Diaco has lost 90% of fan base

[Husky25]

Or this year.

Improvement begins with unlearning old bad habits.

 

[Alum86]

One man's opinion...

No. Many. 2 wins with this team is sad. This D coordinator appears over his head coaching the whole shebang. This does not have the same feel as Calhoun ' 87

 

[Perfect Hair]

A deep sea diver who loses his oxygen when he is down 1000 feet isn't in over his head as much as Debacle. He is Captain Queeg worried about the strawberries when he's in the middle of a typhoon. I'm with Nelson.

 

[huskymedic]

This hire was mistake, we all get it,

One man's opinion...

No. Many. 2 wins with this team is sad. This D coordinator appears over his head coaching the whole shebang. This does not have the same feel as Calhoun ' 87

Ok - Maybe it's more than "one" man's opinion --- But it's still not "all"!

 

[RedStickHusky]

actually two opinions expressed in the original comment, both misrepresented as fact. One is, admittedly, an open question; the other is provably wrong.

 

[CTMike]

Ok - Maybe it's more than "one" man's opinion --- But it's still not "all"!

Yeah, it's the opinion of the two most notoriously negative posters on the board. No thanks!

 

[gioff23]

As long as those bailing DO NOT come back, I am fine. Either you're in this as a fan of the U or you're not. You want to bail at a 2-6 campaign, bail. But, please do not come back. The program does not need you.

 

[Jimdish255]

Ron Johnson destroyed the CB early in the game. Ran his ass over. Delorenzo and Johnson 2 best backs by far.

Newsome drives me nuts on his KO returns. Doesn't seem to hit the hole with any velocity.

Right on all three. And lack of talent isn't why we lost to Army. At least not player talent.

 

[SubbaBub]

He hasn't lost the fan base? We will be lucky to have 15k in the stadium against SMU.

This hire was mistake, we all get it, but there is nothing we can do now. He just has to get better.

This goes too far. The jettisoning of PP netted 3 wins last year. I expected having a real full time coach would have meant improvement.

Losing to Army is bad, especially when a win would have done wonders for morale. The team that played UCF and ECU doesn't lose that game. The team that lost to Tulane and USF does.

I can accept the first team while they figure it out. I can't accept the second. No one should.

 

[SubbaBub]

I was guessing that he did not bring Foxx in until the second half because he did not want Army to be able to make halftime adjustments. That's the only thing I can think of.

Army runs nothing but the option, their Defense has see it a lot. That's why.

The game plan should have been to overpower a smaller defense. And they did for the most part. Right up until they got cute at the goal line.

 

[Chin Diesel]

It isn't that Diaco has lost 90% of the fan base.

But.... His choice of how to play this season hasn't brought in new fans and has tempered any optimism of the existing fans. In other words there isn't any buzz about the football program. It's in the irrelevant category.

 

[warbler1055]

I think a coach should get 4 years. Especially in a situation like this where there just isn't much, if any talent here. Now, you may be able to tell after two years that a guys is not the right coach, but they should still get a full recruiting cycle unless there is some sort of scandal under their watch.

PP and GD did not get 4 years. But they got enough time to ruin this program. I think by next year everything will clear up. For UConn's sake I hope that Diaco will show improvement.

 

[warbler1055]

It isn't that Diaco has lost 90% of the fan base.

But.... His choice of how to play this season hasn't brought in new fans and has tempered any optimism of the existing fans. In other words there isn't any buzz about the football program. It's in the irrelevant category.

Was it his choice or his inexperience? Or something else? Who in the world would choose a 2-7 record? Lost to Army, the perpetual doormat of the armed services.

 

[Bonehead]

It isn't that Diaco has lost 90% of the fan base.

But.... His choice of how to play this season hasn't brought in new fans and has tempered any optimism of the existing fans. In other words there isn't any buzz about the football program. It's in the irrelevant category.

Spot on analysis -

He can talk the talk - no doubt about it. He could represent us well in speaking engagements moving forward. There was buzz before the season, even with the very casual friend, that buzz is gone.
I am going to hold off judgement on if he is half the coach he is compared to a speaker unitl next year.
Yes - he is a Broyles award winner - means nothing. Many are Great coordinators/coaches but cant be the Head guy - he gets next year to prove his worth to our fine organization called UConn, but next year it is time. There is talent here, there are players on this squad and many coaching decisions have led one to scratch their head. I dont need to be a football coach to know you cant be switching personnel with 13 seconds left on the play clock as example. There seems to be some disorganization on the sidelines when it comes to personnel packages to enter the game - almost like 'WOW i didnt think we would get a first down, now I want others out on the field.'

In UConn I trust - Bob, I am not sure yet.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Was it his choice or his inexperience? Or something else? Who in the world would choose a 2-7 record? Lost to Army, the perpetual doormat of the armed services.

