GP1

It depends on how they are being asked to administer the game. Going back to another post I made.... Refs are charged by their leagues to administer the head to head rule in a way that sometimes does not include actually seeing the penalty take place. When refs are asked to throw flags to change the culture of the game because of what they might have seen, it cuts to the integrity of the game. Safety will increase and integrity will decrease. Basically, it is this. If you aren't sure whether or not you saw holding, don't call it. If you aren't sure whether or not you saw head to head contact, throw a flag because we have to get control of the game. There is a huge difference in the two. There is no guarantee that with the current administration guidelines of the h2h rule, a replay would overturn it. What they are doing is going to work long term. It will change the game. In a few years, there will be many fewer head to head hits. Coaches will find better ways to coach players in this aspect of the game and the players will get better as well. Between now and then though, we are going to have to watch a lot of crap. Zips fans saw a big pile of crap last Saturday.

I guess the question then becomes, How? The spread presents a lot of 5 WR sets. Defenses now use a combination of two man zone and man-to-man to defend. A team could blitz, but a QB like Miami's would easily pick apart a blitz after seeing it once or twice. Zone blitz? Everyone does it now so QBs aren't shocked when they see it. It's hard to find DLinemen who are both good at run stopping and pass rushing. When one materializes, he is playing at the BCS level. The old saying has always been, "Stop a good pass rusher by running at him." Most college players are only really good at one thing (look at how many offensive linemen are almost completely unable to run block). The guys who get good at multiple skills play on Sundays. I really like the idea of having a good run stopping DLine (I posted when JD was coach about the future advantage of a 4-2-5 defense given the changes in football). It helps make the offense one dimensional. Once you get them to one dimensional, then you can maximize what remains. Would I like to have both? Of course, but I don't see how that works. The game has become about QBs, coaches and WRs. Teams can try to disrupt the QB, but the coaches will find a way to take advantage of the disruption. If teams take away the WRs, the way to counter that is running the ball. Have a good run stopping line to clean up after taking the WRs out of the game. Everything comes full circle. Force teams to pass too much. Take away the pass and big plays with a good secondary. Force them into something you do well. The Zips made Miami be a one dimensional team by holding their offense to 11% of their total being production from running backs and only 26% of their offense coming from running in general. Against most MAC teams, this will work. Against a team with an NFL prospect at QB, it doesn't. It sort of reminds me of the movie Moneyball. At one point, Brad Pitt makes some trades and says to the team something like, "You may not look like a winner right now, but you are." I think that's were the Zips are. The philosophy is there to win. I'm all in with this team right now. I believe the philosophy is there and that's where it starts. Now it is a matter of getting players who can execute on the philosophy. Without the players, the philosophy does't work. TB needs to get himself some players.

I sort of agree and I sort of don't. The Zips only gave up roughly 75 yards rushing to the running backs on Saturday in a game that had 705 totals yards for Miami (11% of total). Miami's total rushing was 185, which is only 26% of the total. While 185 yards seems shocking at first blush, it is nothing in relation to the overall yards. I don't think we have a rushing defense problem so I don't know how much better we could do in that manner. QBs on good teams get rid of the ball so quickly these days it is hard to get a sack unless the coverage is outstanding. I guess if I had to decide on an either/or decision, I'd take good run stopping DLineman athletic enough to jump up and block passes, or at least congest the passing lanes some. These spread offenses are about rhythm as much as anything. Disrupt the rhythm...disrupt the offense and try to take advantage of mistakes. It appears to me all roads lead to improvements in the secondary as the #1 priority. In 2012, it seems as if you have to concede giving up a lot of yards will happen against good teams. The question then is ability of the guys in the secondary to limit damage after a reception by reducing the yards after catch. I'd like to see some solid tackling coverage guys myself. After rereading my post above, I would like to channel my inner Dave in Green here, so I'll say the following. Things never appear as they seem. Sometimes they are as bad as they seem. Sometimes they are not as bad as they seem. There are no right answers. There are no wrong answers. Sometimes puppies have accidents on the living room floor. Go Zips!

It's the beauty of the spread offense. Even though we lost, we still put up 49 points, so there must have been some confusion on Miami's end as well. Miami and Akron are perfect examples of how a well executed spread offense can change a team for the better. The ability of a QB to get yards running has always been something I watch and enjoy with the spread offense. I'm not interested in watching the QB run a lot, but when the opportunity presents itself, I'd like the Zips to be able to take advantage of it. Our QB rushed for zero yards Saturday. Miami's QB rushed for 100+ yards. The running QB is the "X Factor" in this offense and the teams that really do it well have that. That's the only criticism I can push TB's way with this offense. It could be the difference between just making a bowl and winning the MAC in years to come. It may not seem like it now, but Akron is better. We have an improved offense and kicking game. Over half of our problems are solved. The defense can be fixed enough to win six games next year with improvements this off season.

It's interesting and timely that you bring this up. Lou Holtz, when he can be understood, makes some really good points on ESPN. He made a point about team over thinking defending the spread offense. Particularly, the three wide sets we see. It isn't just resulting in completions, but it is resulting in a huge amount of yards gained after the catch. Holtz believes teams are over thinking these plays at the start of the play and coverage assignments are being botched at alarming rates because of the complications. The botched coverage is resulting in poor tackling and the poor tackling is resulting in 50+ point games on a regular basis.

