Syracuse game thread

[GJGood]

I just want to know where the offensive line went? Four returning starters from a very solid unit last year and this year they all look like freshmen. Sure, this team has plenty of problems from special teams to injuries to bad coaching decisions etc... but to me this team would be a lot better despite all those things if the O-line would block enough for the backs to run the ball and the team could pass protect aginst the blitz at least a little bit. I still haven't figured out why this experienced unit can't or at least doesn't.

[zipsfan111]

I personally cannot blame this season on JD and i do feel he will remain the Head Coach. On another thought, Nicely throws the ball excellent but he just has no mobility at all.

[72 Roo]

Our team is officially pathetic. When you rush 24 times for no, I repeat, no yards the program is in the dumper. JD does not deserve any more time at the top. The university gave him all he deserved by employing him this long. Any further delay in a change just delays our beginning the painful, yet necessary, path to finding a leader who can deliver a program that should be at the top of the MAC. I appreciate what he has done, but cut the crap. Injuries are not the problem. This team is not well prepared to achieve. They do not have the fundamentals down. As you would then expect, they are undisciplined. They are living on excuses rather than performance.Time for a change. Still

[fear the brown roo]

JD will be gone at the end of the year, I'm sure his fate was decided weeks ago and it is definately the right decision. Let's not beat a dead horse. All i know is the guy is totally dedicated to Akron, and his staff and players. Unfortunately his best quality is also his biggest weakness. He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion. We can all sit here and bash him to death and much of the criticism is deserved, but guys so loyal to a school that have absolutely no ties it are very rare. I hate the spread and the 3-3-5 and that shitty rugby punt but i can at least appreciate guys like JD and Reno that could be making a helluva a lot more money doing something else, wanting to be at Akron.

[Lee Adams]

they are making fun of us on ESPN 1350 folks!....

[Lee Adams]

I personally cannot blame this season on JD and i do feel he will remain the Head Coach. On another thought, Nicely throws the ball excellent but he just has no mobility at all.

lol and what planet are you watching from?...

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

JD will be gone at the end of the year, I'm sure his fate was decided weeks ago and it is definately the right decision. Let's not beat a dead horse. All i know is the guy is totally dedicated to Akron, and his staff and players. Unfortunately his best quality is also his biggest weakness. He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion. We can all sit here and bash him to death and much of the criticism is deserved, but guys so loyal to a school that have absolutely no ties it are very rare. I hate the spread and the 3-3-5 and that shitty rugby punt but i can at least appreciate guys like JD and Reno that could be making a helluva a lot more money doing something else, wanting to be at Akron.

At this point I don't care one bit whether he feels loyalty toward Akron or not. His teams have regressed to the point of complete oblivion. His loyalty means nothing at this point. If I have to deal with a coach who could not care less about Akron, Ohio, but recruits and wins some ball games, I'll take it. Unfortunately for him and for all of us, it's not a dead horse issue because we have to revisit JD and this horrible team every week for several more weeks. I continue to lament the incredible disaster this year has been. I'm starting to actually wonder whether the money spent on the stadium and the drive to build this football program was/is wasted. Who's going to come in to build a program from here, basically from scratch? How will this program hire a winning coach the way they pay shamefully low coaching salaries? How will the program recruit difference makers when we're now a dead program within several hours driving of OSWho, Michigan, MSU, Pitt, PSU, WVU, etc? Yeah, yeah, I'm way too pessimistic about UA football right now. I have to tell you though that I find no honor in loving this loser of a team, no joy in supporting this underdog anymore. 2009 Akron football is moribund, depressing and demoralizing. Without a complete turn around that will have to wait at least until next season, the building of InfoCision is going to become an utter albatross around the neck of this university, a huge, shining, concrete and glass symbol of decrepitude and failure.STZ

[Valpo Zip]

He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion.

Quoting Rachel Green from friends: "What a load of crap!"I remember after the Mac championship in 2005 JD was waiting for the first offer to move on but, unfortunately, no school was stupid enough to offer him.

