GP1

Let's say he is not the top QB in the MAC next year if Jacobs returns. Do you really think there are three or four guys better than him around the league? Come on, the guy stunk up the field at times this year, but he's not that bad. Had Frye had the game Luke had Monday, 40% of the posters on this board would be lining up to give the guy a blow job, 40% would be lining up to kiss the mouths of the guys who delivered the blow jobs and 10% would be jerking off while the blow jobs were being given like perverts at a peep show. Luke, warts and all, has the potential to be the best QB in the league next year. You guys should really embrace the guy.

I'll go with 30-40,000 because you don't have a category for 27-30,000. Akron could pack in a stadium like that on a regular basis if the team was good. They also need some boxes to get money from local businesses.

Here are my thoughts. I'll start with the negative first. 1. Good players win games. Memphis had bigger and faster players at almost every position. Ultimately, the talent level they had over us won the game for them. Case in point, even when we played the halfback throw perfectly, the bigger receiver was able to catch the ball over Corner who played the pass well. Akron needs to recruit bigger WRs and DBs. Marshall dominated the league for almost a decade with big players in those positions for years. We should take that play from their playbook. If Memphis and Akron played ten times, Memphis could beat them at least 7 times in 10 based on talent alone. 2. I HATE THE 3-3-5 DEFENSE WE PLAY. We don't have the talent level or the size to run that defense against really good teams and stop them the way we need to to control the game. Late in the game, our linebackers were absolutely dominated by a larger and just as athletic line. Next year, I would hope they move to at least a 3-4 defense so we can get more size on the line and eliminate a lot of the guessing the coaches have to do. 3. I'm not going to mention any names directly, but we had too many wide receivers dropping passes and killing drives early in the game. Seniors need to play complete games and come up with difficult plays. 4. SOMEONE PLEASE AT LEAST FAIR CATCH THE DAMN PUNTS. At least if you are having trouble catching the punts because the ball is not kicked directly to the returner, put and extra guy back there to get the balls. Special teams hurt us badly. Now for the positive. 5. I think each week this season, our offensive line performed better and better. They weren't great yesterday, but Luke did have enough time to complete 30 passes for over 400 yards. 6. Here are my thoughts on Biggs playing his last game for the Zips. 7. The play calling was balanced and overall it was good. Coaching didn't lose the game, we just lost to a better team. 8. I love the way the Zips played hard till the end. This team now has JD's mark on it. They played like they could win until the very end. If they continue to play like that, they will win a lot. 9. I sense there is some reluctance on the part of some writers to give Getsy his props after that game yesterday. Especially those of you who wanted to perform the program killing move of QB shuffle in mid season that could have set the program back years. Those of us who know better forgive you for your emotional outburst and we thank JD for not allowing stupidity to take hold of him. No hard feelings. Getting back to Getsy. He had one of the best QB performances in school history yesterday. Going back to the OU game, he has done everything necessary to win the MACC and make the game close yesterday in the end. What QB in Akron history has led the team to a MAC East Championship, MAC Championship and a bowl game on ESPN? Luke Getsy. I for one am glad he is coming back next season. A possible Player of the Year candidate for next season?..............Maybe. 10. I was so impressed with the size and energy of the Akron crowd yesterday. I sat behind a guy who graduated in 72 and he flew all the way back from San Diego to go to the game. Prior to the game, Akron was well represented at each and every location around the city. The Detroit paper put the crowd around 45,000. That may be a MCB record. 11. There was a Coach Faust sighting at the game. I hope in some way he felt some sense of accomplishment during the game yesterday. I know things ended horribly for him, but he is really a good man. The more I think about it, he sort of knew what a D-1A program should be like, he just never had the overall support of the Athletic Department or University to make it happen. Things were never going to work out for any Akron coach until a man like Mike Thomas took over. If Coach Faust had a man like Mike Thomas behind him, we would not have had to wait 18 years for yesterday to happen. 12. I saw some people at the game yesterday I had not seen since I was in school and everyone was so happy to see each other. It was what a Homecoming game should be like. 13. Overall, yesterday was a win-win for Akron. Had they won the game, it would have been great. Losing the game is not going to hurt the program. The only thing that would have hurt Akron yesterday, and it didn't happen, was a poor showing by the fans. I'm sure Akron will not be passed over again by a bowl because they don't think Akron will bring everyone. 14. The Motor City Bowl is the best thing to happen for the Zips. I would much rather them go to that game than have to march down to Alabama before Christmas. 15. Go Zips!

The pooch kick was fair caught on the 30. It had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.

