GP1

Good stuff zip81. How about something similar to what Temple does with a very simple blue lettering Akron on one side and one of three options on the other side:1. Akron again2. Zips3. The number of the player.

YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT DUDE! JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE MASTERED MADDEN DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT. I NEVER RESPOND AFTER BEING A MEMBER FOR YEARS HERE, BUT HAD TO RESPOND TO YOU. THAT TEAM IS DECIMATED BY INJURIES AND THOSE KIDS PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT AND THE HEAD COACH HAD THEM READY, BUT IDIOTS LIKE YOU TALK CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Good emotional outburst rumplemintz! I'm sure you know after reading this board for years that there are a certain number of posters who have wanted JD fired from day one and anything that goes wrong is his fault. They will not let the facts of an injury decimated team get in the way of their NE Ohio bitter sports fan attitude. We have a coach who won a league title with much lesser overall talent than what he has right now. Hell, as much as I like KD, he can't say the same thing and everyone slurps him up left and right and his teams have had MORE than their share of collapses in big games and even some small ones. Regardless of what happens this weekend, if JD wins five games, he stays. This team is much better than last year. I fully expect them to win Satruday.I've been saying all year that the Zips need a winning attitude. Part of having a winning attitude is being determined to and doing the little things right. For example, making extra points, not roughing the kicker twice and really stupid mistakes. At some point, the players have to stop looking to the coach for inspiration and look to themselves. I really, really believe the Zips can win five to six games this season.....I just hope they do as well. I hope they believe they can win every game from here on out because they can. It is very frustrating and there are a lot of games to be played.

SeeTeeZip, good post.Reinterviewing JD for his job is silly. If an employee needs to reinterview for a job, the employee needs to be terminated.The new stadium will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest? From whom and why? If JD is let go, all we have the ability to do is bring another JD in to coach. A coach is better off being a coordinator at a major BCS school than coach of a MAC school. It pays better and the exposure is better...Hell, the ESPN crew can't even figure out who our coach is on the sideline.When I look at the schedule, I still see five wins. I think we could win six, but five is still the best bet. I didn't see the game yesterday, but it seems as if we still have the 20+ year curse of "lose at all cost" mentality. When I saw we had 15 points, I immediately thought, "high school score, what went wrong?". I said this last week and I'll say it again, there are schools out there that when they score a TD it means 7 points. When Akron scores a TD, it means 6 points and MAYBE 7. Of course the team is deflated when they don't convert the EP after seeing it happen so many times. It places the team a horrible situation where they have to chase that point all day. The players work their asses off to get a TD and then they blow what should be the easiest play in football. For those of you focusing on red zone offense, an EP is in the red zone and two freaking weeks in a row now, we can't convert on the easiest play in football. That alone placed the Zips in a positon where they were scrambling for points late and not converting on a 2 pt conversion which is deflating after scoring a TD. It kept the Zips from going in to OT.Big East officials..... this is the most corrupt group of officials in college football. They routinely punish any team in their own conference who is playing well againt a Top 20 Big East team. What happened to the Zips yesterday should be no surprise. It is in fact par for the course.Have a good day everyone.

If I was the coach of a good college football team, I would not want to play an ESPN Thursday night game on the road.

Just because A beat B and B beat C doesn't mean that A will beat C. Football is a game of emotions and coaching....and matchups, and schemes, and playcalling, and gameday dynamics.......and tailgating......and when in Toledo, point shaving..........and when playing for the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, strippers and prostitutes.

That's just what our wives tell us to make us feel better.

Read for RedZone StatisticsExcellent pick up Captain. If anyone is looking for signs the Zips are improving over last year, this is good proof. My biggest concern from last week in the red zone was a couple of penalties. A penalty is a good way to turn a TD into a FG. They really need to score TDs this week against a good Cincy team.

