Friday Night's Affair

[Z-P]

Want an opinion? Mine suitable? No?

Too bad, here it is anyway.

The Evening…..once again, the Boss, UAM, just everybody on the support staff showed why we sluggies rave about them. They’re doing a “Big 10†job with a McDonalds budget in the face of less than stellar offering of student and community support. You guys and gals are the greatest. Your work is surely noticed (by those who you want it to be noticed by) and greatly appreciated by the small but committed UA Alum Community (like ZipBoy, ZFF, Cap’n and others). You are sooooooo close to blowing this deal up…..I keep thinking about what our achievable 10-2 season last year could have meant.

The Play……..2 quick things……as I write this in Word, surely somebody else has posted something, so I apologize if I’m redundant. If I miss complimenting some of you guys who played so well, I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m not in my “ Full Football†mode yet, and I’ll prop you later.

Jerrell did a nice job. He runs “low†and we haven’t seen that out of our rushing game (you know, the rushing game we didn’t employ last season?) in the past 5 or 6 years. Jimmy Gray used to run low, but he took off like a jet when he spotted a crack. Vince did a nice job also.

Jay Rohr……real glad to see him starting. Mark T., glad to see him on the field a lot also. He looks to me like he could become a special teams all star, and we really need one or two of those.

Big Bad Dan looked good, and so did his little brother. Nice squeeze on that tight ball in the endzone.

The real wake up call :blink: for me and ZFF (who I enjoyed the scrim with) was the play of Jabari. Who the hell said he couldn’t throw? Dummy. He’s got a huuuuuuuge gun. I think downfield, he’s longer than Superman (squz me guys if I’m wrong, it’s just an opinion based on 45 minutes of spring ball). He’s accurate, and I was impressed at the way he positioned his throws to limit any potential disasters. I’m betting (I don’t know the young man personally) that he’s a real smart young man………..he really impressed me………….however, it was mostly 2’s on 2’s for his action. We felt bad for Ferggy, because with the exception of limited time he didn’t see the field until the end of the 3rd quarter, and by that time the coaches wanted to run mostly.

I like Dom as a receiver and punt return specialist. But then I’d probably like Dom in any position he occupied on the Football Field or any athletic venue for that matter. He went upstairs and pulled down a bad throw from Charlie that really wowed the stands. PA man gave credit to the wrong receiver. To me, none of the other receivers stood out (as yet)………..I like BBD’s hands (Big Bad Dan).

ZFF and I were going crazy pointing out how sooooo many guys have trimmed waaaaay down for the season. Examples……we could see Big Red’s belt for the first time in history (Justin Hein, the mountain). Jimmy B looked tight, BBD was trim (must be a new chick in his life), Charlie was pumped up :blink: (what, + 15lbs maybe?) Just everybody. They looked great. Another thing, how big was Donaldson’s injury to us last year? Man oh man could we have used him. Nice seeing him back in action.

About this Jabari deal……….remember when I called for him to start the Marshall game last year? I was screaming for The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to come to the rescue. Charlie had been injured the game before (Uconn) and even though he’s a warrior, he could have used a rest (and there was no way Bobby P could have prepared for a QB he’d never seen before)………on top of that, Marshall wanted to hurt Charlie because of what happened to Byron L at the bowl the year before. But all of that made too much sense, I guess and that’s why I’m not the coach………anyway, Bobby P knew Charlie was hurting, so he concentrated on shutting 42 down (who had killed him in the two previous games. In the one the year before, Bobby ate the ball for 50 yards and 10 minutes of the 4th Qtr to lock up the win)………….anyway, once the rushing game was gone, Charlie didn’t have enough in his tank that night to get anything done. Pruett called off the dogs in the second half (IMHO because he liked LO) and we lost 42-24…………..the score could have been 142-24. Trust me I was there. My point is this, I wanted Jabari to start that game. I think he is just that good. I think this guy has a huuuuuuuge career coming……. .and I feel a little sorry for Ferggy.

Last night, Jabari actually looked sharper than Charlie, but there’s no way………day in and day out anybody in the College Game can be better than #5.

Other Observations………I’m gunna get flack for this but I just have to dump my bucket………it’s early enough, so maybe it can become a bit of a positive push in the right direction.

