How can anyone defend Edsall?

[Pudge]

A certain regular longtime poster made the post opinion on Zergiotis. As long as we are reflecting on TWO last minute UConn losses within 24 hours ... anyone see Brendan Adams play this week. Do you remember what he looked like last year?

kids develop. That’s why some of us love college sports. I think Jack Zergiotis has a ways to go. If Krajewski is gonna grab the job ... fine. Let’s all just root that they all get better.

 

[formerlurker]

Randy has to go. This time not his choice.

But let us not forget how he navigated this program through our toughest time.

This is why I will always feel some sort of responsibility to defend him, even though it's time for him to resign.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't love the play calling either, but I don't think you can run an athletic program if you fire the coach after every bad play call. Unless a coach calls a fake fake field goal, then you should fire him on the spot.

Diaco is the worst FBS coach I have ever seen. It was going to take time to recover from that debacle. There was enough improvement this season, plus a promising young QB, to justify another season of Edsall

 

[Chin Diesel]

RE is better at being David Sims than David Sims (Don Johnson Tin Cup).
Never seize the moment and go for it.

 

[RSTuthill]

We can criticize him all we want, but no one on god's green earth is gonna rebuild the UConn football program faster than 6 years. So relax. Early days.

Oh, and btw, all the P5 opponents on the schedule are what will make UConn an attractive place to play football. Should help with recruiting. This might actually work out.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Because of his previous success and dedication to the program he is given a longer leash. He is the best coach UConn has had. Safe and boring choice but not a time to gamble imo.

 

[bmayuc]

Man, you must be a workout consultant. I hope your business growth consulting approach is better than that. To sum up: reach for average. I am unaware of any business success that starts with and operates under the premise just be mediocre, other than than regulated entities shielded from competition. If you’re saying we need interim goals on a path to success, fine. But, for goodness sake stop with the “we are so disadvantaged” nonsense. We aren’t and there plenty of programs considerably more so that are doing very well. The goal should be undefeated with a top 10 ranking, and consistent top 25. That’s a goal. Hire for it, recruit with a plan, and market like you mean business.

You should probably be committed to an institution with padded walls if those are your expectations or goals for this program.

Another problem is that you are both are weirdly conflating what I believe FAN EXPECTATIONS should be and the goals of the people running the program should be.

My entire point here is that we do not have the resources, institutional support, recruiting capability, conference affiliation, tradition, etc etc ad infinitum to have those types of FAN EXPECTATIONS. It will depress any chance of actually achieving any sort of program growth because... And I hate to be the one telling you that Santa isn't real... That ain't ever going to happen.

This is kinda marketing 101 guys. Underpromise, overdeliver etc.

But whatever I'm not going to continue arguing with fools.

 

[noeynox]

You should probably be committed to an institution with padded walls if those are your expectations or goals for this program.

Another problem is that you are both are weirdly conflating what I believe FAN EXPECTATIONS should be and the goals of the people running the program should be.

My entire point here is that we do not have the resources, institutional support, recruiting capability, conference affiliation, tradition, etc etc ad infinitum to have those types of FAN EXPECTATIONS. It will depress any chance of actually achieving any sort of program growth because... And I hate to be the one telling you that Santa isn't real... That ain't ever going to happen.

This is kinda marketing 101 guys. Underpromise, overdeliver etc.

But whatever I'm not going to continue arguing with fools.

Buffalo won 10 games last year.

If any other coached delivered back to back years where the only FBS win was over UMass you'd all want him fired. He also lost to UMass during that time. Because it's Edsall everyone makes excuses. I don't know if it is sad or funny. But "culture" is better.

 

[kris1]

It’s clearly the coach. It has been the coach (Disco and PP). It will continue to be the coach until (a) the school finds a boat load of cash (b) they find a young up-and-comer who understands present day football, relates to today’s athlete and is motivated to “build” his own legacy (c) hire someone who can develop culture and talent.

5-years my ass....


I get it’s Texas and SEC country and money but Baylor was left in shambles. Rhule makes Randy look like he’s running a youth league team. Seeing this tweet today made me both depressed and optimistic for change. The biggest problem aside from Randy are those making the decisions.

 

[ZooCougar]

We can criticize him all we want, but no one on god's green earth is gonna rebuild the UConn football program faster than 6 years. So relax. Early days.

Oh, and btw, all the P5 opponents on the schedule are what will make UConn an attractive place to play football. Should help with recruiting. This might actually work out.

I mean this in the most polite way possible...

It sure as hell didn’t take Temple that long? Remember when they were booted from the Big East? The were awful. Most college linebackers were faster than their DBs. They were beyond horrendous.

to top it off they barely even had a place to play.

In comes Al Golden and after a recruiting class or two they just about beat UConn if not for a sketchy call in the end zone. And trust me UConn still had a bigger and faster team.

The difference was coaching. Edsall is the guy who loses to directional Michigan and then somehow gets to a good bowl game.

he’s the guy who sent more kids to the NFL than most other schools but still loses 4-5 games.

He’s not that good.
He’s not good.

