Desmond Conner : Pasqualoni walked into a train wreck

[Jimmy Serrano]

Calling shenanigans of the whole idea of the 2011 team not having talent. Yes, we were short at QB and didn't have an All-American at RB. Boo freaking hoo.

Most here didn't like the 2010 QB either. And have you forgotten the games against Vandy, WMU, and Iowa State the the coaches pissed away. An 8-4 team does not have a dearth of talent. 2011 was an 8-4 team that PP brought in 5-7.

In 2012, we have a better D and a better QB and WR than 2011. Oline isn't good and RB has been exposed a little, but I'm not convinced that's not the coaches fault too. Friend, Masters, and Bennett have been around and Mateas was in the mix to start at Penn St. They are not untalented. We have at least 7-5 talent this year against a normal schedule. We play no one good this year. A good Uconn team wins this league or at least wins 9-10 games. The schedule is that bad.

To recap: 2011 8 wins becomes 5 wins
2012 7 wins becomes 4 wins

How anyone watching can defend the job the staff has done boggles my mind.


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Um, the only person defending the job that P has done is the strawman you just created.

 

[noeynox]

He looked good for one drive and then got concussed. I don't think you can judge him from the Louisville game. And, given Edsall's success here (lack of a passing game or not), forgive me for taking the program's word for who rates where on the depth chart instead of snippets we here from people who observe a practice.

Again, I'm not saying Box would have been even average -- just that Edall & Co. thought he would be better able to manage a game than JM.

Depth Chart? Easly was kept glued to the bench four games into his senior year. The Giants were all set to cut Victor Cruz until another WR got hurt late in training camp last year. Coaches make mistakes on talent/personel all the time. That is why some of us scream to give other players a shot because you never know what you really have until you see players in game action. I just looked up Box's stats for this year at Division 2, not FCS, DII 49.5% completion percentage. I do not believe he would have been a significant upgrad over Mac last year. I have already conceded in the thread that I believe Edsall would have managed to get one more win out of WMU, ISU, etc.

 

[Carl Spackler]

It is not where we are headed. The train has wrecked.

I'm going to wait and see how the defense responds, in our next road trip, before I agree with that BL.

 

[J187Money]

IN 2007 - averages.

Points scored: 26.5
Points allowed: 19.0

2008
Points scored: 24.9
Points allowed: 19.8

2009
Points scored: 31.9
Points allowed: 23.6

2010
Points scored: 26.4
Points allowed: 22.0

2011
Points scored: 24.3
Points allowed: 24.3

2012:
Points scored: 17.9
Points allowed: 19.8


maybe one of you computer savvy guys, can take that simple data and put in a line graph. Points on the Y axis and 2007-2012 on the X-axis.

Two lines - one for offense one for defense.

I think you'd get a clear idea where the arrows are pointing up and pointing down.

Our offense is in a 4 year nose dive, that's only accelerating down.

A good graph, need to adjust for defensive / turnover / special teams scores. I'll try to do this.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm going to wait and see how the defense responds, in our next road trip, before I agree with that BL.

Actually, I think that's fair Carl. Let's see if Friday night was where we now are or just a "never mind."

 

[Carl Spackler]

A good graph, need to adjust for defensive / turnover / special teams scores. I'll try to do this.

Would be interesting to see. My observation is that our defense is once again trending up, from where it was a few years ago, and that our offense is pointing due south.

Check this website for stats - it's where I pulled the scoring data from.

http://www.cfbstats.com/

 

[husky210]

The thing that bothers me about dez is that he gets combative with people who comment on his blog and ask him questions on his chat.

 

[SubbaBub]

As an apologista I feel the need to point out it's on Randy but also Endres who chose drugs over the team.

I'm also done with the Endres as what might have been. At best, was slighty better than ZF except Zach won more games, led the team to the BCS and didn't get himself thrown off the team.

Having him or not having him in 2011, made little difference IMO. Not compared to P losing 3 games on his own.

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[freescooter]

Last year I understood that there were a number of critical pieces, especially on offense that Pasqualoni needed to replace. That is fine and contributed to 5-7. He managed to replace at least some of them this year, but I really don't get how anyone can say we don't have as much talent as Temple or Western Michigan or Syracuse. Maybe we don't but if not, Edsall was a friggin' genius because he had the same kind of talent and could be counted on to beat MAC level teams and Syracuse, too. But Pasqualoni has managed to ruin our offensive line. I would have thought that nearly impossible, we've had good lines, proud lines, for so many years I can't even remember when we didn't have one that was at least decent. The insistence on totally changing the blocking scheme just doesn't work with the guys we have. maybe with different players it does, but by insisting on going this route, UConn apparently decided it was ok to throw away the entire season.

