Edsall confident UConn football program heading in right direction (Gavin Keefe @ The Day)

[MrSheldrake]

Thought we had a QB last year who could do some things with the ball in his hands (unfortunately he wasn't very good at getting the ball out of his hands), Mensah was here last year and lost lot of TE and WR talent (at least talent per UConn). So where is all this "betterness" on offense?
As far as defense goes, when you were by far the worst defense against scoring in the history of FBS it is not that hard to be slightly optimistic. Holding opponents to 45 points per game would be a 10% improvement.

If we had had a 10% improvement last year then we probably win those close ones we lost to USF, SMU, and UMass. This year I'm hoping for 25%.

 

[Waquoit]

All of this may be true, but so is Edsall's seemingly pathological need to remind the world that his team is weak, slow, inexperienced etc. He also feels the need to remind everyone constantly that his predecessors cratered the program.

It's a tactic washed-up hacks use to buy more time.

 

[Waquoit]

I think Randy got a kind of raw deal at Maryland.

LOL! He was a disaster in every respect. He even lost to UConn for cryin' out loud.

 

[uconnell]

Geez fellas can we at least wait until we play a game before criticizing. I know it’s a boring time for sports and we have filled the Boneyard with pizza! iPAs, people’s advice on vacations, etc. yah,yah I know everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is mine.
Oh I forgot to mention bands,singers!songs.

 

[Chief00]

So... you’re saying that there are only smart kids (likely to be admitted to UConn) north of the Mason-Dixon Line?

No, but we do spend more on education up here - have you seen your property tax bill lately? Most of those revenues go to education. Compare that to property taxes in SC, LA, AL or GA. True, it doesn’t always translate but educators try to convince us it does.
As someone who has spent a lot of time in the South and Southwest on business over decades, I can absolutely tell you there is a willingness to develop majors so guys can concentrate on football (regardless of their academic ability) and as one booster said get that piece of paper in 4 or 5 years and pretend they learned something.
This is one reason why our peer schools in the AAC can reel in 12-17 decent JUCOs/transfers a year and we can’t even come close. Randy has often complained about the Admissions Office and how they make it difficult to be competitive - so I am surprised I am breaking news here.

 

[Chief00]

See where we are in September. Watch the visits through October.

Saying we don’t have the emphasis on NE & The Northeast is dumb. Do you think we just lose to BC & Michigan today? We evaluate kids in our region ... they might be 2 Stars ... but we develop for high college careers & often kids went NFL.

There’s some notion that we lose because we don’t get the regions 3 & 4 Stars. Baloney. We’ve got Orlovsky and a few others. We take raw kids and build them. That’s what PP & BD failed. Nobody is going to turn us into Iowa while off the P5 platform.

We have a narrow path to succeed.

I agree, we have a narrow path to succeed - times have changed since the Orlovsky era 15 years ago. There’s not much to learn today from what happened then.

 

[ktuck911]

Feeling good about our QB position with the competition this Fall camp. Beaudry looks ready to play NOW

 

[Pudge]

This is just nonsense upon nonsense upon nonsense.

Thank you for your interest in UConn Husky Football. Keep reading that twitter feed

 

[Slick]

I don’t know how you can question cyber metrics. Should be a good bowl!

If this team can win 4 games that would be wonderful!

 

[Exit 4]

Thank you for your interest in UConn Husky Football. Keep reading that twitter feed

This is a akin to an old guy telling people telephones are silly, I'm sticking with letter writing and telegrams.

You can't sound more out of touch of modernity than to bark at that damn "twitter."

How did you manage to find the internet?

 

[hardcorehusky]

The OL were not "that" young last year. Why would Pert the senior be so much better than the junior version? Don't buy the switch from LT to RT being so difficult. Lose senior center. 2018 year end OL did not play as well as "individual" assessment of players would suggest (Pert being NFL talent, his being beat out for LT by a young player, senior center with lot of reps) and have same guys (less center) and same coach (who is now diluted by being OC). Best way for OL to look better is QB is better passer and, as you say, unlike Pindell can get the ball out of his hands quickly.
HCRE2.0 will manage offense (think new OC will be asserting "his" system) to protect defense and it will have the exact opposite effect. UConn scored 22 points per game in 2018 (19 if take out 56 points against FCS team out of total), what's your "need to average xx" points against FBS teams in 2019 number.

