hiroad1

How credible is the original Bucknuts report?

Would there be any NFL position he is likely to be offered in the next several days? Wouldn't an NFL coordinator or position job either be offered by a brand new coach building a staff, or at the end of the season when teams make changes to existing staffs? Neither of those two scenarios would seem likely to unfold very soon. I hope Loeffler is just using that excuse to buy a bit of time to consider the UA offer and then respond within a day or two. I wonder what the response term of the offer is?

It's kind of odd that this has become a debate over Dr. Proenza, but, in the end, he is ultimately responsible for everything at the university. Athletics are one part of that. As a lifelong resident of Akron, and a bit of a history buff, I believe Dr. P may go down as one of the most influential people in the history of Akron. Perhaps in the top one hundred of people who shaped the city. What UA has evolved to under his leadership is a major factor in framing what greater Akron is for the twenty-first century. For me, taking Dr. Proenza's body of work as whole is a positive that far outweighs any slips with the athletic department. Frankly, that he got the stadium on a significantly upgraded campus speaks pretty loudly to his commitment to athletics anyway. That does not mean I would expect anythng less than his laser focus on this coaching search. But I can't believe anybody in Akron wants to get it right more than he does.

We can be relieved that Paul's decision was made based upon the positives regarding his life at Wayne. That is as it should be, and I respect his decision. He says it was a difficult decision, but now he is moving on. It was a hard loss for UA, but we too have to move on. I have been thinking about the realities that have become apparent about the state of the UA football program through this coaching search. At first I was disheartened. Then I thought about how down I was just six weeks ago with the thought that we would have to endure at least one more season of Ianello. Folks, even with the uncertainty about our next coach, we are soooo much better off than we had been at the beginning of November. At least our current anxiety is over changes being made - and these changes are our first steps in the right direction.

Sorry Big Zip, this is Browns fan logic. Paul has done nothing wrong. He looked at the job and decided where he was was a better fit for him. I disagree. Paul Winters knew Akron was courting him. It was in numerous articles in Ohio and Michigan. If Paul Winters was not interested he should have said so 3 weeks ago. We potentially lost out on a better candidate because Paul Winters didn't say no from the outset. It is possible that he really did not make up his mind until the early hours of the day today. He may have even thought he would take the job until he got caught up in the emotion of his team's run for a championship. Unless he was deliberately misleading UA with the intent of being malicious, he did nothing wrong. Plus, I have to believe that if UA had a clearly better candidate willing to take the job they would have hired them without waiting for Wayne to finish its season. Who did we lose out on that was willing to take the job? I could be very wrong, but I don't think our issue should be with PW. Our issue is that, thus far, we can't seem to get an interesting coach to accept the position. That is a UA football problem, but it is not caused by Paul Winters.

After the field house and the stadium, we are all-in with football. As we should be. Building a winner here, building a tradition here, building the kind of bridge between the school and community that football is uniquely able to build... it's downright critical. Heck, it's even more critical now, if you ask me. This low-point in a way reminds me of when the infamous Peggy Elliott nearly succeeded in destroying UA on her pathetic way out of town. What followed was caretaker Marion Ruebel righting the ship and setting the stage for the Landscape for Learning and the amazing things Dr. Proenza has been able to achieve in campus improvements, research growth, corporate partnerships, etc. Out of the bedlam and chaos left by evil Queen Peggy, came the greatest era of growth and development the university has ever known. So true about the university. Way too early to write off FBS at Akron too. A smart hire can still get us going in the right direction. Though we may not be thrilled with the name the day he is hired, someone can come in here and make a positive impact for UA football.

Sorry Big Zip, this is Browns fan logic. Paul has done nothing wrong. He looked at the job and decided where he was was a better fit for him. +1 Everyone has the right to make the personal decisons they believe are best for them and their family. I doubt Paul did this as a malicious slight to UA. We have to move on now.

