Ham

What year was our match with Northwestern moved to Evanston?

You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig. We played a bad team and made them look good! The D found themselves often in a hole, but did they get just the one 3 & out at the goal line? Stretch the D? I don't think 13 is capable of throwing the ball down field, and he has not shown the ability to manage game pressure. I would like to see if Pohl can add something to our O. TB wants to find the big play makers. Right now, the only possability of a big pass play is big yards after the catch. This team has played with a lot of heart all year. What team will show up at the Glass Bowl?

PATHETIC!!! Its time to give Pohl a shot. I put a lot of this loss on 13. But there is plenty of blame to go around; so many stupid mistakes! Even if they had taken it to overtime and won, it would have been hard to be happy.

Someone who can actually use their computer will need to add a link for this story. Yardbarker listed the 10 worst nicknames for FBS teams, and the MAC was prominant. The Redhawks and Golden Flashes made the list along with #1 Zips.

I wouldn't burn a schol on a LS. We have a Fr, Ziltz, red shirting. The same could be said about other needs. With a year of college ball under their belts, other newcomers could step up their game. I would stick to TB's plan, 3 OL, 3DL, 1 QB, & 8 potential play makers.

The second half last week really showed me something! These Zips can win this game. Zips 38 / Tenn 24.

GP1, I'm so glad you sais that. I follow this board for FUN! I do have to admit that I did get riled up this week with the "half empty" group. I can take the criticism from "outsiders", but when it comes from "family", it makes me sick. Looking ahead,I don't think any outsiders give us a snowballs chance at TN. I think true believers can see a miricle in our future. No mater the outcome, I'll be at the Info on the 29th.

Hilltopper, I just watched those catches on the highlights real, and he looked real good. He seems to have good speed and can get some seperation, but if I was QB, I would drool at having a PF for a target down field! Don't let some negative poster dampen your enthusiasm. (I post this just after I take a shot at our "half empty" posters.)

Yes! they have clearly Progressed by leaps and bounds. I think TB took off the Kid Gloves at half time, and they responded big time. Perhaps TB used the right amount of gentle hand to rebuild some confidense, and now he will ramp up his expectations. For some of you guys who see so many problems, why don't you spend some time watching some Sunday football. Don't be too suprised when you see a silly false start or off sides not to mention a blown coverage or reciever who has the football bounce off his hands. I uspect that none of you "half empty" fans have ever actually played the game.

I suggest one award catagory should be the greatest variety of beers for a tailgate over the whole season. This could be an individual award or a "team" effort.

GREAT JOB - a couple of those drops would have equaled ticker tape parade! I have thought all along that Avis C would be the first Zip to win player of the week honor. Not being able to see the games in person, I can only guess that teams are just not able to challenge him limiting his chances.

I don't think the D was as bad as people are implying. I'm really positive on the D. When was the last time we had a D lineman lead in tackles? We had 2 sacks and many hurries. Although Ford looked a bit lost on that one TD, the secondary did pretty well. I'm not sure we will see that much teeam speed the rest of the year, certainly not in the MAC. I was worried about special teams going in, and I think that is an area that the extra couple days in this "game week" will allow for much needed extra attention.

I would advocate for eliminating the helmet cages. That would inhibit players who would use their head as a weapon. Although in the case of the youngster in the video, his technique wasn't all that bad if he had kept his head up. I think his bigger problem arrises from his age. I don't think a person that young has developed the neck strength to withstand that impact; so, one could say I would favor restricting contact until youngsters reach an apropriate? age.

I'm with you. Does New Belgium Brewery from Ft. Collins, CO, make its way east to you? They make several american style brews including Fat Tire, but you might enjoy their Abbey. I haven't tried any of their offerings that disapointed me. Maybe Belgo a little. Its labeled as a Belgium style IPA. The Belgium yeast did not come through for me; however it is a real nice IPA, and I like IPA's.

One can learn things about a team watching a TV broadcast, but like the Dr said, you see what the producer wants to show. In person, one can better see the play develope. This still isn't the best; because one canot rewind to see something more clearly; or go back to see how someone was lined up or their persute. I think a teams attitude or demenor is better assessed in person. For instance, did the Zips quit on I...in charge(coach doesn't work here). I might have played a long time ago, but this is still a game of blocking and tackling. For example, our 3/4 D from a few years ago really wasn't much different from the way we played a 6/2. Shot gun? Single wing. The bottom line on this question remains to be answered. Until we start blocking and tackling someone else, one can only guess. My guess is that we will win at least 4 or 5 games this year.

