johnnyzip84

This is NOT related to Zip soccer at all, but I thought some of the bigger fans of "football" in general might enjoy it. Link

Nice thought, but how many college teams in the country regularly get an NFL-caliber QB every 5 years? Hard to say how polished Nicely will become over the course of the next three seasons. But at least he has the size and arm strength to be a potential NFL QB, and those are two things that can't be taught. All the areas of criticism where Nicely could stand improvement are things that can be learned. It remains to be seen how much he will learn and how well he can consistently execute. The same situation exists on the basketball team with Zeke Marshall. He has the size and speed to be a potential NBA player someday. But he also displayed areas of weakness in his freshman season. No one really knows how advanced either of these players will be by the time they graduate. We know where they've been, but we don't know where they're going. This is a pretty balanced view on Nicely, IMHO. I'm not sure I'm ready to say Patrick WILL excel as a QB for the Zips, but I'm firmly in the camp that believes he has a far greater chance of reaching that potential than anyone else currently on the roster. As for those that doubt his potential, there are other folks besides us rose-colored glasses wearing Zip fans who also project good performances from PN7. Unless, of course, Dr Z moonlights as a writer for The Sporting News Actually I believe a Buffalo writer, who took over the TSN MAC coverage from that clown out of Muncie (Doug Zaleski), was the one responsible for selecting Nicely 1st team all-MAC pre-season QB. Why would the Buffalo writer have this opinion? Because Patrick played a very good game at UB. The UB message board had plenty of Bull fans who agreed. The general thought among UB followers was that the Zips had found themselves a QB. He also played quite well against K.E.N.T., outdueling Spencer Keith (who, I agree, is a talent to be reckoned with over the next few years, assuming he's healthy). Who really thinks we win that game without PN7? Were there poor outings out of Patrick? Of course there were. But, poor pass protection and a non-existent running game certainly didn't help his cause. The upside with Patrick is clearly tangible. His size, mobility, and arm strength are unquestionable. Can the staff get him to improve in the other areas? That's the proverbial $64,000 question. Hey, I was hoping to see a little more improvement in this past scrimmage myself. While he didn't move the ball consistently, the two throws to Carter were outstanding. Didn't the TD indicate some degree of "touch"? I'm more than willing to see how he fares over the course of a season. Finally, I'd caution against putting too much stock in a high school scouting report originating from one of my buddies, unless I was friends with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, or Brian Kelly. This is doubly true is the aforementioned aquaintances were the same ones who predicted great things from Alex Sullivan at UA.

I talked to the owner in July and was told that a new pub was opening in the Valley in August. Anyone know if she happened for sure? When the Aeros aren't in town its hard to find the best beer in Akron. The Valley location (the old Rax/Scorchers) was the last location I've heard from the Verich's as well (about the same time frame as you). I do know they've been focusing on getting the brewery on Selle St up and running. This may have delayed any new pub from opening? They have a Facebook page, but the information kind of trickles in.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm? BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs. Directions to the Merriman Valley, from Market Street on the northern edge of campus So this is the place? I edited my orginal post. Google Maps didn't allow me to save the directions, so I just provided them myself.

I know alot of Cuse fans are staying north of Akron in Macedonia next to I-271. I've driven through the area and looks pretty nice. Any good late night restaurants around Macedonia that will still serve around 11pm? BTW, so where is "The Valley"? anyone have a street intersection? I googled it and it looked to be pretty far out in the suburbs. Heading northwest on Market Street (northern edge of campus), the intersection for Merriman Road is a mile or two away. Make the slight right at the light and take Merriman for a couple of miles until it descends into the "Merriman Valley".

Nice pub for the flagship research program in US News & World Report. Link

Starting QB to be announced tomorrow. Nice call, whoever said it would be today Link

Cuse is getting their first Chipotle soon...about a mile from the campus. BTW, to the poster above...I'm not in my 20s but wanted to get info for the younger fans coming to Akron. It is frequently the case that a city must update their sewage system prior to opening a Chipotle. Maybe that was the case. BTW Zach, Ohio Brewing Company no longer has a pub. They're making beer again, but it's only available on tap in other establishments (69 Taps Downtown, Johnny J's Pub in the Merriman Valley among others).

I'm planning to travel to Bloomington, and most likely Temple.

Luigi's is an excellent Akron institution, but be prepared for a decent wait on the weekends unless you hit it early (4:00 pm or earlier). MetroBurger on Market Street in Highland Square is a modern, interesting and tasty take on the burger joint. The Lockview downtown on Main is excellent for it's beer selection and grilled cheese (as noted earlier). 69 Taps, also downtown, is another place with an excellent beer selection (including some of Akron's microbrewery offerings from Ohio Brewing and Thirsty Dog). There is also a BW3's (wings) right across the street from the Info. It has a decent beer selection and good wings, but it gets pretty crowded on game day.

Great topic!!!! I don't know the answer, but how many above were starters last year and how many are new starters? They all started for significant portions last year. I might throw whomever winds up at center (Bice?) in the dirty dozen. I'd like to know why Ward was shifted back to guard after having been moved to center for the spring. Hand/arm injury?

