My letter of support for J.D. Brookhart

[InTheZone]

Dear Coach Brookhart,So the shit has really hit the fan this week. You lost your starting Quarterback, the senior leader of your football team, for the rest of the season. It was not in some freak on the field injury, but rather from a complete lapse in judgement and utter stupidity off the field, in a situation that you had nothing to do with nor could you control. I mean, the guy's a 23 year old senior, a grown ass man by all accounts, you can't be expected to hold his hand and baby sit him right? He was an individual who made an individual choice that has affected a much larger group, yourself included. The stupidity of a 23 year old could very well cost you your job, and after 6 years of countless hours of work, film, shaking hands, recruiting, road trips, 20 hour days, and neglect of your family for the sake of this University's football team, that sucks, it really does. You went into a game in which you were probably outmatched talent-wise against a Big 10 opponent, but because it was the first big game at Infocision stadium and the first "name" opponent in Akron in a long time, you were expected to lead your team out there, a team that had lost it's on the field leader only hours earlier, and secure a W. That didn't happen, and now many of the team's most loyal supporters are acting as if the sky is falling and they want your head. While your goal every year is to win a conference title, and you haven't even had a chance to compete for that goal this year yet, many are acting as if your season is already over. You try to insulate your players from the negativity, but they read message boards and the paper too. Every practice as you coach your ass off and try to find the right words to inspire your team to keep giving everything they've got, you know in the back of your mind, that in the back of their minds, they're wondering if this guy yelling at them is even going to be here in a few weeks. And after all you've given, all you've sacrificed, all you've worked so hard for, it sucks to know you're losing the respect of your players more and more with each day that passes. It really does suck.Few people who post on a message board knows what all goes into coaching college football. They don't understand the long hours, they don't understand the strain on your family and personal life (not to mention your sanity), and they don't understand what it's like to work your ass off for something only to be judged for your every move and mistake by those completley outside of and ignorant of your profession. And you're expected to take it with a smile and "yeah, you're right Mr. Casual Fan, we'll do better next time" and it sucks. It really sucks.But really, when it comes down to it, it's not the Negative Nancy's such as myself and many others on the Zipsnation.org that are going to determine whether you rise from the ashes or fall to complete disgrace this season. At this point, the only person who can help you is well.... you. Despite what some may say about your coaching abilities, no one who truly knows your story doubts that you are hard worker, nor that you have absolutely busted your balls to get to where you are today. You're a man of passion who has chased his dreams to do what he loves, leaving a six figure career in the business world to sleep outside the Denver Broncos practice facility with the hope that they might let you come in and volunteer your time for a few hours. You worked your way up in the coaching world by the sweat of your brow, and became one of the top assistant coaches in college football, earning the respect and gratitude of some of the top players in the world, such as Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald, the top WR in all of football. You then you fulfilled the dream of countless coaches across America: you became a head coach at a D-1A school. Granted, it wasn't USC that came calling, in fact it was a school with some of the worst facilities in all of college football, and was considered by many in the profession to be a "grave-yard" of coaching. You walked into a situation where many of the top supporters of the football program, myself included, thought the last coach had been wrongfully terminated, and were still in his corner. You walked into a situation where you had to convince the team's starting QB to stay for his senior year, because he was also loyal to your predecessor, and didn't want to finish his career playing for you. You knew that you would have to come in and weed out a lot of bad apples, and for that you would be hated by many of your players But despite all of