Lee Adams

Well, look out for the Bowden backers on this site. I too am more than concerned about the abilities of the coaching staff. Offense,defense and special teams.Bowden obviously is not going anywhere. BUT,he IS responsible for everything. He can't use the rationalization this season that he HAD to use too many players brought in by some other coach. Bowden 'owned' this program after the 2013 season. HE hired the offensive and defensive staff. He coached this team to a 3-5 record in the MAC against the easiest MAC schedule he could possibly get. There is a new University President. He is from Texas I believe. He has no loyalty to either Bowden or Wistrcil. Obviously we do not know how involved he is in the Athletic Department. BUT, I wonder if the new President has wondered this, we have state of the art football facilities; We pay to maintain them. The Prez is paying an AD and a football coach who up until 2014 who have not delivered a return on the investment that the University has made to football. At what point does a new University President decide to stop flushing money down the shitter and make some changes in the AD? Just wondering?!

Non-conference schedule against REAL DI teams means nothing except the AD gets a check in the mail. We saw what a win at Pitt meant for this program this season. We saw what a win at NCState meant against Amato's boys in 2006. We saw what a 'close loss' meant at Michigan again except paychecks for the AD. Penn State,Wisconsin,OSU etec. etc. Meaningless except for the $$$$$.

So after what happened this year,what of next season? And what happens in the off season? Are changes coming in the coaching staff (offensive coordinator/defensive coordinator for example)? How does Bowden replace some graduating seniors who made significant contributions on both sides of the ball?(Looking at the roster there are some holes to fill.) And,will there be a move to go with another QB who will have limited or no game experience? Lets hear it.

It does sound like something Bowden would say. Are you a lawyer by any chance?

2020!!!!!??? What the? Just because Bowden said 2020 doesn't mean thats appropriate! What kind of nonsense is that? This team just got done losing to OU,Ball State,Buffalo and Can't in the MAC. None of those teams is above .500 for the season. This team played far worse in the second half of THIS season against a very easy MAC schedule. The hell with 2020. This coaching staff,whomever is around next season needs to have this team to at least 5-3 in the MAC. There is plenty of physical talent available to do that. Whether there is on the sidelines,we will see.

Was at the game. It was apparent from the start that 1) Bowden/Amato did not have the team ready to play. Thats a sin this time of year and in a game like this; 2) Can't State University was pretty much able to run or throw against the Akron D especially in the first half;3) Can't State had little trouble covering the pass routes called by Bowden/Milwee: 4) Akron made Reardon,the guy who supposedly had trouble finding the right colored jerseys all year look like he actually knew what he was doing; 5) Akron seemed to be 'chasing' all day on both sides of the ball; 6) Even though Haynes made a couple of questionable decisions during the game,Akron was outcoached during the game. Embarrassing loss especially the way it ended would be putting it kindly.

I will echo what somebody said above. The responsibility is not all on Pohl. Bowden/Milwee have done very little consistently to put this offense in positions to perform at a high level with the talent they have. We have seen this 'round peg into a square hole' mindset too often in the last couple of years. Pohl gets to compete for the job. But guess what; If he isn't the starter Bowden is starting all over with another unproven inexperienced QB. Good luck with that.

$324.00 roundtrip flight from CAK to Montgomery via Atlanta. Not too bad. Ummmmm.

Will this be the 2005 version of the rivalry? Or will it be the 2006 version when the Zips went to K.SU and got spanked. There were high expectations in '06.

Was at the game with maybe a couple hundred others. Hard to figure what to take away from this game. UMass had no QB. They didn't really seem interested. Apparently they were like most Akron 'fans' who didn't bother to show up. Akron beat a bad team. They should. Bowden finally got the ball to Dorazio, far and away the best receiver on the team. Could have been by design,could have just been bad D by UMass. The TD to Hundley was beautiful. The wheel counter to the flow. Nobody within 20 yards. We will get a much better read against Can't. They are bad,but its at their place and they could spoil a possible extra game for Akron. A win over Can't and 6-6 is respectable for this point with this program. A bowl this year for this 6-6 team seems a bit of a stretch. Next season is the key for Bowden.

Good observation about Pohl's passes. I was a Pohl fan couple of years ago. But it has become obvious he,like many others can not throw the short/intermediate passes with any authority or accuracy. And,when he presents no credible running threat and the offense revolves around rhythm passing, AND, the coaches do not seem willing to adjust to personnel available on a consistent basis it becomes apparent why the offense has struggled. Whether Woodson is the 'answer' or it is going to take 'breaking in' another new QB next season remains to be seen. Gonna be tough if Bowden has to play an inexperienced QB next season.

Thanks. I'll take it for what its worth. I find the fact that my wife hasn't had a pay raise in 8 years much more significant.

Went to the UMass game in Foxboro last year. Thoroughly enjoyed Bowden taking the game out of Pohl's hands and actually committing to the run. It was a close game but Akron controlled it with the run and won. New and better coach at UMass this year. If Bowden/Milwee continue to put their fate in the passing game this year...well. Fronhapfle has some warts. Just not as many as Pohl. And, Whipple will use his running game judiciously. We will see what Bowden et. al are capable of this week. Nothing to lose in this one. Make the necessary adjustments. See what happens.

Anybody watch UMass beat BSU last night?