I understand what you are saying, and I don't think we disagree. My point is that halftime adjustments are a small part of the ongoing adjustments that must take place during a football game. Setting up the first drive of the half is about all the time a team has at half to adjust. Setting up the next drive is about all the time you have to make adjustments when the other team goes on a long drive against you. Defensive adjustments are much more difficult to make because of low IQ of most defensive players. They really can't grasp complex ideas quickly so it takes a while for them to adjust. Defensive players are more like monkeys or dogs than humans.If the quarter-by-quarter score is the ultimate indicator, then it doesn't look like JD makes good halftime adjustments. It also looks as if he does well providing in game adjustments. Every sport requires deviations from the original game plan, IMHO, basketball requires the most. I think the Zips have other problems than halftime adjustments (ie: play calling that results in running on third and long, poor red zone execution, etc).

Being tired in the third quarter probably has more to do with the boring eternity that is college halftimes. I think teams would have more energy coming out of the locker room if they shortened the halftime misery. Someone has to look this up for me because I am too lazy to do so. How many times did the Zips score the first drive of the second half and how many times did the other team score the first drive of the second half? If it is lopsided, I will admit we don't make good halftime adjustments that result in a second half opening drive score or stop.From the looks of the stats though, it appears as if the Zips make good adjustments throughout the game with the exception of the third. Remember, it is a four quarter game and adjustments are made throughout the gameAlso, keep in mind that the Zips have beaten one team they should have beaten, beat one team that was a toss up at the beginning of the season and lost to two very good teams. The season really isn't going as bad as some of you make it out to be.

First, let's discuss halftime adjustments. Our third quarter performance is horrible, but I'm not certain that there is a direct correlation to halftime adjustments and third quarter scoring. I read a lot about this on this board and in regards to the Browns and there is something you guys need to understand. Adjustments are made the entire game and not just at one point in the game. There is not as much time as you guys think to make adjustments at halftime in a 20 minutes(college halftime should be limited to 12 minutes.....if you can't crown a homecoming queen in 12 minutes, you don't deserve to be a university) or 12 minute (NFL). If it takes five minutes to get everyone in the locker room and five minutes to get them out and warmed up, that only gives them ten minutes on the low end and maybe up to fifteen minutes if you are really quick about things. Be open minded for a second and think about ten minutes. If a team goes on a 6 minute scoring drive against you, it takes at least ten minutes of real time with clock stoppage. There is in fact no difference between the real coaching time at halftime and the on field coaching time. Coaches are making adjustments with the players at all time. It takes a little over three hours to play a college football game. The clock time is only 60 minutes or roughly 1/3 of the real time it takes to play the game. If time of possession is equal, that means that each team has 1.5 hours to make adjustments during a game. How important is that ten minutes in the middle of it compared to the rest of the down time? Hint, it is only 10% of the down time.The always popular fan call to run the hurry-up offense. Like the 3-3-5 defense, running the hurry-up offense is gimmick that really does not work long term. In fact, it is a way to get your butt kicked week in and week out. Why? Because it puts the defense on the field all day long. Time of possession is a major indicator of who wins a game or not and keeping the defense on the field all day is an excellent way to lose the TOP statistic. Games are won by a balanced offense that controls the field position and the clock. Winning a college football game is very simple. First, get an early lead...Second, run a balanced offense that gives good field position...Third, maintain good field positon with a good punting game...Fourth, keep your defense off the field with a clock eating offense...Fifth, field a defense (something other than the 3-3-5) that can keep the other team under 24 points (defense really doesn't win championship...offense does).The next time someone tells you the answer to a football problem is running the hurry up offense the whole game, look at that person and say, "If that is the answer, it sure was a stupid question."

John McKay, here are a few othersGood stuff. Here is another you will appreciate. Chuck Noll was asked during his first year with the Steelers what he thought of his players and he said something like...."The bad news is we are not very good. The good news is half of these guys won't be here next year."

