GP1

He seems like a middle linebacker to me, but I bet he can be successful at both.I think he is too skinny. I am going to send the athletic department a few vats of peanut butter to his attention.thank you..watched him closely in the emu game..he had problems covering their tight end,working in space...might be a big safety in a 4-3 IF he can roam the field..The lbs were in zone against emu. The td was a flag route i think. the lbs were covering hooks and seams. I thought he did well in coverage for a frosh.wasn't just referring to one play...he stands out because he runs around but seemed to consistently have some problems with decision making when he had to stay home with a receiver on his side...he just seems more like a safety in a 4-3...let him run around and head hunt...I have a better idea. Keep him in the middle and put a D-Line in front of him that doesn't get knocked off the ball and protect him. The middle LB is the most important player in a 4-3. Wagner could go down as the all time tackle leader in the history of the school. His ability would be wasted at safety and he doesn't have the speed to play the position...he has very good speed for LB. Wagner is a perfect example of why this team should win in the near future. He is one of many talented players on the team. He has two of the best gifts, size and speed. If the new coach can just change the culture of the program, we will see winning in the very near future.I remain very bullish about the near future.

Take those videos with a grain of salt. Best video I have ever watched of a recruit coming to Akron was this guy.How does someone get rated 999 out of 307? That means he is rated behind 692 people who don't exist. I don't see the NFL in his future.

Ahhhhhhh, Derrick Tarver.... He was the most predictable player in Zips BB history. If he got the ball past half court, a shot was going up. The team was terrible so you had to be entertained by something, and his strange brand of basketball was it.

Look, I can tell when an arrow is aimed at my head. And even at my age, I'm nimble enough to duck ahead of contact. I attend more women's/girl's bb games than men's (and I attend a lot of men's games). I attended Akron women's games in the late '70s and early '80s, when there were perhaps two dozen fans in Memorial Hall. I put up with all the years of sad, losing seasons. I tried to provide excuses to outside WBB fans when 23-yo Angel Donley had to take over as coach when her boss quit over the holidays -- right when the team had some of its best young players ever. The coach who followed Angel took the ladies to their one and only post-season tournament, where they played even with MSU for 35+ minutes. I met that team at the airport and gave them leis on their arrival in Hawai'i in 2000. I have a long-term emotional commitment to the welfare of the teams and players -- that hasn't changed with the passing of numerous 20-loss seasons -- and won't change when they manage to win 20, something that I believe has yet to be achieved, but could be only a year or two away.Jody Kest arrived with lower expectations than even most Akron coaches, and she immediately recruited a band of HS all-stars including a state POY in Sarah T. Given the information that I and others had as an average fan at the time, it looked as if coach Kest had gone overboard in her disciplinary actions, and lost not only the players whom she dismissed -- for reasons that remain unreported, but some, including academic stars, who decided they'd rather play in D-2 (or in one case, the SEC) than be what seemed like a victim of the coach's rath. Wins and losses don't play into the question of whether I support the team, it would take a heck of a lot for me to give up on the ladies. Wins and losses don't play into my evaluation of the coach's relationship with the team either. I'm more than willing to congratulate coach Kest for beginning the program's turn-around. I expect the victories to continue, and that she can get a BCS-level job in a year or two. Notice she brought in her newest assistant from Virginia, who is being groomed as her successor. But, in my mind, the jury is still out on whether Jody is just a winning coach, or whether she is a 'good' coach. I would rather my daughter play for a good coach, who always has the players best interests in mind, than for a winning coach, who only uses young athletes for their own career advancement. There are a lot of those coaches around, but fortunately, Akron has managed to have coaches like Keith and Caleb who are capable of winning while earning the respect of all their players and building them into better citizens. I hope its proven that Jody Kest is a good coach, but that proof won't come on any basketball court. Go get 'em Zips. I love you Z.I.P., but this post is pure 1950s nonsense. Caleb will be gone soon enough. Dambrot wants to be at Akron, but as soon as he can win enough games to make people look past his "issue" at CMU, he will cash in. Let's not be naive. Both of these guys are complete pricks to their players and that is what makes them good coaches. Winning is absolutely in the forefront of everything they do. JK is possible the best coach at Akron.....no, she is the best coach at Akron. Porter took over a winning program (Quite frankly, I watched the final four and I'm not certain how coaching players to bounce the ball off of their heads for 2.5 hours makes a great coach, but maybe I don't know enough about the particulars of soccer). KD took over a decent team with some talent. JK took over a pile of crap.You say a good coach always has the players best interests in mind. Take it from someone who played for our losing football program, winning is in the best interest of the players. It is absolute misery losing game after game and I don't see how that misery is in the best interest of the players. Those young ladies playing basketball are at Akron to win games...period. If they go to class and graduate with straight Cs, even better. I had a friend in college who always said, "C's get degrees". Today that guy is sitting on a pile of cash. All they are asked to do is graduate and play basketball. It was that way in the 1990s...it was that way in the 1980s.....it was that way in the 1970s....it was that way in the 1960s....it was that way in even the great 1950s.If the mindset is it is about the competition and not the winning, that's nonsense as well. If sports are to prepare you for life, shouldn't an employer hire an employee that won and showed positive results in lieu of losers who show no results? Driving a team to win and then winning creats an attitude in a player that teaches them how to produce results and not process. Holding hands and singing "We Are The World" is process, not results. In closing, it's OK to confess that JK is a good coach and doing a great job with the WBB program.

