GP1

I really don't disagree with any of this with the exception of feeling sorry for him. I try to save my pity for cancer victims, special needs children, people with severe birth defects, etc.I can't help but think though that if Grant lands in the right place, at the right time and makes the right plays in pre-season games, he could play in the NFL. Timing is everything. Cases in point:1. Chase Blackburn landed on the right team at the right time after being cut by the Brown. 2. Dom Hix landed on the right team at the right time after being an afterthought in Denver.3. Robert Lyons landed on the right team at the right time. 4. Hell, we could even say that Frye landed at the right team at the right time when Cleveland drafted him. Only the Browns were stupid enough to waste a relatively high pick on and then start a career back-up.5. Nate Washington and Hines Ward of the Steelers landed on the right team at the right time (Bill Cowher was a sucker for players of limited talent and doing something with them....although I think Washington stinks).There are a hundreds of players who could take up the last two or three roster spots on an NFL team. I don't think much of Grant's ability, but maybe under the right conditions, he makes a team. Surprises happen every day......especially if you are making the league minimum and the team is in a money pinch. The closest thing the Zips have ever had to a "sure thing" in the NFL were Jason Taylor and Vic Green, and their NFL careers proved it. Probably third was Dwight Smith and his star faded somewhat quickly after having a great Super Bowl.

I follow sports pretty closely and I had no idea this tournament existed. I actually started to laugh when I read about it (I laugh at the NIT also, but that is another topic). I know a lot of you probably think this tournament would be a great chance to "grow" the program or it is a great chance for "building", but it isn't. Making this tournament is not a step forward for a program, it is a step backward and a cause for laughter. Never put your program in a situation where it becomes a cause for laughter. The Zips would be better off not making it than making it. How many people around Akron when reading the ABJ headline, "Zips to play University of X in CIT" would think to themselves..... "There goes the ABJ again. Not only do they not know the Zips did not make the NCAA or NIT, but the misspelled NIT."

IF this is true, I don't condone a coach doing it. What I would condone is one of the Akron players stepping up and getting in Mr. Coleman's face and letting him know that when he comes to Akron, the dunk will be remembered. A little pushing and shoving after a heated game is not unheard of and should be expected on some level. The players should be the ones to initiate the pushing and shoving. Let's hope that in the future, one of the players will have the balls to do this instead of the coach having to do it for them.

I am both pleased and shocked every time I see a win. Here is my question.If the lady Zips finish somewhere around .500, has any coach in the history of the Athletic Department done a better job turning the corner (not around) a program at UofA?I think Coach Kest has made some very hard decisions over the past couple of years and they all seem to be paying off. Changing a culture of losing is the most difficult thing to do and she seems to be changing that culture little by little. It just goes to show that "players coaches" result in losing. The winners are the biggest pricks on the block.

Why would any young, ambitious coach want to coach in the MAC as an assistant for very long? It is a 1-AA conference masquerading as a 1-A conference. Of course UCONN is a better place. Staying at a MAC school too long for an assistant or head coach shows a complete lack of ambition. Schools are looking for ambition and not same old same old.If the "writing on the wall" says, "come to UCONN and more than double your salary so you can better support your young wife and family", then I really don't blame him for leaving.This guy has taken Jacq from a trainwreck to a somewhat competent QB who could have a really good year next season. Who would have thought after 2007? My feeling is the guy is probably a really good coach coaching in the wrong system for him.

I remember several big plays to the TE in the MACC in '05And unfortunately Kris Kasparek never really lived up to the promise he showed in that game, although a lot of it might go back to Dr Z's point about the spread not really emphasizing the TE position.Good discussion on the TE position. My opinion of that position is this. It is both one of the most important positions on the field and also one of the most overrated. Never game plan to pass to the TE unless it presents itself.Every team needs a TE that can catch a pass for a first down, but that about exhausts their use as a receiver. It is more critical to have WRs that can catch passes down field for big plays and TDs than first downs.Any team that has the TE as the primary receiver is asking to lose games. The Dallas Cowboys have that very problem. They have a tremendous amount of talent and they throw to the TE too much and they don't win big games. Mark my words, getting rid of T. Owens will do nothing to solve that problem.Where is John Clayton when you need him? Witten is the least of their problems..and there are many... Although not the primary receiver, Jay Novacek was used similiar to Witten and he won three Suoer Bowls. So, I'm not buying....John Clayton is sniffing the butt of some general manager right now...........Are you saying that the Cowboys do not have a QB that can win big games? That is also a huge part of the problem. Some guys win, some guys don't. It is just that simple.Yes I am.I think you are right.I used to really like Romo, but now I understand why he was a back-up player for four years while he "developed". I also don't like the way he smirks away loses as if it is no big deal.

