For all y'all who hate how Randy left

[#1 PA Husky Fan]

There was an ND fan, dressed to the hilt in green and gold, in the UConn section. He was heckling the 5,000 of us when ND was winning. At the end of the game, I made a beeline to him to proudly point out the scoreboard. Glory days.

 

[huskyrob1]

For me it's not about how he left UConn. The reason I don't want him back at UConn is because I didn't like his offensive or defensive schemes. Also, I didn't think he was a good recruiter. During the last two years of his time here I remember the frustration felt by his "bend but don't break defense" and the lack of creativity on his offense. But to his credit even with his less known recruits he certainly did develop the players very well. Still I would rather move past him and go with a more nationally known commodity.

Edsall was a really good coach in many different respects. His only failing was his uncanny ability to piss off everyone in the room, whether it was filled with reporters, or his players, or parents of prospective recruits.

 

[UCweCONN]

We had relative success with Randy 6+ years ago.

We've been terrible since.

Ergo... in 2016 Randy is our best choice?

Sure he'd be better than Diaco but so would most any warm body.

People 'member our era of relative success - I get it - but what real reasons are there that make him the BEST choice TODAY? Look at all the great coaches hired around the AAC and RE is the best we can do?

It's very, very disappointing and I think people are warm with nostalgia to think we'll just revert back to our prior succsss.

I'll wish for it, I'll hope for it, I'll attend games but it's so... small minded. And I say that as a former Apologista as well.

How many of you have been lured back to an old job or thought of going back to an old job? You get kind of nostalgic and remember the good memories and decide to go back. Then you get there and realize that the culture and people have changed and it's not the same place you worked before. You wanna go back and do it all over, but you can't go back, you know. These lyrics of this song sum it up. Randy, you're feeling so much older, but you can't go back, you know.....

 

[sportsart]

Edsall was a really good coach in many different respects. His only failing was his uncanny ability to piss off everyone in the room, whether it was filled with reporters, or his players, or parents of prospective recruits.

Yet most of his players overachieved, and from the many parents and players I knew back then, they had nothing but respect for him.

Go figure.

 

[uconnfan68]

and I completely agree that he left poorly. I give you this. Try not to cry. This guy loves UConn and hated Hathaway. Think we can all relate.

Best game we've ever been in. Tons of emotion too. But that one jilt was enough for me. Get someone new.

 

[hardcorehusky]

When Randy had Danny O, the offense was great to watch. good running game- great passing game. His defenses were bend not break and that is why we loved Don Brown who was attack, attack, attack. When the QB play went down, we still had good offensive lines(all-american compared to the last 6 years) that ensured we could run the ball while our passing was limited. Randy was conservative by nature. He found athletic guys and developed them. While we can all be pissed about how he left, you can't complain about the football team. It was light years from where we are now and he did it from scratch. Yes he had trouble beating Top 25 teams, but remember, he rarely lost to teams we should beat. There were no Towson or Army head scratchers. Where we are as a fanbase now, who wouldn't sign up for that.

 

[huskyrob1]

Yet most of his players overachieved, and from the many parents and players I knew back then, they had nothing but respect for him.

Go figure.

That couldn't be more true, he was a great teacher of the game, game coach, but he was not good at first impressions.

 

[weyuo]

How many top 10 finishes in the freaking AAC have we had since he left?

So UConn is supposed to settle for mediocre? Mediocre won't cut it when the next realignment comes. Edsall only got the Huskies so far. Someone better needs to be hired to make the next step. Ask Maryland.

 

[sportsart]

So UConn is supposed to settle for mediocre? Mediocre won't cut it when the next realignment comes. Edsall only got the Huskies so far. Someone better needs to be hired to make the next step. Ask Maryland.

After Randy we settled for less than mediocre, so Mrs P, please give it a rest.

 

[Hoophound]

Randy would be ok with me under two conditions:
1. An exciting OC with a modern game plan.
2. Scrap the bend don't break, it sucks.

I have no interest in the old Randy Edsall. It would have to be a new, aggressive and forward looking RE. A guy that now sees why UConn is a great job and why kids should want to play here. I don't say this to be unreasonable or minimize his accomplishments here in his first stint, I say it because I think he'll get eaten alive with that style. It is passé. The AAC is a lot like the B12 in terms of speed. That isn't what he was up against week in, week out when he was here.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

So UConn is supposed to settle for mediocre? Mediocre won't cut it when the next realignment comes. Edsall only got the Huskies so far. Someone better needs to be hired to make the next step. Ask Maryland.

Utterly amazing given what we've endured the last 6 years that some people simply can't appreciate what Edsall did here.