that, you trusted your gut, and trusted what had got you to where you were... your ability to work your way to the top of any situation by your own ambition. You'd been into tough situations before and always prevailed. Here you were, JD Brookhart, ready to become the savior of Akron football!!! There'd be a statue of you right next to John Buchtel one day....And then reality hit. Your first outing as a head coach was a 40 point drubbing at the hands of a very bad Big 10 team. You followed that up with a loss to a Sun Belt team in your home opener, and then stood at the helm of one of the ugliest beatdowns in the history of college football, a 51-0 loss to a Virginia team that included multiple future NFL starters such as Heath Miller and Chris Canty. After a start like that, many lesser people would've thought "what the hell have I gotten myself into?" and started quietly calling around for NFL assistant jobs that might become available, so they could slip out of town at season's end and leave the whole mess behind. Not you though!!! If 20 hour days weren't working, you'd put in 24, and slowly but surely your first team came together and was one quarter of football away from becoming the first MAC East champ and bowl participant the University had ever seen in its 1-A history. The come from behind, we'll never die win over Marshall in 2004 was a game the 3000 or so of us who stayed till the end will never forget for the rest of our lives. And then the next season, you did it... you won the MAC Championship and took us to a bowl game, a glorious culmination to years of frustration for many of us who had suffered through every game of Akron football for our entire lives. You had arrived! Football was hot in Akron (FEAR THE ROO!!!), a new stadium was on the way, and top recruiting classes were pouring in. You'd done it again, your hard work had taken you right where you wanted to be. Isn't it funny how right when things seem to be going right, all of a sudden they can go so wrong?With the highest of expectations going into 2006, coming off a championship and with so many key starters including a 3,500 yard QB coming back, your team flopped. I mean, they absolutely sucked. You started off hot, competing mightily with a great Penn State team, and then knocking off our school's first BCS opponent in a game that will not soon be forgotten on a hot September Saturday. But from there your team just didn't have it. And neither did you. Maybe the success went to your head. Maybe it was all the shortcuts you decided to take, and the gambles on those "top" recrutiing classes that never found their way to the field. Maybe it was your assistants fault. But for whatever the reason, since that NC State win on that Saturday afternoon in 2006, you just haven't gotten it done. And now 6 years of your life and your hard work is all gonna be judged in the next 3-4 weeks. So what are you gonna do?Go back to the basics. Go back to what got you here. Go back to the JD Brookhart who arrived on campus determined to make Akron football into something that the community could be proud of. Go back to the JD Brookhart who doesn't believe in making excuses or pointing fingers at anyone, but rather in taking responsibility for what you as an indvidual can do and doing it with everything you have. Don't sail off into the sunset saying "Oh well I tried"... hunker down, buckle up, and go out with everything you have. Despite all of the calls for your head from people like myself who haven't been there for the 80 hour weeks over the past 6 years, you can still save this thing, you can still right this ship. I don't know how you can, and you probably don't either, but all you can do is work your ASS off and inspire those around you to do the same. I think you're finished, and so does about 99% of everyone else who follows this program. So go out and do what you've done for your entire life....from going from a no name walk-on at Colarado State to its top reciever... from begging for crumbs at the table of coaches to being one of the top assistant coaches in all of America.... from getting drubbed in your first game as head coach, to almost winning a conference championship in your first season as one... PROVE ALL THE NAYSAYERS WRONG. I know you can't do it, I really have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that at the end of this season, your ass is grass. But I'll be cheering for you and your boys with everything I have for the rest of the way to prove to me how wrong I really am. Good luck Coach, with all that you've given of yourself to this University, you deserve some, and I'm rootin for you.Sincerely,ITZ

