GP1

I watched this game yesterday. Several times throughout the game I caught myself laughing out loud at how bad Can't State was playing. That was a good way to spend a snowed in (5 inches) Saturday in South Carolina.I'm callling my shot! If Can't State played that bad yesterday, they can play that bad in the MAC Tournament. The Zips will win the tournament again this year. Take it to the bank.

I love the negative view of Joe Akron.....and I agree.

Maybe in fact they don't make millions for a tournament appearance.....I'd love to see somone try to put a number on it. I'm sure part of the rationale would be free advertising. OK, how much money did the advertising turn into?

I respectfully disagree and would submit this is a dodge. I've been reading the "building process" dodge on this board for how many years now and it is sickening. The fact of the matter is there is much better talent on the team now than when KD took over the program. The schedule is the same. One could argue that Malone AND St. Francis makes the schedule worse. As far as waiting to get a new arena before a better schedule, how freaking long will that take and why should they get a new arena?...Only 3.500 people show up and the state of Ohio is broke. They're so boring nobody will pay to watch and the most exciting thing that happened this week was a player getting suspended. The Rubber Bowl was falling down...the JAR is in fine condition.The issue nobody is discussing and CK brought it up in his original post is the BB program, while winning a lot of games, is not contributing as much as they could to the financial well being of the athletic department. This has to stop. The football team plays 75% of their games against BCS teams...that has to stop also and the BB program should not adopt that strategy. If the basketball team loses a few more games a year and the football team adopts a sane schedule and wins a couple more games while playing at home, the athletic department will be better off. The greatest opportunity for revenue generation is through the football program and the 25,000 seat stadium they play in, not the 3,500 per game crowds the basketball team plays in front of. The basketball team has maxed out it's revenue generation. They played an abnormally large number of home ooc games this year and they seem to be maxed out at 3,500 per game the year after a MAC Championship. If they play fewer home ooc games next year and crowds remain the same (if they don't win the MAC, the risk of a smaller average exists), they are actually in a worse financial situation than this season unless they can get a price increase in tickets. Basically, the Zips NEED to play higher level teams if they are going to contribute fully to the athletic department.The basketball team would be in no different position right now if they played UNC in lieu of Malone. They could also dump one other mid major and play a Pitt or some other Big East team. I thought Mack was a good AD, but one criticism of him I will make is he allowed the BB program to get away with not holding up their financial end. We'll see if the TW makes some changes...he needs to for the sake of the entire athletic department.Sorry, but with all due respect, Zips basketball isn't going anywhere without a complete plan that is well-conceived, well-executed and addresses all areas of the program. Simply dropping a few weak opponents from the schedule and adding a few strong ones is a bandage.The real dodge is to say you can throw a bandage on one area of the program and magically make it successful. No successful major business -- and UA is certainly a successful major business in the field of higher education -- would ever consider conducting business in such a haphazard manner.What's the complete business plan that goes along with increasing SOS?Good questions.I'm not talking about only the BB program. It is the health of the athletic department that has to be considered as well. If the Zips could bring in an extra $300,000 in ooc ATM games, it may not cover the loss, but it would help. The athletic department functions in the red every year. This has to change. The BB team needs to bring in more money because the three biggest revenue producers for the athletic department have to be football, basketball and soccer. The football team needs to start to win so they bring in more money. The soccer team has maxed out their stadium and only ticket price increases will increase their game revenue. This isn't just about basketball. If anyone can show me where the Zips are pulling as much of the financial weight as the other two big three programs, I would be glad to listen.If the business plan is to make more money and win the MAC the steps are as follows. Keep in mind I think this program has maxed out it's revenue generation in it's current form.Step 1: Dump the Malone AND St. Francis schedule. It should be St. Francis OR Malone. Playing two teams like this a year is a joke and everyone knows it.Step 2: Dump two mid major ooc games.Step 3: Add two high major games on the road.Captain Kangaroo is right. If the Zips cash in 2-3 games a year, it is not going to change their success in the MAC. The Zips have a very good MAC team with a good coach and I don't think a couple of ATM games a year are going to have a crushing impact on the team.I'm very happy with the current state of Zips basketball. Sometimes when I read this board, I think some of you still look at this team like it is a small child that has to be protected from the mean outside world. This is a mature program with a good coach and good players. It's time for them to start scheduling like a mature program. Some think there is a possibility for being a Gonzaga...I don't and I don't want to be...I just want to be UofA and we should let Gonzaga be Gonzaga. I do think we can be a great MAC team though. If anyone thinks they can be a high mid major like Gonzage, please let me know how long that is going to take and what it will look like when we get there. With the exception of winning the MAC, the Zips are in the same state they were 3-4 years ago, which is a good thing. They are a solid team that is still losing games they should not lose and losing badly in games they should not lose badly in.Here is a question. If what we are following is indeed a "building process", how far along is the building? Is the foundation poured? Is the supporting structure set? Is everything finished but the carpeting and painting? Exactly where is this program in the building process? When the building is finished, are we going to allow the place to get dirty (ie: ATM games) or are we going to continue to do what we are doing now so our building doesn't get dirty? My concern is when the building is complete, we will hear another dodge.

