McHugh weighs in on Diaco hire (OMG)

[Jimmy Serrano]

I'll respectfully disagree with that. He bears some responsibility. I'll assume he was at the Rent for the Cincy game last year and like the rest of us saw how dead the crowd and team was -- with a bowl berth on the line a week after beating a ranked team on the road! I get the fact he doesn't want to micro-manage but P was not a micro issue. At a minimum there should have been a meeting of the three minds (indeed, there may have been one). Somebody decided it was worth not paying the P $1 million buyout last year and crossed their fingers and hoped things got better. Sure there's a good story in there as exactly how that went down.

That somebody was Warde Manuel. A guy who figured he had a free year because P was not his hire. I understand the reasons why P was not fired last December. I don't agree with them, and by not canning him, I blame last year on WM.

 

[J187Money]

I'm not suggesting he bears no responsibility, and I'm sure it was discussed. But it is much different if WM comes to him to fire PP and McHugh says no, v. if McHugh suggests it to WM (because he has the $ from Burton) and WM says no and McHugh doesn't want to overrule him. I'm sure we'd all like to know exactly what happened. But in my mind it doesn't really matter, because we are in the AAC no matter what and I love our new HC (so far). I'm not certain we get a better one if this happens last year.

 

[Waquoit]

That somebody was Warde Manuel. A guy who figured he had a free year because P was not his hire. I understand the reasons why P was not fired last December. I don't agree with them, and by not canning him, I blame last year on WM.

Totally agree. I also think WM thought the ticket sales based on the UM game would give him some wiggle room. He was 100% wrong. The program lost a year. But it's a moot point now. The Diaco hire resets the mojo. Ten toes in.

 

[IMind]

Totally agree. I also think WM thought the ticket sales based on the UM game would give him some wiggle room. He was 100% wrong. The program lost a year. But it's a moot point now. The Diaco hire resets the mojo. Ten toes in.

I don't even know about that. It's reasonable to think that with a new OC... and a good defense PP could have turned things around. It's reasonable to think that PP could have learned from his earlier mistakes at Syracuse and realized that GDL just didn't have it anymore (if he ever did) and kept his impact on the offense to a minimum. Especially after PP basically got handed a new OC because GDL was a travesty. Of course we know none of those things really happened. Especially coming after a win at the end of the year against Louisville. I think one of the knocks on WM might be that he's too prudent.

Hell, on the other hand, if I want to give WM the benefit of the doubt, maybe he wanted Bob Diaco the whole time, knew he couldn't get him on a year he was going to a national championship game, and rolled the dice that PP would have a crap year and he could fire him at the end. His mistake might have been that he didn't foresee the 0-12 year we were headed for not the 5-6 win year he thought it would be.

Either way the end result is leaves me very optimistic.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't even know about that. It's reasonable to think that with a new OC... and a good defense PP could have turned things around. It's reasonable to think that PP could have learned from his earlier mistakes at Syracuse and realized that GDL just didn't have it anymore (if he ever did) and kept his impact on the offense to a minimum. Especially after PP basically got handed a new OC because GDL was a travesty. Of course we know none of those things really happened. Especially coming after a win at the end of the year against Louisville. I think one of the knocks on WM might be that he's too prudent.

Hell, on the other hand, if I want to give WM the benefit of the doubt, maybe he wanted Bob Diaco the whole time, knew he couldn't get him on a year he was going to a national championship game, and rolled the dice that PP would have a crap year and he could fire him at the end. His mistake might have been that he didn't foresee the 0-12 year we were headed for not the 5-6 win year he thought it would be.

Either way the end result is leaves me very optimistic.

The writing on the 2013 wall was when GDL was allowed to stay on the staff. That spoke volumes.

 

[Adios]

It's true. You're the history guy, The Boston area used to be Giant country.

Boston-based Giants fans still exist!

 

[IMind]

The writing on the 2013 wall was when GDL was allowed to stay on the staff. That spoke volumes.

I agree...there was a week about this time last year where it looked like GDL was gone, when he didn't leave, in retrospect that probably told us everything we needed to know about PP and our upcoming year.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

McHugh was far from being opposed to P but from what I have heard (which others on this forum have heard from different sources) P was Hathaway's idea, mainly to get in McHugh's good graces.

McHugh viewed Hathaway as being worthless (which he was), JH thought that if he gave the football job to someone McHugh knew very well and liked very much it would improve his standing in McHugh's eyes.

Why would he agree to an automatic, self-perpetuating, one-year Contract extension/rollover for a "worthless" JH? I don't think Jack Welch could have sold that to the GE Compensation Committee.

 

[Waquoit]

I agree...there was a week about this time last year where it looked like GDL was gone, when he didn't leave, in retrospect that probably told us everything we needed to know about PP and our upcoming year.

Then P let GDL take over the OL job. Sheer idiocy. The clown couldn't handle one job, so P let him have two.

 

[J187Money]

Why would he agree to an automatic, self-perpetuating, one-year Contract extension/rollover for a "worthless" JH? I don't think Jack Welch could have sold that to the GE Compensation Committee.

McHugh became chair of the BOT in 2009. I couldn't find it via google, but that contract pre-dated McHugh's chairmanship, didn't it?

 

[husky8273]

It's true. You're the history guy, The Boston area used to be Giant country.

