In dismissing him, UConn did Billy Crocker a favor (DiMauro @ The Day)

[dwalks93]

Bottom line - a team cannot produce the defensive numbers UConn did this year and not make changes. It may be the defensive coordinator this year but if next year is as bad it will be the head coach.

Perhaps Crocker is the scapegoat. If the defense is still as a bad next year then we'll know it was not all Crocker. But to argue Crocker did not need to be removed is just silly.

Crocker always seemed like a good guy and on a personal level I feel bad for him. But football is a business and the defense can't fail like they did this year and not make major leadership changes.

It is easy for DiMauro to make straw man excuses.....bad conference, northeast recruiting, apathetic fanbase, etc... But, at the end of the year, a defense is what it's numbers say you are....why the defense failed is not important. All that matters is the defense failed on a historic level and Crocker was at the helm.

 

[CL82]

DiMauro knows that an article that says Crocker was fired for having the worst defense in football doesn't draw clicks. But an article that says, it's Randy's fault and UConn can never be good again will. It's as simple as that.

 

[Bubba1957]

I defended Crocker on this board several times. I kept waiting for it to "click". But it never did. So while it's not ALL his fault, I would agree that he never got the kids to buy in or to perform. Maybe no one could, but that is unlikely. There was no "pack of wild dogs" mentality ever demonstrated. Mistakes are expected with a young team, but at least you should be able to get helmets to the ball.

 

[Chief00]

Writing about one of his boys is right in DiMauro’s wheelhouse. I’m just surprised he didn’t find a way to slip in a Buscetto/Filomena’s reference into the column.

He’s the same dude who did back flips defending homey Glen Miller.

 

[Exit 4]

DiMuaro's twitter handle is "BCgenius." He has spent his entire career penning direct and indirect anti UConn columns.

 

[gtcam]

Crocker's gone
RE2 HAS to bring in a legit DC and some big boy xfers
This DiMauro is a buffoon - plain and simple - who the hell reads the Day? It's a step above the Courant
Next....

 

[UconnMICK]

Ahhh - the irony… Look who's running the worst DEFENSE of Crocker…

 

[blue93]

College football is a business. The school needed to do something to show the fan base that they care about improving the program. They did something.

Was Crocker the scapegoat for a defense that had a serious lack of talent and experience? Maybe, but there was zero improvement from game 1 to game 12. That's what got him fired.

 

[zls44]

Think Jacobs is pissed at him using (paraphrasing) "from the Main Line to Storrs" and stealing his bit?

 

[RSTuthill]

Sorry, folks, gotta side with DiMauro on this one. Crocker and staff were fired for two reasons only. To show some kind of action, any kind; and, to protect HCRE2.0. It was Randy who decided to play all those freshmen, take the hit this year to create a chance for having a really good year in 2021. There isn't a DC on this green earth who could have prevented what happened. Yeah, I understand it was necessary with a new president coming in and the fans howling at the gates (those that are left that is), but this is not gonna accelerate the path to success (if there is indeed a path to success).

 

[Exit 4]

Sorry, folks, gotta side with DiMauro on this one. Crocker and staff were fired for two reasons only. To show some kind of action, any kind; and, to protect HCRE2.0. It was Randy who decided to play all those freshmen, take the hit this year to create a chance for having a really good year in 2021. There isn't a DC on this green earth who could have prevented what happened. Yeah, I understand it was necessary with a new president coming in and the fans howling at the gates (those that are left that is), but this is not gonna accelerate the path to success (if there is indeed a path to success).

But its DiMauro. He's not remotely objective. He's twitter handle is "BCgenius." His joy in this world is penning columns to tear down UConn. This column is his personal high point of the year. He can't wait to write the next one.

Crocker is probably a good guy. His system might work fine, but for whatever reason he was not able to get an ounce of improvement out of the entire roster over two seasons.

And where are his recruits? I dont know if you can count two dudes he brought in here.

It maybe his system is too cerebral. Maybe his system works better playing the likes of Holy Cross type FCS talent instead. Maybe his system was built on some underlying positional coaches left behind at Nova. Whatever it is, it just wasn't working and he certainly wasn't bringing in FBS level talent in the quantities needed..

 

[Chin Diesel]

This is how DiMauro goes to his boss for a year end Christmas bonus and negotiate for a raise.

He writes some tripe and then shows how it generates internet buzz.

 

[uconnphil2016]

My buddy ran into Jon Wholley at a bar at Santa Con a few weeks back. Since my buddy was hammered, he asked Wholley why the hell Crocker still had a job. Wholley just sort of shrugged his shoulders confusedly. That probably tells you all that you need to know lol

 

[uconnphil2016]

Ya know, I've e-mailed with DiMauro and he was a nice guy, so I like to give him some slack. But I find it hilarious that he says, "You think there aren't reasons for that beyond some of the surface-level idiocy that’s always the rage on Twitter, message boards and other bastions of irrational thought?" while he also has drawn from the BY to make the central argument of a number of his columns in the past.

