GP1

Akron may have been equally as bad with Nick Sparks. I don't know this for sure, but you folks don't really know if Frye would have won more with a better defense or whatever of the 10,000 excuses some of you have for the guy. What we know for sure is that he did just enough to lose.What we also know is that Frye's brand of heroics and leadership are doing nothing for the Browns either.We also know that one year after we lost Frye's heroics and leadership, we won the MAC with a team less talented than the year before. HummmmmmmIf you guys really want to continue this discussion, I could lead you hacks around all day. I'd rather not though as the challenge just isn't there any more. It's become too easy.

I love this quote the most. Improvement is what you get when you have open competition and guys just aren't given the job. I also like that JD has left the door open the first couple games until the MAC schedule starts. This will continue to make the players better.I like what I have been hearing. Competition and discipline are a good thing.

That team went 4-7. The only teams they beat were horrible (OU, Can't State, Buffalo and EMU). I feel pretty confident that this year's team will have a better record.....it wouldn't take much. I feel good about this year's team getting at a minumum 5-6 wins. Sorry for the optimism.

I looked at the entire group together as I really don't have the time to go positon by position. I include running backs as well. We have two solid TEs right now and both could get a shot at the NFL. WRs were probably betther then. Running backs are not only better now, but the depth is much better.I'll let Frye's record as a starting QB stand for itself.

Agreed.Someone still needs to tell me who is going to come to the Rubber Bowl (Yes, the stadium in Ellet that is falling down as we type) and play in front of 5,000 paying customers. Wouldn't the same question of professionalism be directed at an AD that allowed his team to come to Akron to play in front of such a poor paying crowd and money opportunity? I think there are a lot of dummys (not all) working in college athletics, but none of them are that stupid. As fans, we look inward. This question requires us to look at the point of view of the other team. We all have to remember that non-conference teams don't need us, we need them.A really smart AD would try to wait a couple of years and get on the schedule at the new stadium where more people will be paying to go and the stadium will be full. What is the advantage of playing in Akron right now?Note To eguins: Save us the post on why Akron should be playing YSU. None of us really care.

Excellent find Big Zip. Interesting.I'd say that the program is better now. I don't fee like going position by position, but the group of RBs, WRs and TEs are better now as a group. The offensive line is about the same. I always thought the offensive line during that period was really good. Two on this list either spent time on an NFL roster or in camp. The current offensive line will have one NFL player and maybe one make camp. It's no secret that I'd take just about anyone over Frye....the guy just doesn't win.Even less to say about the defense. They are far more talented now as a group and probably by position. The biggest problem we have now is the awful 3-3-5 defense we play and not the players.One person not on the list is the kicker. I think it was Zac Derr. If it was, the 2001 team had a faaaaaaaaaar better kicker.

God I can't stand Terry Pluto. Was JD supposed to come in and start 18 freshmen his first year? Of course not, you have to play with the cards you are dealt. I think Pluto does that because he an LO must have been butt buddies, and there are a certain number of people out there who love Owens because he brought suburban kids to Akron. It plays right into his little engine that could story line. Fact, JD won the MAC and LO did not with better teams than JD had the year he won it.Deeper analysis would show that the three players that made the championship impact the year we won the MAC were all JD's recruits and without the the team does not win the conference......Getsy, Biggs and Alleman.

I couldn't disagree more. Dwight was the best DB we've had in the past 15 years, and was an absolute "shut down" corner. He was the best I've seen in a Zips uniform. He pretty much single-handedly won several games during his career. It is unfathomable how bad some of Lee Owens' defenses would have been without him.That 40-below-zero game @ K.e.n.t his senior year was one of the most impressive individual performances I've ever seen in college football. Too bad there were only about 261 people there to witness it.Vic Greene...maybe Bobby Lyons were at his level...but that's about it.Dwight Smith Ruled/Rules AMEN!!!!!!!!I don't like to pick the greatest player ever, but if you were to look at the top three Zips of all time, Smith, Jason Taylor and Mike Clark are easily the three best players to ever play at Akron.Smith could shut down the other team's best WR, he played WR, he returned punts, he returned kickoffs and he blocked kicks. You name it and he could do it. A real "football player".

OL = Brett JacksonDB = Oz JacksonHere is a good question. John Buddenberg was a six year NFL player, time in the CFL, graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree, why isn't he in the school's Hall of Fame? The only Zips to play longer in the NFL are I believe Jason Taylor and Vic Green. The people at the Varsity A probably don't know who he even is. What a shame.....If you are going to include Gary Tyler, guys like Shannon Wolfe would have to be included. Both solid players, but not standouts.

I love it! Makes me want to play a John Mellencamp CD and relive my youth.

Ahhhhhh! A truely interesting topic...gambling. I don't know how they do it, but book makers have to be the smartest people in the world.I'd take the Zips +7 in a second. In fact, I think I will.