This will be my final visit to ZipsNation.org until after the game Monday. I'd just like to say Merry Christmas to one and all on ZipsNation. Travel safely and see you at the game.

I do know the University has had several inserts in the Beacon Journal the past couple of weekends with just that type of add. Maybe someone from the University could post that electronically since I'm sure they bought the advertisement.

And what do you expect to get from this other than a well crafted, politically correct report? Huh? Do you really think the other candidates would like that published? Not sure why you would make this post.......There are many factors that are obvious for Macks hire. Are you questioning Dr. Proenza? For this job, EVERYONE interviewed is qualified. Hiring and interviewing is an art not a science. Cmon Man, be happy. We have a great new A.D. and Associate A.D. I have no problem with the hire, I just have a personal connection with Mike and I would have like to see him get the job. Dr. Proenza can do whatever he wants to do. Time marches on. The reason I want the report is that the local media will not ask deep enough questions and I think an explaination of a decision of this magnitude should be explained to the public in detail. As far as confidentiality, I explain that in my original post.

Never! You own a gun and know how to use it. An upstate Michigan guy once told a friend of mine from Bloomfield Hills, "Sir, every man should own a dog and a shotgun." Words to live by.

Somehow, I don't think the outcome of the game Monday is hinging on whether the LB coach is leaving or not. Matt worked his ass off for this program and deserves to stay for the MCB and we should all wish him well leaving. Anything else is just childish. Coaches leaving goes on every year at every school. In a big boys and girls world, people come and go from different jobs at will. I think JD is smart enough to bring in another good coach. With the success JD is having, there will be a line of good young coaches to fill this position hoping to grab onto JD's coat tails and move on to a bigger program with better pay. How will we know when coaches leaving is a problem? The answer is simple. If JD starts bringing in every lame high school coach in the area to be assistants, like LO did at the end of his miserable career, we know we have a problem. They will get tons of resumes from high school coaches for this position. Believe me, there is not a high school coach out there who doesn't think to himself, "Self, I could do what those D-1A guys do in a second. I can coach just as well as they can". They are all wrong and most couldn't handle the pressure or the work schedule for longer than six months. Whatever you do JD, don't hire a high school coach.

Ahhhh.....The Leakin Urinals influence is spreading! I have no idea what the Hell the editors at newspapers do all day. Aren't they the people who have to read this stuff to double check the reporters? Just when my opinion of journalism and journalists couldn't get any lower, I read this.

Terry Pluto is a complete low aiming a-hole. If you aim low, you hit low. Just ask ZipsRifle about that kind of stuff because he knows the bullet typically goes where you aim. Like everyone else in the media, he is to arrogant to admit mistakes. I have no idea how a man of such limited intellect, foresight and knowledge is so respected among his peers. I guess we should all expect that from a graduate of Can't State though. and so does Terry Pluto.

Nothing really to add......just kidding, I love to add things. Maybe the University thought they needed a fundraising type of person. I really have no clue what they mean by a "money guy". I've been out of town on business so I really don't know much about the new guy. The people from UTEP seem to like him though. I wanted Mike, but he is also someone I know and like personally so my opinion is biased. Unless someone on the board knows something more than what they are saying, we all don't really know what happened in the interviews. Maybe the new guy knocked their socks off. I do think that as a public institution, the University should have a policy to publish a small written report detailing why the person was hired and everyone on the interview board should participate with an opinion. The report should also explain why those who did not get the job were turned down, if the other candidates were willing to have their names released to the public (could be some confidentiality problems). I also think a record should be kept of the candidates' questions and answers and the University should release the transcripts of the interview of the successful candidate. As tax payers, we should be provided with this information.

Let me repeat. The coaches do not coach for the players, they don't coach because they love U of A, they don't coach because they love the head coach, they don't coach because they love living in Akron so much. They coach for the paycheck and because it is their profession. High school coaches coach for the players because the pay is so amazingly low they have no other reason to be there other than the players. Some of you write like these players are little babes in the woods who have no idea about the workings of college football. I would bet that every player on that team knows Akron is a stop off point for a lot of coaches. Loyalty to the kids they recruit? Are you kidding me? How many of those kids are going to pay the electric bill for the coach, help them save for retirement, help them put their kids through college or pay their property taxes? Any coach who does not leave a program to make significantly more money is an idiot...even worse yet, that coach is a low aimer. When you aim low, you hit low. We need coaches that aim high.