[tim123]

Best post since I've been here, I'm behind JD 100%, he's worked and sacrificed to much for a few losers to wreck his party. Support our head coach and try to understand the dilemma he's in. Go Zips man up!!

[GP1]

I don't know how you can, and you probably don't either, but all you can do is work your ASS off and inspire those around you to do the same. I think you're finished, and so does about 99% of everyone else who follows this program. So go out and do what you've done for your entire life....from going from a no name walk-on at Colarado State to its top reciever... from begging for crumbs at the table of coaches to being one of the top assistant coaches in all of America.... from getting drubbed in your first game as head coach, to almost winning a conference championship in your first season as one... PROVE ALL THE NAYSAYERS WRONG. I know you can't do it, I really have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that at the end of this season, your ass is grass. But I'll be cheering for you and your boys with everything I have for the rest of the way to prove to me how wrong I really am. Good luck Coach, with all that you've given of yourself to this University, you deserve some, and I'm rootin for you.

I actually love paragraphs like this. This paragraph is exactly the kind of funny smack that makes fan boards so funny. The time it took to type the lead up to this paragraph took a long time and to end the post with a paragraph like this is.....quite frankly, something the Great GP1 would do.Nice work InTheZone.Well done.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

JD is a big boy. He knew the deal-with-the-devil that coaches must make to persevere in their chosen profession. I'm pulling for JD AND more importantly, the team. EAT 'EM UP, EAT 'EM UP, GOOO ZIIIPPPPSSS!STZ

[GP1]

JD is a big boy. He knew the deal-with-the-devil that coaches must make to persevere in their chosen profession.

I'm not worried about JD. If/When he gets fired, he will have a good job after that. Surely he will not be coaching at Ashland. I'm not even worried about the Zips. I think there is enough talent on this team to win in the very near future.

[Zipmeister]

Best post since I've been here, I'm behind JD 100%, he's worked and sacrificed to much for a few losers to wreck his party. Support our head coach and try to understand the dilemma he's in. Go Zips man up!!

Well it's sure long and includes the word sucks a lot.

[Buckzip]

It looks like you just wrote his resume for him. All of those things that you said to him, he probably already knows. I am sure he knows his own history..Good post though.

[GP1]

It looks like you just wrote his resume for him. All of those things that you said to him, he probably already knows. I am sure he knows his own history..Good post though.

It is also a good example of mind reading. There is a lot that describes how JD and the team is thinking.Love the last paragraph though....

[GP1]

You walked into a situation where you had to convince the team's starting QB to stay for his senior year, because he was also loyal to your predecessor, and didn't want to finish his career playing for you.

I've always been curious about this. Did Frye stay an extra year because he wanted to, or did he consult with professionals about his draft prospects and realize there was a chance of not getting drafted or becoming a Nate Davis (before Davis of course)? Remember, if the Browns were the only team stupid enough to draft him in the third round after his senior year, who else would have drafted him? Who would have drafted him after his junior year?I actually think Frye made an informed decision to stay his senior year because he realized from talking with others he may not be ready for Sunday afternoons. Maybe Fitzgerald, et al talked with him, but I think the rational decision was to stay at UofA because he was not ready.

[mivid12]

garbage....don't assume fans are too stupid to know what it takes to coach at any level. Brookhart is as good as gone & rightfully so. Crappy defensive scheme, gutless playcalling, same old tired refrains in pressers...Good luck JD, you'll be an assistant somewhere else next season

[InTheZone]

You walked into a situation where you had to convince the team's starting QB to stay for his senior year, because he was also loyal to your predecessor, and didn't want to finish his career playing for you.

I've always been curious about this. Did Frye stay an extra year because he wanted to, or did he consult with professionals about his draft prospects and realize there was a chance of not getting drafted or becoming a Nate Davis (before Davis of course)? Remember, if the Browns were the only team stupid enough to draft him in the third round after his senior year, who else would have drafted him? Who would have drafted him after his junior year?I actually think Frye made an informed decision to stay his senior year because he realized from talking with others he may not be ready for Sunday afternoons. Maybe Fitzgerald, et al talked with him, but I think the rational decision was to stay at UofA because he was not ready.