Last year they were true sophomores on the line. There are now true juniors who should be redshirt sophomores. Their bodies have changed- they all look the part now- forget how they perform. Our team did not pass the eye test. The same kids do now. The light has gone on for Pert. He carries himself differently- he looks and sounds like a senior.

Offense starts with the line. It will be better. We have a better mix (and experience) at RB. The key will be who is the QB and can they manage the offense when they have to and make explosive plays when they have to.

Last year's offense was great on first drives and crap there after. I was not high on Pindell as a QB. Whoever is QB hopefully will be able to go deeper into the play book to put points up.

 

[Exit 4]

So Exit 4 ... your Net Net is kids we choose (regardless of time of commitment or lack of information) are lesser than the ones promoted by their own loud twitter posts

<--My god what are you trying to say? No, you are way off the mark. So far off the mark here I struggle with where to begin. My issue really is with your condescending tone and sour attitude towards recruiting discussions that move beyond platitudes about patience, databases and clandestine recruiting connections.

Randy's formula is to pursue guys that he thinks he has a reasonable shot of landing that are coachable. He spends a lot of time pursuing guys that have a ton of interest (ie highly ranked dudes) because he knows he can't build an entire roster on dirty diamonds. By the end of the recruiting cycle he ends up with more dirty diamonds than he wants to because that's the situation UConn football is in recruiting wise.

Kids lie. Offers aren’t really offers. At least committable. And you don’t have Perfect Information.

<--So when I challenged you on your statement that Randy is strong in New England and showed you how that really isn't valid by examining our offers and commitments your retort is that kids lie? Okay, so are you saying all the kids that we landed had a slew of P6 offers that they sat on and decided to "lie" about by not telling the world about their opportunities? Or is it that all the prospects we offered that mostly went to other P6 programs lied about even having a UConn offer? Yes kids bold face lie about offers or stretch the truth about the offer (ie offer subject to coming to camp, etc), but how is that at all in play with my list of offers and commitments in New England?

Your response is impressive.

But ...

The obvious thing is Prep. Far bigger part of the whole than at any point; and increasing. 12-15 years ago, it was really only Milford Academy - and we didn’t play in the pool of lesser grades. Many of the kids who committed were prep. Playing at a far higher platform.

I simply don’t believe you have an accurate picture.

<--This is non sequitur drivel. What does the emergence of New England prep football and kids taking post grad years have to do with this conversation again?

As for the "picture," what we have today is more accurate than any time in the past. Its far easier for all parties in the process to communicate; high school coaches, traditional media, the kids themselves and those darn recruiting organizations. Moreover far more kids are being evaluated by the recruiting services and by FBS programs everywhere which is tough for Randy because his A game in the 1.0 era was finding kids that were under recruited (ie kids that have few FBS offers).

Case in point: Jonathan Pace. I know for a fact he had lots of offers and interest. Solid prospect. And probably did not get far more offers because of the path to his UConn offer whereby he foreclosed others.

No program fears recruiting against UConn. If a P6 program really wants a kid (like everyone wanted Travis Jones) they will actually offer - even when the kid is already committed to UConn.

I get it. You think you have Perfect Information. Stock market guys think that too. Then ZOOM ... someone gets super returns on an unknown. In New England & in UConn, you have one of the oddest recruitment narrative of most any FBS. You’ve made the point: we can do far better. We are missing on kids we should have a solid shot

So now you dont like the data - so attack the data with flimsy arguments. My real point here is that you stop talking down to people on this board...especially when you can be so obtuse and off base in your own right.

 

[Pudge]

This is a akin to an old guy telling people telephones are silly, I'm sticking with letter writing and telegrams.

You can't sound more out of touch of modernity than to bark at that damn "twitter."

How did you manage to find the internet?

Jackson Mitchell + about 6 others are considered lesser prospects because you deign them to have no other major FBS interest. Let alone ... they may have committed very early.

That’s dismissive

This old guys says ... the history tells us that HCRE development takes raw kids (often NE or PA/NJ or QC/ON or NY) + our southern wing and gets a disproportionate number drafted Pro or top honors in college. And it takes time. Many many NE kids have gone on to greater NAME college factories; never to be heard. Then there’s #AaronHernandez

 

[Exit 4]

Jackson Mitchell + about 6 others are considered lesser prospects because you deign them to have no other major FBS interest. Let alone ... they may have committed very early.