[zippy_ua_00]

JD will be gone at the end of the year, I'm sure his fate was decided weeks ago and it is definately the right decision. Let's not beat a dead horse. All i know is the guy is totally dedicated to Akron, and his staff and players. Unfortunately his best quality is also his biggest weakness. He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion. We can all sit here and bash him to death and much of the criticism is deserved, but guys so loyal to a school that have absolutely no ties it are very rare. I hate the spread and the 3-3-5 and that shitty rugby punt but i can at least appreciate guys like JD and Reno that could be making a helluva a lot more money doing something else, wanting to be at Akron.

At this point I don't care one bit whether he feels loyalty toward Akron or not. His teams have regressed to the point of complete oblivion. His loyalty means nothing at this point. If I have to deal with a coach who could not care less about Akron, Ohio, but recruits and wins some ball games, I'll take it. Unfortunately for him and for all of us, it's not a dead horse issue because we have to revisit JD and this horrible team every week for several more weeks. I continue to lament the incredible disaster this year has been. I'm starting to actually wonder whether the money spent on the stadium and the drive to build this football program was/is wasted. Who's going to come in to build a program from here, basically from scratch? How will this program hire a winning coach the way they pay shamefully low coaching salaries? How will the program recruit difference makers when we're now a dead program within several hours driving of OSWho, Michigan, MSU, Pitt, PSU, WVU, etc? Yeah, yeah, I'm way too pessimistic about UA football right now. I have to tell you though that I find no honor in loving this loser of a team, no joy in supporting this underdog anymore. 2009 Akron football is moribund, depressing and demoralizing. Without a complete turn around that will have to wait at least until next season, the building of InfoCision is going to become an utter albatross around the neck of this university, a huge, shining, concrete and glass symbol of decrepitude and failure.STZ

maybe so but at least we arent Can't

[fear the brown roo]

He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion.

Quoting Rachel Green from friends: "What a load of crap!"I remember after the Mac championship in 2005 JD was waiting for the first offer to move on but, unfortunately, no school was stupid enough to offer him.

First off i am proud to say I've never seen friends or will and grace or whatever else you watch. Secondly the NFL has given him offers, I never said anything about other schools but obviously you know he was waiting for the first opportunity to jump ship. He'll be gone after the end of the season. Don't worry about it

[GP1]

He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion.

Quoting Rachel Green from friends: "What a load of crap!"I remember after the Mac championship in 2005 JD was waiting for the first offer to move on but, unfortunately, no school was stupid enough to offer him.

Secondly the NFL has given him offers, I never said anything about other schools but obviously you know he was waiting for the first opportunity to jump ship. He'll be gone after the end of the season. Don't worry about it

I agree and know for a fact as well that JD has been offered jobs by NFL teams in the past. I even know one of the teams that offered him.JD is gone at the end of the season. Six years is enough. People posting post after post about it is a waste of time.

[Dave in Green]

It's not just that the Zips are losing, it's the way they're losing. I watched a little of the webcast yesterday, and saw just enough to tell me that nothing had changed. So I just turned it off and walked away.Mediocrity is a terrible thing to watch.

[GP1]

Mediocrity is a terrible thing to watch.

That's why stadiums of MAC teams sit half empty every week.

[Zipgrad01]

Mediocrity is a terrible thing to watch.

That's why stadiums of MAC teams sit half empty every week.

I would be happy with mediocre right now!! We are a joke.

[zen]

He could've left Akron and been coaching in the NFL a few years ago making 2-3 times what he makes now and that is a fact, not an opinion.

