DB the gunslinger...

[coachcap]

In the pantheon of UConn Athletic Directors, DB rates near the top with his bold moves. John Toner brought the Huskiesinto the ORIGINAL Big East and saved it from ECAC oblivion. Lew Perkins ushered the school into 1-A football & got the RENT built. AD Dave hired Hurley & now Coach Mora. He has taken a no prisoners approach to hiring & put his reputation on the line in pursuit of athletic excellence. With yesterday's hire, UConn football went from laughingstock to relativity, at least for a day, and was THE headline of the day (until the OBJ news)

 

[businesslawyer]

In the pantheon of UConn Athletic Directors, DB rates near the top with his bold moves. John Toner brought the Huskiesinto the ORIGINAL Big East and saved it from ECAC oblivion. Lew Perkins ushered the school into 1-A football & got the RENT built. AD Dave hired Hurley & now Coach Mora. He has taken a no prisoners approach to hiring & put his reputation on the line in pursuit of athletic excellence. With yesterday's hire, UConn football went from laughingstock to relativity, at least for a day, and was THE ‘headline of the day (until the OBJ news)

Coach. I fully agree with everything that you wrote. But I’ve been consistent on this since I started posting here and I’m not changing now — I would trade being the headline of the day and for a day not being a laughingstock for one additional win during the coach’s tenure.

Maybe this is why I’m not jumping up for joy like others are. If PR is important to you — if what others think of us is important to you — this is a home run hire, no question. Not one person here seriously dreamed that a coach of Mora’s national standing would end up here. No question. On the other hand, if you’re asking what in the new coach’s resume shows that he will be able to bring recruits into UConn, develop players who had fewer options than UCLA recruits into good players after two or three years of prep and find a way to get fans back into the building without a conference season or schedule to get excited about in a region that doesn’t value high school football like others do …. If you’re asking yourself whether his ties to Spanos are a good thing, or if we wouldn’t have been better off telling everyone on this underperforming staff to take a hike and let’s start from the beginning — well, then you may still be thinking about it.

Jim Mora is a damn good football coach. With an accomplished bio. No question. But to me, it doesn’t follow as the night the day that those facts automatically make him the right man for THIS job. I hope he is.

 

[Hoophound]

Coach. I fully agree with everything that you wrote. But I’ve been consistent on this since I started posting here and I’m not changing now — I would trade being the headline of the day and for a day not being a laughingstock for one additional win during the coach’s tenure.

Maybe this is why I’m not jumping up for joy like others are. If PR is important to you — if what others think of us is important to you — this is a home run hire, no question. Not one person here seriously dreamed that a coach of Mora’s national standing would end up here. No question. On the other hand, if you’re asking what in the new coach’s resume shows that he will be able to bring recruits into UConn, develop players who had fewer options than UCLA recruits into good players after two or three years of prep and find a way to get fans back into the building without a conference season or schedule to get excited about in a region that doesn’t value high school football like others do …. If you’re asking yourself whether his ties to Spanos are a good thing, or if we wouldn’t have been better off telling everyone on this underperforming staff to take a hike and let’s start from the beginning — well, then you may still be thinking about it.

Jim Mora is a damn good football coach. With an accomplished bio. No question. But to me, it doesn’t follow as the night the day that those facts automatically make him the right man for THIS job. I hope he is.

In my mind there was really only one guy that would have quelled our fears, Joe Moorehead. If Joe wasn’t an option, everyone else was a gamble. I think gambling with a guy who’s been there and done it is probably better than with a guy who hasn’t. Especially, if he’s a guy with Mora’s track record. He isn’t Randy2.0 or PP. He was still a viable coach when he left UCLA.

I wouldn’t have ever expected or wanted to hire Mora. He wasn’t on the radar, but it seems like he’s as good an option as we probably could have had and he brings credibility to UConn. You can’t laugh at this hire. It is a serious flex on UConn’s part to get him. National press has been nothing but positive.

I’m not sure it will work, but I’m also a victim of PTSD, so I have to try to look at this for what it is, rather than what my traumatized mind imagines it might be. I feel fairly optimistic.

