moving on. Stony Brook.

[Husky25]

Too much is being made of that field goal. I don't like his justification, but that field goal itself was not a bad decision. On the other hand a fake field goal was a bad decision. Can't expect a back up punter to get 16 yards unless it is with his foot. That's a bad gamble on 4th & 6, let alone 4th & 16.

Similarly, I don't think Whitmer had a great shot at getting 12 yards (don't think he had a 12 yard gain all game let alone with a short field). If UConn doesn't convert, they still need 3 TDs, but now those TD's win the game instead of tie it. If the yardage was anywhere less than 7, I may have second guessed it more, but it wasn't. It was 4th down & 12.

I do second guess not using the hurry up offense at the end of the half. There is no reason not to. I also think that Clax maybe shouldn't see so much time next week. Can't have the ref calling your number so often for bonehead mistakes.

 

[Huskygamble19]

Holy hell.

Diaco has coached 1 game, all time, as a head coach, and he's 0-1, with a whole bunch of head scratching going on as to what happened in that game. How in the holy hell, can he be called a complete hire?: "Ward brings in the complete guy, Promoter, Recruiter, Player advocate, Politician and a detailed X&O guy".

He's not a complete hire, because he's got zero experience as a head coach, except for the past 9 months and 1 game. He is a work in progress hire, with fantastic potential and a great fit for the program needs - and it's up to Warde Manuel to make sure develops.

There' is nothing else we're disagreeing about, and Hayden Frye quotes, and Diaco's enthusiasm and dedication to his work, aren't going to change my opinion, which is that he's got a long way to go, before anybody can put him anywhere near the same level as a "complete" coach - like a Hayden Frye. I'd go as far as to guarantee that Diaco himself would agree with me.

The bottom line is that losing begets losing, and winning begets winning, and there is no greater measure of success - than having the W on the board at the end of the game. No amount of small victories add up to more than that W in the win column. You need a lot more small victories than small losses to get that big W, but that's what coaching and playing is all about - accumulating enough small wins - to get the big W.

While I don't like the final outcome of the game, I do believe that coach D is trying to find out just what he has with this team. He is moving players around to see exactly how they perform in certain situations. This is his first big test against a very good team with a possible Heismann candidate and overall I don't think they performed horribly, especially in the 2nd half. Whitmer was used extensively in the red zone, but couldn't finish off drives and looked overmatched at times. Scrimmages don't give you a complete idea of how to approach actual competition. You have to use several different matchups to determine which work best together. Hell, even a team like Green Bay can be beaten 40-10 in the first game of the season. He is preparing this team for the AAC games that will mean a lot more. The BY game was a good test for that preparation. If the Stoney Brook game comes a cropper I will have to adjust my thinking, but I don't think so.

 

[Confident Carl]

Holy hell.

Diaco has coached 1 game, all time, as a head coach, and he's 0-1, with a whole bunch of head scratching going on as to what happened in that game. How in the holy hell, can he be called a complete hire?: "Ward brings in the complete guy, Promoter, Recruiter, Player advocate, Politician and a detailed X&O guy".

He's not a complete hire, because he's got zero experience as a head coach, except for the past 9 months and 1 game. He is a work in progress hire, with fantastic potential and a great fit for the program needs - and it's up to Warde Manuel to make sure develops.

There' is nothing else we're disagreeing about, and Hayden Frye quotes, and Diaco's enthusiasm and dedication to his work, aren't going to change my opinion, which is that he's got a long way to go, before anybody can put him anywhere near the same level as a "complete" coach - like a Hayden Frye. I'd go as far as to guarantee that Diaco himself would agree with me.

The bottom line is that losing begets losing, and winning begets winning, and there is no greater measure of success - than having the W on the board at the end of the game. No amount of small victories add up to more than that W in the win column. You need a lot more small victories than small losses to get that big W, but that's what coaching and playing is all about - accumulating enough small wins - to get the big W.

Carl, cut the crap. Not just the complete coach comment. You have been way too critical of Diaco and staff after one game. If they go 2-10 then go crazy but for now lighten up a little. You said this " What concerns me about Diaco, and I've held this all along, is that if there is really anything under that polished salesman, with a plan. If your players can't make the blocks, and can't make the tackles, then you're not coaching them well. Football is not a sport where you need life long developed physical skills to compete (i.e. soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.)