Quoting Rachel Green from friends: "What a load of crap!"I remember after the Mac championship in 2005 JD was waiting for the first offer to move on but, unfortunately, no school was stupid enough to offer him.

where did you hear that? I mean, if you have it on very good authority, and it's no just your opinion, it would change my view of J.D. a little, but I am highly suspicious of your source. I suspect you just took a look at him and decided he was going to bail at the first opportunity.STZ, loyalty means something to me.However, I will be the first one to admit that when a guy has not had a stellar career with you, there is no way for you to know what would have happened, and what offers he would have taken, if things had been different.When it comes to football, results count a lot more than good intentions. However, good intentions still count for something with me. I don't like quitters, and I don't like guys who decide to do something and then don't put their heart and soul into it. I think JD has done that much. The results just don't show it, and that is why he should get the remainder of the season to try for some wins, because it's over.Kicking him out to the street does nothing positive for the rest of the season.e

[GP1]

Kicking him out to the street does nothing positive for the rest of the season.e

I agree. The AD forced one coach out already and looks bad for doing it. Firing JD now not only will not prove anything, but it could look really negative in other ways.Hang in there coachers.....only six more games.

[fear the brown roo]

And there is no way that assistant coach would've been forced out for a secondary violation that happens all the time at other schools, if they weren't going to force JD out. JD is gone. I don't always agree with JD but i damn sure appreciate his commitment and loyalty even though a portion of it will cost him his job.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

And there is no way that assistant coach would've been forced out for a secondary violation that happens all the time at other schools, if they weren't going to force JD out. JD is gone. I don't always agree with JD but i damn sure appreciate his commitment and loyalty even though a portion of it will cost him his job.

That's where I draw the distinction regarding the merits of JD's alleged loyalty. In my mind, loyalty to the program and the university, from the head football coach, equals a burning desire to do whatever it takes to win on the field. The best coaches aren't particularly loyal to individual players or to other coaches on their staffs. They always put the team, and team success, ahead of everything else. For all of the twisted love of "the sweater vest" in Ohio, I have absolutely no doubt that his deal with players and coaches is that he is going to play the best players every week, the players and the schemes that give that team its best chance to win are the ones who are going to see the field. Players who were all-world in high school but don't produce or don't fit the scheme don't see the field, period. So, if the implication is that JD plays certain kids, who aren't right for the scheme, or aren't as good as others kids on the roster, I call that utterly misplaced loyalty and in the context of D-1 coaching, complete nonsense. Same goes for coaches on his staff.If your allusions to loyalty by JD are about his hard-workingness, hours spent in the team offices (which UA actually has now) and general boosterism for the program, I would again argue that those hours have simply been wasted. Hopefully for him personally, he has learned enough to catch a position on a college or professional staff after this year and earn a living, but he is a failure as a head college football coach. I actually don't care how hard working a head college football coach is. If he wins games and recruits good players, I'm happy. JD may even be a complete workaholic, but we've all known workaholics who weren't particularly productive. I'm convinced that JD could sell ice to eskimos, but he is a bad college head football coach.It's time for UA to decide what it wants. After they fire JD and this entire staff, it'll be time for Proenza to do a little soul searching. If the board wants to build a real football program, and decide that there exists the potential for success (some would doubt the potential for an upstart program in the veritable cradle of football, where there are already so many high-quality programs for kids to choose from) they will have to put more money into the program. They will have to pay (for the first time) for a high-quality head coach and staff, who will have to redouble their efforts to recruit high quality players. UA has gone part of the way with capital improvements, but that money will have been wasted if there is not a strong commitment made to the human beings who will build the program, basically from the ground up.STZ

[johnnyzip84]

And there is no way that assistant coach would've been forced out for a secondary violation that happens all the time at other schools, if they weren't going to force JD out. JD is gone. I don't always agree with JD but i damn sure appreciate his commitment and loyalty even though a portion of it will cost him his job.

