Video Reports From Spring Practices

[Dr Z]

From Spring Football Central, iCoach does an ad for Zips Live & the Tap House. He also hopes you go to the spring game on the 16th.

Zips have practice #5 today.

[Blue & Gold]

Did anyone catch ZipsLive last night? If so, what did Tom Lemming (sp?) have to say? Thanks in advance!

[Dr Z]

Is everybody getting pumped for today's practice report? Anybody want to venture what we learn?

[K92]

Is everybody getting pumped for today's practice report? Anybody want to venture what we learn?

Do you think it might be "Blah blah ba blah blah sprited blah blah ba blah blah enthusiastic blah blah ba blah blah shortage of linemen"? Bet I'm close.

[UA Fan]

Is everybody getting pumped for today's practice report? Anybody want to venture what we learn?

I learned that 5 practices have now been completed, 1/3 of spring camp. Snow showers forced the practice indoors but it was still spirited and lively. We worked on short yardage and goal line situations. We ran 16 live plays and are making progress, although we are still green. 2 player names were mentioned at the end of this informative report but I could not believe iCoach exposed that sensitive information on the internet and I will not be so reckless as to repeat them here..

[Dr Z]

Sounds like we have "spirited" down already in practice five.

PS I wanted to put up this interview yesterday before it was released, but Xtranormal is charging now. I think it used to be free.

This is an easy SNL skit. Writes itself.

[InTheZone]

One good thing about JD, he was usually pretty blunt and open in his assessments of the team. You learned a lot when he spoke. Ianello speaks in hyperbole and is a giant bs artist.

[Zipmeister]

Sounds like we have "spirited" down already in practice five.

PS I wanted to put up this interview yesterday before it was released, but Xtranormal is charging now. I think it used to be free.

This is an easy SNL skit. Writes itself.

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that this update included no face touching or nose pulling.

[Dr Z]

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that this update included no face touching or nose pulling.

One coming out later today. Maybe we start having prop bets on the video

Does iCoach say the word "spirited" more or touch his face more on Friday's video.

Does iCoach reference the weather.

Will he be wearing a whistle.

Will he say "we are getting better every day"

What am I missing?

[UA Fan]

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that this update included no face touching or nose pulling.

One coming out later today. Maybe we start having prop bets on the video

Does iCoach say the word "spirited" more or touch his face more on Friday's video.

Does iCoach reference the weather.

Will he be wearing a whistle.

Will he say "we are getting better every day"

What am I missing?

Player names mentioned over/under = 2.5

[Dr Z]

Player names mentioned over/under = 2.5

Put me down for the under.

[UA Fan]

Player names mentioned over/under = 2.5

Put me down for the under.

Alright, I'll take the over, lord help me..

[ZachTheZip]

These videos are infinitely more watchable with YT's new "1911" button.

[Dr Z]

Player names mentioned over/under = 2.5

Put me down for the under.

Alright, I'll take the over, lord help me..

I counted zero names...Winner winner SHEEN dinner! On a side note, we were not "spirited" Friday!?!?

[Captain Kangaroo]

No Zips information again....guess it's time to start talking about Tressel's latest scandal.

[Hilltopper]

No Zips information again....guess it's time to start talking about Tressel's latest scandal.

He gotta be careful, someone might be trying to steal our gameplan!

[skip-zip]

Oh my gosh! They got him to mention some names in Report #7

[johnnyzip84]

Here are Rasor's comments from Practice #7. There are some nice details in here finally. Nice job, Mike!!

Football

My notes from Saturday’s practice are below…

– Talkin’ quarterbacks

I got a good look at incoming transfer Clayton Moore, whom many believe is the frontrunner to start at quarterback. I saw some good and some bad. He threw a strike to Marquelo Suel across the middle for a touchdown. On another series of plays, he showed a good deal of inexperience in accounting for where the safeties were roaming. On play 1, Moore ignored the safety blitz. If not for the protections afforded by Moore’s red jersey, L.T. Smith would have scrambled his eggs and jogged into the other endzone with the fumbled football. One play 2, Doug Richardson should have intercepted a pass deep over the middle. On play 3, Smith nearly picked off a ball thrown to the sideline.

“What I’m looking for is managing the team, managing the operation — whether it’s the corner blitz, safety blitz,” Ianello said. “Then you have to move the team. I thought all three of them at times did that, and all three of them at times gave us a chance to coach.”

The staff required that Patrick Nicely study massive amounts of tape from last season, honing into what made each snap a success and each snap a failure. “Like anyone out here, every position has to get better,” Ianello said.

