Balance?

[Nostical]

In the age of agents and incentives, keeping the Charlie Strongs is not easy. The hiring choices are no mystery---an up and coming lower level coach like Todd Berry of UL Monroe-- a youngish NFL Asst who wants his own program to lead--or a twilight of career but still relevant, back to his roots type of guy, like Kirk Ferentz.

 

[whaler11]

Why the hell do you guys even pay attention to UConn football if you honestly dont think they have a shot at becoming relavent. BL, I was not saying we need to find Calhoun. I was saying someone "like" him. Just like ALL the other relavent teams in the country.
It is what it takes to become a real football program. Everybody on this board wants UConn to be a "real" team and compete with the best. Well, if thats what you want then UConn AD's need to find the coach that will take us there. That is a Calhoun type person that will stick around for at least 15 years.

Disagree? Then you are blind and no nothing about how football really is. I am willing to bet you have never touched a varsity ball in any sport or stepped foot on a
collegiate field to play with real talent.

go back to coaching your daughters T-ball league.

Um nobody is disagreeing that finding that coach would be huge. We are pointing out it's difficult.

Maybe we pay attention because we like it? That it can be satisfying to be a fan even when you don't win a National Championship? That it's fun to watch, argue about, tailgate....

If you are following UConn because you think they are going to win National Championships? You will most likely end up like the fans of dozens of BCS programs that will never get there.

 

[Husky25]

...Disagree on very few people in northeast actually care about football, residents of northeast have gone to lot of different schools so no one team captures lot of fans. Years ago my daughter's friends parents were all hyped up about going to "the game", they were talking about Harvard/Yale.

In the interest of full disclosure...From Wikipedia (So it has to be true): "The Harvard-Yale football rivalry, also known as The Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Harvard Crimson football team of Harvard University and Yale Bulldogs football team of Yale University."

 

[Husky68]

If you think that in 2010 we had the same talent across the board as Auburn did (minus Newton & Fairley) then we can save us the time and energy and end the conversation.

And you're free to disagree about the Northeast and college football, but you're wrong.

Didn't say had same talent as Auburn, your statement not mine. Cincinnati almost went to championship game year before and they didn't have same talent as two teams that got there, just went 12-0 with 7-0 in BE and many very close victories. So to my point, in 2010 you put those two on Uconn and don't see a regular season game we lost where wouldn't expect to win, Scam personally won the Alabama game after falling behind with help on defense from Fairly - think they could have gotten us by even Michigan to start season as they would have had no answer for Scam (as they had no answer for most any offense except Uconn's). 12-0 Uconn team that year (with Auburn out of picture 'cause we have Scam and Fairly) is title contender. Uconn did not play a single team in 2010 during the regular season that finished in the top 25. Put Scam and Fairly on a league championship 8-4 BCS team with a schedule like that and are in the NC hunt. Would have killed a lot of teams. How good would the zone read have been with Scam and Jordon?

So just to make sure you understand the difference between what I said and the different statement which you objected to but which I did not say - said NC title contenders with those two, not as good as Auburn was if neither had those two.

 

[Uconngal]

I was the one who stated we will never be Alabama in the chat today. What didn't get posted was my follow-up response to the postings that followed my making that comment so I will add that here. I agree with some who stated that it is far easier to achieve in basketball with 2 great players than in football with the 15-20 that would be needed. I would love for UCONN to get to the point where it is a consistent Top 25 program and has a committed fan base. But we are not there and unfortunately I don't see us getting there quickly. I am a fan that chooses to support this team and this program whether they win or lose. I also travel at least twice a year to road games to support them. There are simply not enough fans at this stage with that type of commitment to the program. Most still attend for the social tailgating event pre-game. To become a great program you need to establish tradition, which includes the tradition of winning, fans that will travel, families that see a game as an event that can't be missed, etc...
Additionally many said that fans will follow a winner. Yes that is true, but I have found that the interest in Connecticut, even in high school football, has diminished greatly over the last 25-30 years. My former high school team, Ansonia is a consistent winner and draws nowhere near the crowds that it once did. People have far more choice today as to how they can and will spend their time and $. I believe factors that add to fewer fans include the rise of soccer, year round baseball, and everything is televised just to name a few. Another consideration has to be academics - UCONN has high academic standards. Many of the programs that you see, with a few exceptions, i.e. Notre Dame, in the Top 25 do not expect or demand the same academic performance out of their athletes. I realize I am in the minority here but I still would prefer to have a team that is competitive and produces men that can be sucessful in life after football than a team that always wins but is full of players with character issues and players that don't graduate. I for one will continue to support this program and hope that we can find some consistent success as we continue to grow and evolve. Feel free to fire away with dissenting opinions...

