B12 Related - Why is UConn's brand so tainted?

[gopher2]

Anyone with half a brain and went to the 2.0 introductory press conference knew we were screwed.

Its been a few years and my memory fails me, What was it he said that made it apparent we were screwed?

 

[Waquoit]

Its been a few years and my memory fails me, What was it he said that made it apparent we were screwed?

He never came clean about the way he left the first time. Plenty of Yarders disagreed and told me to get over it. But he was so stubborn he went with the weasel words. Told me he wasn't all in, it was just the best paying gig out there for him. At that point in time, UConn didn't need a hack.

 

[businesslawyer]

I've been posting here since 2014 and I have nearly 2000 posts. If my sole interest was to talk down to UConn Fans, a program that under normal circumstances I would have no connection to, I'm pretty sure that I would have lost interest in doing it years ago. I'm here because I adopted a rooting interest in the school when a local kid whose family I know pretty well came to play here.

Nowhere in my post did I mention my school or compare the # of wins that it has to UConn or anybody for that matter. In fact, I don't believe that I've mentioned being a Penn State Alum 10X over 9 years. It's not particularly relevant to what is discussed here so I don't bring it up. Maybe I was a little heavy handed in describing Edsall's disastrous second act and the damage he did to the school's football reputation, but I believed it was a big mistake when it happened and Its even more clear now that it is over. From the likes on my post and the posts that followed, it appears others agree with me.

As for the other stuff, you'll have to try harder. We've been listening to mouth breathing Pitt, UMD, and Rutgers Fans try that tactic for years to no avail. Funny thing is that we used to get similar bull * *** from MSU, OSU, and UM Fans as well. It's fascinating how quickly those comments disappear when the people hurling rocks realize that their houses are made of sometimes even thinner glass.

You have been here for a long time and I generally have no issue with your posts. Read your post again and tell me you really don’t think it was condescending.

 

[Ldandy]

You have been here for a long time and I generally have no issue with your posts. Read your post again and tell me you really don’t think it was condescending.

I make no bones that I don’t like HCRE. I was strongly against the rehire when it happened and I feel even stronger about it now with everything that happened. It makes me angry just thinking about it. All he did in his second act was fund his retirement at UConn’s Expense, while producing the worst football that I can remember since Temple was kicked out of The old Big East. He made Bob Diaco look like Vince Lombardi.

That said, if at any point in time during 2.0 he stepped in front of a microphone and said I need to do better, I might have softened my stance. Instead he accepted no blame, pointed fingers at players and other coaches, and acted like there was nothing that could be done to change what was happening. Leaving with his tail between his legs after nearly burning the house to the ground was a fitting final act.

As a fan of the program I couldn’t be happier that a real professional is in charge at such a crucial point in history. Coach Mora is here to win games, and is not accepting the excuses that exist why a NE Football team might struggle. The same excuses that HCRE wrapped himself in like a safety blanket. You have a shot now, and if that other clown was still around you would be closer to dropping the sport altogether than cashing fat checks.

 

[RSTuthill]

HCRE2.0 came in on the cheap and thought he could work a miracle and get cannonized simply by using the same methods as his previous tour of duty. He failed to recognize the CFB world had changed in ways that he did not understand. To wit, the portal, the prime example of which was TCU last year.

 

[CL82]

HCRE2.0 came in on the cheap and thought he could work a miracle and get cannonized simply by using the same methods as his previous tour of duty. He failed to recognize the CFB world had changed in ways that he did not understand. To wit, the portal, the prime example of which was TCU last year.

I actually think HCRE2 was trying to make right the harm caused by HCRE1's unseemly exit. (Of course I also think some of his motivation hello was getting back to his glory days.) Agree, though, he was in over his head in the second round.

 

[Luna]

I make no bones that I don’t like HCRE. I was strongly against the rehire when it happened and I feel even stronger about it now with everything that happened. It makes me angry just thinking about it. All he did in his second act was fund his retirement at UConn’s Expense, while producing the worst football that I can remember since Temple was kicked out of The old Big East. He made Bob Diaco look like Vince Lombardi.

That said, if at any point in time during 2.0 he stepped in front of a microphone and said I need to do better, I might have softened my stance. Instead he accepted no blame, pointed fingers at players and other coaches, and acted like there was nothing that could be done to change what was happening. Leaving with his tail between his legs after nearly burning the house to the ground was a fitting final act.

As a fan of the program I couldn’t be happier that a real professional is in charge at such a crucial point in history. Coach Mora is here to win games, and is not accepting the excuses that exist why a NE Football team might struggle. The same excuses that HCRE wrapped himself in like a safety blanket. You have a shot now, and if that other clown was still around you would be closer to dropping the sport altogether than cashing fat checks.