 

[CTMike]

Randy would be ok with me under two conditions:
1. An exciting OC with a modern game plan.
2. Scrap the bend don't break, it sucks.

I have no interest in the old Randy Edsall. It would have to be a new, aggressive and forward looking RE. A guy that now sees why UConn is a great job and why kids should want to play here. I don't say this to be unreasonable or minimize his accomplishments here in his first stint, I say it because I think he'll get eaten alive with that style. It is passé. The AAC is a lot like the B12 in terms of speed. That isn't what he was up against week in, week out when he was here.

It's one hell of a leap of faith to hire Edsall on the condition that he's not Edsall.

 

[CTMike]

Completely understand. So who would you target?

Honestly don't know, Skibs. They all have pros and cons. Really struggling to wrap my mind around the possibility of Edsall coming back.

I will say that Edsall's ability to get the most out of his kids - coach them up - is one of his greatest assets.

 

[Waquoit]

If we can't do better than Edsall we should scrap football.

 

[weyuo]

Honestly don't know, Skibs. They all have pros and cons. Really struggling to wrap my mind around the possibility of Edsall coming back.

I will say that Edsall's ability to get the most out of his kids - coach them up - is one of his greatest assets.

Ask Maryland how great he did. Don't need mediocre. Don't settle for it. Hiring Edsall is not a step forward. It's standing still.

 

[UConnfan8]

Randy did a mediocre job in a conference that was falling apart. How many 4 star athletes did he bring in? How many top 10 finishes did he have here? In his one BCS bowl game appearance what happened besides UConn getting humiliated by a Big12 team and him checking his watch in the fourth quarter? no thanks, UConn deserves a lot better than that and should not accept anything less than a proven P-5 head coach that can set this program up for the next realignment invite.

And the last 6 years have been?

 

[Hoophound]

It's one hell of a leap of faith to hire Edsall on the condition that he's not Edsall.

Lol. Yes, it is. I thought he was modernizing in Maryland though. He seemed to play a fairly exciting brand of football there. I'm concerned he'd think he can go right back to his old UConn blueprint rather than move forward. He'd be PP revisited if he did that.

 

[sportsart]

Now that I think about it, I hope they don't hire Randy back.

There is a whole new group of people I would be defending Randy to.

I forgot how tiring it can be.

 

[weyuo]

And the last 6 years have been?

Worse than standing still but this football program needs better than Randy Edsall. You want to kill the program. Go ahead, let him come in for a couple years before he finds another dream job and leaves the program no better than average and once again on the outside looking in when a couple of AAC teams get poached ahead of UConn. Don't fool yourself, he's not the answer. At best he's a compromise.

 

[Caronimo]

and I completely agree that he left poorly. I give you this. Try not to cry. This guy loves UConn and hated Hathaway. Think we can all relate.

Wow. That UConn chat at the end...

 

[CL82]

If we can't do better than Edsall we should scrap football.

I sort of agree, but that doesn't mean he might not be the right guy in this moment. We've got to climb out of the hole we've dug over the last 6 years. If Randy is the guy to do that, then I'm all in, even if it means we don't get more than 8, maybe 9, wins in any given year he's here.

 

[Skiblets]

Wow. That UConn chat at the end...

That is the promise of this program. The support is there. Just need a reason to believe.

 

[jpm25]

Disingenuous argument since the first 8 years he was either 1Aa or transitional

Fact check

 

[BlueDogs]

The reason we have great expectations and demand better is due to RE, but I also remember vividly the dissatisfaction we had with the stagnation of the offense and inability to break through to the next level. He got us into the top 35- 50 level but we all knew he wasn't the man to get us into the top 20. We are so far removed from where we were at around 80-110, he looks attractive. The question is in the AAC and the way things are structured, even the best in the AAC have trouble sustaining a top 25 ranking. Perhaps RE is enough to get us to the best place we can be until CR. I don't know. My better instinct is we can do better than RE, though. I still take Moorhead, Miles, Fleck or Weist any day over RE.

 

[Krugs17]

I still remember the fiesta bowl year and the year or two leading up.. there were many who were dissatisfied and wanted a change in HC and i would say mainly because of the QB play which lead to our bend but dont break defense philosophy. We had DB and Andre Dixon who led the way then AD and Todman who got us the ND victory but again it was without QB development.. Endres had taken over then messed up & Frazer was overrated from high school.. After Fiesta bowl what was left for Edsall in terms of QB talent? Johnny mac then whitmer the following years..

Anyways as someone who was deeply upset at how he left i think i can overcome my feelings on his return because I think he could be one of the few who could build it back up. If it ends up being someone else I will give them a shot as Diaco was very early recognized as inept and even though my gf thinks he's attractive even she was happy at the news!

"god bless uconn and no one else!" JK