Coaching

[mauconnfan]

Post of the year right here.
I don't give a rat's a-$-$ if BD wears a lace corset on the field if he coaches to win. Seriously, man. He could dress like Steve Urkel and stop playing to lose and it would be fine with pretty much everybody.

If he's winning yeah, he's not. By your response you wear red pants a lot too, sorry to f up your dress code DB.

 

[Adios]

Word from the grapevine is that Oregon is already interested in Scott Frost.

 

[uconndogs]

Well, I don't know what impact his wardrobe has on anything, and I m willing to bet he "coaches to win", but I have a few major concerns with Diaco:

While he's getting better, game day coaching still has a long way to go.

The Verruci hire was a head scratcher from the beginning for me and while the offense is making some progress, it is just too darned slow and maddingly inconsistent.

We still don't know how well Diaco is recruiting, but I don't see any speed on the field. He's recruited enough height to help Olie out, but we've seen nothing in the way of speed come into the program under his guidance - yet.

 

[Adios]

You could argue that the SMU loss was worse than any of ours. And much more impactful to them. No way they get a NY6 bowl now if WMU wins out.

Weren't we SMU's only win in Diaco's first season?

 

[businesslawyer]

This. . . or DBs are so slow they can't stop the deep ball. But they give up 7 yards a clip and we get beat with deep middle balls galore! We have no speed on both sides of the ball. Can't win when you don't have speed and can't block well enough to play good smash mouth ball. 4th and 1 and what else. . . quick QB sneak. . . yeah stuffed. And we get out coached anyways.

LMAO. So it's the coaches fault both that we give too deep cushions and that we get beat deep too often? Some of you guys are too much.

I don't like the cushions either, and in the wind today I would have been tighter, but we saw John Robinson IV get beat deep on a play with 8 seconds left where he had nothing to do but guard the end zone, and we saw Stapleton and Levenberry get beat deep when the safeties had been pulled to the sides. It's not just coaching folks when you're getting beaten all ways instead of the same way every time. This was not like the Syracuse came (where we did get beat by the same thing every time without an adjustment).

 

[freescooter]

Not trying to defend Diaco because I wonder about some of the play calling myself but any coach in Storrs has one strike against them before ever walking on campus. And that strike is the recruiting pool not only in CT but in the surrounding states. It's going to be easier for Herman or Frost or Taggert to turn a program around because they are in fertile recruiting grounds. It might take Diaco or his replacement 5 years instead of 3 to build a team capable of competing. So pick your poison, stick with Diaco for one or two more years or start from scratch once again with another.

Oh stop with the recruiting pool. That is an excuse. You realize New Jersey is closer to Storrs by about 7 hours than Miami is to Florida State yet somehow FSU manages to get players from south Florida. There are good football players in the northeast that are recruitable there are more D1 players produced in Florida than available scholarships so they have to go somewhere else. You need to identify them get them and develop them. Edsall did exactly that. PA Maryland New Jersey Massachusetts New York are all closer than Miami is to Tallahassee. Of course you aren't winning with Connecticut recruits. But even Florida and Texas don't limit themselves to in state players. Nor do places like Washington Oregon Iowa KState. They all go out and identify players bring them in and develop them. The idea that we can't is both silly and has been proven wrong by Edsall.

 

[UConnDan97]

Not until the buyout gets much smaller. The math doesn't work.

First, I should state that I'm not sure the math works either. Having said that, you are not trying to make up 5mil for the math to work. You are looking for the difference between his salary and the additional salary of the new staff over the first 2 years with the Jan. 1 buyout included (if I'm thinking of this correctly). In other words; if you pay the new staff 3 million per year in the first 2 years + 1.8 million (3.5mil buyout Jan 1 divided by 2) - Diaco's salary, that will be the number in ticket sales you have to make up. Plus, there is a monetary value to loss of brand, although that is much more difficult to quantify.

Uggh. This is depressing. Let's hope he gets smart overnight and we start winning again...

 

[BlueDogs]

LMAO. So it's the coaches fault both that we give too deep cushions and that we get beat deep too often? Some of you guys are too much.

I don't like the cushions either, and in the wind today I would have been tighter, but we saw John Robinson IV get beat deep on a play with 8 seconds left where he had nothing to do but guard the end zone, and we saw Stapleton and Levenberry get beat deep when the safeties had been pulled to the sides. It's not just coaching folks when you're getting beaten all ways instead of the same way every time. This was not like the Syracuse came (where we did get beat by the same thing every time without an adjustment).

