ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net

At this point I don't care one bit whether he feels loyalty toward Akron or not. His teams have regressed to the point of complete oblivion. His loyalty means nothing at this point. If I have to deal with a coach who could not care less about Akron, Ohio, but recruits and wins some ball games, I'll take it. Unfortunately for him and for all of us, it's not a dead horse issue because we have to revisit JD and this horrible team every week for several more weeks. I continue to lament the incredible disaster this year has been. I'm starting to actually wonder whether the money spent on the stadium and the drive to build this football program was/is wasted. Who's going to come in to build a program from here, basically from scratch? How will this program hire a winning coach the way they pay shamefully low coaching salaries? How will the program recruit difference makers when we're now a dead program within several hours driving of OSWho, Michigan, MSU, Pitt, PSU, WVU, etc? Yeah, yeah, I'm way too pessimistic about UA football right now. I have to tell you though that I find no honor in loving this loser of a team, no joy in supporting this underdog anymore. 2009 Akron football is moribund, depressing and demoralizing. Without a complete turn around that will have to wait at least until next season, the building of InfoCision is going to become an utter albatross around the neck of this university, a huge, shining, concrete and glass symbol of decrepitude and failure.STZ

And here comes STZ to be the bummer of the thread. Syracuse by 10. I hope to see hard play on the lines and continued improvement by Nicely and his receivers. Maybe some good running by Devoe would be good too. STZ

Ummmmm, no, not gonna head up to see another dose of pain. I'm sorta hoping that JD will stay home as he's still got painting to do so he can sell his house. STZ

Oh no. Watch out. Grumpledouche will be here shortly to tell you what an idiot you are. Brace yourself NOW. STZ

No, they won't win another game. This will go down as one of the very worst Zips seasons in history.

I'm going to have to change it up. I voted a Bulls win but the more I think about this one I conclude that the Zips D will play gangbusters, and with Nicely at the helm this offense will finally start to produce. Zippers: 21Buffs: 7Can the Zips win, Nicely progress, the D dominate and we STILL fire JD at the end of the year? Is that too much to ask for?STZ

Well, it's really exciting to have an undiscovered D1 coaching talent posting on this forum. I'll try to keep track of all of your future suggestions and see how they pan out over the long haul. To get paid, though, you'd have to get out in the real world and convince the folks who write the paychecks that you could turn their losers into winners. I can tell you in all sincerity that if you ever accomplish that with the Zips, I will want you to personally autograph my MAC championship and bowl game programs.Off point DIG. Wasn't the thrust of the last several posts that JD, the paid head coach of the UA football program, was supposed to be in the position, with the assistance of his superstar gurus Harris and Montgomery, to assess the talent on the roster? How is it that Nicely comes into the game and within 30 minutes looks like a winner after poor Rodgers scuffled for so long, and we all saw it, yet somehow through all of the recruiting and practicing and meetings JD apparently had no idea that this kid Nicely would likely be his best option at QB?The point wasn't that any posters knew, well, anything. The point was that we as fans had a hard time believing that the guys who get paid to prepare the team couldn't have seen and or guessed that maybe, just maybe Nicely was the way to go before Rodgers was injured. I am baffled by the decision to play Rodgers over Nicely, as I think many of us now are. Lastly, are you implying in your posts that because JD & Co. are paid as D-1 coaches/recruiters that all fans should magically defer when it comes to their decision making? These are the same coaches who have landed us either in, or close to, the ESPN Bottom Ten. Baller4life isn't a paid coach, and is only a fan, and so shouldn't hold opinions about coaching decisions? What is the purpose of these boards? Do we need DIG to police what questions are appropriate for posters to post? STZWhen someone states in plain English that they could do a better job than the professional coaching staff if given a paid position, they've left the bounds of fandom and entered the ranks of aspiring professional coaches.Professionals understand to varying degrees the complexities and nuances of the profession for which they are paid. Those who understand best are generally among the best in their fields. Fans, by definition, are fanatics who generally have a narrower, more simplistic view. And, of course, hindsight is always 20-20.Some of the greatest coaches in the game have had bench warmers who became stars after they were played due to circumstances. There are many reasons why this can happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that the coaches who didn't immediately insert the guy on the bench are stupid, or the fans in the agony of a losing streak who cry out for the backup, or the backup's backup, or any fresh young body, are geniuses.No matter how good a player may look at lower levels of competition and in practice, you never really know for sure how a player will react in a competitive game at the next level until he's demonstrated himself in the heat of competition. But you can't do that with a redshirt without burning the redshirt. And if you make a mistake in judgment, you've just thrown away a year of a college player's career who might have given four good full years if seasoned a full year as a redshirt.Fans can say whatever they want on a sports forum, as long as it meets the standards of the forum's owners. But if fans are free to question the actions of coaches and players, why should those fans expect to have immunity from being questioned by other fans?Touche. Now let's get ready for 3.5 years of the P-Nice show.GO ZIPPERS!STZ