 

[gtcam]

In the pantheon of UConn Athletic Directors, DB rates near the top with his bold moves. John Toner brought the Huskiesinto the ORIGINAL Big East and saved it from ECAC oblivion. Lew Perkins ushered the school into 1-A football & got the RENT built. AD Dave hired Hurley & now Coach Mora. He has taken a no prisoners approach to hiring & put his reputation on the line in pursuit of athletic excellence. With yesterday's hire, UConn football went from laughingstock to relativity, at least for a day, and was THE headline of the day (until the OBJ news)

I would not call hiring Hurley as a bold move - it was handed to him by Jim Calhoun plus Hurley was a hot commodity to Eastern schools and UConn was only big name school besides Pitt hiring.
AD David Benedict gets way too much credit for that.
Mora is a 50/50 choice right now, would be interested in the coaches that flat out said no to DB - there had to be plenty. No way this guy from the west coast was the even in a top 20 wish list

 

[BugsyCT]

Since Mora was on nobody's radar, I'd be curious to know how he ended up on DB's radar?

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Since Mora was on nobody's radar, I'd be curious to know how he ended up on DB's radar?

Spanos/Mazzone. I hope it's a wonderful conspiracy.

 

[CL82]

Since Mora was on nobody's radar, I'd be curious to know how he ended up on DB's radar?

I believe that Mora reached out to Benedict when Randy was fired.

 

[CL82]

In the pantheon of UConn Athletic Directors, DB rates near the top with his bold moves. John Toner brought the Huskiesinto the ORIGINAL Big East and saved it from ECAC oblivion. Lew Perkins ushered the school into 1-A football & got the RENT built. AD Dave hired Hurley & now Coach Mora. He has taken a no prisoners approach to hiring & put his reputation on the line in pursuit of athletic excellence. With yesterday's hire, UConn football went from laughingstock to relativity, at least for a day, and was THE headline of the day (until the OBJ news)

John Toner hired a couple of decent coaches in his day as athletic director. Hiring Calhoun and Auriemma and joining the Big East is quite a trifecta.

 

[BlueandOG]

I would not call hiring Hurley as a bold move - it was handed to him by Jim Calhoun plus Hurley was a hot commodity to Eastern schools and UConn was only big name school besides Pitt hiring.
AD David Benedict gets way too much credit for that.
Mora is a 50/50 choice right now, would be interested in the coaches that flat out said no to DB - there had to be plenty. No way this guy from the west coast was the even in a top 20 wish list

Calhoun brought us KO. AD Dave brought us Hurley.

 

[Hoophound]

Calhoun brought us KO. AD Dave brought us Hurley.

Well, I think JC brought Hurley too but Dave closed the deal.

 

[Pudge]

that's funny ... Hurley was handed to Dave Benedict. Let's get something straight on production businesses: you get a great leap into a conversation often. God gives you opportunities. However ... closing is key. We not only went against Pitt; but all other 50 schools that could have a hire. His brother went to frigging Arizona State. This astounds me. Like the guy yesterday saying Chesney at HC is the same career arc as Hurley. Danny progressively proved himself. Saint Benedicts Prep had pro's on his team. And full of talent. Fixed Wagner as a first college job. Had URI on the way to multiple MM with an attractive ball style. He is obvious for us after Calhoun - in temperament. But he could have gotten an offer from 5-7 Big East programs; 6 or more ACC programs; some B1G (particularly Rutgers); and probably Pac12 or B12 or others. The guy was in that zone. So, Benedict gets credit for targeting ... and closing.

Plus leaving the AAC. Turns out the timing and future view was prescient.

Mora. I agree with the comment above. There was Moorhead ... and every other thought. My take on recruiting and Spanos/Mazzone is damn good thing they were ahead as Scouts. Someone said Lou Spanos wanted this HC job. He got a chance basically. The last few weeks he knew the path and he certainly steered DB. Spanos/Mazzone are professionals: they know what we have in talent and sat listening to all the individual evaluations of every single player. And they certainly would have known the last 18 months of recruiting - with all the daily/weekly call reports. They know. Can they close.