See http://www.jazzpatriot.com/2012/02/many-patriots-fans-over-60-are-former.html

 

[Fishy]

Why would he agree to an automatic, self-perpetuating, one-year Contract extension/rollover for a "worthless" JH? I don't think Jack Welch could have sold that to the GE Compensation Committee.

In addition to several other fictions, people are vastly overrating the power of any individual trustee.

 

[ruskin]

In addition to several other fictions, people are vastly overrating the power of any individual trustee.

Easy Fish. I get you're on his side but BOT chair not exactly a figurehead or honorary position. He knows how the CT political game is played.

 

[Fishy]

Easy Fish. I get you're on his side but BOT chair not exactly a figurehead or honorary position. He knows how the CT political game is played.

You're out of your depth on this one. Accept it.

(Go ahead, act offended, but you are.)

 

[huskymedic]

That's why he went to ND with Warde & Susan to interview Diaco at 7 a.m. last Wednesday.

??? Say What ???

 

[Fishy]

OK, Fish, you're right. Things just keep happening that are the beyond the control of the chair of the BOT. He was just along for the ride last Wednesday night at Warde's house with SH & WM during the interview..

lol.

You're a babe in the woods.

Hey, tell me more about the letters McHugh had people write in for Pasqualoni.

 

[Fishy]

??? Say What ???

Just roll with it.

It's easier that way.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

McHugh became chair of the BOT in 2009. I couldn't find it via google, but that contract pre-dated McHugh's chairmanship, didn't it?

All I was able to find on that was that (by my inference, the wording was a bit vague) there were six years remaining at the time JH retired. That contract however has Hogan (again, my inference) all over it.

 

[ruskin]

??? Say What ???[/q

I'm sure by now you've seen the correct timeline of events.

 

[ruskin]

Hey, tell me more about the letters McHugh had people write in for Pasqualoni.

Hey, tell me that the Fillippone-Marinelli crowd had zero contact with your guy in the days leading up to the P hire. The existence of that letter is a fact. My opinion is it is plausible your guy had a hand in it.

It's really something these lengths -- including being snide and condescending -- that you are going to revise history to hide the fact that at a minimum LM enabled the worst hire in college football in the last five years, and, at the same time, enabled an over-his-head AD to stay in the job longer than he should have.

Of the many good things LM has done for UConn, hiring someone with stones like Herbst who had the managerial ability to clean up those messes is one.

 

[J187Money]

Hey, tell me that the Fillippone-Marinelli crowd had zero contact with your guy in the days leading up to the P hire. The existence of that letter is a fact. My opinion is it is plausible your guy had a hand in it.

It's really something these lengths -- including being snide and condescending -- that you are going to revise history to hide the fact that at a minimum LM enabled the worst hire in college football in the last five years, and, at the same time, enabled an over-his-head AD to stay in the job longer than he should have.

Of the many good things LM has done for UConn, hiring someone with stones like Herbst who had the managerial ability to clean up those messes is one.

This season aside (where he was canned 4 games in) - he was below average. I know that really stinks, and the circumstances that the school is in makes it worse, but even on most lists of bad coaches, he isn't listed:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130708/best-worst-college-football-coaches/

http://www.totalprosports.com/2013/09/30/9-worst-college-football-coaching-hires-of-the-bcs-era/#10

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/ot-what...-football-coach-hiring-decisions-21st-century (he actually made it to 8th on this list)

I know when it happens to YOU it is always so much worse. But perspective might be nice. Sometimes...

 

[ZooCougar]

This season aside (where he was canned 4 games in) - he was below average. I know that really stinks, and the circumstances that the school is in makes it worse, but even on most lists of bad coaches, he isn't listed:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130708/best-worst-college-football-coaches/

http://www.totalprosports.com/2013/09/30/9-worst-college-football-coaching-hires-of-the-bcs-era/#10

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/ot-what...-football-coach-hiring-decisions-21st-century (he actually made it to 8th on this list)

I know when it happens to YOU it is always so much worse. But perspective might be nice. Sometimes...

In the grand scheme of college football it may not be on the top of every list. But PGDL was the worst thing that could have happened. Honestly, I feel bad for sticking up for them in year one. By the time the NC State game was over in year two I was convinced that he was a loser.

They surrendered nearly every advantage and strength that we ever had. Home field advantage? Gone. Running game. Gone. Offensive line that wore out the defense. Gone.

 

[Waquoit]

I know when it happens to YOU it is always so much worse. But perspective might be nice. Sometimes...

Anyone trying to claim that P was anything short of a disaster is the one lacking perspective.

 

[J187Money]

Disaster for this program? Maybe. Time will tell. If Diaco outshines Addazio maybe we are better off in the long run. Worst hire in the history of college football? Please. If the program were irretrievably damaged, Diaco wouldn't have taken the job. Let's look forward people...and get over it.

 

[sdhusky]

In the grand scheme of college football it may not be on the top of every list. But PGDL was the worst thing that could have happened. Honestly, I feel bad for sticking up for them in year one. By the time the NC State game was over in year two I was convinced that he was a loser.

They surrendered nearly every advantage and strength that we ever had. Home field advantage? Gone. Running game. Gone. Offensive line that wore out the defense. Gone.

It may be the optimist in me, but I think PP did an ok job as a recruiter. Look at Davis, Phillips, Boyle, Lemelle, Bradley, CC, Newsome, Fox - that's more play makers than I can remember in a UCONN uniform. PP doesn't get credit for all of them, but the ingredients are here for BD's OC.