10 Thoughts on the Zips

[Captain Kangaroo]

1.) Over the summer we all saw an interview with Hunter Yuracheck. In it, he stated (paraphrasing) - "The stakes have been raised for Akron Football. .500 won't cut it anymore." Seems pretty clear to me.2.) I am still awaiting the results of the UA investigation that forced Coach Ferri to resign. It should be scrutinized heavily by fans. 3.) I am glad to see JD has cut down on our missed PAT's dramatically. I'm disappointed that he's elected to use the strategy of scoring dramatically fewer touchdowns to achieve it.4.) Our offensive line is really, really bad. Our running backs are really, really bad. The team should be able to overcome the loss of a player like Joe Tuzze...but it can't. 5.) JD played Bowser despite his penchant for dropped passes. But, he won't play Devoe Torrence despite his penchant for fumbling. What gives? Torrence is our ONLY chance to move the ball on the ground. The only chance of keeping defenses from teeing off on Nicely. Allen is a shell of his former self. Dale Martin and Ronnie Steward are crowding up the Athletics Department whirlpool. Tuzze is hurt. Nate Burney apparently will never see the field, and Broderick Alexander is obviously going to be redshirted. Adrian Peterson fumbles way too much. But he's a gamebreaker, so he plays. Torrence needs to play.6.) Andre Jones may end up the most under-appreciated Zip ever. Some NFL team is going to get lucky with him in the late rounds, or in the undrafted FA market. He's like Hixson...special teams...WR...defensive secondary...and he has played all those positions at a very high level.7.) Stec's crappy rugby punts at Buffalo still bother me. 8.) Like a lot of other fans, I wonder how a coaching change would affect the minds of a lot of the recruits presently verbaled to UA. I'm guessing we'll lose a few. In a perfect world they would look at the coaching change as a sign of commitment from the University to winning. Time will tell.9.) I'm guessing we'll be a 6-...maybe 7-point underdog to K.e.n.t. in two weeks? 10.) I wonder about Nicely in 2010. Since he played as a true freshman, he could transfer and use 2010 as a "redshirt" season. He could go anywhere he preferred. He seems like a team kid and a good leader. I have to believe he'd stay. But him playing as a true Freshman could be the worst thing that could have happened to the Zips. It opens the door for him to transfer to a D1-A school without losing a year's eligibility. Just something for Skip-Zip and the other rabid "sky-is-falling" posters to ponder....Watching the Zips ain't no fun right now. Can we petition to have this week's game removed from TV? Or moved to ESPNU where no one will see it?

[Dr Z]

2.) I am still awaiting the results of the UA investigation that forced Coach Ferri to resign.

I hope Rasor gets us some info on this.

7.) Stec's crappy rugby punts at Buffalo still bother me.

Especially when Zack Campbell boomed a 76-yard punt Saturday (3rd longest in school history) I blame this on coaching, not the kids.

6.) Andre Jones may end up the most under-appreciated Zip ever.

I might go with JT, but I agree, I hope he gets a shot with an NFL team. He should hire DH's agent.

8.) I wonder how a coaching change would affect the minds of a lot of the recruits

IMO the pros outweigh the cons. The most important thing to me in a season is wins.

9.) I'm guessing we'll be a 6-...maybe 7-point underdog to K.e.n.t.

I'll say 4 point underdogs. If that was a Topic headline on ZN in early August, there would have been some angry posts.

10.) I wonder about Nicely in 2010. Since he played as a true freshman

It's up to Nicely how much work he puts in, but we are already seeing improvement each week.I think the one good thing that may come out of this season is the invaluable experience he is getting this year.He'll be here next year, because he is guaranteed the job of starting QB.

[johnnyzip84]

We could hire Hal Mumme and have Nicely sling it 60 to 70 times a game OK, so I'm kidding. If you think some of LO's and JD's defenses have been bad!I think there's a very good chance Patrick will stay, but it surely wouldn't hurt for him to experience one or two wins to close things out. That EMU game might actually end up meaning something, not for standings of course, but to perhaps bring a sliver of confidence to a number of key players as they head into what willl likely be a tumultuous off-season.

[zip37]

My 10 thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1. Brookhart is a <.500 coach.2. Ditto3 .Ditto4. Ditto5. Ditto6. Ditto7. Ditto8. Ditto9. Ditto10. DittoNow, the crowning question? You expected what?

[Dr Z]

My 10 thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1. Brookhart is a <.500 coach. 2. - 10. Ditto

Those aren't thoughts.

[dreal1scout]

Thank you all for the insightful thoughts/comments. Now I can truly say that I am rightously behooved. Go Nicley, Go TorrenceGO ZIPS!!!!

[johnnyzip84]

Thank you all for the insightful thoughts/comments. Now I can truly say that I am rightously behooved. Go Nicley, Go TorrenceGO ZIPS!!!!

