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I Have Faith In HCBD

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Each day I look for a new thread that will offer some unemotional analysis of what is the current state of husky football. Today I was again disappointed. Let me start by stating what I perceive to be some facts. Notice that I’m not listing things such as talent level, offensive schemes, personnel decisions, etc.

FACT: HCBD is about the most competitive person that we could have ever hired to guide husky foot from the abyss.

FACT: HCBD and his staff have enough football experience to understand what it takes to win at the major college level and have not just suddenly decided to throw all that knowledge away.

FACT: HCBD and his staff “on average” probably know a little more about football than each and every boneyarder.

FACT: This team is the most difficult to watch of any husky football team that I have watched in the last 20 years.

So in spite of all of the yelling and screaming I have done either at the Rent or watching TV for our two away games this year, I couldn’t be more optimistic. Why, you may ask. Am I delusional?

FACT: HCBD is a goal oriented planner and has lived his whole life based on that premise. His professional coaching future is based on succeeding at UConn. He will do it the right way, but it’s guaranteed that he will do whatever it takes to succeed.

FACT: HCBD will not take shortcuts. It might hurt now, but that is one of his most important assets.

FACT: HCBD has a passion to coach. Passion at the top of an organization results in passion throughout an organization.

I do not think that HCBD plans to make UConn his final stop. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. UConn is just part of his long term plan to be a highly successful head football coach. He will live and die National Flag Blue until UConn is at the top of the mountain. He won’t care what criticism he hears during his UConn journey. Behind the scenes, 24 hours a day, he is planning what he needs to do to have the team improve. Behind the scenes he is demanding that each and every player and coach is doing what it takes to win. A person in charge that wants to win as badly as HCBD, will accept nothing less.

Can we argue about who should be getting more reps at a given position during a particular game? Sure. But that’s small potatoes. What’s going on behind the scenes (including their recruiting) is what’s most important.

Mark it down. Sometime in the future, after HCBD has turned this program around, we will all be frantic wondering if we can ever get someone as good, to lead the huskies again. Take a deep breath. We are eventually all going to enjoy this ride.

Take a look at teams that were totally insignificant last year and have turned thing around this year:

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-12-most-improved-teams-2014

This ship can be turned around! By 2016 we grow from boys to men!
 
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As an individual who is as pi ed, possibly more than most regarding our current situation, I have some insight to add. I have a friend who knows the coach, played with the coach, and is well connected in football. That's all I'm saying regarding that to ensure too much information is not disclosed. For those of you who feel compelled to write a wise a comment about the person I know, save it for another thread bcuz I'm not interested, and am not disclosing anything else. Anyway, I have on several occasions expressed my extreme concern regarding the future of our conference affiliation as well as the state of the FB program. I recently called my buddy to "talk me off the ledge" after the last show performance last weekend. This is what I'm being told.... Uconn long term is going to be fine, and not to worry. As far as the state of the FB program, we are going to be back to a competitive level sooner than many of us believe. The one thing I'm hearing over and over is to "believe in the process" When I asked if I was listening to a Diaco press conf.... There was laughter, but again emphasis on "the process" and absolute conviction that Diaco is our guy so have faith. I will say this.. I'm not sure that there is any additional inside information there, as I try not to put my friend in an awkward position with to many questions but I will say that I feel more at ease with our future after our recent conversation. I share this because many on the board are looking for something to believe in, or hold onto regarding the future and I am one of them which is why I have shared this.
Go Huskies!!
Thank you Doggie!!! because you you have been as eager as anyone here over the last few years and your lack criticism in this staff has been encouraging.
 
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Thank you Doggie!!! because you you have been as eager as anyone here over the last few years and your lack criticism in this staff has been encouraging.

Duncan, we just got beat by a very bad football team - at least one game so far this season, where that team, was legitimately worse than us - until we played them. We are a punt return away from having a doughnut in the win column, and for some reason, we've stopped catching punts, when we have a gargantuan task of moving the ball 35 yards on average. The only time we've managed to not turn the ball over, and put points up to start a game through 6 games, the senior QB gets pulled for Boyle, who promptly throws an INT and wasn't even getting pass pressure. We've got the weakest hands on the ball as an offense that I've ever seen at UCONN - and that goes from a senior WR, to the senior QB, to freshmen tailbacks. We have players, admittedly freshmen players, but with a full camp and half a season of games and practice, get blown up in short yardage because they don't know to keep their head and body down low enough.

