Offense, Offense, Offense, Offense

[GP1]

Didn't see the game, thank God. Two things stick out to me from afar.First, it appears as if Temple waited until the fourth quarter to open the flood gates on the 3-3-5 defense. Most teams do this in the third quarter, but Temple waited. Giving up 21 points in one quarter is inexcusable and we seem to do it too much. I hate to call the 3-3-5 "junk" as it gives the word "junk" a bad name, but that defense is JUNK. However, I can't blame this game on the defense. Given how horrible of a defense it is, 24 points is not much to give up. Even a prevent defense should not give up 21 points in a quarter so the problem is much greater than they seem to want to admit.Secondly, if the other team scores, 41 we had better score at least 42, if they score 24 we had better score at least 25, etc. I know its obvious, but there is a point. The point is that the first three quarters the defense did their job and the offense did not. Akron had two field goals...why not touchdowns? Why not a single point in the fourth? The offense is on the field to win the game, the defense is on the field to put the offense in position to win the game. What most of you never understood during the Owens's years is the offense needs to do enough, and whatever it takes to win the game, not just enough to lose.Sticking with point #2, the Browns have figured it out. They put up 41 today and they have a QB who can at least move the ball and produce points (no slap at Frye so please don't respond to that comment, it's just become a fact). It's hard to lose when you score 41....it's easy to lose when you score only 20. Akron made it easy on Temple last night. The Browns made it almost impossible for Miami. New England just went up 21-10, they are making it impossible for Dallas if they keep scoring even at half the pace. If they put up 31, Dallas will not be able to match and something tells me that Brady would somehow find a way to win the game regardless. If Dallas had scored a TD in lieu of a FG, the socre would only be 21-14 with a chance to tie here at halftime. It's all about points and getting bunches.Still sticking with point #2, if we have a 20-10 lead late, I have no problem with running out the clock. The only question is who is more able to run the clock out, CJ7 or CJ11. I'll take CJ7 and the athletic ability keeping the ball on the ground. Maybe CJ7 gets loose and the score a TD and they win 27-24. We need to have the right people on the field to move the ball. Having CJ11 in the game when you need to move the ball on the ground is like having all tight ends in the game on third and ten. The coaches need to put the players in a position to succeed by having the right people in the game at the right time.Shame on that entire team for what happened last night.

[Z-P]

Shame on that entire team for what happened last night. GP................no argument, but does that include the coaches or are they in the stands with the fans?

[Lee Adams]

first, thank god for Bryan Williams or Brokehart and his stiff's would look like the REAL PUTZES they might be...DO NOT BLAME THE PLAYERS...THIS ONE IS BROKEHART AND HIS STAFF...PERIOD...we need to start turning the screws on the AD to stop kissing BROKEHART"S behind...if YOUNGSTOWN could get Tressel who was an assistant at Akron..we can do better than Rhoades, Brokehart, Fleming etc etc ....

[GP1]

Shame on that entire team for what happened last night. GP................no argument, but does that include the coaches or are they in the stands with the fans?

Absolutely. Throw in the equipment managers if you want. Akron has come too far to lose a game like that.

[ImAZipFan]

Shame on that entire team for what happened last night. GP................no argument, but does that include the coaches or are they in the stands with the fans?

Absolutely. Throw in the equipment managers if you want. Akron has come too far to lose a game like that.

Now why in the heck would you say 'Throw in the equipment managers?' Those guys take the losses just as hard as the team, espically since they can't control what happens during the 60 minutes during the game. I know several of the equipment managers, both current and past, and to say "Shame on the team and throw the equipment managers in as well" is a major slap in the face to them.The equipment staff did not lose that game last night. If anything, they did exactly the same jobs they do every week win or lose.

[GP1]

Shame on that entire team for what happened last night. GP................no argument, but does that include the coaches or are they in the stands with the fans?

Absolutely. Throw in the equipment managers if you want. Akron has come too far to lose a game like that.

Now why in the heck would you say 'Throw in the equipment managers?' Those guys take the losses just as hard as the team, espically since they can't control what happens during the 60 minutes during the game. I know several of the equipment managers, both current and past, and to say "Shame on the team and throw the equipment managers in as well" is a major slap in the face to them.The equipment staff did not lose that game last night. If anything, they did exactly the same jobs they do every week win or lose.

