If Diaco is replaced, the program can be respectable quickly

[uconNYC]

UConn was 6-7 last season. If not for coaching, this is a 6-6, 7-5 team this year. We defeated Viriginia and Cincinnati and should have won 2 out of Navy, Syracuse and UCF. ECU, BC and Tulane were winnable games had the team not totally gone off the rails.

Furthermore, we have excellent facilities, a nice stadium, decent fan support and a great university. If Diaco is replaced, I believe we can bounce back quickly and be a consistent bowl eligible team in the short-term. This is not a 10 year project as some are saying.

Hope Benedict and Herbst will do the right thing.

 

[UCFBfan]

This will all depend on who stays and leaves player wise. It also depends on whether or not all the "RKG" players can actually play.

You sometimes get a lot of attrition when a coach leaves/gets canned.

 

[uchusky32]

Just not sure we have enough talent on this team. They look slower and weaker than their opponents.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Just not sure we have enough talent on this team. They look slower and weaker than their opponents.

It's becoming increasingly clear. UConn has a roster of "Colonial Conference" players. They are the high school players that the big boys passed on for better athletes.

How many of the 2016 startes would have been starters in 2009 or 2010. Other than Thomas, who else? That's how bad this roster is . . . too slow, too unathletic, too poorly coached.

 

[06029]

Wasn't the same written about PP? Or how id RE was fired Uconn could get better?

Sad truth right now is that BD is a worse recruiter than he is a coach and his staff is not good enough to recruit the athletes tat you need to be in the top half of the AAC. The kids on this team play their hearts out and I think they made a good choice to come to Uconn but how many starters on this team chose Uconn over similar peer schools?

This is not a quick turnaround. You have almost a decade of incompetence to undo

 

[CoachVern]

UConn was 6-7 last season. If not for coaching, this is a 6-6, 7-5 team this year. We defeated Viriginia and Cincinnati and should have won 2 out of Navy, Syracuse and UCF. ECU, BC and Tulane were winnable games had the team not totally gone off the rails.

Furthermore, we have excellent facilities, a nice stadium, decent fan support and a great university. If Diaco is replaced, I believe we can bounce back quickly and be a consistent bowl eligible team in the short-term. This is not a 10 year project as some are saying.

Hope Benedict and Herbst will do the right thing.

Who do you plan on replacing him with that can make a quick turn around?

 

[upstater]

You can't judge the athletic talent of the players when the coaching is absolutely clueless. Better coaches would have made great use of the linebackers, defensive backs, wide receivers and especially running backs and tight ends on this team. The team has deficiencies at DE and interior O-line and obviously QB. But another coach could make do with the rest of the talent.

 

[upstater]

Who do you plan on replacing him with that can make a quick turn around?

Randy Edsall

 

[storrsroars]

Over the past six years, UConn has failed miserably with both an experienced (albeit dinosaur) FBS HC and a young, inexperienced assistant from a brand name football factory.

So what's next? In what stream does DB decide to dangle bait? Is there a good FCS HC who would consider UConn at this point? For a guy like PJ Fleck, is doubling/tripling one's salary at UConn worth the risk of destroying their HC resume at a potential P5 later on?

I hate to be overly pessimistic, but let's face it, we are just a stepping stone. The question is, is it as simple as the school making bad decisions or is the program a "coach killer"? I seriously doubt BD will ever get another HC opportunity after this disaster. IMO, if I'm a low-level G5 or FCS HC looking to move up, the optics for UConn suck - non-P5, declining budget, poor recruiting grounds, instability, lack of fan support, etc. etc. outweigh the facilities, administration and winning history in other sports.

I fear that UConn has only one more opportunity to get this right. But for the life of me, I can't think of anyone who can effect a quick turnaround who'd really want this situation.

Help cheer me up. Throw out some names that are actually feasible.

 

[uconndogs]

Well.....honestly, I don't think there is a quick fix because unless there is a lot of talent riding the bench (which begs the question why they would be there), I don't think we have the talent for anyone to turn this around quickly.