It's Ken+, if your not passionate about losing to Ken+, how in the heck....never mind.Sometimes it's the way a team can lose that upsets a fan. We went from having a chance of winning, to getting embarrassed.I just got back from Arizona and I wanted to see the thoughts about the drubbing we took Saturday. I see the usual growers and apologists mixed in with the usual upset fan after a game, but as he often does, DrZ sums it up in a short sentence.By now we should all understand that divisional road games are difficult to win. Losing one should not be a surprise against a good team. Getting your ass kicked is another story. I left my hotel to get something to eat and the score was 35-35 at half....I was feeling good. Then I saw the beat down we were taking and I could not believe it. That was most upsetting.One thing I notice on the board though is there is not much outrage at the loss. Getting your ass kicked by Ken+ is something to be extremely upset about. I don't think that is a good thing because it could show people are starting to tune the team out. The Zips need to do someting to get people really excited about the program. Joe Akron loves when the Zips lose like they did because it gives him another reason not to attend a game.

This schedule isn't that bad. ORU has made the NCAA Tournament several times. Wyoming is in and out of being good, but they can be good. CSU will be a great game. Temple is a nice pick up. Miami is a good team. There are nine games listed above. Get 5 more and round out the schedule with one cupcake, two more like Niagra and two ATM games....the Athletic Department could use the money.

I don't disagree.The only thing he deserves is an open mind. There is no guarantee anyone will be successful at any job. It's the MAC and anything can happen. Turner Gill won the MAC...will that make him a winner at Kansas? We'll see, but probably not. People on this board wanted winning lower level candidates...will that make them a winner in the MAC? Maybe, but the nature of coaching is getting fired so there is a good chance most will fail.In reality, this guy is taking a risk at Akron and we would be taking a huge risk with anyone we hired because we don't pay that well.This team needs on field coaching badly. They have the talent to be good and they need to get everyone rowing in the same direction. His challenge isn't recruiting, it is teaching young men how to play football and execute what he wants done.I don't like the way the AD went about hiring a buddy, but I don't hold that against his buddy. We have a lazy AD and not necessarily a bad coach. In fact, we really don't know what kind of coach we have yet. I hope the new coach works his ass off and can really get a group of underachievers to live up to their potential and win some games.I'm going to Arizona tomorrow. You guys behave yourselves while I'm gone and keep in mind it isn't the 1950s anymore.

Since everyone associated with Can't State is a bunch of boobs, shouldn't the title of this thread be, "Small Ride Down Mammary Lane"?

Like I said, ESPN protects their own. An ESPN insider blasts his own network for Alamo Bowl coverage of this issue.

If the contract has been broken, how come we are not bringing a case against CSU for damages? We could get some money out of it.I think CK is right. This has gone on long enough. In a big boys and girls world, companies break contracts all the time and then re-enter into a business relationship at some point down the road. We need to get back to playing CSU. They are entertaining games.