Well, it's really exciting to have an undiscovered D1 coaching talent posting on this forum. I'll try to keep track of all of your future suggestions and see how they pan out over the long haul. To get paid, though, you'd have to get out in the real world and convince the folks who write the paychecks that you could turn their losers into winners. I can tell you in all sincerity that if you ever accomplish that with the Zips, I will want you to personally autograph my MAC championship and bowl game programs.Off point DIG. Wasn't the thrust of the last several posts that JD, the paid head coach of the UA football program, was supposed to be in the position, with the assistance of his superstar gurus Harris and Montgomery, to assess the talent on the roster? How is it that Nicely comes into the game and within 30 minutes looks like a winner after poor Rodgers scuffled for so long, and we all saw it, yet somehow through all of the recruiting and practicing and meetings JD apparently had no idea that this kid Nicely would likely be his best option at QB?The point wasn't that any posters knew, well, anything. The point was that we as fans had a hard time believing that the guys who get paid to prepare the team couldn't have seen and or guessed that maybe, just maybe Nicely was the way to go before Rodgers was injured. I am baffled by the decision to play Rodgers over Nicely, as I think many of us now are. Lastly, are you implying in your posts that because JD & Co. are paid as D-1 coaches/recruiters that all fans should magically defer when it comes to their decision making? These are the same coaches who have landed us either in, or close to, the ESPN Bottom Ten. Baller4life isn't a paid coach, and is only a fan, and so shouldn't hold opinions about coaching decisions? What is the purpose of these boards? Do we need DIG to police what questions are appropriate for posters to post? STZ

I believe it was stated that the home opener surpassed all of last year for concession sales. So every game after that is just "mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!"*edit: I like to keep my analysis simpleAgreed all the way around. Hopefully as the team improves the attendance and derivative revenue will follow. I'm looking forward to end-of-year reports on the concessions and team sales. Don't forget too that when the team shop on Exchange opens, if it's done well, a large and previously untapped revenue stream should result. STZ

Dude, do you seriously expect to come to ZN after ANOTHER terrible loss, when we're YEARS into a bad losing trend with this coaching staff, and NOT hear people calling for JD's head, calling him all sorts of names, being generally angry about the state of the team? I'm not interested in name calling of other posters on ZN, but damn it if someone calls me an idiot and a whiny b*tch it's heading right back their way. As for the name calling directed at JD, at this point many of the ZN fans wanting him gone and occasionally calling him an idiot are the LEAST of his problems. And frankly, even if I knew for a fact that JD himself read these boards, I would hope that a middle-aged man who has pursued coaching as his vocation would be thick-skinned enough to take a few verbal shots from college football fans.Football coaching is among the very most public of professions, and one of those that will draw the most scrutiny from fanatics like us. JD probably wouldn't give a rat's behind what a few of us here have to say about him, and if he did he's totally in the wrong line of work. For those like grumplemintz who may either be close to a JD or are shocked to see people on a SPORTS FORUM call for JD's head, well that's just crazy. You want mild-mannered and erudite? Maybe forums OTHER than sports forums are a better bet.STZ

