Dr Z

The Annual Zips Golf Outing was held yesterday at Shale Creek Golf Course in Medina. While attendance seemed to be down a little, it was probably the best Outing UA has run in quite a while. The day was absolutely beautiful, the coaches were all in attendance and happy to answer any-and-all questions, the door prizes were fantastic and the BBQ ribs and chicken were outstanding yet-again. Kudos to UA for putting on such a fun well-organized event. I wish everyone on ZipsNation could have been there! As posted by zzx, the Zips inked a new QB this weekend, Robbie Kelley from Quincy College, a graduate transfer. Apparently he was too small for D-1 ball coming out of high school, but grew 3 inches in college, and now stands 6' 2". He was an all-conference player. He'll have two years at Akron. He learned of UA through a past relationship at NC State during the Coach Amato / Stroud era. Woodson has started throwing, and the prognisis for an on-time recovery is good. If everything continues to remain on-schedule, he will be the game 1 starter. That said, the staff is very happy with the QB depth and competition this season. No one is as good as a healthy Tommy, but the other guys are more than capable of leading the team to some W's. MTB has both a hand and knee injuries, and will be out for the 2017 season. He is expected to get a medical redshirt and play in 2017. Newman Williams is purported to be as healthy as he's ever been during his injury-plagued UA career, and is expected to split the H-back role with incoming freshman Kobie Booker, whose combination of size and hands make him a perfect fit for the position. Brandon Junk will also see some time situational time at H-back, as he's a reliable blocker. Tra'Von Chapman has made the transition to receiver look easy, according to one coach. You might also see him line up at h-back occasionally. He's proven to be a leader, and one of the harder workers on the team. Expect to see a little more running early this year, the running backs have more talent and depth than the receivers at this point. The staff is very pleased with the depth at the position and Warren Ball is said to be one hundred percent healthy and ready to rock! Who will assume the much-needed role of "disruptor" on defense? In 2015, it was Jatavis Brown and Jamal Marcus wreaking havoc in the backfield. In the injury-plagued 2016, there really wasn't anyone. Look for Pitt transfer Jamal Davis to assume the role of Jamal Marcus, with a rising Ulysses Gilbert stepping into those big shoes of Jatavis Brown. Another disruptive force on the 2017 Zips defense will likely be St V's Justin Sampson. Most big schools shied-away from him when it appeared his grades would relegate him to a "non-qualifier" designation this season. But it appears he'll take care of the required academic work this summer and be ready to take the field this fall. He purportedly has as much talent and any d-lineman this Zips staff has recruited...they're very high on him. Help on the 2016 front seven may also come in the form of Aurora's Bubba Arslanian, who is a blue shirt. He very well could make an immediate impact for the Zips defense. Multiple members of the staff praised the kid's potential. WR Nate Stewart and is dealing with an unspecified injury, but should be ready come August. If you were hoping Oregon State transfer Deltron Sands would shoulder the load at RB this fall, you'll need to pray his recuperative powers are excellent. He came to the Zips program while healing from a shoulder injury. He took a spill a short while ago, and injured his other shoulder. If all goes well with his recovery, he'll be good to go in the fall. But two recently-injured shoulders is not something you want if you're bucking for 15 carries per game. Keep your fingers and toes crossed... Brock Boxen is back one hundred percent and will be counted on. Overall, Coach Bowden seems confident that his defense will be a force once again. One coach said he spoke to Steve Keim (Arizona GM) recently, and Steve indicated that Nordly Capi had a decent chance to make the Cardinals roster. Reggie Corner is a flat-out ballplayer, but he will likely sit out 2017 to get on solid academic footing. The staff is VERY high on incoming freshman Jordyn Riley and Jeffrey Lubin. Expect them both to be on the secondary's 2-deep this fall. Jordan George, Kyron Brown and Darian "Double D" Dailey will be the starting CB's, while Alvin Davis, the 157 lbs heat-seeking missile, will continue to start at safety. James King, the transfer from Miami, is an aggressive, talented, 190 lb kid with the mean streak you want on the defensive side of the ball. He'll see appreciable playing time this season. "How much?" will depend upon his coachability and learning of the playbook. Malik Woodridge and Dustin Burkhart are both 10.6 100 meter guys. The staff is really happy to get kids with that speed in the fold. They expect Woodridge to fill an AJ Coney-type role in the future. Suggs will enter the fall as the Zips #4 RB, behind Ball, Edwards and Morgan. While he doesn't possess sprinter-like speed, he's very elusive and will be fun to watch. As far as other comings and goings are concerned - Brian Bell's semester in exile is over, and he will be back for summer camp. The only "going" thusfar is Freshman OL Montel Jordan, who has left UA and returned home to Florida.

I think there are only three teams in the MAC without someone on that list. That's a lot of watching.

Nine players have been named to Athlon Sports' 2017 preseason All-MAC teams, the magazine announced on Monday. Earning preseason first-team All-MAC was LB Ulysees Gilbert III Third-team honorees were OL Kyle Ritz, PK Tom O'Leary, and KR Van Edwards. Fourth-team were QB Thomas Woodson, RB Warren Ball, WR Austin Wolf, DL Darius Copeland, and S Zach Guiser.