Please find my post after that game. I doubt you will find anything. I have been extremely complimentary of KD and the progress of the BB program under him.The one thing I do agree with is coachers are always laying in the wings. Coachers logic is a team always has to win more games the next year compared to the previous. If the don't win more, they love to throw out the comment, "Is this team moving in the right direction?" or some other bit of rubbish.

I respectfully disagree and would submit this is a dodge. I've been reading the "building process" dodge on this board for how many years now and it is sickening. The fact of the matter is there is much better talent on the team now than when KD took over the program. The schedule is the same. One could argue that Malone AND St. Francis makes the schedule worse. As far as waiting to get a new arena before a better schedule, how freaking long will that take and why should they get a new arena?...Only 3.500 people show up and the state of Ohio is broke. They're so boring nobody will pay to watch and the most exciting thing that happened this week was a player getting suspended. The Rubber Bowl was falling down...the JAR is in fine condition.The issue nobody is discussing and CK brought it up in his original post is the BB program, while winning a lot of games, is not contributing as much as they could to the financial well being of the athletic department. This has to stop. The football team plays 75% of their games against BCS teams...that has to stop also and the BB program should not adopt that strategy. If the basketball team loses a few more games a year and the football team adopts a sane schedule and wins a couple more games while playing at home, the athletic department will be better off. The greatest opportunity for revenue generation is through the football program and the 25,000 seat stadium they play in, not the 3,500 per game crowds the basketball team plays in front of. The basketball team has maxed out it's revenue generation. They played an abnormally large number of home ooc games this year and they seem to be maxed out at 3,500 per game the year after a MAC Championship. If they play fewer home ooc games next year and crowds remain the same (if they don't win the MAC, the risk of a smaller average exists), they are actually in a worse financial situation than this season unless they can get a price increase in tickets. Basically, the Zips NEED to play higher level teams if they are going to contribute fully to the athletic department.The basketball team would be in no different position right now if they played UNC in lieu of Malone. They could also dump one other mid major and play a Pitt or some other Big East team. I thought Mack was a good AD, but one criticism of him I will make is he allowed the BB program to get away with not holding up their financial end. We'll see if the TW makes some changes...he needs to for the sake of the entire athletic department.

I was wrong on the going undefeated in the MAC. Coming off of a championship, I thought it could be accomplished...difficult, but possible.I will stand by my statement that Zeke needs to play and a lot. I also stand by the hopping around on one leg comment. It's too good of a comment to back off of.