We should remember that our esteemed head coach JD Brokenheart promised big changes after the CMU game. I can only assume that he meant a further degradation of both the special teams play and a falling off of the proverbial cliff by all of our kickers. That's change you can.....oh wait. Have we seen any indication yet, maybe ever, that JD adjusts or makes substantial changes? We're still playing the 3-3-5, we are half way through the season and have no clue whether Devoe can carry the rock, our best kicker is probably playing on the futbol team. There will be no adjustments until the end of the year, which is to say when this coaching staff has been let go.Sorry Mrs. Brookhart, aka Rumplemintz.STZ

Rumplemintz could have saved characters by simply ending his avatar at RUMP! Or perhaps add a G and call it GRUMP! Yes, I believe JD is an idiotic head coach, Mrs. Brookhart. Would you care to point me toward any facts that might change my opinion, Mrs. Brookhart?As for the name calling, god help us all if it's verboten, ON A ZIPS SPORTS FORUM, to call the head coach with a horrible losing record an idiot. Now, Grumplemintz, how about doubling the dose of whatever you're on, because you're quite a tempery little fellow. Unless of course you're Mrs. Brookhart as I suspect. Tisk tisk. :rofl: STZ

I felt like laying a HUGE Captain's Log while the Zips were on the field this weekend. Agreed on all of your major points except that, if it weren't illegal, I would bet you a paycheck that this Zips team will not win big the rest of the way. I am excited to watch the offense now, with the addition of Nicely, and this resilient defense, in spite of the 3-3-5. However, as long as JD & Co. are running the show, this team will find ways to underperform. Kicking, special teams, something. I hope I'll be wrong.STZ

only an IDIOT calls another guy an IDIOT when it makes him feel better, even though he has no clue about the situation!Hmmm, so using your own logic, you calling me an idiot for calling JD an idiot MAKES YOU AN IDIOT.STZ

Count me as another poster who would love to see what DeVoe can do with some repetitions. I've been very pleased with Tuzze's toughness but he's a blocker, a fullback. I think I'd really like to see some 2 back formations with Tuzze blocking for DeVoe. I really believe that would provide our best shot in the running game. I will also agree that after being incensed after the last game that we were forced to wait until the season was lost in order to see Nicely play when he is clearly the best QB on the team, redshirt or not, I do NOT trust this coaching staff to evaluate talent, nor to put that talent in the best situations to win.GO ZIPS!STZ

Since this thread has turned into one about Rodgers, Matt is clearly a fine athlete and I understand he's a fine young man. I would LOVE to see him used as some sort of slice and dice wildcat run/throw option back next year. In my mind, with the state of medical technology, there should be no question whether he'll make it back to the playing field. Unfortunately for him the Nicely era has begun, in my opinion. However, man could be help this team as a change of pace guy, running, passing, maybe some work at WR. On the run in space the guy is electric. The Zips have GOT to put those legs to use next year.Matt, get better big fella. The Zips are going to need you out there when you get back.STZ

Wow, you just reminded me of another bone of contention that I've had with the coaching staff this year. Remember early that JD bragged about having a healthy team to start the season because they had done very little contact work in camp. I remember thinking "Uh oh, that's not good" when I read his quote. The only team I've ever been aware of that played well after limited contact in camp was the SF 49ers under Bill Walsh. Of course, many of the stars on that team conducted almost legendary off-season conditioning and were talented as hell, with a then-revolutionary offensive system. They made limited contact in practice work for them. Other than that team, any time I hear a coach talk about limiting contact in practice I cringe. This team started the season healthy all right. How has that worked out for them? I like tough teams that HIT HIT HIT in practice and camp. I want the Zips to be tough as hell, hit hard, physically dominate the other team. The defense has started to hit hard in the last couple games, but overall I've had the impression this season that the Zips have played soft and haven't tackled well much of the time.One more reason I'll be happy to see JD head out of town!STZ