OK, so why couldn’t JD jog over to the PA last night, and thank the 500 or so fans for coming? I mean, what are we talking about here, maybe 180 seconds of time? I’m getting the DISTINCT impression he doesn’t understand where he is working now. :angry: I‘ll explain.

This is not Pittsbugh, C/State or the Denver Broncos. He has a very small and somewhat fragile fan/booster base here. It’s so small, they don’t even publish it for anyone to see. The Boss and UAM kicked butt to get those few folks out last night, and I didn’t see JD do anything to acknowledge it. JD, when you turn around and look up into the stands at the 8,000 people attending the MTSU game, and the 3,500 at the Buffalo game (your first two home contests) you will wish you would have taken the time to shake each person’s hand in the stands last night so they would have brought 2 or 3 friends to see you play in the fall.

You’re not getting to your support community. I’m in it, trust me when I advise you of that. I know, you are new around here. We know that. It’s tough…………..but the little things pay big dividends. Want to see a cat getting it done? Look at Kieth D. Now, having said that, I’m going to crack on myself and say a 11-0 season will take care of all that……………right. But don’t waste precious moments The Boss and Staff provide you with like last night. Help UAM help you.

And another thing……….with the exception of Jud Cummins who was at an Indians game, ALL the graduating guys were at YOUR scrimmage last night to show support for YOU and YOUR program, not theirs. ALL OF THEM. THEY ALL STOOD TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE ON THE WHITE SIDE OF THE FIELD EXPECTING SOMEONE, ANYONE TO COME SAY HELLO. They stood there for at least 40 minutes, all in a group. Cherry was back from Chicago, Bates was there, Irv, Marques from Detroit, all of them. NOBODY FROM YOUR STAFF TOOK EVEN A MEASILY 1 MINUTE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM.

You’ve got a business background so I assume you know the importance of overall management a Head Coach must do.

That’s all. Just a little spanking. Go be 11-0 and kick me in the shins.

ILFSITF

[Zips4life]

I'll agree with you that Jabari looked sharp last night. When Charlie leaves, I think it's safe to say, we are not going to have too huge of a dropoff at the quarterback position. The guy is faster than Charlie and I'll agree with you, he might have a better deep ball and as strong of an arm. What he might lack is Charlie's competitive fire and knowledge of the game and ability to react to what's around him. That's what makes Charlie a special quarterback.

I watched Chase Blackburn alot at his end spot last night and I was pretty unimpressed. I thought his backup, Sutton, looked better than him coming off the edge and Chase needs to be back at linebacker where he belongs. I also thought Diontre Earl had a pretty mediocre scrimmage, but he's coming off an injury from early spring. Rohr looked the best of the linebackers to me, Dion Elie looked good in the secondary, and I was impressed with Jermaine Reid's play along the line....he could definately be a force up front with his size and speed. Lefall looked like his same old self, looking great on some plays, but taking others off and getting his ass kicked. I don't think he'll ever develop into the great player, or "next Jason Taylor" that we were all hoping for because he simply lacks the dedication and mental toughness.

Our biggest problem based on what I saw may be the recievers. Let's face it, Charlie has had one of the best corps in the MAC the past few falls, and this year we are hurting. Not alot of size, no guys with great hands, and I also saw a stunning inability to adjust to the ball, something guys like Cherry and Miquel made into an artform. I hope Chuck gets those guys on the field alot this summer and teaches them how to catch what he throws to them.

Overall though, it looks like we're on the right track. It's too early to tell, and I want to see the scrimmage next Saturday, but I think we are fielding a better team and better coached team then we had last fall.

[Z-P]

I meant to drop this in before and forgot.........

ZFF and I were in agreement that the scrim was "rough" compared to years past. If we had the same staff back, the team would be running known plays, and would look sharper. As is now, they are learning, and hense looked a little ragged at times. I hope that's why the blitzing worked, because if not, we're gunna need two QB's.

I'll take "rough" at this time of year anyday, knowing the product on the field by mid season will be different than last year. ZFF agreed.

ILFSITF

[zipboy]

Great posts. ZP, I meant to stop by later, but could not find you. I now know what ZFF looks like at least from the back side! My thoughts on the scrimmage.

1. Zips are a work in progress. The scrimmage was rough, lots of offsides, etc. That does not worry me much either at this point.

