Coach P keeping a poker face on naming our starter at QB...

[Dann]

if whitmer can be just a average bcs qb, this team will win 9+ this fall. jmac atleast twice a game dropped back and went to a knee for the sack rigth away. that killed so many potential drives and killed field position and hurt our d/st. whitmer wont do that at least let alone passing/running better. i may be a huge hype guy when it comes to things but i honestly think that if whitmer is anything bcs average or better we may become a monster next year for the underdog bcs media. the league is wide open and our ooc games are all within reach, while nothing special there is ok quality in them. a hot start will have the rent buzzing and more importantly the media starting to take notice. i would love to go 3-1 vs the acc, 3-1 vs the be and 4-0 vs the mac this fall. that would be a great year, if we do better than that then i can't wait for this board to have no choice but get behind pp. anything less than 8 wins will be a bummer in my eyes. and for that to happen then qb will be the issue i think as it would be a whitmer vs nebrich thing as neither steps up. the ol will be a huge question i know, but a average bcs qb would take that suspect ol and work to get rid of the ball quick etc and not do what jmac did last year.

-can the ol be healthy and improve?
-qb play?
-how good is ncst?
-can we get a bcs road win?
-transfer wr's the real deal?
-2nd rb no jaguar?

alot of questions among others but if the answers lean our way, we could be in for one heck of a fall.

 

[mattp]

We need dislike buttons for people who project injuries.

If our QB has a 65% completion percentage, I guarantee we're throwing for more than 250 yards per game. Last year we were at 195 yards per game with a 51% completion rate. Even if we throw no more passes and get no more yards per catch, a 65% completion rate would bring us to 249 yards. Rutgers last year was at 54% and 241 ypg, South Florida 58% and 250. West Virginia hit 65% completion and piled up 347 passing yards per game.

obviously it was all done in jest, but i still think it's bad mojo to predict injuries, no matter how jokingly

 

[pj]

obviously it was all done in jest, but i still think it's bad mojo to predict injuries, no matter how jokingly

Yes, and to what point? So he can predict that if we had a key injury we'd wonder what might have been without the injury? What's insightful or entertaining about such a prediction?

 

[TouchdownHusky]

obviously it was all done in jest, but i still think it's bad mojo to predict injuries, no matter how jokingly

True, very true. Bottom line though, you can never have enough pitching. Until proven otherwise, UConn is woefully inadequate at this position. Whitmer sounds right now like he may change some of that. Cochran, needs to red shirt, and maybe he provides some positives in that position. Nebrich? Can he play or was he just last year's hype that we currently hear about Whitmer and Cochran? What can't happen is have more of the same.

 

[Johnbuoy]

Coach P: For all you Boneyarders who wanna know who my starting QB is gonna be.

Enough said.

 

[Waquoit]

lighten up Francis.

The joke was about how Boneyarders would react to an injury, not about a player actually being injured.

Yeah, but it still wasn't that funny. What's so bad about getting excited about the best QB to hit the program since Dan O? An injury would be a severe gut punch. Your "any QB" scenario doesn't work for me. The difference between 1 and 2 is so much greater than the one between 2 and 3.

 

[chalk1]

I was asked what was meant by "don't expect any major differences", so the best I can tell you is that I sensed that Whitmer was not going to be the next coming of John Elway. Simply that he was the best we've got and should be an improvement, but don't expect touchtown bombs on every series. If he is more efficient than what we have seen then we have something pleasant to discuss in the future. I think we would all agree that there is alot of upside, time will tell. I for one look forward to seeing what he can do.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Yeah, but it still wasn't that funny. What's so bad about getting excited about the best QB to hit the program since Dan O? An injury would be a severe gut punch. Your "any QB" scenario doesn't work for me. The difference between 1 and 2 is so much greater than the one between 2 and 3.

Are you referring to Zach Frazer, Tyler Lorenzen, Cody Endres? All three of those were 3/4 star recruits and had varying levels of success.

We don't know if Whitmer is the best QB since Dan O since he's never played a snap at Uconn. Which gets back to my original point that he will never be viewed more positively than he is now. His "Q" ratings on the boneyard start nosediving the first three and out series he QB's.

 

[Palatine]

My eyes tell me that Whitmer is the best QB we have seen since DanO. I see a confident, decisive, leader with a decent arm and good accuracy.

I would be totally shocked if anyone else got the nod.

 

[businesslawyer]

My eyes tell me that Whitmer is the best QB we have seen since DanO. I see a confident, decisive, leader with a decent arm and good accuracy.

I would be totally shocked if anyone else got the nod.

I hope to God you are right. I think that is an unbelievably premature statement, but I hope to God you are right.

 

[freescooter]

My eyes tell me that Whitmer is the best QB we have seen since DanO. I see a confident, decisive, leader with a decent arm and good accuracy.

