Is UConn’s defense the worst of all time? Let’s take a way too deep look (Bill Connelly)

[huskymedic]

Usual decent data driven read by BC (I’m pretty sure @Butch is gonna magnet a copy to his refrigerator w/ all the historical football references ).



>>Coordinator Billy Crocker seemed like a reasonably impressive hire, joining Edsall in 2017 after an exciting five-year stint at Villanova. He likes to force the issue, and it shows: even with all the horrible gashing, the Huskies do rank 85th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line), 93rd in passing-downs sack rate, and 52nd in linebacker havoc rate. Unfortunately, it’s a kill-or-be-killed kind of setup. If the Huskies don’t make a play in the backfield, they get obliterated.<<

>>Per S&P+, UConn’s S&P+ percentile rating is 0.11 percent, the worst since 1995.

But let’s at least give UConn the benefit of era context. Here’s a list of the post-World War II teams that graded out the same as UConn or worse. These are officially UConn’s peers.

• 1945 Presbyterian
• 1945 New York University
• 1948 and 1951 New Mexico State
• 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1952 Northern Arizona
• 1965 and 1966 Pacific
• 1967 Idaho
• 1967 New Mexico
• 1967 Furman
• 1973 UTEP
• 1995 UNLV <<

 

[Tommyboy]

We killed at times? I must have missed those plays.

 

[J187Money]

We killed at times? I must have missed those plays.

We make some good plays, only to give up spectacular plays on 3rd and 22.

 

[Adios]

It's unreal how Edsall takes the program to a high, and now really low. Thanks to his ballooned ego. That's some lofty company.

Programs are a reflection of the coaches. They're the captains of the ship. Edsall is using Pindell's "need" to rush as a footnote for this season. "Oh, we weren't developed as a team!"

 

[Palatine]

Once this stink gets on you, it’s hard to get off.

This season sure seems like karma for Edsall.

 

[BlueandOG]

I think one key is our top 20 tacklers are freshmen and sophomores. He wrote something like, "They are basically a high school team playing in the AAC, one of the nation's most prolific conferences."

 

[SwingDog]

I think one key is our top 20 tacklers are freshmen and sophomores. He wrote something like, "They are basically a high school team playing in the AAC, one of the nation's most prolific conferences."

Yep. In a nutshell, that's Coach Edsall's explanation for why they are so horrible on defense. He's been saying the same thing since day one. He says nearly all of the players on the roster are too young, too small, not strong enough and not fast enough. He says during the off season the players need to hit the weight room and get bigger and stronger by next season. He also says he needs to recruit the right kind of players to fit his system of building the program. The biggest issue by far for fans and supporters, is no marked improvement as the season has progressed.

I know you've heard it all before, again and again.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I am sure someone else has said this....it's hard to read every post about how much the defense sucks....but I think Edsall's biggest mistake was not having a short term plan. He is all in on tearing it down to the studs and taking 4 years to get it back on track. Understandable, but what about figuring out how to use Diacos players + transfers + JuCos to patch together a watchable team in the meantime? Did he really have to take out the kitchen AND the dining room? Or could he have left the dining room while he redid the kitchen so we had a place to eat?

Most coaches only think short term....RE is the opposite. Probably to a fault. And the result is the worst defense in the history of division 1 college football. He did the same thing in Maryland and when it took too long for his long range plan to work, he got booted. Randy has one track....and that is long range. And it's a flaw to not be able to do both.

Not sure how this will work out, but he owed the fans a better short term plan...not the defensive mess that he is sending out on the field.

 

[SwingDog]

I am sure someone else has said this....it's hard to read every post about how much the defense sucks....but I think Edsall's biggest mistake was not having a short term plan. He is all in on tearing it down to the studs and taking 4 years to get it back on track. Understandable, but what about figuring out how to use Diacos players + transfers + JuCos to patch together a watchable team in the meantime? Did he really have to take out the kitchen AND the dining room? Or could he have left the dining room while he redid the kitchen so we had a place to eat?

Most coaches only think short term....RE is the opposite. Probably to a fault. And the result is the worst defense in the history of division 1 college football. He did the same thing in Maryland and when it took too long for his long range plan to work, he got booted. Randy has one track....and that is long range. And it's a flaw to not be able to do both.

Not sure how this will work out, but he owed the fans a better short term plan...not the defensive mess that he is sending out on the field.

It's pretty painful to watch and wait, but only time will tell. Of course, the question is how much time? Staying the course with Randy's plan, to bulk up and get stronger and faster in the off season, there should be measurable progress next season. It appears AD Benedict is being patient, but if there isn't tangible improvement, I'm thinking he gets the boot at the end of 2019.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

It's pretty painful to watch and wait, but only time will tell. Of course, the question is how much time? Staying the course with Randy's plan, to bulk up and get stronger and faster in the off season, there should be measurable progress next season. It appears AD Benedict is being patient, but if there isn't tangible improvement, I'm thinking he gets the boot at the end of 2019.

My point is, did he have to make the wait so painful? Couldn't he find a way to enact a short term plan that didn't make UConn the laughing stock of college football while also working on a long term plan of turning over talent?

 

[Dooley]

There are so many explosive offenses in this conference that we'd have a tough time stopping with a 2008-2010 UConn defense. With this 2018 group, we literally can't stop anybody in the country. I would also wager quite a few high school offenses would be able to move the ball on us. Unacceptable by everyone associated with the program.