Got to disagree. Diaco had man coverage on with slow Dbs on that TD with no apparent cover over the top. All I know is my D coaches would have been screaming to stay behind and defend the end zone. It's true he isn't on the field but that is a classic coaching influenced moment.

 

[J187Money]

Weren't we SMU's only win in Diaco's first season?

Hello, non-sequitor.

 

[UConnNick]

Get a grip, the UC foundation paid for Secy. Clinton.

And that's where the money to pay Diaco's buyout will come from as well. Academic and athletic donations all go through it.

 

[psilotic]

Maybe they find the money somewhere and maybe DB does something. But let's not make a case that it makes fiscal sense. The math doesn't add up.

That's 100 percent correct. That's why Diaco shouldn't have been given the extension in the first place. I guess Benedict wanted to show the FBS community he was The Man, even when Diaco wasn't even sniffing anyone's "hot coaches" list.

 

[UConnNick]

At 25/ticket, you would need to sell 10,000 extra tickets for 3+ seasons worth of games to cover $5M.

And it doesn't matter who the coach is. We won't sell an extra 10k tickets a game here unless we are ranked or in a different conference.

Maybe they find the money somewhere and maybe DB does something. But let's not make a case that it makes fiscal sense. The math doesn't add up.

He's not getting fired tomorrow or before the end of this year, so the buyout isn't 5 million. It drops to 3.4 million after Jan 1 2017.

As far as paying for it, we've sure got the extra seats right now, so bring in a coach who can put an exciting offense on the field and you'll get the fanbase back eventually. This isn't rocket science. Plenty of schools at all levels can figure out how to put an exciting offense on the field.

 

[FDNY99]

He's not getting fired tomorrow or before the end of this year, so the buyout isn't 5 million. It drops to 3.4 million after Jan 1 2017.

As far as paying for it, we've sure got the extra seats right now, so bring in a coach who can put an exciting offense on the field and you'll get the fanbase back eventually. This isn't rocket science. Plenty of schools at all levels can figure out how to put an exciting offense on the field.

Why not save $3.4 million and have the AD force him to change the offense by bringing in a dynamic OC?

 

[psilotic]

They are gonna have to do what they did last year by giving season ticket holders a free hat.....probably have to add a bunch more stuff to get people to come back now though

Rhode Island is next year's season opener. Wouldn't be worst thing to just make it a freebie and give away tickets as a one-off just to get people in the building. Would be nice to see the stadium full or close to it again. Again, just as a one-time deal. If you're going to rip this, feel free, but you also have to post a suggestion on getting more people in the building

The season ticket base is under 15K and shrinking. They better start coming up with more incentives there, too.

 

[uchusky32]

LMAO. So it's the coaches fault both that we give too deep cushions and that we get beat deep too often? Some of you guys are too much.

I don't like the cushions either, and in the wind today I would have been tighter, but we saw John Robinson IV get beat deep on a play with 8 seconds left where he had nothing to do but guard the end zone, and we saw Stapleton and Levenberry get beat deep when the safeties had been pulled to the sides. It's not just coaching folks when you're getting beaten all ways instead of the same way every time. This was not like the Syracuse came (where we did get beat by the same thing every time without an adjustment).

That's not exactly what I said. Speed is the problem in our secondary. And yes at times making adjustments. We've had many receivers and slot backs wide open in the middle of the field all season. I guess that's the players fault.

What I did say is that we get out coach. Is this not true?

 

[psilotic]

He's not getting fired tomorrow or before the end of this year, so the buyout isn't 5 million. It drops to 3.4 million after Jan 1 2017.

As far as paying for it, we've sure got the extra seats right now, so bring in a coach who can put an exciting offense on the field and you'll get the fanbase back eventually. This isn't rocket science. Plenty of schools at all levels can figure out how to put an exciting offense on the field.

If Benedict/Herbst think he should be fired on Nov. 27, do you really think they're going to wait 36 days and let Diaco twist in the wind?

 

[UConnDan97]

Why not save $3.4 million and have the AD force him to change the offense by bringing in a dynamic OC?

I think this is what we have to hope for.

I would love to ask the following question to someone on the inside: is Verducci being allowed to call the offensive shots without interference? The answer to that would certainly affect my feelings about him staying in Storrs...

 

[UConnNick]

Why not save $3.4 million and have the AD force him to change the offense by bringing in a dynamic OC?

Fine, but you're still left with his poor in game management issues and insane antics like the stupid 'Conflict' nonsense. He also hasn't proven to be an effective recruiter. It would be a stopgap measure, but eventually this guy needs to see Storrs in his rear view mirror for good.