Didn't say I would. Leaving the decision up to Z-P.

[Z-P]

E Mgrs are clear by me..............film crew too, along with concession stand folks.

[Zips Win!]

Be thankful you missed it. After getting to witness one of the best comebacks a week ago, I cannot believe I had to actually sit through that….finding a way to come from 17 points ahead and lose to Temple is just unacceptable. Sure, this game does get filed in the LO file, but I thought the program was beyond having to go there. It looks like we’ll get to see the 14K that attended the game next September, if we are fortunate enough to have a September game. Just when there was a hint of progress a week ago from the play of the quarterback position, we take two steps back. JD better figure out real soon who his signal caller is or his fate will end up right next to Lee. Speaking of progress, does anyone see any? CJ7 seemed to show a little from the Can't game to the IU game….then he’s on the bench. CJ11 was pretty darn good last week, only to regress this week. If JD continues with the ultra conservation play calling based on his lack of confidence in CJ11 being able to complete a pass do we really have a chance the rest of the way. Make one more play and we win the game…..So please enough with the bowl talk and 7 win seasons (after the WMU victory). Let’s find a way to get the fourth victory before we get to seven…..…..No one said it was easy being a Zips fan….

[GP1]

If JD continues with the ultra conservation play calling based on his lack of confidence in CJ11 being able to complete a pass do we really have a chance the rest of the way.

Good post.They have no chance with conservative play calling. College football, if you really want to win your conference, has become about scoring a ton of points. In fact, the NFL is the same thing now. Defense wins nothing. One playmaker on the offense is not enough. CJ7 needs to be in the game just to put pressure on the defense to guard against a playmaker other than Jabari. It all starts with the QB...if that person does not give you a chance to out score the other team, you can't win.I don't think you will need to worry about JD after this year. I believe that if the team turns it around, he will leave. If they don't, he will leave. His door prize will be better than Lee's though. He has had his chances to leave in the past and turned them down. After four years at Akron, what is there to really wait around for? There are a lot of paths to a coach at a BCS school than the Urban path. JD could take one of those.

[scottditzen]

I don't think you will need to worry about JD after this year. I believe that if the team turns it around, he will leave. If they don't, he will leave. His door prize will be better than Lee's though. He has had his chances to leave in the past and turned them down. After four years at Akron, what is there to really wait around for? There are a lot of paths to a coach at a BCS school than the Urban path. JD could take one of those.