I remember several big plays to the TE in the MACC in '05And unfortunately Kris Kasparek never really lived up to the promise he showed in that game, although a lot of it might go back to Dr Z's point about the spread not really emphasizing the TE position.Good discussion on the TE position. My opinion of that position is this. It is both one of the most important positions on the field and also one of the most overrated. Never game plan to pass to the TE unless it presents itself.Every team needs a TE that can catch a pass for a first down, but that about exhausts their use as a receiver. It is more critical to have WRs that can catch passes down field for big plays and TDs than first downs.Any team that has the TE as the primary receiver is asking to lose games. The Dallas Cowboys have that very problem. They have a tremendous amount of talent and they throw to the TE too much and they don't win big games. Mark my words, getting rid of T. Owens will do nothing to solve that problem.Where is John Clayton when you need him? Witten is the least of their problems..and there are many... Although not the primary receiver, Jay Novacek was used similiar to Witten and he won three Suoer Bowls. So, I'm not buying....John Clayton is sniffing the butt of some general manager right now...........Are you saying that the Cowboys do not have a QB that can win big games? That is also a huge part of the problem. Some guys win, some guys don't. It is just that simple.

I remember several big plays to the TE in the MACC in '05And unfortunately Kris Kasparek never really lived up to the promise he showed in that game, although a lot of it might go back to Dr Z's point about the spread not really emphasizing the TE position.Good discussion on the TE position. My opinion of that position is this. It is both one of the most important positions on the field and also one of the most overrated. Never game plan to pass to the TE unless it presents itself.Every team needs a TE that can catch a pass for a first down, but that about exhausts their use as a receiver. It is more critical to have WRs that can catch passes down field for big plays and TDs than first downs.Any team that has the TE as the primary receiver is asking to lose games. The Dallas Cowboys have that very problem. They have a tremendous amount of talent and they throw to the TE too much and they don't win big games. Mark my words, getting rid of T. Owens will do nothing to solve that problem.

Excellent point. Here is what the NCAA should do. 1. Select the 40 best D1A programs over the past 30 years and make them one division.2. They have four conferences that must play each other over an eleven game season meaning 9 conference games.3. Three out of conference games that must be scheduled within this level of football and the NCAA decides who plays whom and the decision is based upon prior season success like the NFL used to do.4. Stop the farce that is the players are amatures and pay them.5. Have a playoff that pays players and coaches extra for advancing.6. You must win your conference to make the playoffs.This scenario would only take two weeks of playoffs. No wild cards or anything else. You either win your conference or you watch the playoffs on TV.

This cracks me up because I have felt the same way for a few years now.Some of the apologists on the board say we are not allowed to comment if we don't see games, but I will comment anyhow. IMHO, huge losses can only be attributed to two issues:1. The team was unprepared for the game.2. The team lacked the basic athletic talent and bb ability to compete against better athletes.Issue 1 can be a result of a total team collapse from everyone on the team including, yes, the coaching staff. Issue 2, you guys do the math.....I hope I didn't hurt the feelings of some of you delicate flowers out there. I hope the rest of you are open minded enough to understand.

This is the funniest thing I've heard on this board in awhile. I doubt OSU could even pound Cincinnati. Infact, Cincinnati is probably the best team in Ohio. You think that Cinci looked bad against Virginia Tech, wait until you see what Texas does. You obviously know nothing about college football. ROFLMAOEnlighten us then. Why is a team like OSU, who has not beaten a team with a decent level of athletic talent in 3 years now, such a great team that Cincy couldn't beat them? What of the three following conferences could OSU win: PAC 10, Big 12 or SEC? How high in the standings would they finish in those three conferences? What is so great about the Big Ten that OSU would wipe the floor with the ACC champion?

