Des Conner on WTIC Sportstalk...

[whaler11]

Don Brown isn't some young hotshot that no one knew about and he blew up. He's been around forever - his job at UMass is better than the offer from Yale.

He gets a ton of credit and he's earned it - but there are a ton of really good players on defense. It really doesn't take a savant to lead this talent to success against this schedule.

Maybe a MAC level program tries to steal Brown. Certainly there could be coordinator offers from other BCS schools - but if P is here you pay him and he stays because if what he wants is a HC job he'd at least have an inside track here after 2013.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think you are underrating Sio. Lumping linebackers together I'd have him over Lutrus. Even with Floyd but behind Wilson and Fincher but I think in the conversation is fair.

Gratz is not better than Perkins or Butler or Howard, but supports the run as
well as anyone has which is an underrated skill. Gratz also has a bit
of a nose for the big play interception. While his peak might not be as high as some he started a ton of games and played a high level for a long time.

Even if you take Cody Brown over Trevardo - he'd still be second and nothing is more valuable than getting to the QB.

As a run defending corner, Dwayne is real, real good. But he's not in Tyvon's league. But I don't know I've seen a college corner who was.

But I'm not arguing with you. This is a really good D, with six senior starters (not counting Jesse Joseph) and anyone who thinks a bunch of youngsters we've never seen are going to enter the starting lineup at that level is delusional. Trevardo didn't. Dwayne didn't. Jory Johnson didn't. Ryan Wirth took four years to become a starter.

 

[whaler11]

Bizlaw since you brought up Johnson he is really an interesting case. This entire senior class is probably worth inspection in the offseason because so many contributed so long.

Johnson completely changed. He altered between wild highs and lows as a young player filling in for Lutrus. As he matured he ended up being a very steady player. Ended up having a very solid career but in the end his late career consistency surprised me. Maybe that had something to do with the coaching change in the middle - but he's always been one of my random favorites. I have always had a soft spot for linebackers with random jersey numbers - I think being a product of a Giants family whose first football memories align with the end of Brad Van Pelt's career.

 

[huskymedic]

As a run defending corner, Dwayne is real, real good. But he's not in Tyvon's league. But I don't know I've seen a college corner who was.

But I'm not arguing with you. This is a really good D, with six senior starters (not counting Jesse Joseph) and anyone who thinks a bunch of youngsters we've never seen are going to enter the starting lineup at that level is delusional. Trevardo didn't. Dwayne didn't. Jory Johnson didn't. Ryan Wirth took four years to become a starter.

But we're gonna have a new high powered offense that wil score boodles of points so we can give up a little on defense!

 

[HuskyNan]

He definitely defends and supports PP. Nothing wrong with it, it just seems like a silly position to take when we are so obviously awful. Most everyone likes Dez around here. We just wish he would side with us on the cold reality that Coach P, despite being a great guy, isn't the guy to lead this program.

Right. Internet board fans being so logical and rational and all.

Des has a different opinion. Not sure why he deserves to be pilloried for it.

 

[metsfan2323]

He gets a ton of credit and he's earned it - but there are a ton of really good players on defense. It really doesn't take a savant to lead this talent to success against this schedule.

I think Brown's system makes players better. Trevardo doesn't become UCONN's all time sack leader under Edsall's read and react defense. Many of Trevardo's sacks occurred when Brown brings everyone to the the line to confuse the offensive linemen and Trevardo got to the QB untouched. Sio and Smallwood have been setting up camp in our opponents backfield all season and that doesn't happen without Brown's aggressive style.

"Solve your problems with aggression" gets mocked a lot on this board but it has made the players better.

 

[whaler11]

As a run defending corner, Dwayne is real, real good. But he's not in Tyvon's league. But I don't know I've seen a college corner who was.

But I'm not arguing with you. This is a really good D, with six senior starters (not counting Jesse Joseph) and anyone who thinks a bunch of youngsters we've never seen are going to enter the starting lineup at that level is delusional. Trevardo didn't. Dwayne didn't. Jory Johnson didn't. Ryan Wirth took four years to become a starter.

I certainly wasn't arguing with you. It was nice to think about Fincher, Perkins, Branch, Cody Brown and Jasper instead of Pasqualoni and GDL.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Dez didn't say the D wouldn't take a step back. He just said he didn't think it would be as big of step back than people think. His reasons:

- Stewart coming in at LB with Ashiru and Vann gaining some experience this year.

- Joseph coming back for his 5th year.

- He insinuated 1 or 2 kids may move from S to CB to ease the loss of our starting 2. Personally I think it makes sense to move Jones there. I've heard Marder, who is redshirting, is also being looked at there.

 

[whaler11]

Right. Internet board fans being so logical and rational and all.

Des has a different opinion. Not sure why he deserves to be pilloried for it.

Yeah we are all just idiotic internet morons. No way we are right on this one.

If Des were just wrong he'd be excused, since people generally like him. He's the one that chooses to be an arrogant in combination with being spectacularly wrong.

 

[whaler11]

Dez didn't say the D wouldn't take a step back. He just said he didn't think it would be as big of step back than people think. His reasons:

- Stewart coming in at LB with Ashiru and Vann gaining some experience this year.

- Joseph coming back for his 5th year.

- He insinuated 1 or 2 kids may move from S to CB to ease the loss of our starting 2. Personally I think it makes sense to move Jones there. I've heard Marder, who is redshirting, is also being looked at there.

The safeties have been pretty good but if you move Jones or Adams doesn't that just create a different question mark?