Outside of Diggs, this is by far and away the slowest group of LBs UCONN has put on the field since making the step up. We have no speed off the edge and if someone wants to explain to me the buzz around Luke C. I'm happy to listen. Take Obi out of that D and you have some serious problems.

The offense, well..........no Thomas next year. Give that a whirl.

 

[UCFBfan]

UConn needs a coach that isn't looking to fit a square peg into a round hole. They need to have a coaching philosophy that is either fluid and can change with who they can attract or is going to have a philosophy that works with the talent we currently have.

The problem has been that we've had two straight coaches who try to run a program that doesn't fit with who they can actually get. We need a coach who sees that we are a G5 school in a poor recruiting area and needs to have a game plan that is either gimmicky or works with what is available. Look at all these MAC and MW schools. They don't seem to have trouble putting up points and there's no way they're getting recruits any better then we are.

I have no clue who this mystery coach is but I'm hoping DB uses a thought process like this when looking for a new HC. I'm also not delusional and I know we won't be getting a "name" coach. That's just not an option for this program.

 

[Palatine]

There was enough talent on this team to be 6-6. That means a bowl.

It's coaching plain and simple.

We blamed talent for P's failure and he had a dozen NFL players on some of his squads.

It's the freakin' coach.

 

[The Viking]

My only concern is can a new coach fix this offensive line?
This has to be the worst offensive line we've ever had. Either these players are truly awful or they have been poorly coached. Hopefully the latter.

Every team starts with the OL.

 

[jdb50]

Well.....honestly, I don't think there is a quick fix because unless there is a lot of talent riding the bench (which begs the question why they would be there), I don't think we have the talent for anyone to turn this around quickly.

Outside of Diggs, this is by far and away the slowest group of LBs UCONN has put on the field since making the step up. We have no speed off the edge and if someone wants to explain to me the buzz around Luke C. I'm happy to listen. Take Obi out of that D and you have some serious problems.

The offense, well.....no Thomas next year. Give that a whirl.

Luke C has good football instincts and gives his all, all game, every game. Why we put him in pass coverage is beyond me. He should drop 10 lbs and rush the QB every time. Diaco never addresses this lack of speed or pass rush to the press. Maybe they have not asked the question. No doubt we have had better LB groups.

 

[uconndogs]

There was enough talent on this team to be 6-6. That means a bowl.

It's coaching plain and simple.

We blamed talent for P's failure and he had a dozen NFL players on some of his squads.

It's the freakin' coach.

I'm not defending Diaco, but I don't see anywhere near the level of talent on this team compared to what P had during his tenure. P had an NFL defense and while not prolific playmakers on O he did have Nick Williams, Phillips and the other kid who ended up in the NFL.

My fear is that Diaco can't assess talent and what's sitting on the bench can't play at this level. It's probably too early to make that determination, but if someone can't push Walsh off the field I seriously doubt we have a great group of LBs coming up (as just one example).

 

[uconndogs]

Luke C has good football instincts and gives his all, all game, every game. Why we put him in pass coverage is beyond me. He should drop 10 lbs and rush the QB every time. Diaco never addresses this lack of speed or pass rush to the press. Maybe they have not asked the question. No doubt we have had better LB groups.

Great kid. Don't doubt it for a moment.

Temple's fullback owned him last night. The only thing that kept Luke from being pushed into the Blue Lot was the whistle ending the play. If there is much speed and quickness there I don't see it.

 

[gars44]

Randy Edsall

He couldn't wait to get out of here. He was desperate to get out of here. Living proof of adage, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

 

[Glastonhusky]

Over the past six years, UConn has failed miserably with both an experienced (albeit dinosaur) FBS HC and a young, inexperienced assistant from a brand name football factory.

So what's next? In what stream does DB decide to dangle bait? Is there a good FCS HC who would consider UConn at this point? For a guy like PJ Fleck, is doubling/tripling one's salary at UConn worth the risk of destroying their HC resume at a potential P5 later on?

