Dan Orlovsky: “David Benedict Is A Schmuck”

[UCYamsMD]

Man, this is sad. Nothing so far has indicated that AD Dave is a schmuck...he's been handed a train wreck. DO is just getting pissy because he's been lobbying so hard for a job here or in broadcasting and isn't getting anywhere

 

[DoctorWho85]

I don't understand the timing of this or the rationale. DO seemed like a huge supporter recently. Why the huge change in tone? Like everyone else says, the only reason thst makes any sense is he got passed over for a coaching job.

 

[noeynox]

It's sad, it really is," Orlovsky said of the state of sports in Storrs. "I went to the Syracuse game at Madison Square Garden. Even looking at UConn during timeouts, they looked like the inferior team. They looked like a low level college basketball team, and they played like it too. It's sad."

The truth hurts, but DanO hurt himself more than anything with those comments. He just ruffled a lot of feathers.

 

[Excalibur]

Maybe a little too early for the schmuck remark, and everyone here for praising AD David Benedict as the next messiah.

You guys give him way too much credit

I'm going to reserve my judgement on the AD until the KO situation, where football is in the next couple of seasons, and how CR plays out.

His silence the past 2 months pisses me off. I don't care if he's busy. He's at the helm and UConn athletics is falling apart.

IMHO, he's way too much "football only" and leaves other sports to Goetz

The jury is still very much out on DB. He was clearly behind the hiring of Lashlee and Grimes, and has to take some of the heat for their early departures. While he's dealing with an extremely difficult situation with Ollie and the buyout, it's a situation that he had a hand in creating.

There is no CR to "play out", and silence is the only option at this point. Talking publicly is done only to soothe the passions of upset fans, but accomplishes nothing.

With all of that said, DO needs to keep his $*#(ing mouth shut.

 

[Adios]

He's going LeBron on UConn.

 

[Excalibur]

I don't understand the timing of this or the rationale. DO seemed like a huge supporter recently. Why the huge change in tone? Like everyone else says, the only reason thst makes any sense is he got passed over for a coaching job.

I don't think that's the only (or even a reasonable) explanation. DO is a mouthpiece for Randy. If he's saying this, you can bet that there is conflict between Edsall and Benedict.

 

[JMick]

I don't think that's the only (or even a reasonable) explanation. DO is a mouthpiece for Randy. If he's saying this, you can bet that there is conflict between Edsall and Benedict.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the Corey fiasco

 

[oldanintheway]

I'm disappointed, it's a personal remark, crude and classless, that is now public.

 

[Adios]

I don't think that's the only (or even a reasonable) explanation. DO is a mouthpiece for Randy. If he's saying this, you can bet that there is conflict between Edsall and Benedict.

Well, he is blaming him for Ollie. He's obviously implying something about hires.

 

[ktuck911]

He's going LeBron on UConn.

Pretty much sums it up...

He definitely rocked the boat up in Storrs...

Kudos to him for doing that...

 

[ktuck911]

I'm disappointed, it's a personal remark, crude and classless, that is now public.

Honestly, I think this needed to happen...

 

[ktuck911]

I know I'm in the minority, but oh well. Dan O is arguably one of the best things that ever happened to UConn Football. He was a tone setter for building a solid FBS tradition that went to crap when Edsall left the first time. Part of his comment might've been selfish but I get it. Keep the guys that involved that were on the right path of building this thing involved. We were growing with folks associated during Edsall 1.0 (minus Hathaway)... At least that's what I got out of it... Even if he doesn't become a coach, you can't shut the door on him and the legacy he helped build here.. You can't... Make amends in some way, have him interviewed again with some sort of clean up political apology built in and move forward with him in some capacity... He's gotta be one fo the very few with a ton of passion for this program...

He could've easily opted to play at a B1G school instead....

 

[Exit 4]

On the topic of influential UConn Sports boosters and Alumni - Burton fumbles the ball (and sounds rather nonchalant about it welching on his corp debts)

Stamford company declares bankruptcy

 

[oldanintheway]

Honestly, I think this needed to happen...

Sorry, I don't see what the remark accomplishes, specifics please. Jury is still out, what, DB has been here less than 2 years?

 

[whaler11]

On the topic of influential UConn Sports boosters and Alumni - Burton fumbles the ball (and sounds rather nonchalant about it welching on his corp debts)

Stamford company declares bankruptcy

My first job out of college was in that industry at a competitor. Our old building is crumbling and you can barely see it from the overgrowth.

