Coaching staff hasn't a clue

[UConnDan97]

there is a reason why players leave after a coaching change. it's difficult, it presents uncertainty, and it likely involves starting over which in many cases means losing.
I think Diaco could have coached differently this season and maybe gotten 1-2 more wins. But what does it matter? he's been candid about expectations this year, said that it will take time, and that his vision is 2-3 years from now.
i am continuously blown away by the experts on this board that have the knowledge, skillset, and experience to question an award winning coach making $2M+ a year about rebuilding a D1 football program. And yet somehow, nobody is paying these experts for their knowledge, which they gladly provide for free under a pseudonym.

By your logic, Pasqualoni should have been infinitely more knowledgeable than this entire board at his 1.6 million dollar salary, so we should never have gotten rid of him. Especially since what does it matter if we get 1-2 more wins...

 

[huskymedic]

I'm not being a Richard

So Memphis 3-9 last year was coaching or players?

So Memphis 9-3 this year was coaching or players?

Both

How so? Please inform???

"It sounds like coach speak, but I felt like if we could get our kids to adhere to some very simple values about putting the team first and making good decisions, we had enough here to win some ballgames," Fuente said."

 

[ZooCougar]

I hope to see "true progress" next year, but it has to be measured game by game and play by play, and comparing it to this season. If by "true progress" you mean we're going to be good, heck no, I don't expect us to be good.

I am not defending the staff for a moment, and anyone who wants to say they sucked this year isn't going to get an argument from me. But if you think the primary problem this team has is the coaching, yoou're nuts. Absolutely, positively, certifiably, nuts. The roster has to be rebuilt man by man and position by position. And not a single complaint about how bad we are or how long this is taking is going to change things.

I think it is both. This is not a tough league. I have a hard time believing that we couldn't have a better record with these players. I have a hard time believing that we can't beat Army with these players. We should have won 4-5 games this season.

 

[Dribbles]

The primary problem with this team is coaching. UConn is not competitive against the #8 conference in college football. Uconn blew out Memphis a year ago. No more excuses.

Maybe true, but ya gotta admit BD knows how to tap the old rock. Tap, tap, tappin (on heaven's door?)

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

This has obviously been a total disaster of a season...and it's tough to know whom to blame. I happen theres some to go around for everyone.

I do know this though...If Cochran was our QB, we win more than 2-3 games. It's the most important position on the field, and we have been a dumpster fire there all season.

It's not the only reason, but it's a big one.

 

[UConnDan97]

This has obviously been a total disaster of a season...and it's tough to know whom to blame. I happen theres some to go around for everyone.

I do know this though...If Cochran was our QB, we win more than 2-3 games. It's the most important position on the field, and we have been a dumpster fire there all season.

It's not the only reason, but it's a big one.

Let me ask you a serious question: Do you believe that Cochran would have played an entire game at QB without being yanked for at least 1 series if not more?

I think the question is rhetorical, since I think I know the answer to it. And that is one of the biggest problems that I've had with the coaching staff up to this point...

 

[noeynox]

I think it is both. This is not a tough league. I have a hard time believing that we couldn't have a better record with these players. I have a hard time believing that we can't beat Army with these players. We should have won 4-5 games this season.

We had enought talent to beat UCF who won the league hands down last year and is close to the top of standings again this year. There appears to be more than two win talent on the team, ibleedhuskyblue is right, QB play by far has been our weakest link at the most important position. Having a QB that a team believes will rally them if they do their part, is huge in football.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Let me ask you a serious question: Do you believe that Cochran would have played an entire game at QB without being yanked for at least 1 series if not more?

I think the question is rhetorical, since I think I know the answer to it. And that is one of the biggest problems that I've had with the coaching staff up to this point...

No, I don't. But i know he would have been a hell of a lot more productive than CW or TB.

 

[UConnDan97]

No, I don't. But i know he would have been a hell of a lot more productive than CW or TB.

Being a hell of a lot more productive than TB doesn't involve a whole heck of a lot, so clearly I agree with you...

 

[cohenzone]

We clearly needed religion in the huddle. More prayer = better play calling, better blocking, no QB concussions, no interceptions, dozens of immaculate receptions. Never should have let that asst. coach-morale-morals builder get away. Been straight to Hades ever since.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You don't get it bonehead. Memphis isn't UConn. A head coach here should be able to do in three or four months what normally takes years at other schools, If he can't, he has no coaching talent.