One thing I mentioned before the season started was I felt we lacked a "winning attitude". Not to pick on this team, but that has been a huge story for the D-1A history of the program. While we won that game Saturday, I saw signs of it in the play.For example, poor red zone offense. Teams that win a lot score TDs early in games and not field goals. Easy field goals and extra points are made. Balls bouncing off of players hands in the endzone. Foolish penalties in the red zone... False start in an almost quiet stadium by the right tight end when the ball is being run to the left is just stupid.While I complain a lot about Saturday, there were some signs of life.1. The Zips defense was really good against a bad team so they did what they should do. The offense was average and could have been good with a few less mistakes.2. I never had the feeling Army could win.3. CJ11 threw a nice deep pass. Big plays win games.4. DLinemen were getting off blocks and making tackles at the line against a decent running team.5. Until further notice, Pinky should be the starting RB. DK wants to run sideways too bad.6. We completed some passes in traffic.7. Etc.What we really need is consistency and execution*. Teams with winning attitudes are consistently good and play at a high performance level for the entire game. If we can do those two things, we can be good. There is nothing we can do to be great, but good is a possibility. *Execution in sports reminds me of a funny story. In the first year of the Tampa Bay Bucs they lost all of their games. Their coach was an old guy who was asked by a reporter, "What do you think of your team's execution?" Immediately, the coach responded, "I'm in favor of it."

Yet you keep going back to Dollar General to whine about the merchandiseCrazy isn't it? I actually think being a Zips fan has given me a mental disorder.Two weeks ago, I bought a new bird hunting gun and I have not taken it out yet. What did I do yesterday on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? I wasted an afternoon being waterboarded by the Zips for three hours while sitting on my couch. Get the mask, plastic, rope and bucket full of water ready because next week I will be back for more.......Look at the positive side. At least you didn't use the gun to shoot your TV.There's always next week.........

Yet you keep going back to Dollar General to whine about the merchandiseCrazy isn't it? I actually think being a Zips fan has given me a mental disorder.Two weeks ago, I bought a new bird hunting gun and I have not taken it out yet. What did I do yesterday on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? I wasted an afternoon being waterboarded by the Zips for three hours while sitting on my couch. Get the mask, plastic, rope and bucket full of water ready because next week I will be back for more.......

Brutal game to watch and the score was much closer than it should have been. At least Jacquemain added some humor at the end when he went Garo Yepremian. I actually laughed so loudly it scared my dog.Listen everyone. We need to score touchdowns when we get close. Against good teams (Army is easily as bad as the Zips were in the last couple year of Faust), we need to put the ball in the end zone. If #12 can't catch the ball wide open in the end zone, he should not be on the field. The Zips are making too many mistakes inside the 20 and it needs to stop after today. All of the sudden I am worried about our kicker missing extra points again. This is the equivolant of fan waterboarding and it makes final scores look like high school scores. At some schools, a kicker will go four years without even missing one extra point and we have to live through a guessing game.....In the end, the Zips are 2-2 and they covered the spread. Remember, it's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you cover the spread.

I mentioned this last year. My wife told me last year during the Miami vs. Akron 7-0 disaster that the MAC is like Dollar General. "You can convince someone to come once, but once they see the crap you are selling it is hard to get them to come back." That in summary is this game so far. Akron is marching up and down the field and should be winning by more than 20. Instead we get penalties inside the 20, missed fieldgoals and missed extra points........ BUSH LEAGUE. The entertainment value is simply horrible. In fact, it is so bad I feel like the Zips are losing.They just showed a baby crying in the stands. The baby is the only person who undedrstands what is going on. I'd probably be crying too if I had to watch this in person.

Injury ReportGood information Rasor. I knew it was bad from reading this board, but I had no idea it was this bad. Five DLinemen out for the game! We only use three so that is amost the entire first and second team.For those of you at the game I can only say this. I hope you have been working out because the Zips may need you buy the end of the game.