If anyone takes an expanded view of college football, they will see what a disaster the playoff system has been for the lower divisions of college football. A playoff has created a situation where there are really only a very small number of good teams that could actually win the championship. For the fourth straight year, Mt. Union and Wis. WW have made it to the finals of DIII. Someone please tell me how that is good for DIII and why the same thing would not happen in D-1. Nearly the same thing can be said for the other divisioins. SW Missour, Montana, App. State, Grand Valley State, etc. are the same teams that make it every year. The only reason the other divisions have a playoff is it is the only thing to get excited about for lower division college football. I would argue that it isn't even that exciting. It certainly is not exciting enough to fill the small stadiums they play the championship games in. I can't stand to watch more than 15 minutes of those games.If crowning a tournament champion is what everyone wants (remember, the NCAA BB tournament only crowns the winner of the tournament that they call National Champion. The best team throughout the year does not always win.), then regular season college football will become irrelevant as the regular season bb schedule. In college football, every game counts. The same can not be said for college basketball.I also think a lot of people who want a playoff have never gone to a really good bowl at a really good place. Last week I went to the Car Care Bowl (an average bowl and in the winter time an average place) and there were 73,000 fans at the game. The night before, the streets of Charlotte were packed with WVU and UNC fans having a great time and spending a lot of money. Win or lose, those players and fans had a great time during what is probably only one or two of the vacations they take all year. In addition, thousands of dollars were raised for local charities including various childrens hospitals and university scholarship funds. Wouldn't it be nice that if at the end of the college football career a player could to say, "I played in a couple of bowls that helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for medical cures." With a playoff, the player would say, "We lost in the second round of the playoffs." Which of these scenarios creates a better person and fulfills the mission of the NCAA?This year, around 30 schools will go home happy because they made a bowl and won the bowl. Another half will at least be happy they made a bowl and while upset they lost the game, they may have had a really good vacation and rooted on their team. With a playoff, only one school is happy. I don't see how that is good for college football or the member universities.In addition, how much are you guys willing to pay the players who make the playoffs? The NFL pays players additionally for making the playoffs, why wouldn't the NCAA? If the purpose of the playoff is to create excitement that will sell shirts and tickets and make money, why wouldn't the players be allowed to share in the profits. I say pay the players $20,000 per scholarship player per game. A playoff exposes future NFL players to potential career injuries. How much are you guys willing to insure the players for in case they get hurt during the marathon playoff season?For those of you who want a playoff, how would you level the recruiting playing field? There would be a huge recruiting advantage that would upset the talent balance throughout the NCAA. See the other divisions to see how unbalanced they are with the same teams making the playoffs every year. I hope I have made my point about a playoff. It is really not necessary and the playoff will intrude into the greatest playoffs of all, the NFL. The real solution is what Todd Blackledge wants. All college bowl games will be over by January 1 with all BCS games being played on December 31 or January 1. At the end of those two days, two teams are picked to play a week later. That's all we need. Something as rediculous as a 24 team playoff is just stupid. There are only about 4-5 teams right now that could be considered the best. Who in the heck is ranked 24 right now that could beat Texas, OK, USC or even Florida?Lastly, if there was more money in a playoff, don't you think those greedy athletic directors around the country would have one already? Hint, there is more money in bowls than a playoff.

Congratulations to former Zips assistant coach Aaron Alford for being part of the win last night. For those of you who did not know Aaron, you really missed out on knowing a great guy.Watching west coast football is a lot of fun because of the wide open nature of the game. The PAC 10, WAC and Mountain West are excellent conferences with a lot of talented teams. Too bad their league offices signed television contracts with VS and FOX Sports. They need to get with the ESPN family and send the Big Ten off to VS, The Big Ten Network and FOX Sports. The quality of football we would get to watch in the east would be vastly improved by moving a second tier conference like the Big Ten off to second tier networks where they belong. I'm not even trying to be a hater. The Big Ten is awful with little entertaining value and there is no end in sight. I guess after tOSU gets routed by Texas next week, the Big Ten can hang their hat on the big Iowa win over a typically unmotivated South Carolina team. I don't think excluding the Big East from BCS is a good idea. Keeping them and including the Mountain West is the way to go. Bring in Fresno State, Hawai'i and Boise State to the Mountain West and they would have one heck of a conference. It would immediately become the fourth best conference in the country behind (in any order) the PAC 10, Big 12 and SEC.