I was graduated and out of the program at the time of all of this, but there were quite a few guys still on the team who I had played with and was close with. The story I got was that Frye was livid with the firing of Owens, so much so that he refused to even look at Mike Thomas, much less speak to him. At the team meeting the day following the victory over Ohio and the subsequent Owens firing, with Mike Thomas in the room, Frye proceeded to stand up, with tears in his eyes, and tell the team they didn't have to stand by and take this, and that he wasn't going to have his senior season ruined by someone "not a part of this team who was only looking out for himself." Needless to say it was a tense meeting. Other seniors to be such as Chase Blackburn stood up and said they would refuse to play for anyone else. At that point pretty much everyone assumed that Frye was going pro, and from what I understood he was in fact projected higher following that season (3600 passing yards) than after his senior season (2400 passing yards). Frye pretty much refused to talk to anyone in the athletic department outside of the assistant coaches who remained employed and in office until a new head coach was hired, at which time they would recieve token interviews as is the norm and be subsequently fired to make room for a new staff. When JD was hired, he didn't contact Frye immediately, as I guess Charlie expected him too, and there were rumors that JD and some of his new hires were already actively recruiting a JUCO QB out of California, who JD had been looking at at Pitt, to come in and start. Frye felt extremely dissed obviously, and at that point he made it known to most of his buddies on the team that he was leaving. JD did in fact ask to speak with Frye shortly afterwards however, and if any of you have ever had the chance to sit down with JD one on one, you know the guy, regardless of your opinion of his coaching abilities, is great with words, bullshitter or not. Whatever was said in that meeting was obviously enough for Charlie, as there was a team meeting the next day, which he appeared at (as I understand it he was not present at JD's first official "team meeting"), and he announced to the team that he was returning and that they were going to win a MAC Championship with JD at the helm. Frye however, as many of you know, has always been more loyal to Owens, as whenever he's talked about his college experience he's always cited Owens for his success as opposed to Brookhart. He also, regrettably in my opinion, currently does a lot more for ASHLAND football (golf outings, fundraisers, works with the team in the offseason) than he does for the Zips (nothing that I'm aware of?) But there you go, at least direct from the guys I know that were there at the time, you now know the rest of the story.

[InTheZone]

Best post since I've been here, I'm behind JD 100%, he's worked and sacrificed to much for a few losers to wreck his party. Support our head coach and try to understand the dilemma he's in. Go Zips man up!!

Well it's sure long and includes the word sucks a lot.

Well there's a lot about the situation that sucks, and a lot of sucking going on, feel me homeslice?

[InTheZone]

garbage....don't assume fans are too stupid to know what it takes to coach at any level. Brookhart is as good as gone & rightfully so. Crappy defensive scheme, gutless playcalling, same old tired refrains in pressers...Good luck JD, you'll be an assistant somewhere else next season

There's a lot that people who have never been in a college football program don't understand about it and never will. The mindset of the players and coaches that I see some of you assume around here is so far off I can't even get started on it. I've never been a college coach, but I was a player for 5 seasons, and as a player I saw a very similar situation (which week is our coach gonna get fired??) as the one the team currently sits in. I was just trying to offer a little insight into the mindset of JD and the team at this point.

[Zipgrad01]

You walked into a situation where you had to convince the team's starting QB to stay for his senior year, because he was also loyal to your predecessor, and didn't want to finish his career playing for you.

I've always been curious about this. Did Frye stay an extra year because he wanted to, or did he consult with professionals about his draft prospects and realize there was a chance of not getting drafted or becoming a Nate Davis (before Davis of course)? Remember, if the Browns were the only team stupid enough to draft him in the third round after his senior year, who else would have drafted him? Who would have drafted him after his junior year?I actually think Frye made an informed decision to stay his senior year because he realized from talking with others he may not be ready for Sunday afternoons. Maybe Fitzgerald, et al talked with him, but I think the rational decision was to stay at UofA because he was not ready.