In order to win football games, a team must have a balanced attack with about 50% run and 50% pass. A concern I have about the game last week was the lack of a balanced attack. In total, the Zips ran 28 times for 39% of the plays. They ran 45 times for 61% of the plays. One might say they threw so much because they had to pass in the fourth to catch up. Upon close examination, the lack of balance took place for the first three quarters as well and mostly in the second quarter.In the first quarter, the Zips ran 8 times and passed 8 times. That is great balanceIn the second quarter, the Zips ran 5 times and passed 18 times. 22% run vs. 78% pass. While it may not always seem like it, this is the secret recipe for losing. Sidebar.........Look no further than the Owens years when he sealed his fate by passing 70% of the time his last year when he had a more than competent running attach to make games shorter and control the clock. Frye was never a Limpwich or Roethlisberger who could win games on his own. However, he may have been able to do more had Owens relied less on him and more on a balanced, team approach to the offense.In the third quarter, the Zips ran 11 times and passed 8 times. 58% run vs. 42% pass.Through the first three quarters, the Zips ran 41% of the time. Only 2% above the game total of 39%.By halftime, BSU had seen 26 passing plays which probably covered all the plays the Zips brought to the game. It is easy to adjust when you have seen the other team's plays by halftime. No surprises in the second half.Guys, balance, balance, balance and more balance. Balance is the key to a lesser team beating a better team because they keep the other guys off guard and control the game/clock. The Zips need better balance this week.

I was at the USC vs. OSU game and I'll give you three reasons why James was on the USC sideline:1. It is the side that the USC Song Girls stand on.2. The USC cheerleaders stand on the USC side.3. Anyone who is anyone in Hollywood stands on the USC sideline. Reason one should be enough.

In 2005, Akron won seven games, won the MAC (yes JD haters, they had a lot of tie breakers, but they won when they got there they beat a very good NIU team with an NFL RB twice that season) and went to a bowl (take a first round RB off of Memphis, and the Zips may win that game as well). Some would look at that and say, "The program is going backward if we don't win eight next season."(Eight wins in this day and age is a GREAT season for a MAC school.) Maybe, but here is another way to look at it. Using the exact logic above, Akron winning five games this season will be an improvement over the disaster that was last season. I actually think it is almost impossible for the team to again be as bad as last year. UofA has better talent on this team than at any other point in program history.This is the one question I ask myself that makes me believe Akron is an improved program over last year. Can the Zips beat anyone in the league? Honestly, I think the Zips have a good enough team to beat anyone in the league. From what I read on this board, if they execute better last week, they at least had the talent to beat Ball State. There were years during the Owens and Faust eras that I knew going into games there was no way the Zips were going to win. During the Owens years, the Rubber Bowl was the flame and I was the moth. There were times going against bad MAC teams in those seasons I didn't believe the Zips could win. I now believe the Zips can win any game they get into. Whether they do it or not is up to them.Temple and Buffalo are improved, but let's take a closer look before we decide they are better than the Zips three games into the season. After all, weren't the Browns the flushy new team predicted to dominate the AFC North? We may be looking at the same thing here. Buffalo is 2-1, but only has wins against a bad UTEP (there is no difference between UTEP and Syracuse) and Temple. Buffalo was pretty soundly beaten by a bad Pitt team. After reading that, is anyone really that impressed with Buffalo? Temple is 1-2, same as us, lost to UCONN at home where they didn't even score a TD and Buffalo. Temple has beaten Army. What evidence is there so far this season that either of these teams are better than last year or even the Zips? Akron is 1-2 against a much more difficult schedule than these two schools have played and they are starting guys on the DLine who are five months removed from their senior prom. Wisconsin is ranked in the top 15.... Ball State is perhaps the best team in the MAC and some have predicted it to be in the BCS this season..... Syracuse is still a BCS team we beat on the road. Have either Temple or Buffalo won a road game yet this season? Ball State would beat any team mentioned in this paragraph with the exception of Wisconsin and they may give Wisconsin a heck of a battle. Syracuse is probably better than Army and perhaps UTEP. If Buffalo and Temple defeat the Zips this season, I will say they have better teams. After all, the test of whether a team is good or not is decided on the field and not in the game day program. Until then, I still think the Zips can beat anyone in the league. I think some of you are throwing in the towel a little early this year and really want the Zips to lose just so JD will get fired and you can say you were right about something. It's really an amazing thing to watch.