2. Particulary noticeable, was the struggles by the offense and Charlie with the receivers. If there is 1 thing that I know will get better over the summer, it is those guys getting on the same page. Hixon is still learning the position, but he is the best athlete on the team, is smart, is a hard worker, and has a guy who developed 2 of the best receivers in college football. He is a playmaker. Goodwin and Garrison looked nice as well. I assume that Mo and Jason Montgomery were hurt? We will be ok at receiver.

3. Zips should run the ball better. Jerell looked good, this JUCO kid may add something, I like Vince Vaughn, and one of the FR may contribute. The bigger thing is having #5 under center more which will help the running game. No one replaces Hendry and we need these guys to protect #5, but there is more talent here than I thought.

4. Gut feel from 90 minutes of scrimmage, the O won't put up the gawdy numbers like the last 2 years, but they will be able to get a first down on 3rd and 2, they will be able to score better in the red zone, and they will be able to run out the clock at the end of the game. I think the O Line will be a strength this year.

5. Jabarri looked good. He is the heir apparant.

6. #2 O was way better than #2 D. #1 D was a little better than #1 O.

7. I was encouraged by the D. Our secondary looked good. I love Reggie Corner and Dionte Henry. Dion Elie played well. The D line is small. I don't know if our running game is better because the D line is small or because the O Line returned to their punishing style. I suspect a little of both. Zips will blitz and camoflauge things. Again based on 90 minutes of scrimmage, I think the D will be much better and much better agains the pass. Teams will be able to run on us. But if the league is as wide open as in past years, that may not be bad. I think the D improves to 7th or 8th in the league.

8. I like Fleming's comment, I want the best 11 guys on the field. Good to see Jay Rohr on the field. I never understood why he and Henry did not play more last year.

9. Just an observation, Fleming did not single out Chase when talking about who played well over spring ball. He definitely did not shine as usual last night. New postion, is he hurt, guys keying on him?

10. Mike Berry is raw. He is quick and if he fills out, could be a player.

11. It was nice to see Charlie throw the deep ball.

12. Virtually no big plays given up by the D. They made the O work.

13. On Goodwin's first TD, Nelson (#3) and someone else got beat. Zips coach I think Alford pulled him over, put his arm around him and talked about what he did wrong. Nice piece of coaching. And he took the time to talk to a kid that probably won't play much.

14. Where was Jino and Ageyman?

15. Zips look like a close bunch. No one has quit with the transition, guys looked eager to learn, there are a lot of high quality guys in the programs, guys you want to see suceed.

Overall, I am encouraged. I think the Zips are much better in week 4 than in week 1. A lot of work ahead, but the future is bright. ZP, I agree about JD connecting not only with the community but also with the former players. Not so much me, but he should have acknowledged the seniors who showed up last night..

[zipper]

Z-P, I'm not going to give you flack, but if you'd hung around awhile you'd have heard JD come to the mic, in the dark, to thank the crowd for coming.

My guess is that due to the lights blowing with two minutes left in the game - it threw him off a little. Just an FYI.

[Guest Zipsapaloosa]

The defense looked rough last night because they did not run the new system. The coaches do not want to show the new stuff in the Spring. Akron is not running a 4-3 or 5-2 set, which is what they played for most of last night's affair.

The receivers are awful. There is a reason why none of the guys still on the team caught more than 15 balls last season. Cherry, Sparks, Irvin and Brake were better. The lack of any depth now is a shining light on the piss poor recruiting done by the former staff in the receiver category. Hopefully there are some true freshmen ready to step up. It obviously will not take much to take away any time from the returnees. Goodwin is a mite, but has great speed. He may be able to do something on special teams. Hixson looked average - but still not near the same level as last year's corps of catchers.

In talking with some of the fellas after the game the consensus was that they were really being pushed more from the the new staff. We'll see come fall. I don't expect much from the scrimmage at the Rubber Bowl next week. I hope no one gets hurt. Both Toledo and Bowling Green have lost players in their Spring Games.

[zff]

My @ cents about last night by position:

QB:

Charlie is the man for next year but last night he was not the best QB on the field.

Jabari was awesome. The pass of the night was Jabari running to his left and threw a 30 - 40 yard pass across his body. The pass was a BB and the Pichardo made a great diving catch. Perfect throw perfect catch. Might I add that Pichardo can move down the field. BOth QB's looked very god running the ball. The Zips are set at this position and for several years. Freguson looked ok but with the lack of reps it is hard to be effective. Overall Charlie looked good he ahd some great pass and some bad passes but he will be the man come Sept 4th. I hope Penn State is ready!!!

