The morning after

Football

Here are my grades for the team's performance last night. I will grade on the same God-forsaken curve that I will suffer in law school.
Quarterbacks - Chris Jacquemain threw some balls that would be incomplete if not heading toward Jabari Arthur. Also, the offense stalled quite frequently in the red zone. However, zero turnovers is all you can ask at this point. Grade: B+
Offensive line - The run blocking allowed the talent of Dennis Kennedy and Bryan Williams to shine. It also protected Jacquemain well. Army's incompetence is the only reason this grade isn't an "A." Grade: B+
Running backs - The 1-2-3 punch of Kennedy, Williams and Alex Allen worked well. With a wealth of backs, each one seemed to have an extra burst of steam. The stats were only above-average, but they played better than that. Grade: B+
Tight ends - The new offense was supposed to take advantage of Akron's depth at tight end. So what did we see? Two throws to tight ends, and Kris Kasparek dropped them both. This would be an "F" if the passes were more accurate. Grade: D-
Wide receivers - Arthur was great. No one else impressed me. Grade: B
Kicker - I don't care if Igor Iveljic made a 60-yarder. Missing an extra point is unforgivable. Grade: C-
Punter - The roll-out punt has got to go. Aside from that, John Stec wasn't bad. Grade: C+
Defensive line - You didn't hear much from the linemen, but that doesn't mean they weren't doing their jobs. The starters combined for only six tackles and half a tackle for loss. The real result of their effort showed in the amount of freedom the linebackers enjoyed in blitzing. In case you were wondering, Shane Shead was another true freshman to receive playing time. Grade: B
Linebackers - The surprise of the night was Parris McNeal, who came off the bench for five tackles. His swarming speed always put him in good positions. The play of Brion Stokes and Doug Williams stood out, too. Grade: A-
Defensive backs - John Mackey, Reggie Corner and Davanzo Tate played with great heart and effort. You can't complain with the results of limiting Army to 184 passing yards on 43 attempts. Grade: A
Special teams - Bryan Williams and Andre Jones gave Akron great field position on returns. Whenever the kickoffs were adequate, Akron's coverage team was effective. Having a punt blocked for a touchdown has the effect of week-late term paper. The grade drops two letters. Grade: C
Coaching - Joe Moorhead's offense wasn't very exciting, but it exploited the cushion Army's defensive backs gave. When Army adjusted, so did Moorhead in calling for deep throws to Arthur. The only calls I question are the three roll-out punts. Grade: B

Here are some media clips from today:
ABJ game story Plain Dealer game story Terry Pluto's column (from the PD) ESPN video highlights The Kansas City Chiefs cut Kiki Gonzalez. The San Francisco 49ers dropped Luke Getsy. Both could land a spot on the practice squad.