johnnyzip84

Having been born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, I take annual interest in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's selection of its "Fabulous 22" over the Thanksgiving weekend. It's basically this publication's opinion on the best 22 HS FB players in the Pittsburgh region during a given year. Since I've been a Zip alum and fan for many years, I mostly peruse this list for potential UA recruits. Well upon reading this year's list, I initially wasn't going to even bother posting the link (below) since there in no mention of Akron at all in any of these kid's profiles. Typically, the Zips get one or two of these players. For instance, I believe Matt Rodgers, Marvase Byrd, Aaron Williams, and Joe Rash were all selections during their senior seasons. In general, Western PA has been BERRY, BERRY good to the Zips over the years.Now I realize that we're a little light on available schollys this year and that UA recruiting often peaks well after the season, but this makes me nervous about this year's class. I suppose this might also expose JD's hand a little. A very common approach for a HC on the hot seat is to eschew HS recruits for a barrage of JC transfers, in the hopes of having that "one big season" to get the heat off of him. With the talent coming back next year, that might not be a bad approach, particularly if a few playmakers on the defensive side can be found.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Link

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the 1st thread you've ever started, Dead? May I call you Dead? Are we supposed to beat him?I believe that is his/her "reason for being", Buckzip. And this is why I as so surprised to see old Dead Horse had actually STARTED a thread. Usually, he/she only shows up after we've been going round and round on something for the umpteenth time. I guess this "pre-emptive" strike by DH is in anticipation of much "going round and round" in these weeks immediately following the football season.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the 1st thread you've ever started, Dead? May I call you Dead?

I voted that he SHOULD be fired, and I made my argument for this last week sometime. Basically the 3 losing seasons in a row and losing the last 3 games of this season is exactly the wrong type of momentum we needed heading into the Info. However, I don't think that it's likely that he will be fired.

I understood how you felt right away, nbs95. It's no biggie to me. I've said/written plenty in the heat of the moment that, in retrospect, was short-sighted. After all, fan isn't short for "fanatic" for nothing. I hope Steve keeps working hard. I'm sure good things will happen for him if he does. BTW, I hope your feeling better too.

1) JD will be back, but if the season starts off poorly he may get canned half-way through it.2) I believe Bain will play next year, and I also HOPE he'll be playing for a new position coach AND coordinator.3) I know that Jacq played much better than expected, but I still hope Rodgers gets bigger, stronger, and more accurate in the off-season, enough to beat out CJ in the spring. In the very little we got to see of Rodgers , he was much more of a run threat and I think that in itself is a major plus for him. I mean if Matt was truly right behind CJ coming out of last spring (per JD himself), I'll take my chances with him and his dual threat abilities. Once again (as in Getsy's SR year) we didn't get NEARLY enough snaps for our backup QB this year.4) The Info will be one of those few things in life in which the reality of it will even exceed our considerable expectations.5) MVP has to be the offensive line. Without a decent O-Line, we would have had 1 or 2 wins.6) BWill and DWill are tied in this category IMO.

so you might be surprised...so what?Quite frankly at this point, I wouldn't be too disappointed to see JD go. BUT your tone here indicates either you EXPECT JD to get fired OR you simply just want to take a pot shot at another Zip fan. Which is it Lee? Because if it's the former, how about a little wager on that.....say a tall one at OBC? Or if it's the latter, perhaps you should take heed of your own advice and skip the lectures.There is MAYBE a 5% chance of JD not coming back next year, so I hope you aren't getting your hopes up too much.

Andy Schmidt finally got healthy in the 2nd half of this season. He is a talent and will probably get at least a look from NFL teams.

It looks like it's Kiffin for UT. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Kelly head elsewhere, but obviously any chance of JD going to UC or anywhere else has turned into a hideous joke at this point ESPN Link

With a 24-21 road upset of perhaps a "less than completely motivated" UB Bulls team today, did Doug Martin save his job for another year anyway? I actually think that he did, and for those who automatically think this is good news for UA since JD is 4-1 against him I do not necessarily think so. In spite of their record, I have been quite impressed by the talent level the flushes have been assembling lately. Of course, losing Edelman would seem to be a big blow. I guess if he's to be fired, it will happen here pretty soon.

Maybe he got mixed up and had a few BEFORE the game

Jacq bonehead throw. INT. Game over. Season over.

TWO stupid calls on the last Zip drive. Why in the world do you NOT give DK the ball on 3rd and goal from the 1?????? Also, JD played chicken on the 4th and 1 call to kick the FG. He was influenced too much by Gulden's unsuccessful decision to go for on 4th down earlier. There's a BIG difference between going for it on 4th and 2 at home with a 3 point lead as opposed to going for it on 4th and 1 on the road and down by 3. When you play "not to lose" you usually lose.

Jacq is apparently battling the flu. Don't get me wrong; he has earned the starting job by far, but do you consider playing Rodgers at all in the 2nd half?

Is anyone else listening to this? Go figure. The D is playing pretty well (keep blitzing!), but Temple's athletic D is making it tough for our offense.Zips down 6-0 at the half.