:lol:Hey dreal, since NIU is the only team in the conference that has a breed of dog as a nickname, don't you think it's about time we make this opponent our b!@#$? I think we might need a rousing pep talk from you before the end of the week! Go Zips!!!

[Lee Adams]

My 10 thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1. Brookhart is a <.500 coach. 2. - 10. Ditto

Those aren't thoughts.

facts

[zip37]

They are thoughts put into WORDS, some may write without thought, but I don't!

[zipsfan111]

My question is will all of the recruits who are verballed still be offered if there happens to be a coaching change.

[uafan]

1) I agree2)A minor infraction should have been uncovered by now, and should not have led to his quitting3)I agree4)Same thing happened a couple of years ago...strange5)I think JD has his favorites and plays them, no matter who is in the mix, but in Bowser's case, who else is there?6)I thought the same thing about Mackey7)Stec's punts have always bothered me!8)I think many would look favorably upon it; they will see how bad we are now and see that the scholl is flexible enough to make a change9)Maybe more10)I'm hoping he realizes that he is the starter at a school he knows. Maybe he wouldn't want to start over at another school.

[skip-zip]

3) Being forced to go to your 2nd string, and then your 3rd string QB just a few games into the season can certainly cut down on scoring. I'm not going to agree that you can put all of that blame on the coach when he has a situation like that.4) I'm glad you brought this up. I checked the Syracuse stats from last year. We rushed for well over 200 yards in that game, compared to ZERO this year. With 4 starters returning on the offensive line, have they regressed? Or, are the RBs really performing that bad?5) Not that I don't think Torrence should play more. But...the last I checked a fumble is a far more devastating negative play than a dropped pass.6) Couldn't agree more. And I'll never forget that game ending punt return against WMU. 8) It all comes down to how committed they were to playing for JD. 9) I'm hoping only a few points, since we'll be at home. How we perform this Saturday could change that also.10) If anything, I've been labeled as "too positive" over the course of our last few losing seasons, so it's nice to see someone view me otherwise for a change. Last year, I really believed that we were taking some steps forward, and I defended JD staying on board to keep the train moving. The offense showed great improvement, and some of our performances against teams like BG, Cincinnati, and Buffalo gave me encouragement that we were moving in the right directions. It's hard to feel that way now. Despite the injuries, things are falling apart rather quickly, and a lot of people that you would expect to be improving as players are not. I don't think it can get much worse.

[Jalapeño Zippy]

very interesting read, all points are valid. but it comes down to this, JD can't keep the RB from fumbling in the redzone, the kid needs some stick'em! 3 fumbles in the redzone, 2 costly, 1 recovered by a lineman.2nd string QB, fumbling in the redzone, throwing interceptions on the opponents side of the field, lack of focus.Special teams giving up returns for TDs and fumbling kick-offs, at least we got one back. Why isn't #21 returning kicks?3rd string QB threw two crucial interceptions against buffaloPoint is - JD can't control what happens on the field with individual players. But he is at fault for not putting the players in situations to be successful and playing to their strengths. The talent is there, but it is being used horribly.

[Dr Z]

very interesting read, all points are valid. but it comes down to this, JD can't keep the RB from fumbling in the redzone, the kid needs some stick'em! 3 fumbles in the redzone, 2 costly, 1 recovered by a lineman.

I know this is not apples to apples, but it's close. Here is how a SB coach is handling a similar situation, this is from Sunday's post game conference: Question: Do Rashard’s fumbles make you reconsider him starting? Mike Tomlin: Not at this point no. Not at all.

[GP1]

very interesting read, all points are valid. but it comes down to this, JD can't keep the RB from fumbling in the redzone, the kid needs some stick'em! 3 fumbles in the redzone, 2 costly, 1 recovered by a lineman.

I know this is not apples to apples, but it's close. Here is how a SB coach is handling a similar situation, this is from Sunday's post game conference: Question: Do Rashard’s fumbles make you reconsider him starting? Mike Tomlin: Not at this point no. Not at all.

Good point. However, did you notice who was NOT on the field late in the game Sunday?Teams live and die with their playmakers.

[zipboy]

A couple of other things to add1. Unless we get inside the 10, I would use all 4 downs. Our odds of making a FG are less than 25%. We have better odds of making the 1st down.2. Any more rugby style punts, why even punt? I would rather have 4 downs anywhere on the field than set a team back 30 yards. 3. Andre Jones really is the man.4. JD mentioned one kid may have the redshirt taken off this week. My guess, Broderick Alexander? At this point, go with what you have. If the guy would have helped 3 games ago, then I could see it back then.5. We get inside the 20, just run Jones with the wildcat. Torrence needs to play but at this point, he is a turnover waiting to happen in the red zone.