Let me put an end to this loyalty nonsense before it gets out of hand. Matt is a young man with a young wife and a very young child. His first obligation is to them and not Akron. I would bet everything I own that K-State pays their assistants more than Akron. I would also bet a significant amount of money that K-State has some assistants that make more money than JD. Matt worked hard coaching for the University and in exchange he received a paycheck. That is where his loyalty should end. It is the nature of employment. I'm sure JD understands this as well. ITZ, I was young once too and I thought loyalty was very important. It is nice that you are not jaded yet. Then I realized that I can't pay a bill or retire on loyalty. As a young person, you should read a book called "Nine Shift". It discusses how society will change over the next 50 years and how people should change their lives to adjust to the changes. The nature of employment is one of those subjects. It's a great book. Read it and then PM me and tell me what you think. That goes for everyone else too. A guy I once told me in a drunken stuper, "Readers are leaders". This same guy also used to get drunk at happy hour events and try to grab all the young girls working in our sales group, then on the weekends he would leave his wife at home and take his son to Promise Keepers meetings. The "Readers are leaders" saying is true though.

Amen! There is no reason for JD to be in a hurry to go anywhere. He is too young in that profession to be in a hurry. He needs to have a minimum three or four winning seasons with two MAC Championships and he can make a change. He can do that in his mid to late 40's. The major programs pay at least one million per year. A few years at a major program and he will be set for money for the rest of his life at an early age. Speaking of money. Did JD have bonus possibilities in his contract for winning the MAC? He may have made a nice bonus in Detroit a couple of weeks ago. Good for him.

As a season ticket holder for many years, a new stadium must happen...and soon. The Rubber Bowl is a disgrace to the University, MAC and college football. It must be replaced. The bigger crowds, more money, possible high school football playoffs, etc. will be nice, but mostly, I just want a nice place to go watch a game. I think that is the best reason to want a new stadium. Give the fans and people in NE Ohio a place to go enjoy a fall day without having to look at a dump like the RB.

This is about the time of year the coachiing merry-go-round starts moving. One more will probably leave before it is all over. It's just a fact of life in that profession. Good luck to Matt. He is a real good guy.

Wouldn't that make him SAADWTW?

I'd like to take this opening to make fun of myself about this topic and the player. I've mentioned before that I have a brother who coached college football for several years including a couple at Maryland. He knows more about football than anyone I know personally. Last year we were sitting in Athens at the OU game and in the middle of the third quarter my brother leans over to me and says, "GP1, Chase Blackburn is the best player on Akron's team". I about blew a gasket......no, I did blow a gasket and told him he was f*&^#$g crazy because Blackburn doesn't really stand out and do as much as he should. I also said there were about six guys on Akron's team better than him. I can almost quote exactly what my brother told me at that point. He said, "No, seriously, he's big, he hustles, he's fast and he is always around the ball. He's a perfect candidate for an NFL team. In the right defense, he would dominate the field." Again, I protested and told him Blackburn couldn't make an Arena League team. As it turns out, I was exactly correct. There is no way Blackburn can make an Arena League team because he will be too busy practicing in NFL mini-camps and playing in NFL Europe. So here is to my prediction. Here is to Blackburn getting with a team that plays a defense he fits into.

Late in the year Akron has been scoring a lot of points. I look for that to continue. Look for the young Memphis QB to have a tough day in a pressure situation, but their RB will keep them in the game. Akron 34 Memphis 28 Could be one of the best bowl games this year.

I'm not 100% certain about this, but I think if a Prop 48 pays his way his first season and then graduates in four years, that person is able to have a 5th year. Kiki has one more year coming in football because he is graduating in May.

I don't know if anyone saw it on FOX Sports Ohio last night at 6:30, but they had a half hour show on the Zips season and MCB. Very well done.

Maybe we are all missing the obvious. Doesn't Cincinnati seem like a game that would be attractive for both schools with the Thomas connection?

I think the Zips will come in right around 10,000. The ticket office had sold around 5,000 as of yesterday though. It's hard to tell because there will be a certain number of people who buy tickets on the internet and just print the ticket up at home. Students really need to turn out though....and they should take their parents to the game with them to increase numbers. If Akron does not get at least 10,000, they will NEVER get a chance for an at large bid for a game again without significantly increasing regular season numbers.

Aww Man I am taking 12 people to the game and I was told to go to Hockeytown and now you are the 3rd person to say it sucked or it was O.K., I wanna make this a fun trip for my family and friends so I don't have to beg them to come to the game and support AU. It does suck, but there is no other place to go for a sports type feel. Akron will be on the sideline opposite of the MACC so the walk will not be as far. Akron will also be wearing white again.