I would be totally shocked if anyone else got the nod.

scary as it may be, I agree with Palatine...to me the keep point was that he hit guys when they were open. The same guys looked heavily covered with different quarterbacks. And that makes a huge difference. I don't know if he'll be an All-Big East or anything but if he's an upgrade we should be pretty good.

 

[UConnDan97]

If I can be so bold as to make a decision based on the spring game, it was definitely Whitmer in my opinion, too. With the exception of that one bad mistake interception in the endzone, he was great the rest of the way (granted, a jump-ball interception in the endzone is a pretty bad mistake).

I would love to see Whitmer as the starter with McEntee/Nebrich as backups and Cochran saving a year with a red-shirt. McCummings used less often in the wildcat package. Then the following year, Whitmer would have 2 years and Cochran 4 years of eligibility. McEntee will be gone and I don't see Nebrich getting much better (again, based only on the spring game) than what he was last year. Lagow takes the redshirt next year, so that he has 4 years eligibility when Cochran has 3 and Whitmer is a senior.

UConn goes 13-0 every year from now on....trust me...

 

[mattp]

If I can be so bold as to make a decision based on the spring game, it was definitely Whitmer in my opinion, too. With the exception of that one bad mistake interception in the endzone, he was great the rest of the way (granted, a jump-ball interception in the endzone is a pretty bad mistake).

it's a bad mistake, but considering last season we endured the mistake of handing the ball off to the other team in our own end zone, it's not the worst thing.

i don't know why people get so uptight about predictions about players. I, among others, think Whitmer will be our most productive QB since DanoO. obviously it's not fact yet, but what's the point of message boards if you can't make bold statements that you have no real proof of? isn't that pretty much 50% of what goes on here, and the other 50% is people telling them they're an idiot? if every post were treated like court evidence it'd get pretty boring.

 

[businesslawyer]

scary as it may be, I agree with Palatine...to me the keep point was that he hit guys when they were open. The same guys looked heavily covered with different quarterbacks. And that makes a huge difference. I don't know if he'll be an All-Big East or anything but if he's an upgrade we should be pretty good.

I don't think there is any question that Whitmer won the day of the Spring Game by a wide margin. That having been said, I think I am more influenced by the fact that we came into the spring game without the Staff having even a lean towards a starter (from what we can tell) than what happened that one day.

Hopefully, someone grabs the reigns by opening day and gives us much improved play. But I'm still not sold that Whitmer has won the job.

 

[metsfan2323]

UConn goes 13-0 every year from now on....trust me...

Last year we lost 4 games that could have easily been wins

Vandy
Iowa State
Western Mich
Louisville (we just dropped another pass)

Add Whitmer to last years team and we are at least 9-3

Now take into account the following:

* our players have had the extra year to learn the very complicated schemes that we run on both sides of the ball

* the coaches have had the extra year to learn what this roster can do and get themselves reaquainted with the college game and each other

* on paper our roster appears to be much deeper at LB, DB, WR, RB, QB

* We don't have to play WV in Morgantown (or at the Rent), Cincy lost alot from last year's team and we play them at home, Pitt is starting all over and we play them at home.

Take all this into account and 10 wins seems very achievable, 11 wins not out of the question, 12 wins crazy but not impossible.

The only bummer is Schiano is gone, we could always count on him to hold Rutgers back. RU might end up being better without him.

Two huge road games that will probably determine the Big East title are at RU and at Louisville.

 

[UConnDan97]

There are two types of fans; the fans that believe a team will go 0-13 until the team proves to them that they can win the games, and the fans that believe a team will go 13-0 until we actually lose the games. I'm in the latter group. I'm one of those crazies that says in the offseason, "We're undefeated!"

 

[Duncan Idaho]

The offensive line was lost in a bit of a fog last year. They didn't know who to block. Hopefully that will improve this year. Maybe thats why Johnny curled himself into a ball so many times last year. Based solely on one scrimmage, I would say Whitmer gets the nod for his relative accuracy and running ability. Would like to see Nebrich as #2 if his accuracy is improved. But better OLine play in season two of a new system is a must no matter who is back there. It will show itself quickly.

 

[BlueMAB]

My money is on Whitmer. When was the last time a highly touted all american transfer came in and didn't win the job? Might happen, but not often.

The O-line must improve. McEntee has his limitations, but his o-line did him no favors. The o-line's play will determine how far this team goes. No matter how good our QB is, if we can't keep him clean and injury free we're going to struggle.

 

[pj]

I think I am more influenced by the fact that we came into the spring game without the Staff having even a lean towards a starter (from what we can tell) than what happened that one day.

I don't think we can infer from the staff's silence that they don't have a lean. Spring was for specific work - teaching the system and getting people to work together. It wasn't for evaluating who should be the starter, it was for preparing the players for un-coached study and work in May-July so that they'd be as far ahead as possible by the start of camp. Then there will be an evaluation of who should start - a fairly quick one, I expect.