You'll convince me that the linebacker play will be acceptable when I see Moore and Johnson replaced.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think Brown's system makes players better. Trevardo doesn't become UCONN's all time sack leader under Edsall's read and react defense. Many of Trevardo's sacks occurred when Brown brings everyone to the the line to confuse the offensive linemen and Trevardo got to the QB untouched. Sio and Smallwood have been setting up camp in our opponents backfield all season and that doesn't happen without Brown's aggressive style.

"Solve your problems with aggression" gets mocked a lot on this board but it has made the players better.

And yet, we forced far more turnovers reading and reacting in '10, starting these guys as sophomores.

Brown is a good coach, but this is a good defense because it has good personnel, and it would succeed at any style a good coach asked it to play,

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The safeties have been pretty good but if you move Jones or Adams doesn't that just create a different question mark?

You'll convince me that the linebacker play will be acceptable when I see Moore and Johnson replaced.

Would you rather see Adams and Brown at Safety with Jones at CB or Stevenson and Tyree Clark starting at both corner spots?

 

[metsfan2323]

And yet, we forced far more turnovers reading and reacting in '10, starting these guys as sophomores.

I keep hearing this but I never see any stats. I believe you but what are the numbers?

I also believe Brown's system makes the corner backs better the way Rex Ryan made Revis better. There never would have been a "Revis Island" without Rex Ryan because Ryan put Revis in man to man matchups instead of the zone his predecessors used.

Safety was traditionally a disaster under Edsall and now it is solid with a group of underclassmen playing with aggression.

 

[whaler11]

Would you rather see Adams and Brown at Safety with Jones at CB or Stevenson and Tyree Clark starting at both corner spots?

I have no idea. Haven't seen enough of them to know.

 

[whaler11]

I keep hearing this but I never see any stats. I believe you but what are the numbers?

I also believe Brown's system makes the corner backs better the way Rex Ryan made Revis better. There never would have been a "Revis Island" without Rex Ryan because Ryan put Revis in man to man matchups instead of the zone his predecessors used.

Safety was traditionally a disaster under Edsall and now it is solid with a group of underclassmen playing with aggression.

Safety was a disaster under Edsall because he had bad safeties, it wasn't scheme. Just didn't recruit good enough players.

 

[metsfan2323]

Safety was a disaster under Edsall because he had bad safeties, it wasn't scheme. Just didn't recruit good enough players.

Our current safeties are Edsall recruits. Brown made them better. The guy can flat out coach.

 

[whaler11]

Our current safeties are Edsall recruits. Brown made them better. The guy can flat out coach.

Well we don't know how they would have played without Brown but I don't disagree he's a good coach. I wasn't lumping these guys into the Junior era at safety.

 

[UCONN FB]

Giving Coach Brown an awful lot of credit, no? Don't you see that most opponents have figured out his program. LB's play way to close to the line to support and stop the run. Middle of the field is always wide open for receivers. No DB's except for starting CB's can cover opponents receivers. Slot receivers, covered by our LB's or safeties kill us every game. No pressure on the QB the last 5 games.
Sorry to say, he has been exposed.

 

[UCONN FB]

It is way too easy to list 100 reasons to cut loose HCPP. What is the reason(s) to keep him?

 

[whaler11]

Giving Coach Brown an awful lot of credit, no? Don't you see that most opponents have figured out his program. LB's play way to close to the line to support and stop the run. Middle of the field is always wide open for receivers. No DB's except for starting CB's can cover opponents receivers. Slot receivers, covered by our LB's or safeties kill us every game. No pressure on the QB the last 5 games.
Sorry to say, he has been exposed.

Throwing out WMU why has Syracuse only scored then?

 

[ZooCougar]

Right. Internet board fans being so logical and rational and all.

Des has a different opinion. Not sure why he deserves to be pilloried for it.

His opinion is based on irrational reasons. As far as I can tell, his main criticism is that DeLeone is misusing Tebucky Jones. Seriously.

 

[RedSoloCup]

It is way too easy to list 100 reasons to cut loose HCPP. What is the reason(s) to keep him?

Because he's approved by the CT HS coaches?

 

[ruskin]

Giving Coach Brown an awful lot of credit, no? Don't you see that most opponents have figured out his program. LB's play way to close to the line to support and stop the run. Middle of the field is always wide open for receivers. No DB's except for starting CB's can cover opponents receivers. Slot receivers, covered by our LB's or safeties kill us every game. No pressure on the QB the last 5 games.
Sorry to say, he has been exposed.

I'll bite. I'll give DB more than an awful lot of credit. Here's what I see. Forget the numbers that will make him a valuable commodity in the offseason. Other than Western Michigan's fast start and the second-half collapse at Syracuse, the defense is playing its ass off. DB has done a stellar job in motivating his players despite the lack of leadership at the top and on the other side of the ball.

Wanna know what's been exposed? We're 2-4 in games when we hold the opponent under 20. That GDL was able to get his hands on our offense and then the offensive line has time and time again exposed a poor hiring process by an AD and then a head coach who were both way over their heads.

 

[businesslawyer]

Giving Coach Brown an awful lot of credit, no? Don't you see that most opponents have figured out his program. LB's play way to close to the line to support and stop the run. Middle of the field is always wide open for receivers. No DB's except for starting CB's can cover opponents receivers. Slot receivers, covered by our LB's or safeties kill us every game. No pressure on the QB the last 5 games.
Sorry to say, he has been exposed.

We just gave up under 300 yards and 14 points to a team that has had no issues moving the ball and scoring. What is your definition for what the Defense is supposed to do -- shut everyone out and hold them to no yards?

 

[ZooCougar]

It's hard to be critical of the defense when they spend so much of the game on the field. The offense doesn't sustain much and rarely scores. I think we had a 14 or 15 play drive the last game. That was amazing!