Feelings on Edsall?

[upstater]

Hahaha. Good one upstater.

Why don't you post another dozen times that UConn can only hope to be a stepping stone football job? If that is your opinion, you don't get to take shots at other people who took shots at UConn.

I'm sure your next post is where you dispute saying that. CANT WAIT!

Are you serious?

Every job in the entire Eastern Seaboard is a stepping stone job except for Georgia, Florida and Florida St. No one stays. At any school. My god, you're delusional. You sound like a Providence fan. Your own best buddy Randy Edsall left and then said he was going to dream school (that proceeded to lose at home... to Paul Pasqualoni!! of all people). Can't believe you are serious with this stuff.

 

[Excalibur]

Edsall was a good coach, and certainly the right coach for us for a long time. The areas where he excelled (player evaluation and development) were perfect for a new program. He also grew as an in-game coach over the course of his tenure here, going from nearly soiling himself at BC in 2004 to taking well-calculated risks in games vs. Pitt in '06 and '10.

However, one could argue that, despite winning records, his last 3 teams under-performed vs. their talent level (though it's unfair to criticize the 2009 squad given the adversity of the Jasper Howard murder). They lost games that they shouldn't have, particularly in late 2008 and in 2010. Of course we'd all kill to have the performance of those teams back over what we have now, but the failure of the P era shouldn't keep us from objectively evaluating Randy's overall performance. The fact that we did a lousy job replacing him doesn't change my opinion that Edsall was good, but replaceable.

 

[whaler11]

Are you serious?

Every job in the entire Eastern Seaboard is a stepping stone job except for Georgia, Florida and Florida St. No one stays. At any school. My god, you're delusional. You sound like a Providence fan. Your own best buddy Randy Edsall left and then said he was going to dream school (that proceeded to lose at home... to Paul Pasqualoni!! of all people). Can't believe you are serious with this stuff.

Edsall left because the Athletic Director was an idiot. He left because the school wasn't committed to football. You were the lead stooge blabbing about the sanctity of the grad programs like they are more important than a starting running back.

How you get so caught up in what people say is ridiculous. You need to spend some time in the real world. People say what they need to say. Nobody gives a damn what they say, they care what they do.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The job Edsall did was incredible. When he got to UConn, the football program was being run out of trailers, and I imagine they must have been there a long time because 10 years later he was still talking about the trailers. I think he is underrated as an offensive innovator too. Chris Ault invented the Pistol and Rocky Long invented the 3-3-5, but Randy Edsall invented the inside handoff on 2nd and 10 and no one can match that kind of innovation.

Kidding aside, Edsall was the master of making mediocrity look like success. During the 6 years that UConn was a member of the reconstituted Big East, from 2005 to 2010, only Syracuse was worse than UConn. People on this board act like the Edsall years were some kind of golden era of UConn football. Edsall won the league title once through a three way tiebreaker, and that 2010 Big East was probably the worst conference in the history of the BCS era. In some of the better years the league had, like 2006 and 2009, UConn struggled. He was an average coach, and in hindsight it is inarguable that UConn would have been better off if he had left earlier.

 

[upstater]

Edsall left because the Athletic Director was an idiot. He left because the school wasn't committed to football. You were the lead stooge blabbing about the sanctity of the grad programs like they are more important than a starting running back.

How you get so caught up in what people say is ridiculous. You need to spend some time in the real world. People say what they need to say. Nobody gives a damn what they say, they care what they do.

Hilarious. If that's why Edsall left, he's an idiot. And we later discovered that the whole grad school thing had nothing to do with anything because the kid needed accreditation in PA! My god you are a piece of work. Still carrying Edsall's water after all these years. Which explains so much about the negativity of your posts on this board. Edsall went to his "dream school!" You're sitting here making excuses.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Pasqualoni is 2-0 head to head against Edsall. Enough said.

 

[huskypantz]

I appreciate his contributions to UConn football. He elevated the program in a short span of time. He graduated kids and ran a clean program. His gameplanning was frustrating at times - he made white bread look exciting. He had trouble competing on the recruiting trail but had a great eye for talent. He was a subpar salesman in a profession where 90% of the top coaches could sell sea salt to the ocean.
I wonder what could have been with a slick recruiter like Locksley at his side at UConn. I honestly don't care what he does at Maryland, he's gone and UConn football is what's important to me. Moving on......