That's what worries me about Diaco's "plan". I wonder if the guy is just way overthinking things.

Either because we don't have the size, speed, and strength to dominate, or because our coaching staff, is perhaps screwing up, and way overthinking things. or worse - both.

IMO he is the complete hire. Has he reached is full potential after game one? of course not. Who would ever say that? And sure, a reporter is going to ask Diaco if he thinks he is the complete hire, the bomb. And Diaco is going to say, yeah man, I am the complete hire! Common Carl, you can do better than that. I believe Diaco will turn the program around and get UCONN back on the winning path.. Everyone is allowed to criticize but you have been over the top on this one. Using Maslow's philosphy, Diaco has not reached Self Actualization as a coach yet. He is still building the foundation and right now, I wouldn't want anyone else. He is the perfect man for the job at hand.

 

[Huskygamble19]

Too much is being made of that field goal. I don't like his justification, but that field goal itself was not a bad decision. On the other hand a fake field goal was a bad decision. Can't expect a back up punter to get 16 yards unless it is with his foot. That's a bad gamble on 4th & 6, let alone 4th & 16.

Similarly, I don't think Whitmer had a great shot at getting 12 yards (don't think he had a 12 yard gain all game let alone with a short field). If UConn doesn't convert, they still need 3 TDs, but now those TD's win the game instead of tie it. If the yardage was anywhere less than 7, I may have second guessed it more, but it wasn't. It was 4th down & 12.

I do second guess not using the hurry up offense at the end of the half. There is no reason not to. I also think that Clax maybe shouldn't see so much time next week. Can't have the ref calling your number so often for bonehead mistakes.

They were in the red zone 3 times and in every instance came away with nothing. Whitmer running out of bounds was inexcusable.

 

[RedSoloCup]

Holy hell.

Diaco has coached 1 game, all time, as a head coach, and he's 0-1, with a whole bunch of head scratching going on as to what happened in that game. How in the holy hell, can he be called a complete hire?: "Ward brings in the complete guy, Promoter, Recruiter, Player advocate, Politician and a detailed X&O guy".

He's not a complete hire, because he's got zero experience as a head coach, except for the past 9 months and 1 game. He is a work in progress hire, with fantastic potential and a great fit for the program needs - and it's up to Warde Manuel to make sure develops.

There' is nothing else we're disagreeing about, and Hayden Frye quotes, and Diaco's enthusiasm and dedication to his work, aren't going to change my opinion, which is that he's got a long way to go, before anybody can put him anywhere near the same level as a "complete" coach - like a Hayden Frye. I'd go as far as to guarantee that Diaco himself would agree with me.

The bottom line is that losing begets losing, and winning begets winning, and there is no greater measure of success - than having the W on the board at the end of the game. No amount of small victories add up to more than that W in the win column. You need a lot more small victories than small losses to get that big W, but that's what coaching and playing is all about - accumulating enough small wins - to get the big W.

Carl, I usually tune in to what you say about team, progress and what is needed.

I have met a few people that are a bit put off by HCBD. What makes some people run through a wall is making others feel like they are chewing tin foil. Just looking at where you are leading, you seem to be hesitant to buy into the coach because you got so burned by the last one.

Everyone steers their own ship, I am just suggesting that you may not need to go too far just yet. Let's see where the year takes us.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Wow Carl. This does everything short of saying you want Edsall back.

LOL. I would love to get back to the kind of football where strength, conditioning, preparation and execution of fundamentals and discipline were the normal, and expected. I would love to get back to the place, where we are arguing over what it will take us to get over the hump and into the national picture regularly, than just conference titles. We're on track with the strength, conditioning part, but the preparation and execution of fundamentals is lacking IMNSHO, and this 'PLAN' about maximizing reps for everyone, instead of settling on a lineup and getting that lineup the reps they need to perfect those fundamentals, is giving me gout.

I do not want Edsall back, though, no way.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Carl, I usually tune in to what you say about team, progress and what is needed.

I have met a few people that are a bit put off by HCBD. What makes some people run through a wall is making others feel like they are chewing tin foil. Just looking at where you are leading, you seem to be hesitant to buy into the coach because you got so burned by the last one.