These positions will be fine. What we will need are WRs that can get open and catch the ball down field. Does anyone know who that will be?I'd like to see the TE in the offense more. For example, they need to block well if the Zips can get the ball down by the endzone.the same concern about rb was posed before last year..the same response was given by a number of folks...it wasn't fine last year...until we see who these guys put on the field we won't know if it will be fine..The lack of ability had nothing to do with the players last year and everything to do with a coach who couldn't get everyone moving in the right direction. If the new coaching staff can do any on field coaching at all, the talent is there at RB.Again, nobody has answered the question. Who are the big play WRs going to be next year? We have a QB with a cannon for an arm and we need to find a way to use it to throw the ball down field and not hand off the majority of the time.MAC schools are horrible at playing from behind. The Zips need to focus on big plays early in games that get leads and then if they want to try to run out the clock in the fourth quarter with seven or less minutes to go, I have no problem with that.Who are the big play WRs going to be?

I really like some of these ideas about how to get these teams to play one another. In Boston, they have what I think is called the Bean Pot for college hockey. It is a weekend tournament between BU, BC, Harvard and either UMASS or Northeastern....can't remember.We should have a weekend tournament at the Q between UofA vs YSU, Can't State vs CSU. The winners play for a trophy and the losers play a 3rd/4th place game. It might mean UofA playing Can't four times in a year, but so what? The rivalry is great and it could make it even better. They could call it The Mayors Cup...the winning city gets to keep the trophy in their city hall until they lose it.

The only thing Temple has going for it over ECU is it's proximity to Atlantic City and casinos. ECU gets 55,000 per game. Typically, that includes 50% beach bums and 50% rural people. If he has a good season at ECU, he is a God. If he has a good season at Temple, he is just another team in Philadelphia.The one thing about any team's trajectory in the MAC is most schools don't put too much rocket fuel in their rocket. You can easily go from good team to bum quickly. Look at Buffalo. Look at the Zips 2006. Even if ECU slides a little, they can still make a bowl.

I agree. One leads to the other. The net is as pathetic as the choices and variety.It's not like UofA has unattractive colors or something. Blue and gold is a good color combination. I can't ever remember really good clothes to purchase. People like quality. Make the quality good and people will pay for it. Make clothes people want to be seen wearing in public....and it has to be more than one item. Everyone in Akron can't be walking around with the same shirt on. UofA can do much better with what they are selling.Just like in football. The talent is there (blue and gold colors) and someone needs to do something with the talent. For crying out loud, Clemson's colors are purple and orange...their merchandising looks great with two of the worst color combinations.

Don't tell me. Charlie Coles is coaching their women too?!?! If he is, I am sure he is uncomfortable with the offensive explosion that took place.

Best way to get your answer. Let us know.CK is a good source of information. I want to know what he knows because his response indicates he knows something. I would like the members of the Akron media to get off of their collective asses and ask the question then report it. If there was nothing there, they should publish it.

Obviously, there was nothing of substance. I'm very disappointed in my University.So what was found?

Has anyone asked the new AD what happened in the great recruiting scandal that helped to cripple the program early in the season? What were the findings of their investigation?

Marshall has been floundering badly since leaving the MAC. They went 6-6 last season with their only significant wins against Memphis and SMU. They beat a horrible MAC school in the MCB and had seven wins.They lost to ECU. They would have beaten ECU when they were good in the MAC. They lost to a lot of teams they would have beaten when in the MAC.They have grown so much since joining CUSA, they fired their coach.What Marshall had going for it in the MAC was the illusion of greatness, and some really good players who were used to winning. It kept good players coming to Marshall. They don't have that now. They are a mid level team in a low level conference and could easily finish below .500 next year. Huntington is the armpit of the United States and the idea of going there to go 6-6 doesn't sound as good to a player as going there to go 9-3 and win the conference.Can we really say these "accomplishments" are a sign that Marshall is better off? Marshall used to say something like, "We play for championships." What is the motto now, "We play for .500 seasons."