 

[Nostical]

Uconngal, I applaud you. That's a rational and healthy assessment of UConn football. Having been at several SEC games and three Texas high school Friday Night Lights games, there is simply Zero comparison in the passion and commitment for those programs. We have a long, long way to go, and frankly will probably never get there (and I accept that we may not ever want to) but I'd be very delighted with baby steps. Like caring enough on game day once comfortably on site to be in your seat by kickoff. In the world of big boy football that in itself is a very minor concern (and in some venues unthinkable not to). Yet just think what a massively huge step forward it would be for us---and how freaking difficult it is to even get folks to concur that it matters at all.
As you said so well, "I for one will continue to support this program and hope that we can find some consistent success as we continue to grow and evolve." So will I.

 

[CodyJ.]

View attachment 1332

Lol. That is hilarious and I deserve it. Ok.

 

[CodyJ.]

Um nobody is disagreeing that finding that coach would be huge. We are pointing out it's difficult.

Maybe we pay attention because we like it? That it can be satisfying to be a fan even when you don't win a National Championship? That it's fun to watch, argue about, tailgate....

If you are following UConn because you think they are going to win National Championships? You will most likely end up like the fans of dozens of BCS programs that will never get there.

I completely get that. If I wasn't clear then I apologize. I was saying "relevant". Top 25 consistently. Able to compete. I think it's entirely possible and honestly took the replies to mean these people don't think it's possible. That is ludicrous to me.

 

[whaler11]

UConngal hit on a lot of facts.

The reality is that it's much more difficult to build tradition in this century than it was when most of the powers built their fanbases. They didn't have as much competition and were able to make their programs a way of life that has endured.

Just look at the basketball programs. The men's team has a deep heritage and has great success. They will play to a half empty XL center most of the year. The women win more than realistically possible and they can't give tickets away.

To truly build the fanbase UConn has to make the game dat experience compelling to casual fans. It pains me to say that - but they aren't going to survive with the 20k diehards. I don't know how to do it and I'm not even sure it can be done - but it has to be the goal.

 

[whaler11]

I completely get that. If I wasn't clear then I apologize. I was saying "relevant". Top 25 consistently. Able to compete. I think it's entirely possible and honestly took the replies to mean these people don't think it's possible. That is ludicrous to me.

There is not a single poster on this board who thinks having a team that is consistently in the Top 25 isn't a realistic goal.

 

[huskymedic]

UConngal hit on a lot of facts.

The reality is that it's much more difficult to build tradition in this century than it was when most of the powers built their fanbases. They didn't have as much competition and were able to make their programs a way of life that has endured.

Just look at the basketball programs. The men's team has a deep heritage and has great success. They will play to a half empty XL center most of the year. The women win more than realistically possible and they can't give tickets away.

To truly build the fanbase UConn has to make the game dat experience compelling to casual fans. It pains me to say that - but they aren't going to survive with the 20k diehards. I don't know how to do it and I'm not even sure it can be done - but it has to be the goal.

^^^^^ This ^^^^^^ and I'm not being patronizing. First sentence is so on point.

 

[ZooCougar]

UConngal hit on a lot of facts.

The reality is that it's much more difficult to build tradition in this century than it was when most of the powers built their fanbases. They didn't have as much competition and were able to make their programs a way of life that has endured.

Just look at the basketball programs. The men's team has a deep heritage and has great success. They will play to a half empty XL center most of the year. The women win more than realistically possible and they can't give tickets away.

To truly build the fanbase UConn has to make the game dat experience compelling to casual fans. It pains me to say that - but they aren't going to survive with the 20k diehards. I don't know how to do it and I'm not even sure it can be done - but it has to be the goal.

We face two issues. Building an appealing identity in football and getting people to games in a highly competitive environment. This isn't rural Kansas or Oklahoma. We can't move the Rent and 50k in fans to the moon, but we can forge an identity and fill the place for the big games that people really think count.

This goes against my every instinct as follower of football for nearly all my short life, but here it is.

We need a HC with an offense first mentality. The team needs excitment and scoring and an identity. Building a team around a strong defense isn't bad, but it isn't filling the stadium.

If we were a program that already had tradition, identity and 50k fans that love the program unconditionally, then yeah defense and ball control offense would be the ticket.

You look at how some of these other great teams pulled themselves up from the bootstraps, Boise, Virginia Tech, even Texas Tech, or Louisville. They built solid followings by putting great offenses on the field or with star players that were transcendant and thrilled the crowds at home with lots of TDs and wins.

UConn football under Edsall and now Pasqualoni too often has been a kick in the nuts or almost like taking a bitter pill.

 

[CodyJ.]

There is not a single poster on this board who thinks having a team that is consistently in the Top 25 isn't a realistic goal.

Amen