Did you watch the first defensive series? WTF was that? We come out with a defense that we know we don't play well, a 4 man front, and #2 gets smoked all the way down the field for a TD. We switch back to what works and hold them to 3 points the rest of the game. They had 2 weeks to plan and came up with that? Have they not watched our linebackers in open space this season? Some are better than others.

I understand what our weaknesses are right now, but what I'm seeing is unacceptable to me, and I believe I"ve earned the right to voice my opinion, in such a forum as this, if I so want to, based on the coin I've dumped into this program in the past decade. So excuse me, if I, for one, don't shut up, about it all.
 

Husky25

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FACT: HCBD has a passion to coach. Passion at the top of an organization results in passion throughout an organization.
Lane Kiffin says hello. Jeff Jagozindski says hello. Passion does not equal success.

IIRC, Coach Jags was pretty good at BC (of course he had a Pro Bowl QB, Line men, RB, and WRs). Spaziani made them come tumbling down.
 
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Carl, I was at UConn during the Naviaux-Nadzak years. I not asking anybody to shut up, this is very bad. It promised to be a sh!tfest and it is. Doggie was absolutely livid on a 5-7 program that all I am saying. If Doggie can remain hopeful so can I.
 

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Take a look at teams that were totally insignificant last year and have turned thing around this year:

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-12-most-improved-teams-2014

This ship can be turned around! By 2016 we grow from boys to men!


This article came out a bit too soon - after each team pretty much completed their non-conf schedule - Oct 1 is the date on the article.

They mention NC State at 4-1
Now 4-3 with a 41-0 loss and home loss to BCU included by double digits.

They mention Cal at 3-1
Now 4-2 with a 1 point win over Wash St 60-59 and a 3 point win over Coloardo at home in 2OT 59-56

Im sure those 2 boards are in meltdown...

Like the enthusiasm of both you and the writer though!
 
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Carl, I was at UConn during the Naviaux-Nadzak years. I not asking anybody to shut up, this is very bad. It promised to be a sh!tfest and it is. Doggie was absolutely livid on a 5-7 program that all I am saying. If Doggie can remain hopeful so can I.

Duncan, hope is a good thing. Confidence is better.
 
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HCBD will be successful if he stays. I believe it, I want to believe it.
 
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With all that has been said and written on this thread, the fact remains at this point that whether you like him, or don't, believe in him or don't, the worst thing that could happen would be for him to leave in some way. Whether it be through finding a new/better job or a dismissal (not that that would happen at this point even despite some lunatic fans suggesting it). Change almost always has rough patches and this was a big change. The process (I don't care what funster said) will take time but as soon as the kids build experience (playing time) especially with the new systems and strength (Balis) and believe (HCBD + Staff) this team will succeed.
 
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This article came out a bit too soon - after each team pretty much completed their non-conf schedule - Oct 1 is the date on the article.

They mention NC State at 4-1
Now 4-3 with a 41-0 loss and home loss to BCU included by double digits.

They mention Cal at 3-1
Now 4-2 with a 1 point win over Wash St 60-59 and a 3 point win over Coloardo at home in 2OT 59-56

Im sure those 2 boards are in meltdown...

Like the enthusiasm of both you and the writer though!

Like the cartoon. Grin and bear it applies. Managing expectations is easier said than done. Diaco will get it right with his recruits plus all the experience the young players are getting. Next year will be better and 2016 should be a really fun year!
 
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With all that has been said and written on this thread, the fact remains at this point that whether you like him, or don't, believe in him or don't, the worst thing that could happen would be for him to leave in some way. Whether it be through finding a new/better job or a dismissal (not that that would happen at this point even despite some lunatic fans suggesting it). Change almost always has rough patches and this was a big change. The process (I don't care what funster said) will take time but as soon as the kids build experience (playing time) especially with the new systems and strength (Balis) and believe (HCBD + Staff) this team will succeed.

Take it easy Cochise. Diaco isn't walking away from the contract salary he's making, and UCONN? Highly doubtful that the school would eat the contract. BY all accounts, he's a fantastic guy for the role of a football coach, and truly cares about his players, and putting a program in place that will help them develop from boys into quality young men through the game of football - and that involves being concerned about a lot more about the palyers, than just their ability to line up and hit somebody. That's what the primary goal, is, and always should be. The team, continues to fight hard, and is together, and they don't have quit in them, and I don't think they will, even they are 1-11, by the time we get to that showdown with SMU.