 

[Chief00]

I am sure someone else has said this....it's hard to read every post about how much the defense sucks....but I think Edsall's biggest mistake was not having a short term plan. He is all in on tearing it down to the studs and taking 4 years to get it back on track. Understandable, but what about figuring out how to use Diacos players + transfers + JuCos to patch together a watchable team in the meantime? Did he really have to take out the kitchen AND the dining room? Or could he have left the dining room while he redid the kitchen so we had a place to eat?

Most coaches only think short term....RE is the opposite. Probably to a fault. And the result is the worst defense in the history of division 1 college football. He did the same thing in Maryland and when it took too long for his long range plan to work, he got booted. Randy has one track....and that is long range. And it's a flaw to not be able to do both.

Not sure how this will work out, but he owed the fans a better short term plan...not the defensive mess that he is sending out on the field.

At a million dollars a year, my plan would be long term too! That’s perceived job security.

 

[LouAllen4prez]

I think one key is our top 20 tacklers are freshmen and sophomores. He wrote something like, "They are basically a high school team playing in the AAC, one of the nation's most prolific conferences."

Would a comparison of our defense be taking a bunch of college seniors and strutting them out against NFL teams? To me basically we took above average high school seniors and put them out there against some fairly decent players.

 

[BlueDogs]

I don’t know and don’t care. Scheme, player speed, player strength, football IQ, maturity, fundamentals..could be all or some. all we know is it is badly broken.

 

[Chief00]

I don’t know and don’t care. Scheme, player speed, player strength, football IQ, maturity, fundamentals..could be all or some. all we know is it is badly broken.

Ultimately, if you don’t achieve results in your job - the reasons may make interesting conversation but what needs to be done doesn’t change.

 

[UConnDan97]

Would a comparison of our defense be taking a bunch of college seniors and strutting them out against NFL teams? To me basically we took above average high school seniors and put them out there against some fairly decent players.

Nope. NFL players could be as much as 10 years older than their collegiate counterparts or even more. Furthermore, the NFL were forced into 32 concentrated teams via draft selection.

No, this is more like; the other team is approximately two years older on average, and are better organized and trained. That's as grandiose as one needs to get for the comparison, which makes the results more infuriating...

 

[RSTuthill]

No, this is more like; the other team is approximately two years older on average, and are better organized and trained. That's as grandiose as one needs to get for the comparison, which makes the results more infuriating...

More like three years older ... but your point stands.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Call me crazy but I'd feel better about trotting out the one of the worst defenses of all time if the majority of the 2 deep was seniors.

The fact that we may have to sit through this 3 more times? Kids can get better, but I think it's pretty foolish to think in twelve months the worst defense of all time is going to be markedly better.

 

[huskymedic]

USAT: UConn sets record for defensive futility, nears another

 

[UConnNick]

That's all a crock. It's all about ego...Edsall's. Most DIA college coaches have huge egos. He's so determined to prove his predecessors ruined the program he built that he's willing to sacrifice entire seasons to prove it. That also explains his zero accountability mantra. Nothing is ever going be his fault.

 

[UConnDan97]

More like three years older ... but your point stands.

Nope. 2 years. We're playing freshmen and sophomores with a sporadic upperclassmen (i.e., Santana, Murphy), and other teams are playing juniors and seniors with a sporadic underclassmen.

Take the average and you'll find the difference is only two years. Which makes my point even more powerful and my surprise of the lack of improvement even more frustrating...

 

[RSTuthill]

Nope. 2 years. We're playing freshmen and sophomores with a sporadic upperclassmen (i.e., Santana, Murphy), and other teams are playing juniors and seniors with a sporadic underclassmen.

Take the average and you'll find the difference is only two years. Which makes my point even more powerful and my surprise of the lack of improvement even more frustrating...

Redshirt juniors and redshirt seniors. UConn is playing true frosh and sophs by and large.

 

[UConnDan97]

Redshirt juniors and redshirt seniors. UConn is playing true frosh and sophs by and large.

There are numerous juniors (regular juniors) and sophomores on both the ECU and SMU rosters, our last two opponents. I'm not going to look any further than that, and i'm not going to belabor the point. Feel free to look up each team and do the math on it, and you'll see that i'm right...

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I'll go out on a branch and say that we'll be better next year...

 

[RSTuthill]

There are numerous juniors (regular juniors) and sophomores on both the ECU and SMU rosters, our last two opponents. I'm not going to look any further than that, and i'm not going to belabor the point. Feel free to look up each team and do the math on it, and you'll see that i'm right...

Wow, you really care that much, don't you?

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Remember a week ago when true freshman ahlers destroyed UConn with 240 yards passing with 4 TDS and ran for 130 yards and a Td? Well against Cincy today he is 8 for 22 for 182 yards with 1 TD and 1 pick. Oh and he rushed 9 times for 21 yards.

Sorry...no excuses for the worst defense in the history of college football. And that isn't hyperbole.

Meanwhile...our true freshman QB isn't ready. Randy needs to speed up his 10 year plan.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Better athletes can be effective as freshmen and sophomores. Problem is UConn has too many players that only had offers from Albany, Stony Brook, Maine, and some low level D1 programs. Won't do at this level.

 

[Buffett10]

some people are gonna get their wish soon.

 

[Durks07]

We make some good plays, only to give up spectacular plays on 3rd and 22.

No way, we never forced third downs.