Good post.The MAC has been on a steady decline starting after the 2003 football season and it's getting worse. While we improve in basketball, the league is getting worse as well. Adding scrap like Temple does nothing for the league except make it worse. If the league wanted to improve itself, it would kick out Temple and Buffalo asap.I share your optimism about this season.

I agree on both counts. Mr. Taylor has been very kind with his gifts to UofA. We should all thank him for the new stadium. Let's be clear about where the money came from though. This is no moral judgement, just the way things were. If Mr. Taylor didn't do it, somebody else would. Here it goes.What the biography doesn't say is that InfoCision got started from religious fundraising in the early 80s when guys like Pat Robertson and Jim Baker realized they could convince little old ladies to give $25 out of their fixed income to keep themselves from going to Hell. Mr. Taylor interned at Rex Humbard Ministries in Cuyahoga Falls. Some of the appeals were shameless. While it is true that InfoCision has helped many worthy non-profits such as American Cancer Society and March of Dimes, they still have this dirty little past (and present) under them that they don't like to talk about. Perspective is important....keep this in mind when sitting in the new stadium.The funny thing is that I would have done the same thing if I had thought of it. I guess I'm as shameless as a telemarketer.

Okay.I bet if the public knew when, and what time the games where, they might go too.If there was only a way to get a big poster and hang it over a major highway in Akron...now that would be cool. :rolleyes:PS I still remember the Jason Taylor one on Exchange Street a long time ago. I wish I took a photo of that.PSS I will be taking a photo of the new Portage County Pansy one on 43 soon for a new contest, stay tuned... I think the University should take advantage of the new digital/electronic billboards on Rt 8, Interstate 77 and on Interstate 76 to promote our teams more. Start putting up schedules, pictures and whatever. Those new billboards really catch your attention. Start advertising!!! Yes, they should start advertising, but billboards are not the way to go. History has proven to us that billboards don't work. They may sell other things, but Zip tickets are not one of them. Let Can't have every one of them if they want. They will get the same results we did.......poor.My understanding is that ticket sales are up from last year (they were up last year as well). OSU is probably a good reason for that, but they are still up and that's all that matters. All done without a single billboard. Amazing.I don't know what to make of our current marketing department. I may not always agree with them, but they seem to be getting results after years of declining ticket sales. They must know something I don't. Results are all that matter.Media guide looks good too. I agree with Dr Z. We just need to be seen as much as possible. That along with winning games will build awareness and support. I'm not a huge fan of billboards either, but I will tell you that everytime I drive by one of those new electronic billboards I can't help but look at it. Guys, listen..........there is absolutely no evidence that those billboards do anything to improve ticket sales. If any of you have evidece that it does, please let us all know. The reality is that up until last year, ticket sales were on a steady decline. Everything comes down to sales. Brand awareness isn't the problem. 50% of the people living in NE Ohio probably know UofA has a football team. 95% of alumni living in NE Ohio probably know they have a football team. We've been reminding them with billboards for the past 20 years and nobody came. They have a cultural and sales problem created by the inbreeding in college athletics and a generally apathetic community, which I've gone into several times on this board, that billboards are not going to overcome.If billboards are indeed cheap, then the saying "you get what you pay for" immediately comes to mind. If they were effective, they would be in more demand and they could charge more for them. I live in Akron, for now, and I swear to God, I have no idea where these electronic billboards are located.

I don't believe for a second that the Browns want to develop Anderson as a future starter. They also don't want to develop Frye as a future starter. Frye/Anderson, whichever wins the starting position, is going to be tasked with one job this year. Bail water as fast as possible while Quinn develops.A lot of this will come down to money. If Frye wins the starting spot, Anderson gets cut. If Anderson wins the starting spot, Frye gets cut. They will not want to pay both and they probably don't want ANOTHER QB controversy in Cleveland so the termination will be necessary. Both of these guys have a lot on the line. I think Anderson is better, but I wouldn't want him to play for my favorite team. I'd jump off a bridge if my team picked up Frye if he got cut.Most of you are Browns fans and I want to encourage some of you. The Browns could go 5-11 again this season and still be better than the mess they put on the field last season. Rookie offensive linemen, regardless of their draft position, have a way of getting QBs killed so don't think that draft pick solved all their problems. Thomas has a lot of adapting to do and on-the-job training isn't a good thing. The Browns will be better this year though.

I've used many adjectives to describe Frye, most unflattering, but stiff isn't one of them.

With all due respect, the campus changes were planned before Dr. P. I forget the president prior to him (Muse?), but it was planned under his watch. It's been a long time coming.