That's where I draw the distinction regarding the merits of JD's alleged loyalty. In my mind, loyalty to the program and the university, from the head football coach, equals a burning desire to do whatever it takes to win on the field. The best coaches aren't particularly loyal to individual players or to other coaches on their staffs. They always put the team, and team success, ahead of everything else. For all of the twisted love of "the sweater vest" in Ohio, I have absolutely no doubt that his deal with players and coaches is that he is going to play the best players every week, the players and the schemes that give that team its best chance to win are the ones who are going to see the field. Players who were all-world in high school but don't produce or don't fit the scheme don't see the field, period. So, if the implication is that JD plays certain kids, who aren't right for the scheme, or aren't as good as others kids on the roster, I call that utterly misplaced loyalty and in the context of D-1 coaching, complete nonsense. Same goes for coaches on his staff.If your allusions to loyalty by JD are about his hard-workingness, hours spent in the team offices (which UA actually has now) and general boosterism for the program, I would again argue that those hours have simply been wasted. Hopefully for him personally, he has learned enough to catch a position on a college or professional staff after this year and earn a living, but he is a failure as a head college football coach. I actually don't care how hard working a head college football coach is. If he wins games and recruits good players, I'm happy. JD may even be a complete workaholic, but we've all known workaholics who weren't particularly productive. I'm convinced that JD could sell ice to eskimos, but he is a bad college head football coach.It's time for UA to decide what it wants. After they fire JD and this entire staff, it'll be time for Proenza to do a little soul searching. If the board wants to build a real football program, and decide that there exists the potential for success (some would doubt the potential for an upstart program in the veritable cradle of football, where there are already so many high-quality programs for kids to choose from) they will have to put more money into the program. They will have to pay (for the first time) for a high-quality head coach and staff, who will have to redouble their efforts to recruit high quality players. UA has gone part of the way with capital improvements, but that money will have been wasted if there is not a strong commitment made to the human beings who will build the program, basically from the ground up.STZ

Let's say the worst case scenario occurs and the Zips finish 1-10. Even in that situation, that certainly doesn't mean that the next coach will have to build "from the ground up". It's not like JD's teams of recent years have been involved in games like the Kansas State 65-0 debacle or the one where Miami's QB took a knee in scoring position JUST BEFORE HALFTIME. Things are bad, but in NO way is this program one that should be characterized as having to start over. The right coach can turn it around quickly. I'm fully convinced of that. The key will be having a smooth transition, one in which key players and recruits are retained.

[GP1]

And there is no way that assistant coach would've been forced out for a secondary violation that happens all the time at other schools, if they weren't going to force JD out. JD is gone. I don't always agree with JD but i damn sure appreciate his commitment and loyalty even though a portion of it will cost him his job.

That's where I draw the distinction regarding the merits of JD's alleged loyalty. In my mind, loyalty to the program and the university, from the head football coach, equals a burning desire to do whatever it takes to win on the field. The best coaches aren't particularly loyal to individual players or to other coaches on their staffs. They always put the team, and team success, ahead of everything else. For all of the twisted love of "the sweater vest" in Ohio, I have absolutely no doubt that his deal with players and coaches is that he is going to play the best players every week, the players and the schemes that give that team its best chance to win are the ones who are going to see the field. Players who were all-world in high school but don't produce or don't fit the scheme don't see the field, period. So, if the implication is that JD plays certain kids, who aren't right for the scheme, or aren't as good as others kids on the roster, I call that utterly misplaced loyalty and in the context of D-1 coaching, complete nonsense. Same goes for coaches on his staff.If your allusions to loyalty by JD are about his hard-workingness, hours spent in the team offices (which UA actually has now) and general boosterism for the program, I would again argue that those hours have simply been wasted. Hopefully for him personally, he has learned enough to catch a position on a college or professional staff after this year and earn a living, but he is a failure as a head college football coach. I actually don't care how hard working a head college football coach is. If he wins games and recruits good players, I'm happy. JD may even be a complete workaholic, but we've all known workaholics who weren't particularly productive. I'm convinced that JD could sell ice to eskimos, but he is a bad college head football coach.It's time for UA to decide what it wants. After they fire JD and this entire staff, it'll be time for Proenza to do a little soul searching. If the board wants to build a real football program, and decide that there exists the potential for success (some would doubt the potential for an upstart program in the veritable cradle of football, where there are already so many high-quality programs for kids to choose from) they will have to put more money into the program. They will have to pay (for the first time) for a high-quality head coach and staff, who will have to redouble their efforts to recruit high quality players. UA has gone part of the way with capital improvements, but that money will have been wasted if there is not a strong commitment made to the human beings who will build the program, basically from the ground up.STZ

Let's say the worst case scenario occurs and the Zips finish 1-10. Even in that situation, that certainly doesn't mean that the next coach will have to build "from the ground up". It's not like JD's teams of recent years have been involved in games like the Kansas State 65-0 debacle or the one where Miami's QB took a knee in scoring position JUST BEFORE HALFTIME. Things are bad, but in NO way is this program one that should be characterized as having to start over. The right coach can turn it around quickly. I'm fully convinced of that. The key will be having a smooth transition, one in which key players and recruits are retained.

