Training Camp

[johnnyzip84]

Tom Gaffney now has his first article out on summer camp. Let's hope he keeps up the decent coverage we've seen lately.

Link

[Dr Z]

Tom Gaffney now has his first article out on summer camp. Let's hope he keeps up the decent coverage we've seen lately.

"...Tailback Alex Allen is almost fully recovered..."

Damn, I thought he was 100 percent?!? I might have to take one of my wins away from my prediction.

IMO having a healthy AA this season is important in the win/loss column.

[skip-zip]

Tom Gaffney now has his first article out on summer camp. Let's hope he keeps up the decent coverage we've seen lately.

"...Tailback Alex Allen is almost fully recovered..."

Damn, I thought he was 100 percent?!? I might have to take one of my wins away from my prediction.

IMO having a healthy AA this season is important in the win/loss column.

I felt that way last year too.

[Z.I.P.]

Tom Gaffney now has his first article out on summer camp. Let's hope he keeps up the decent coverage we've seen lately.

"...Tailback Alex Allen is almost fully recovered..."

Damn, I thought he was 100 percent?!? I might have to take one of my wins away from my prediction.

IMO having a healthy AA this season is important in the win/loss column.

I felt that way last year too.

How is Bain's back feeling?

[johnnyzip84]

GoZips.com has some video of iCoach discussing the 2nd practice.

Link

Who is Clay Cameron?

Edit: Never mind. He's the preferred walk-on we were discussing a few weeks back. Wow, back-to-back picks is the way to make your presence know quickly!!

Clay's ZN Thread

[Buckzip]

Tom Gaffney now has his first article out on summer camp. Let's hope he keeps up the decent coverage we've seen lately.

"...Tailback Alex Allen is almost fully recovered..."

Damn, I thought he was 100 percent?!? I might have to take one of my wins away from my prediction.

IMO having a healthy AA this season is important in the win/loss column.

I felt that way last year too.

How is Bain's back feeling?

He, Jarvis Givens and Chris Henderson are going to make a great D-line

[johnnyzip84]

Video wrap-up of the 3rd practice.

Link

[InTheZone]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck. Maybe that's unfair from just watching YouTube videos and having never met the guy (which is kind of hard when he cancels events to connect with the alumni), but I usually get a pretty good sense of people just from observing them. I can see why a lot of players have had problems with him. J.D. may have failed as a coach, but he was always a very sincere and caring guy that obviously put a lot of stock in his relationships with people. Lee Owens was the same way. I guess none of this will matter if the guy wins, but I'm just making the observation that he seems like a real douche bag. Douche bags that lose don't last as long as nice guys that lose. I hope Rob realizes that and knows he has to win.

[GP1]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck.

He may be all of those things, but this video doesn't make him look like that. He just looked like a guy who finished a practice on a hot summer day and was going through the routine of answering questions for a web page. Sounded like "coach speak" to me.

One encouraging point of his interview was there was a time during practice when the offense was getting the better of the defense. That is unusual for an early practice. Could be a good sign.

[Zipgrad01]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck. Maybe that's unfair from just watching YouTube videos and having never met the guy (which is kind of hard when he cancels events to connect with the alumni), but I usually get a pretty good sense of people just from observing them. I can see why a lot of players have had problems with him. J.D. may have failed as a coach, but he was always a very sincere and caring guy that obviously put a lot of stock in his relationships with people. Lee Owens was the same way. I guess none of this will matter if the guy wins, but I'm just making the observation that he seems like a real douche bag. Douche bags that lose don't last as long as nice guys that lose. I hope Rob realizes that and knows he has to win.

I met him at the MAC championship basketball game and he stood there and talked to me for several minutes. I didnt detect schmuck from him at all. People on here need to give the guy a break and let him just do his job.

I for one appreciate the videos and he hopes he keeps them up. I look forward to them every day.

[Dr Z]

I for one appreciate the videos and he hopes he keeps them up. I look forward to them every day.

