Elton Alexander's Picks are In!

[Captain Kangaroo]

...dead last in the MAC East?!

Thankfully, he's been wrong before. (blind guy)

[xu9697]

I read that this AM. Perhaps his hope is to insipire the Zippers!!!

[GoZips]

Doom 'n Gloom.

And, I'm an optimist ... !!!!

[ZachTheZip]

Not just Elton. That's the whole MAC media. And can anyone think of a good reason for them not to rank us last?

[Captain Kangaroo]

Not just Elton. That's the whole MAC media. And can anyone think of a good reason for them not to rank us last?

K.e.n.t. State

[Dave in Green]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

I'll be pleased with the progress if the Zips can execute more consistently than last season, and if a fair percentage of the plays that are called surprise me instead of being totally predictable. That should lead to more close games and more wins than last season.

[dreal1scout]

Not just Elton. That's the whole MAC media. And can anyone think of a good reason for them not to rank us last?

I got to assume that Mr. Elton Alexander is a pseudonym for a particular sportswriter with the peculiar habit of sticking his head up his ass so as to impede his vision. And I’m being kind. If he seriously thinks that The ZIPS will finish last, then he’s Not Smarter Than a 5^th Grader. But as a good sport I’m giving him some leeway as I don’t know him personally, but assume that he suffers from some organic brain disorder (aka Imjustadumbass disease). Maybe he’s a graduate of Cant State. The ZIPS – 2010

[skip-zip]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

I'll be pleased with the progress if the Zips can execute more consistently than last season, and if a fair percentage of the plays that are called surprise me instead of being totally predictable. That should lead to more close games and more wins than last season.

That's why I remain realistic in just hoping for more wins than last year. Or, at least equal last year and beat someone other than a I-AA and two of the worst teams in 1-A.

[Captain Kangaroo]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

Low expectations are for losers. I want to win.

We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league.

I don't know what to expect from the Zips in 2010, but I certainly expect a team with 16 returning starters to compete well.

Ianello didn't take over a team bereft of talent, like Lee Owens did after Faust. Ianello is taking over a pretty decent group of players.

The Zips should at least be 6-6 this season. New coach, new offensive and defensive schemes...3 BCS OOC's. I don't expect 10 - 2. But another 3 - 9 or 4 - 8 season is out of the question. Don't let any low-aimer fool you... we have more talent than that on-hand.

[dreal1scout]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

"Low expectations are for losers. I want to win."

"We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league."

Damn Right. And the opposite is also logical.

High expectations are for Winners. I have HIGH expectations, as we all should. I want to win.The ZIPS want to win.

We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league.

And to all the naysayers - We will prove ourselves on the field. I like being ranked as the underdog. It's only gonna make our Winning season smell so much better. GO ZIPS!

[zipboy]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

Low expectations are for losers. I want to win.

We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league.

I don't know what to expect from the Zips in 2010, but I certainly expect a team with 16 returning starters to compete well.

Ianello didn't take over a team bereft of talent, like Lee Owens did after Faust. Ianello is taking over a pretty decent group of players.

The Zips should at least be 6-6 this season. New coach, new offensive and defensive schemes...3 BCS OOC's. I don't expect 10 - 2. But another 3 - 9 or 4 - 8 season is out of the question. Don't let any low-aimer fool you... we have more talent than that on-hand.

+1

Last year Zips were picked fairly high in the East if I remember. Didn't Elton pick them 1? What is different from last year personnel wise - Nicely vs Jacqumein at QB, a healthy Alex Allen, everyone back on D, and more thin at WR. So personnel wise I don't see much difference. Schemes can't be worse than last year. I will disappointed if we don't go 6-6 as well. No reason not to go 1-3 OOC and 5-3 in the MAC worst case unless Nicely misses some games.

[ZachTheZip]

And what if Ianello chooses Rodgers to start at QB?

[skip-zip]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

Low expectations are for losers. I want to win.

We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league.

I don't know what to expect from the Zips in 2010, but I certainly expect a team with 16 returning starters to compete well.

Ianello didn't take over a team bereft of talent, like Lee Owens did after Faust. Ianello is taking over a pretty decent group of players.

The Zips should at least be 6-6 this season. New coach, new offensive and defensive schemes...3 BCS OOC's. I don't expect 10 - 2. But another 3 - 9 or 4 - 8 season is out of the question. Don't let any low-aimer fool you... we have more talent than that on-hand.

That would be incorrect. Gerry's last team was loaded freshman and sophomores. And Lee has 14 returning starters for his first season, including a freshman QB with several games of experience. You can verify that if you have a game program from that season.

Let's just hope the 2-9 record doesn't repeat itself as well.