 

[Husky68]

Does anyone think PP should get another year if we finish out:

0-4? 1-3?
4-8 is a firable offense with Buffalo, WM, Umass, Maryland, Fruit, sPitt, Temple, NCST as 8 games favored where are already 3-3 and LV, Rut, Cin, USF as fight to win games and are 0-1. So 3 of last 4 games are against expected toughest opponents and don't see us winning any of these the way we are currently playing.

 

[junglehusky]

I agree with Dez that Pasqualoni inherited a program with significant challenges, and completely barren at RB and QB, which should never happen for a BCS conference program. The receiving corps was pretty weak too, and there was no depth at CB which cost us a bowl game last year. I am willing to stipulate all those things are true.

The front 7 on defense was probably the best in the conference last year and is very good again this year. We have more depth at DB this year, and until Syracuse the defense had played well. There is no excuse at all for what has happened to the offense. Veteran players on the o-line are playing worse today than they did two years ago. I am willing to give Pasqualoni a mulligan on the problems at the skill positions, but they are not bad enough that this team should not be competing at a much higher level than where it is today. And he had two offseasons to address any problems he had when he showed up. Whitmer is a tolerable caretaker QB, but he is woefully mis-utilized, and RB should be an easy position to fill.

Ultimately, this isn't a question of talent, it is a question of coaching. While there isn't a lot of NFL talent on this roster, it is not terrible either. 3-9 will be a completely unacceptable outcome given what this team has.

+1. An entirely reasonable post, and IMHO quite accurate too.

 

[freescooter]

Like I said, it was understandable that there was a slight drop off given the coaching change, the attrition, and talent left on hand. I'll give you Frey, but Box hasn't really lit up at Division 2 to my knowledge. Randy's biggest failure at UConn was recruiting QB's post Orlovsky. For a former QB, he had trouble identifying talent at the position.

Calling it a trainwreck is stupid. I don't think anyone has defended that comment and P's coaching THIS year has been terrible. From idiotic offensive strategy, to not using timeouts, to trying to sit on a 14 point lead in the first quarter, the coaching has been a trainwreck. To be fair, P has gone out and in his first class landed a QB better than any Edsall brought in post DO. Now that and 2.00 bucks will get me a cup of coffee, but I'm not so sure we go bowling last year regardless of coach, though I think Edsall would have squeezed one more win out of WMU, ISU last year. No excuses for this year. None, and fair or unfair P may not deserve a third year to get "his guys" on the field.

I actually think he would have squeezed out at least one more...Vandy was there for the taking as well. But By all accounts Pasqualoni's recruiting both last year and so far this year have been solid. And there is no question that he came in with the mandate to upgrade our recruiting. That, supposedly, was his biggest selling point. But I'm not sure he had to throw away a whole season to get there.

 

[ZooCougar]

I actually think he would have squeezed out at least one more...Vandy was there for the taking as well. But By all accounts Pasqualoni's recruiting both last year and so far this year have been solid. And there is no question that he came in with the mandate to upgrade our recruiting. That, supposedly, was his biggest selling point. But I'm not sure he had to throw away a whole season to get there.

Let's give him 3 more years to teach his recruits to block and tackle poorly.

 

[UC990411]

"YES I SUPPORT COACH P. He walked into a train-wreck, tried to fix it and is trying 24 games isn't enough to fix all that needs to be addressed here."

Desmond Conner, from today's chat.

Dez hated Edsall, he is so biased that its not even worth following him anymore. Ed D is a much better follow

 

[freescooter]

Cochran outperformed Nebrich during the Spring game. The kid looked like a real talent to me. If you don't like that opinion good for you.

I don't think he ever sees the field. And I'm not sure he out performed Nebrich either. He looked like a scared kid out there. Every once and a while there is a situation where a coach recruits a kid for reasons other than what the kid brings to the table. This was one of those times.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't think he ever sees the field. And I'm not sure he out performed Nebrich either. He looked like a scared kid out there. Every once and a while there is a situation where a coach recruits a kid for reasons other than what the kid brings to the table. This was one of those times.

How in the world do you even come to this conclusion?