Inexperience plays a part. But it was his choice to rotate three QB's throughout the games. It's his choice to manage the game clock, etc.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Spot on analysis -

He can talk the talk - no doubt about it. He could represent us well in speaking engagements moving forward. There was buzz before the season, even with the very casual friend, that buzz is gone.
I am going to hold off judgement on if he is half the coach he is compared to a speaker unitl next year.
Yes - he is a Broyles award winner - means nothing. Many are Great coordinators/coaches but cant be the Head guy - he gets next year to prove his worth to our fine organization called UConn, but next year it is time. There is talent here, there are players on this squad and many coaching decisions have led one to scratch their head. I dont need to be a football coach to know you cant be switching personnel with 13 seconds left on the play clock as example. There seems to be some disorganization on the sidelines when it comes to personnel packages to enter the game - almost like 'WOW i didnt think we would get a first down, now I want others out on the field.'

In UConn I trust - Bob, I am not sure yet.

It's clear that the coaching staff is actually trying to win - to me at least. Unbelievable that that was even an issue a few months ago in looking at the game plans, and all that. I really just think, so far in 2014, we're seeing a defensive minded coach, who's never been a head coach, apply defensive concepts to developing players and a unit to the offensive side of the ball in this first season, which undoubtedly has been a developmental season.

my hope, is that for 2015, we really do have some kind of specific, consistent offensive structure that we will be using. To date, there are clues as to what they may or may not be - if it exists, but in 2014, we have no offensive identity, no consistency, and no control of the flow of the game through the play clock and whistle to whistle - as was on complete display at the end of the Army game. Our offense, instead of the ice-cold composure that you need, has the personality of Bob Diaco at the end of the game, running around with all kinds of energy but with the appearance of chicken with it's head cut off.

Because through 2014, we've been all over the frigging place when it comes to offensive concepts, and nothing consistent, and we play with incredible heart, and energy, but very little focus and control and rhythym on offense. Remarkably, the individual players - the young ones have improved, and so have the veteran players - although I fear that Whitmer's acchilles heel and fatal flaw? Not going to change in the next 3 games. But in every other way, even Whitmer, as a senior, has had incredible individual improvement. (which tells you where we were at as a program developmentally).

Sooner than later, though, we need to come to developing a consistently successful offense on the field, and hopefully, there is a plan in place to already do so for next season.....

If not, Mr. Diaco will need to have an intervention, and the people on the offensive side of the ball, will need to spoon feed him the information and knowledge, that when you intend to develop a consistently successful offense, and want that offense to be able to flow, and dictate the game, and be in control of the game - especially late in games and actually WIN games - because offense on the field is how you close out and win games.......we will need to do things different than this season.

IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN YOU ROTATE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS, including the QB, WITHIN GAMES LIKE A DEFENSIVE FRONT!!!!!

 

[CTMike]

Like most of your post Carl, I disagree with the bit about him being a defensive coach trying to learn the offensive part while trying to be a head coach.

I believe Diaco is a very sharp, smart guy. I don't think offense is a mystery to him or his staff. They've been around enough that they know how it works (or should). There's been a lot of questionable calls, and that's fair. But to me, the biggest gap has been between "desired game plan" and "ability to execute". We've been trying to win within the framework of basic fundamentals. We've been learning to walk all year instead of running. And it's not a knock on the talent - at least, not a knock on their innate capabilities. They atrophied under the prior regime, and that's on P. I just hope we can finally take the training wheels off sooner than later.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Like most of your post Carl, I disagree with the bit about him being a defensive coach trying to learn the offensive part while trying to be a head coach.

I believe Diaco is a very sharp, smart guy. I don't think offense is a mystery to him or his staff. They've been around enough that they know how it works (or should). There's been a lot of questionable calls, and that's fair. But to me, the biggest gap has been between "desired game plan" and "ability to execute". We've been trying to win within the framework of basic fundamentals. We've been learning to walk all year instead of running. And it's not a knock on the talent - at least, not a knock on their innate capabilities. They atrophied under the prior regime, and that's on P. I just hope we can finally take the training wheels off sooner than later.

I agree with your concepts and evaluation/opinion. Entirely. I keep running into this roadblock though, that sets me right back to the beginning.

I freely admit that I do not know everything there is about football, and I do not know everything specifically about this roster, and I can only play back and forth between deductive and inductive reasoning to try to get some sort of understanding of what the actual thought processes are being used by the coaching staff, as I have no direct knowledge of the reasoning, and therefore there might a very well reasoned, logical, valid and meaningful reason for the roadblock I keep stumbling into....that roadblock is the fact that we have not had a true starting quarterback all season long, and started with rotating 2 QBs, one went down, and we continued rotating 2 QB's, switching personnel, and we have evolved offensively to up the ante to rotating now 3 QB's in game. We've rotated snaps for 4 QB's these season. Voluntarily.

Here I go again, though, I swore off this - chose to ignore it a few weeks ago, and things were better - for me .

 

[BlueDogs]

Mellow out 10 %ers. Yes, Army was a disaster, but I don't think we can expect a straight line upwards. Diaco's defensive game plan and lack of adjustments were horrid and his time management was incompetent. You HAVE to call a timeout on the 6 and get a turnover prone QB collected. You cannot waste time outs on personnel disorganization.

All of these things are learning lessons for a new coach. Give they guy a chance. Give the players a chance. They are coming to together and the program will get better. Next year will be a bell weather year as to direction.