I'm glad someone else is. I've said all along that I think a lot of people could win at Akron because I believe in what can be accomplished at the school. Look at how well soccer and basketball do and the football team can do the same thing. Winters was one of those guys I believed could have won. I'm worried beyond the point I normally worry when TW is making a decision. Is there anyone left out there on the list of "a lot of people who could win at Akron"? I don't know, but the list has to be pretty darn small at this point, if not empty. Feeling pretty low right now. What's even worse about all of this is that Winters was a guy for whom UA would have been a destination job. Like a KD, we could have expected him to do well and to maintain long term continuity. If we're really lucky and we find a guy to turn this mess around, he'll likely be a hot shot who will stick around just long enough to earn a sniff somewhere else and will disappear. Seeing that happen constantly at MAC schools just sucks, even at the good programs. Winters, for me, meant something different than that demoralizing carousel and that was a significant part of my support for him getting the job. Now the best we can hope for is a young turk to turn things around and bolt. That's not awesome. Under the circumstances, I would be ecstatic if this scenario were to play out. We can only hope somebody will want to hire away our next coach. IMO, that would be awesome.

I don't mean to sound like a smart ass so please don't take it that way, but why in the world would this guy leave what he has to come to Akron? We have a habitually losing program and an AD who is surely to be relieved of his duties in the near future (one year). Anyone who takes the job would be subject to the crazy whims of the next AD who wanted to hire "his guy". Any coach who takes on Akron at this point is either desperate to become a head coach, or should be placed on career suicide watch. I don't think we fully realize yet what Winters turning down the job means....it says much more than he just didn't want the job or a contract extension at WSU. Tension and anxiety are both at a peak, but I don't think we are in an irrecoverable situation. True, we have to be realistic that we are not going to get a proven coach with a recognizable name. Still, if I am an ambitious young guy who is confident in my ability, I might look at the Akron job as a good way to propel my career. Surely I would believe I could improve on 2-22. Somebody is going to be excited to get this job. We can still land a diamond in the rough, but we probably won't see the diamond the date he is hired. Only a couple of seasons will tell. We can only hope and wait at this point. There are no sure things when you are as low as we UA football has fallen.

I do not know Paul Winters or how he thinks, but I find it hard to imagine he is not going to take a serious look at the Akron job. Anyone who has spent the past season as he has, immersed in a championship run with his players and their families, and getting lots of love from the Detroit media, would be sentimental about it in the moment. Last night or today, he and his agent will surely talk about the benefits and risk of staying at Wayne, versus the benefits and risks about coming to Akron. Other than staying in a situation that has become comforatable for him at Wayne, I still see most of the advantage weighted toward Akron. If Paul wants to take a risk averse approach to that decision and stay at Wayne, that is a legitimate choice. If that is his mind set, he will be doing himself and Akron a favor because the Akron job is going to require some serious energy and will bring plenty of frustration in the first two years. Again, I don't know Paul, but that seems unlikely. I think he will want the Akron job now that he has time to focus on it. However, it is possible that he was so offended by the way he was treated in the last coaching search that he has truly put Akron behind him. But to me, that would seem to be the only reason he doesn't end up in serious discussions with Akron.

Pot meet kettle. You can join him in that affair. Dude, I'm new to the forums, but I have seen you do nothing but pimp PW and chastise people who disagree with you since I joined. It gets old.

Pot meet kettle.

Agree with above and came to the same conclusion myself during the past week. However, Narduzzi letting people know he is not considering Akron job could be a sign that UA has informed him they are going in another direction. I think it would be quite possible that TW might have communicated that to Narduzzi's agent to allow him to "save face" in advance of an imminent announcement in a different direction. The timing of this occurring the first day Winters can officially talk with Akron would make me suspect Paul is the guy too. Who knows?

If the outcome of the game today was the basis of deciding whether to hire Winters, then he never should have been considered as a candidate, and UA athletics would be truly run by idiots. Either the guy is good enough to be our our coach or he is not. Being able to say that you are hiring a guy who just won a natitional championship would add some sizzle to an announcement and made for a good story, but this is about hiring a guy to take on a tough rebulding effort. One game makes no difference. No way this has any bearing on the decision if they are intent on Paul.