You guys have been conditioned to accept less than adequate which is what we have.

If Temple can attract an Al Golden with no conference and no stadium then UConn can and should do better.

sorry, but you and this whole board needs to wake up and pull yoyr

 

[ZooCougar]

Buffalo won 10 games last year.

If any other coached delivered back to back years where the only FBS win was over UMass you'd all want him fired. He also lost to UMass during that time. Because it's Edsall everyone makes excuses. I don't know if it is sad or funny. But "culture" is better.

Hopefully he retires.

 

[noeynox]

The point of this thread is that he literally coaches this team into losses. This game yesterday was lost on that sequence. The closer the game is the more tight he coaches, and the tighter the players play. He did this last year against UMass as well. He is never changing.

 

[noeynox]

It’s clearly the coach. It has been the coach (Disco and PP). It will continue to be the coach until (a) the school finds a boat load of cash (b) they find a young up-and-comer who’s understands present day football, relates to today’s athlete and is motivated to “build” his own legacy (c) someone who can develop culture and talent.

5-years my ass....


I get it’s Texas and SEC country and money but Baylor was left in shambles. Rhule makes Randy look like he’s running a youth league team. Seeing this tweet today made me both depressed and optimistic for change. The biggest problem aside from Randy are those making the decisions.

That draw on 3rd and 9 yesterday people forget, (i don't) that he pulled the same crap in the Fiesta Bowl year at Rutgers. Ran it on 3rd and long with Toddman late in the game with a small lead and ended up losing. Afterwards he takes the podium and calls it a trick play because the team expects you to pass. This is who he is. He can both suck and insult intelligence in one motion.

 

[ZooCougar]

That draw on 3rd and 9 yesterday people forget, (i don't) that he pulled the same crap in the Fiesta Bowl year at Rutgers. Ran it on 3rd and long with Toddman late in the game with a small lead and ended up losing. Afterwards he takes the podium and calls it a trick play because the team expects you to pass. This is who he is. He can both suck and insult intelligence in one motion.

That’s peak Edsall. That and getting like three kicks blocked against UNC.

 

[AndOne]

Randy's rebuilding stinks for anyone with expectations of UConn being a competitive team by now. He's lost to horrific ECU teams the last three years. ECU has won four conference games in the same time span; three of those wins were against Randy. Yeah, let's keep riding this.

 

[ZooCougar]

Randy's rebuilding stinks for anyone with expectations of UConn being a competitive team by now. He's lost to horrific ECU teams the last three years. ECU has won four conference games in the same time span; three of those wins were against Randy. Yeah, let's keep riding this.

Almost unbelievable.

 

[Jimdish255]

Last year. The man hasn't misled anyone. Look, I don't blame UConn fans from being fed up with the pace of the turnaround. But Coach is performing as he told us to expect and his bosses in the AD seem satisfied.

The pace of this turnaround means I'll be dead and Rutgers will win the Big10 before we have a winning season. Not buying it.

 

[kris1]

Even DanO?!?!?

 

[Jimdish255]

HCRE is terrible and so is his staff. Not that big even on the DC although he inherited an utter disaster so I give him a break. Our LB corp is horrendous. So, bad it’s terrifying.

Our LB Corp is the main reason I give the DC a pass. They are not physically capable of shedding blocks and blowing up plays. I still remember when we had guys who could do both.

 

[Jimdish255]

So I'm a consultant. First question I ask starting a new project is : define success.

For me, a successful program is .500 most years, an occasional 8 win year, a bowl every couple years. I think that is reasonable. I think Edsall is on Pace to get us there in 4-5 years and I've seen progress toward that goal. So I'm happy and don't get bent out of shape by the week to week madness.

I wonder, @Zissou how you define success for UConn football?

So we give credit for success based on baked in assumptions? I look at whether or not other programs with similar or less resources are able to turn their programs around in the same time frame to where we are. I think we've seen over the past 5-10 years that is doable in a time frame that does not approach glacial. Maybe we catch lightning in a bottle with a QB or a standout game-changer on offense, but if we think we're going to grind our way to winning seasons we just don't have the horses for that mindset. That said, unless there's interest from an up an coming coach that DB and the rest are in love with, RE gets another year to prove you right. Next year we could be better but probably not enough to change the paradigm.

 

[bmayuc]

Buffalo won 10 games last year.

If any other coached delivered back to back years where the only FBS win was over UMass you'd all want him fired. He also lost to UMass during that time. Because it's Edsall everyone makes excuses. I don't know if it is sad or funny. But "culture" is better.

You guys are like the Chef's Kiss Meme of terrible UConn arguments.

Yes, lets use Buffalo as a comparison. They play a MUCH easier schedule than we will, and they have had one 10-4 year in a terrible conference with a SOS much worse than ours. I'll submit their last dozen or so years for the record since you brought it up:

Alot more 2-10s and 3-9s and 5-7s and 6-6 years than 10-4 years folks. But sure, lets use them as an example of the success you expect, perfect.