Me too! Mix in some player interviews too.

[zipboy]

I don't get anything one way or the other from the Youtube clip. Even though he just says coach speak, I appreciate the daily sound bites. It is one way to at least hear what the guy sounds like.

At the end of the day, all that matters is winning. I have not met Ianello, but a few things that I saw over the past 6 months. He was at every basketball game and anyone who came up to him he chatted with for 5-10 minutes. Most of the people coming up to him were Joe Average guys wearing an Akron sweatshirt bought about 15 years ago, not a suit and tie guy. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes. But other than cancelling the golf outing, I think Ianello has shown a good public personna.

One other note, we had a girl intern with us this summer who goes to Akron. Ianello came and spoke to her sorority and I am guessing all of the other fraternities and sororities. She said it was the 1st time since she has been at Akron that any coach came and talked to them. And she liked Ianello, excitable guy, talked to everyone, etc. She is planning to go to a few games.

[Zipsrifle]

Well, the fact that he was holding his daughter immediately after practice is a good sign for me! I can't imagine how much time these guys dedicate to their craft and how much the families sacrifice. It would be much easier to ignore the kid while you do an interview, but he instead makes time for her right there during an interview. I'm a family first kind of guy so I really liked that, especially since I have a daughter about that age. I'm trying not to judge the guy in any aspect until he has a chance to show me what he's capable of.

[g-mann17]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck. Maybe that's unfair from just watching YouTube videos and having never met the guy (which is kind of hard when he cancels events to connect with the alumni), but I usually get a pretty good sense of people just from observing them. I can see why a lot of players have had problems with him. J.D. may have failed as a coach, but he was always a very sincere and caring guy that obviously put a lot of stock in his relationships with people. Lee Owens was the same way. I guess none of this will matter if the guy wins, but I'm just making the observation that he seems like a real douche bag. Douche bags that lose don't last as long as nice guys that lose. I hope Rob realizes that and knows he has to win.

Then why is Doug Martin still at Can't? He's the losing-est douche bag in NCAA.

[K92]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck. Maybe that's unfair from just watching YouTube videos and having never met the guy (which is kind of hard when he cancels events to connect with the alumni), but I usually get a pretty good sense of people just from observing them. I can see why a lot of players have had problems with him. J.D. may have failed as a coach, but he was always a very sincere and caring guy that obviously put a lot of stock in his relationships with people. Lee Owens was the same way. I guess none of this will matter if the guy wins, but I'm just making the observation that he seems like a real douche bag. Douche bags that lose don't last as long as nice guys that lose. I hope Rob realizes that and knows he has to win.

Everybody sees things differently, I guess. I don't detect one iota of douchebaggery. I see a no-nonsense coach who wants to win.

[Zipgrad01]

Ya know watching these videos of Ianello, he really comes off as an arrogant, full of himself, schmuck. Maybe that's unfair from just watching YouTube videos and having never met the guy (which is kind of hard when he cancels events to connect with the alumni), but I usually get a pretty good sense of people just from observing them. I can see why a lot of players have had problems with him. J.D. may have failed as a coach, but he was always a very sincere and caring guy that obviously put a lot of stock in his relationships with people. Lee Owens was the same way. I guess none of this will matter if the guy wins, but I'm just making the observation that he seems like a real douche bag. Douche bags that lose don't last as long as nice guys that lose. I hope Rob realizes that and knows he has to win.

Everybody sees things differently, I guess. I don't detect one iota of douchebaggery. I see a no-nonsense coach who wants to win.

Exactly....I dont look at it as a bad thing that some of the players didnt like his style. The prisoners were running the prison when Brookhart was here. It is natural for them to not like a coach that comes in and clamps things down. Getting results on the field will sway players in the right direction. Everything else falls in line.