Wrong.The only thing that matters is who wins the MAC Championship Game. Use the regular season to teach these kids that they have to toe the line, play by the rules, and be coached by the coach, so that they will be there for the team (and fans) in those final couple of minutes in Cleveland in March. Because THAT'S what really matters...******BUILDER ALERT********Are you saying DrZ, Captain Kangaroo, Zip Watcher, ZipsWin!, etc. are wasting their time going to regular season games? I happen to think winning the MAC Tournament is the cherry on top to a good season. Every game matters. Every game is an opportunity to win, not experiment. People are investing their hard earned money and free time to supporting the team. It is up to the team to perform well each game, not just to be involved in some ongoing scrimmages getting ready for the MAC Tournament.If the players start to think everything is about the Tournament, they will fail to experience success during the regular season. The only thing the players should be thinking about is the team they are about to play and what their job is in that game.Did anyone ever think the rules Mack put in place might be a little too strong? Maybe I'm not following it closely enough, but I don't read about players from other schools getting suspended. I don't think we have bad kids, maybe there are too many rules to follow. I'm all for discipline and order, but how much is too much for the player to follow? Maybe the punishments are too strong. This should be looked into.

I really don't know. I'm pretty sure this thread will last longer than the suspension though.

I have several customers near Beaufort, SC. Surely most of you know there is a Marine basic training base there called Parris Island. I'm sure we all also understand the discipline in the Marines is probably a little more tough than a college basketball team. I hear stories the young Marines sometimes get into a little trouble around the area at night. I pass this off as young adults being young adults and good people making bad choices. I would bet many groups of young enlisted Marines have been lectured about their behavior in Beaufort prior to going to Beaufort and they still got in trouble.Would those of you who believe the program appears to be out of control at the same time say the Marines are losing control of their young enlisted?Why is it so hard for some to admit that maybe this was just a good kid making a bad decision at a time when another teammate happened to make a bad decision as well? Averages say this is going to happen. Averages don't tell us when they are going to happen, just that over a period of time a certain number of these cases will happen. KD just happened to have two close to one another. If you look at the average, he is doing well.Carry on...

The last time I checked, KD's job title was "Head Basketball Coach", not "Head Babysitter". McKnight is an adult and needs to behave like an adult without another adullt watching and guiding his every move.This is completely the fault of the player.

Is passing more important than running?NFL Top 10 PassingHouston (didn't make playoffs)IndyNew EnglandNew OrleansSan DiegoDallasGreen BayMinnesotaPittsburgh (didn't make playoffs)PhiladelphiaNFL Top 10 RushingJetsTennessee (no playoffs)Carolina (no playoffs)Miami (no playoffs)BaltimoreNew OrleansDallasCleveland (no playoffs)Cincinnati (if you guys go back and read my posts, i told you smashmouth football would make them one and done in the playoffs)J'Ville (no playoffs)Five teams in the top 10 rushing didn't even make the playoffs. I think this should tell us something. I realize the Zips are college football, but everything makes its way down to college at some point. If we pass more, I'm going to be excited because I think we have a QB that can be an excellent MAC QB and we should take advantage of that.

The Steelers won last year and Big Ben wasn't slinging the ball all year. This decade has seen many "balanced" teams win the Superbowl. Baltimore, New England (Multiple), NYG, Pitt, Tampa Bay. Denver won two mainly on the ground in 98 and 99. Even the teams that lost are pretty balanced. Chicago, New England, Philly, Carolina, Seattle, Oakland. Some teams relied entirely on the run because their pass game was garbage. This year is an example of two teams that are at the peak of their STYLE. It just so happened that their style was pass oriented. Declaring that the world has changed based on one year is stupid. The Vikings are very balanced and they fell just short.You used the word "style". It is the style right now and I don't see it changing. The Saints and Colts are ahead of the league.I also agree that early in the decade teams won. It isn't early in the decade anymore. It's 2010.

