ZipRoo

Yeah, only an imbecile wouldn't have made IANELLO earn a college job again. Thankfully for him, Charlie Weis exists. (Note to all: I wouldn't be placing any bets on Kansas winning games.)

Lots of insight into Chris Jacquemain and Tyler Campbell's tragic downward spiral. http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...save_chris.html

My friend, the question is INTERCEPTIONS and INTERCEPTIONS DROPPED. Cleveland had a total of 9 interceptions. Only two teams had fewer (8). Nine teams had 20 or more, and Green Bay had 31. What aren't you getting about Browns defenders UNABLE TO CATCH A BALL? You got any other weak arguments? Rave about the Browns overrated "statistical" defense all you want. It's meaningless. Back to the point: Chase Blackburn made an interception that Browns defenders and wide-receivers WOULD NOT MAKE. Okay? Geesh.

Any writer who in this era still claims that "defense wins championships" has obviously never watched a Cleveland Browns game. Our defense could hold the opposition to 3 points and still lose. OFFENSE wins championships. Without it, you're not winning any games, period.

Seriously? Are we watching the same team? You've not seen catchable balls bouncing off our defensive backs' hands? If not, you're clearly the only one. It's what Browns LBs and DBs are known for...dropping sure-thing interceptions. But yeah, why use facts?

Man, I figured the Beacon AND UA would be all over this. I'm shocked. What an opportunity for Bowden to capitalize on an Akron player making THE KEY PLAY to win the freakin' Super Bowl! Come on, GoZips.com, what gives over there? Someone's asleep at the controls.

The Browns have NO DEFENSIVE BACKS who would've made that interception that Blackburn did. None. How many times have we witnessed the ball bouncing off Cleveland hands, followed by the obligatory mock-fit, stomping, shaking the head, clutching the fists, looking to the heavens.... Gets real old, real fast. Frankly, the Browns have no WIDE RECEIVERS who would've made the catch that Blackburn did. Imagine being THAT FAR down the field! Not in the vaunted West Coast Offense! Ha!! These might be tongue-in-cheek statements....but, sadly, we all know there's a LOT of truth to them both!

Yes, who can forget Weis's ringing endorsement of Brady Quinn as "the most NFL-prepared QB" he'd ever seen? Guy has zero credibility, and UA is certainly the beneficiary of Kansas's stupidity.

Thanks for the WKYC link. What's with the UA site? I couldn't understand much of anything when Proenza and Tressel were speaking. Seems like the site where the news conference is originating from should at least work without constant buffering.

Sweet mother, I'd send TW packing faster than Rob Ianello can say "We'll defer to start both halves of the game!"

Another jersey idea that should've been used for the past 4 years. I mean, how often is something so usable just dropped into your lap?

Lzip on TW: "^^ If he has a degree in marketing, he sure doesnt apply it. I know he contacted outside marketing companies for ideas for a few games last season." Pot, meet kettle. Yeah, I've got some wicked "agenda," the same one you apparently have. Those who don't recognize and examine mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. Maybe you could brush up on those lessons at UA between your own snarky remarks. So, so sorry if my expert analysis and obvious follow-up question to Marla's excellent articles went over your head. Geesh. Tool.

After reading Marla's article today on Bowden's aggressive recruiting efforts, I'm sure every single Zips fan was, once again, scratching their head, wracking their brain, trying to figure out how Tom Wistrcill arrived at his forever-infamous decision to hire a "so-called recruiting expert" from ND as a first-time head coach. The man left UA in shambles and embarrassed the school every Saturday for two years, alienating fans, players, co-workers. I've YET to see what attracted Tommy Boy to that guy....seriously, TW, fess up and tell us: WHY did you, in your wildest dreams, believe Ianello was the "best choice" to turn around the Zips program?? The damage you and RI did will take years to undo. On the one simple point that was allegedly a "strength" of Ianello, he failed utterly and completely by ignoring the hotbed of high school talent in the surrounding five-county area. What was his justification for that? What was his vision, his "plan" ? It needs to be said once again, TW: You sabotaged your own school and football program, because average, everyday fans were BEGGING you to contact and hire Terry Bowden TWO YEARS AGO--you know, when you had Irish Tunnel Vision. Imagine where UA would be TODAY if that one intelligent move had been made back then.

It shows, Zipgrad01, it shows.

