johnnyzip84

I don't doubt you on this, but do you have some kind of link where he is quoted as saying this?unfortunately I don't have a link as the source of the info is my human source.Looks like we're on the hunt for the missing link Aside from the infamous "I think I'll give ground while in my own end zone" play, Alexander played pretty well, especially for a true FR. I wouldn't have any problem at all with him as the "featured" back. If Browning can kick-start the O-Line, it's not hard to imagine the running game improving dramatically over last year.

The following link is entirely from a Temple perspective, so take it for what it's worth. Evidently, Golden has turned down the ECU job. And if you can believe this blog, Golden thinks Temple will be "loaded" next year. Even if that's not completely true, it sure seems as though the Owls will be a MAC handful the next few years unless perhaps Penn State DOES indeed come calling for Al.LinkThis makes the verbal from Anthony Holmes that much sweeter

So THAT's what a leatherneck is! Thanks, Cap'n, I always thought they were ripping off the Marines. The very first time I ever saw the Zips play (my freshman year of 1979), the opponent was none other these Leathernecks of Western Illinois. I was in the card section and my thoughts on Western were derived from my ties to the Pittsburgh area. Having grown up there I was, of course, aware that All-Pro safety Mike Wagner of the Steelers was indeed a product of Western Illinois. The Zips buried 'em

LinkThe dominoes just won't stop falling.

You were also told "WOO HOO!" (by me).Say it's so!!!

Yep, that was Ray Mernagh's column in the MACReportonline. Nice read if you haven't seen it. Dambrot brings confidence, and victory, to the Zips. Here's a quote from the article "Nate Linhart, a kid one Zip fan said on a public message board back in his freshman year "wasn't a D-1 player" is winning MAC Tournament MVP honors." OK, own up, who was it? Since this is a football thread, I'm going with PSU_Lions_84 :lol:

I hadn't really thought of it this way, but you nailed it 72_Roo. The Zips basically play an extension of the "total football" championed by the Dutch several decades ago and carried on by club teams like Arsenal and Barcelona.Wiki LinkIf we can win a few NCAA championships, maybe others will climb aboard. There's nothing like success to breed imitation.Alllllllright! I've taken off my wooden shoes, and propped up my feet to type this. Can anyone tell us if Akron was playing Totaalvoetbal when Darlington fell back to play what looked to all to be a defensive midfield role against Virginia in the NCAA title game? If so, who was supposed to come up and fill Nagbe's position -- and where the heck was he? I liked Sarkodie's play on the right wing, and Speas made an honest effort to attack from his MF spot, but no one but Bunbury was making runs in the center of the field for 90% of that game. This is a case where having a single superlative scorer allows the defense to single that guy out while the offense is stopped from playing any sort of triangular passing scheme in front of the goal.Damn! I feel like a coach or somethin. I bet GP-1 just shrugged his shoulders and swore not to open the soccer board ever again. Z.I.P. are you really Johan Cruyff in disguise?

I'm pretty disappointed about hiring Mallory, but I'll give him his fair shot.In other news, Lane Kiffin is bolting Tennessee for USC! I hope the fallout does not effect Browning's spot here at UA.ESPN LinkAs an aside, has there EVER been a crazier off-season in the NCAA football coaching ranks?

I hadn't really thought of it this way, but you nailed it 72_Roo. The Zips basically play an extension of the "total football" championed by the Dutch several decades ago and carried on by club teams like Arsenal and Barcelona.Wiki LinkIf we can win a few NCAA championships, maybe others will climb aboard. There's nothing like success to breed imitation.

He won it!BJ Link

I can't help you with the canopy, but welcome aboard 'Keener! It's great to see ZN continuing to build the fanbase. GP1, I hope you're OK with the B-word (build) in this particular case No objection here. In fact, I can't find the word build in the original post. I wonder how many canopies could have been built in the same amount of time the MAC has been "building" the conference. Even if someone built one canopy per day since 1948, you could have built in excess of 22,000 canopies...or a bridge to China.I was merely referring to MY use of the term build. But I was hoping to get a 1948 reference (actually 1946) anyway

I can't help you with the canopy, but welcome aboard 'Keener! It's great to see ZN continuing to build the fanbase. GP1, I hope you're OK with the B-word (build) in this particular case

I agree with the sentiment that Polk can't run out of eligibility soon enough for me. I will say that if you can get BG out of their 2-3, Polk becomes a liability in the man-to-man. Nikola made him look silly later in the game when the Zips isolated him at the top of the key. Of course, I think by then Polk was tired and frustrated. It sure is nice to have a big guy like Nikola who is able to put the ball on the floor in situations like that. He also gave another hilarious post-game interview with Frenchy :lol:

This isn't about a Zip in the NFL, but I didn't want to start a whole thread with K.E.N.T. involved. Since many of us still have nightmares watching the Zip D trying to contain this "Houdini", it sure was nice to see a NFL team having to struggle to tackle Edelman this afternoon in the playoffs. Of course, it wasn't nearly enough, but that doesn't diminish the effort or skill. I am SO glad he's gone.