 

[CTMike]

I sense his frustration in this quote from today's AAC conference call, but it's our State of the Union : "We get better every day. We're a bad football team. We're just way less bad than we were when I got here in December, so, it was a giant mess, colossal. And now it's still a mess, but it's less of a mess, a lot smaller mess."

 

[Bonehead]

I sense his frustration in this quote from today's AAC conference call, but it's our State of the Union : "We get better every day. We're a bad football team. We're just way less bad than we were when I got here in December, so, it was a giant mess, colossal. And now it's still a mess, but it's less of a mess, a lot smaller mess."

I cant believe he said that - well I can but really...ugh.
How long does it take to clean up a giant, colossal mess? 9+ months? He is on my daughters plan for cleaning her room...

I hope he is frustrated with himself and his coaches.

 

[UMass]

HCBD will right this ship. He's making some mistakes in his first year that I will bet he will never make again. I can only imagine he is more frustrated with this than the fan base is.
From what I've read on here in the past, he came in to an undisciplined, out of shape team that needed an entire new culture. I think the team PP left behind was well beyond a team that needed just new X's and O's. Taking 85 kids, and they are kids, and changing the entire culture is quite a task. He appears to a the guy more than willing and capable of doing it. Losing to Army is bad in a vacuum, however this loss will seem insignificant when UConn is atop the AAC and making their bid for a P-5 invite.
I sat and watched UMass for 2 years with a guy who was definitely a bad hire and the wrong guy. I don't see any of that here. I see a guy that needs some time and a fan base to support him.
Now, will you guys hurry up and get into a P-5 conf. so Umass can get into the AAC. Going independent is going to kill us!

 

[Bonehead]

HCBD will right this ship. He's making some mistakes in his first year that I will bet he will never make again. I can only imagine he is more frustrated with this than the fan base is.
From what I've read on here in the past, he came in to an undisciplined, out of shape team that needed an entire new culture. I think the team PP left behind was well beyond a team that needed just new X's and O's. Taking 85 kids, and they are kids, and changing the entire culture is quite a task. He appears to a the guy more than willing and capable of doing it. Losing to Army is bad in a vacuum, however this loss will seem insignificant when UConn is atop the AAC and making their bid for a P-5 invite.
I sat and watched UMass for 2 years with a guy who was definitely a bad hire and the wrong guy. I don't see any of that here. I see a guy that needs some time and a fan base to support him.
Now, will you guys hurry up and get into a P-5 conf. so Umass can get into the AAC. Going independent is going to kill us!

Sort of sad, no, when your starting QB can admit his mistakes by the coaching staff doesn't?

'I think the team PP left behind was well beyond a team that needed just new X's and O's. Taking 85 kids, and they are kids, and changing the entire culture is quite a task.'

A Drill Instructor does it in less than 13 weeks!

 

[huskymedic]

A Drill Instructor does it in less than 13 weeks!

... and we all saw how well they reacted to GDL"s DI break them down M.O.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Sort of sad, no, when your starting QB can admit his mistakes by the coaching staff doesn't?

'I think the team PP left behind was well beyond a team that needed just new X's and O's. Taking 85 kids, and they are kids, and changing the entire culture is quite a task.'

A Drill Instructor does it in less than 13 weeks!

LOL. I like the comment before about being on track with your daughter's plan to clean her room.

The reality though, is that direct coach/player interaction time is limited, and if you are playing by the rules, strictly monitored and not violated. It's pretty clear that the vast majority of direct contact time, and supervision in the 11 months now that Diaco has been on the job has been directed toward breaking down, and rebuilding from a desired foundation - the beaten to death word - 'culture' of the program.

11 months later, it is without a doubt the case. I saw it and felt it, viscerally, when Richard Levy fired off the snap in a false start, and literally fell to his knees in mental anguish on the field, in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd. It is very good, that Diaco has established the culture that he has, because the last thing that player needed coming off the field, was to be berated. He might be 19, or 20 years old, not sure, and legally an adult, but he just needs to get better at playing football, and being a good student, and athlete - he is not being trained for combat by getting an education and playing football at UCONN.

The thing is, individually - they are much better. We literally couldn't line up as 11 man units consistently in decent football position on both sides of the ball in the early parts of this season. That's changed. We are a fundmanentally better team in blocking and tackling than we were 2 months ago. We're not real good yet.

The kind of dedication and desire to do the right thing, and to win, and improve constantly in everything you do, has been established in the 'culture' of the program. The concept of a post season is officially gone, but I don't see any reason to think we will compete as individuals and as a team with any less than our very best effort from here out. This is no small feat, for a football coach to accomplish with a full roster, in less than a calendar year, coming from where we were last season. I will never forget that UCF game last season, that for me - was the lowest of the low point.

The offensive side of the ball, is what has me completely perplexed though. I've been told by people I respect, that it would be very difficult this year for me to grasp what's going on, and it is. I hope that it all comes together before next season, and carries over. If not, then I hope it comes together in the offseason and is ready to go to start next season. I don't want to sit through another year of scrimmages and tinkering on offense and rotating players for max reps exposure and learning, like an extending training camp.