Here is a Bleacher Report article on the Syracuse two-deep (supposedly). Reading this sure makes the opener seem like a REALLY strong challenge (not that most of us didn't think that already). Looks like Jose Cruz has made his way to second team TE. Wait 'til the Orange see how many TE's the ZIPS have!! Link

And now for a slightly different take on the QB competition, courtesy of Tom Gaffney. Link Why do I feel like we've been reprimanded? :lol:

Here's my quick take on the scrimmage. 1) While Nicely didn't do a whole lot to put an indelible stamp on the #1 spot, I think iCoach had made up his mind on the starter prior to today regardless of the Gaffney article. If not, why was Nicely always with the #1 offense going against the #1 defense and Rodgers always with the #2 offense against the #2 defense? PN7 did make a few nice throws in the last few series, the obvious one being the TD to Jalil. 2) The injury concerns on the offensive line are legitimate. It's hard to tell how much that played into neither offense looking particularly effective. 3) The #1 defense was the best unit on the field. The front seen looked to be strong. Lemon, Hazime, Marceux, and Sewell started on the line and played well. Harvey, Tonga, and Rash all made plays. Once again though, how much of this is due to the O-Line's injuries? 4) Georgio Bowers looks like a possible 3rd back, behind AA and Burney. Dale Martin played but was not very impressive. Bowers looks like a pretty good player, but I would have liked to see him catch a swing pass or two to check out this part of his game. 5) There are EIGHT, count 'em, EIGHT TE's on the roster!!! Shane Shead and true FR Richard Hall both played some TE. Kiel Fleming was banged up a little and didn't see the field. Jon Root made a nice catch. 6) Morefield and true FR Austin Bailey played FB when there was one out there. For some reason, we saw a lot of one back and shotgun sets. Maybe it has to do with the injuries at center. Bice started here, and JC transfer McCloskey played some too. The latter looked as though he hadn't had much time with the standard snap (was taking them on the field before he took the position). I thought Mike Ward had been moved to center in the spring, but he was back at guard today. 7) Marchese missed the only FG attempt. Kickoffs were still somewhat short. The PK job still looks up for grabs. Burney and Carter both had long returns, aided probably by less than full go tacklers (by design). Zach Campbell absolutely BOOMED a 65-yard or so punt. If he gets consistent, watch out. And I have faith in Coach Okruch getting him there. 8) Oh the other true FR, Sconiers, Holmes, and SheDon Miller all made plays. 9) AA looked very good, and Burney was a nice change of pace. Alex will have to stay healthy for the Zips to pull off some surprises. 10) All-in-all, we honestly won't know much until Sept 4. Yes, the defense LOOKS much better. But until they stop a true opponent, there will be questions. I didn't see any significant injuries occur today. That's always a plus. I can't wait for Sept 4 when the true tests begin. Go Zips!!

Here is Gaffney's preview of today's scrimmage. Deni Odefin and Larry Dawson are no longer with the team. Deni should be proud of how far he came back from the car accident. I wish him the best. The injuries at center are concerning. We'll have to watch the exchanges today. Link

Razor's take on today's practice and the state of the team as it approaches tomorrow's scrimmage. It's a bit concerning that the O-line seems to be battling injuries. Link BTW, I saw Nicely and a few other players as I stopped to pick up soccer tickets today. PN7 sure is a pretty imposing figure. He's got the size of the prototypical QB for certain. I guess I've been aware of that from his numbers, but this was the 1st time I've seen him up close. I think he's going to have a big year.

Is Mack going to be an MWC AD soon? Link - Go to bottom of story

I'm not sure if I ever saw any further clarification on this, so I called the ticket office just now and the "meet-n-greet" for season ticket holders will begin at 6:30 pm tonight. I'm a 1st time soccer season ticket holder, so I'm pretty excited about getting the scarves. Should be a fun weekend of UA sports!

I've been able to find LOTS of speculation about this, but I can't find any confirmation. Do you have a source? Here is some speculation of a MWC/C-USA merger. Link1 Finally here is more on the Tom Dienhart tweet regarding the possibility of Temple joining C-USA (for football only evidently). Link2

This is another great article on Porter and his role as a USA U-18 assistant coach. There is a plethora of Zips coverage as well. Link

Winnipeg has recently released Jabari, but apparently he's back with the Calgary Stampeders already. Link Jabari makes 1st catch in CFL. Link

We bitch and moan from time to time about the MAC and our losing football tradition, bla bla bla. But how would you like to be the AD at San Jose St this morning? The Spartans HAVE to be pining for the good old days of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. In the PCAA (most of the time), SJSU had FIVE in-state rivals. Cal St-Fullerton and Cal St-Long Beach both gave up football in the early 90's (not before each made a trip to the Rubber Bowl to get pounded by Gerry's kids). Pacific followed suit a few years later (with Walt Harris captain of the sinking ship). San Diego State becomes a charter member of the MWC and now Fresno St leaves for the MWC as well. That leaves poor SJSU with ZERO in-state rivals. I'm all for the MAC to either improve (addition through subtraction, if it comes to that) or a some other improvement (C-USA, new eastern conference) down the road for Zip athletics when the time is right. But this makes me realize that things could be a whole lot worse. Perhaps SJSU hasn't put in the capital improvements necessary to be upwardly mobile. We can be thankful that Dr Proenza and his team certainly have done all they can to give UA the STRUCTURE to make a jump should the opportunity present itself. As many have stated, all we need to do now is win, at least on the gridiron.

I'll have Neil Lomax place that call to you, Z.I.P.!

Once a Zip, always a Zip!!! Link

Rasor was in camp again today. That's a nice way for PN7 to end the practice!