I'm not trying to be acrimonious. All I'm trying to do is set an example for realistic expectations we as fans and supporters of the program can have and you guys just can't compute. If we want to build a long-term strategy to have a D1 football program, we need to get to stability and positive fan experience first.

If we follow all of your stellar advice and just keep burning through coaches because they aren't brilliant, we will keep being terrible, no one will ever want to come coach for us( and surely not for millions below market rate, we will never build any sort of culture for our players to develop in, and recruits will surely know that there is zero chance the coach that recruits them will be here when they graduate.

Try to be realistic about what Edsall years are, and calibrate your expectations so that you can enjoy the experience. The Edsall 2.0 years are about rebuilding a program from ash, amidst challenging times, and setting the foundation to be good, potentially, during the 2020s. Whether our record is 2-10 or 3-9 this year literally doesn't matter, at all. They are both "bad".

But the core players he is bringing in will be able to stabilize us at 6-6 by their senior year, and bridge our transition to Indenpendent status, and one day could be the Dan Orlovsky or Ryan Klugs or Alfred FIncher of this program.

Everyone remembers the 9-3 Danny Orlovsky team? Well, before we get there, we will have the 2000 and 2001 teams that were 2-10 and 3-9 first. We were in a MUCH more troubling situation in 2016 when Edsall took over than in 2000 when he took over. If you don't agree with that not sure what to even talk to you about. So have patience.

Our #1 risk right now is that, during this incredibly vulnerable moment for the very survival of our program, that we introduce further uncertainty and instability to this process. Edsall will never win a national title, but given 3-4 recruiting classes will have us as respectable, have us see some players drafted and succeed in the NFL, and that would be a job well done.

 

[BugsyCT]

If Edsall gets canned, what happens to Block C? That's his baby. Hopefully we keep it.

 

[GridironGR8]

The pace of this turnaround means I'll be dead and Rutgers will win the Big10 before we have a winning season. Not buying it.

Please understand, I am not defending the pace of the turnaround. I am saying that Coach Edsall can rightfully claim that a turnaround is in progress. I am also saying that it appears the AD has signed on to Edsall's 5-Year Plan. Never said where I personally stood on the matter.

On a related matter, how was the fan turn-out at the Rent for Senior Day. I unfortunately had no access to television where I was yesterday. Looks like 12,000 or so was the official but what was the reality? Fan interest, or lack thereof, could definitely play into the decision as to whether or not to part with Randy, if not this year perhaps next.

 

[Nextmanup]

We can criticize him all we want, but no one on god's green earth is gonna rebuild the UConn football program faster than 6 years. So relax. Early days.

Oh, and btw, all the P5 opponents on the schedule are what will make UConn an attractive place to play football. Should help with recruiting. This might actually work out.

I’m reading 3 Commits this am!! So something is going in the right direction!

 

[Jimdish255]

You guys are like the Chef's Kiss Meme of terrible UConn arguments.

Yes, lets use Buffalo as a comparison. They play a MUCH easier schedule than we will, and they have had one 10-4 year in a terrible conference with a SOS much worse than ours. I'll submit their last dozen or so years for the record since you brought it up:

View attachment 48511


Alot more 2-10s and 3-9s and 5-7s and 6-6 years than 10-4 years folks. But sure, lets use them as an example of the success you expect, perfect.

I'm not trying to be acrimonious. All I'm trying to do is set an example for realistic expectations we as fans and supporters of the program can have and you guys just can't compute. If we want to build a long-term strategy to have a D1 football program, we need to get to stability and positive fan experience first.

If we follow all of your stellar advice and just keep burning through coaches because they aren't brilliant, we will keep being terrible, no one will ever want to come coach for us( and surely not for millions below market rate, we will never build any sort of culture for our players to develop in, and recruits will surely know that there is zero chance the coach that recruits them will be here when they graduate.

Try to be realistic about what Edsall years are, and calibrate your expectations so that you can enjoy the experience. The Edsall 2.0 years are about rebuilding a program from ash, amidst challenging times, and setting the foundation to be good, potentially, during the 2020s. Whether our record is 2-10 or 3-9 this year literally doesn't matter, at all. They are both "bad".

But the core players he is bringing in will be able to stabilize us at 6-6 by their senior year, and bridge our transition to Indenpendent status, and one day could be the Dan Orlovsky or Ryan Klugs or Alfred FIncher of this program.

Everyone remembers the 9-3 Danny Orlovsky team? Well, before we get there, we will have the 2000 and 2001 teams that were 2-10 and 3-9 first. We were in a MUCH more troubling situation in 2016 when Edsall took over than in 2000 when he took over. If you don't agree with that not sure what to even talk to you about. So have patience.

Our #1 risk right now is that, during this incredibly vulnerable moment for the very survival of our program, that we introduce further uncertainty and instability to this process. Edsall will never win a national title, but given 3-4 recruiting classes will have us as respectable, have us see some players drafted and succeed in the NFL, and that would be a job well done.

Since the Fiesta Bowl we have 30 wins, Edsall has 6 in almost 3 years. Buffalo has 49. It's not really close overall and worse when you focus on the now. If we aren't running neck and neck with Buffalo, where are we at?