Notes From the BG game

[Dr Z]

When did we start putting stars on our helmets? I guess I go to most of the games and can't see them from the stands, but yesterday was the first day I noticed there were stars on our helmets. I'm guessing they are for good plays like every other team?? I noticed Andre Jones, Wagner and Alexander had plenty. I also noticed Nicely had none???Freddie Barnes is awesome. He knows how to get open, has great hands, and knows how to get yac. I'm thinking he will have a shot at the next level. I would have never let him get off the line clean yesterday, he would have had our most physical DB in his face for 5 yards and then released to a cover DB. Especially since we have so many on the field. Although I did see a few four DL sets yesterday.BG's run defense is as pathetic as ours! My gawd, what coach thinks those gimmick defenses are good ideas? I just don't get it.I saw my favorite offensive play of the year. Nicely fakes the WR bubble screen to move the d backs up and hits Jones before the safety can get there on a fly. Beautiful design. I'm surprised as many as these WR bubble screens as we see in the NFL now a days, I haven't seen this call in the NFL. And I watch a LOT of NFL games. My second favorite play; Nicely under center, two TE and a full back, off tackle leftt for 3 yards on a 3rd and 1. OMG, I fell off my couch when I saw it. It looked as easy doing it to BG as it looks when teams do it to us...stupid defense.I'm surprised as good of hands as Andre Jones has that he was ever considered on defense...yes I know why he was there, but still after watching his hands on some catches yesterday, he looks special to me. We need to use him the way BG uses Freddie.Kudos for our defense on the 4th and 1. Poorly run by their QB, but way to make them pay. While I'm handing out defensive praise, I'll give Kevin Davis a notice. One of the few times I have seen our DB's up at the line and he held contain all the way across the field and held the RB for a short gain. It works one out of 10 times. I think it was Matt Little that had a nice knock down at the line of scrimmage too. I think coach Okruch saw something on film, because I don't remember our LBs jumping so much at the line of scrimmage as I saw last night.Was it me or did the hash marks on the field seem like they were too close to the sidelines? There were some instances it seemed like when the offense lined up they didn't have enough room? Maybe it was just me.When was the last D1 game that we come out of a half and dominated offensively and defensively? We continue to get out coached in the second half.

[GP1]

I would like to continue the theme I started a couple of weeks ago noting how stupid we are. Second and whatever from our own two....we run the ball, good....our RB takes the ball, gets into the hole, out of the endzone and could fall forward to the four for some extra breathing room and a chance on third down.....what does our stupid player do, he runs backward into the endzone and then can't get out.....safety.I hate to say, "When I was in school", because it seems so long ago now, but the coaches (some are in the NFL now) talked to the players about game situations and how to think when situation "x" happened to you. Either the coaches aren't telling the players how to think, or a college student can't figure out basic game situations. I'm going to split the atom for #22....when you take a hand-off in the endzone, the first thing you need to do is get the heck out of the endzone....once you get out of the endzone, don't go back into the endzone. Go freaking forward. Almost never does a RB go for a 98 yard run so get your ass out of the endzone and stay out.To our DBs, when the other team gets into the red zone, cover closer and let the smaller size of the field be another defender for you. Another thing, when you blitz, cover closer because the ball is going to be coming out faster.The Zips play every play as if it is first and ten from the fifty. Halftime adjustments are overrated. Make adjustments as the game progresses based upon each play and what the heck is going on at the time. Every play is valuable and we just don't use common sense.Over the past 23 years, I've watched the Zips do one stupid thing after another. And it normally isn't just some mild act of stupidity, it is a crushing, game losing act of stupidity. Watching the Zips is like watching one of my favorite TV programs, Curb Your Enthusiasm. For those of you who don't watch, it is on HBO. It is very uncomfortable humor and you feel uncomfortable while watching. That's the Zips. It isn't if they are going to make a crushing mistake, it is when. 23 years of this. Bad coaching doesn't define the Zips football program over the past 23 years, it is stupidity that defines it.

[uhgrad2002]

I noticed the stars on the helmets a few games ago. I don't remember them last year.

[GP1]

They should select an atomic symbol and put them on their helmets for when they actually do something smart.

[Dr Z]

Halftime adjustments are overrated. Make adjustments as the game progresses based upon each play and what the heck is going on at the time.

Each play? What Zips team have you been watching? Name any adjustment you have seen in a game that happened after "each play"? My point is that we have been playing a decent first half against most teams this year. We go into half time and come out attacking the same way. The other team makes adjustments to what we have been doing successfully and stops it. Our second halves this year stink. After leading at half yesterday, we were outscored 27-10 in the second half, 21-0 against Temple, after leading 10-6 against NI, we got outscored 21-0, tied at half with Buffalo, outscored again, leading against OU, outscored again. I watched it most of this staffs time here at Akron. If we just take the time at half time (because that is when you have the most time to analyze. A lot of teams do it, check it out) and look at what offensive plays were successful for the opposition and try to stop those particular plays, I like our chances much better. I would feel a lot better about this staff if I witnessed one game where we were down by double digits, did something different in the second half, and come back and won a game. Unfortunately there are too many opposite examples of this.

[Zipsrifle]

I noticed the stars on the helmets a few games ago. I don't remember them last year.

I thought they were wagon wheels.....

[GP1]

If we just take the time at half time (because that is when you have the most time to analyze. A lot of teams do it, check it out) and look at what offensive plays were successful for the opposition and try to stop those particular plays, I like our chances much better.

What if you have a good first half and the other team adjusts to it during halftime? At that point, your halftime adjustments are worthless. Football does not function in a vaccum where only one team adjusts.I've used this analogy before. Halftime lasts around 20 minutes. Five minutes to get in the room, five to get out, five for the coaches to talk and five to talk to the players. There is actually little time at half to make adjustments. On the other hand, a televised football game now lasts around three hours and fifteen minutes. Take out 20 for halftime and the game lasts 2:55. Sixty minutes in a game with each team splitting time of posession equally gives each team 30 minutes. There is actually around 1hour and 30minutes during a game when either the offense or defense is not on the field. That time is more important than the 10 minutes at halftime. There are drives that last more than 10 minutes in real time.Each play can be adjusted for. QBs do it all the time by calling another play at the line. Defenses do the same thing. For example, why can't a coach yell to a player on defense to take a deeper drop on coverage, etc. during the game? The players are at least smart enough to get into college, they should be smart enough to think through a simple game without a coach telling them what to do. Our favorite football team had a player (Harrison) think for himself last year in the Super Bowl and made one of the best plays in SB history. I doubt Harrison has a career at NASA waiting for him when his playing days are over. He was supposed to have blitzed on the interception, recognized the alignment the Cardinal presented was exactly the same as a play another team ran on them earlier in the year in the same positon and scored a TD. Recognizing this he made his adjustment, intercepted the pass and scored a TD. Yes, I believe a smart football player can make adjustments without coaches directing his every move. There's your proof.

[GP1]

Another thing about halftime adjustments. The most important drive of the second half is the first drive. a = Zips second half scoringb = Opponents (MAC only) second half scoring vs UofAx = Zips second half first drive scoringy = Opponents (MAC only) second half first drive scoring vs UofAIf x < y, I will buy the Zips make poor halftime adjustments.If a < b, I will buy the Zips make poor in progress adjustment.If x < y and a < b, we suck.

[#1 rowdy]

I noticed the stars on the helmets a few games ago. I don't remember them last year.

I thought they were wagon wheels.....

The stars have been on the helmets since JD has been HC. They are special teams awards for good plays. This is just the first year the stickers are spread out over the helmet and not put in a line on the back of the helmet.