 

[ZooCougar]

Dez hated Edsall, he is so biased that its not even worth following him anymore. Ed D is a much better follow

Except all three of them, (Silver and D) are spouting the same stuff. Ed D actually has a decent sense of humor though.

 

[junglehusky]

The thing that bothers me about dez is that he gets combative with people who comment on his blog and ask him questions on his chat.

Well, he does seem to be really defensive when people make it about him specifically. I think he should just not give a crap what people say about him, but that's easy for me to say since I don't have anonymous people commenting about what a bad job I'm doing. For one thing they'd say I spend too much time on the boneyard.

 

[Nostical]

I like Dez. Dez is a friend. But Dez is flat out wrong here. When a coach discovers weaknesses in certain personnel he plays to their strengths. Coach P and GD took their smallish RB McCombs and used him like he was Larry Csonka. The line blocking schemes were a disaster. The entire offensive philosophy has not meshed with our players' talents. This does not mean Coach P walked into a train wreck. In truth he found a fully functioning train but decided to put the caboose in the front, the coal car last, and then wondered (with an emotionless expression) why he was always running late.

A friend of mine who's a pretty smart guy (not a UConn fan) described our current dilemma in horse racing terms. PP is like a horse trainer. Last year in the Derby he had a front runner and ran him fast from the starting gate. This year his horse is a closer. But instead of having him running off the pace, he tells the jockey to break from the gate and take the lead. Now his horse keeps losing and he tells the owner, "You gave me a bad horse to train---I walked into a train wreck!".

This was a capable, talented team and these coaches completely messed it up. As a wise man said, "Not being able to perceive may be the textbook definition of blindness".

 

[freescooter]

How in the world do you even come to this conclusion?

He isn't beating out Whitmer in the next 2 years. By that time we'll have someone else, possibly the Texas kid ready to step in. I saw Cochran only once I admit, but he looked pretty ordinary to me. A marginal D1 talent. Slow footed in particular. He was recruited to keep up ties with the Connecticut high school coaches. It was an investment, not a true talent search. It may well have paid off with some of the local kids who are now looking at UConn but didn't before.

 

[UConn9604]

Not to overstate the obvious, but let's keep our eye on the ball here: in my opinion, Pasqualoni isn't performing to the level that is expected of a veteran head coach who is making $1.6 million to coach football in one of the nation's best athletic programs.

That's all. It's nothing personal, really.

 

[Pudge]

Desmond Conner has no credibility after that.

First ... a continued Edsall tenure would have taken that team to a bowl last year NOT 5-7. He would have retained Robbie Frey someway. And, we'd have been a fairly typical UConn team of the last decade. The OLINE is fine ... that is a DeLeone problem.

Second ... this year? Where is the Coach? He is supposed to be an experienced guy. This is the worst atmosphere you could have at this point. It's a train wreck; a plane crash; a bus over the highway now.

 

[UC990411]

Desmond Conner has no credibility after that.

First ... a continued Edsall tenure would have taken that team to a bowl last year NOT 5-7. He would have retained Robbie Frey someway. And, we'd have been a fairly typical UConn team of the last decade. The OLINE is fine ... that is a DeLeone problem.

He hates Edsall, always has always will. He hates him because he made his job difficult because he didn't give any information.

 

[uconndogs]

Dez needs to protect his contact with the program and he does that be staying on P's good side.

That said, the "train wreck" that P inherited came off of a BCS bowl and had a solid OL that could always run the ball. There will be as many as 4-5 guys off this defense that will either go in the NFL draft or end up in a camp. I don't see a "train wreck". I see a failed offensive plan that is completely ineffective at the point of attach.......completely.

Now we have no running game, pass protection is awful as teams don't have to respect the run anymore and our OLmen don't know how to pick up blitzes anyway. Now the defense is worn out physically and mentally. The "train wreck" was not inherited, it was created.

I've said all along that P is back next season absent the team giving up. It could shake out exactly that way. It's my strong suspision that the vast majority of the problem lies with our OC. But, that is ultimately on P. He put him there and is evdiently choosing to leave him there.

 

[Waquoit]

The thing that bothers me about dez is that he gets combative with people who comment on his blog and ask him questions on his chat.

I like that he's willing to mix it up a bit. That's more fun than the ones that give you the high-hat.

Dez hated Edsall, he is so biased that its not even worth following him anymore.

I don't agree. Edsall wasn't hated or treated unfairly. For the most part he got his butt kissed at UConn by the entire corps.