I was graduated and out of the program at the time of all of this, but there were quite a few guys still on the team who I had played with and was close with. The story I got was that Frye was livid with the firing of Owens, so much so that he refused to even look at Mike Thomas, much less speak to him. At the team meeting the day following the victory over Ohio and the subsequent Owens firing, with Mike Thomas in the room, Frye proceeded to stand up, with tears in his eyes, and tell the team they didn't have to stand by and take this, and that he wasn't going to have his senior season ruined by someone "not a part of this team who was only looking out for himself." Needless to say it was a tense meeting. Other seniors to be such as Chase Blackburn stood up and said they would refuse to play for anyone else. At that point pretty much everyone assumed that Frye was going pro, and from what I understood he was in fact projected higher following that season (3600 passing yards) than after his senior season (2400 passing yards). Frye pretty much refused to talk to anyone in the athletic department outside of the assistant coaches who remained employed and in office until a new head coach was hired, at which time they would recieve token interviews as is the norm and be subsequently fired to make room for a new staff. When JD was hired, he didn't contact Frye immediately, as I guess Charlie expected him too, and there were rumors that JD and some of his new hires were already actively recruiting a JUCO QB out of California, who JD had been looking at at Pitt, to come in and start. Frye felt extremely dissed obviously, and at that point he made it known to most of his buddies on the team that he was leaving. JD did in fact ask to speak with Frye shortly afterwards however, and if any of you have ever had the chance to sit down with JD one on one, you know the guy, regardless of your opinion of his coaching abilities, is great with words, bullshitter or not. Whatever was said in that meeting was obviously enough for Charlie, as there was a team meeting the next day, which he appeared at (as I understand it he was not present at JD's first official "team meeting"), and he announced to the team that he was returning and that they were going to win a MAC Championship with JD at the helm. Frye however, as many of you know, has always been more loyal to Owens, as whenever he's talked about his college experience he's always cited Owens for his success as opposed to Brookhart. He also, regrettably in my opinion, currently does a lot more for ASHLAND football (golf outings, fundraisers, works with the team in the offseason) than he does for the Zips (nothing that I'm aware of?) But there you go, at least direct from the guys I know that were there at the time, you now know the rest of the story.

Damn...that was informative. I used to have my in from 1996 until about 2001, but I was gone when this stuff happened.

[GP1]

You walked into a situation where you had to convince the team's starting QB to stay for his senior year, because he was also loyal to your predecessor, and didn't want to finish his career playing for you.

I've always been curious about this. Did Frye stay an extra year because he wanted to, or did he consult with professionals about his draft prospects and realize there was a chance of not getting drafted or becoming a Nate Davis (before Davis of course)? Remember, if the Browns were the only team stupid enough to draft him in the third round after his senior year, who else would have drafted him? Who would have drafted him after his junior year?I actually think Frye made an informed decision to stay his senior year because he realized from talking with others he may not be ready for Sunday afternoons. Maybe Fitzgerald, et al talked with him, but I think the rational decision was to stay at UofA because he was not ready.

I was graduated and out of the program at the time of all of this, but there were quite a few guys still on the team who I had played with and was close with. The story I got was that Frye was livid with the firing of Owens, so much so that he refused to even look at Mike Thomas, much less speak to him. At the team meeting the day following the victory over Ohio and the subsequent Owens firing, with Mike Thomas in the room, Frye proceeded to stand up, with tears in his eyes, and tell the team they didn't have to stand by and take this, and that he wasn't going to have his senior season ruined by someone "not a part of this team who was only looking out for himself." Needless to say it was a tense meeting. Other seniors to be such as Chase Blackburn stood up and said they would refuse to play for anyone else. At that point pretty much everyone assumed that Frye was going pro, and from what I understood he was in fact projected higher following that season (3600 passing yards) than after his senior season (2400 passing yards). Frye pretty much refused to talk to anyone in the athletic department outside of the assistant coaches who remained employed and in office until a new head coach was hired, at which time they would recieve token interviews as is the norm and be subsequently fired to make room for a new staff. When JD was hired, he didn't contact Frye immediately, as I guess Charlie expected him too, and there were rumors that JD and some of his new hires were already actively recruiting a JUCO QB out of California, who JD had been looking at at Pitt, to come in and start. Frye felt extremely dissed obviously, and at that point he made it known to most of his buddies on the team that he was leaving. JD did in fact ask to speak with Frye shortly afterwards however, and if any of you have ever had the chance to sit down with JD one on one, you know the guy, regardless of your opinion of his coaching abilities, is great with words, bullshitter or not. Whatever was said in that meeting was obviously enough for Charlie, as there was a team meeting the next day, which he appeared at (as I understand it he was not present at JD's first official "team meeting"), and he announced to the team that he was returning and that they were going to win a MAC Championship with JD at the helm. Frye however, as many of you know, has always been more loyal to Owens, as whenever he's talked about his college experience he's always cited Owens for his success as opposed to Brookhart. He also, regrettably in my opinion, currently does a lot more for ASHLAND football (golf outings, fundraisers, works with the team in the offseason) than he does for the Zips (nothing that I'm aware of?) But there you go, at least direct from the guys I know that were there at the time, you now know the rest of the story.