 

[HomeKing93]

I appreciate what Edsall did here. But he chose to leave. I don't pine for him now because we are struggling with PP.

 

[whaler11]

Hilarious. If that's why Edsall left, he's an idiot. And we later discovered that the whole grad school thing had nothing to do with anything because the kid needed accreditation in PA! My god you are a piece of work. Still carrying Edsall's water after all these years. Which explains so much about the negativity of your posts on this board. Edsall went to his "dream school!" You're sitting here making excuses.

You will believe anything anyone says.

Even if we pretend the PA thing was true... Before it came to light you had 100 posts about how it was the right decision and the grad professors could never possibly admit him if they didn't deem him worthy and no way could a football coach have enough influence to change that.

The University of North Carolina by all accounts is a top 10 public. For football players, classes don't exist. They still can't win anything - but UConn shouldn't grant grad school admission to their best running back to keep him.

Because it's a program that is so prestigious - in a career where everyone makes the same god damn amount of money based on seniority. The prestige of a grad program in education is in your heads. Nobody else in the world gives a damn where high school teachers went to school.

 

[Husky68]

Just another coach. Couldn't beat a top 25 team, but lead a team in a conference where you could win it (tie winning) without doing that. Would take him over PP, but hopefully won't say that about PP's replacement.

 

[EJHarrington]

I was always a big supporter of Edsall and wish him success at Maryland. That being said, I was looking forward to booing him next week to get a "fired up" atmosphere. However, now I have no choice but to give him a standing ovation when his name is announced...

 

[d1reality]

He is 6-18 the past 2 years as coach at MD. Inherited a team coming off a 9-4 record and a 51-20 bowl victory. Although he did beat Towson during that stretch.

 

[Skiblets]

Let's see.
1. He graduated players
2. He brought us success faster than any of us expected
3. He filled the Rent
4. He was key in closing the deal with Burton and Schenkman (that was not Hathway)
5. He beat ND in South Bend and that post game interview was as heartfelt as it gets. Still get chills hearing the U-C-O-N-N cheer while he's being interviewed. 1:15 mark
6. He was a gentleman in his handling of Jazz's murder

but
7. His departure was terrible
8. He had the media skills of Belichick and was not a great salesman of the program

I give him an A for his overall tenure. He just got to the point where he could no longer tolerate Hathaway and his micromanaging ways. I honestly believe that if Herbst was hired two years earlier and brought in Warde, that Randy would probably still be here.

He also knows that coaching careers at one school have an arc and after the Fiesta Bowl, probably felt like his would start trending downward so he made the move.

But he is a million times better than Coach P

 

[joey3$trike$]

Felt bad how he left the kids, but don't blame him for doing it. If it wasn't for Edsall who knows what happens to this program. Have to give credit to where credit is do. If I ever thought growing up that Uconn would beat ND at home and South Carolina, not to mention playing Oklahoma in the Fiesta bowl, I would say your crazy. I can thank Edsall for that.

 

[UConnDan97]

Let's see.
1. He graduated players
2. He brought us success faster than any of us expected
3. He filled the Rent
4. He was key in closing the deal with Burton and Schenkman (that was not Hathway)
5. He beat ND in South Bend and that post game interview was as heartfelt as it gets. Still get chills hearing the U-C-O-N-N cheer while he's being interviewed. 1:15 mark
6. He was a gentleman in his handling of Jazz's murder

but
7. His departure was terrible
8. He had the media skills of Belichick and was not a great salesman of the program

I give him an A for his overall tenure. He just got to the point where he could no longer tolerate Hathaway and his micromanaging ways. I honestly believe that if Herbst was hired two years earlier and brought in Warde, that Randy would probably still be here.

He also knows that coaching careers at one school have an arc and after the Fiesta Bowl, probably felt like his would start trending downward so he made the move.

But he is a million times better than Coach P

This post really highlights what the man was to UConn and what he could have become. It makes me even more irritated that he left. Listen to that "U-C-O-N-N"...listen to the pride he clearly took in this program...and then you say to yourself, "What? You're leaving? WTF?!?"

I changed my mind. I hope we beat him by 45...

 

[Skiblets]

This post really highlights what the man was to UConn and what he could have become. It makes me even more irritated that he left. Listen to that "U-C-O-N-N"...listen to the pride he clearly took in this program...and then you say to yourself, "What? You're leaving? WTF?!?"