I find it impossible to really evaluate a team wathching them on TV or web; so my take derives from one game I saw in person. Special teams were genrally hap hazard. I was very pleased to learn today that JB has lead a complete assult to bring special teams up to respectable performancen levels. Our secondary could not cover anyone at the line of scrimage, and they often seemed confused resulting in blown coverage. That seems to be solved. Pass rush? Coaching improved tecnique could milk available talent. Size? Give me quickness. especially in the MAC! Our new offense will require less time to get an effective throw off. If our QB can deliver the ball with reasonable cosistancy, the improved passing game will open up the run. I'm certain that play calling and game management will be a huge step forward this year. Retuning talent for this year is certainly thin, but we have brought in some people to fill some of those holes. Depth? I don't think any MAC coach would ever be happy or even comfortable there. I will be surprized if we don't win 4 or 5 games this year. Does anyone really believe that TB is telling his guys that all they need to do is win a couple games this year to have a successful season! Do you think he will give the team a pass for any loses that might occur as just part of the process? If I were TB, I would be "poor mouthing" in public too. I'm confident that he will have his guys waiting in the weeds ready to ambuse some people!

If you were a fan, would you be able to ask the tough questions? We can get the PR stuff from Gozips. You are obviously putting out the effort to get us the facts. When we start hitting someone besides ourselves, your objective view will be much anticipated.

Positive.

I think you are close to the truth. UCF is not that far removed from the MAC, and I think they will be looking past us. Coaching will make a hugh differance in this years Zips. One area that I have not seen much comment on is special teams. We need to cover kicks much better. Coupling that with an offense that will at least give the D a chance to get a drink will make a big improvement. I think the Zips will do better than cover the spread. Zips 24 UCF 20

In a couple weeks, we will see against UCF that Fox has at 25 in their preseason rankings.

Better position? Who do we have on our schedule that will fill the stadium? From a square head Iowa Zip to Hillbilly Zip.

I would also like to know how Cody Grice is doing?

Percentages don't tell us much. One needs to also factor in how many new season tickets were sold last year. Actual number of tickets sold would tell a more acurate story. I can only get to one game a year coming from Iowa. Yesterday, I was able to get 2 seats on the 50 yard line for the Miami game, but there were only 6 more seats in the en tire section 110. The MAC presents an exciting product. The talent might be a bit short of the Big Ten or SEC, but the competitive ballance produces excitment. If we move into the competitive mix, I think the fans will come. What would you rather watch? a 65 to 64 nail biter or OSU 65 IU 3?

We may need an up grade in talent, but this is the MAC for goodness sake. I will be surprised if we don't get 5 wins! First, I don't think the D was that bad. They need to find a pass rush and someone to cover at the line of scrimage. Early signs are good. The last 2 years the D was put in position to fail with repeated turnovers and 3 & outs by the O. Our new scheme will help the O. We were so predictable that 12 year old kids in the stands knew what we were about to run. That same 12 year old could have matched their passing accuracy! We don't need a stud at QB; just someone that gives the recievers a chance. The new scheme will give our line a better chance for success not being required to hold their blocks as long to give our QB the time he needs. We should have all known what we were in for last year when Mt Union kicked our butts in preseason 7 on 7. I think I'm kind in saying that our entire former staff was clueless! The people in the best position to see that were on the field, and I think they checked out by mid season. From the player interviews that I have seen so far this season, I think our new staff has begun to change the culture. Just look back to remember what Miami did "in recent hisrtory." This is the MAC. Coaching makes a difference in the "cradle of coaching"!

That is absolutely great news for me. My daughter is an ISU grad, but even better, I'm only 30 miles from Ames. I had a lot of fun at Iowa City a few years ago even though the Hawks blew us out in the first half. Charlie Fry took a cheap shot at the end of the first half that kept him out the second half. Ames will be a great road trip for everyone. Great game day experience. Next on my wish list is Northwestern Wildcats, my sons alma mater. We seem to run into the Cats in other sports a lot. Game day experience at Evanston is not so good, but I could score 50 yard line seats with my son.