Excellent insight. Thanks for this and I really mean that.After reading this, I dislike Frye even more than I did before. Throw in some dislike for Chase Blackburn as well. JD should have run those two off when he took over. Never leave cancer in the patient. Faust didn't run enough guys off when he took over either and we had veteran players actively subverting the team every chance they had. I thought Frye's public comments after Owens was fired were the signs of a spoiled brat. Man was I right. UofA (the taxpayers of Ohio) paid for him to go to college...made him the focus of the program to the point they concocted a Frye for Heisman campaign...Frye was given the team after Sparks was hurt...the list could go on. UofA did a lot for Frye and for him not to give back is absolutely disgusting. This is the United States and he is free to support anything he wants, but the support Jason Taylor gives the school is legendary. Frye has become an afterthought and JT continues his Hall of Fame career in the NFL.One of the more interesting points is Frye wouldn't look at Mike Thomas. This is the sign of a weak personality. I work in a very harsh business (construction) and I can't tell you the number of times I have had the pleasure of looking another man in the face and calling him an a-hole and have been called an a-hole myself. The next day I see the same person and it is as if nothing happened. If Frye was any kind of a man, he would have taken Thomas aside and given him a piece of his mind. Instead, he hides from him. What a temper tantrum thowing boob.....If I was Owens, I would ask Frye not to tell people he is responsible for Frye's "success". After all, Frye's success consists of a losing college record, getting drafted by the only team stupid enough to draft him, putting up laughable numbers in the NFL losing time like he did in college, getting traded after the first game to Seattle where he began the remainder of his career on the bench (don't forget the Browns won 10 games after Frye was traded and DA went to the Pro Bowl. they would have had a losing season with Frye and his "talent") and now he is third string on the worst team in the NFL. His pro career has been so bad it would be hard to sit down for a day and make up that story. A sitcom writer couldn't make up something that funny.Thanks again for the reaffirmation ITZ.

[johnnyzip84]

Thanks for taking the time, ITZ! The Frye story was very interesting indeed.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Frye was at the 2006 Zips golf outing and spoke highly of JD. He's appeared on campus several times since he departed. I believe he was here over the summer working with Rogers and the thief.My son got a pic with Charlie at the Rubber Bowl last season in a Seahawks hat.He's still around. He's still a Zips supporter. If he helps Owens, I can't knock him for it. That was the guy that recruited him, and coached him for 4 years.He's in his 5th NFL season. Good for him.

[ZachTheZip]

I seem to remember Frye doing a TV commercial in the fieldhouse once.But back to the original topic, I have blindly followed JD's teams, cheering for them and never giving up even when it was hopeless. I have seen the team actively lose games in ways that require much effort. It's hard to screw up as many solid leads in the fourth quarter as the football team has under JD. You have to put a lot of effort into that. But I never gave up. I never left after the third quarter or halftime, unlike 2/3rds of our attendance. I kept cheering even as the team clearly didn't believe in themselves as much as I believed in them. I've also seen JD's teams perform incredible feats that border on magic to win against impossible odds on last second plays. The team was always so close to having a winning record and the only thing holding them back was themselves, but they were also so close to being the worst team in the country with what can only be described as a series of miracles keeping out of the cellar. What this tellsme is that the team is undeniably talented, but incapable of utilizing that talent to win games that they should. Glimpses of what could be but but not knowing how to sustain it. This is it for JD. I've watched him go from a copy-machine salesman to a head coach, learn from his mistakes, and grow. He is a far better head coach than he was when he came here, but he might be in over his head. He had no idea what this job required but now that he does he has realized that he can't handle it alone, hence the hiring of assistants with experience that could conceivably take over for him. He knows that this is his last chance. I know that he is doing everything he can to make the best of it, but his past mistakes are coming back to haunt him; even though he won't repeat those mistakes again they still haven't played out completely. He was doomed to begin with. A tragedy. But there is still hope. A good showing on Saturday will reveal it and a bye week allows him to build on it. But there is no more important of a game than this next one for JD's career. It is unfortunate that it has to be against such a tough opponent in such a house of horrors, but it would have been crucial no matter who we were going up against.This is the time to pull out all the stops. This is the time to put the talent on the field and open up the playbook. No more conservative crap that doesn't work, no more favoring upperclassmen for the sake of loyalty. Your job is on the line, JD. Your assistants' jobs as well. Start acting like it.[The preceding rant has no direction, nor much of a point.]