I changed my mind. I hope we beat him by 45...

Please trust me on this one. He had reached his breaking point with Hathaway. It had been brewing for a few years but came to a head in the last year particularly the assistant coach salary issue

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Handled the Jazz situation as a gentlemen? A case could be made that he used it, like everything else during his tenure, for finishing 8-5 with a team that could have been in the Top 10. He blew game after game that year, and almost gave away Notre Dame despite the fact that their defenders were bouncing off us like it was a video game by the fourth quarter. The loss to Rutgers was unforgiveable, and while we got screwed by a horrendous call against UNC, that game should have never been that close.

Edsall was an all right coach, nothing more. He was a good talent evaluator and player developer, terrible salesmen, and mediocre game coach. He wasted a star QB in Orlovsky by not following him up with a legitimate D1 QB for the rest of his tenure at UConn. He got some talented kids early on with the promise of playing time and the Big East, but after that his recruiting was inconsistent. Edsall had two winning records in Big East play. Two.

And I do think the cupboard, while not bare, was not well stocked either. UConn might have had more interest in the program if it didn't look like such a rebuilding project. Who really chased the job? Phil Fulmer, Pasqualoni and Mark Whipple. Even Tom Bradley didn't really want the job, and he must have known that Penn State was about to blow. No other top mid-major or top coordinator was even interested. Two over the hill, has beens looking to retire on the job, and two lifer assistants. THAT was the stack of resumes that Hathaway had to look through. Some of that goes to Hathaway, but Edsall should get some of the blame too.

 

[uconnbill]

Let's see.

5. He beat ND in South Bend and that post game interview was as heartfelt as it gets. Still get chills hearing the U-C-O-N-N cheer while he's being interviewed. 1:15 mark

My favorite Randy moment at UCONN without a doubt.

He took this program from nowhere's to Two Big East championships titles and a BCS game. While I was bitter about how he left, I still think he was the right coach for this program at the right time.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

He did a great job here.

But he's been exposed as a huge phony.

I'd take him back with open arms.

 

[Kevin Duffy]

I appreciate all the response/opinion here. For those of you who said "feel free to use this," I'd need your name/hometown to print it....thanks again everyone.

 

[jbdphi]

Let's see.
1. He graduated players
2. He brought us success faster than any of us expected
3. He filled the Rent
4. He was key in closing the deal with Burton and Schenkman (that was not Hathway)
5. He beat ND in South Bend and that post game interview was as heartfelt as it gets. Still get chills hearing the U-C-O-N-N cheer while he's being interviewed. 1:15 mark
6. He was a gentleman in his handling of Jazz's murder

but
7. His departure was terrible
8. He had the media skills of Belichick and was not a great salesman of the program

I give him an A for his overall tenure. He just got to the point where he could no longer tolerate Hathaway and his micromanaging ways. I honestly believe that if Herbst was hired two years earlier and brought in Warde, that Randy would probably still be here.

He also knows that coaching careers at one school have an arc and after the Fiesta Bowl, probably felt like his would start trending downward so he made the move.

But he is a million times better than Coach P

This matches most of my sentiment so thanks for posting. The only thing I would add was that his inability to recruit a good QB after Dan O probably had more to do with limiting his ceiling than anything to do with his game planning, etc.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

What Randy did here was the difference between a guy who buys a house and remodels the kitchen and a guy who buys a lot in the middle of the woods, clears the land, drills the well, puts in the septic, designs the house, puts in the foundation, constructs the shell, puts in the plumbing and electrical, puts up the dry wall, etc., etc. Both guys have similar responsibilities for raising their family but one has way more on his plate than the other. And name the coach who had greater integrity than Edsall.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances of his leaving. He simply didn't conduct himself as some are presenting him. What, if any, were the extenuating circumstances? And if he made a mistake, well, he made a mistake. I'm not prepared to let something as inconsequential as moving on without a proper good bye color my entire perception of what the man did to build this program.

I think if you go back and read this board in Edsall's out years you'll find the same guys in ax grinding mode today were calling for his head then. He'd topped out, reached his ceiling, couldn't get us to the "next level." Randy started from the worst position of any coach on any team in the history of the Big East and took us to two championships in seven years. If his accomplishments here can't be celebrated, I'm not sure whose can.