But he's got to stop letting stupid things happen by the people in his charge, that cost us the chance of winning games. We are 1-5, not just because we are young and inexperienced on the field as a roster, We are 1-5 because we are young and inexperienced in a coaching staff.

My biggest worry, is not that he doesn't succeed, I believe he will, I just want it sooner than later, my worry, is that he gets the education and experience he needs to be successful, and then applies it elsewhere. I call it payback. This athletic department is invested, not only in the education of the players right now, but the coach too, and my hope - is not that we get better a football team, I know we will over time, it's that the coach also improves - and more importantly - he stays to apply that - and win lots of games and start winning titles again. It's been a long fall, since the last league title 4 years ago.
 
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True dat.

I can't wait til I see things that start making me confident too.

"But he's got to stop letting stupid things happen by the people in his charge, that cost us the chance of winning games." This is absolutely the toughest thing for you to deal with/wrap your head around this year.
 
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"But he's got to stop letting stupid things happen by the people in his charge, that cost us the chance of winning games." This is absolutely the toughest thing for you to deal with/wrap your head around this year.

Duncan, if you try to tell me that certain things are happening, (i.e. the defensive game plan we opened up with against Tulane, among many others) are being done on purpose, I will reach through this computer screen and clothesline you. I mean this with great love.
 
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With all that has been said and written on this thread, the fact remains at this point that whether you like him, or don't, believe in him or don't, the worst thing that could happen would be for him to leave in some way. Whether it be through finding a new/better job or a dismissal (not that that would happen at this point even despite some lunatic fans suggesting it). Change almost always has rough patches and this was a big change. The process (I don't care what funster said) will take time but as soon as the kids build experience (playing time) especially with the new systems and strength (Balis) and believe (HCBD + Staff) this team will succeed.

I keep hearing people refer to posters calling for Diaco's head or some lunatic fans suggesting he be replaced.

This is straight up fiction.

Some people have blind faith that Diaco will be good. I prefer to see things with my own eyes.
 
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I keep hearing people refer to posters calling for Diaco's head or some lunatic fans suggesting he be replaced.

This is straight up fiction.

Some people have blind faith that Diaco will be good. I prefer to see things with my own eyes.

It's a reading comprehension/inability to understand negative critique thing Jimmy. Just because you or I, or anyone, might have some seriously strong negative critique to give on performance, doesn't mean that you, or I, or anyone wants the guy gone. The purpose of critique, negative or positive, is to create improvement. All I want, is to see the guy improve. All I ever wanted from Edsall was to improve too. Pasqualoni, proved to me, once and for all, never to trust that somebody knows what they're doing based on anything except results.
 
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The one thing that irritates me the most about all of this is this team should be 4-2 instead of 1-5 and it's all about the offensive line. The O-line is what got P fired and Diaco & Co knew coming into this season what the biggest problem with the team was. Still, the O-line looks awful, worse even than the last few years and I don't see them recruiting P-5 caliber O-linemen. That has to be priority #1!! Get P-5 caliber O-lineman so you can compete at that level. If he and his staff are such great coaches & recruiters then prove it by building a top 25 offensive line. I don't care if Newsome is fast and elusive. Can he block? Diaco: Your process should start with teaching everybody on the team how to block. What's with the tight ends? They are like invisible out there. They don't block anybody because no one blocks anybody. I want to support the coaching staff but this is going on 4 years now and the line just looks worse and worse each year.
 
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Husky25

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The one thing that irritates me the most about all of this is this team should be 4-2 instead of 1-5 and it's all about the offensive line. The O-line is what got P fired and Diaco & Co knew coming into this season what the biggest problem with the team was. Still, the O-line looks awful, worse even than the last few years and I don't see them recruiting P-5 caliber O-linemen. That has to be priority #1!! Get P-5 caliber O-lineman so you can compete at that level. If he and his staff are such great coaches & recruiters then prove it by building a top 25 offensive line. I want to support the coaching staff but this is going on 4 years now and the line just looks worse and worse each year.

