Random thoughts, observations & questions...

[xu9697]

1. Brian Wagner is awesome.2. Bowser is awesome, and the coaches need to find more ways to involve him in the offense. 8-10 touches a game (minimum).3. Are we busting out new road unis? If not, seems bush league/half-assed. Do many teams update one and not the other? 4. gozips.com= step up and update the photo gallery. 2006 to 2008 in there, nothing for 2009 yet. Disappointing.5. Rodgers to Bowser TD vs. IU= watching it on TV (DVRd it) Rodgers looked to the left, middle then to Bowser. Nice work, Matt!!!6. The Info is still awesome and looked great on TV.

[johnnyzip84]

1. Brian Wagner is awesome.2. Bowser is awesome, and the coaches need to find more ways to involve him in the offense. 8-10 touches a game (minimum).3. Are we busting out new road unis? If not, seems bush league/half-assed. Do many teams update one and not the other? 4. gozips.com= step up and update the photo gallery. 2006 to 2008 in there, nothing for 2009 yet. Disappointing.5. Rodgers to Bowser TD vs. IU= watching it on TV (DVRd it) Rodgers looked to the left, middle then to Bowser. Nice work, Matt!!!6. The Info is still awesome and looked great on TV.

I had a nice vantage point for this play and your observation immediately came to mind as I saw the play unfold. Besides Matt calmly going through his progressions, he also showed confidence in Bowser's ability to come back for the ball. Of course, none of this happens unless the blocking is good, and I recall Matt having (for one of the few times that day) PLENTY of time on this play.

[uafan]

2. Bowser is awesome, and the coaches need to find more ways to involve him in the offense. 8-10 touches a game (minimum).

Props for Mr. Bowser! I was harder on him than anyone last year, but he has turned it around this season. Keep it up!

[rturning]

I have had the pleasure of watching my Zips twice this season on the Big 10 Network. Why is it that JD seems incapable of running a normal, offensive scheme? Enough with all this "trickeration" BS. I am not sure how we are going to consistently win when we're try to always "fool all of the people, all of the time." It's just not gonna work.

[Z-P]

Bowser I had a United flight to Chicago just after summer workouts broke up. Sitting quietly, reading, at CAK was an obvious Zip Player (necklace gave him away).............I passed a casual hello (you know how it is, you really don't want to bug anyone who's not interested in being disturbed) and ended up spending the rest of the CAK wait and a piece of the Chicago connection chatting with him. He was on his way home for a couple weeks before finishing up his athletic and academic careers at UA.What a great young man. He's smart, articulate, focused and conversent in lots of things outside of football and sports. Big ups from me. Good luck #1 !Just an FYI.

[xu9697]

Bowser I had a United flight to Chicago just after summer workouts broke up. Sitting quietly, reading, at CAK was an obvious Zip Player (necklace gave him away).............I passed a casual hello (you know how it is, you really don't want to bug anyone who's not interested in being disturbed) and ended up spending the rest of the CAK wait and a piece of the Chicago connection chatting with him. He was on his way home for a couple weeks before finishing up his athletic and academic careers at UA.What a great young man. He's smart, articulate, focused and conversent in lots of things outside of football and sports. Big ups from me. Good luck #1 !Just an FYI.

Perhaps he can be articulate in addressing to JD, Walt and Shane that he needs the damn ball!!!Again...another example of how many great kids there are (and they WAY outnumber the knuckleheads that typically get the pub).

[Dr Z]

Bowser What a great young man. He's smart, articulate, focused and conversent in lots of things outside of football and sports. Big ups from me. Good luck #1 !

Count me in the BFC (Bowser Fan Club). When we went to PSU this year, he was the one of the first ones out of the locker room practicing running routes and catching. He worked in PSU's half of the field until PSU come out. Not fooling around warming up, his warm ups were serious, if you know what I mean. Seems like he is working hard at his craft...and I am seeing the results on the field. I hope he is able to make lemonade out of our current lemon situation.

[GP1]

Again...another example of how many great kids there are (and they WAY outnumber the knuckleheads that typically get the pub).