 

[whaler11]

What Randy did here was the difference between a guy who buys a house and remodels the kitchen and a guy who buys a lot in the middle of the woods, clears the land, drills the well, puts in the septic, designs the house, puts in the foundation, constructs the shell, puts in the plumbing and electrical, puts up the dry wall, etc., etc. Both guys have similar responsibilities for raising their family but one has way more on his plate than the other. And name the coach who had greater integrity than Edsall.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances of his leaving. He simply didn't conduct himself as some are presenting him. What, if any, were the extenuating circumstances? And if he made a mistake, well, he made a mistake. I'm not prepared to let something as inconsequential as moving on without a proper good bye color my entire perception of what the man did to build this program.

I think if you go back and read this board in Edsall's out years you'll find the same guys in ax grinding mode today were calling for his head then. He'd topped out, reached his ceiling, couldn't get us to the "next level." Randy started from the worst position of any coach on any team in the history of the Big East and took us to two championships in seven years. If his accomplishments here can't be celebrated, I'm not sure whose can.

Waylon's post is ridiculous but I think the didn't beat ND by enough is a new complaint.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

Let's see.
1. He graduated players
2. He brought us success faster than any of us expected
3. He filled the Rent
4. He was key in closing the deal with Burton and Schenkman (that was not Hathway)
5. He beat ND in South Bend and that post game interview was as heartfelt as it gets. Still get chills hearing the U-C-O-N-N cheer while he's being interviewed. 1:15 mark
6. He was a gentleman in his handling of Jazz's murder

but
7. His departure was terrible
8. He had the media skills of Belichick and was not a great salesman of the program

I give him an A for his overall tenure. He just got to the point where he could no longer tolerate Hathaway and his micromanaging ways. I honestly believe that if Herbst was hired two years earlier and brought in Warde, that Randy would probably still be here.

He also knows that coaching careers at one school have an arc and after the Fiesta Bowl, probably felt like his would start trending downward so he made the move.

But he is a million times better than Coach P

To elaborate on #8, I have never seen a coach who is more comfortable with being completely disingenuous to those of us outside of his inner circle. He always said what he thought the media would eat up (e.g. "I'll be here as long as you will have me"), rather than what he honestly believed.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

To elaborate on #8, I have never seen a coach who is more comfortable with being completely disingenuous to those of us outside of his inner circle. He always said what he thought the media would eat up (e.g. "I'll be here as long as you will have me"), rather than what he honestly believed.

There are mountains and there are molehills.

Definitions
Mountain: building an FBS football program from scratch.
Molehill: a coach being completely disingenuous to those of us outside of his inner circle.

 

[rw005]

Can P do this?

 

[pj]

He was a fine coach. He was the best UConn could have hoped for at the time. He deserves credit for a job well done. His departure -- well, many other coaches leave that way.

The more interesting questions:
- If both P and Edsall are fired on December 1, do you hope Edsall applies for the UConn vacancy?
- Would you be glad to see him back if he was re-hired?

I'm guessing the answers are maybe, depending on the applicant pool, and no. People will want change and hope even if it's probably no improvement.

 

[BugsyCT]

Skiblets' post summed it up well, as have many of the posts here. Just like to add that he was a great disciplinarian of his players, but at the same time never took responsibility for his team's struggles (it was all about the team "not executing" his game plan), which frustrated fans and media members alike.

The way he departed doesn't bother me as much as some people. Sure it was a low thing to do and could/should have been handled much better, but at least he stuck around to coach UConn in their biggest bowl game, which is more than can be said for many coaches who leave their team hanging weeks earlier (Brian Kelly, Rich Rodriguez, etc.).

He put UConn football on the map in an incredibly short time (maybe spoiling us all in hindsight for how good things were so quickly), and frankly I'd still take him back knowing what we know now about the current train wreck PP has turned this football program into.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The more interesting questions:
- If both P and Edsall are fired on December 1, do you hope Edsall applies for the UConn vacancy?
- Would you be glad to see him back if he was re-hired?

I'm guessing the answers are maybe, depending on the applicant pool, and no. People will want change and hope even if it's probably no improvement.

Is this is a serious question?

 

[noeynox]

My favorite Edsall moment was when he publicly stayed UCONN fans had no reason to have expectations since we had no history. Clearly im summarizing, but since we shouldn't have expectations, why are we mad at P again?