I hate to be overly pessimistic, but let's face it, we are just a stepping stone. The question is, is it as simple as the school making bad decisions or is the program a "coach killer"? I seriously doubt BD will ever get another HC opportunity after this disaster. IMO, if I'm a low-level G5 or FCS HC looking to move up, the optics for UConn suck - non-P5, declining budget, poor recruiting grounds, instability, lack of fan support, etc. etc. outweigh the facilities, administration and winning history in other sports.

I fear that UConn has only one more opportunity to get this right. But for the life of me, I can't think of anyone who can effect a quick turnaround who'd really want this situation.

Help cheer me up. Throw out some names that are actually feasible.

Unfortunately I agree, this job will be a tough sell. I suppose we could get lucky and find a young up and coming offensive minded coach or a experienced HC like a Miles or a Rich Rod looking for a challenge. Other than that, I just don't know.

 

[gars44]

I'm not defending Diaco, but I don't see anywhere near the level of talent on this team compared to what P had during his tenure. P had an NFL defense and while not prolific playmakers on O he did have Nick Williams, Phillips and the other kid who ended up in the NFL.

My fear is that Diaco can't assess talent and what's sitting on the bench can't play at this level. It's probably too early to make that determination, but if someone can't push Walsh off the field I seriously doubt we have a great group of LBs coming up (as just one example).

Ryan Griffin. RE did leave him with a NFL defense. But a walk on QB w/o a scholly? Can you believe that? We started Johnny McIntee at QB. We had no scholarship QB when PP started. We had a tiny, 167 lb Lyle McCoombs as our running back.

 

[gtcam]

Great kid. Don't doubt it for a moment.

Temple's fullback owned him last night. The only thing that kept Luke from being pushed into the Blue Lot was the whistle ending the play. If there is much speed and quickness there I don't see it.

Temple's fullback has owned everyone all year
that's the type of blocking back every team needs
Luke is not the quickest but he's got a toughness and as I said EVERYONE has trouble with the Temple fullback - the kid is a monster

 

[FDNY99]

Ryan Griffin. RE did leave him with a NFL defense. But a walk on QB w/o a scholly? Can you believe that? We started Johnny McIntee at QB. We had no scholarship QB when PP started. We had a tiny, 167 lb Lyle McCoombs as our running back.

Not true...Michael Nebrich was a incoming freshman when Pasqualoni arrived. His BFF good ol' George quickly decided that he wasn't the type of QB they were gonna use here.

 

[ktuck911]

My only concern is can a new coach fix this offensive line?
This has to be the worst offensive line we've ever had. Either these players are truly awful or they have been poorly coached. Hopefully the latter.

Every team starts with the OL.

Truth. our OL for the most part is a step or 2 or 3 behind the opposing D's pass rush, even when they only rush 3. Embarrassing

 

[gtcam]

Unfortunately I agree, this job will be a tough sell. I suppose we could get lucky and find a young up and coming offensive minded coach or a experienced HC like a Miles or a Rich Rod looking for a challenge. Other than that, I just don't know.

Not going to be easy
HCBD and staff had made what should be a really good situation into a real show

 

[CTBasketball]

Words cannot describe the level of stupidity that floats inside BD's head.

 

[Jimdish255]

It's becoming increasingly clear. UConn has a roster of "Colonial Conference" players. They are the high school players that the big boys passed on for better athletes.

How many of the 2016 startes would have been starters in 2009 or 2010. Other than Thomas, who else? That's how bad this roster is . . . too slow, too unathletic, too poorly coached.

I just feel that since our philosophy is base upon deliberate, grinding offensive style and a containment style of D that we probably practice that way. Slow practice pace leads to slow game pace and frankly the players WILL get slower over time if their activity level is teaching their muscles and their minds to go slow. It becomes a mental and physical conditioning process. We overthink everything.

We practice slow, we get slow, we play slow. Our guys are not poor athletes, and while we have tended towards bigger guys we have exacerbated their shortcomings instead of working on them. Did Syracuse suddenly get really fast? NO! - a new Coach got them to PRACTICE FAST and PLAY FAST.