Captain Kangaroo Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 In a nutshell: Akron needs another year before leaping into the postseason. For one – and this most of all – the Zips remain mired in a rut at several personnel groupings. Consider the offensive line, terrible a season ago and perhaps worse in 2014, barring some sort of lights-on moment from the majority of the returning two-deep.Our offensive line wasn't that bad last season. I have no idea where this guy got his information.Take a look at the secondary, which loses a stopper in Freeman and returns no single player capable of replicating his impact in the passing game.GivensIn addition, there's always the chance that the non-seniors play beyond their years and relative inexperience; Pohl, Pratt, Pittman, Grice and Cheek could find a groove ahead of schedule, lifting Akron past the five-win mark. I'd cautiously suggest these projected starters could use more seasoning.Pohl..Grice...Cheek needs more seasoning? Seriously?Most of the article was good, at least as MAC previews go. But the guy obviously made a few things up when he was too lazy to research it.I see the Zips at 6-6 this year. Perhaps 7-5 if a game-breaker emerges on offense. Perhaps 5-7 if Pohl misses any appreciable time at QB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 Our offensive line wasn't that bad last season. I have no idea where this guy got his information.The OL play wasn't bad if you look at it in a vacuum, but having two QBs hobbled by injury and a group of RBs that could never hit the open holes made the OL look like they weren't very good. If Chisholm would just learn to commit to running straight without stutter-stepping, or trying to run some kind of slow sweep, the OL would look great. It wasn't their fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 Pohl..Grice...Cheek needs more seasoning? Seriously?It's MAC thinking and I'm glad to see it drives someone other than me insane. I'd dare say 80% of this board thinks the same way. This is D-1A football, not high school. Players shouldn't be slowly developed so their senior year they can make an impact. It should be the expectation that a player take a big leap in development after his freshman year. A guy like Pohl should be just about as good as he is ever going to be right now. There is always room for improvement, but a guy like him should be close to the finished product by now and with his experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 It's MAC thinking and I'm glad to see it drives someone other than me insane. I'd dare say 80% of this board thinks the same way. This is D-1A football, not high school. Players shouldn't be slowly developed so their senior year they can make an impact. It should be the expectation that a player take a big leap in development after his freshman year. A guy like Pohl should be just about as good as he is ever going to be right now. There is always room for improvement, but a guy like him should be close to the finished product by now and with his experience. Yes. By the time a player is a junior, they should be at at least 90% of the way through their "development" as a college player. Especially if they've already seen significant playing time, and especially if they've had the same coaching staff for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 Agree with both of you. There are players on this roster who need "seasoning"...they're mostly freshman. Those that haven't been producing who are upper classmen, are simply never going to. OSU and all the other big schools get that, MAC should too. The improvement that we should expect to see is that more dynamic playbook we saw from Bowden's first year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a-zip Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 I give some of the upperclassmen a break because they have been through so much chaos and turnover in their careers here - I actually commend them for even staying. If their development is not where some of you would like it to be, think about what these guys have been through. I totally expect that to change now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 The juniors have only ever had Bowden's coaching staff during their playing career. They had Ianello for one season if they redshirted, but that's it. Is it really that much to expect them to be pretty far along with their development? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a-zip Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 The juniors have only ever had Bowden's coaching staff during their playing career. They had Ianello for one season if they redshirted, but that's it. Is it really that much to expect them to be pretty far along with their development?Making a blanket statement that all of the players have not developed is not accurate because many have. This program has been a mess for a long time with coaches and players coming in and out. And some of the players simply do not have that high a ceiling because….lets face it, iCoach did not exactly get the cream of the crop, and many left the program. Our current team has been put together with bandaids of transfers and young players. One of the big hurdles that had to be instilled is a winning attitude (which I believe is growing). The development was amazing last year as evidenced by our record and close calls against really good teams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJGood Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I could see it happening but certainly hoping it doesn't. That's a tough OOC schedule. But I found the preview to be pretty straightforward, honest and accurate with a definite element of hope to it. I thought it was well done.So many seem to think 1-3 is a foregone conclusion. I think the Zips are very capable of winning any one of the three with Pitt, Penn State, and Marshall. I think Akron can trade punches with Pitt, it will be a serious trap game for PSU, and Marshall can be stopped if you can slow down their QB (easier said than done). I ceratinly wouldn't be betting that Akron will be 4-0 or even 3-1 heading into MAC play but I see 2-2 as very realistic even if 1-3 is what is expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Marshall reminds me a lot of Michigan last season. Stop their QB, and you have a chance. They'll be over-confident and under-talented at many positions, but they have a playmaker at QB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Marshall reminds me a lot of Michigan last season. Stop their QB, and you have a chance. They'll be over-confident and under-talented at many positions, but they have a playmaker at QB.Plus a stud receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 How much more would it take the Universe to implode if Akron went 4-0 in OOC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 How much more would it take the Universe to implode if Akron went 4-0 in OOC It would depend on the gravitational pull of the four turds our opponents left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 It would depend on the gravitational pull of the four turds our opponents left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 The only way the Zips win is when our opponents lay turds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hah, they can lay as many turds as they want...if it means we go 4-0... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-rankings-predictions-97-akron-zips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hah, they can lay as many turds as they want...if it means we go 4-0... If we go 4 - 0, I think the Catch of the Day would be Nittany Lion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K92 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Shittany Lions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Shittany Lions.Motif works for the Thundering Turd and Outhouse Pitt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2014/06/penn_state_to_pay_umass_and_ak.htmlBoth Akron and UMass are getting payed $850,000 to play in Happy Valley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Take the money and run...with a win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 IMO there is a very disturbing fact that often gets overlooked:it would need to sell...roughly just 3,900 student ticket packages which run $218 for a season. It's criminal for students to be paying that much for season tickets to THEIR OWN TEAM'S games. Ridiculous. I'm so glad it's much easier to be an Alumni of a smaller D-1 school. Wake up people, you're being hosed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 218 for 7 home games.. What, 31ish per game? Hardly outlandish. If anything, they can immediately re-sell them, they're worth more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 IMO there is a very disturbing fact that often gets overlooked:It's criminal for students to be paying that much for season tickets to THEIR OWN TEAM'S games. Ridiculous. I'm so glad it's much easier to be an Alumni of a smaller D-1 school. Wake up people, you're being hosed.Agreed. Unfortunately, they are getting hosed for a lot more than football tickets these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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