RB:

I saw Hendry last night the bad news he was night on the field. Sorry I have been watching him play for the last 8 years so please forgive me if I am sad not to see him on the field. War Vikings.

Ok now to the guys on the field. Jerell looked very good last night. He ran low and hard and made some nice moves, He will be fine. So who else is left......

Vaughns looked good, the few runshe got. He was great quickness and made some nice moves. Nedd showed some speed to get to the corners. I don't kn ow if any body elsecan set up and see the field. Berchie could be a spot guy but I don't know about 20 -25 carries a game. They need the juco or a frosh to step up and be a solid backup.

WR & TE:

Last year we had three special WR's. It is not very often a team has three top notch WR on the field at once. We were spoiled. I don't expect for any of the current guys to match their level of play but I do expect the current guys to play hard and get better every week.

Hixon is a playa. He will get better every day and by seasons end he will be top notch.

Goodwin caught some nice balls. He is going to strech the field next year.

Josh Smith is a big kid with good hands he may be a good hands man on third downs.

Mo E DNP He will help out next year as well.

Basch and Pichardo played very well. I hope the new O uses the TE more. Both Guys can run down the field well.

OL:

Very strong and aggresive. THey blew open some big holes for the RB. All the guys looked to be better in shape as ZP said. This unit could be very strong next year and be a huge plus for the Zips.

Overall the offense looked good. For learning a new system and only being on the field a few weeks they have a good graps of the new scheme. But the more they practice the beeter they will be come.

Now to the defense. This was what I have been waiting to see. Now as Zipsapaloosa pointed out this was not the new scheme but still I saw some new things. They blitzed and blitzed and even blitzed some more. Very Nice!! . They all ran to the ball and make soild tackles.

Here are 5 points I saw with the defense:

1. To me Chase was frustrated. Now I know they really did not run the new D bu I hipe they have some special things planned for him. They need to get him open to rush the QB and make plays on D. He can not be wasted just as a DE.

2. Mike Berry is going to be a player. He is big and quick. Two years out of football he is going to be rusty but HE should be up to speed by mid to late season.

3. Bryan Howe made some play last night. Big Strong local kid. Look for him to push Earl for palying time.

4. The Dline got pushed around last night. To many big running plays. If they are going to go with the smaller DT they need to shoot the gaps rather than play the bigger lineman striaght up. And I am sure the coaches know this.

5. LeFall need to be there every play. He could be all MAC and maybe more but his motor needs to running all the time and every play. Come #6 you got the skills use em.

Thanks to my buddy ZP for making the night great. One of the best people to watch a football game with.

Overall the Zips loked good for this early in the season. I think the attitude and mind set are there for them to keep getting better and better. Ithink they will be ready come Sept. 4th.

[GoZips]

HEY, YOU, DUFUS ...!!! Yeah, the one with the orange and purple hair. Where do you get off calling me a "dummy" for reporting exactly what I saw?

Jabari has at times looked down right AWFUL with his throws in practice. Didn't I also comment that I thought this could be corrected by the coaching staff? Well, didn't I?

Sorry, but one performance against who, one of the worst defenses in college football, doesn't make the kid the second coming of Warren Moon. Perhaps it will bolster his

ego or with luck actually improve his game.

You want to start him in place of lack luster Charlie (the real deal) Frye based on one

performance against who? Oh, yeah, that's another thing. Let's blow off the kid's red-shirt year late in the season because by some golly gee whiz miracle he'll step up and single handedly beat Marshall. Hey, Hula Zip, and you thought I was a homer ...!!!

[Z-P]

nm

[ZipDude]

Oops flame war beginning

Thank you for the reports ,,,, all of you. wish I could have been there. I will see you next Saturday. Padre, I know what you are saying and I fee your pain brother, trust me.

I heard 78 went to the Tribe game because for one he had ducats behind home plate and two he felt ignored by the new regieme (coaching staff) I guess it s hard to give your mind body and soul to something for 5 years and then poof....... gone you are a "personna non gratia" Oh well, WTF its only college football, its only 5 years, . I'm not a very good cynic.

I wish them the very best luck .