These positions will be fine. What we will need are WRs that can get open and catch the ball down field. Does anyone know who that will be?I'd like to see the TE in the offense more. For example, they need to block well if the Zips can get the ball down by the endzone.

I'm not all that interested in the wbb program, but I like Coach Kest and always have because I think she knows what to do to turn this program into a winning program. Staying with her the past couple of years looks to be paying off.They are 8-8 and 2-1 in the MAC. When is the last time the wbb program had this good of a record?The new football coach and KD had some talent when they came in as coaches. JK had nothing but a big pile of crap. She cleaned out the barn and brought in players who want to win. Just because they haven't won the MAC doesn't mean that her accomplishments are not significant. JK has had the hardest job of any coach that I can ever remember at UofA.

Good post.I think there is a big difference between high school and college football. High school kids have trouble focusing for many reasons and a good yelling at does them good.My high school football coach is in the Ohio HS Coaches Hall of Fame. In my three years in HS, I only lost in five games. Our coach was a yeller, but I never once saw him strike a player. We had really good teams. When things were going well, he yelled even more. When things weren't going well, he was calm. He always figured we had enough people patting us on the back when things were going well that we didn't need that from him.My college coach was an excellent coach on the field and in the film room. Maybe that's why he is in the NFL. Anyhow, he was not a yeller. It was very simple. He did a good job of coaching everyone. The best person won the starting job until someone was better. His saying was, "You're only as good as your last performance." If someone was better, they played. It made his life very simple and everyone knew where they stood with him. The next thing to happen is this. A coach will hit a player during practice or a game. The player will blast the coach in the face and claim self-defense. The coach will be fired. I don't have a problem with any of that. When an adult hits another adult, one should defend their honor and self. What makes Adam James such a sissy is he never stood up to the coach or approached the coach in a manly way to discuss playing time, etc. Leach hated James because he was "soft and lazy", not because he was hurt. Rumors are the coaches evaluation was correct and James knew what the coach thought of him. Instead of playing harder or asking the coach how he could get better, he would call his daddy and complain. The next coach at Texas Tech should quietly move James out of the program.I just hope that claiming coach abuse doesn't become witch hunting.

I can't help you with the canopy, but welcome aboard 'Keener! It's great to see ZN continuing to build the fanbase. GP1, I hope you're OK with the B-word (build) in this particular case No objection here. In fact, I can't find the word build in the original post. I wonder how many canopies could have been built in the same amount of time the MAC has been "building" the conference. Even if someone built one canopy per day since 1948, you could have built in excess of 22,000 canopies...or a bridge to China.I was merely referring to MY use of the term build. But I was hoping to get a 1948 reference (actually 1946) anyway In that case, we are talking 23,360 (not counting leap year days).

I can't help you with the canopy, but welcome aboard 'Keener! It's great to see ZN continuing to build the fanbase. GP1, I hope you're OK with the B-word (build) in this particular case No objection here. In fact, I can't find the word build in the original post. I wonder how many canopies could have been built in the same amount of time the MAC has been "building" the conference. Even if someone built one canopy per day since 1948, you could have built in excess of 22,000 canopies...or a bridge to China.

Interesting original post on this topic. I always like to read posts written late Friday and Saturday nights. Now we know Kellen "The Soldier" Winslow is ITZ.The feminization of the American male is a huge problem in this country. I agree totally.I still get a kick out of the fact that Adam James calls his father to complain about things. He is a college football player and an adult for crying out loud. He would have been laughed off the team in the Faust Era.Maybe you were scarred by your high school coach. After all, you think football and war are nearly the same thing. Perhaps it left a mental scar. Football has nothing to do with war. Football is a game where everyone gets to go home after the game and bang their girlfriends. War is not a game and people get killed doing it. War is a game where young men come home at the age of 20 and are so mentally harmed from the horrors they can no longer function in normal socitey. Any Drill Instructor that would put a hand on a new recruit would get fired. The following things are more like war than football.1. A police officer working east Cleveland.2. A good high school kid walking home from school in east Cleveland.3. A pizza deliveryman in east Cleveland delivering a pizza.4. Tiger Woods being struck by a 9-iron after admitting to his absolutely hot wife that he was banging every Las Vegas skank he could stick his pecker into.