LosAngelesZipFan Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 Just looked at Athlon's football preview-- it has Can't as the #1 recruiting class in the MAC, getting 3 of the top 10 players including 1 and 2. Akron was middle of the pack. WTF? True? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipsrifle Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Remember when JD nailed down the top recruiting class 2 years in a row......where are they now? I think Ball State was 2nd or 3rd both of those years and they seem be be much more solid than we are right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickzips Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 It's simple, when JD can't play fast and loose with his recruiting efforts anymore, recruiting subpar students and malcontents, he's no longer the brilliant recruiter he once was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsbandman Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Speaking of recruiting, Quickzips, I saw the big 33 roster and there is not a soul on either squad going to Akron and we recruit both Ohio and PA pretty hard. There is just no excuse any more. Our facilities will blow any other MAC school out of the water. I have a bad feeling on where JD is taking this program. I think rough waters may lie ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Athlon is crap.Rivals and, to a lesser extent, Scout are far better than these sports magazines, and we all know that even Rivals ans Scout are pretty terrible.The only one of those mags that I consider remotely credible is Blue Ribbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uafan Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Speaking of recruiting, Quickzips, I saw the big 33 roster and there is not a soul on either squad going to Akron and we recruit both Ohio and PA pretty hard. There is just no excuse any more. Our facilities will blow any other MAC school out of the water. I have a bad feeling on where JD is taking this program. I think rough waters may lie ahead. How can you think JD recruits Ohio hard? They play damn good football ALL over the state, not just the northern half. Cincy has at least one, two, or even three teams every year in the USA Today top 25, but we only have one kid on our roster from Cincy, and only two others from the southern half of Ohio. I read about people complaining about how we can't afford what other schools can, but we can recruit heavily in Florida and California. How about recruiting in state? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickzips Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 I want to be optimistic about our football program. I really do. We've got a brand new, shiny, on campus stadium fast approaching and combined with our practice facilities and the administrations commitment to the program you would think there is no reason to be a pessimist. Yet, I am. I just don't see where Mr. Brookhart is taking this program anywhere bigger. In my mind we've already seen the peak of the Brookhart era when we won the MACC a few years ago. Since then we haven't brought impact players into the program who can sustain long term success. Those impact players we have brought in either haven't made it to campus or have since left the program. Our offense has consistently gotten worse over the last three years. Our defense is still hit or miss and I'm not just refering to tackling. About the only real improvement we've made over the last couple seasons is in the kicking game and even that is lackluster. I really hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see where this program is going to see a quick turnaround. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I really don't think the talent on the team is all that bad so I'm not down about recruiting. There is certainly enough talent on that team to win the division. A lot of what happens this year will come down to whether or not the team can score. The ability to score depends on play calling and QB play. If the play calling last year was any indication of this year, they will be lucky to win five games. If the QB play is the same, they will be lucky to win four games. The real or imagined lack of talent should be the least of our worries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 This year depends almost entirely on our tranfers coming through. Ryan Bain, Andrew Johnson, and Deryn Bowser will be key. They will make or break our season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipsrifle Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I'm not a complete downer on JD. I think he got burned early on and is now moving in a new direction, which unfortunately means a few lean years. What I find interesting is that he was an offensive coordinator, and our offense isn't that good. Our D seems to be better under JD than I can remember in the past 15 years. I can't remember a MAC team with a defense strong enough to dominate the league, but I honestly think that if someone can put together a good, solid D, they've got a shot week in and week out. This is the MAC, and as we saw in 2005, anything can happen. IMO, this season could be a plesant suprise, or a nightmare. I think we are a long shot at winning the MAC, but it could happen. As usual, if we win the games we are supposed to, and pull off one or two mild upsets, I would be very pleased. I think a sub .500 year puts JD on the hot seat. A win at Can't is a must in my book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 What I find interesting is that he was an offensive coordinator, and our offense isn't that good.It's because they are running an offense that he and his OC are not used to running. After last year was the year to bring in a new OC. JD had a good offense at Pitt with an average QB and some really good WRs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I have not written about Zips football in a long time. Pretty much I left the intelligent comments to GP1 and Cap'N. Occasionally another poster or twomakes a savvy comment or two. The rest of the posts appear to be unthought out quips from people who really do not know the game.Here's my take. JD is in his fifth year and the team is in worse condition than when he started. My expectation would be that it would have improved just as JDand his staff's skills should have improved. Sorry, I do not see that. There is a major issue at QB. Frankly, the red shirt freshman kid, Matt Rodgers had a farsuperior Spring game than did Chris Jacquemain. This should have moved Rodgers into the starting role. Instead, this staff seems hell bent on going down in flames.The entire offense is stagnant. Looks like the talent is there. Where is the drive? Where is the sound play calling? Where is the emotion? Where is the pride?The defense I can not fault the players on. The 3-3-5 concept was installed to cover up a major problem. That problem should have been addressed, correctedand forgotten by now. So, why is the sieve like 3-3-5 still in place? Have to fault the coaching staff on this. Why anyone is enamored with that bogus defense isfar beyond my understanding.This is the last gasp. Anything short of 7-5 it is high time to overhaul the coaching staff from the top down. No more excuses. Get the job done.We seem to have Chuck "the chest" Amato Jr. here. Win or pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Pretty much I left the intelligent comments to GP1 and Cap'N.Thanks for the compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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