Tuba, I don't understand why you consider the points made vindictive. Many of us have been calling for JD's head for weeks now. While we hope that Jacq straightens his life out, he hurt this team badly. Rodgers appears to be a high quality individual and if he can get healthy will be a contributor to this team next year. He was not playing well and it surely didn't look like he was going to be the answer at QB. The problem then comes back full circle to the coaching staff. Why did JD allow the Jacq situation to linger if there had been ANY hint of ongoing problems with the kid? As importantly once Nicely showed his skills in camp and in practices how could this staff not have played him? I don't think that any of these points are vindictive at all. They are legitimate points and questions for fans of the team to be asking in forums like this. STZ

It's too bad the Lockview doesn't sport any games on TV. It's location is just about perfect and I like the vibe of the place since it has become a little more upscale than it once was. Anybody have intel on 69 taps downtown, or the BW3 across from the stadium? I haven't been in the BW3 in 20+ years, but back in those days it was a good place. I know guys here talk up the place on Waterloo but I want to continue to stay down town as much as possible. I'd like to think and hope that OBC will be back soon but I was there on closing day a couple weeks ago and it was not clear at all that they will be back as a pub. If they make it back they'll be my UA central. We'll see.So, what's the scoop on BW3 and 69 Taps as places to eat, drink and watch games these days?STZ

Good points infofan, although I think that Rodgers should be used as a wildcat player from here on in after his recovery. He is not a very good D-1 QB, but could be very helpful as a runner/option player. He's very fast and appears to be much more comfortable on the run than in the pocket. I like your points about Nicely, and you reminded me that after several plays last night I said to the fans around me that Nicely was doing a GREAT job of going through his reads. It was amazing to watch an 18 or 19 year old kid in his first game stand in the pocket (almost to a fault a couple of times) and look at several options before delivering the ball. Yes, he was 9 of 23 but there were several drops among those incompletions.I loved that on a 3rd down play last night Nicely threw an out to a freshman receiver who ran the wrong route, heading up field instead of cutting to the sideline. Had he made the proper cut, the ball would have arrived perfectly for the 1st down. Nicely was pissed off and went right to the receiver and gave him a little hell, after which one of the coaches ranted a bit at the receiver. It looked to me like some real leadership from the freshman QB and I liked it. He looked to have some fire in his belly and wasn't going to settle for bad routes, even from another freshman. I liked it. Let me call out Bowser here. He is fast becoming the Braylon Edwards of this team. Great ability and athleticism, appears to be active as a team leader on the sidelines, but his job is to run great routes and to catch passes, period. His drops are starting to kill this offense at exactly the times they need him to perform. In fact I'll give a "dishonorable mention" to the receiving corps in general, for there were several passes last night where the receivers failed to aggressively fight for the ball. Good receivers get to the ball and fight for it with their hands and bodies, even when balls are underthrown. Our corps didn't do that last night.The rest of the way I'm very excited to watch Nicely develop and to watch this up and coming defensive unit. It will be up to Bowser and the other receivers whether they want to be a positive part of that development. The 3-3-5 is horrible and I can't wait for these joker coaches to be gone, but we have some horses on that defense. With a solid scheme and decent coaching (yes, UA is going to have to open up the damned wallet and PAY for a solid coaching staff this time) this defense could dominate next year.I asked a hard core Zips fan last night to remember Charlie Frye in his first game or two with UA, and compare his memories of frye's initial play to Nicely, and he was complementary toward Nicely. If that trend continues, coupled with the recruiting advantages we now have, in addition to a shiny and brand new coaching staff, UA should become compelling going into next season. GO ZIPS!STZ