The Former "Coach" and staff were fired for a whole host of issues beyond the O-line. That was just one of them...and it wasn't just the talent on the line, they never let that talent gel. Too many moving parts. Before Conner shut down his weekly chats, I him answering a question about the line's performance vs. UMass, where one of the Tackles, actually played both Tackle positions and Guard in order to develop versatility. That's all well and good, except when you consider that UConn had about 83 yards vs. a transitioning FCS program. Development and everything that went along with it was their biggest downfall in my opinion. UConn doesn't need p-5 level recruits, they need recruits who can develop into P-5 level talent. Edsall could identify that for the most part, Pasqualoni couldn't (ergo he is coaching the LBs in Chicago). Can Diaco? Time will tell.
 
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Take a look at teams that were totally insignificant last year and have turned thing around this year:

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-12-most-improved-teams-2014

This ship can be turned around! By 2016 we grow from boys to men!

There was an interesting article in last week's SI about Mississippi State. A few things stood out. It seems that a significant portion of the improvement was attributed to improved S & C. UCONN's present S & C guy was mentioned on numerous occasions. The recruiting issues seem very similar to those faced by UCONN. The primary differences seem to me to be: 1) UCONN doesn't have to deal with a more prestigious State school in a far more desirable location and 2) UCONN's admission standards are probably more rigorous. Still, both schools recruit at the high 2-star/3-star level with dependence on development.

Quotes that came from the Mississippi State DC really surprised me. He noted that the players he saw at the initial spring practice made him "want to throw-up." I had two thoughts. First, he could have been more circumspect in choosing his words. Secondly, he was describing something really, really bad. I don't know how RD feels about his O Line, but my guess is that his honest opinion would be close to the above referenced DC. RD just wouldn't go out of his way to trash the kids. The O Line situation scares the hell out of me. The defense is going to be good. Everything I've seen says we've got more and better skill players than ever. One unit, the O line, is disrupting the entire offense. I'm hoping that the young kids being played have the basic talent necessary to benefit from accelerated game participation/experience. If not, it means that the program has whiffed on O Line recruiting for the last three years. If what we've seen is a pre-cursor to RD having to build an O Line, from scratch............. I don't think the JC route is one UCONN wants to explore unless it's out of total desperation. So, if you believe in prayer, go to it. Pray/hope that somewhere in the batch of young O Lineman, there 's enough to provide a decent foundation for the going forward. A decent O Line is the only thing keeping us from being a pretty decent team. Of course, that like saying that strong cables are the only thing keeping concrete and steel from being a suspension bridge.
 
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The one thing that irritates me the most about all of this is this team should be 4-2 instead of 1-5
Amuse me and tell me the 3 games that UConn would have won with a better O line? Maybe USF but that is about it. And even then, it was a function of weather that kept Uconn in the game. I suppose you will say Tulane but I call that a toss up. So that is potentially 2. What is the other 1?

This board is full of passionate fans. For the most part, people are always optimistic in the off season. Another year of strength training for the younger players, the kids grow up mentally, they wont make the same mistakes as last year, etc...So a lot of people had unrealistic expectations. Reality sucks but it did not take a genius to see a 4/5 win cap for this year.

Going forward, this line is not going to get any faster by next year. Their footwork and technique is not going to have exponential growth. Most of them need to be in a road grader type of set with minimal zone blocking. They will continue to be beat with speed and stunts next year too. Their backups are not the answer either. The answer is not going to be seen for 2 to 3 more seasons/recruiting cycles. And hopefully Diaco is up to the task. I hope more of the fans are up to the task of stomaching another bad year next year and don't get unrealistic again based on winning 3 of the last 4 games on the schedule this season (yes, that is a prediction).

I am firmly in the tepid camp and was from day 1 about Diaco. I want him to succeed but he has done nothing to make me a believer. I have stopped reading his quotes because they make me insane. And words mean nothing.

I have reconciled myself to the conclusion that this year was a sacrifice to culture change. Next year will probably be one too for player development. Year 3, no more leeway for either. It needs to be a bowl or bust.
 
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There was an interesting article in last week's SI about Mississippi State. A few things stood out. It seems that a significant portion of the improvement was attributed to improved S & C. UCONN's present S & C guy was mentioned on numerous occasions. The recruiting issues seem very similar to those faced by UCONN. The primary differences seem to me to be: 1) UCONN doesn't have to deal with a more prestigious State school in a far more desirable location and 2) UCONN's admission standards are probably more rigorous. Still, both schools recruit at the high 2-star/3-star level with dependence on development.