:blink: god no I-AA teams please!!!I agree. No FCS (or 1-AA) teams! I like the fact while everybody else has been watering down many of their non-conference games that the Zips have not. In addition, it is something that I have been able to hold over the fans of that school down here in Central Ohio the last couple of years and they all say they wish they didn't play 1-AA schools.If playing an FCS school is the only way to get a home game then maybe you have to, BUT I don't think it is the only way to get a home game. I remember schools like North Texas and Middle Tennessee State playing in Akron not that long ago and they all at least carry the same number of scholarship players as the Zips do. The way to get home games is home-and-home contracts with FBS (1-A) schools. I'd like to see some from BCS conferences if possible, but FBS is a necessity for respect reasons.I don't like it either, but there is a reason everyone is doing it now. 6 wins = bowl game. I-AA teams count now toward the total of 6. Everyone else is doing so we need to do it to keep pace with everyone else. It seems as if it is necessary now to schedule at least one guarantee win with a I-AA team.

Yes we would bring in better recruits. Seton Hall and Providence bring in better recruits, but they are still at the bottom of the conference.We have not brought in good enough recruits to win the MAC Tournament. We would get slaughtered in the Big East in every sport with the exception of soccer. There is ZERO evidence that we could win at that level or even support a decent athletic department. There is ZERO evidence the people of NE Ohio would support a program this size. Zeke is going to be here next year and he should be an immediate impact player. Big East teams have two Zekes and they surround them with high school all Americans and future NBA players. I would bet we do not have a single player on our basketball roster that could average more than 8 minutes a game in the Big East.

Interesting reading here from Easterbrook on ESPN.com/Page2. When you link, pan down the page to a topic called "TMQ Achieves Factual Accuracy Rate of 386.95442628".Basically the story is about how the NCAA manipulates academic standards in favor of BCS schools and punishes non-BCS school in a deceptive way. UofA is mentioned in the article. When you read it, you will see that our academic performance in terms of graduation is very good compared to most schools. We lost five scholarships because of how the NCAA measures success. A smart guy once told me, "There are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics." I think that applies here.Happy New Year everyone!

It has nothing to do with learning to win games and everything to do with using a defense that is too small. At the heart of the matter is the players wearing down over the course of the season. The solution to this trend is very simple in my estimation. Use a defense that deploys a larger group of players that wear better against bigger players.

I went to the Car Care Bowl yesterday. BTW, it was one of the best college football games I have ever sat through in person.Anyhow, here is an idea for tickets for next year. The ticket I had yesterday was shaped like a helmet and was pretty cool. Certainly it was something I have never seen before. UofA should look into that next year.

I have yet to miss a chance to watch this program blow one MAC Championship game after another. Maybe some of you guys could save us all some time and tell us what we are allowed to be critical about without hurting any of your feelinigs. I really don't want anyone to feel bad around here. Life is too short. Are there ways we should be starting a sentence? Are there problems we should not point out? Are there some ideas some of you have invested so much time into believing that it is really off base at this point? Are we or aren't we allowed to have fun at the expense of some public employees people pay to go watch them work? Are we allowed to point out when a player who stinks, stinks? Are we allowed to make fun of the fact that the endless "building" we are doing is actually not building at all? Are we allowed to expect winning against really bad competition? Are we allowed to point out that with the ooc schedule we play, 20 wins a year should be easy? I'm just looking for some guidance here. Again pumpkins, we don't want any feelings hurt around here and we all need to think exactly the same way. Cults of personality have worked well throughout history; we need one here. Once we get the cult of personality going, we can then read really interesting comments on the board such as.... That 52-50 win against Garbage School A&T was excitiing and I can't wait for the Walsh game next week...... Losing against good teams is really the type of building experience we need.... I love watching defense..... I'm interested to see how history will compare KD to John Wooden...... Nate Linhart is my idea of the perfect athlete...... Man, this ooc home schedule is really money well spent on my season tickets and I can't believe more people aren't willing to spend their hard earned money to watch the same thing...... I don't care that he is so lacking in athletic talent that he can't bring the ball up the floor against a good team, Player X is the best point guard ever..... And the always exciting, "we are building a progam we can all be proud of"....

