Assistant coaching news...

[sportsart]

I am definitely a B camp guy. Hey, we all have our defects. Remember, the sun gives you skin cancer.

Yeah but vampires can kill you much quicker.

 

[ZooCougar]

I am definitely a B camp guy. Hey, we all have our defects. Remember, the sun gives you skin cancer.

I think there is a middle ground. I like Diaco, I like the other hires. But this OC has me scratching my head.

I actually think calling plays is underrated. Being an OC and not calling the plays is almost like not being an OC at all. Now if Diaco had hired a WR coach maybe we wouldn't even be having this conversation. calling plays is probably one of the most meaningful direct influences a coach can have on the conduct of a game.

 

[BlueDogs]

Yeah but vampires can kill you much quicker.

Unless you have a either garlic, a cross or a picture of HCPP handing from your neck.

 

[ZooCougar]

Doesn't the position of OC call for the designing and teaching the offense to the players AND calling the plays? You can't tell me Cummings was just an OC in name only because they had money in the budget and someone had to get it.

I seriously doubt the CMU head coach designed, taught and called the plays. None of us here no exactly what Cummings did there but I'm going to guess HCBD has a clue and certainly knows the story of PGDL.

I'd bet Foley has been around long enough to not only teach an offense but call plays as well. Shane Day proved it's not rocket science.

Shane Day was a QB coach in the NFL. He may have been the most qualified QB coach we ever had.

I think calling plays can be rocket science, obviously the CMU HC thought it was important enough that he retained that responsibility.

Every article I have read has felt the need to highlight the fact that he during call the plays.

http://www.themorningsun.com/sports...ummings-accepts-job-in-same-capacity-at-uconn

 

[FfldCntyFan]

For the love of Tory Taylor...

When we get to Eric Torkleson I hit bingo!

 

[sdhusky]

Shane Day was a QB coach in the NFL. He may have been the most qualified QB coach we ever had.

I think calling plays can be rocket science, obviously the CMU HC thought it was important enough that he retained that responsibility.

Every article I have read has felt the need to highlight the fact that he during call the plays.

http://www.themorningsun.com/sports...ummings-accepts-job-in-same-capacity-at-uconn

Really? That article was thrown together in 3 minutes. It copies other articles put together in 5 minutes and you are surprised they all say the same thing?

I think play calling is over rated. I would rather have more talent that executes better

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think there is a middle ground. I like Diaco, I like the other hires. But this OC has me scratching my head.

I actually think calling plays is underrated. Being an OC and not calling the plays is almost like not being an OC at all. Now if Diaco had hired a WR coach maybe we wouldn't even be having this conversation. calling plays is probably one of the most meaningful direct influences a coach can have on the conduct of a game.

FWIW - IMNSHO, the best play callers in the history of the game, and still are today, are the quarterbacks that actually call their own plays on the field during the game. How that happens, has changed dramatically over the years, and it's very rare to find it, there are only a handful of QB's that can actually do it anymore - why that is - can be a long discussion over many Scotches.

In the recent past, to my knowledge, Luck at Stanford recently was the ONLY - and mean only QB in college football that was able to play the game at the level at the QB position in the college game. I'm not talking about reading defenses and making adjustments well, that's a level of play that most college QB's aspire to reach by graduation. The importance of play calling has become this myth over time though.

It's much more important to have an offensive, defensive or specials system that fits your goals, your philosophy on how to play, and your personnel, and then have built good game plans, than finding some mythical great play caller. The play caller - needs to have the mind to see how things are developing on the field, where mismatches are, track who is on the field and not, who just got cleaned and decleated, and make decisions on what plan of attack (play call) will be used during the course of the game, and they always need to be thinking a few steps ahead - the play calling, is really the chess board skill.

There is a certain amount of creativity that goes into it for absolute sure, and ballsyness at times. I will never forget Payton's onside kick in the super bowl to open the second half...but those things are the exception, not the norm, in successful play calling.

 

[ZackB05]

I'm highly optimistic on Diaco but I do find it a little concerning that our new OC applied for the university of North Dakota HC job a few weeks ago (per CMU's official twitter account).