Quotes that came from the Mississippi State DC really surprised me. He noted that the players he saw at the initial spring practice made him "want to throw-up." I had two thoughts. First, he could have been more circumspect in choosing his words. Secondly, he was describing something really, really bad. I don't know how RD feels about his O Line, but my guess is that his honest opinion would be close to the above referenced DC. RD just wouldn't go out of his way to trash the kids. The O Line situation scares the hell out of me. The defense is going to be good. Everything I've seen says we've got more and better skill players than ever. One unit, the O line, is disrupting the entire offense. I'm hoping that the young kids being played have the basic talent necessary to benefit from accelerated game participation/experience. If not, it means that the program has whiffed on O Line recruiting for the last three years. If what we've seen is a pre-cursor to RD having to build an O Line, from scratch... I don't think the JC route is one UCONN wants to explore unless it's out of total desperation. So, if you believe in prayer, go to it. Pray/hope that somewhere in the batch of young O Lineman, there 's enough to provide a decent foundation for the going forward. A decent O Line is the only thing keeping us from being a pretty decent team. Of course, that like saying that strong cables are the only thing keeping concrete and steel from being a suspension bridge.

We have lots of good things in place, and the strength and conditioning part of a football program, is the true foundation of success. My biggest gripe is in the game planning, division of reps, and the game day decision making - which all goes directly to the head coach. The guy is allowing things to happen that make no sense to me. I'm supposed to believe that there is a plan for greater success down the road, and I have no reason to think that's not the case, but I also believe that it's costing us wins now.

As far as the OL - I disagree, I think that since they've started focusing a bit more on running, and dumbing down the offense, they are improving as a unit. it could just be my imagination, but I think they've tightened up the splits, which helps in pass protection. The backs are also getting better, I didn't see any real bad problems in backfield protections in the last game. The unit, that I believe is really costing us, and consistently causing us problems on offense consistently through the first half of this season and hasn't shown any real improvement on offense over the past few weeks is the TE' position group, not the OL. I've also got problems with the play calling, the execution of the offense, timing, etc....and that all points to one coach, and his supervisor.
 
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Amuse me and tell me the 3 games that UConn would have won with a better O line? Maybe USF but that is about it. And even then, it was a function of weather that kept Uconn in the game. I suppose you will say Tulane but I call that a toss up. So that is potentially 2. What is the other 1?

This board is full of passionate fans. For the most part, people are always optimistic in the off season. Another year of strength training for the younger players, the kids grow up mentally, they wont make the same mistakes as last year, etc...So a lot of people had unrealistic expectations. Reality sucks but it did not take a genius to see a 4/5 win cap for this year.

Going forward, this line is not going to get any faster by next year. Their footwork and technique is not going to have exponential growth. Most of them need to be in a road grader type of set with minimal zone blocking. They will continue to be beat with speed and stunts next year too. Their backups are not the answer either. The answer is not going to be seen for 2 to 3 more seasons/recruiting cycles. And hopefully Diaco is up to the task. I hope more of the fans are up to the task of stomaching another bad year next year and don't get unrealistic again based on winning 3 of the last 4 games on the schedule this season (yes, that is a prediction).

I am firmly in the tepid camp and was from day 1 about Diaco. I want him to succeed but he has done nothing to make me a believer. I have stopped reading his quotes because they make me insane. And words mean nothing.

I have reconciled myself to the conclusion that this year was a sacrifice to culture change. Next year will probably be one too for player development. Year 3, no more leeway for either. It needs to be a bowl or bust.

Temple. The reason I say that is UConn is a better team than Temple except for the O-line that is just killing the Huskies. A good offensive line makes the passing game more effective which loosens up the middle for better running plays, which keeps the UConn offense on the field and Temple's off. If Whitmer had more time he'd be a different QB. If the O-line and backs could block Cochran would still be playing.
 
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Temple. The reason I say that is UConn is a better team than Temple except for the O-line that is just killing the Huskies. A good offensive line makes the passing game more effective which loosens up the middle for better running plays, which keeps the UConn offense on the field and Temple's off. If Whitmer had more time he'd be a different QB. If the O-line and backs could block Cochran would still be playing.
Top to bottom the Temple 2 deep is significantly better than Uconn. They have also had better coaching over the last 4 years than Uconn. From Golden, to Adazzio to Rhule. That is my opinion.

Your last sentence is unfair. Cochrane had concussions dating back to high school. He was likely one hit away for a long time. The o line is the weakest part of this team but they did not put Casey out of the game. That was a long term, multiple concussion timeline.
 
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