Dr Z

"Tommy looks like he did during the bowl season"..."Warren Ball is 230 and runs a 4.49".... "Running game will take the pressure off the QB's early this year" are the quotes I came away with. Coach brings up an interesting question, "How many MAC players are in the HOF?"

Mets play-by-play guy Howie Rose fed up with ESPN last night.

"I know Akron's in the house" "20 years to travel 20 miles (Akron to Canton)" --31 minute speech https://youtu.be/f3lDBKmvUvA YouTube doesn't allow this to be embedded.

For the fun of it...from 2014 -- How much does it cost to book your favorite band? Who would you book?

Kent State Players Hurt by Zips Bringing the Wagon Wheel ? Nick Holley and Demetrius Monday weren't so forgiving of representatives from arch-rival Akron who brought the Wagon Wheel Trophy the Zips earned by edging Kent State last season to Canton and perched it in a seat at their table, about 20 feet from where the Flashes were stationed. “You can't print my thoughts on that,” said Holley, when asked about the presence of the Wagon Wheel at MAC Media Day. “The words I've got for you I can't say. We'll just keep it at that.” “You can't say it don't hurt,” said Monday. “We'll see you (on game day).”

Probably not what your looking for, but might worth a try if the price were right. Signed Akron Jersey

Another one in Akron next Wednesday August, 10th at Lock 4. Register online. UA ALUMNI SUMMER SOCIALS Join local UA alumni and reconnect over food and drink, courtesy of your University of Akron Alumni Association. Thursday, Aug. 10, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Lock 4, 172 S Main St, Akron, OH 44308

A few good quotes in this article. I like reading coach Amato's confidence. If the defense returns to (2015) form, and WB (o-line) becomes an offensive force, it could be a fun 2017. “I don’t want to blame it on us being young,” he said. “I just don’t think there was enough communication, enough chemistry between the guys. It was just a lot of guys getting used to one another. I feel like this year is going to be much different because we’re way close and it’s more of a brotherhood. Last year is way behind us and we’re just looking for this year.” Amato said the team has the potential to return to the status the defense held nationally in 2015 when they dominated in the run game. “We’re going to be really good, I think,” Amato said.

______The Zips Media Guide is available online.

Upgraded to 4.2 There is some reindexing going on in the background that may cause some early morning performance issues, but this should clear up by 9 am. If not, I'll repost an update here.

JT Sun Sentinel Interview and Article Even now, on the edge of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, people can’t grasp his lack of stereotypical girth. He’s often congratulated for losing weight in retirement rather than becoming the fattened ex-athlete.“I weigh a pound more than when I played,” he says, now 42. If it’s a surprise he’s 242 pounds, his career path to Saturday’s enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, is pockmarked by unconventional surprise. He conquered a childhood of poverty without his biological father. He didn’t play football until a high school junior. He received one college scholarship offer — and only after his high school coach begged an Akron assistant to watch him play basketball....Novak will be in Canton on Saturday. So will more than 100 players from Taylor’s Akron teams.

A few lighter questions.

I've heard this somewhere before. "I don't know if I would say important,'' coach Terry Bowden said of Ball in the backfield. "He is critical. If we can put the ball in his hands 30 times a game, it gives us a lot more time to get our answer to the quarterback question."

ESPN3 will be providing live coverage of the MAC media day starting at 11 am.

I would say in the last year, he has put in some work.

Saquon Barkley's freak-show legs carry Heisman hype and Penn State's title hopes (full story) Sports Illustrated PETE THAMEL Wednesday July 19th, 2017 ...Both Barkley and the program’s leap forward can be tied to the December 2015 arrival of (former Zips coach 2004-08) offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead from Fordham. Moorhead installed an RPO-spread that highlighted the mobility of quarterback Trace McSorley and used tempo to compensate for an undermanned line. The offense distributes the ball to soft areas of the defense by giving the QB multiple options to run or pass based on a presnap read. That means Barkley is often steaming into holes where the defense is outnumbered, or he’s isolated against slower players in open space...

Agreed! I hope the team's weight room work (viewed on social media), is rewarded on the field.