I've actually read this as "Akron wins it first-ever bowl game" ...but, your description is factually true too.

Here is how he was described by coach Groce: "Malcolm is an explosive scorer and elite defender,'' Groce said. "He can score in a variety of ways and is terrific in the open court, in isolation, and off ball screens. Defensively, he is very active and plays with a lot of energy, which allows him to be a versatile defender."

Not sure if this was a result of the spring game or not. Mike sure has a positive attitude.

Robert Spillane, Western Michigan’s leading tackler decides against a transfer, returns to Broncos. It was thought at the time that the linebacker could be following his former head coach, P.J. Fleck, to Minnesota; the Gophers subsequently self-reported a minor violation to the NCAA regarding Fleck’s contact with one of his unnamed former players. Wednesday, Spillane’s transfer plans were reversed as Fleck’s replacement, Tim Lester, confirmed that the junior has rejoined the Broncos football team.

IMO, I wouldn't assume much with the change of scheme. He may find a niche with so many different personnel packages Williams likes. I wish him health and luck. Does anybody ever remember Jamal dropping in coverage with the Zips? I haven't watched a Browns preseason game since they fired Bernie, but I might record the first one to see how/if Jamal is used.

Carson Cherry Oct 17, 2016 Last season the East Carolina’s men’s basketball team lacked depth in the front court, mostly due to an injury to Deng Riak suffered in the Pirates’ eighth game of the season. “We love that we have Deng Riak, who had to take a medical redshirt last year, back into the mix,” said head coach Jeff Lebo.

Lane: Waved by Colts Lane was waived by the Colts on Monday, Tom James of The Tribune-Star reports. Lane, who went undrafted out of Akron, signed with the Colts in early May but presumably failed to make much of an impression on the coaching staff during his brief stint with the team. He'll look to secure a depth receiver role elsewhere.

Photo from 4 weeks ago.

Duvivier will play this year, he is a graduate transfer. Hester, Jackson, and Riak next year. Source: Building the Dam Duvivier can be described as a strong and bruising guard, who is also a severely underrated athlete and is developing into a solid all-around player. He’s known for having a strong court-presence and often times throughout his career, was tasked with defending the other’s team top-offensive weapon. At Akron, he’ll have the chance to showcase his abilities for first-year head coach John Groce, who takes over the team after a five-year stint at the University of Illinois....While Groce has done a fine job in securing notable transfers to the school, specifically Eric Hester (Florida), Loren Jackson (Long Beach State) and Deng Riak (East Carolina), that trio of new talents won’t be eligible until the 2018-2019 season comes around. Despite a monumental task before him, Groce is hopeful to return the Zips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-2013 season.

Groce said that he hopes to have nine or 10 scholarship players for the upcoming season. Ultimately, he hopes that number rises to the NCAA limit of 13.

Pete just keeps adding to his list of bad decisions, here, and here....

Every throw against Nebraska in ten minutes.

Greg Cosell is an NFL analyst and a senior producer at NFL Films. He is the nephew of iconic broadcaster Howard Cosell. Cosell is widely regarded by NFL insiders as one of the most knowledgeable and trusted football analysts. Here is a photo of his draft sheet on Dobbs. I think I agree with everything written.

Previous years. 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014. I have heard a scout say the 2018 draft will rival the 1983 quarterback talent (Elway, Marino and Kelly). There were SIX QB's taken that year in round one. PFF's way too early mock has five quarterbacks going in the top of the first round. Sam Darnold USC Mason Rudolph Oklahoma State Josh Allen Wyoming Lamar Jackson Louisville Josh Rosen UCLA Should be a fun year to follow.

Could another MAC QB make an NFL roster? PFF writer Josh Liskiewitz thinks it's likely. "Former Western Michigan passer Zach Terrell lacks a big-time arm, he led all of FBS in 2016 in both overall adjusted completion percentage (which accounts for drops, throw-aways and attempts made while absorbing hits) and adjusted completion percentage under pressure. His ability to perform well under pressure could help him develop into a solid backup at the NFL level, thus it makes sense for Baltimore to continue to develop his skill-set beyond training camp this fall."

Reading through some transcripts this morning. This is from QB coach Randy Fichtner regarding how important a big arm is in the NFL. I thought it was interesting that the two QB's he mentioned were from the MAC. "I think it’s a must. We all talk about it. I’ve coached guys at different levels and it’s been unique to see because you see guys that can understand the game and make very quick decisions and the ball comes out. And if that arm strength isn’t elite like Ben (Roethlisberger), like Byron Leftwich, like a handful of guys in this league that have that kind of arm, you have to win above the neck and the ball has to come out on time. Decisions have to be made and you’re talking about delivery and getting the ball out. So to me, it starts with arm strength, but I’ve been able to see others that didn’t necessarily have that elite arm be very successful in their system."

This is the right thread to do it in. Vent away in this thread.

Jason Taylor and Thomas Woodson. Kegger at KD's place in Squirrel Hill Friday night, everybody drives to State College Saturday morning.

I watched a four star transfer play QB for Akron last year.