[Big Zip]

I struggled with the decision to re-up my season ticket package this year, but ultimately the low cost made my decision easy and I did re-up. I'm looking for a different product on the field this year because I'm positive I can find better things to do with my Saturdays than continue to watch a poor excuse for collegiate football. I love the Zips, but how much can we take before we give up on this University's continued attempts to right the ship? To suggest that this team can just throw their helmets on the field and beat Can't is ridiculous....Can't should have beat the Zips last year and if it weren'f for Can't's implosion they would have beaten them. Does anyone remember the debacl two years ago at Can't?

As for having one of the MAC's top QBs? Nicely has a rifle for an arm, but he also is missing the prerequisite touch to balance out that rifle. I'm not sure if I watched the same QB y'all did last year, but the guy I saw reminded me more of Derek Anderson with this attempts to throw the ball through guys only 10 feet away than a top notch MAC QB. I hope he proves me wrong this year, but I have friends who watched him play all through high school and they tell me that is simply how he plays the game.

I have no reason to believe this team will be better than last place. I do want to believe I will see a more disciplined, focused team that utilizes the talent on the team appropriatley.

[72 Roo]

Bottom line is we are getting what we deserve. Don't fault the beat writers for telling it like it is. We kept JD on longer than we should have and respect for the program eroded along with his lack of effective coaching. Now coach I inherits a program in transition. He has too many question marks. Vertually no area of the team is a proven commodity, even the D line. With that in mind some areas will improve, but others will disappoint. I see us going 5-7.

Please prove me wrong coach I. I want you to succeed. We all do!

[skip-zip]

I struggled with the decision to re-up my season ticket package this year, but ultimately the low cost made my decision easy and I did re-up. I'm looking for a different product on the field this year because I'm positive I can find better things to do with my Saturdays than continue to watch a poor excuse for collegiate football. I love the Zips, but how much can we take before we give up on this University's continued attempts to right the ship? To suggest that this team can just throw their helmets on the field and beat Can't is ridiculous....Can't should have beat the Zips last year and if it weren'f for Can't's implosion they would have beaten them. Does anyone remember the debacl two years ago at Can't?

As for having one of the MAC's top QBs? Nicely has a rifle for an arm, but he also is missing the prerequisite touch to balance out that rifle. I'm not sure if I watched the same QB y'all did last year, but the guy I saw reminded me more of Derek Anderson with this attempts to throw the ball through guys only 10 feet away than a top notch MAC QB. I hope he proves me wrong this year, but I have friends who watched him play all through high school and they tell me that is simply how he plays the game.

I have no reason to believe this team will be better than last place. I do want to believe I will see a more disciplined, focused team that utilizes the talent on the team appropriatley.

Yes, you've watched the same QB as the rest of us. I've gotten a lot of the same feedback from people who have watched him play for years also, which is why I've cautioned a few people on here who seem convinced that we have a star on our hands. His scoreless performance in their state playoff game didn't help me get overly excited about him coming here either. I've used the Derek Anderson comparison myself, and so have many of the other people around me who've seen him play. Derek "looked" like a good QB too, until he had to complete a pass. I'm afraid I am seeing a lot of the same characteristics with this kid, which looked to continue as recently as the Spring game. I just sure hope he corrects it, or Rodgers gets healthy, or we get a transfer in here.

[Dave in Green]

Low expectations are for losers. .....

Sis boom bah!

No more low expectations for me. I'm going to upgrade to realistic expectations.

[Captain Kangaroo]

It's always better to be picked low and overachieve than to be picked high and underachieve. Everyone should have low expectations for the Zips until they prove themselves on the field.

Low expectations are for losers. I want to win.

We have one of the top QB's in the MAC, and the MAC is a QB-driven league.

I don't know what to expect from the Zips in 2010, but I certainly expect a team with 16 returning starters to compete well.

Ianello didn't take over a team bereft of talent, like Lee Owens did after Faust. Ianello is taking over a pretty decent group of players.

The Zips should at least be 6-6 this season. New coach, new offensive and defensive schemes...3 BCS OOC's. I don't expect 10 - 2. But another 3 - 9 or 4 - 8 season is out of the question. Don't let any low-aimer fool you... we have more talent than that on-hand.

That would be incorrect. Gerry's last team was loaded freshman and sophomores. And Lee has 14 returning starters for his first season, including a freshman QB with several games of experience. You can verify that if you have a game program from that season.

You can verify your assessment... if you have a crack pipe.

Gerry Faust left Lee Owens with a team that went 1 - 10. The lone win came in the last game of the season, against a likewise 0 - 10 Ohio University team, in the legendary Toilet Bowl. The Zips were an eyelash away from being the worst team is Division 1-A football.

The Gerry Faust* era left Owens with horrific training facilities.

The Gerry Faust* era left Owens with a decrepit Rubber Bowl.

