HCPP Question

[Sky ball]

A couple of questions that I should know/remember but want more info.

1. Why was the winingest coach in Big East history at Syracuse fired by said university?

2. Why was a fired coach from a Big East university hired by UConn many years out from coaching at the college level?

3. Final Q - If we are on this track in 10 years can we hire Spaz who will surely get the axe from BCU?

 

[FDNY99]

1) Because new Syracuse AD Darryl Gross wanted his guy in place and after a marginal season Cuse got WAXED in a bowl game
2) Because former UCONN AD Jeff Hathaway was incompetent and in WAY over his head!
3) I hope we are not in that position 10 yrs from now!

 

[Dann]

im not going to defend P. but to #1. p was on a bit of a downward slide at cuse. its wasn't all his fault. part of it was him and part of it was cuse not investing in its program or giving a . they watched uconn pass them in bball in 09 and that ad focused everything on bball as result.

 

[CTMike]

2) I'm constantly amazed that people ignore the fact that P was in the NFL for 9 years or whatever it was. He was able to have success at the highest levels of football. For that reason, his hire wasn't as insane as people want to make it out to be. It's not like we hired some dreg of the coaching ranks.

Now, I admittedly placed a lot of emphasis on that NFL experience as a positive - and it's not translating. It's way, way worse than anyone (including the people who made the hire, on debatable but essentially sound reasons) ever would have figured.

 

[johnhuskies95]

2) I'm constantly amazed that people ignore the fact that P was in the NFL for 9 years or whatever it was. He was able to have success at the highest levels of football. For that reason, his hire wasn't as insane as people want to make it out to be. It's not like we hired some dreg of the coaching ranks.

Now, I admittedly placed a lot of emphasis on that NFL experience as a positive - and it's not translating. It's way, way worse than anyone (including the people who made the hire, on debatable but essentially sound reasons) ever would have figured.

He was fired by the Dolphins...

 

[whaler11]

Yeah that's the thing about P and the NFL. Other than the Dolphins wildcat season his teams did nothing.

Spaz is really old - I don't think we have to worry about him at 75 years old.

 

[huskymedic]

He was fired by the Dolphins...

By Tony Sparano After 2 years as DC and then gets hired in Dallas.

 

[CTMike]

I'm not saying he's one of the NFL greats, but you don't get to that level without a very high level of competency.

 

[DoctorBombay]

im not going to defend P. but to #1. p was on a bit of a downward slide at cuse. its wasn't all his fault. part of it was him and part of it was cuse not investing in its program or giving a ****. they watched uconn pass them in bball in 09 and that ad focused everything on bball as result.

All due respect but you're flattering yourself if you think that UConn "passing" us in bball had the SU AD focusing on that sport at the expense of fb.....yeah, right.
He was fired in 2004, after 4-5 years of stagnation. In hindsight, those years don't look so bad after the GRob Error, but unless we were looking to win back-to-back NC's, then I can't see how UConn bball was ever a factor in his getting fired.
That's an amusingly myopic take on what happened in '04, btw...NOT 09.

 

[OHusky]

I knew some of the players (actually friends of the players) at Danbury WCSU when P coached there. Their critique was that P was a screamer and not a teacher. I'd hope that UCONN checked out the record and references at Danbury before hiring P. FWIW

 

[whaler11]

I knew some of the players (actually friends of the players) at Danbury WCSU when P coached there. Their critique was that P was a screamer and not a teacher. I'd hope that UCONN checked out the record and references at Danbury before hiring P. FWIW

Of all the reasons to not hire P - I'm pretty sure hearsay from the 70's is pretty low on the list.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not saying he's one of the NFL greats, but you don't get to that level without a very high level of competency.

There is zero question that he had a very high level of competence as an NFL assistant coach. There is zero question that he understands football at a high level.

Neither of those guaranties that someone will be a successful college head coach.

 

[CTMike]

There is zero question that he had a very high level of competence as an NFL assistant coach. There is zero question that he understands football at a high level.

Neither of those guaranties that someone will be a successful college head coach.

Total agreement, BL. Just making the point that the hire wasn't without some logic, even if it wasn't universally loved.

Your last sentence, unfortunately, is spot on.

 

[huskymedic]

Of all the reasons to not hire P - I'm pretty sure hearsay from the 70's is pretty low on the list.

Early to mid 80's but was gonna post the same thing. They'd be lucky to find his personnel file.

 

[Marty Jackson]

There is zero question that he had a very high level of competence as an NFL assistant coach. There is zero question that he understands football at a high level.

Neither of those guaranties that someone will be a successful college head coach.

There are plenty of instances where successful coaches have not worked in certain stops. Belichick was fired by Cleveland and had a sub .500 record. Now he's a god in new England.

Fair to say pp's tenure at Uconn may not be his finest stop.

 

[johnhuskies95]

There is zero question that he had a very high level of competence as an NFL assistant coach. There is zero question that he understands football at a high level.

Neither of those guaranties that someone will be a successful college head coach.

He was a successful college head coach. Unfortunately for us, that was 13 years ago.

 

[businesslawyer]

Total agreement, BL. Just making the point that the hire wasn't without some logic, even if it wasn't universally loved.

Your last sentence, unfortunately, is spot on.

I thought it was the wrong hire. I did not think it was batshit stupid.

 

[UConn76]

I knew some of the players (actually friends of the players) at Danbury WCSU when P coached there. Their critique was that P was a screamer and not a teacher. I'd hope that UCONN checked out the record and references at Danbury before hiring P. FWIW

Well, I think PP is past the yelling stage. Most times on the sidelines he just has a stunned, blank look on his face. His press conferences are virtually unwatchable.

 

[mattp]

At the time I thought it was a logical safe hire to stabilize us where RE had built us to. Obviously that hasn't been the case. At the time everybody said they wanted a guy with BCS coaching experience, which he had. They wanted a guy that could better recruit locally, and P has gotten us some kids we wouldn't have gotten under RE, both local in terms of CT, but also he's done well in NJ, NY and overall. Logically the hire made some sense, and he's even been able to do some of what we brought him in for. GDL and his blocking schemes have been a nightmare and if P can't realize that he's part of the problem. Don't get me started on his time management issues. The truth is up until last friday, we've usually been a play or two away from success so it's not like everything's been as big a failure as his record would suggest. I still think P could theoretically work out but GDL would have to go, and I don't think that will happen. I also think the people that say he set the program back 10 years need to relax. A great coaching hire can have us back to where we were within 1-2 seasons

 

[Nostical]

I hear Warde has binders and binders of names.:>)

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I hear Warde has binders and binders of names.:>)

Can he wallpaper a room with them?

 

[gars44]

I actually like PP. I think he's a nice guy. He would be smart to surround himself with good young talent that can relate to the game and the kids today. GDL should give way to an up and comer, someone who can install a dynamic, fun to watch system. GDL is a has been. If P can't see that, he's got to go.

 

[ZooCougar]

The PP hire was typical Hathaway. He completely misjudged the state of the program. Edsall was flawed but I think he kept this train running with a ton of tender loving care, draconian level discipline, bubble gum and shoe string.

Once that was gone the train derailed.

We didn't need a caretaker. We needed someone to come in and keep driving forward. I don't think it is too late for us to put the pieces back together, but we should start sooner rather than later.