Amen. Some fifth string scrub gets in trouble and the program is out of control. The program isn't out of control, the team is not playing up to it's potential on the field....that's the problem. Most fans don't really understand how little the players care about off field issues. Most are going about their day going to class, practice, homework, getting something to eat (believe me, offensive linemen are much more worried about their next meal than some knucklehead getting into a fight) and the girlfriends. There isn't much time to worry about anything else.

[johnnyzip84]

Again...another example of how many great kids there are (and they WAY outnumber the knuckleheads that typically get the pub).

Amen. Some fifth string scrub gets in trouble and the program is out of control. The program isn't out of control, the team is not playing up to it's potential on the field....that's the problem. Most fans don't really understand how little the players care about off field issues. Most are going about their day going to class, practice, homework, getting something to eat (believe me, offensive linemen are much more worried about their next meal than some knucklehead getting into a fight) and the girlfriends. There isn't much time to worry about anything else.

Can't argue with that! Let's change up their diet a little. Maybe that'll jump start 'em!

[tbozeglav]

Again...another example of how many great kids there are (and they WAY outnumber the knuckleheads that typically get the pub).

Amen. Some fifth string scrub gets in trouble and the program is out of control. The program isn't out of control, the team is not playing up to it's potential on the field....that's the problem. Most fans don't really understand how little the players care about off field issues. Most are going about their day going to class, practice, homework, getting something to eat (believe me, offensive linemen are much more worried about their next meal than some knucklehead getting into a fight) and the girlfriends. There isn't much time to worry about anything else.

Can't argue with that! Let's change up their diet a little. Maybe that'll jump start 'em!

restrict them to only beans, bread, and water until they can keep the QB's jersey clean!

[Lee Adams]

i hope it has not taken people this long to figure out that Bowser is a real talent...seemed fairly apparent last year... too bad ol' brookhart thought he didn''t need anymore receiving talent and moved one of the better ones to defense...j.bruce may be a nice kid...leaves a lot to be desired down field...

[infofan]

Now that the 72 or so hours from hell are over, and have sunk in, lets hope a little reality surfaces. As far as CJ goes, if he had gone down with a torn ACL would everyone be throwing in the towell?? Losing a QB is a common thing ( through other channels obviously). As for Reno, Im hoping this is all an over reaction. Hes a standup guy and hes well aware of the rules. I find it hard to believe he would risk it. Finally, concerning attendance. Yes it was disappointing to see 18400 in our new palace. But consider this, we still outdrew CMU ( the league favorite!), OU, and Can't ( where they were charging 5$ a ticket.) If we want to be a D1 power yes well have to get the revenue but at this point is 20$ for your cheapest seat going to cut it in this economy?? Most of us on here are willing to pay but Joe average isnt willing to plop down 120bucks (4x20, $5 to park, 4 cokes $14, 20 for 4 burgers). I say get them in the house for a reasonable price andif they enjoy the experience theyll be back.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

My random thought is TAILGATING. These words now go together: Tailgating, downtown, UA lots, on campus....Now let's grow this puppy.STZ

[scottditzen]

THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION HAS JUST OCCURRED:Employee to my left: I went to undergrad at Can't State.Me: Boooo.Employee to my left: (feelings hurt) Wow, I've never heard anyone ever boo Can't before...Me: You've obviously never been to a Can't-Akron football game, or Basketball, or anything.Employee to my left: I didn't even know Can't had football? (whole room laughs).Employee to my left: Nah, seriously, I lived in the dorms with guys on the football team. They used to take LSD before the games.So remember, just when you think we've got it bad, just realize that our arch rival is a complete joke, even amongst their own alumni.

[Zipsrifle]

Well, as long as we're on the topic of random observations...here's one. I realized last Saturday something many of you have been saying on here for a long time.....I just didn't believe it until it happened. It was the fact that Winning is the only thing that matters in the sport of College football. We have a beautiful brand new stadium with a Big 10 team in town and we were favored to win......we laid an egg with attendance. Some people I talked to chalked this up to the OSU effect. I would have been one of those in past seasons, but I have to say that last Saturday ended that for me. I'm not going to blame this on OSU....it isn't their fault they win. Sitting here now, I knew that winning meant a lot, but I really thought that a new stadium on campus would dramatically change things. Things have changed, but not dramatically. So, that's my observation. I still believe that things are going to change....just a little more slowly than I had hoped. I really hope we will see good things in Mt. Pleasant tomorrow.