It’s an impossible business at this point.

 

[uconndogs]

Really disappointed that DanO opened his mouth like that. That kind of attention does nothing for UCONN or him. Shows a lack of restraint in not maturity on his part.

As for Burton, Cenveo has been on the ropes for a long time. I follow the numbers every once in a while and I'm not sure there is light at the end of the Chapter tunnel.

 

[Exit 4]

DO has thrown an interception. All he has done here is undermine the program. After all, why come to UConn if even DO thinks playing the AAC schedule sucks. This was completely counter productive. Couple this with his LA exit tweet this fall and you can see he lacks some self control.

This is completely unhelpful.

 

[UCYamsMD]

My first job out of college was in that industry at a compeitor. Our old building is crumbling and you can barely see it from the overgrowth.

It’s an impossible business at this point.

Agreed, Whaler! Thanks for the info. Cheers!

-Yams

 

[BlueMAB]

To be fair, the 2003 team went 9-3 and got screwed out of a bowl or we could have had a 10 win season. And we lost Terry Caulley early on or it might have been better. The 2004 team wasn't quite as talented as the previous year but it went to our first bowl where we smacked the MAC. Danny was a very, very good college QB.

totally agree, however they 9-3 team was screwed out of a bowl because we weren't in the big east yet and thus, played a weaker schedule than the following year.

Dan O was a great college QB. I'm not taking anything away from him. I wish he played from 2006-2010, but he didn't, and the program, IMO, was better when we won 2 BE championships, even if the overall record wasn't great.

 

[Dogged]

This is bad for Dan and UConn.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

While I think Penders would be a very good AD (his background in politics in DC certainly helps), I don't think this would be the right move to make at this time. In addition, I don't think this is something that Penders would be interested in right now. I could see him maybe taking this role in another 10 years, but not now.

Plus, are you really going to replace the only successful mens coach at UConn (the baseball team is literally the only successful mens sport in our entire Athletic Department)? Seems like a recipe for disaster.

But this article certainly does not bode well for the future of AD David Benedict. You have both the football coach and superstar basketball coach (Auriemma) complaining publicly about the ADs strategy on ticket and parking prices, you have a very angry and deteriorating alumni and booster base, you are stuck in conference hell, you have a budget, P&L, and future financial outlook that even Sears/Kmart would look down upon, you are about to piss off all the basketball alumni when you fire one of their own (Ollie), and now you have the most visible and successful football alum (and close confidant of Edsall) taking public shots at the AD in the media. Certainly makes you think that this perception of "superstar AD" is not all he is cracked up to be and the AD really is a dumpster fire as many of us fear.

 

[Pudge]

Nuts

First ... Dan O comments are unreal and weird timing. Coming after his 12/20 participation in the Signing Day Video, you’d have to say that something Drama scripted happened. Speculation on the Staff seems possible. Like Dan O Sr (who rose with a Post recently), this just is a case of a guy who needed to vent in a less conspicuous way. Just odd.

Second ... Dave B has done a good job. HCRE here was a creative way to ease out of a Diaco deep hole - with promise. I’m ok with the one year Lashlee/Grimes experience ... the Offense was interesting and watchable; however, it seriously made the Defense exposed. HCRE will figure a decent way forward. The Hoop is not about Kevin Ollie regressing as much as the significant omissions of his work in all phases of a Bigtime Program. It’s a Mess ... but one that has a far harder fix than Diaco.

We are not at are low point - IMHO. We know how to hire good coaches and nurture a Program in many many sports - given our New England constraints. That moment when I had that sunk feeling that Diaco had no frogging clue; Ray Reid was drowning; and we lost Larrier + Gilbert in one few day period. That was the bottom. Baby steps from there. Plus Geno.

 

[31GuardTrap]

Is there audio of this? it seems very odd to me that Dan would make this type of comment in the context everyone seems to be taking it.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

... and I am guessing that we have seen the last of the DanO bobblehead give-aways at The Rent under Benedicts watch

 

[BlueMAB]

So those of you who think Dan O is saying this because he couldn't get a job on the staff, do you realize you're basically calling him a petulant child for not getting what he wants?

Nothing about his past and character, IMO, suggests he's a petulant child that would run to the media for not getting his way.

It's crazy that people think it's more likely he's so bitter about not getting a job that he's never said he wanted that he'd lie to the media about the AD, and crap on a school he loves in the process. THAT'S more logical than him having an opinion that the AD is doing poor job? Sure, okay.