I hate to say this, but if you saw the game you wouldn't think that there is the slightest danger of Brookhart being lured away by a bigger program. And I am a fan of his but this offense- the worst Akron offense in recent memory- is really trying my patience as a supporter of the team. Unless you mean that by "leaving" you mean just walking away from a head coaches job.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I don't see JD leaving. If he did, it would be for some assistant position at a BCS school, or to the NFL as some sort of assistant (he has a lot of NFL connections). But...I don't see him leaving. He's got a solid group of young players, and a new stadium within 2 years.If you look at things realistically, OVERALL, the team is probably performing as well as it can. We have limited offensive talent. I can't call this season a "rebuilding year" because we didn't win squat last season. But I can call this season a "building season." I predicted 8-4 worst case for this team a few months ago. Not because of we had a ton of talent, but because we were playing a pretty weak schedule. Knowing now what I didn't know then...I'd say 7-5 is to be expected from this team. Up until the 4th quarter of this week, you could make the argument that the Zips football program had progressed every week of the 2007 season. We were sloppy against Army, but beat them pretty soundly (forget the bad snap at game's end...we were in total control of the game for the most part)We played OSU (#1 team in the country) very tough. JD's ultra-conservative offensive approach combined with Stec's one-hit wonder career game kept us competitive for four quarters.We took a step forward at Indiana, putting up some points and moving the ball well. UConn wasn't a total debacle. The offense moved the ball a bit, and Bryan Williams began to emerge. Losing Mackey, UA's leading tackler, hurt. UConn is a very good football team, too.The conservative offense was just what the doctor ordered vs. K.e.n.t. too. K.e.n.t. will always beat themselves if you give them enough chances, and they did.We played a very aggressive offensive game vs. WMU. We pulled out a miracle in the end, but even if we had lost, as a Zips fan you could say we took a step forward.The Temple game...we regressed. CJ11 had a bad game. He defaulted to the run too soon. His passes were errant. The coaches felt we could run clock and hold on to the lead. Why the Zips staff would think this after seeing our defense peter-out in the second half of virtually every game to-date is puzzling. WMU thought the same thing the week prior, and they too got burnt. And - Temple has some skilled players. UA won't be their last win of 2007, trust me.The Zips offense lacks imagination, no doubt. But game breakers are developing. Al Owen is emerging. Bryan Williams is going to be great. Jabari was highly erratic last season. Now he's a stud. How did that happen? While JD obviously took too many chances on recruits long on talent and short on SAT's and discipline...which has cost us in the defensive depth chart...he's also brought in some great talent. And he's adjusted his recruiting strategy. He's jettisoned the malcontents. He's adapting and learning. People want to bury JD. To me, he's doing as well as anyone can ask. When you hire a 1st year head coach, he's going to make some mistakes. Organizationally. Recruiting-wise. On game day. That's just the way it is. If it were easy to hire an Urban Meyer, everyone would do it. If you went to the Miami Red Hawks message boards after their 42-0 shellacking @ Colorado, the fans wanted Montgomery canned. Now Miami is the MAC East favorite, and they've beaten Syracuse. Brion Stokes will be UA's all time leader in TFL's. Andre Jones is great. Getsy and Alleman would not have been here if it weren't for JD. Our new OL is playing very well, to the point where we can redshirt someone as talented as Paul Simkovich. Our cupboard is far from bare. But offensively it is young. And defensively it is thin.I look for us to get back on track after the bye week. Our defense needs the week off. Unfortunately, we can't claim any free agents. Our depth is what it is until 2008. Our offense is going to need to control the ball and score some points if we want to finish the season strong.I'm pulling for Coach Moorhead to turn things around. How we finish the 2007 season is predominately on his shoulders. Sideways passes and 2nd and 10 fullback draws won't cut it. 41 points will.Lunch break over.

[GP1]

I don't think you will need to worry about JD after this year. I believe that if the team turns it around, he will leave. If they don't, he will leave. His door prize will be better than Lee's though. He has had his chances to leave in the past and turned them down. After four years at Akron, what is there to really wait around for? There are a lot of paths to a coach at a BCS school than the Urban path. JD could take one of those.

I hate to say this, but if you saw the game you wouldn't think that there is the slightest danger of Brookhart being lured away by a bigger program. And I am a fan of his but this offense- the worst Akron offense in recent memory- is really trying my patience as a supporter of the team. Unless you mean that by "leaving" you mean just walking away from a head coaches job.

What I mean is that JD needs to get his career going. Akron, historically, is not a place to do that for a lot of reasons. Dennison did nothing after Akron, Faust did nothing and Owens is in Division II. Last year I called Akron "The Graveyard of Coaches" and I stand by that comment. JD is just sort of walking past the graveyard and not really in it...smart move. JD will be either coaching in the NFL as an assistant or at a major college as an assistant/coordinator if he leaves Akron.Dean Pees is an excellent example. Can't continued their fine tradition of bad play under Pees. Pees is an excellent football coach and is now the defensive coordinator for the best team in the NFL. If New England wins the Super Bowl this year, Pees could easily get a shot at a BCS school if he wanted it. Heck, he could get a shot at an NFL head coaching spot. One bad career stop does not destroy a career if the person in the bad spot is smart enough to get out of it before it destroys his career. Cam Cameron is another good example. Indiana was very average under him. He gets fired from there and ends up with San Diego and they go to the playoffs with him as offensive coordinator. He is now the head coach for the Dolphins.If JD is smart about his career, and I think he is, he would leave Akron after this year. Staying another year makes no sense. He's too young to continue at Akron.The real question then becomes whether or not Mack can hire a good coach the way Mike Thomas did? Those of you who don't like JD had better think loooooong and hard about that question. MT actually made two good hires while at Akron with JD and KD. I don't know if Mack could or not, but I think we are about to find out.