Well hopefully the coaching talent can win over some players.I'd rather they win games than players. Every press release about our new coaches has a quote from Ianello about how the position coach or the coordinator is a great recruiter, but I don't see mentions of them being good coaches.When you win games, you don't need to be an amazing recruiter because the talent will be drawn to you. We have enough talent to win the MAC already. That should be the main focus.Definitely agree with some of what you say, especially as it relates to COACHING and some of the comments made. I wonder sometimes if is good or bad that we get guys from bigger programs. Tough to tell where they are in their careers, and what they truly think of Akron football and MAC football. Younger guys should definitely look at what has happened to Meyer, Kelly, Jones, Gill, etc. Some of the older guys...are they just here b/c they still want to be a part of the game, and are not giving up on a dream and/or don't know what else to do with themselves and they will take almost any job. I tend to think, OVERALL, it is a good thing to have the guys from the big programs who have some of those experiences. It is definitely going to be an interesting spring as these guys get together and start rebuilding/retooling things.This staff is coming together very Nicely....ouch. Really, if Rob would just go ahead and name Vince Okruch the DC, I will officially be OFF of the "let's hire Chuck Martin" kick

Jackson has just been announced as the D-Line coach.Jackson comes here from SU, then JD goes from UA to SU?Link

I can't be the ONLY one who is feeling nostalgic about "Faustian" logic after reading some of these pre-game analyses.Trojenz 41Cow Chipps 30

Maybe I missed some earlier discussion, but it looks like Western Michigan is putting together a pretty decent start to their season. Their win over the College of Charleston on a neutral court looks much more impressive with CofC's win over UNC. They've played a pretty tough schedule and have managed to come away with a winning record. Mr. Kool (who seems like he's been there forever) may have something to say in Cleveland come tournament time.

If this is true, this is turning into a VERY interesting story. I have a buddy who is a huge Illini fan. He thinks the only reason Okruch left Illinois was a big personality conflict with everyone's favorite ADD head coach, the Zooker himself. This guy has also complained bitterly about the "co-defensive coordinator" situation they had in 2009. What does it say when UI ends up trying to replace Vince with TWO guys?? I've been a big proponent of keeping Vince around from the beginning. I'd be THRILLED if he was named the DC!!! Come on, Rob. Pull the trigger. Besides, Mallory will give you some competition in the "youthful coach" race. You can't let that happen.While I pull for Vince, Mallory has a interesting angle as well. The son of longtime MAC/Indiana head coach Bill Mallory is definitely aware of what it takes to win in the MAC. All of these "second generation" coaches are starting to make my head spin.

OK, I plead "no contest" to the jackass accusation. My nomination for best off-season topic is "how can I assure myself a Lot 9 parking spot in 2010?".

+1

Actually, with regard to seeing what people can do, there is no statistically significant difference between seeing what people do second hand compared to seeing what they do first hand.Have we gotten official confirmation from the university about Browning being hired. I asked the Volquest mod over the weekend if he had heard if Mitch to Akron was official, and he said that he did not. He speculated that Browning may be a candidate on the University of Kentucky staff now that Rich Brooks is retiring. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!No confirmation on Browning to the Zips as yet, but this link says the Joker is taking over for Brooks at Kentucky. There is no truth to the rumors regarding the Penguin and the Riddler being hired as OC and DC respectively.Link

Good luck to him and I certainly wish for nothing but the best. But I'll bet Shuford's lack of PT after the first few games of the season had nothing to do with a 2.0 yards/carry average over 28 carries (link) LinkBTW, doesn't AA's QB rating look pretty stellar?

I agree 100% that we need to support this as it represents something we've all desired......Akro-Centric Sports Talk.....well hopefully anyway. I'll definitely start to listen on the way home from work. Thanks for the heads-up, infofan!

This is a few weeks old, but apparently Illinois co-DC Mike Mallory interviewed for the DC job here at some point (link 1).link 1Also, it looks like JD has interviewed for the passing coordinator spot at UC (link 2).link 2