Warde Manuel speaks on the coaching situation

[Rumrunner]

http://courantblogs.com/uconn-footb...re/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Says all the right things.

 

[huskymedic]

Way to be opportunistic Des:

UConn AD Maunel: “Not Even Thinking About Whether Paul Is The Right Coach At This Point In His Tenure”

Don't cut and paste articles.

 

[ruskin]

Glad to see the coaching issue is now in the "mainstream" media and that Manuel addressed it head-on and acknowledged the fan base isn't happy. The previous AD would have given Desmond a "no comment" close his eyes and wish for the problem to just go away.
The empty seats Saturday will send another loud message to Manuel/Herbst.
FWIW, UConn is still 106th in the nation in offense even with yesterday's numbers (and fifth in defense, surprisingly). If we end up near the bottom in offense yet again I would be very surprised if GD is still the OC next year no matter what the W-L record is.

 

[ZooCougar]

Yeah so, If Mr. Manuel was thinking questioning thoughts about P and D, do you really think he would spill his guts to Desmond Conner in the Airport terminal?

Good going on getting the interview in, but it isn't very convincing.

 

[SubbaBub]

If we are going by the passing yardage of our QB in a loss to a MAC team, yesterday was a step backwards. After 4 games, everyone seems to be in agreement about what's wrong. If PP can't address what everyone is seeing, then WM would be negligent if he didn't take a look at the contract situation.

Personally, I'd have my ear to the ground as to who may be available, start scouting top assistants at major program, looking for the next guy. If you find him, make the move, contracts aside. Even if PP turns it around and we win 7, 9, 10, 11 games and a conference title in the next four years, will he be around for the next 5 year contract?

Hathaway hired PP as a caretaker to stabilize (or consolidate) the gains the program made under Edsall. Perhaps, by relying on fewer diamonds in the rough. It wasn't necessarily the wrong strategy versus rolling the dice with a hot assistant coach or coordinator, but missing two straight bowls games against the two of the weaker schedules we've seen in a while would be a failure by any measure. Eight games to go, 5-3 (4-3) gets up into the Pinstripe bowl against a B12 team with a chance to satisfy everyone following the program. Let's sack up and get it done.

 

[Waquoit]

What's he gonna say, really?

 

[ZooCougar]

If I take this at face value, then I read this as : P will get a chance to replace a bunch of Assistants after the season is over. After that, he is on his own.

 

[RS9999X]

If I take this at face value, then I read this as : P will get a chance to replace a bunch of Assistants after the season is over. After that, he is on his own.

It's what we should expect for a coach with a team playing 1 game under 500. The post-mortem comes at the end of the season and they size up the successes and failures on the field and on the recruiting trail. Decisions to improve are made. A .500 coach this year keeps his job and staff another year/

3 losing seasons and then we would see action on the head coach front.

 

[ZooCougar]

It's what we should expect for a coach with a team playing 1 game under 500. The post-mortem comes at the end of the season and they size up the successes and failures on the field and on the recruiting trail. Decisions to improve are made. A .500 coach this year keeps his job and staff another year/

3 losing seasons and then we would see action on the head coach front.

.500 against this scheduled is much less than mediocre. Even with Edsall leaving the offensive cupboard a little bare.

 

[CTMike]

What's he gonna say, really?

I think he defended P more strongly than a simple "No Comment" would have.

 

[UConnDan97]

I think he defended P more strongly than a simple "No Comment" would have.

Absolutely right. There are plenty of ways in political speak to equal "no comment", and to me, this wasn't one of them. I don't know the guy very well, so I guess I shouldn't comment any further, but it sounded to me like honest support rather than calculated media handling.

 

[Hoophound]

Absolutely right. There are plenty of ways in political speak to equal "no comment", and to me, this wasn't one of them. I don't know the guy very well, so I guess I shouldn't comment any further, but it sounded to me like honest support rather than calculated media handling.

I think he meant, "it is early in the season, we are 2-2. If we go 10-2, obviously P is doing a good job. We'll see how the season turns out. I am not firing anyone in the middle of the season anyway."