[Zips Win!]

I agree. I don't see JD leaving UA after the season either to become an assistant coach at the BCS or NFL level. I hear he enjoys being the CEO of a small company where he gets to call the shots. He wouldn't be able to do that as an assistant. It seems by all accounts that he gets along well with the AD, which also works in favor of a coach staying.....unless really big dollars are offered. For you guys who think he should get fired, get real. Even at .500, he's way ahead of the .0025 winning percentage LO had.As for progress, yes the team did show small steps of improvement each week but after Saturday the offense seems to be back at the Army game starting block. And while there definitely is some young talent that is being developed, will we ever really get to see it materialize unless JD solidifies the quarterback position? Being afraid to throw and counting on 2nd and 10 draw plays seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the position. Seven games into the season I grade the position an INCOMPLETE. Here's hoping it gets fixed, now!

[Captain Kangaroo]

For you guys who think he should get fired, get real. Even at .500, he's way ahead of the .0025 winning percentage LO had.

I could go for a couple wins against Hampton, Liberty, Solon, Maple Heights or Vermillion about right now! Ummmmmmmmm

[GP1]

Being afraid to throw and counting on 2nd and 10 draw plays seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the position.

I hope I'm wrong about JD, but so many of his battles are internal it would make it hard to go to work every day.The thought of a draw play on second and ten makes me want to vomit. I'm feeling even more glad I was not there Saturday. I have no problem with a running play, but we should be doing what NFL teams do on second and ten. They run straight at the line and try to get four/five and make it third and five/six. NFL teams try to increase the probablity of getting the first down on third down by decreasing the yards necessary on second down. It's just one of those trends that has taken hold the past few years. First down is a passing down and if there is an incompletion, they run on second.

[g-mann17]

I hope I'm wrong about JD, but so many of his battles are internal it would make it hard to go to work every day.

What is that supposed to mean?

[GP1]

I hope I'm wrong about JD, but so many of his battles are internal it would make it hard to go to work every day.

What is that supposed to mean?

Good question. They are the type of things that any of us would see at work, even though it doesn't impact us, that would lead us to think we were working for a bad company and we should be looking for another job. For example:1. The recruiting budget is exactly the same to day that it was in 1987. It's amazing we have the players we do now.2. Substandard academic support program resulting in key players flunking out. JD can't be coach, recruiter and tutor. It's not Harvard.3. Ongoing mishaps that would lead any sane person to think they were surrounded by crazy people. For example, Patriot Bowl posters printed with David Harvey's (sp?) picture on it.I could continue.........

[johnnyzip84]

I could go for a couple wins against Hampton, Liberty, Solon, Maple Heights or Vermillion about right now! Ummmmmmmmm

That's extremely hilarious, even if it's in a sort of cryptic, off-beat way, Cap'n. Outstanding!!

[g-mann17]

Good question. They are the type of things that any of us would see at work, even though it doesn't impact us, that would lead us to think we were working for a bad company and we should be looking for another job. For example:1. The recruiting budget is exactly the same to day that it was in 1987. It's amazing we have the players we do now.2. Substandard academic support program resulting in key players flunking out. JD can't be coach, recruiter and tutor. It's not Harvard.3. Ongoing mishaps that would lead any sane person to think they were surrounded by crazy people. For example, Patriot Bowl posters printed with David Harvey's (sp?) picture on it.I could continue.........

1. I was not aware of this. I would have assumed that following the switch to 1-A the program would have seen some increase in a recruiting budget. Also the 2005 Championship I would have thought would have given cause to increase said budget.2. This I would find hard to believe. My friend was cheerleader for 3 years and even as a non scholarship athlete he was required to attend tutoring. Unless the athletics programs do not have travel tutors (again I am not sure of this) I do not see why the support program would be bad. We have one of the best education departments in the state and a high profile special education program. David Harvey flunking out is on David Harvey. The tools were available to him he did not take advantage of them.3. I saw the Patriot Bowl posters. That's on the Cleveland sports administration. So I see one actual issue of the three you mentioned. Though I will add that marketing at the time being leaves a lot to be desired. The biggest thing that the program needs is for University of Akron graduates to actually support their school. Donate to the Z-Fund. This offsets the University's scholarship costs and pumps more money into the Athletics Budget.