Zach D’Orazio looked sharp as the third quarterback. There is no “inside information” to this, but I would like to see D’Orazio get an honest evaluation to start. If you look at the past history of the MAC, naming a freshman as the starting QB has often been the impetus for a mini three- or four-year dynasty. Maybe D’Orazio is nowhere near ready. And if that’s the case, you obviously shouldn’t retard your entire offense’s development just to get a freshman quarterback on the field.

But Akron’s offense really has nowhere to go but up. So why not give him a serious look?

– Talkin’ running backs

Establishing an every-down running back will be critical for Akron this fall. Three players got the carries on Saturday. They were also the only three tailbacks on the roster. But each had his moments.

Broderick Alexander is the known quantity. He had a solid finish to 2009 (54 yards on 10 carries vs. EMU) before missing all of 2010 with a torn Achilles’ tendon. Generally, you want to be careful before raising expectations for someone returning from a serious injury like that, but Alexander looked to be at full strength on Saturday. He plowed into the endzone on one play. Later, he gained a good deal of yards after the catch on a Moore pass.

The other backs in camp are freshmen Jawon Chisholm and Marvin Staten. Staten is a speedy, shifty back. Chisholm finished Saturday’s scrimmage with a spinning dive into the endzone.

“They are the three tailbacks until the reinforcements come in the summer,” Ianello said. “I was pleased with those three guys. They had some good runs today.”

– The long view

I spoke with a member of the staff who told me that, from last year to this year, there has been a 100 percent difference in the demeanor of the team and demeanor of the coaches.

I saw some signs of that. Ianello and his coaches were not screaming so much. Maybe it’s because there was less cause to scream. Maybe it’s because they feel they can be more effective without it. I do know that “breaking” the Zips into Ianello’s philosophy of harsh discipline was not easy in 2010.

This is a young team. There are 12 seniors, but most of the key components are underclassmen. Becoming younger is truly essential if a program is serious about rebuilding. The worst combination in college football is to be old and bad. That was Akron in 2010. The best players were seniors. Of course, Akron would be better off having Alex Allen, Jalil Carter, Shawn Lemon, Mike Thomas and Jeremy LaFrance back. But, in a way, Akron has to get worse before it can get better.

The team is not going to have much depth, but Ianello seeks to improve on that by having players wear multiple hats. “We are going to have depth by having guys do different things,” Ianello said. For instance, your first-string guard may also be your second-string tackle. The team also plans to do that at receiver and with safeties and cornerbacks.

It’s going to be a long year, in my opinion. But I think fans will forgive a losing record if the Zips are competitive and improving. Having one or two stud young players emerge would also keep the fanbase energized until the team is in position to contend for the MAC Championship.

There is also an open window for Akron to attract more fans in 2011. The NBA and NFL are heading toward lockouts. Jim Tressel is having problems at Ohio State University at Columbus. It’s a chance for the Zips to grab Northeast Ohio’s attention. I just don’t think the talent level is nearly high enough to make a run just yet.

– Miscellany

* Josh Richmond and Antoine Russell are likely the most athletic players on the roster, Ianello said. The coach struggled to say who was his smartest player, but his goal is for the three quarterbacks to share the honor.

* Dylan Potts is now listed as only a receiver, not a quarterback. He looks like he could be a nice possession receiver. I’m sure the offensive coaching staff is cognizant of the benefits of having another player in the huddle who knows the playbook from the passer’s perspective.

* Brad Childress was on the sidelines watching Akron practice. The former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings has been here all weekend to help Ianello with a coaching clinic for high school coaches. Childress was wearing an “Akron Football” hoodie. You can tell he has a good relationship with Ianello. They clearly come from the same school, both figuratively and literally. I can’t imagine Ianello being happy about Brett Favre‘s shenanigans, either.

* The Spring Game will be played Saturday, April 16, 1 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium. That will also conclude formal team practices until the Zips reconvene in August.

[Dr Z]

Thank you Mike, now I learned something.

[GP1]

Here are Rasor's comments from Practice #7. There are some nice details in here finally. Nice job, Mike!!

Football

My notes from Saturday’s practice are below…

– Talkin’ quarterbacks

I got a good look at incoming transfer Clayton Moore, whom many believe is the frontrunner to start at quarterback. I saw some good and some bad. He threw a strike to Marquelo Suel across the middle for a touchdown. On another series of plays, he showed a good deal of inexperience in accounting for where the safeties were roaming. On play 1, Moore ignored the safety blitz. If not for the protections afforded by Moore’s red jersey, L.T. Smith would have scrambled his eggs and jogged into the other endzone with the fumbled football. One play 2, Doug Richardson should have intercepted a pass deep over the middle. On play 3, Smith nearly picked off a ball thrown to the sideline.