 

[hjoerring]

I am so tired of hearing about the savior-- Moorehead. The latter is an old rubber tire that so many on this Board keep spinning. Moorehead seems to something affective, possessive, and somehow symbolic. Never out of (useless) words I will avoid asking why in the world do You think Moorehead can help this Program out of its morass. Know when it is the last train and get onboard rather than just standing there because its not your favorite conductor. Of course Mora said what he had to say; but, he said something that I have always held against many on this Board. He said that when Saturday comes around he wants people in the State to say-- I'm going to the game, they are playing and that's enough for me. Having attended 2 other Universities with established FB programs, I saw that fans went to games regardless of weather, opponents, win - loss records, etc. They went because that is what you do when the team play at home.

 

[uconndogs]

Mora is a genuine attempt to get this program back. He has the background and track record. Whether he can do it or not remains to be seen, but this is the University and Athletic Department making a commitment to football. Edsall 2 was not that. As much as I wanted to believe his return could bring us back to good football, it's clear he was never fully vested the second time around. That hire is on DB, as is the decision to jettison Edsall early in the season and, now, Mora.

Mora craps out and DB will most likely be out with him. Career move for DB.

 

[Waquoit]

Jim Mora is a damn good football coach. With an accomplished bio. No question. But to me, it doesn’t follow as the night the day that those facts automatically make him the right man for THIS job. I hope he is.

I know you follow European soccer, they have a phase over there that I like and fits here: "Belief in the project". We have an experienced, refreshed coach that believes in the project and is relishing the challenge. A coach who doesn't need the learning curve that an up-and-comer would. Just like how the stars have always aligned against this program, they came together here.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

In my mind there was really only one guy that would have quelled our fears, Joe Moorehead.

He had a great record at Fordham (38-13, essentially a .750 winning percentage) and only so-so at Miss St (14-12, basically .500). He would not have quelled my fears given he was anything but a guaranteed savior, but he would give me more hope than some of the other options the BY batted around. I feel just as good and maybe better about the Mora hire than if it was JM. I think his NFL head coach time (4 years) and coordinator time (22 years) buys him some credibility with recruits as does having coached at UCLA for 6 years. Compare that to 4 years at Fordham as a head coach and 2 years at Miss St.
As many have said, it comes down to the coordinators. For the Mora hire, I'm guessing Spanos stays, so the key is who will the OC be. Much like with PP, it could make or break the hire.

 

[uconnfan68]

He had a great record at Fordham (38-13, essentially a .750 winning percentage) and only so-so at Miss St (14-12, basically .500). He would not have quelled my fears given he was anything but a guaranteed savior, but he would give me more hope than some of the other options the BY batted around. I feel just as good and maybe better about the Mora hire than if it was JM. I think his NFL head coach time (4 years) and coordinator time (22 years) buys him some credibility with recruits as does having coached at UCLA for 6 years. Compare that to 4 years at Fordham as a head coach and 2 years at Miss St.
As many have said, it comes down to the coordinators. For the Mora hire, I'm guessing Spanos stays, so the key is who will the OC be. Much like with PP, it could make or break the hire.

Mora started with Don Coryell… so that gives me great hope for good offense.

 

[Pudge]

I am so tired of hearing about the savior-- Moorehead. The latter is an old rubber tire that so many on this Board keep spinning. Moorehead seems to something affective, possessive, and somehow symbolic. Never out of (useless) words I will avoid asking why in the world do You think Moorehead can help this Program out of its morass. Know when it is the last train and get onboard rather than just standing there because its not your favorite conductor. Of course Mora said what he had to say; but, he said something that I have always held against many on this Board. He said that when Saturday comes around he wants people in the State to say-- I'm going to the game, they are playing and that's enough for me. Having attended 2 other Universities with established FB programs, I saw that fans went to games regardless of weather, opponents, win - loss records, etc. They went because that is what you do when the team play at home.