 

[UConnDan97]

I think he meant, "it is early in the season, we are 2-2. If we go 10-2, obviously P is doing a good job. We'll see how the season turns out. I am not firing anyone in the middle of the season anyway."

That's not at all what I got from it. When I read comments like "too many mistakes, too many blown assignments" and "MAC football is good football and these kids have to understand that we have to play against a MAC team the same way we play against an ACC team or anyone else," it tells me that he believes that the kids lost this one, not the coaches. You don't talk like that unless you believe that the kids lost this one. And I can't argue with that line of thinking, since I believe that we are the more talented team.

Everyone knows that I have bitched up a storm about the wildcat and the fact that Foley shouldn't have been removed from OLine coach, but Warde's comments speak to a full support of PP and the staff, and I'm not sure anyone can convince me otherwise (unless we're missing some excerpts from the conversation that said otherwise)...

 

[Sean]

The dreaded vote of confidence!

 

[Hoophound]

That's not at all what I got from it. When I read comments like "too many mistakes, too many blown assignments" and "MAC football is good football and these kids have to understand that we have to play against a MAC team the same way we play against an ACC team or anyone else," it tells me that he believes that the kids lost this one, not the coaches. You don't talk like that unless you believe that the kids lost this one. And I can't argue with that line of thinking, since I believe that we are the more talented team.

Everyone knows that I have bitched up a storm about the wildcat and the fact that Foley shouldn't have been removed from OLine coach, but Warde's comments speak to a full support of PP and the staff, and I'm not sure anyone can convince me otherwise (unless we're missing some excerpts from the conversation that said otherwise)...

I think you may be misunderstanding what I meant. I basically think Warde feels the entire discussion is premature. We are only 4 games in. He'll assess things later. He is showing faith in Coach P, that doesn't mean he will show faith if we go 2-10.

 

[UConnDan97]

I think you may be misunderstanding what I meant. I basically think Warde feels the entire discussion is premature. We are only 4 games in. He'll assess things later. He is showing faith in Coach P, that doesn't mean he will show faith if we go 2-10.

Oh, okay, gotcha. That's true, but I guess that would be true of any college coach. A 2-10 season is not often followed by a long stay at any given D-1 program...

 

[Uconnalliance]

Funny part of all these threads is,we ripoff a couple of nice wins and P will be hoisted up on some shoulders and the Stop goes away

 

[Hoophound]

Funny part of all these threads is,we ripoff a couple of nice wins and P will be hoisted up on some shoulders and the bull**** goes away

That's always the case. I think most of the skepticism stems from the bad play calling this year and the handful of wtf coaching and clock management decisions last year that lost us a few games we appeared to have won. However, a few wins and he'd have us back on his side. He is very likable IMO. I really want PP to succeed because he is a good man.

 

[huskymedic]

The dreaded vote of confidence!

 

[Jimdish255]

I don't want the bull***t to go away but it would be great to have all doubts proven wrong. If they can coach these guys up and turn things around then they'd be doing something fantastic- their jobs. The second part of which is leaving the program in a better place than you found it.

 

[BG79]

I really would've preferred a "no comment" over this.

 

[huskymedic]

I really would've preferred a "no comment" over this.

Why?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I think you may be misunderstanding what I meant. I basically think Warde feels the entire discussion is premature. We are only 4 games in. He'll assess things later. He is showing faith in Coach P, that doesn't mean he will show faith if we go 2-10.

And he is right in that the conversation is premature. Honestly I'm not thrilled with P up to this point. And those calling for his head and proclaiming he is setting the program back may or may not end up being right. But the calls for his job right now are silly IMO. Now, talk to me in December after another losing season and I don't know how I'd feel.

 

[BG79]

Why?

Because at least with a no comment I can pretend that he's as ticked off as I am watching this mess.

 

[businesslawyer]

Because at least with a no comment I can pretend that he's as ticked off as I am watching this mess.

Or, he could be as ticked off as you are but may realize that there is nothing he can realistically do during the season and that saying anything other than supportive is unfair to the players and the team while their season is ongoing.

He is doing his job. We will have no clue what he is thinnking until after the season.