[fear the brown roo]

The only differnce I've seen on the field this year is the uniforms. You can take the team out of the Rubber Bowl, but you can't take the Rubber Bowl out of the team. Yawn. I'm still a die-hard though, and will continue to subject myself to being a Zip fan.

[ZachTheZip]

Bowser has a long way to go. He's great at making plays where the QB just tosses it up. You couldn't ask for a better receiver on a Hail Mary or a toss to the corner of the endzone. But his route-running leaves a lot to be desired. Look at the Indiana game again. When Rodgers hit Bowser, he wasn't going through his progressions, he was looking to find Bowser after he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

[zipsfan111]

Do either of the 2 QB's in th 2010 class that we are bringing in have a chance to come in and start?

[MDZip]

Well, as long as we're on the topic of random observations...here's one. I realized last Saturday something many of you have been saying on here for a long time.....I just didn't believe it until it happened. It was the fact that Winning is the only thing that matters in the sport of College football. We have a beautiful brand new stadium with a Big 10 team in town and we were favored to win......we laid an egg with attendance. Some people I talked to chalked this up to the OSU effect. I would have been one of those in past seasons, but I have to say that last Saturday ended that for me. I'm not going to blame this on OSU....it isn't their fault they win. Sitting here now, I knew that winning meant a lot, but I really thought that a new stadium on campus would dramatically change things. Things have changed, but not dramatically. So, that's my observation. I still believe that things are going to change....just a little more slowly than I had hoped. I really hope we will see good things in Mt. Pleasant tomorrow.

It's disappointing to those of us on this board, but that's because we want it to succeed so badly. But keeping it in perspective, it's not so bad. When Va Tech came in to the Rubber Bowl in 1996, there were only 12993 in attendance and that was with a top ten team at the time. The facility matters a little (do you think we would have had a sellout crowd for Mogran State at the Rubber Bowl?), but over time it is the team and the excitement that brings people back. For our typical past attendance, 18000 wasn't that bad. If the Zips start doing better the crowds will come. It will be far more interesting to see what the crowds the rest of the year are like. If the Zips are a middle of the pack team again, I'd take 18000. Something other than the stadium needs to draw them in. I remember in the early 80's the basketball team was not very good but they had a guy names Jakubick who drew people in just to see him. I'm thinking Zeke could have that same kind of effect if he ends up being a defensive monster who gets a lot of publicity. It's still going take time for the football team, but with the Rubber Bowl, we would never have had a chance to get there.

[Rich28]

Bowser has a long way to go. He's great at making plays where the QB just tosses it up. You couldn't ask for a better receiver on a Hail Mary or a toss to the corner of the endzone. But his route-running leaves a lot to be desired. Look at the Indiana game again. When Rodgers hit Bowser, he wasn't going through his progressions, he was looking to find Bowser after he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Have you really actually seen Mr Bowser run a route? Thats the part of his game that he works on the most. Crisp route runner!

[ZachTheZip]

Bowser has a long way to go. He's great at making plays where the QB just tosses it up. You couldn't ask for a better receiver on a Hail Mary or a toss to the corner of the endzone. But his route-running leaves a lot to be desired. Look at the Indiana game again. When Rodgers hit Bowser, he wasn't going through his progressions, he was looking to find Bowser after he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Have you really actually seen Mr Bowser run a route? Thats the part of his game that he works on the most. Crisp route runner!

I've seen him run all sorts of routes. They're just not the routes that the QB has called.

[Lee Adams]

Bowser has a long way to go. He's great at making plays where the QB just tosses it up. You couldn't ask for a better receiver on a Hail Mary or a toss to the corner of the endzone. But his route-running leaves a lot to be desired. Look at the Indiana game again. When Rodgers hit Bowser, he wasn't going through his progressions, he was looking to find Bowser after he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Have you really actually seen Mr Bowser run a route? Thats the part of his game that he works on the most. Crisp route runner!

I've seen him run all sorts of routes. They're just not the routes that the QB has called.

and we know this how?...just curious...