Okay.I bet if the public knew when, and what time the games where, they might go too.If there was only a way to get a big poster and hang it over a major highway in Akron...now that would be cool. :rolleyes:PS I still remember the Jason Taylor one on Exchange Street a long time ago. I wish I took a photo of that.PSS I will be taking a photo of the new Portage County Pansy one on 43 soon for a new contest, stay tuned... I think the University should take advantage of the new digital/electronic billboards on Rt 8, Interstate 77 and on Interstate 76 to promote our teams more. Start putting up schedules, pictures and whatever. Those new billboards really catch your attention. Start advertising!!! Yes, they should start advertising, but billboards are not the way to go. History has proven to us that billboards don't work. They may sell other things, but Zip tickets are not one of them. Let Can't have every one of them if they want. They will get the same results we did.......poor.My understanding is that ticket sales are up from last year (they were up last year as well). OSU is probably a good reason for that, but they are still up and that's all that matters. All done without a single billboard. Amazing.I don't know what to make of our current marketing department. I may not always agree with them, but they seem to be getting results after years of declining ticket sales. They must know something I don't. Results are all that matter.Media guide looks good too.

I'm thinking they could blow up the Rubber Bowl with 10-15 M-80s...........

Rewriting the Akron QB record books for Getsy was like rewriting "Dick and Jane". Whatever, the records were never that impressive.Amazing, the QB, who touches the ball every play, is the key to winning. It all starts there guys. Offensive line and defensive line mean nothing if you don't have a QB to win games for you in the clutch. As Jackson goes, so will the Zips. Sorry CJ, but that's just the way things are........now you need to deal with it.

Or having a "Reversal of Fortune".Good post. I feel good about this upcoming season as well. Folks worry about losing players, but they forget that every four years there is an entire new set of characters.Until I see evidence that the 3-3-5 defense can produce some three & outs and get pressure on the QB, I'll go with seven wins. A solid season in this day and age.

For guiding them to a tried and true method of not selling ticket?Memo To Can't State Athletics: Please continue to buy as many billboards in Summit County possible. In fact, buy every billboard in Summit County. We know from history that this method does not sell tickets. Enjoy the same empty seats this method has brought UofA over the past 20 years. No go drink some bong water.

With every baseball game I watch, one thought always comes to mind. Why do baseball managers wear the same uniforms the player do? It's really a funny sight to watch an old man like Bobby Cox slump onto the field wearing a uniform that is designed for a young athlete. Anyone remember Tommy Lasorda in his? Yikes.Anyhow, since it is a slow summer, should football coaches be required to wear the same uniforms as the players? For the sake of humor, I am voting yes. It would be just too funny.

I'm not comparing anything about the game other than the level of promotion. To me, there has been virtually no promotion of our game to-date. I hope it changes. If anyone so much as lifts a finger to promote it, it will draw 35k+.FYI - The K.e.n.t. game will sell out this year. That will put UA's home attendance average at 30k/game after 2 games. I understand what you are saying. I'm just trying to point out the problems they may have selling tickets. I'm the guy who thinks there should be 20,000 at every game at the RB because I think MAC entertainment is that good. The same with the basketball team......I have no idea why they don't sell out evey MAC game. The JAR only holds 5,500 and the entertainment is excellent.IMHO the game is being promoted in all the ways that have failed in the past. 35,000 tickets is possible, but not with billboards and radio ads on WKNR. I just don't know what amount of money Akron gets out of this game. If it is a lot, they should put a lot of effort into it. If there is some community non-profit backing the Patriot Bowl that will get an amount of money that does not make it financially cost effective to promote the game on their own, they shouldn't do much. One of the key drivers for this game will be Akron season tickets as both this game and OSU tickets can be included. This is a ripe year for selling Akron tickets.I'd like to know how full JD's, KD's and Kest's speaking schedules have been this summer. Time is running out quickly for JD's schedule. Tic Toc............

I'd like to know the share of the revenue UofA gets for the Patriot Bowl before I get too excited about what they are doing or not doing. It seems to me that it is a game sponsored by someone outside of UofA. I have heard the usual radio spots about it on Cleveland radio and there is an electronic billboard running at Browns Stadium at the east and west end zones. Historically, this type of promotion has failed miserably for UofA. I have no doubt it will fail here as well.On the surface, let's compare the two games. A weekend in Chicago vs a weekend in Cleveland. Chicago wins.An in state team (NIU) vs. a BCS bowl participant from a state with absolutely nothing to do in it and adjacent to Illinios. This compared to a historically bad D-1A program vs. a very bad Army team with a large national following that has no desire to go to Cleveland for a vacation. The Chicago game will be like a home game for Iowa. Chicago wins.MAC vs. Big Ten.......MAC vs. CUSA. Chicago wins again.Really heavy drinkers in need of another excuse to drink (Cleveland) vs. really, really really heavy drinkers in need of another excuse to drink (Chicago). Chicago wins. More people turn out to be happy than miserable.Chicago is a much better sports town than Cleveland. They also have a Big Ten team in town which sparks interest.The fans of Dekalb want to support NIU...they get good crowds. The state of Iowa wants to support UofI. If they get a huge crowd in San Antonio for a bowl game, more will certainly drive to Chicago for a holiday weekend. Army, who knows? We know that the people of Akron won't go to a game unless the tickets are free. Chicago wins.The Chicago game is much more easy to sell than the Cleveland game. Nobody should be surprised that game is sold out already. Nobody should be surprised if less than 25,000 show up to Cleveland.Have a good day eveyone.