GP1

Article Chase could make around $150K in the playoffs if things go their way. Not bad for a months work and for a guy who was cut early in the season. I'll be pulling for the Giants.

Maybe it isn't about letting go as much as it is about KD2.0 getting comfortable with the better talent. He's never coached this type of team talent before and I'm sure there is an adjustment period for him as well. Right now KD2.0 is like person who is driving a really fast car he has always wanted for the first time. It is understandable if that person needs a little time to get used to the speed and handling of the car. The more the person drives the car, the better they get at handling it. The same could apply to Keith. I really don't see a problem. Regardless of the loss to Buffalo, we are still the best team in the MAC and I am confident we will prove it in March...again.

RIP Joe Pa. As far as Penn State..."Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." - Galatians, Chapter 7. They helped create the problem, now they have to deal with it.

We'll be fine next year. If we are reaching into the third guy on the depth chart, losing won't be because there aren't enough guys on the team. Walkons? They are there to be on scout team.

This player has to sit out a year. He could go to a lower level school and play next year.

"Make a wish or $#it in your hat. See which one fills up first." My mother always told me that. I don't want to wish anything for the team. I want them to go out and kick Can't's butt tonight. Don't wish for it, make it happen. Go Zips!!!

Fantastic post CK. What I badly want to have happen now that TB is in the house is for the Akron fan base to finally, once and for all, grow up about what college football really is and what it takes to win. Things are going to change for the better. BCS schools don't give two $#its about pulling a scholarship and the potential problem it creates at a school. They only care about winning. Believe me, if we win, coaches will be begging Akron to take their players. We need to care about winning. Akron can't run a welfare program for bad talent. During the Owens years, an entire family went to school for free and only one of them was any good. It was moronic. The scholarships were money flushed down the toilet. I thank God that TB is the coach now. He knows how to win and what it takes to win. Goodwill doesn't win games, good players win games. Toledo Tom always told his staff before recruiting season, "You don't win with Xs and Os. You win with Jimmies and Joes." Toledo Tom knew the value of talent. We need talent. Try to run the ball with goodwill and see how far we get.

Not a problem. Have a great weekend.

To me, it isn't about finding guys other schools overlooked. That's partly it. Solich has done well using his connections to find kids who BCS schools are taking a pass on. For example, how does a kid like Tettleton get to Athens, OH? Solich called a couple of contacts he has at Univ. of Oklahoma and asked them, "Who don't you want and why?" He was told by the staff that he was very good, but they noticed he had a knee brace on at one time while watching film and were worried about injuries so they took a pass on him. A guy getting passed over can happen that easily. The trick is to be there when he falls through the cracks. My guess is TB is doing some of the same things.

I don't disagree with your post. We should have merchandise. We should have merchandise that turns over inventory and generates positive revenue because we do have to pay for everything you mentioned. Merchandise isn't going to bridge the gap, but it needs to produce contribution dollars. I'm not sure what being one of three schools offering jerseys says about us. Are we in a small group of schools who have figured something out or are we in a small group with their heads up their butts? I have a difficult time buying the idea that a kid receiving a jersey at a young age produces a long term fan. Kids like to go to games and have their parents buy them things. They don't really care what it is, they just want things. Most are so over indulged, they really don't value what they get...they just want more.

This could be the case. I would guess that even our crack group of marketers has some data on how MAC merchandise sells....maybe. I don't recall seeing may jerseys of any MAC school being worn around Ohio. Perhaps it isn't just us. Butler went to the final four last year. I wonder how their jerseys sell compared to IU. I guess it is just a matter of putting your money where your mouth is. Perhaps this is a great business opportunity for someone. If I was certain this was a great money making idea, I would probably buy a couple thousand jerseys, give them to UofA on consignment, suggest a retail price that would return whatever profit I thought was appropriate and wait for the cash to start rolling in.

I don't know why. My guess is they believe they can sell more t-shirts. Probably true. T-shirts cost less than jerseys to produce and sell. They can probably produce more volume and revenue for the school as most people will buy a t-shirt in lieu of a jersey. T-shirts are at a price point where a larger audience can buy them. Right now, the Zips need to draw a larger audience. Quicker inventory turnover = better cash flow. Cash flow makes the Accounting Department happy. The Accounting Department is like a wife and as the old saying goes, "If you wife isn't happy, you aren't happy." In business, "If the Accounting Department isn't happy, you aren't happy." P.S., The luckiest woman in the world, Mrs. GP1 is an accountant.

Athleticism wins college games. If the kid doesn't have enough, he doesn't get a scholarship. Also, giving a kid at a school a scholarship to make up for a decision a past coach made isn't a good reason to get a scholarship. Not many compelling reasons to give this kid a scholarship.