I agree…HCRE 2 just came back for a paycheck and to get his son experience… if we learned anything from Dan Hurley.. it is you have to be 100% in and outwork everyone else…and HCRE certainly wasn’t

 

[Waquoit]

I agree…HCRE 2 just came back for a paycheck and to get his son experience… if we learned anything from Dan Hurley.. it is you have to be 100% in and outwork everyone else…and HCRE certainly wasn’t

I couldn't stand him. And then we find out he spent the lockdown in Florida! What a bum.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

RE was conciliatory about the departure. The problem was a combination of things:

1 - RE only knew one way to build a program, which was a slow, deliberate process that required quite a few unrecognized players who would develop. We were doomed to take a step backwards at the start and not begin moving forward until we started developing some traction due to player development. That didn't happen.

2 - RE's defense required talent and experience that he was unable to reach during his second run. Without both it is an easy system to move the ball against.

3 - After DB dismissed KO (something those who approve the school's budget, which includes the athletic department), the BOT punished DB by limiting what the AD could spend, basically cutting what the football team could do in terms of assistant coaches to an FCS level.

4 - After getting blindsided by the departure from the AAC, RE believed that the school had given up on football and (with the financial constraints placed upon the program) wasn't able to project anything positive within the program. His best move would have been to retire once we became an independent.

 

[Husky68]

RE was conciliatory about the departure. The problem was a combination of things:

1 - RE only knew one way to build a program, which was a slow, deliberate process that required quite a few unrecognized players who would develop. We were doomed to take a step backwards at the start and not begin moving forward until we started developing some traction due to player development. That didn't happen.

2 - RE's defense required talent and experience that he was unable to reach during his second run. Without both it is an easy system to move the ball against.

3 - After DB dismissed KO (something those who approve the school's budget, which includes the athletic department), the BOT punished DB by limiting what the AD could spend, basically cutting what the football team could do in terms of assistant coaches to an FCS level.

4 - After getting blindsided by the departure from the AAC, RE believed that the school had given up on football and (with the financial constraints placed upon the program) wasn't able to project anything positive within the program. His best move would have been to retire once we became an independent.

THE best move would have been to never rehire the fired Maryland retread. Based on the way HCRE2.0 performed from day one until his "retirement" announcement the "Occam's Razor" take is that his intent was to destroy UConn football.

 

[Waquoit]

RE was conciliatory about the departure.

No, not even close.

 

[Exit 4]

Thoughts on Randy;

1) The success of the 1.0 era was largely driven by Danny O. What if Danny O never arrived on campus- I shudder to think. Danny O gave us the wins and the momentum to leg out a nice decade. Not sure any of it happens without him.

2) HUDL destroyed Randy’s recruiting strategy of finding the best developmental kids - aka diamonds in the rough. Recruiting became a lot harder when suddenly everyone had plenty of tape that was widely distributed. Damn you cell phones and cloud storage!

3) Somewhere along the way he stopped growing and became the guy that was confident he had all the answers and yet had not looked at “the data” in a decade. There is evolution in all phases of football; recruiting, staffing, game strategy, etc. Dusting off the program playbook from 2003 does not work.

 

[Ldandy]

Appreciate your perspective. Why can't we get a game?

Good question. I knew it wouldn’t happen while Edsall was there, as Franklin had issues coaching against him at UMD. That said, I see no reason it can’t happen now. It would be a lot of fun if it did.

 

[SubbaBub]

RE2.0 was an unmitigated disaster. It also had nothing to do with the state of the program, anymore than any other lousy coach would have done. At the time, the AD was in deep financial straits. Randy was by far the best "name" available at the available budget. AD talked up the discount we were getting. Those who wanted an unknown at the time had a fair point, especially in hindsight but, they ignored then and the revisionists ignore now, the fact that RE was rehired to lend credibility to a program that went from BCS/P6 to AAC bottom feeder.

Like PP, RE no longer had the stomach for the college game after being away from it, especially after it didn't come together immediately. It is very difficult to hold the same level of commitment and ambition the second time around once you've done a thing once. The greats can do it, that's why they are great, RE was obviously never great.

And guess what, Mora is just a better version of the RE2.0 strategy. The best name at the lowest price. year one exceeded all expectations. This year, the schedule demands improvement, which I think we will see because Jim Mora is a professional and understands that going 6-7 against marginal D1 opponents isn't something to be celebrated, going 8-5 against a similar slate may not either. The proof will be in year 3 or 4 when the expectation will be to win bigger games and the novelty of reviving a moribund program back to a top 60 program wears off and the AD has to hire a new coach that will be judged on wins alone without the stanning of having a legit NFL coach running the program.