Nicely should have come in immediately when Jacq was sent packing, if he looked anywhere near as good in practice as he did tonight on the field. I'm not a QB expert but he appeared to be the FAR SUPERIOR QB to the best moments I ever saw from Rodgers. Rodgers could run in a pinch but was a terrible passer, IMO. Nicely has good feet, great size, nice poise and pocket presence, a very strong arm and nice touch on his passes. Why the hell did we have to wait until the season was in the crapper to see him? Who gives a rat's ass about the damned red shirt? Play your best players, PERIOD.Anyway, while we'll at least have the entertainment that will come from watching Nicely progress and the defense continue to grow, this is a bad, bad football team. Special teams? Bowser's Braylon Edwards impression, personal fouls, kickers that make me want to vomit? These coaches are disgraceful. I know it won't happen, or at least people say I'm crazy for thinking it could and wishing it would, but I want JD gone, like now, tonight. It's been all down hill since 2005 with this program. Pathetic. Embarrassing. UA deserves better. The kids in the program deserve better. We the fans and paying customers deserve better. NE Ohio deserves better. Welcome the the ESPN Bottom Ten everybody. It's well deserved. Think about it; it should actually take hard work to be among the ten worst D-1 programs in the country out of 119. UA has done it with ease, grace and style, or a complete lack thereof. STZ

I am angry that we had to wait until now to see Nicely play. What the hell are the coaches looking at when they decide to play a Rodgers over a Nicely? The kid is big, strong, has great feet, really nice poise in the pocket and a BIG arm to boot. Why would you fiddle with a damned redshirt for a kid who has those abilities after watching Rodgers play so poorly the last couple of weeks? JD is watching his coaching career fizzle away and was willing to play Rodgers over Nicely? JD really is an idiot. He had to go, but now he really has to go. NOW. Nicely is a NICE looking player. The rest of the way, as this team loses every game the rest of the year, I'll at least enjoy watching the much-improved Defense and the play of Nicely. JD shouldn't feel too bad. He'll get to coach the kid for at least a few more games before he gets his much-deserved walking papers. Again, what an IDIOT.STZ

JD's gotta go I tell ya.STZ

I agree that 10K is the right capacity goal. Not only should we be aiming high for the basketball program, but for concerts and other events 10K will allow for major bookings.I like it.GO ZIPS!STZ

Momma, on the one hand I agree that we are all speculating about what happened. It's a board forum, wherein people do that. On the other hand yours is the second post that infers that the new AD is up to no good, setting up an honorable coach in order to not only get rid of him but to supply the excuse for getting rid of the staff later on. I would suggest that you are speculating just as much on that point, and I would also argue that based on the Zips' performance on the field so far, the AD needs absolutely no "other" justification to let the entire staff go at the end of the season, beyond the simple fact that after 5+ years of JD and Co, the team is a disaster on the playing field. Why would Wistrcill need any more than that to remove any of the coaches at this point?STZFans sometimes think firing a coach is like firing a regular employee where it takes months of back-up paperwork to fire them. Inreality, there are "outs" in the coaches contracts that are exercised when they are terminated. They can be fired at any time for any reason.I'd also like to clarify that my brilliant question raised on this thread. It's not that the new AD is up to no good, it may be that he is an overreacter. If that is the case, I worry about the guy being the AD. If this indeed turns out to be nothing, the new AD has made a huge mistake with Reno. Will his next big exective decision be to suspend KD for throwing an empty diet soda can in the trash instead of the recycling bin? Let's keep an eye on this guy. Something smells funny and it may be nothing, but let's be careful.I would agree entirely if the team/players had been executing on the field. On paper it surely appears that UA is recruiting increasingly talented players, but we aren't seeing any dividend for such on the field. Are they more talented? Is it all on the coaching? Didn't Ferri also coach the running backs? Please don't misunderstand my points. Any one of us could become victimized at work, in life, etc. If Ferri has been unfairly victimized in this situation then shame on the AD. I would assume that it will be tough for Ferri to stay in coaching after this, and that is truly sad for him. My problem is that this team has become such a mess that we don't know the extent of the problems at this point. Is it in the coaching? Are the right players being recruited? Are there other currents and undercurrents that are badly dysfunctional? The only thing most fans can really judge is the play on the field, and this year this is among the very worst teams in the entire country. STZ