 

[UConnNick]

If Benedict/Herbst think he should be fired on Nov. 27, do you really think they're going to wait 36 days and let Diaco twist in the wind?

For all we know they may think he should be fired right now, but it's not going to happen until after the season. If they think the financial hit is worth taking for the upside of getting a new coach in place as soon as possible after the season ends they should go ahead and pull the trigger then. From what I understand his incoming recruiting class is nothing to write home about anyway, so if we lose a few of his recruits, so what? It's not likely he gets another job soon enough to take any of them with him.

 

[Hoophound]

I really think it would be wise to bring in a new coach while we still have Arkeel. He could provide a good shot in the arm for a new coach. I wish we had Thomas for another year too.

I don't want to go on any longer with Diaco in place. The longer we wait, the longer it is until we start winning and recruiting better. He's not going to recruit well over the next year if he's on really shaky ground. I just don't believe in taking your time in these situations. Either fire him or at least bring in a new OC now so the fans can have hope.

Edit: My apologies to Verducci if he is being handcuffed by Bob. I tend to think that may be the case because of the conservative style seen all over the field. Somebody is mandating that I would think.

 

[ZOOCONN]

Somehow Scott Frost convinced a Hawaii kid to come to Orlando. Does the UConn coach have to recruit harder than UCF? No doubt. But that's why these guys get paid $1.7 million a year, to figure these things out.

frost was his main recruiter while he was at Oregon, Oregon didn't offer him but as soon as frost signed on at ucf he had him on an official visit and he signed on that trip. he was a 2 star qb out of Hawaii and has happened to work out. its not like he was a blue chip prospect, sometimes you get lucky and hit on a prospect. he also has great skill players around him that make him look even better. its all in how you look at it. if you wanna be pissed because HCBD is getting circles coached around him on the field then thats fine but unfortunately we wont be able to recruit those skill players until we have continued success.

 

[ZOOCONN]

You could argue that the SMU loss was worse than any of ours. And much more impactful to them. No way they get a NY6 bowl now if WMU wins out.

even if wmu wins out boise is getting the G5 bid

 

[ZOOCONN]

Rhode Island is next year's season opener. Wouldn't be worst thing to just make it a freebie and give away tickets as a one-off just to get people in the building. Would be nice to see the stadium full or close to it again. Again, just as a one-time deal. If you're going to rip this, feel free, but you also have to post a suggestion on getting more people in the building

The season ticket base is under 15K and shrinking. They better start coming up with more incentives there, too.

honestly only thing i can think that would really draw me to season tickets again after this season is discounted BBall/ Ice bus season tix, and a heavy discount at that.

 

[FDNY99]

honestly only thing i can think that would really draw me to season tickets again after this season is discounted BBall/ Ice bus season tix, and a heavy discount at that.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to give double or triple points for football tickets. This will help those basketball or hockey ticket holders get better seats. It's the least that they can right now. I remember back in the mid 90's when people use to buy season tickets to anything and everything just to get seats in Gampel.

 

[06029]

I think this is what we have to hope for.

I would love to ask the following question to someone on the inside: is Verducci being allowed to call the offensive shots without interference? The answer to that would certainly affect my feelings about him staying in Storrs...

Look at the offensive body of work under BD. Go back and look at all the posts for a new OC in the past. What has been the constant for this team? What is the head coaches base philosophy? The play calling is a direct reflection of BD and while he might not be involved in every play call, you can be sure he is involved in every key play call. Chip Keely could be OC here and the overall play calling would still be the same.

 

[J187Money]

even if wmu wins out boise is getting the G5 bid

Wasn't my point. Houston had it and they blew it. After them who cares who gets it?

 

[J187Money]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to give double or triple points for football tickets. This will help those basketball or hockey ticket holders get better seats. It's the least that they can right now. I remember back in the mid 90's when people use to buy season tickets to anything and everything just to get seats in Gampel.

Except the hoops schedule is so bad hard to want those tickets.

 

[UC1995]

All flash and sound bites... I will acknowledge that he has energy... but I have finally come to accept that we aren't winning anything in the AAC while he is here. Thank goodness we have another 7 or so years to figure this out!

 

[ktuck911]

I think (Nice red pants Bob) Diaco isn't a bad coach; however, I do believe that he didn't realize how big his OC hiring decision would be in regards to helping get this program going again...

 

[J187Money]

I heard that DB was not really happy about the play calling. I expect him to do something.

I predict that Diaco stays and we see changes at the coordinator level. Which I would be ok with.