@skip-zip Is it a problem or a "step back"? I see it as a problem that will continue through the year. You are right about our problem to tackle and cover. The question is, why? The answer is simple...talent...and you sort of mention it in your post above. I've been saying it for months. Talent is still a huge problem with this team. I heard a former NFL player say again yesterday, "Coaches don't win games, players win games." An inability to tackle is one of the major ways a lack of talent reveals itself in a football team. It takes a lot more than just being close to a ball carrier to bring the guy down. The defender has to be fast enough to get his head in the proper position, get his arms around the ball carrier strongly enough to control the other person, use his hips to explode through the ball carrier and move his feet to drive the ball carrier back. It sounds like a lot and it is. In D-1A football, it isn't enough to get close and grab at the guy. They are grown men out there. I just don't buy into the notion the Zips took a "step back" on Saturday. 49 points against a fellow MAC team is a huge step forward. Being in a position to win against a MAC team with a pulse is a huge step forward. Coaches who are able to take a group of players who are lacking in talent compared to the other team and compete well is a huge step forward. The Zips have nothing to hang their heads about.

Good point Lee. In the book Scorecasting, currently on the "GP1 Must Read List",the issue of home field advantage is tackled. It is real and is largely a function of intimidation by the fans. You are right on the money.

You have just described what has become of officiating in football these days. It used to be refs were on the field to mostly enforce rules, they actually see, in a fair manner. Now, some rules are in place to change the "culture" of the game. Head-to-head contact is one of them. Not every rule is administered exactly the same. For example, holding could be called on every play, but isn't unless it impacts the outcome of a play. Other penalties either happen or they don't....False start is that type of penalty. Head-to-head contact is another rule that should be administered like a false start, either happens or doesn't happen. If hit happens, then there is a penalty. In the case of the Zips, it didn't happen, but since rules are now in place to change the culture in lieu of punishing the breaking of a rule, it happens without any definitive evidence for it happening. Refs are now punishing teams for possibly breaking rules instead of actually breaking rules. It's all a bunch of BS and football is becoming increasing difficult to watch because of it.

The question isn't whether the BE is a better conference. The question is whether or not the Zips would be better off. We have a better shot at getting good in the Mac than the BE.

The Big East is quickly becoming both. I just get a kick out of the Big East being the solution to all of our problems. How do we cure AIDS? The Big East Solve the national debt? The Big East Teenage pregnancy problem? The Big East Etc.

If the answer to bad officials is the Big East, it was a stupid question. TheBig East has historically been the most blatantly corrupt league in the country. To pretend otherwise show an ignorance of that league.

Attendance was the least of the problems this program had coming into this season. The mess TW created and Ianello left behind was complete. To pretend the future of the program can be defined by what happened is silly. If the defense is this bad two years from now I will worry. I don't see any future NFL prospects in the MAC so I doubt we get lit up like we did yesterday in the near future.

It's 2012. Teams now put up a ton of points. The team didn't take a step back. Akron may have played against the best quarterback they will play against all year. He is a future NFL prospect and the fact that he lit the Zips up shouldn't surprise anyone.

Going back to the carts on the previous page....What is pass defense efficiency?

In reference to the photo of Nick Mangold's sister above, don't you mean "She"?

Looks like Nick Mangold's sister has taken off a lot of weight since the Summer Olympics.

I'd be more impressed if you almost passed out from drinking a case of beer before the game. In any event, I applaud your enthusiasm. Go Zips!

The money the NFL brings in can be measured in billions. $9 billion in 2011. The extra money the owners would have to pay referees can be measured in thousands. The hundreds of millions of dollars in between those numbers don't even have to be discussed in the conversation. What the owners are doing is almost insane.

It's the south. You're telling us Knoxville doesn't have a Waffle House?

Good point. If ever there was a team that understands what it is to be down, this team does. Some veterans have been around long enough to have been through some very dark times and those times must have taught them a lot. Even if a player wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree, his intuition would point to the team being in a better position to be successful. Those who "get it" have to feel great about the rest of the season. I don't worry about the mental state of this team.

Proud of himself he should be. Smoke some weed with the Wookies to celebrate, he should.

Before Yoda tells Luke, "Do, or do not. There is no try.", he gives him a good piece of advice. "You must unlearn all you have learned." Winning with many of the same guys who went 1-11 last year, Master Bowden will do. Introduction of a "winning process" based upon trying to win in lieu of a "building process" based upon doing whatever, has Master Bowen implemented.

Forgot to mention many of us did. Feeling the Force he is. Not since the days of Derr I have felt this confidence.

The "process" is contrary to Yoda's quote, People, whether in corporate America, coaching, etc., like to discuss process when they don't really know what they are doing. It's actually become a societal problem the country now faces. Leadership in this country doesn't know what to do with their leadership positions. They can make it look like they know what they are doing using tools like Six Sigma, but in reality, they do not know what they are doing. Doing is better than trying. Failing with a full ass effort and belief you can succeed is better than trying. The Zips did more than try Saturday. Rejoice in doing. Learn from not doing. Reject trying. A Jedi Knight you may become.

Yoda, I am not. Poster on ZNP, I am.