72 Roo

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.

Yeah get to it and stop thinking about what most men are thinking .... sex and beer, altho' maybe not in that order.

All would be lost if we got the wrong coach. That is not the case. JG will get the job done and have a higher ceiling than KD. The road there will not be smooth and perhaps the rockiest phase is what we are going thru now. But we will emerge as a better progrum and we will reach higher levels. He needs time. Support him and let him do his job.

I think we lost more than you state. But I'm pretty much on board with the rest of your post. If we keep Antino and find some rebounding help we can have a decent, not great, year. Grace will not lose the game KD lost because the team wasn't prepared or able to play with discipline.

I now like the guy!

I'm a tweener, I enjoyed Western Cult and hated Eastern Civ. Got good grades in both. Keep after those cookies. The fate of the world depends on your success in unlocking the secret.

The fate of western civilization depends on your success! Speaking of Western Civ did anyone have Dr. David Reide for that class? I'm sure he must have talked about the immense contribution of Zip cookies to the betterment of our lives.

Skip, I can't think of a higher calling than to discover the source of these cookies. God speed you in your mission. You are carrying the hopes and dreams of our ZNO community and generations of Zips now and in the future. FWIW I have it on good authority that Pope Francis is trying to find these cookies for the Vatican coffee shop.