 

[FfldCntyFan]

IIRC, pre Foley (when we did have some decent offensive line play, especially when you factor in that all recruits at that point were basically 1-AA prospects), Norries Wilson was OC/OL for center & Guards while McMichael was TE/OT coach. I am speculating here but I always took that as Wilson teaching run blocking and McMichael pass blocking.

Continuing with the speculation, it is my belief that (as he was able to get a LT picked first in the NFL draft from a mid-major school) Cummings can teach the one aspect of blocking that Foley may be a bit weak at (I am unsure if our less than stellar pass blocking, when compared to run blocking was due to his teaching, the talent he had to work with or a bit of both) and in addition to OC duties, Cummings will be to some extent an assistant OL coach.

I personally don't see how in one breath people are complaining about the results he had as OC at CMU and in the next use the fact that the plays were not called by him as a reason to complain. I am fully confident that there will be a basic framework of the offense we want to run, developed jointly by Diaco, Cummings and likely the remainder of the offensive staff, all game plans will be built around this framework and the play calling will incorporate the game plan. We will run the offense Diaco wants, like it or not. The people hired to date were hired in large part because Diaco believes they can run that offense.

 

[PAGS]

What's up with all the worry about him calling or not calling his plays at Cent. Mich? Maybe the HC at Cent. Mich. (who's in charge) wants to call his own plays cause he wants total control. I highly doubt a defensive minded coach is going to want to call the offensive side of the game. I'd imagine Cummings is going to be calling the plays. Maybe this is why he wanted out and applied for other jobs....

 

[Husky25]

I'm highly optimistic on Diaco but I do find it a little concerning that our new OC applied for the university of North Dakota HC job a few weeks ago (per CMU's official twitter account).

I'm curious. Why does this concern you?

 

[UConnDan97]

Look, I'm as fearful of the unknown as everyone else on this board. UConn is something that we all love (otherwise we wouldn't be here posting), and that's why there is so much anxiety in this thread. But let me ask a serious question: How many of us (myself included) knew a damned thing about any one of these assistant coaches prior to a Google search??? It's an honest question. If the answer is "zero" (myself included), then what the hell are we all getting worked up about? Let's all just be cautiously optimistic, and see where this thing goes.

For the love of Ryan Krug...

 

[huskymedic]

When we get to Eric Torkleson I hit bingo!

I have Ken Sweitzer as the wildcard!

 

[Carl Spackler]

Shane Day was a QB coach in the NFL. He may have been the most qualified QB coach we ever had.

I think calling plays can be rocket science, obviously the CMU HC thought it was important enough that he retained that responsibility.

Every article I have read has felt the need to highlight the fact that he during call the plays.

http://www.themorningsun.com/sports...ummings-accepts-job-in-same-capacity-at-uconn

I knew that about Day. Mike Martz picked Day to be his QB coaches straight into the NFL from wherever he came from before, I remember being very impressed that Pasqualoni got him to come to UCONN. That's why I wasn't surprised that he would be a good play caller. If Mike Martz liked this guy's mind to work with his QB's, that's fine by me.

I did a bit of work trying to break down Martz' Rams offense in a ton of detail in 1999, and actually ran into him a few times in the late 1990s. Martz is an egotistical , but what football coach, really - isn't? anyway.

It was a phenomenal passing offense that was entirely built on new offensive concepts never before seen in the NFL. It was very difficult to break down, and figure out how it worked to defend, because everything in the pass game was dynamic. Pass routes and throws would change mid play, and were designed to, and Warner was phenomenal in his ability to deliver an accurate ball anywhere eon the field in a 3, 5 foot drop and the ball was out before any pass rush could get there.

In fact, nobody really did figure out how to stop it, until Bill Belichick basically cheated like hell to get information to break it down prior to the Super Bowl in 2001. Everybody was focused on how to defend the passing route structures and rush the QB, but the key to breaking it down was actually Running Back Marshall Faulk, and the only way that was figured out was with inside information. You can all read about this in books, they've been written. Belichick figured out that inside info was so good, that they started gathering video of other teams practices......which eventually got him a $500,000 fine a few years later.

Everybody knows Kurt Warner, and the passing game, but without a player of Faulk's ability at the RB position, that offense doesn't work. The entire Patriot game plan in the 2001 super bowl was to knock Faulk's dork in the dirt, and they beat the crap out of Faulk in that game, every time the ball was snapped, and they were able to stop the offense long enough to get a last second win on a field goal.