I am not delusional, and clearly realize that we are not stacked with top talent. Still, I wonder if we don't have some capable guys that can perform better under different leadership. Now, don't get me wrong, I saw plenty of mistakes by our players, but I question two things: 1. Were the coaches failing to get the players into a position where they had a realistic chance to succeed? 2. Might the players have consciously or unconsciously not been pushing themselves to their max as the losing continued and they began to lose faith in the coach? Our roster may not have the talent to win the MAC next year, but I am hoping the new coach is able to get more out of these guys than what we have seen in the past two seasons. Confidence and a positive environment can really change performance. I believe a new coach can instill both and get the kids to buy in. Then it is a matter of keeping the kids bought in by continuing to display coaching leadership - win or lose. Most young kids will fight pretty hard for someone they believe in. Even losing, this team could be a lot more fun to watch if they are cohesive, determined and maintain the will to fight. I hope the new coach can at least accomplish that in the first year. BTW... I should not be calling the guys kids. I recognize they are men.

This is hilarious..now it is the "lets talk about how average Wagner is" thread. The kid is a tackling machine. Part of the reason he made so many tackles down field is because he was either dropping into coverage or shedding offensive lineman that devoured our pathetic DL and got to the 2nd level. I have watched many Zips games with former coaches and college players and most all of them say "who in the hell is that kid?" I will take their opinion over the forum guru's. You misread MY intent. I was defending his play relative to the comments that he gave up too many yards.

Apparently our defense was designed to get Wagner to the football and make tackles. He may have been moving to the ball more than most guys at LB, and thus some of the yards given up when making plays. He gave us everything he had all the time though. Regardless, he has a right to do what he believes is best for his future. I'd like to see him stay, and he would certainly help us. If he leaves, it is just one more part of a large rebuilding effort the next coach faces. With or without Brian, the new coach has a tough task ahead of him.

I agree with D in G's comments above. I think there are other challenges of scale Paul will face though. Many, many times I have read where D1 head coaches (and especially NFL head coaches) describe their role as more of a CEO. What that implies is the need to have the management skills to handle a larger staff of people and broader demands (press, speaking engagements, perhaps more scrutiny on NCAA audits, etc). Thus, the necessity of knowing what to delegate and how to coordinate at the top after delegating the day-today stuff. The necessity to manage this way in a larger organization presents a challenge for those without the prior experience. This does NOT mean that PW can't do it. Only that he will have to, and at a new scale. Now, I'm not that smart about the X's and O's in football. But it seems to me there may be a matter of scale here too. Perhaps more complicated schemes, against better opposing coaches, and with and against athletes who are collectively bigger and faster. There is a matter of scale in recruiting too. As much as people want to tout Ohio HS football and local recruiting, UA can't be successful without recruiting in states well beyond Ohio. In business an ideal hire is someone who has EXACTLY the level of experience you are looking for. However, that would be a lateral move for the person seeking the job. Most people want to move up, and don't usually make lateral moves. Therefore, talent recruiters and hiring managers have to evaluate people who have the skills to suggest they can step up and be successful with a new level of responsibility. Hiring decisions almost always involve some risk. If some people say there are no risks with PW, I say nonsense. However, I think he has a background to suggest he can step up. If UA was able to hire someone with a lower risk profile than Paul Winters, I believe they would have. But it appears they could not. If Paul Winters is hired, I believe he has the potential to be successful. I wish I felt it was without risk, but nothing is. Especially when you are 120th in a class of 120.

It was him. It was regarding local recruits and how it'd essentially be foolish to assume that they'd even consider somewhere like akron. He was a total a-hole in the comments section and was insanely unprofessional. See Blue & Gold's 'Linky' Wow. Thomas needs to learn when to shut his mouth, especially when he is leaving an electronic paper trail. I went to the link and after reading GT's first post I thought, "Where's the rub? I agree with this guy." Then I noticed there were subsequent posts. Man, why would a guy resort to the negativity in a public forum in the city in which he is a public reporter? Dumb. Particularly dumb, because I think he was right in principal about the aspects of new experiences being part of education, but he ruined it with the negative banter. I defended him yesterday. I'm still going to give him a chance as the reporter for UA football, but I'll be watching much more closely to judge his competence and attitude now.