Leopards don't change their spots and Whitmer isn't going to become a bad quarterback between April and August.

 

[pj]

Take all this into account and 10 wins seems very achievable, 11 wins not out of the question, 12 wins crazy but not impossible.

The only bummer is Schiano is gone, we could always count on him to hold Rutgers back. RU might end up being better without him.

Two huge road games that will probably determine the Big East title are at RU and at Louisville.

The tough games are NC State at home, USF, Rutgers, and Louisville on the road. Those are the four toughest teams on the schedule and 3 are on the road.

So the most likely outcome is 8-4, but if all goes well, we've got a shot at a great season.

 

[freescooter]

I realize it is my opinion, but I really believe that the staff expects Whitmer to be the opening day quarterback just like we (mostly) do. Not sure I completely buy the argument that they weren't leaning that way. They let Johnny Mac start the game, which was a classy thing to do since he was the 2011 starter. But that doesn't mean they think he'll be the 2012 starter. And they didn't go out and recruit Whitmer, who has 3 years of eligibility remaining because they were positive that somebody else on the roster was going to step up and be ready this year or, for that matter, ever. Beyond that, though, I think the other factor that kept them from "leaning" toward Whitmer, at least publicly, was that they have had a limited amount of time to work with him. He arrived in January. They needed to know how he handles the playbook, they need to see his leadership (by the way the way he lead his team to a td in the closing minutes of the 1st half after throwing the interception on his first drive suggests that leadership won't be a big issue), they needed to see him in gamelike conditions. Now they have seen those things.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't think we can infer from the staff's silence that they don't have a lean. Spring was for specific work - teaching the system and getting people to work together. It wasn't for evaluating who should be the starter, it was for preparing the players for un-coached study and work in May-July so that they'd be as far ahead as possible by the start of camp. Then there will be an evaluation of who should start - a fairly quick one, I expect.

Leopards don't change their spots and Whitmer isn't going to become a bad quarterback between April and August.

Don't infer it from the silence. Infer it from the fact that we didn't have a 1st team offense play against a 1st team defense, but divided both the O and the D up rather evenly. There is no way that would have been done if they thought they had their #1 QB going in. The only reason to do that is because you are still wide open and you want all your QBs to have roughly the same chance.

 

[ktuck911]

Man I am so looking forward to the end of week two of practice.. So this thing finally shakes out... If we don't know by then... then we are pretty much in the same boat we were in the start of the 2011 season...

 

[Johnbuoy]

As the pre-season camp progressed last year, there were some accounts that made it appear Nebrich would be getting the starting nod. Although he did see some game time, it's hard to believe a more definitive starting qb decision wasn't made until even after the first or second game of the season. However, once a 'quasi-starting' qb decision was made, fans did get to watch a whole season of the new football based drama "The McEntee-McCummings Experiment."

I don't know exactly what this year's season has in store, but it seems to me that when it comes to making a decision about the next starting qb, there are a few nearly year old HCPP quotes that most BYers probably don't want to have floating around in their memory bank until just before kick-off on August 31st.

"I'm not going to make any kind of announcement until we get into the stadium for the game."
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/uconn/article/UConn-won-t-reveal-starting-QB-until-game-day-2139863.php#ixzz1yGLNKNSZ"
“We are working very hard, we are pleased with the progress that we are making and we haven't finalized the decision yet.”
Read more: Huskies won’t name quarterback until season opener - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/sports/x1153514174/Huskies-won-t-name-quarterback-until-season-opener#ixzz1yGHhf6H8

Based on the above, it seems somewhat obvious that relying on HCPP to make a starting qb decision prior to the first game is somewhat tenuous. It's also a decison, that left unmade until the last minute is very frustrating for the BYer faithful. (It is all about us isn't it?) To overcome this I suggest a different qb selection approach may take shape prior to the start of the season. It goes something like this.

Even though Coach Day is in his first year, we can hope that he reads this board and that HCPP listens to him, seriously considers his input, and takes action based on that input. If so, here's a few things that Coach Day must have a hand in making happen sooner rather than later.

1. Recognize early on who the starting qb should be. (Of course this presumes someone does stand out.)
2. Strongly advise/convince HCPP that naming a starting qb at least two weeks prior to the start of the season is important to building team chemistry.

Good luck Coach Day! We're counting on you. We don't want to watch re-runs from last season.

 

[freescooter]

Johnbouy,

I think it is possible that Pasqualoni won't officially name a starter until the lst minute. But the reality, I think, will be that there will be 2 big differences. First, there actually is a quarterback in camp, and second, the team will know who the #1 is even if the fans (and opposing coaches) don't.

 

[willie99]

Coach P makes his starting QB decision based upon who will maximize spite towards certain boneyard posters, rather than who he believes will give his team the best chance to win.

obviously, it's McEntee's job to lose