Here is what I think NFL teams are going to shoot for in the near future on defense.1. More one-on-one coverage guys that can also tackle. Offenses pick apart combination zone defenses and with the number of receivers they send out, you need a lot of guys to cover. Good man-to-man cover guys are about to break the bank.2. Thinner (not small as in short) and faster LBs to cover RBs going out for passes.3. Excellent run stopping D-Linemen across the line. With smaller LBs, the D-Linemen will need to do more than just take up space on running plays. Also, with fewer blockers on running plays because of the spread, it should be easier for the d-linemen to make plays. It is extremely difficult to get to the good QBs because they get rid of the ball so quickly so the ability to stop the run will be more important than rushing. Thanks for your post DrZ. It always gives me some reaffirmation when a Frye defender disagrees with me. It's sort of like when I go to a game and my team has the ball on their own 20 and it is fourth and one...the crowd is yelling "go for it" and GP1 is yelling, "Punt! Don't listen to the crowd, they've been drinking all day!"

One other thing about the game yesterday....the onside kick.Mike Tomlin onside kicked at an unusual time this year and fans went crazy. I read in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette the following day or the day after that there are statistics on onside kick success. 20% of the time when the receiving team is ready for the kick, it works. Onside kicks work 60% of the time when when it is unexpected.

I'm sure we all watched the game yesterday. For a few years in a row now, the Super Bowl has been a good game. Feel free to add your thoughts to this thread. Below are some of my thoughts. Here is the box score for the game.First, it is good to see for the second year in a row, a coach that is not from the "good old boy network" win. Football has changed into a passing game and for the last two years, we see how important the passing game is in the NFL when it comes to big games. Guys like John Fox, Marvin Lewis, Norv Turner are part of the past in football and don't really have a place in it now except for owners who have no idea how to hire a fresh and innovative coach. As much as I love Bill Cowher, he is part of that irrelevant past of football coaches who really doesn't fit in today's game. Any team that hires Cowher will not experience success. Teams need to look for young offensive minds that know how to match-up QBs and WRs to score touchdowns. If the coaches mentioned above were the coach of Indy yesterday, they would have packed in the offense with a 10-0 lead and tried to win 13-9 running the ball and punting...I saw Cowher lose too many AFC Championships to know that isn't how you win.Second, I like a balanced offense. Balance used to mean an equal number of passes and runs. Now it means a good distribution to receivers. The box score shows what a great job the two QBs did of distributing the ball.Third, the QB play was excellent. Manning made one mistake and it cost his team the game. People are badmouthing him on the radio today...those people are nuts. The guy is a great player. Who wouldn't want Manning on their team? Once Brees got going, it was all over...enough said.The defense in yesterday's game was average. Brees completed 67% of his passes and Manning 70%...is that great defense? One player making a great play late in the game does not constitute great defense. Like I've been saying for years, defense only keeps you in the game until your offense gets going. Championships are really won with offense.Like a lot of big NFL games, the game was decided on 3-4 big plays. A couple of plays go differently, and Indy is the champion today.Since this is a Zips board let's bring it around to the Zips. I read on this board the Zips are going to use the TE and FB more next year. I'm not sure how lining up in the I-Formation with a TE and running the ball fits into today's game....in fact, I'm certain after watching the game yesterday (actually, I've been certain for longer than that) it doesn't. Yesterday was the state of football today and in the near future. Football is more exciting today than ever because of the sophistication of the passing game and watching athletic ability on display. I-formation with a TE is a relic of the past still used by teams that haven't caught up with the present. Smashmouth is over if you really want to win. New Orleans TE caught only the sixth most passes yesterday. "But GP1, he caught a TD pass!" I know, he was lined up as a WR when he did. Clark of Indy caught the most for his team, and they lost.

I'll let is slide this once. After all, the coach did not make the comment, the writer did.