That’s dismissive

This old guys says ... the history tells us that HCRE development takes raw kids (often NE or PA/NJ or QC/ON or NY) + our southern wing and gets a disproportionate number drafted Pro or top honors in college. And it takes time. Many many NE kids have gone on to greater NAME college factories; never to be heard. Then there’s #AaronHernandez

Blah-blah-blah - TWITTER!

I've never argued Randy can't build us back to an eight game winner again or his ability to find and coach up talent. That is where we agree. Where we disagree is when you make inaccurate assertions like Randy being strong in New England when for years he has had a very challenging time getting his first and second choice kids. Where I disagree is this idea that Randy is getting his preferred guys when he finds under recruited kids off the beaten path. Where I disagree is that Randy has a secret database and special connections.

 

[Pudge]

Blah-blah-blah - TWITTER!

I've never argued Randy can't build us back to an eight game winner again or his ability to find and coach up talent. That is where we agree. Where we disagree is when you make inaccurate assertions like Randy being strong in New England when for years he has had a very challenging time getting his first and second choice kids. Where I disagree is this idea that Randy is getting his preferred guys when he finds under recruited kids off the beaten path. Where I disagree is that Randy has a secret database and special connections.

You seem a little touchy

I appreciate your energy and work. Yup. Back when we saw Zach Hurd show up at camp from Waterford HS at 6-7 260 there was zip to read about him. Never made any of the 30 some newspapers in Connecticut & certainly not on Rivals/Scout radar.

While I see some piss on Randy for his Maryland experience ... let’s agree that UConn Football has a peculiar fan base. It’s still in its infancy. It was easy for the Terp fans to dump on Edsall hard & early; Washington Post too. And deserved. But in 2019 as in 2002, there’s scant tradition of pitchfork mobs in Nutmeg land. Because of our situation (unlike UMD) Edsall will get the space to fully implement his plan. He can F up on Crocker. And he needs to hugely show progress in 2019 ... AD is not gonna can him. No clear alternative.

He doesn’t need Cornelius Johnson. He does need Jackson Mitchell and others to be Scott Lutrus etc

 

[Nostical]

The light has gone on for Pert. He carries himself differently. He looks and sounds like a senior.

That was also my takeaway from the Open House gathering at The Burton in April. He was the clear leader both vocally and physically. This O Line has something to prove and should be one of the stellar units on the team. If they are, the O will surprise a few of the D Coordinators we face early.

 

[uconnbill]

Bottom line. Games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage. If UConn can win more of those the wins will come.

 

[whaler11]

Delusion SZN

 

[Northbound]

Feeling good about our QB position with the competition this Fall camp. Beaudry looks ready to play NOW

This is only slightly better than Ater Majok crushing it against chairs.

RE biggest problem is RE - the guy is seemingly unable to own his role in the on-field product. It's mind-boggling really.

I actually chuckle every time I think about RE trying to recruit against Franklin at PSU and it has nothing to do with football tradition. Franklin is dynamic, has energy and is entertaining as hell - RE reminds me of some guy who cuts his lawn with his black socks and sandals and gives out fruit for halloween because it's better for the kids.

 

[noeynox]

I didn't read the whole thread, yet, so sorry if someone else has thrown this thought out there. It has been my belief that this is a harder sell to recruits the second time around for Randy. The first time the sell was "Come be a part of an up and coming program, a team making a big step up from D1AA to D1A. A team moving into a brand new stadium." There was some excitement to sell. What is the selling point now? "Come help rescue us from this dumpster fire. Help us return to respectability. Help us not be an embarrassment on the field."

The toughest obstacle is the BCS vs G5 tag. There was something tangible that separated us from the likes of Bowling Green and UMass as far as football went. That no longer exists and its huge. In addition to terrible hires, this has to be by far the biggest reason for our struggles.

