Depth Chart is Up

[businesslawyer]

along with Pitt game notes, on UConnhuskies.com.

Not much to talk about. On special teams, Taylor Mack has supplanted Deshon Foxx as the #2 KR. Since we line up with two, I assume that means he's starting. On O, the only change of note is Martin Hyppolite, who must be back from his injury, is listed as an "or" with JJL for the backup at TB. On D, Blidi is not listed (of course, that doesn't mean he's not playing) and Jerome Williams, also back from injury, is now an "or" as the backup MLB with Osiecki. That last one is a little interesting. I thought we've heard repeatedly that, under P, you don't lose your job to injury. Well, Jerome was the starter when he got hurt in the spring. I don't care what P says, and it would make no sense to sit Jory Johnson or Smallwood, both of whom have been playing well, but there it is.

I apologize that this had nothing to do with realignment.

 

[CTMike]

along with Pitt game notes, on UConnhuskies.com.

Not much to talk about. On special teams, Taylor Mack has supplanted Deshon Foxx as the #2 KR. Since we line up with two, I assume that means he's starting. On O, the only change of note is Martin Hyppolite, who must be back from his injury, is listed as an "or" with JJL for the backup at TB. On D, Blidi is not listed (of course, that doesn't mean he's not playing although) and Jerome Williams, also back from injury, is now an "or" as the backup MLB with Osiecki. That last one is a little interesting. I thought we've heard repeatedly that, under P, you don't lose your job to injury. Well, Jerome was the starter when he got hurt in the spring. I don't care what P says, and it would make no sense to sit Jory Johnson or Smallwood, both of whom have been playing well, but there it is.

I apologize that this had nothing to do with realignment.

We will flog you accordingly.

 

[MarbleheadHusky]

I am doubtful about BWW. I saw him still limping around during the USF game. MCL sprains are no joke, as I had one before. It takes a while to get your confidence back up, as you really feel this ligament when you change direction... which our #1 CB does many times. Now I know he has some of the best medical people around him and my hope was he would be back for Pitt, but until I see him not limping around, I will be cautiously optomistic.

 

[ktuck911]

Nice to see Hyppolite, J. Will, and TMack back on the depth chart... I'm especially looking fwd to hopefully seeing Hyppolite on the field.. We need that big back to help McCombs out.... After re-watching the USF game JJL was somewhat effective ( a couple of short yardage runs to move the chains and a little pass protection... McCombs is just too doggone small to block anybody back there )... but we still need more than that ... just to keep defenses a little more off balance....

 

[uconndogs]

Don't see how you sit one of our LBs down. Especially after the USF game.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Don't see how you sit one of our LBs down. Especially after the USF game.

No, but we need depth there. I don't think any other LB's have seen the field outside of specials.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

And FWIW, I see a lot of Alfred Fincher in Smallwood. Might be the MA thing.

Kid is gonna be a stud (if he isn't already).

 

[businesslawyer]

Responding to some of that:

1. I don't think for a moment that Jerome Williams is starting ahead of Smallwood or Johnson. It's not like he's a returning starter that we know can perform at a higher level than the guys on the field. I was just pointing out some irony.

2. Our backup LBs (Osiecki, Kenney and Opoku) have only played after games have been decided. I would assume that, at some point, Williams will most likely be the clear backup.

3. Getting anything from Hyppolite as a backup can only help. Third downs, Short yardage. Really giving McCombs a possession off once a game. Whatever. The prior staff, the best you could tell, thought he could make plays. He didn't show it last year in his cameo, but it was a very, very, very brief cameo behind a cartel of experienced backs (Todman, Frey, Shoemate and Wylie).

 

[NEforceUConn]

Wylie - I miss him. I believe he would have been a Red shirt Senior and starting TB, save that terrible injury. I really wish him well in life.

 

[J187Money]

BWW won't be back yet.

 

[Carl Spackler]

On J.Will....

Do you have reason to think that whenever he was cleared to go full speed, he wasn't put right back in on practices with the #1's? ...and then ended up as an OR with #2 on the 2 deep?

 

[businesslawyer]

Other than we haven't heard that and that I can't imagine a coach having done that? Other than those reasons, nope.

 

[Carl Spackler]

i don't think it's unreasonable at all to speculate that a #1 player coming bacl from injury may have been given the opportunity to run with the #1's in practice as soon as they're medically cleared to return for full practice, but then might find themselves lower down on a depth chart come game time than they were prior to getting knocked out. I think that's probably much more in tune with P's statement that nobody loses their job due to injury, rather than expecting a player to simply return to #1 on the depth chart come game time, when they're cleared to return to full contact.

Do I know if that happened or not? No clue. That's why I asked you.

But it does seem more reasonable to me, than Pasqualoni saying something and then doing something entirely different.

 

[whaler11]

But it does seem more reasonable to me, than Pasqualoni saying something and then doing something entirely different.

Yeah, he hasn't done that a dozen times in 9 months.