I think you are reading to much into a lull. This is the MAC, and in the MAC, teams go through lulls. It does have a lot to do with talent, but UofA is still one of the most talented teams in the league.I don't like to look at years as points on a graph to be measured against the previous year. I like to look at what I call a "range" of performance. UofA is still performing in a good range based upon what their realistic possibilities are. As long as they continue to perform in that range of good, KD needs no discussion from the AD.In a few weeks, we will be playing in Cleveland for the championship. I would rather be going through a mid-season lull than a tournament lull. It's about the trend. We will know if the Zips are ready for the tournament if they win their last five or six games and go to Cleveland with some momentum.The only thing I'm concerned about is the record. I really thought they would be better than 17-7 right now. They only lost one player off of the team last year and have a high school all American on the team. Maybe I expected too much after winning the MAC, but I didn't think they would have so many L's at this point in the season.

That's a two-way street! Sure, it would be nice if the Columbus Beacon Journal dug deep into UA sports and actually published them on the front page of the sports page.But does UA really want them to? And how much will they really cooperate?For example, what happened in the Reno recruiting investigation the University was performing? Is it unreasonable to believe the Beacon has asked nothing about this in recent months? They made it a huge story so why wouldn't they want to continue until the end?When you try to control the media, bad things get reported. An open relationship with the media makes it much easier to control than a combative relationship. I would like to know what the relationship the school has with various media outlets.I find these questions as difficult to answer as Mike Ditka finds finishing sentences.

There was a really good segment on this today on Game Day. Everyone was against expanding the tournament to 96. Some said everyone should play the same number of games so 128 would be reasonable.I like it the way it is. It's a national championship tournament, not a let's make everyone feel good tournament. Want to create more energy in college basketball? Go back to every team has to win their league tournament to get into the Big Dance. Make the conference tournaments mean something again for the bigger conferences. I'm not sure why the constant growing of everything is always the answer to a perceived problem.

I can think of several, but they are all in the MAC. It isn't just the Zips, the MAC has become so bad that the best we can hope for each year is to not be run off of the field during bowl season. CMU saved the MAC from another disaster of a bowl season. I hate to say never, but I don't think there will be another Marshall-like MAC school again. I always tell you guys my wife makes really good points about the MAC and she made one last night that made me think about your comment. Where have all the great MAC players gone? And by great, where are the Roethlisbergers, Leftwiches, Penningtons? Lefevour was not the player these guys were, but his team won a lot because there just are not any stars in the MAC to take another school to a higher level. Specifically, she was talking about technology contributing to the change in college football. Players are no longer flying under the radar because of all the film on the internet. A guy like Roethlisberger would not go unnoticed regardless of his not playing QB until his senior year in HS. I know it hasn't been that long since he was in college, but try to think about nine years ago and what little information a fan/team could get about a player compared to today. That time period goes back even more for Leftwich and Pennington. I don't know what you guys think, but the world/college football has changed much faster than I expected.

Well said. The once every few years win is not worth the endless beatings. I just don't see how this schedule is a good one.....why can't we guarantee wins at the beginning of the season like BCS schools do with their schedules?College football has changed drastically in the past few years. It is now a system designed to support BCS level schools. The gap between BCS schools and non-BCS schools is greater than ever by design.The Zips will start out next year 1-3. Coachers will dust off their tired chiches (ie: "The coach has lost this team"). The Zips will be right back to where they have been the past few years. The stadium will be empty, the EMU game empty, for the remainder of the season. My worst nightmare is after the two consecutive road games against IU and UK, the MAC will have us playing a road MAC game.....again. Our AD needs to make certain this doesn't happen.

I wonder if Martin is saying, "Hey, JD Brookhart stole my Swingline on the way out the door. I'm going after him, just save me some cake."

And they just kept making Milton's life more and more miserable, hoping he would finally get the hint and leave. Seems like a pretty good parallel for a Can't State football coach. Wonder if Martin has noticed any boxes being stacked in his office yet?Martin is too busy collating his many index cards detaining the various ways he has contributed to the disaster that is the Can't State football program.....

and you're just now noticing this? Burn!!!!!