 

[huskymedic]

My buddy ran into Jon Wholley at a bar at Santa Con a few weeks back. Since my buddy was hammered, he asked Wholley why the hell Crocker still had a job. Wholley just sort of shrugged his shoulders confusedly. That probably tells you all that you need to know lol

You really basing your assessment of the situation on a Coach shrugging his shoulders @ a drunk yelling coaching staff personnel questions at him in a bar??

 

[uconnphil2016]

You really basing your assessment of the situation on a Coach shrugging his shoulders @ a drunk yelling coaching staff personnel questions at him in a bar??

Absolutely

 

[huskymedic]

Absolutely

Was your friend dressed as a Santa or an Elf... that could be a key clue?

 

[LBird33]

Was your friend dressed as a Santa or an Elf... that could be a key clue?

LoL

 

[FDNY99]

Ahhh

Was your friend dressed as a Santa or an Elf... that could be a key clue?

Ahhh..the drunk Santa..my wife’s yearly nemesis on Metro North as she travels home from the Firehouse Christmas party..LMFAO

 

[pepband99]

BCs bowl game moved the needle so much, that it was outright cancelled. He had to take out his frustration.

 

[Dooley]

Coaching is the ultimate results oriented business. It's become an immediate results oriented business. We had a lousy defense in 2017 and then the country's all-time worst defense in the history of the sport in 2018. Nobody keeps their job after that. If UConn kept Crocker, they'd be essentially signaling that it could not possibly care less about improving football. It's really that simple.

I like DiMauro through the half dozen or so twitter interactions I've had with him over the years. But he's wrong about this one. Everyone's entitled to their opinions though, even if it's not supported by fact.

Crocker will find a job somewhere. All coaches do. This whole idea that a fired coach has been banished to the outer rim of ever coaching again is silly.

 

[UConnJim]

This happens all the time in big boy football. Look at Manny Diaz, the new head coach at Temple. He has had some good defenses, but in 2012, his Texas defense was historically bad and in 2013, his defense allowed 550 yards rushing to BYU and Mack Brown fired him the next day calling the defense's performance unacceptable. Yet, Diaz's Miami defense was one of the best in the country last year.

Sometimes, well qualified people don't work out at a new place. Crocker was at Villanova for 12 years and was made defensive coordinator after 7 years. Systems were in place and there was a defensive legacy. At UConn, he had to implement and build a defense. Maybe he didn't know how to do that.

 

[ktuck911]

This happens all the time in big boy football. Look at Manny Diaz, the new head coach at Temple. He has had some good defenses, but in 2012, his Texas defense was historically bad and in 2013, his defense allowed 550 yards rushing to BYU and Mack Brown fired him the next day calling the defense's performance unacceptable. Yet, Diaz's Miami defense was one of the best in the country last year.

Sometimes, well qualified people don't work out at a new place. Crocker was at Villanova for 12 years and was made defensive coordinator after 7 years. Systems were in place and there was a defensive legacy. At UConn, he had to implement and build a defense. Maybe he didn't know how to do that.

Yup... Sugar honey iced Tea happens.... Crocker and UConn will be fine going forward.. Wish we had a true idea as to who will come in and replace him....

 

[kemba]

Sorry, folks, gotta side with DiMauro on this one. Crocker and staff were fired for two reasons only. To show some kind of action, any kind; and, to protect HCRE2.0. It was Randy who decided to play all those freshmen, take the hit this year to create a chance for having a really good year in 2021. There isn't a DC on this green earth who could have prevented what happened. Yeah, I understand it was necessary with a new president coming in and the fans howling at the gates (those that are left that is), but this is not gonna accelerate the path to success (if there is indeed a path to success).

The defense was terrible his first year too, when it wasn't all freshmen. He got fired for 2 reasons, one a complete lack of results for the 2 years he was here, and 2. that Edsall for whatever reason has decided to move away from his 3-3-5. So I actually agree with him that maybe this is the best thing for Crocker.

But other than that, it was incredibly biased. Gave him complete credit for all his success at Villanova and absolved him from any responsibility for the failings here. Doesn't work that way.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Sorry, folks, gotta side with DiMauro on this one. Crocker and staff were fired for two reasons only. To show some kind of action, any kind; and, to protect HCRE2.0. It was Randy who decided to play all those freshmen, take the hit this year to create a chance for having a really good year in 2021. There isn't a DC on this green earth who could have prevented what happened. Yeah, I understand it was necessary with a new president coming in and the fans howling at the gates (those that are left that is), but this is not gonna accelerate the path to success (if there is indeed a path to success).

As was mentioned a couple times in this thread, the defense showed no progress. It may have actually gotten worse as the season went along.