History has taught us the MAC is a conference where a coach can come in and turn things around very quickly. Lots of coaches do well and even win the conference in their second season. We won the MAC in Brookhart's second season. Miami won it a couple of years ago with a very young team in a coaches second season. If a new coach gets good players in the right places in this league, a quick turnaround is very possible. I don't know about winning the MAC in year two, but there are lots of MAC bowl games now and with a name like Bowden, six wins will get us in one of them. I don't know what they call the bowl in Mobile now, but I'm sure he would be quite the draw and their committee would be more than happy to invite the Zips if we can get to six wins.

Cold Hard Football Facts This is an interesting web site on NFL stats. Even though we are a college team, I'm sure some of the general statistical trends apply to college. For example, a team that has no turnovers is 80% likely to win an NFL game. One interception and that number goes down to 60%. Two interceptions and the number goes down to 40%. Three and you are finished.

That's a really cool chart. Turnovers are hugely important in a game and the chart really brings it to light. I'd be interested in an in depth study of turnovers, how they happen (fumble or int), results in the types, downs ints tend to happen on, down and distances on ints, etc. Ints are more complex than fumbles, but what do they turn into is the question? I don't know that and would like to know it. Fumbles are less complex and the worst type of turnover because in almost every case, it is negligence on the part of the ball carrier.

I'll take my own. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the Jets are full of a bunch of jerks. Jason Taylor couldn't get out of there fast enough. It's a terrible franchise and does to good QBs what every bad franchise does...destroys them.

Absolutely. In this article, he did what every sales person should do when they have a customer who has a problem (high school coaches are one of his customers). Run to the problem and address the problem with the customers. There aren't may BCS level coaches who could do what he is doing in terms of sending out messages to "customers". This is great fun to watch.

I'd hate to take his shot blocking aggressiveness away as he has gotten so good at it. No need to rebound if the shots are blocked. He made maybe the best defensive play I've seen him make when I've had the chance to watch him play Saturday. He switched off and was guarding a guard at the top of the key. The guard should have the driving advantage at this point as they both were so far away from the basket. The guard drove at Zeke and he showed really quick footwork and got into position to block the shot. Very well played. The color guy on ESPN was a former NBA big man and absolutely loved the play.

The failures of the Zips football program go far beyond who the head coach was when they made the jump. One could write a book.

I don't think Dennison could have upgraded the Zips. He is/was a DII coach with DII ideas.

Do I smell some pork or a MAC championship...or both?

Thanks for posting this JZ84. Probably nine months ago I was going to post something about how poorly viewed Coach I's staff was in recruiting. I took some good advice from Captain Kangaroo and didn't write it as it wouldn't have helped anything. I had it typed up and ready to go on a word document. Every word of it would have been true. Coach I was neither liked or disliked, which isn't a good position to be in. He had assistants recruiting Ohio who were complete oafs. For example, one of the coaches was in a school in Ohio and a high school head coach asked how one of his players was doing and he told the coach, "He sucks". The truth is, kid is a back up player and not developing well. When asked the question, the answer is, "He is a good kid and is giving 100% on and off the field. We just don't have room for him on the field right now." Coach B and his staff have a lot of work to do in the form of cleaning up a horrible mess Coach I and his staff left behind in high schools throughout Ohio. This article tells me they know that. I believe they are up to the task and will right the ship quickly. Media savvy. Coach B used this article to let coaches throughout NE Ohio and all of Ohio know HE KNOWS there was a problem and they are going to do everything in their power to correct it. This guy is smart.

If Ohio had a decent BBQ joint, we would be swimming in good players.

The myth of Jim Dennison continues. Am I the only one who is unimpressed with the guy's record at Akron. Sure, he is a good guy, blah, blah, blah. The six years he coached in I-AA, they only had winning records three of those years. One of them, they only went 6-5. The year before the playoff appearance, they only won four games. Never once won the OVC. Maybe I'm wrong and someone can point me to the greatness, but I'm not seeing it. Faust inherited good talent for a I-AA team, but it wasn't what the school needed to move to D-1A. I saw it up close. The seniors that were on the team in 1987 weren't nearly as good as a lot of the freshmen Faust was bringing in. To call it bare would not have the direction the program was moving in perspective. Robert Lyons and John Buddenberg were good players who could have played at the highest level, but that was really about it. In order for the program to move forward and improve, Faust had to get rid of the Dennison players to make room for better talent. He did so pretty quickly with guys like Shawn Vincent, Oz Jackson, Brett Jackson, Mike Johnson, Ty Nelson, etc.