Zach D’Orazio looked sharp as the third quarterback. There is no “inside information” to this, but I would like to see D’Orazio get an honest evaluation to start. If you look at the past history of the MAC, naming a freshman as the starting QB has often been the impetus for a mini three- or four-year dynasty. Maybe D’Orazio is nowhere near ready. And if that’s the case, you obviously shouldn’t retard your entire offense’s development just to get a freshman quarterback on the field.

But Akron’s offense really has nowhere to go but up. So why not give him a serious look?

– The long view

This is a young team. There are 12 seniors, but most of the key components are underclassmen. Becoming younger is truly essential if a program is serious about rebuilding. The worst combination in college football is to be old and bad. That was Akron in 2010. The best players were seniors. Of course, Akron would be better off having Alex Allen, Jalil Carter, Shawn Lemon, Mike Thomas and Jeremy LaFrance back. But, in a way, Akron has to get worse before it can get better.

It’s going to be a long year, in my opinion. But I think fans will forgive a losing record if the Zips are competitive and improving. Having one or two stud young players emerge would also keep the fanbase energized until the team is in position to contend for the MAC Championship.

Rasor is an OK writer, but I think he is part of a large group of fans who is in love with the "building process".

How did Nicely look is the question? Is he better or worse. Granted, I don't put much stock in Rasor's evaluation skills, but he is all we have.

It's hard to believe Moore didn't look good at times. After taking a year off, it is hard to look good right away.

Am I the only one who thinks this D'Orazio kid might be the next (pick a player who everyone wanted to see on the field/court until they actually got on the field/court, then they couldn't wait for them to get off the field/court). Of course he looked sharp. He was playing against the #3 guys. Everyone looks good against the #3 guys. Akron's offense has nowhere to go but up, so why not play him? Great idea, we can live the four year building process some more, get stuck with our dicks in our hands after four years and start the "building process" all over again. I don't know it to be true, but Rasor has to be a Browns fan. No thanks. The QB race is against Moore and Nicely. May the best man win. The end.

Rasor always likes to give his long view on things. He's one of those lawyers who thinks that a law degree is a sign of huge intellectual ability. His intellect is probably closer to Michelle Bachmann than William F. Buckley. We have to get worse before we can get better, but we would be better off with the guys from the year before? What kind of gibberish is this? Coach I took a large group of starters last year and made them worse than the year before. We did get worse. Now we have to get even worse? God help us.

As far as his last paragraph, if we are going to get worse, why would a fan feel any energy towards the team at all regardless of a new stud that might be on the team? The five people at the final game won't be able to create enough energy to do......anything. He is completely wrong about this. If Akron is bad, or worse, again this season it will be years before fans turn out again. They have spent millions on new stadiums and fieldhouses while the rest of NE Ohio crumbles. They will have fired a bad coach for a worse one. Nobody will forget that and it will take a long time, if ever, for them to forgive it....just ask the folks who are still mad because they fired Dennison.

Until we are able to contend for a MAC Championship? Mike, you are a reporter. Ask the coach the following question, "Given the ability of many coaches in the MAC to win a championship in their second year, like the guy you replaced, do you think you can win one this season?" Oh, I forgot, we are building, not trying to win games or a championship....it's amazing. Maybe he is positioning himself to be the next Terry Pluto of the ABJ and the Zips can always be the little engine that could. We don't need that type of writing.

[Zips Win!]

A huge Zips fan once told me, "It's hard to be a Zips fan".

It's never been more evident than in this thread.

Fans that give a damn can't see practice, videos that give you no real information are posted like they are doing us a big favor, and then we receive the observations of media members- Rasor and Karman, a noted buckeye honk. Why are these clowns allowed into practice?

I agree with GP1, while I appreciate a little information on the team, Rasor is a builder. If we have to get worse before we get better, lord help us all. How is getting worse even a possibility? It's the MAC for crying out loud....

[Dr Z]

Here are Rasor's comments from Practice #7. There are some nice details in here finally. Nice job, Mike!!

He threw a strike to Marquelo Suel across the middle for a touchdown.

One of the most positive things I read. I think a lot of our QB's success may depend on Suel being a player.

[ZachTheZip]

iCoach passes the torch.

I get the feeling that the reason the vids are so non-informative is that they're heavily edited. We don't hear the questions from the interviewer and there's probably more info that doesn't make the cut. I don't understand why they do this. YT doesn't have a 2 minute time limit or anything.

[Dr Z]

Different coach, same lack of info.

[Zips Win!]

At least we get a weather update from the Info with every practice release...