All of the above is why FB centric AD's look down on UConn FB and by extension the entire AD, BB championships and all because FB brings in the money and that's what they are really after. If playing UConn would set off a bidding war for prime time broadcasts, two weeks worth of press mentions and promos across every media platform, or if we just added enough value to revenue pie to cover ourselves plus an extra million or two for the existing members, we'd have been invited a long time ago.

What did Miami, BC, VT, Cuse, UL, and Pitt all have that UConn didn't? They all had a period of time where they were at the center of the CFB consciousness. UL's came after joining the ACC but within 4 years they had a Heisman winner. Anyone here think PP, BD, or RE2.0 was recruiting a Heisman winner in the ACC? If we are being completely honest, even RE1.0's success was partly smoke and mirrors taking nothing away from the games won but every AD knew it.

 

[UConnDan97]

RE2.0 was an unmitigated disaster. It also had nothing to do with the state of the program, anymore than any other lousy coach would have done. At the time, the AD was in deep financial straits. Randy was by far the best "name" available at the available budget. AD talked up the discount we were getting. Those who wanted an unknown at the time had a fair point, especially in hindsight but, they ignored then and the revisionists ignore now, the fact that RE was rehired to lend credibility to a program that went from BCS/P6 to AAC bottom feeder.

Like PP, RE no longer had the stomach for the college game after being away from it, especially after it didn't come together immediately. It is very difficult to hold the same level of commitment and ambition the second time around once you've done a thing once. The greats can do it, that's why they are great, RE was obviously never great.

And guess what, Mora is just a better version of the RE2.0 strategy. The best name at the lowest price. year one exceeded all expectations. This year, the schedule demands improvement, which I think we will see because Jim Mora is a professional and understands that going 6-7 against marginal D1 opponents isn't something to be celebrated, going 8-5 against a similar slate may not either. The proof will be in year 3 or 4 when the expectation will be to win bigger games and the novelty of reviving a moribund program back to a top 60 program wears off and the AD has to hire a new coach that will be judged on wins alone without the stanning of having a legit NFL coach running the program.

All of the above is why FB centric AD's look down on UConn FB and by extension the entire AD, BB championships and all because FB brings in the money and that's what they are really after. If playing UConn would set off a bidding war for prime time broadcasts, two weeks worth of press mentions and promos across every media platform, or if we just added enough value to revenue pie to cover ourselves plus an extra million or two for the existing members, we'd have been invited a long time ago.

What did Miami, BC, VT, Cuse, UL, and Pitt all have that UConn didn't? They all had a period of time where they were at the center of the CFB consciousness. UL's came after joining the ACC but within 4 years they had a Heisman winner. Anyone here think PP, BD, or RE2.0 was recruiting a Heisman winner in the ACC? If we are being completely honest, even RE1.0's success was partly smoke and mirrors taking nothing away from the games won but every AD knew it.

I think this post misses the mark on multiple points.

Firstly, to compare 2.0 with Mora is wayyyy off the mark. Not only has Mora drastically improved the product on the field, he did it with 2.0's guys. He also has absolutely changed the marketing of this program in a way that Edsall never did or never could. It's a nonsense comparison.

Secondly, to say that BC, Syracuse, and Louisville were different than us from a national football prospective is nowhere near true, unless you're trying to invoke Flutie and Jim Brown. At the time of the departures, the nation cared about neither one.

Mora is not Urban Meyer or Nick Saban. But he's a country mile in front of Edsall...

 

[hardcorehusky]

The circumstances behind RE2.0 were unique. The red pants child destroyed this program on every level after PP had let it go off course. Who better to rebuild it than the guy who built it in the first place? Problem was, we didn't give the AD money for football because, this is my opinion only, realignment was a ways off and someone wanted to cut corners in football. Additionally, RE's strengths were Red Pants weaknesses and that always appeals in hiring but causes other problems as we saw.

RE hadn't evolved and his long term turnaround was out-of-date. The game had passed him by. To me, he was a cheap place holder and when it all blew up, UConn realized it had a problem.

Mora says and does all the right things. He observed successful football programs and has picked up from them. But if the funding slips or if we don't get into a conference in the near future, I can see him heading along to whatever is next.

 

[Greg]

Just to be clear, are you suggesting by saying “bargain price” that we should accept a lesser share?

The A C C has gone to a model with an uneven revenue split. If you want more of the pie, wiin more

 

[NE Football]

The northeast teams are not being mentioned by the B1G or the SEC. BC, SU & Pitt have a very long history in college football that we do not have. We bring nothing to the ACC in football which is where they need the help.

There are many outstanding issues in college football from NIL to making the players employees that need to be resolved before we see where conference realignment ends up. The Big 12 could easily get picked apart along with the ACC and PAC 12 by the SEC and B1G if those conferences go to 24 teams. The Big 12 does not have its own tv network which is another long term negative for that conference.