It appears one of two scenarios has played out in this selection process. Either the search was a farce to cover the fact that TW and/or the Administration never intended to hire anyone but Paul Winters, or UA is hiring Paul Winters because nobody with stronger credentials was willing to accept the job. I can be very skeptical, but I find it hard to imagine Dr. Proenza wouldn't have pushed for UA to get the best coach available to us. With the lack of available information, I'm willing to give UA the benefit of the doubt that this was the case. But, man, if I find out otherwise I will be livid! So, I have to accept that being the worst program in D1 did not motivate stellar coaching candidates to stake their careers on a stop at UA. While not jubilant, I can accept that Paul Winters might be the best hire we are able to make, and I sure hope he can be successful here.

Okay. I'll admit this made me smile. Pretty creative. Maybe you should apply to be the new OC.

I agree that the first bit of GT covering Zip football has been pretty weak. However, the guy is probably in a bit of a tough way: 1. New on the beat without established relationships/channels for info. 2. TW is on lockdown regarding info, and this probably extends to the press. 3. GT does not want to do anything to earn the wrath of TW before he can develop a working relationship. It's not too surprising that he would be pretty conservative in his approach right now. There have been times when I felt GT went pretty deep in his coverage of high school football games. No, I'm not saying covering D1 football can be compared to covering high school. Just saying that it makes me think I'll give GT a chance to prove, or disprove, himself before I reach a firm conclusion.

This leads to another question... if Winters was hired to be the guy at UA, does his whole staff come with him or do one or more of his assistants stay at Wayne State to lead that program? If the latter is the case, then new coaches possibly with FBS experience and regional recruiting ties could also be on the new staff. This is a hugely important issue that nobody seems to want to think about. New head coaches hire people they have worked with in the past. People often accept assistant coaching jobs based on the relationship with that head coach more than the draw of the particular university. Who does Narduzzi know, who does Johnson know, who does Stoops know, who does Winters know? Who would each get to come with them? The head coach is important, but D1 FBS experience in the staff would be a real plus too. Maybe only one of the guys above is even willing to take the job, and that would make this a mute point. But if we are still interviewing people, the make-up of their staff is a question that the search committee should be factoring in to the decision. Experience on the staff didn't seem to help us the last 2 years. Ianello was so inept as a head coach that it is really difficult to measure the assistants under him. It might even be that both the assistants and players, consciously or unconsciously, may have suffered a crisis of confidence or had motivational lapses as they witnessed Ianello's shortcomings. I really don't think the performace of the previous regime would be an argument to dispute that it would be valuable to have assistant coaches with experience coachng against other D1 FBS coaches. Some people, myself included, wonder how Winters will do moving up two levels as a head coach. Wouldn't the same logic apply for assistants? All things being equal, I'd weight the D1 experience as differentiator. I have to believe that any coach making a jump two levels will have to make some adjustments. I'm not saying I don't think Winters can do it. I'm only pointing out that we might have an entire staff making that transition. BTW, I am beginning to wonder if Paul is the only guy willing to take the job. It may not matter who I want to compare him or his assistants to. If that is the case, then I am satisfied that a proper coaching search has been conducted, and that it proved Paul Winters is the best man for the job. I say that with no cynicism either. He's successful enough to be legitimately qualified for the job. If no better candidates could be found, he clearly deserves the job. I know of many people who have been hired for jobs when they were not the clear first choice, and have then they delivered some remarkable performances.

Interesting development, If YouTube isn't sleeping, I'm hoping he was/is on the phone tonight. Maybe I missed it, what are we supposed to take from this article?? This stat from the article has nothing to do with Akron, but I found it astounding...... "How, for instance, do you begin to explain Oregon? Kelly's Ducks averaged 73 plays per game this year while finishing dead last nationally in average time of possession, 25 minutes 3 seconds." Wow, they score fast.

As has been covered previously on this site,contrary to the beliefs of some Akron is not a highly sought after job. It is becoming one on the 'graveyards' of coaches. If you think about why a coach hasn't been named yet it might be because all of those names of those coordinators with little no head coaching experience that have been thrown around may not have any REAL interest. Usually,if a coordinator from another staff is hired for a HC job he leaves right away to start the new job. Nobody is going to hold up a coordinator who is moving into a HC job. Losing 2-3 weeks this time of year is critical. Yep. We may have gone from the nonsensical talk of Tressel to having only one person we want who is even willing to take the job. At least that one person seems to really want the job.