PS - Fuente is in year three at Memphis and I imagine most who do understand football realize how exceptional a job he has done there. If Diaco reaches the same spot in year three the Pal's and Waylon's will b!tch about it being too little too late.

WE ARE IN THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE. If UConn is not dominating commuter schools in football, why are we in this nightmare of a basketball conference? We have put every team in our athletic program in jeopardy to protect the football program, and now you are saying that we should accept this level of losing? Unfortunately, the administration shares this idiotic decision making, and is flushing our entire athletic program down the toilet.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Being a hell of a lot more productive than TB doesn't involve a whole heck of a lot, so clearly I agree with you...

And CW I said

 

[TheDoggPound]

We had enought talent to beat UCF who won the league hands down last year and is close to the top of standings again this year. There appears to be more than two win talent on the team, ibleedhuskyblue is right, QB play by far has been our weakest link at the most important position. Having a QB that a team believes will rally them if they do their part, is huge in football.

Let's call a spade a spade. This is also the same team that should have lost to Stoney Brook and this years UCF team was without Bortles/S. Johnson and played away vs. home. Our record is just about right, with Cochran maybe 1-2 more wins but that's it.

 

[noeynox]

Not saying they are world beaters, but even without Bortles they/UCF are atop this league. This isn't the SEC, we didn't lose to LSU and Florida State on the road, we lost to bad teams Tulane, and USF. When teams are about equal in talent or lack thereof, sometimes it is coaching and game planning that makes the difference. Same with Army. Those 3 games and SMU were toss up games on, so far THIS STAFF is 0-3, on toss up games go o-4, and there are bigger problems than the talent on field, as SMU has absolutely zilch to play for this Saturday.

So yeah, lets call a spade a spade. i'm still in Diaco's corner but the staff hasn't distinguished itself in anyway this year once the games started. Before the season, all the right things were said once the games started we got some deer in headlights coaching to call a spade a spade.

 

[Hoophound]

Let's call a spade a spade. This is also the same team that should have lost to Stoney Brook and this years UCF team was without Bortles/S. Johnson and played away vs. home. Our record is just about right, with Cochran maybe 1-2 more wins but that's it.

With Cochran playing all the snaps? No way, we'd have gotten at least 3 more wins. I keep going back to game plan and coaching. If Cochran was able to do his thing unfettered, he'd have made a big difference. But Cochran can't make up for our defensive debacle against Army, our failure to wear teams down with our excellent running backs or our brutal offensive substitutions.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not letting the staff off the hook, either. Personally, I can't understand how Weist had this offense roaring at the end of life year, but Diaco and his staff can't seem to muster similar results out of them now. And you already know they don't have the balls to go over the middle for fear of turnovers. I understand the frustration with how this utterly lackluster offense is coached. They went back to playing not to lose rather than playing to win, and win comfortably. Right now, I'm holding out the dim hope that they have something up there sleeve for next season in terms of offensive schemes and, oh I don't know, maybe actually preparing to win games rather than trotting them out on the field for Pop Warner scrimmages. Fact of the matter is, these coaches have demonstrated success elsewhere. There's no reason why that can't translate to success here. But of course, that's entirely up to them. They do have a reasonable amount of talent here to start with.

You really can't understand it? So everyone on this board who complains about us never having a QB and how important that is is a total idiot?

We lost our QB on opening day. And graduated half the offensive starters the year before. And lost Phillips and McCoombs to transfer. And you can't understand it? Yeah, right.

 

[sub legacy]

You really can't understand it? So everyone on this board who complains about us never having a QB and how important that is is a total idiot?

We lost our QB on opening day. And graduated half the offensive starters the year before. And lost Phillips and McCoombs to transfer. And you can't understand it? Yeah, right.

Didn't suggest anybody was an idiot. As far as Phillips and McCombs were concerned, I doubt that made a difference. Phillips was injured the majority of the year, and McCombs wouldn't have likely seen much better production this season with the way the OL played earlier this year.

 

[businesslawyer]

Didn't suggest anybody was an idiot. As far as Phillips and McCombs were concerned, I doubt that made a difference. Phillips was injured the majority of the year, and McCombs wouldn't have likely seen much better production this season with the way the OL played earlier this year.

So your response to losing our QB on opening day is to ignore it and see if no one noticed?

 

[ktuck911]

2014 is a full, complete 100% mulligan year. We stopped trying to win games as soon as we ran out of the tunnel against BYU. It's all been about evaluating the full roster, right down to true FR at most positions. I think a reasonable expectation for 2015 is 5 wins (a modest improvement over the last 2 seasons) and hope for more.