Well said. There is plenty of talent. We have spent too many years "building" at UofA. It's time to start winning.When people say "high quality recruits", the first thing that comes to my mind is a high quality recruit is a difference maker on the field. Sometimes difference makers struggle in the classroom. UofA needs to make a committment to bring in high quality players and support them academically. That's how really good teams get good. I'm not saying bring in a bad element, but let's keep the marginal players in school, help them get some cake degree and win some games.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

And there is no way that assistant coach would've been forced out for a secondary violation that happens all the time at other schools, if they weren't going to force JD out. JD is gone. I don't always agree with JD but i damn sure appreciate his commitment and loyalty even though a portion of it will cost him his job.

That's where I draw the distinction regarding the merits of JD's alleged loyalty. In my mind, loyalty to the program and the university, from the head football coach, equals a burning desire to do whatever it takes to win on the field. The best coaches aren't particularly loyal to individual players or to other coaches on their staffs. They always put the team, and team success, ahead of everything else. For all of the twisted love of "the sweater vest" in Ohio, I have absolutely no doubt that his deal with players and coaches is that he is going to play the best players every week, the players and the schemes that give that team its best chance to win are the ones who are going to see the field. Players who were all-world in high school but don't produce or don't fit the scheme don't see the field, period. So, if the implication is that JD plays certain kids, who aren't right for the scheme, or aren't as good as others kids on the roster, I call that utterly misplaced loyalty and in the context of D-1 coaching, complete nonsense. Same goes for coaches on his staff.If your allusions to loyalty by JD are about his hard-workingness, hours spent in the team offices (which UA actually has now) and general boosterism for the program, I would again argue that those hours have simply been wasted. Hopefully for him personally, he has learned enough to catch a position on a college or professional staff after this year and earn a living, but he is a failure as a head college football coach. I actually don't care how hard working a head college football coach is. If he wins games and recruits good players, I'm happy. JD may even be a complete workaholic, but we've all known workaholics who weren't particularly productive. I'm convinced that JD could sell ice to eskimos, but he is a bad college head football coach.It's time for UA to decide what it wants. After they fire JD and this entire staff, it'll be time for Proenza to do a little soul searching. If the board wants to build a real football program, and decide that there exists the potential for success (some would doubt the potential for an upstart program in the veritable cradle of football, where there are already so many high-quality programs for kids to choose from) they will have to put more money into the program. They will have to pay (for the first time) for a high-quality head coach and staff, who will have to redouble their efforts to recruit high quality players. UA has gone part of the way with capital improvements, but that money will have been wasted if there is not a strong commitment made to the human beings who will build the program, basically from the ground up.STZ

Let's say the worst case scenario occurs and the Zips finish 1-10. Even in that situation, that certainly doesn't mean that the next coach will have to build "from the ground up". It's not like JD's teams of recent years have been involved in games like the Kansas State 65-0 debacle or the one where Miami's QB took a knee in scoring position JUST BEFORE HALFTIME. Things are bad, but in NO way is this program one that should be characterized as having to start over. The right coach can turn it around quickly. I'm fully convinced of that. The key will be having a smooth transition, one in which key players and recruits are retained.

Well said. There is plenty of talent. We have spent too many years "building" at UofA. It's time to start winning.When people say "high quality recruits", the first thing that comes to my mind is a high quality recruit is a difference maker on the field. Sometimes difference makers struggle in the classroom. UofA needs to make a committment to bring in high quality players and support them academically. That's how really good teams get good. I'm not saying bring in a bad element, but let's keep the marginal players in school, help them get some cake degree and win some games.