At the risk of being called "Debby Downer" (insert forlorn trumpet sound here), I'm not sure I agree with this. I know there have been posts on here in the past that have highlighted how the Sun Belt inflates attendance (not like the MAC doesn't). BUT, if you check the RECORDED attendance figures for the two Sun Belt teams that are likely to be bowl competition at 6-6 (UL-Lafayette and Arkansas St.) they have both had pretty good years. UL-Lafayette, in particular, has had over 20K for EACH home game EXCEPT the flushes (and they had 18,300 for that one). Given this and the fact that the bowl locations are generally closer to these teams, I would not at all assume a 6-6 MAC school gets picked over a 6-6 Sun Belt school. The bottom line is how many fans that particular bowl committee thinks the team will bring. If we're talking, for instance, the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, there is NO WAY Akron or any other MAC school would be picked over a throng of Ragin' Cajuns who would merely have to drive a few hours to the game.

The Leakin has a gameday story. I have read both the on-line version and the home delivery. You might ask, why read both? Good question. The only reason is that I spotted a rather humorous gaffe in the home delivered version (corrected in the on-line at some point). In the photo of a flush player catching a pass over Graham, the caption in the paper copy reads "Two lines of cutline go in this spot here". Wow.Linkps. I sure hope the Zips paid more attention to detail in practice this week than Rich Desrosiers or Ron Ledgard or their underlings did yesterday.pss. I REALLY hope we blitz DiMichele some today. Go for broke Fleming. Set the tone early so the defense can get off of its heels for once.

Very nice confidence-builder from ESPN. However, few seem to realize that Northwestern is the Big-11's best 11 (hold on -- there are only about 7 men's soccer programs in the league!). I hope we can at least make it to penalty kicks. I have great confidence in our shooters, AND our keeper. We're still the home team, BTW. As long as the Zips don't have to face the Little 11's best 11 PLUS one, I like our chances. But who isn't leary about the officiating after what's already occured. Like many others have said, I fear UA will have little margin for error and be forced to dominate play for any chance to win. At least this team is capable of such a performance.

BigZip, I do understand what you are saying. I simply think there is a better way to change those people's perceptions (those who think of soccer as less than a man's game) than to play a game in silly conditions. I wasn't implying that you look at the game of soccer in those terms.RootforRoo44, what else can I say? You da man!

Would either RootforRoo44 or BigZip care to play football (american) WITH-OUT shoulder pads or freaking HELMETS on a field that cannot provide proper footing? Another issue is the fact that the ball, in soccer, is obvously in contact with the field for the bulk of play (as opposed to football). A water-logged pitch with an extremely irregular surface makes for a freakish match, in which crazy bounces (or the incredible lack thereof) can become the deciding factor. You can argue that both teams have to deal with the same conditions, but at some point the game "devolves" into something that is no longer soccer.My last point is this. I did not have the opportunity to play soccer in my youth, as its popularity was quite slow to take hold in Western Pa. I have, as an adult, participated in youth coaching/adult leagues and have managed to aquire rudimentary skills and a general appreciation for the game. From this perspective, I say that the best way to combat those who hold fast to the "soccer isn't a man's game" stereotype is to suggest that such person engage in a semi-competitive, 90-minute game sometime. All such stereotypes will be dismissed in short order if these individuals would only take up the offer.johnnyzip84 AKA OBC Mug #91Go Zips!!

It will be too late by then, but those of us that receive Fox Soccer Channel should ALL call into Fox Footbal Fone-In next Monday night at 8:00 pm to raise the awareness of this absurdity.

What say we make it a road trip, then rape and pillage the pristine and plush municipality of Evanston?

Somebody HAS to at least get an explanation for this. This would NEVER happen the other way around (Little 11 team being forced to give up the home field). They (NCAA) will probably come up with some BS about UA "home field" not being suitable as being the reason for the switch. I wonder if the OSU coach's trade is in any way related.

What a blast that was and what an incredibly exciting finish. Hats off to the Rowdies. My buddy and I sat behind them the entire game and enjoyed every minute of it. When a large contingent of Rowdies took up spots around the OSU goal for the 2nd overtime, the Z-I, P-S cheer between that group and the ones that stayed in the original section (with a little help from a few old farts around them!) was simply awesome!OSU was clearly playing for PKs, so it was especially rewarding when the Zips refused to allow it. BTW, I thought the game was called pretty evenly except for the so-called "dive" by Steve in the 1st half that probably should have been a PK instead of a yellow for him I echo any opinion to have the next game at St. V. I thought it was pretty nice all in all, except for having only one port-a-potty lolGo Zips!! Let's continue the march through the Little 11.

Always remember that for every action there is at least one effective counteraction. If there are three defenders on one player, that means at least two others are open. Zeke can take advantage of the situation by immediately passing to one of the open players for a high-percentage open shot. When the defense adjusts and stops collapsing on Zeke, that will open him up for more shots. Some players never learn this. The great thing about Zeke being an intelligent person is that once he learns all of the counters, he will be able to quickly adjust to every situation and can become virtually unstoppable. It really doesn't matter whether he scores himself or gets an assist for someone else. The bottom line is for the team to win, and teams with tall, athletic, smart centers have a big advantage over everyone else.Extremely well stated. I have no doubt that Zeke will continue to learn this lesson with the Tigers this year and this will only get him more prepared for life as a Zip.