 

[Husky25]

What's up with all the worry about him calling or not calling his plays at Cent. Mich? Maybe the HC at Cent. Mich. (who's in charge) wants to call his own plays cause he wants total control. I highly doubt a defensive minded coach is going to want to call the offensive side of the game. I'd imagine Cummings is going to be calling the plays. Maybe this is why he wanted out and applied for other jobs....

Coach Edsall is a defensive guy and it was widely rumored he kept his offensive coordinators on a tight leash, even when one of them was supposedly going to come in and open up the offense. It does no good for the team if an offensive coordinator is supposed to make the calls and then the Head Coach overrides one out of every three plays over the course of the contest.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Look, I'm as fearful of the unknown as everyone else on this board. UConn is something that we all love (otherwise we wouldn't be here posting), and that's why there is so much anxiety in this thread. But let me ask a serious question: How many of us (myself included) knew a damned thing about any one of these assistant coaches prior to a Google search??? It's an honest question. If the answer is "zero" (myself included), then what the hell are we all getting worked up about? Let's all just be cautiously optimistic, and see where this thing goes.

For the love of Ryan Krug...

For the love of Tyler King....please.

BTW: now that I think of it - King and Anderson - do we have not 1 but 2 pro MMA fighters that are UCONN football alum?

 

[UConnDan97]

For the love of Tyler King....please.

BTW: now that I think of it - King and Anderson - do we have not 1 but 2 pro MMA fighters that are UCONN football alum?

Yeah, I heard that after Deon left the Cowboys, he went on to MMA as well. I wonder if he's doing well? Hopefully, he's hitting the opponents as hard as he hit linebackers...

 

[CTMike]

Anyone remember when Diaco said he wants a potent offense slinging it all over, doing the things he hated as a DC, winning battles in the trenches? Well none of that has changed with these hires. They are going to have to execute on Diaco's vision or they won't be around. If they are respectable guys who can recruit and teach, I'll take that for now and evaluate the rest later.

 

[weyuo]

Some in here critical of Diaco not retaining more of the previous regime have to remember Manuel stated that some of those coaches informed him that they would not be returning before he ever hired Diaco. I'm of the mind to give this guy a fair chance to show he has this head coaching thing under control. I'm holding my judgement till at least October 1st, 2014. By then they will have played what... 4 or 5 games and we should have a decent picture of what they are trying to recruit.

 

[sdhusky]

'm of the mind to give this guy a fair chance to show he has this head coaching thing under control. I'm holding my judgement till at least October 1st, 2014. By then they will have played what... 4 or 5 games and we should have a decent picture of what they are trying to recruit.

I think by the end of the first special teams, offensive and defensive series, the boneyard opinions will start to solidify.

 

[coachcap]

I have Ken Sweitzer as the wildcard!

Did I miss Rick Robustelli, Keith Kraham, & Lou Corbo?

 

[RedSoloCup]

I think by the end of the first special teams, offensive and defensive series, the boneyard opinions will start to solidify.

I just hope we are on the right side of a kickoff, three-and-out, touchdown drive...

 

[weyuo]

I think by the end of the first special teams, offensive and defensive series, the boneyard opinions will start to solidify.

I read the Boneyard for information. The opinions of peeps that have never coached a D-1 game themselves I don't much care about. I'm looking for facts, first hand, eye witness accounts. If I offer an opinion it's usually in defense of the program or to bring a little common sense back into the conversation.

 

[Colt house75]

Our memories are short. Remember Pistol Hand-off, Pistol Hand-off, Badly Run Short Route Pass and Punt. Rinse and repeat.

My memory is even shorter, ...can only remember the Wildcat...maybe Cummings is related to McCummings?

 

[sdhusky]

I read the Boneyard for information. The opinions of peeps that have never coached a D-1 game themselves I don't much care about. I'm looking for facts, first hand, eye witness accounts. If I offer an opinion it's usually in defense of the program or to bring a little common sense back into the conversation.

The brilliant ND posters on ndnation KILLED Brian Kelly for bringing over his assistants from Cincy and Grand Valley. Killed him.

ND needed big time coaches from big time programs - just like what Charlie Weis and all the failure before him - went the conventional wisdom.