Be cautious of what you wish for. Waters is the best college coach in NE Ohio and he can recruit better players at CSU because of their laughable academic standards.....and when I say laughable, I mean side splitting laughter or even liquid shooting out of your nose laughter. We may want to duck them while he is there. After all, we are "building" a program here (for how long now? will we beat the completion of the bridge to China?) through beating teams we should easily beat and losing to good teams. I'm not sure how all of that works, but I read on the board we are "building" it. Now that CSU is good, we may not want to break that formula. Keep the cupcakes coming....I guess. For those of you who have season tickets, I'll say it for you...... Let's see some results from all of this "building".....this year.Congratulations. A garbage post from one of ZN.O's top contributors.KD is every bit the coach Waters is. No one in their right mind would swap rosters with CSU right now. It is WATERS who's running scared here. KD would play every year. CSU ended this. Not UA.Building for "how long" now? This is year 5 of KD's tenure. He's won nearly 100 games (WAY ahead of the pace set by Huggins over the same period). He's won 2 postseason games .. that's more than Waters @ CSU. The Zips have been in the title game the last 2 years. Averaging 22 wins / season and improving every year.If you can't see progress here .. you're not watching the Zips .. oh I forgot .. you don't watch them.You can do better than that .. you usually do.Go Zips!There's nothing garbage about the post...GP1 and CK are right on the money on this one. Waters is indeed the premiere DI hoops coach in NE OH. And this is no discrespect to any of the other coaches.What he did at Can't will probably never be matched. And now you are also bringing down Huggins in this thread. Good grief....The next time I walk into the JAR and see a MAC championship banner hanging, then we can talk. Until then, there is no argument.Interesting thoughts by all. I didn't realize a post bashing the low academic standards of CSU was going to take this route, but you never know on a fan board.

Be cautious of what you wish for. Waters is the best college coach in NE Ohio and he can recruit better players at CSU because of their laughable academic standards.....and when I say laughable, I mean side splitting laughter or even liquid shooting out of your nose laughter. We may want to duck them while he is there. After all, we are "building" a program here (for how long now? will we beat the completion of the bridge to China?) through beating teams we should easily beat and losing to good teams. I'm not sure how all of that works, but I read on the board we are "building" it. Now that CSU is good, we may not want to break that formula. Keep the cupcakes coming....I guess. For those of you who have season tickets, I'll say it for you...... Let's see some results from all of this "building".....this year.

Somehow I think Charlie Coles would find a way to keep the score at 43-42 even with a 20 second clock.

Unless of course he gets Turner Gilled by a bunch of good old boy boosters who don't like the way he looks. If a coach can win at a MAC school, they can win anywhere. Saban wins everywhere he goes.....The guy at Missouri wins, Urban M. wins at Florida and won at Utah, Hoepner was about to turn around the program at IU and Kelly is winning huge at UC. It is almost a crime what they did to Turner Gill at Auburn. The only explanations are they are truly ignorant of how hard it is to win in the MAC and they do not understand what he accomplished at UB; or, they are a bunch of racists who did not want to hire a black guy. If someone has another answer, I'd be willing to listen.The new guy at Auburn will last two-three years and they had better hope at that point Gill would still be available.The problem English has is he is from the east and known in the east. Two of the top three conferences (SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10) are in the south/southeast and in a part of the country where he would not be welcomed. He would be unknown in the PAC 10 part of the world where he would be more welcomed but since he is unknown he would not get a job. Even if he has some success, the best he can hope for is a job at a second tier conference like the Big Ten or Big East or ACC or WAC or something like that. The premier confereces will be out of his reach for all the wrong reasons.

Congratulations to all of the student athletes and non-student athletes for graduating.One reason for posting this in the football section is Mike Johnson graduated after 19 years of being away from school. I'm glad to see that.Would those of you who are much better with a computer than I am see where Mike is employed now. I'm not sure it is anywhere. After the coaching change in Baltimore he was out of a job. Maybe getting a degree is a way of opening up opportunities for employment at the college level. I do not think a D-1A school would ever hire a head coach without a degree. Maybe if JD does not get it turned around next year, there might be a Coach Johnson walking around campus the following year....... You never know........

This is probably the biggest "name" to be hired in the MAC since Solich.