[UADavid]

What has JT done? I saw him at the game they retired his jersey.....................

[mivid12]

garbage....don't assume fans are too stupid to know what it takes to coach at any level. Brookhart is as good as gone & rightfully so. Crappy defensive scheme, gutless playcalling, same old tired refrains in pressers...Good luck JD, you'll be an assistant somewhere else next season

There's a lot that people who have never been in a college football program don't understand about it and never will. The mindset of the players and coaches that I see some of you assume around here is so far off I can't even get started on it. I've never been a college coach, but I was a player for 5 seasons, and as a player I saw a very similar situation (which week is our coach gonna get fired??) as the one the team currently sits in. I was just trying to offer a little insight into the mindset of JD and the team at this point.

I understand and respect your point of view. Personally, I can't take anymore of Brookhart. Think back to last years cincy game, buffalo game, etc....is he so stubborn to recognize his defensive scheme will NEVER ( i hate speaking in absolutes, but....) give the team a chance to succeed? has it up until this point? I just think the brookhart era has run it's course here & i'd bet anyone a frosty cold one the new AD agrees. Brookhart may be like Romeo Crennel, good coach, great to have on your staff, not HC material.

[GP1]

What has JT done? I saw him at the game they retired his jersey.....................

With very little publicity or desire for publicity, JT has given tens of thousands of dollars to the football program over the years.

[GP1]

stubborn

JD's #1 problem slightly ahead of loyalty.

[ditchrider1]

My issue with JD has always been the inability to adjust to what he has to work with.Every year it is the same nonsense. We continually try to run the Shitgun hand-off which unless you have a burner of a QB and/or HB is worthless. It is pretty much the same as an un-set up draw play seeing that your are 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and have to make it 8 yards to gain 3?Every year we have undisciplined players getting hit with 15 yard personal foul penalties.We do not seem to want to switch up our schemes to fit our skill set and it kills us every time. JD seems stubborn to make it happen with what he thinks will work. The 3-3-5 is terrible, I cannot get it to work on my XBOX 360 so it has to be worthless...lol.Overall I had very high hopes for JD and the program but it seems to me that his recruiting is spotty. We get these talented transfers andrecruits and most of them don't pan out. We do not load up on skill positions and he do not recruit Ohio very well. Get some strong local talent and we can help on two fronts...good players and local interest is peaked.I think we got extremely lucky to win the one MAC title we did and since then nothing.We manage to lose too many winable games...more so than any team I have ever followed or seen. Never do I feel comfortable with a lead, countless times I have sat in the Rubber Bowl with a queasy stomach just waiting for the lead to disappear and sure as shit it did.I love Akron football and will always be on board but I think we need some fresh blood running the ship. I wanted JD to succeed and thought he was building something special but unfortunately I have lost faith in what he is trying to do.Go Zips and pound CMU

[ZachTheZip]

stubborn

JD's #1 problem slightly ahead of loyalty.

Loyalty and stubbornness go hand in hand in the coaching profession.

[UADavid]

With very little publicity or desire for publicity, JT has given tens of thousands of dollars to the football program over the years.

I'm a big fan of JT and have followed Akron for years. By little publicity do you mean no publicity? I have never read or heard of any such gifts to the school or football program.