Agreed on the marginal player front, and it's a very dirty not-so-secret that major programs nurse marginal kids, some of whom are complete scum bags, through enough academic work to keep them eligible. That will be part of the decision-making process for Proenza going forward. He has the stadium and associated facilities, now will the board pay coaches actual D-1 salaries, will they bring in more marginal but talented kids and actually hold their hands? These things take major commitment and much money. I still believe that if this team had the talent that some posters believe, that talent would be winning more games. There are bright spots, but this team is losing badly at the very lowest D-1 level in the worst D-1 league. For me, the optimism comes with the new facilities. I want to believe that the administration has a plan. Would they really be foolish enough to sink as much money as they have into sports facilities and then not follow it up with the other commitments that need to be made to build a better program. It's possible but I'd like to give them more credit than that. I also believe that building a better, more competitive D-1 program will require more dirty work, more ethical dilemmas than we've been forced into in the past. Major college football programs are dirty places, because the burning desire to win breeds temptation and corruption. The board will have to spend more money and also deal with such issues for this program to truly progress. Will it happen?STZ

[GP1]

Agreed on the marginal player front, and it's a very dirty not-so-secret that major programs nurse marginal kids, some of whom are complete scum bags, through enough academic work to keep them eligible.

Not so dirty secret indeed. Everyone should read the book, "The Blind Side". It will be out in movie soon and is about Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens and his growing up in Memphis.The lengths to which Mississippi went to in order to keep this kid on the field is mind blowing. There are SEC schools out there that have a tutor attend every class with the player and then meet with the player at night to reinforce the lessons learned that day. A player may have a different tutor for each class. These tutors do not come cheap either. All are earning income from the Athletic Department for these tasks. I wish we had that kind of money.If you guys really want to get the program to the point where they are winning 9-10 games a year, these are the things they need to do. If they don't, 6-7 wins should be normal. I'd love a six win season at this point.

[GP1]

I also believe that building a better, more competitive D-1 program will require more dirty work, more ethical dilemmas than we've been forced into in the past. Major college football programs are dirty places, because the burning desire to win breeds temptation and corruption. The board will have to spend more money and also deal with such issues for this program to truly progress. Will it happen?

Will it happen? No, look at how the fans on this board look at the program as being "out of control" because our QB gets thrown off the team and a third string scout team player gets in a bar fight. Akron fans are stuck in the 1950s and think "we need a program we can all be proud of". College football is cleaner now than it has ever been (that's not saying much), but there is a segment of sports fans who believe the 1950s were a clean and just time in college sports. We need to get focused on winning and those things we need to do to win.

[Zipsrifle]

Agreed on the marginal player front, and it's a very dirty not-so-secret that major programs nurse marginal kids, some of whom are complete scum bags, through enough academic work to keep them eligible.

Not so dirty secret indeed. Everyone should read the book, "The Blind Side". It will be out in movie soon and is about Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens and his growing up in Memphis.The lengths to which Mississippi went to in order to keep this kid on the field is mind blowing. There are SEC schools out there that have a tutor attend every class with the player and then meet with the player at night to reinforce the lessons learned that day. A player may have a different tutor for each class. These tutors do not come cheap either. All are earning income from the Athletic Department for these tasks. I wish we had that kind of money.If you guys really want to get the program to the point where they are winning 9-10 games a year, these are the things they need to do. If they don't, 6-7 wins should be normal. I'd love a six win season at this point.

Unfortunately, I have to agree that your exampls is what it may take. My experience in observing some of the other athletes over a decade ago is that some will require almost a "full time tutor" to get the grades. It shouldn't be this way, but it is....you need to keep a finger on some people at all times. With that said, I for one am NOT willing to build a program in an unethical manner. As to our current situation, I think that unless we have a serious consideration for a HC on the existing staff, the current regime stays put until the end of the season. I thank JD for his dedication and effort, but at the end of the day, we have made a HUGE investment in this program that must payoff. We are all but at the worst case scenario for the season right now and this program is 100% JD's. From what I know of the guy, success will come his way again.