Short term, ESPN would be smart to buy the ND brand by paying them 75 million per year to join the ACC full time. That would give them all of the ND’s home games plus 3 more conference games and a lot of championship game appearances. They have the money now that they backed out of the PAC 12 media rights bidding.

 

[NE Football]

The ACC revenue sharing changes only apply to postseason games, not the TV contract.

 

[billybud]

The ACC revenue sharing changes only apply to postseason games, not the TV contract.

Yes...allows those who win in the BB tournament to keep what they earn...not split with the conference.

Duke, UNC, and Virginia came on board.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I think this post misses the mark on multiple points.

Firstly, to compare 2.0 with Mora is wayyyy off the mark. Not only has Mora drastically improved the product on the field, he did it with 2.0's guys. He also has absolutely changed the marketing of this program in a way that Edsall never did or never could. It's a nonsense comparison.

Secondly, to say that BC, Syracuse, and Louisville were different than us from a national football prospective is nowhere near true, unless you're trying to invoke Flutie and Jim Brown. At the time of the departures, the nation cared about neither one.

Mora is not Urban Meyer or Nick Saban. But he's a country mile in front of Edsall...

Edsall is a tightass. Tightasses are grinders with evrything that implies. Grinders don't win games by smoke and mirrors.

 

[ElGreco]

No matter what we do, no matter how many bball championships, no matter the progress shown in football, based on what i'm seeing aroudn the internet, it really seems like UConn's athletic brand simply does not make a dent with people. Folks outside our immediate fanbase/community, are not excited about us, and thus us being a part of their favorite team's conference. And utlimately, that's what drives eyeballs and thus $$ - regardless of actual on-the-field success.

i'm a relatively new fan, so i'm so confused by the lukewarm reception. What happened to us, that has made this brand so difficult to position positively on a NATIONAL stage?
I know we're powerful in the Big East (a fairly local bball conference), but again - my question is about NATIONAL.

if someone has a fact/historical based explanation, i'd love some context & enlightenment, because this just doesn't make sense why college sports fans (FB/basketball) across the country find us boring/offensive/beneath them.

What i've seen so far:

• ACC has never wanted us and still doesn't, even though it's the perfect geographic fit and member profile (i.e. schools and matchups make the most sense for us, within P5)
• B1G has probably never heard of UConn (who?)
• SEC has prob never heard of the state of Connecticut, much less UConn
• Pac12 just doesn't make sense, so didn't look around for threads/chats on that potential relationship
• Big 12 - only possible connection, but fans across the conference hate us/the idea of this happening.

I don’t completely share your thoughts. We are a highly respected national brand in basketball. Pretty much in everybody’s Top 10 all time programs and in the conversation as a Blue Blood. As for football, likely never gonna happen but that’s ok. We just want to compete and make a few bowl games, which we will. Go Huskies!!

 

[ElGreco]

A whole host of things. He basically didn’t play any Diaco guys with any experience favoring his own recruits over seniors who could play. He alienated guys, both coaches and players. He was inflexible in committing to a late 20th century style of play. His guys were always undersized and basically incapable of playing, leading to the worst defense in the country. He refused to play the transfer portal, effectively putting us behind all other 129 teams. According to some stuff that came out after the firing, during COVID he canceled the season and then hiked it down to Florida, leaving his team in the lurch. They came back to get destroyed the next season after getting destroyed the season before.

It was a national embarrassment. Unfortunately, it happened just in the midst of the current phase of realignment

RE is clueless and classless

 

[JohnFSilver]

The circumstances behind RE2.0 were unique. The red pants child destroyed this program on every level after PP had let it go off course. Who better to rebuild it than the guy who built it in the first place? Problem was, we didn't give the AD money for football because, this is my opinion only, realignment was a ways off and someone wanted to cut corners in football. Additionally, RE's strengths were Red Pants weaknesses and that always appeals in hiring but causes other problems as we saw.

RE hadn't evolved and his long term turnaround was out-of-date. The game had passed him by. To me, he was a cheap place holder and when it all blew up, UConn realized it had a problem.

Mora says and does all the right things. He observed successful football programs and has picked up from them. But if the funding slips or if we don't get into a conference in the near future, I can see him heading along to whatever is next.

If UConn wanted to go back to big east, do you think the easiest way to do that was to choke the football team?

If UConn was competing in the AAC, but didn’t get a p5 invite, would the school have left?

 

[RSTuthill]

If UConn wanted to go back to big east, do you think the easiest way to do that was to choke the football team?

If UConn was competing in the AAC, but didn’t get a p5 invite, would the school have left?

Yes. U r suggesting that was deliberate??? No no no.

The premise of the second question isn't clear. The conditions u cite are exactly what happened. But cause and effect are not established.