The other thing that should be noted: (and my other FBS State U experience as a fan was UCLA) Fans of that school knew it was a full day. Some kind of Commitment. Driving to the Rose Bowl; tailgating for hours; noon game; sitting after game waiting for traffic to flow or going to Colorado Blvd in Pasadena for dinner. That is easily a 7/8 hour game. Many of our fans - going back to 2003 - are ready to skedaddle in early 4th Q or something. This has to be a deeper commitment and that starts with a winner.

 

[freescooter]

He had a great record at Fordham (38-13, essentially a .750 winning percentage) and only so-so at Miss St (14-12, basically .500). He would not have quelled my fears given he was anything but a guaranteed savior, but he would give me more hope than some of the other options the BY batted around. I feel just as good and maybe better about the Mora hire than if it was JM. I think his NFL head coach time (4 years) and coordinator time (22 years) buys him some credibility with recruits as does having coached at UCLA for 6 years. Compare that to 4 years at Fordham as a head coach and 2 years at Miss St.
As many have said, it comes down to the coordinators. For the Mora hire, I'm guessing Spanos stays, so the key is who will the OC be. Much like with PP, it could make or break the hire.

I was never on the Joe Moorhead train. He did a nice PR job after Mississippi State (not a cultural fit) but the reality is something a bit different. He had a cheating scandal. His starting quarterback broke his hand in a fight before a bowl game, he basically had a breakdown in a press conference. Coaching at Fordham in the Patriot League is a tad less pressure than coaching in the SEC or even at UConn.

We just landed a very good football coach.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I am so tired of hearing about the savior-- Moorehead. The latter is an old rubber tire that so many on this Board keep spinning. Moorehead seems to something affective, possessive, and somehow symbolic. Never out of (useless) words I will avoid asking why in the world do You think Moorehead can help this Program out of its morass. Know when it is the last train and get onboard rather than just standing there because its not your favorite conductor. Of course Mora said what he had to say; but, he said something that I have always held against many on this Board. He said that when Saturday comes around he wants people in the State to say-- I'm going to the game, they are playing and that's enough for me. Having attended 2 other Universities with established FB programs, I saw that fans went to games regardless of weather, opponents, win - loss records, etc. They went because that is what you do when the team play at home.

NGL you had me in the first half.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I was never on the Joe Moorhead train. He did a nice PR job after Mississippi State (not a cultural fit) but the reality is something a bit different. He had a cheating scandal. His starting quarterback broke his hand in a fight before a bowl game, he basically had a breakdown in a press conference. Coaching at Fordham in the Patriot League is a tad less pressure than coaching in the SEC or even at UConn.

We just landed a very good football coach.

Helped he a had a qb in Nebrich that was just head and shoulders above everybody in the Patriot and the Ivy League(OCC source)

 

[giddyup]

Mora started with Don Coryell… so that gives me great hope for good offense.

Nice tidbit.

 

[hayman522]

that's funny ... Hurley was handed to Dave Benedict. Let's get something straight on production businesses: you get a great leap into a conversation often. God gives you opportunities. However ... closing is key. We not only went against Pitt; but all other 50 schools that could have a hire. His brother went to frigging Arizona State. This astounds me. Like the guy yesterday saying Chesney at HC is the same career arc as Hurley. Danny progressively proved himself. Saint Benedicts Prep had pro's on his team. And full of talent. Fixed Wagner as a first college job. Had URI on the way to multiple MM with an attractive ball style. He is obvious for us after Calhoun - in temperament. But he could have gotten an offer from 5-7 Big East programs; 6 or more ACC programs; some B1G (particularly Rutgers); and probably Pac12 or B12 or others. The guy was in that zone. So, Benedict gets credit for targeting ... and closing.

Plus leaving the AAC. Turns out the timing and future view was prescient.

Mora. I agree with the comment above. There was Moorhead ... and every other thought. My take on recruiting and Spanos/Mazzone is damn good thing they were ahead as Scouts. Someone said Lou Spanos wanted this HC job. He got a chance basically. The last few weeks he knew the path and he certainly steered DB. Spanos/Mazzone are professionals: they know what we have in talent and sat listening to all the individual evaluations of every single player. And they certainly would have known the last 18 months of recruiting - with all the daily/weekly call reports. They know. Can they close.

You are right on my friend!