Have to strongly disagree with you there; Greg Brinda is my top choice at KNR. Speaks his mind clearly and holds nothing back. He was the very first Cleveland talk show host who had the guts to publicly call out Mark Shapiro & Co. and state: "THIS ISN'T WORKING." The very worst on KNR is the 6pm paid Browns show with Vic Carucci.....I didn't think it was possible to LISTEN to paint dry. I instantly change the channel at 6p. I much, much prefer the 92.3 midday lineup (Phelps & Baskin) over the egomanic Rizzo and his non-stop promotions/commercial talk.

RE: "If you look at the extremely popular football programs, the tailgating scene is out of this world. I briefly talked to George Van Horne about the Akron tailgate culture, or lack thereof, and he expressed real concern to me that the U needed to cultivate that atmosphere to get to the next level. A good tailgate is enough to bring Zips fans back week after week." Right on point, Keener. When I traveled to the UA / Army game during Faust's tenure, that's all I heard about....the incredible on-campus tailgating for Army games. Obviously, the tents / entertainment that was offered pre-game at the Rubber Bowl have disappeared at Info, but that type of pre-game involvement is essential to what UA needs to build here. Like it or not, football fans like to sit around their little grills, cook, eat, drink and socialize. The sooner the Zips athletic dept. gets on board with this and offers free, accessible ways to facilitate tailgating, the more the crowds will grow. Under Coach Bowden, Akron has the opportunity to take a GIANT leap into a football culture the campus has NEVER before seen here. I do question whether the minds in charge are the RIGHT people to capitalize on this.

2012 needs to ESTABLISH Zip games as the "fun, place to be" thing for Saturday afternoon and evenings. Once a fan base is BUILT, then ways can be found to help boost revenues. But the worst thing UA could do is to alienate the fans who've stuck by the program, as well as those newbies who can get caught up in the bandwagon hype of Bowden's first season. The school needs to market the football program better on campus, especially to dorm residents and Greeks. Offer some type of incentive, and get Coach Bowden involved in meeting students, faculty, area schools....just get him and his enthusiasm in front of people. There's a lot to accomplish in the next 7 months before football season...but the fact that folks are already excited about it is in such stark contrast to the Ianello Disaster, it's almost surreal. It would be nice to have Bobby Bowden on hand to meet fans at the first home game this fall, as well. This family is "college football royalty," and Akron needs to capitalize on it.

WKNR and WKNR2 really need to do something about their signal. Early morning and beginning early evening, I can hardly even tune them in. Ditto for 92.3 The Fan. I enjoy The Fan's lineup, but except for my car radio, it's nearly impossible to get the signal in Cuyahoga Falls, even in the middle of the day.

Players mirrored the fans....neither could stand Ianello. And yes, they flat-out quit on him, probably hoping against hope that he'd be fired. I fully expect that Bowden and Amato could take the exact same group of players and win some games. It's the difference between knowing what you're doing--and having the team buy into it wholeheartedly--and being a no-name recruiter from out-of-state who has no business on any sideline in America.

I have to believe that even the current players on the roster will be more motivated and "coached up" than they have been since their arrival at UA. I wouldn't wanna go face an angry Coach Amato after letting a running back slice thru me like a hot butter knife. It's time to light a fire under some players' butts. Let's see some energy and pride in their ability to stop the opposition. After all, that IS what they've been given a valuable scholarship to do, isn't it? Either you're a D-1 player or you're not. If you're not, please step aside and let the MEN onto the field.

While I can't blame Wagner for wanting to put the final year of JD and the two debacle years of Ianello behind him, I don't support fleeing the only school that offered you a D-1 scholarship. It's a classless move. There's a lot to be said for loyalty and integrity. I've lost a lot of respect for the kid.

Just one more local talent that the Browns overlooked in their own backyard. Cleveland couldn't make a quality personnel move if it slapped Shurmur awake.

Boy, if ever a stat proves that defense is overrated....

Well that goes without saying. I continue to believe that some of the larger area HIGH SCHOOL teams, such as Mentor or Ignatius, could've beaten any team coached by Ianello. What Akron put on the field for the past two years is nothing short of a statewide embarrassment.

I agree, GP1. Would be shocked if Wagner is ever drafted. Might catch onto a practice squad as a free agent, but I doubt that any team would be interested in a guy his size. Then again, the Browns did draft Chaz Frye...so there actually IS one team dumb enough to waste draft picks.