[Hilltopper]

Being afraid to throw and counting on 2nd and 10 draw plays seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the position.

I hope I'm wrong about JD, but so many of his battles are internal it would make it hard to go to work every day.The thought of a draw play on second and ten makes me want to vomit. I'm feeling even more glad I was not there Saturday. I have no problem with a running play, but we should be doing what NFL teams do on second and ten. They run straight at the line and try to get four/five and make it third and five/six. NFL teams try to increase the probablity of getting the first down on third down by decreasing the yards necessary on second down. It's just one of those trends that has taken hold the past few years. First down is a passing down and if there is an incompletion, they run on second.

Draw plays on 2nd and 10! Those are the kind of play calls you see when the gameplan becomes "Playing not to lose". I agree about the concept of throw on 1st down and run it up the gut on 2nd. Anything on 3rd down 5 yards or less is a good position for the offense. From that yardage you can run or pass.

[goodthts]

I gotta agree with scottditzen:

I hate to say this, but if you saw the game you wouldn't think that there is the slightest danger of Brookhart being lured away by a bigger program. And I am a fan of his but this offense- the worst Akron offense in recent memory- is really trying my patience as a supporter of the team.

This offense is not only conservative, it is appalling. The Cap'n said:

If you look at things realistically, OVERALL, the team is probably performing as well as it can. We have limited offensive talent.

WHAT!? Limited talent? So, we don't have the best offensive weapon in the MAC in Jabari? We don't have 2-3 highly touted and under used running backs? We don't have huge, beastly and woefully underused TE's? And why no Fullback or double RB setups?No, the problem is once again having inexperienced coaches trying to get cute with something that shouldnt be, an average middle of the road offense. As Doud Dieken always says to be successful as a team, you need to throw the football, run the football and catch the fooball. End of stroy.You have 2nd and 2, you load the backfield and run it. And not some lame stutter-stepped draw or weak handoff, RUN THE MF'er!! I get ill just thinking how bad we look on offense.... Signed,A Zip fan trying to be supportive, but losing patience FAST.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I could go for a couple wins against Hampton, Liberty, Solon, Maple Heights or Vermillion about right now! Ummmmmmmmm

That's extremely hilarious, even if it's in a sort of cryptic, off-beat way, Cap'n. Outstanding!!

Thanks. Glad someone picked up on it!

[Buckzip]

The biggest thing that the program needs is for University of Akron graduates to actually support their school. Donate to the Z-Fund. This offsets the University's scholarship costs and pumps more money into the Athletics Budget.

Actually some of us donate quite a bit to our Alma Mater. However, when writing that check it seems difficult at times writing the check knowing that there are people on a web site calling you out and saying you are no fan.Refusing to admit that most of what you have said for the past 3 years is true. Instead they just want to wear blinders and ignore everything.

[g-mann17]

The biggest thing that the program needs is for University of Akron graduates to actually support their school. Donate to the Z-Fund. This offsets the University's scholarship costs and pumps more money into the Athletics Budget.

Actually some of us donate quite a bit to our Alma Mater. However, when writing that check it seems difficult at times writing the check knowing that there are people on a web site calling you out and saying you are no fan.Refusing to admit that most of what you have said for the past 3 years is true. Instead they just want to wear blinders and ignore everything.

Ah, nice excuse. Except that anyone who donates doesn't care what the opinion of someone they don't know happens to be.

[Buckzip]

The biggest thing that the program needs is for University of Akron graduates to actually support their school. Donate to the Z-Fund. This offsets the University's scholarship costs and pumps more money into the Athletics Budget.

Actually some of us donate quite a bit to our Alma Mater. However, when writing that check it seems difficult at times writing the check knowing that there are people on a web site calling you out and saying you are no fan.Refusing to admit that most of what you have said for the past 3 years is true. Instead they just want to wear blinders and ignore everything.

Ah, nice excuse. Except that anyone who donates doesn't care what the opinion of someone they don't know happens to be.

That's about the response I expected. However, you are wrong. Let's see I donate to a school, however, the people fromt hat school say I am no fan and call me names.Right, I am sure noone would care.