[ZachTheZip]

Sunday's training camp report, extra crispy style:

Weren't some of you saying earlier that it wasn't Ianello's job to promote the team and that task should fall on the AD's shoulders? Looks like Ianello's fine with promoting his team when he wants to. Makes you wonder where the golf outing went or the player interviews for the MAC website.

[johnnyzip84]

Sunday's training camp report, extra crispy style:

Weren't some of you saying earlier that it wasn't Ianello's job to promote the team and that task should fall on the AD's shoulders? Looks like Ianello's fine with promoting his team when he wants to. Makes you wonder where the golf outing went or the player interviews for the MAC website.

The following is from the GoZips.com summary.

The final situational play of the day ended up having the most interesting outcome as Nicely connected on a deep ball with freshman tight end Jon Root on the right side of the field after perfectly selling a play action.

That's got to put a smile on the good doctor's face

[ZachTheZip]

Rasor stopped by camp today. Some info we haven't heard yet.

[Zipsrifle]

I'm loving these videos. Great job whoever thought of doing this!

[johnnyzip84]

Rasor stopped by camp today. Some info we haven't heard yet.

For those who have blogs blocked at work.

Camp notebook – August 8

by MRASOR on AUGUST 8, 2010

in FOOTBALL

Football

I dropped by practice today and spoke with coach Rob Ianello. My notes follow…

This was the fourth of 30 practices in August for the Zips. They won't be in full pads until tomorrow.

I made a conclusion while watching. Here are the premises that led to it: 1) Patrick Nicely looks great. 2) Nicely is a pro-style pocket passer. 3) Matt Rodgers looked just OK in pocket passing situations, like you normally see when players don't wear pads. 4) Rodgers' greatest asset (his scrambling) is jeopardized by his serious knee injury. 5) Ianello runs a pro-style offense. … Now here is my conclusion: Nicely will have to really blow it this month not to be the starter.

Nicely hit Jeremy LaFrance in stride on a beautiful post pass. By the end, LaFrance went for about 50 yards. Not surprisingly, Ianello is happy with LaFrance's work so far. The question will be, can a few other receivers step up to give Nicely other options. Ianello mentioned that Jalil Carter and Gary Pride also are part of his top three. "Carter is a better player than he was in the spring," the coach added. Anthony Meriwether will play, too, but he was set back by a hamstring injury in the spring.

On the injury front, there is one important piece of news: Broderick Alexander is out for the year with a torn Achilles' tendon. He will redshirt. In the spring, he had a freak injury to his pectoral muscle while lifting weights. Having just recovered from that, Alexander tore the Achilles before camp began while running. He started the later games last season as a true freshman.

Luckily for Akron, Alex Allen is churning at top capacity. Nate Burney, too, is earning praise from Ianello. Allen broke through the defense on two long runs while I was there. Burney and Larry Dawson also had carries deep into the secondary.

Mike Ward (OL) and James Harvey (DL) both had their knees cleaned out recently. They should be back soon, though.

Tight end Rhyne Ladrach looked good today. He caught two balls in traffic. The sophomore appears to have good hands. Akron hasn't had much tight end production since the Merce Poindexter/Kris Kasparek years. I was surprised to see that Will Fleming has been moved from linebacker to tight end.

It was another tight end who was involved in the last (and most fascinating) play of the day. Jon Root, a freshman, found himself wide open. He caught the ball 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. He ran for 30 more yards until a cadre of defenders brought him down like a wildebeest on the African plains. Root coughed up the ball and the group of defenders aimlessly tried to scoop it up (rather than just falling on it, like TV analysts always preach). This gave freshman fullback Austin Bailey a chance to catch up to the pack. He snatched the ball and rumbled to the goal line before he was tripped up. Coach Ianello pointed to this play as an example of execution needing to tighten up. Today "wasn't as crisp as I had hoped for," he said.

On the whole, Ianello has been "impressed" with team effort. He has liked the front seven on defense, as well as the running game.