A stunt with a three man line is almost impossible because a QB could scramble 10 yards down field with the hole it creates. Stunts create a deception. Deception is created in the 3-3-5 defense with blitzing. I don't like it either, but that's just the cards they are playing with.

Akron giving 11. Never bet against a home underdog.Akron 27Army 17That is basically five scoring drives to three for Army. It will be a good day for the Zips and anyone attending the game. West Point is a beautiful place and one of those things that doesn't make you resent paying taxes to support.

Excellent point. In addition (someone please check this), I don't think UofA ever beat a BCS level team since joining the MAC. Maybe Temple years ago, but that was before the BCS.Sometimes progress does not take place in leaps and bounds. Sometimes it takes place slowly and the signs are not always obvious, especially to those of limited intellect.Let's just assume for a second that JD gets let go after say a 5-7 season. The question then becomes (Browns fans never ask this question when engaging in their non-stop clamoring for different coaches and QBs), What then? More than likely, the answer is probably another guy almost exactly like JD. Then the five year cycle of stupidity starts again. Patrick McManamon wrote an article on Sept. 16 in the ABJ and said this about firing the Browns coach, What sense does it make to fire a guy after you've extended his contract, and how in the world would it help to start over again? Again?. Again is right!If JD only wins 4 games this year, it is probably time for a change. I thought the number would be five at the beginning of the season, but the injuries to the DL are something you can't blame on coaching. I'll give you guys two examples of organizations and you tell me which you would rather be. In my 39 years on this Earth, the Browns have had too many coaches to count on one paw (a little Dawg Pound humor for you Browns fans). My favorite team, the Steelers, has had three. If the key to a successful football team is turning over your coach every couple of years, how come the Steelers have not enjoyed the same success the Browns have in the past 39 years? Organizational stability is a huge part of the Steelers success. We need some stability at UofA unless things fall apart.

Excellent points. I would just like to say that if all of those guys went down at the same time, it would not have been a swiss cheese defense......it would have been the "no cheese" defense.With that said, there have been many, many college and NFL seasons lost because of injuries. I don't worry about this week, but I do worry about the remainder of the season and the impact a season long battle can be on a young, physically immature player. I have not even seen the Zips play this year, but I know how over-matched an 18 year old freshman DLineman can be when facing a 23 year old upper class player, especially in the MAC. The coaches have to be concerned. Remember, these young DLineman were going to be used to rest the starters and maybe some special teams. Now they are being asked to shoulder the load. It is a huge thing to ask and they need to really improve their performance each week. I'm voting better than expected by a slim margin because of the injuries. If we win this week, 2-2 is a good start with a floundering Cincinnati and Can't around the corner. Without the injuries, this is a bowl season.I am looking forward to seeing the Zips for the first time this weekend. Go Zips!

Re-stating someone's words without giving them credit as the author is plagiarism.Stealing someone else's ideas is life (unless you have a patent, trademark, or trade secret on your "idea")Your probably right. I just wish he would have said somthing like..... "With my Can't State education, I am completely unable to formulate an original thought. Because of that, I am going to us an idea from a person of superior intellect from naturally The University of Akron, the great GP1." At this point, he could start his note. I'd love to know if Pluto reads this board.Back to the student attendance. I fully expect large student attendance at the new stadium. There is very little to do on a Saturday in the afternoon around the school and going to a game is perfect entertainment.