The Gerry Faust era left Owens with NO Quarterback.

Lee Owens got nothing from The Gerry Faust era except a legacy of arrests.... and those players who didn't get arrested would not have made YSU's roster.

Ianello has AWESOME facilities. An AWESOME stadium. A roster of legit MAC-level players. A REAL Quarterback.

Ianello has so many advantages in year #1 vs. what Owens had to deal with in Year #1, it is absolutely unreal.

Oh, BTW - You can verify my comments with reality.

* If you read into my statements that I am blaming Faust for the Rubber Bowl or the crappy training facilities, you are an idiot. Save us all your wisdom, move away from the keyboard, and go back to cutting construction paper with your plastic, rounded-tip scissors.

[xu9697]

Umm...

Derek Anderson went something like 23-15 as a starter in college in his 3 years at QB. Then was drafted into the NFL. And he set some records at OSU.

If Nicely is Derek Anderson in college..many of us would be darn happy!!!

[dreal1scout]

I struggled with the decision to re-up my season ticket package this year, but ultimately the low cost made my decision easy and I did re-up. I'm looking for a different product on the field this year because I'm positive I can find better things to do with my Saturdays than continue to watch a poor excuse for collegiate football. I love the Zips, but how much can we take before we give up on this University's continued attempts to right the ship? To suggest that this team can just throw their helmets on the field and beat Can't is ridiculous....Can't should have beat the Zips last year and if it weren'f for Can't's implosion they would have beaten them. Does anyone remember the debacl two years ago at Can't?

As for having one of the MAC's top QBs? Nicely has a rifle for an arm, but he also is missing the prerequisite touch to balance out that rifle. I'm not sure if I watched the same QB y'all did last year, but the guy I saw reminded me more of Derek Anderson with this attempts to throw the ball through guys only 10 feet away than a top notch MAC QB. I hope he proves me wrong this year, but I have friends who watched him play all through high school and they tell me that is simply how he plays the game.

I have no reason to believe this team will be better than last place. I do want to believe I will see a more disciplined, focused team that utilizes the talent on the team appropriatley.

Yes, you've watched the same QB as the rest of us. I've gotten a lot of the same feedback from people who have watched him play for years also, which is why I've cautioned a few people on here who seem convinced that we have a star on our hands. His scoreless performance in their state playoff game didn't help me get overly excited about him coming here either. I've used the Derek Anderson comparison myself, and so have many of the other people around me who've seen him play. Derek "looked" like a good QB too, until he had to complete a pass. I'm afraid I am seeing a lot of the same characteristics with this kid, which looked to continue as recently as the Spring game. I just sure hope he corrects it, or Rodgers gets healthy, or we get a transfer in here.

Doesn't anyone think that Ron Powlus will have PN7 develop into the top QB in the MAC? I still like our chances with PN7 at the helm.

[ZachTheZip]

Doesn't anyone think that Ron Powlus will have PN7 develop into the top QB in the MAC? I still like our chances with PN7 at the helm.

Again I ask: What if Rodgers gets the starting spot?

[UADavid]

Doesn't anyone think that Ron Powlus will have PN7 develop into the top QB in the MAC? I still like our chances with PN7 at the helm.

Again I ask: What if Rodgers gets the starting spot?

What if he does? We appear to be set up as a run oriented team. Matt is a good runner. I'm willing to wait for practice to start before throwing out the "what if".

[g-mann17]

Doesn't anyone think that Ron Powlus will have PN7 develop into the top QB in the MAC? I still like our chances with PN7 at the helm.

Again I ask: What if Rodgers gets the starting spot?

Well that doesn't fit into your Ianello is rebuilding concept. Rodgers is a Junior now. The question you should be asking is "What if Zach D'orazio gets the starting spot?"

[ZachTheZip]

Doesn't anyone think that Ron Powlus will have PN7 develop into the top QB in the MAC? I still like our chances with PN7 at the helm.

Again I ask: What if Rodgers gets the starting spot?

Well that doesn't fit into your Ianello is rebuilding concept. Rodgers is a Junior now. The question you should be asking is "What if Zach D'orazio gets the starting spot?"

It fits in if he thinks Nicely could use another year practicing in the pro offense and being coached. He could redshirt Nicely.

[GP1]

Derek Anderson went something like 23-15 as a starter in college in his 3 years at QB. Then was drafted into the NFL. And he set some records at OSU.

If Nicely is Derek Anderson in college..many of us would be darn happy!!!

But, he didn't score a point in a high school playoff game.

Not to get off the Zips, but DA took a team that Charlie Frye shipwrecked in the first game of the season and went 10-5 the remainder of the season and had the Browns within a hair of making the playoffs. DA wasn't great, but he was a decent qb on a really bad team.

Back to the Zips.....