 

[Ellington]

There is zero doubt that this is a heavier lift now more than at any other time. Very few HS kids have grown up dreaming of lining up vs East Carolina in The Rent in front of 12,00 fans. Don't kid yourself if you think that the athletic deficit does not effect ever aspect of the program, never mind the department. I admire the UConn programs that have done more with less (baseball), but the non revenue sports have a different path than football.
That million dollar gift to football, renovating this and painting that-that's part of the every year budget in P5.
My red flag was when we actually had to have the HCRE dedicate his own money in a futile attempt to keep his coordinator.Laughable. By the way, that money was NOT allocated for the new guy. All of our most recent hires, with the possible exception of Spanos were nickels on the dollar hires that will provide youthful enthusiasm in place of experience and demonstrated ability to develop these "hidden gems" in recruiting. Example #1 is
our QB coach, who has NEVER been a full-time guy, is now in charge of developing a D2 guy, a walk-on (hasn't played in 2 yrs @ NC State) guy and nobody that has ever started a D1 game. Defend it all you want - there's no proof. Ditto RBs / OLBs. I'm not saying they aren't great young men. They lack experience. They most assuredly will obtain some experience, but at what expense?
To me the gap has widened so far between RE1 and RE2 that I just do not see the formula where a recycled HC (that walked out on us) and the least experienced staff in the AAC spells success.

 

[Stainmaster]

There is zero doubt that this is a heavier lift now more than at any other time. Very few HS kids have grown up dreaming of lining up vs East Carolina in The Rent in front of 12,00 fans. Don't kid yourself if you think that the athletic deficit does not effect ever aspect of the program, never mind the department. I admire the UConn programs that have done more with less (baseball), but the non revenue sports have a different path than football.
That million dollar gift to football, renovating this and painting that-that's part of the every year budget in P5.
My red flag was when we actually had to have the HCRE dedicate his own money in a futile attempt to keep his coordinator.Laughable. By the way, that money was NOT allocated for the new guy. All of our most recent hires, with the possible exception of Spanos were nickels on the dollar hires that will provide youthful enthusiasm in place of experience and demonstrated ability to develop these "hidden gems" in recruiting. Example #1 is
our QB coach, who has NEVER been a full-time guy, is now in charge of developing a D2 guy, a walk-on (hasn't played in 2 yrs @ NC State) guy and nobody that has ever started a D1 game. Defend it all you want - there's no proof. Ditto RBs / OLBs. I'm not saying they aren't great young men. They lack experience. They most assuredly will obtain some experience, but at what expense?
To me the gap has widened so far between RE1 and RE2 that I just do not see the formula where a recycled HC (that walked out on us) and the least experienced staff in the AAC spells success.

So where is the money for hiring a better HC? That always seems to be missing.

 

[MrSheldrake]

There is zero doubt that this is a heavier lift now more than at any other time. Very few HS kids have grown up dreaming of lining up vs East Carolina in The Rent in front of 12,00 fans. Don't kid yourself if you think that the athletic deficit does not effect ever aspect of the program, never mind the department. I admire the UConn programs that have done more with less (baseball), but the non revenue sports have a different path than football.
That million dollar gift to football, renovating this and painting that-that's part of the every year budget in P5.
My red flag was when we actually had to have the HCRE dedicate his own money in a futile attempt to keep his coordinator.Laughable. By the way, that money was NOT allocated for the new guy. All of our most recent hires, with the possible exception of Spanos were nickels on the dollar hires that will provide youthful enthusiasm in place of experience and demonstrated ability to develop these "hidden gems" in recruiting. Example #1 is
our QB coach, who has NEVER been a full-time guy, is now in charge of developing a D2 guy, a walk-on (hasn't played in 2 yrs @ NC State) guy and nobody that has ever started a D1 game. Defend it all you want - there's no proof. Ditto RBs / OLBs. I'm not saying they aren't great young men. They lack experience. They most assuredly will obtain some experience, but at what expense?
To me the gap has widened so far between RE1 and RE2 that I just do not see the formula where a recycled HC (that walked out on us) and the least experienced staff in the AAC spells success.

If you know so much, make a prediction for the upcoming season. Will they lose every game this season? Do they win 3? 4? 5?
Get off your soap box and put your money where your mouth is.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I think they will win six games and we make it to a bowl game.

 

[CTMike]

I think they will win six games and we make it to a bowl game.

God bless the eternally positive among you but this is just... not possible.