Ummm. Whether or not Bowden was dropping 'hint' isn't germane. Neither is it germane to the conversation that the sports writers specifically and the 'journalists' in general employed by the BJ are for the most part(not all) first rate second rate journalists,to paraphrase a civil war general I think. There is no point in discussing whether or not Bowden could handle a 'hostile' press if one existed in NE Ohio. What is important to discuss is what Bowden and his staff are accomplishing ON THE FIELD. Its past time to blame previous regimes for what is happening on the field now. Bowden is and has been getting paid a lot of money to do what he is doing at Akron. Thats his job. He came here voluntarily. I hope nobody is talking about wanting Bowden gone. Thats not appropriate. What is appropriate is to scrutinize the decisions he and the AD(Wistircil needs to be accountable) make and how that translates to performance on the field. There are some fairly obvious areas where some crucial decisions will need to be made before next season. Whether that involves modifications in coaching philosophy,changes to the coaching staff or changes to players on the field,this coming 'off season' will determine if this program can take the step up to being truly competetive in the MAC next season.

Frankly, I don't believe the injuries to Pohl, belief is all WE have here, has had much if anything to do with the problems for the last 4 games. Pohl isn't the QB to run the system Bowden wishes he could run. One problem seems to be that Bowden/Milwee seem to be trying to force the offense to to do what it has not been capable of doing consistently for 2 seasons. No, Pohl may not be welcomed back next year. But I do know what I saw last year. Akron committed to running the ball to try to open up the passing game. That was because Pohl couldn't handle Bowden's offense,AND because injury slowed him down even more. The decisions about personnel are the responsibility of the head coach...period. Its a bit late at this point to suddenly state that that 'going 2-0 is critical'. At this point it would be nice. But,the important decisions will be made after 11-25-2014.

Having Buffalo lay 'half a hundred +' on ya is embarrassing. Doesn't matter where,when,how. Started to watch. Saw the pick at the start. Thought they were on their way. OOOPS! Finally had to watch two quality teams,Toledo and NIU play a competitive game. Maybe these guys can finish with one or two wins. But we are seeing the same old things on offense game after game. And,somebody said it earlier,any team that is the slightest bit two dimensional,can run and pass, gives this style of defense fits. Last night was not the first time it has happened. Bad thing about how this season has turned out is there are negative affects at different levels for the program. Yes,it will likely adversely affect recruiting of 'four year' kids. Can't continue to bring in one and two year 'plug ins' and not show more progress on the field. Those guys take away schollys from longer term recruits. Secondly,that old bugaboo,attendance takes an even bigger hit for the UMass game and again for next season. Third,the coaches have to reevaluate the players who are playing this year and returning next season. Are they going to go with some of these guys again? Or are they going to start plugging in less experienced players? Thats a crapshoot. Finally,the coaching staff needs to evaluate itself. The staff also needs to be evaluated by the Athletic Department. Where changes are warranted,make them and move on. These guys might get motivated to win their last two and finish 6-6.Thats an acceptable record on paper for this season. Just not quite the way it looked like it was gonna happen. Given what has been happening for the past month+ its gonna be pretty difficult. Lets also remember that the Zips got a break with the crossover schedule this year. EMU and Ball State were certainly not the two best teams in the West. Next season is critical. Its the point where Bowden needs to have this program at 7-5 and at least 5-3 in the conference. Gotta start at least realistically competing to win the division even if you don't win it. See you Tuesday.

l'll not say what really should be said. Because only people who are completely out of touch with attendance at Akron games for the last 40+ years would believe that a 'promotion' like that would 'entice' a significant number of kids to attend a game that they have likely never nor will attend in the future. Its not about a couple of hundred kids on one awful night in November 2014. Its about 2015,2016,2017......... Disparage all you and others want. Attendance AIN"T gonna change significantly. The weather isn't a significant factor around here! Attendance has always been bad. Guess nobody wants to address what Bowden said about he coaches?

That 10-2 season will happen when? You stated some very good reasons why that is not likley to happen. Doesn't need to. See above.

Anybody read the 'quote' in the BJ on Sunday? Bowden said the coaches need to stop putting players in positions where they feel 'pressured' into doing things they(the players) are not capable of doing. Read it! I hope Bowden as the HC was including himself. That has been stated on this board before by at least one person.. The job of coaches during the season is to put players in the best position to win(that also has been questioned here previously). Square peg into the round hole etc,etc. If Bowden is directing this to Milwee then Bowden has responsibility also. Hard to believe its directed at the defense. Shouldn't be! Maybe they win the last 3. Or not! I said 6-6 would be acceptable this season. Stay with it.

Wonder if thats hat size or what?

DIG. By making the comment you did about ponchos, means you didn't take your own advice and 'ignore' the umbrella issue'. Again,it wasn't about umbrellas. Apparently some here haven't figured that out. The scholarship thing was a lame attempt. Juvenile at best. Even if these guys win their last 3 in spite of what the coaches are doing on the O side of the ball,it won't increase attendance,student or otherwise.

Ha,ha. But hope not. Love to go to the games.

Agree about the D.So if the offense has '0 playmakers' why does Bowden continue to try to pound the square peg into the round hole on offense?

Student attendance is a tired,old topic. Nobody here has any idea about how to 'increase' student attendance because there has NEVER been a significant,consistent student attendance since I attended Akron starting in 1970. The only really significantly large crowds were for the old Acme Zip games. I said before the deep thinkers in the AD have no idea what it has been like for the last 40+ years around here as far as student attendance,much less general attendance is concerned. Most of them aren't from around here or are far too young to realize what it is like to go to DII playoff games in sub freezing temps. Much easier to 'ESPNize' themselves to bring in money. Win consistently,that is 7+ games a year and they will increase attendance a bit. But, there will never be any consistently big crowds(20,000) at Info. Stop the madness people.