise. Amato is not among those I question. He is a good coordinator. I'm focused here strictly on the coaches of the D line.

Thanks for the encouragement. When it comes to football we need all we can get. I am worried about this team even breaking .500. Keep the good news coming Doctor.

Unfortunately I couldn't agree more. We have more "ifs" than the past three seasons and it is the height of folly to think they will all work themselves out before the season starts. The coaches know this. That is why they have been very low keyed and promised little. They know the team and staff, as currently constituted, can't deliver the season we want. The lack of hype for this team speaks volumes.

Damn right.They work every time. When confronted with their awesome power recruits are helpless. Rumor has it that they are the main reason JG came to Akron.

From what I heard all the baseball jerseys were your size but they all shrunk in the laundry. The twerps paid off the equipment manager.

Welcome to Akron indeed. Mark is a very good signing but let's not put too much on his shoulders right away. He will still have to adapt to the college game and even in the MAC it will be quite a challenge for a freshman. He needs time to develop his game, strength, and BBall intelligence. But make no mistake I sure as hell am glad he's a Zip. Nice going coach Groce!

In addition to the "ifs" you mention there are many more such as if we find a QB, if the new LB's work out, if the DL can be rebuilt, if a legitimate TE shows, if Milwee can use what the O talent gives him effectively (my favorite which I thoroughly doubt), etc. A respected, experienced football coach once told me that when faced with a lot of "ifs" in the pre-season you can only count on 50% of them, at best, working out. The rest will be problem areas. This is realistic and I don't feel we can reasonably expect all our "ifs" to be solved. I wish it was otherwise. Every Fall hope springs eternal.

If we are counting on Milwee to be creative and use what team can give we are in deep, deep trouble. There is little hope he can be the OC we need. I pray Bowden steps in and calls the plays and Milwee "tries" to develop QB's. If not we will be lucky to win 5 games.

Hell, do more than that! Feed him Zip cookies, then we got him.