Defining Success for UConn Football in 2014 (UConnBlog) | The Boneyard

Defining Success for UConn Football in 2014 (UConnBlog)

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Great article. My only disagreement is that I think the jury is still out on the P recruits. I don't think it is fair to trash his classes....lots of good players in there including Cochran, Boyle and Newsome.

On as side note../I am amazed at how big Davis is in that photo. I knew he had size...but he is NFL size.
 
VERY fair and accurate piece. I agree with all of it. If UCONN loses 5 games, I want them to be 2009 type losses where the team never stops fighting until the final whistle. The losses to Buffalo, UCF, Louisville, Cincinnati, and SMU were flat out UGLY. All of those games were over by halftime and in most of them, it looked like the opponent showed very little effort in the game (even less effort than what our guys showed).

Selling out the Rent and going to a few road games (and/or Yankee Stadium) has to be a priority for the marketing department. I don't care if they sell a casual fan tickets for 50% less than what I pay for season tickets as long as the Rent is packed to top and rowdy. UCONN has EVERY other metric covered to make a move out of the AAC except football and football program perception. Perception will change if we sell out the Rent and it becomes, once again, one of the best home field advantages in the country. The Pasqualoni/Hathaway era happened but it is (THANKFULLY!) over and long gone. UCONN isn't going anywhere without showing a pulse in football and that starts with selling out the Rent and Yankee Stadium.
 
ShakyTheMohel said:
Great article. My only disagreement is that I think the jury is still out on the P recruits. I don't think it is fair to trash his classes....lots of good players in there including Cochran, Boyle and Newsome.

On as side note../I am amazed at how big Davis is in that photo. I knew he had size...but he is NFL size.
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Davis looked even more ripped at the Spring Game. When he came out to sign autographs, it was very hard to ignore that ALOT of players looked incredibly chiseled and Davis was definitely one of them.
 
ShakyTheMohel said:
Great article. My only disagreement is that I think the jury is still out on the P recruits. I don't think it is fair to trash his classes....lots of good players in there including Cochran, Boyle and Newsome.
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Yes, there are a few players in there, but most of the evidence is telling us that P's talent evaluation skills fell short. There were very few young contributors cracking the 2-deep in the past two seasons, even on bad teams. That tells me that either (1) they weren't good enough, or (2) P just blindly favored the upperclassmen. I find the latter a bit more difficult to buy since most coaches will tilt towards playing their own guys.
 
Excalibur said:
Yes, there are a few players in there, but most of the evidence is telling us that P's talent evaluation skills fell short. There were very few young contributors cracking the 2-deep in the past two seasons, even on bad teams. That tells me that either (1) they weren't good enough, or (2) P just blindly favored the upperclassmen. I find the latter a bit more difficult to buy since most coaches will tilt towards playing their own guys.
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P was asleep at the switch on the S&C and development side. His recruits had two wasted years if development. No idea how talented they are or aren't, he fouled the entire crop.
 
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Dooley said:
Davis looked even more ripped at the Spring Game. When he came out to sign autographs, it was very hard to ignore that ALOT of players looked incredibly chiseled and Davis was definitely one of them.
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What they can accomplish physically during the next 4 months is going to decide a few games this year. How can I sign up for that nutrition program?
 
ConnHuskBask said:
" Football is why the Big 10 chose Rutgers."

Stopped reading right there.
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I think the trajectory of our program may have been a talking point along with Rutgers recruiting area as an added comfort level, but that was all window dressing for access to the media market. Still think they underplayed the potential of UConn Athletics and our ability to penetrate those same markets as well as CT and Mass. Old people with old thinking.
 
Excalibur said:
Yes, there are a few players in there, but most of the evidence is telling us that P's talent evaluation skills fell short. There were very few young contributors cracking the 2-deep in the past two seasons, even on bad teams. That tells me that either (1) they weren't good enough, or (2) P just blindly favored the upperclassmen. I find the latter a bit more difficult to buy since most coaches will tilt towards playing their own guys.
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I disagree, for now. I think P had an eye for talent. Unfortunately he had a special way of not maximizing it. I believe the guys we have with Diaco's coaching and Balis' strength and conditioning can win.
 
SubbaBub said:
P was asleep at the switch on the S&C and development side. His recruits had two wasted years if development. No idea how talented they are or aren't, he fouled the entire crop.
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Partially agree, but these are college kids, they aren't cast in stone. They can change for the better, and fairly quickly.
 