Everyone steers their own ship, I am just suggesting that you may not need to go too far just yet. Let's see where the year takes us.

I just disagreed with labeling Diaco as the 'complete' hire/coach whatever at this point. It's nonsense. I bet if you asked Diaco right now, or for that matter, more importantly - the guy that hired him Warde Manuel, if he was the 'complete' coach, he'd say no - he needs to get a few laps around the track under his belt before he can be considered a 'complete' coach. It's nothing more than semantics really.

It was a tough spot, BYU, most likely will be one of the toughest, if not the most difficult matchup we've got all season. And we got them right out of the gate, and we started off about as badly as possible. There is no where to go but up.

It really is all about beating Stony Brook right now. It gives me a pain in the stomach to go with the gouty arthritis this rotations of players is giving me rather than having a starting lineup, to know that we're at this level, that I'm worried about beating Stony Brook, but you got to build from somewhere, and I wrote a long time ago, that 2-0 to start the season would be awesome, 1-1 would be ok, too, but if it's 1-0 vs. BYU and 0-1 vs. Stony Brook, the roller coaster ride isn't over yet, and the team isn't on even keel, but if it's 0-2 vs. BYU and Stony Brook at home.......that tells us some serious info too.

 

[Uconnalliance]

Let me add to this by saying that I have this gut feeling that we are going to run the ball for about 1,000 yards on Saturday. In all seriousness, I think that we'll have two backs go for over 100 yards each (and my money is on Marriner and Newsome). I think we'll see a heavy dose of "solve your problems with aggression." And if we aren't chasing the game the way that we were against BYU, I think that it will really take the pressure off of the QBs, which will make them look even better. Just my gut feeling...

We will destroy Stonybrook Sat, feel bad for the fella keepin stats cuz my man will have carpel tunnel by days end!

 

[RedStickHusky]

In the immortal words of the boss - "someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny."

 

[RedStickHusky]

I just disagreed with labeling Diaco as the 'complete' hire/coach whatever at this point. It's nonsense. I bet if you asked Diaco right now, or for that matter, more importantly - the guy that hired him Warde Manuel, if he was the 'complete' coach, he'd say no - he needs to get a few laps around the track under his belt before he can be considered a 'complete' coach. It's nothing more than semantics really.

Concur, we shot for complete last time and got completed instead.

 

[Colt house75]

Let me add to this by saying that I have this gut feeling that we are going to run the ball for about 1,000 yards on Saturday. In all seriousness, I think that we'll have two backs go for over 100 yards each (and my money is on Marriner and Newsome). I think we'll see a heavy dose of "solve your problems with aggression." And if we aren't chasing the game the way that we were against BYU, I think that it will really take the pressure off of the QBs, which will make them look even better. Just my gut feeling...

Absolutely Dan, can't agree with you more. I think this is Arkeel's breakout game. My take from last Friday is that we didn't win on the scoreboard but "won" in a number of other ways. I told all my buds as we were walking out after the game I thought we won in a number of areas. They can't be measured on the scoreboard. including (1)seeing new faces get reps, (2) all the backs showed me something and the biggest intangible..."they never quit" . With the latter, Diaco showed me he has been "winning" since December.
That attitude will carry through.

Dan, I know from your posts you will predict we win every game here on out on the scoreboard.
I predict we win every game here on out but we will go 6 & 6 on the scoreboard....here's why:
I know this. HCBD is a man of his word. His GOAL is to "win" championships. He is surrounded by a great winning staff and players. To achieve his GOAL, he has objectives. Those Objectives are termed Process. We achieved our Processed objectives last Friday night....as he and the team have been FOR EVERY DAY SINCE HE ARRIVED IN STORRS. I don't look at the scoreboard, not right now.... this is an incredible group of young kids out there and they showed it----not once did they back down or ease their own internal mojos off the throttle. That is a testament to the internal objectives and PROCESS. In my mind, the scoreboard showed one thing but I thought we won...... it is pretty simple.

 

[UConnDan97]

Dan, I know from your posts you will predict we win every game here on out on the scoreboard.
I predict we win every game here on out but we will go 6 & 6 on the scoreboard...

Blasphemy!!!

(Some of the other comments were good though...but...blasphemy...)