This

 

[freescooter]

Bl & sub

Tie isn't a case of either/or I don't think. After all Diaco yanked Cochran in the middle of a drive against BYU, so it's not as if he was all that committed
And you have to admit that he has made more than a few head scratching calls.

 

[sub legacy]

So your response to losing our QB on opening day is to ignore it and see if no one noticed?

Undeniably, plenty of people noticed it. What else is he supposed to do about it other than move forward with the best remaining options he had available with Whitmer and Boyle? I'm not understanding the point of being upset about something nobody can control? Diaco would've likely continued his quarterback rotation if Cochran remained healthy until he could settle on a starter (if at all). Even if he was still available, that might be another 1-3 wins, maybe. But "woulda coulda shoulda" doesn't solve anything in regard to the current quarterback situation. Frankly, it is what it is. Our third option (Shirreffs) isn't available only because of eligibility/transfer rules. I can understand being unsettled with the coaching staff about things they can control like philosophy, schemes, preparation and game planning, but again, I'm not seeing the point in bashing them about things beyond their control like Cochran going down early and leading to the mess their in now. Should they have wrapped Cochran in bubble wrap first before they sent him out there? Should we build a time machine and go back to the BYU game? The best they can do is evaluate their quarterback situation now and move forward into the next season once Shirreffs is available and Davis arrives. There's still plenty of uncertainty about whether or not Boyle actually is "the future" of this program. There isn't much they can do about it now, but I'm not breaking a sweat about next years quarterback situation, either. We certainly won't be getting the second coming of John Elway anytime soon, but our quarterback situation should be considerably improved by next season (I would think).

 

[businesslawyer]

Bl & sub

Tie isn't a case of either/or I don't think. After all Diaco yanked Cochran in the middle of a drive against BYU, so it's not as if he was all that committed
And you have to admit that he has made more than a few head scratching calls.

1. No, it's not either or. I have said in words of one sylable that nothing the staff has done this year should convince anywone that they will turn it around -- just that it shouldn't convince anyone that they can't.

2. The statement about Cochran and Whitmer astounds me a bit. I think it is clear that HCBD knew, coming into the season, that (i) Cochran had a history of concussions, and (ii) Cochran and/or his team had decided that one more and he was done. Now that we know that, and knowing we have a coach who won't tell us anything, isn't the most rational conclusion (or at least a rational conclusion) that of course he knew Cochran was better than Whitmer, but he couldn't commit the team and the reps to Cochran because he was too close to being done with his career? And, as it played out, wouldn't that have been a good decision, and not a poor one just because people didn't know what he was thinking on opening day?

 

[Marty Jackson]

By your logic, Pasqualoni should have been infinitely more knowledgeable than this entire board at his 1.6 million dollar salary, so we should never have gotten rid of him. Especially since what does it matter if we get 1-2 more wins...

Adding 1+1 and coming up with 3 is actually your logic Dan.

If, after 2-3 years Uconn football is still trending down (for the sanity of this board, I hope this is bottom) or even flat, Diaco will be measured accordingly. It's a little too soon to be comparing Diaco's situation with PP and suggesting they'll end the same.
PP is infinitely more knowledgeable than 99.9% on this board when it comes to coaching football at the D1 level (bolstered by the fact that someone was willing to throw $1.6M his way to capture that knowledge and experience). the fact that he wasn't successful here doesn't reflect on his knowledge of football. Nor does it reflect on why he was removed.

Reading into your logic, are you suggesting Uconn has seen enough to make a decision on Diaco?

 

[SubbaBub]

This year has been a massive disappointment by any measure. Mulligan or not. It was well within reason to expect a few more wins and build for the long term.

The mulligan is for not reaching a bowl game. The benefit of the doubt is for not exceeding last year's mess of a win total.

The embarrassing display on the field and in the media is starting next season tolerance level in the red. It's bowl or bust. No one should accept otherwise.

 

[Perfect Hair]

While I'm not sure everyone expected more than one or two more wins, especially after Cochran went down, what we DID expect was progress. The disappointment and ire on this board comes from the fact that there was no progress, if anything there was regression.

Please don't get mad at us who saw this and are disappointed, we are allowed to have an opinion and express it. And frankly, if you think there was progress you are delusional. Feel free to express it, but just own up to it please.