Three players who signed in February are not here. Zach D'Orazio (QB), Marvin Staten (RB), and Carl Washington (DB) will not enroll until January. The NCAA gives players five years to play four from the moment they enroll full-time in college. By not enrolling until January, these three players delay the clock from ticking.

Four scholarship players will take their place. One is Antoine Russell, a true freshman receiver who signed late. I don't know much about him, except that he made it a mission to be the fastest in post-practice sprints. The second is Jawon Chisholm, a 6-foot running back from Harrisburg, Pa. Chisholm did not have any other scholarship offers. Like Russell, he signed later. The third is Marquelo Suel, a 6-3 juco wide receiver who signed this June. Suel, whom Scout.com calls "one of the more explosive juco wideouts in the country," has three years left to play two.

The fourth is the most intriguing. Oren Wilson is a defensive tackle transfer from Michigan State. He started 12 games last season for the Spartans. He will have one year remaining after he sits out per transfer rules in 2010. He is transferring because of an incident before Michigan State's 2009 bowl game that landed him 21 days of jail time. This article suggests that Wilson wanted to return, but Spartans coach Mike Dantonio said otherwise.

Last month, I got on Ianello's case for not connecting with fans. He took a great step in the right direction by starting a Twitter account that he updates quite frequently. Click here to view it.

I plan to report from a few more practices in the coming weeks. In the mean time…

[Zips Win!]

Thanks for the update Mike.

The videos are ok and the Twitter issue is a waste. Who cares?

Let the real fans go to practice and watch it live...not some Twitter update.

[goodthts]

Thanks for the update Mike.

The videos are ok and the Twitter issue is a waste. Who cares?

Let the real fans go to practice and watch it live...not some Twitter update.

Easy there! Some of us cannot make it down to Akron on a weekday to watch practice. Some of us actually use Twitter as an effective commuication tool to keep up on our favorites things (college sports, microbreweries, music). Just because YOU don't see Twitter as a worthwhile form of communication, do not critique those of us who use it to keep informed about our team.

-End of rant.

[johnnyzip84]

Another report from camp. Monday was the 1st day in full pads.

GoZips Link

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron football team completed its fifth practice of preseason camp on Monday at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field, but the first with players wearing full pads. The session was one of 30 leading up to the season opener at home against Big East opponent Syracuse on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

Multiple highlights came from both sides of the ball today.

In an 11-on-11 situation, quarterback Matt Rodgers completed a 30-yard pass to tight end Mike Polinski down the near sideline, while quarterback Patrick Nicely and tight end Anthony Ritossa connected on a 40-yard pass play during an 11-on-11 session. Also during 11-on-11, running back Jawon Chisholm tallied a 30-plus yard scamper, the biggest run play of the afternoon.

The defense pushed back plenty, with linebacker Troy Gilmer picking off a pass during 7-on-7, and corner back Manley Waller did the same during 11-on-11 drills. Safety L.T. Smith earned the defense its third INT of the day. Smith was listed at the wide receiver position entering camp, but has been moved to the other side of the ball.

"Today was our best practice by far," first-year head coach Rob Ianello said. "The defense won some, the offense won some, and I really liked the tempo."

Practice ended with T.J. Marchese converting a 45-yard field goal. Ianello set up the scenario and as Marchese lined up for his attempt called a timeout. Despite being "iced," Marchese split the uprights at the south end of the venue.

On Tuesday, the Zips will have their first two-a-day, with both a morning and evening practice on the schedule.

Maybe Marchese has the early lead in the PK derby?

Also, with Broderick Alexander out for the year, wouldn't it be great if the Zips struck gold with the true FR RB Chisolm? No wonder the coaching staff was so eager to get this kid in here. I'm curious that we've heard no mention of Giorgio Bowers yet?

[ZachTheZip]

I've heard that a lot of talent that was stuck on the bench under Brookhart is challenging for starting spots this year, like Gary Pride. We could be a more talented a team than last year on the field despite having largely the same roster.