I think it was a fair piece, though I would quibble that the upset of Louisville on the road when they were previously unbeaten qualifies as a big win in my book.
 
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ShakyTheMohel said:
Great article. My only disagreement is that I think the jury is still out on the P recruits. I don't think it is fair to trash his classes....lots of good players in there including Cochran, Boyle and Newsome.

On as side note../I am amazed at how big Davis is in that photo. I knew he had size...but he is NFL size.
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The roster " littered" with rs-freshmen and sophomores are P's recruits.
 
CTMike said:
Partially agree, but these are college kids, they aren't cast in stone. They can change for the better, and fairly quickly.
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Fouled is not the right word, stunted is better.
 
ShakyTheMohel said:
Great article. My only disagreement is that I think the jury is still out on the P recruits. I don't think it is fair to trash his classes....lots of good players in there including Cochran, Boyle and Newsome.

On as side note../I am amazed at how big Davis is in that photo. I knew he had size...but he is NFL size.
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This is spot on since the redshirt juniors and seniors are actually Edsall recruits. If anything the problem with the lack of upper classman is the fault of Randy mailing it in on the recruiting front as he headed for the door...and don't forget about the decommits when he left.

If PP did one thing well while he was in charge it was recruiting. PP brought in 2 classes and both were our highest rated ever I believe. Hopefully he left HCBD with some young talent to build with.
 
I think conditioning is going to help a lot. With the new emphasis on strength and conditioning, the results on the field can be staggering. In my years of playing and coaching sports, the most drastic improvements I have seen in any athlete's game performance have occurred within 6 months of beginning very intense strength training. Judging by what we've heard from the coaching staff, players and by what we could see on the field, conditioning just wasn't that good the last few years. If these guys are truly rebuilt physically, they will be much better at football.

I am expecting a better record than most led by Casey Cochran and a nice group of running backs that will open up the field, score some points and get a very fit defense a lot more rest than they've gotten in years.
 
CTMike said:
I disagree, for now. I think P had an eye for talent. Unfortunately he had a special way of not maximizing it. I believe the guys we have with Diaco's coaching and Balis' strength and conditioning can win.
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I worry that his preference for "prototypes" just resulted in players that had the size but not the speed or skill to play at this level.
 
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If we lose to BYU by 50, Diaco should be fired after the game and the stadium should be blown up.
 
This team went 3-0 the last 3 games with a shorthanded staff that knew it wasn't coming back. UConn has a good QB, and has talent at other positions. 5 wins is absolutely a disappointing season, and 7 or 8 wins is a very reasonable expectation.
 
Excalibur said:
You just love to waste time on Minutiae, don't you?
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No, I point out absurd statements that erode confidence in the writer. That sentence isn't minutia, it's bright red insanity.
 
I would think a marketing person would understand when hyperbole is deliberate . . .
 
I feel like BYU is the biggest game of the year. A win against a known quantity can really get the season off on the right foot. Momentum is a great thing. As far as wins are concerned, 6 should be the minimum with anything less a disappointment. I'd be happy with 7, thrilled with 8 and out of my gourd with 9+.
 
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Past posts indicate that another 5 win season would be a wet dream come true for some on this board. Realization of bowl revenue without UConn actually spending any direct money themselves. After all, revenue is key and a penny saved is a penny earned. :rolleyes:
 
You recruit potential. Success comes when potential is maximized by inspiration and instruction. The strength and conditioning piece is huge, too. Says something that Ollie brought in the Alabama women's gymnastics trainer and Boat credited him (Travis Illian) saying he knew they would win because he could see how tired the Kentucky players were. The table is set.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
This team went 3-0 the last 3 games with a shorthanded staff that knew it wasn't coming back. UConn has a good QB, and has talent at other positions. 5 wins is absolutely a disappointing season, and 7 or 8 wins is a very reasonable expectation.
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I think so too, if Diaco has everyone buy in from the get-go and we avoid too many injuries adding up. Those things are not guaranteed and it may (or may not) be the case that we don't currently have the depth to recover from a string of bad luck. I am hopeful though.
 
We need to beat BYU. Plain and simple. The entire country, starved for football, will all be watching. The Rent must be packed and rocking at kickoff. This is our dress rehearsal season. Lots of conference suits will be watching. And a win creates the mindset for season long success. We can't afford to blow it. Shame on all of us if we do.
 
BYU is one of the 2 or 3 best teams on the schedule. I don't know if we will win that game, but I agree that I would really like to beat one of Cincinnati, Boise, BYU or UCF.
 
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