Jim Calhoun and Bob Diaco Philosophy

[gwhuskyfan]

Was reading an article on Calhoun and this part about his first season stuck out to me:

"In the first year we said we were going to bite the bullet and do things the right way," said Calhoun, who retired in 2012. "We could have won maybe 15, but we won nine and it was the best thing we ever did — we stuck to what we were going to do. That was the beginning of it, it's pretty special, what's happened here and that's the great sense of pride you have when you look back."

In my opinion this sounds similar to what we're hearing from Diaco. All about the process. Could we have won more games so far...sure, but we're sticking to the process, biting the bullet now and getting ready for future success. That season was the only one for Calhoun with a losing record.

Thoughts?

 

[metsfan2323]

We lost our starting QB in game one, that team lost Cliff and Phil early. I think half this board has already forgotten that we lost our starting QB and fails to understand the disastrous effect that can have on a season. The Colts went from Super Bowl contender to #1 pick in the draft when they lost Peyton Manning to injury.

Someone needs to dig out that long August thread where everyone was saying they just want to see the team have enthusiasm this season. What a bunch of liars.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Bob Diaco = Jim Calhoun. Got it.

 

[uconnbill]

Bob Diaco = Jim Calhoun. Got it.

Probably not, but better than you and some others think about him and what he is doing. This is not something that happens overnight. You should know that, but you just like stirring the pot and being negative

 

[BlueDogs]

If we want to live retrospectively, by the same logic there is a litany of comments over 2 and a half years of those calling others pot stirrers, disloyal, morons, etc..for calling out PP and GDL.

My opinion is BD is trying to be a change agent, but he is young and lacks HC experience and has made some questionable decisions. He may very well be following the JC do it right and bite the bullet philosophy. But all things have context. The BB program was moving up and part of an exciting new emerging BB power conference, not moving backwards from being a BCS level program into a bleak mid tier conference removed from the big boys. We have endured years of misery and the fan base cannot sustain more hopelessness marked by another bad season. So, all things have a balance. Yes, fans have a right to be impatient and skittish after being burned, and yes Diaco should do it right. The problem is we can't tell if BD is doing it right or just another Pp GDL problem looming.

 

[Colt house75]

We lost our starting QB in game one, that team lost Cliff and Phil early. I think half this board has already forgotten that we lost our starting QB and fails to understand the disastrous effect that can have on a season. The Colts went from Super Bowl contender to #1 pick in the draft when they lost Peyton Manning to injury.

Someone needs to dig out that long August thread where everyone was saying they just want to see the team have enthusiasm this season. What a bunch of liars.

Absolutely Mr. Mets. Losing Casey changed the dynamic of the season. In so doing, people need to manage their expectations. But right now, there is a hung jury on the BY as actions are speaking louder than words.... and only time will tell for both sides of the jury. The jury is in panic mode with rightful cause because nothing is matching up, not so much because of the loss of Casey but because the actions in losing Casey, the resultant field play, and the decisions made in field play were well below anticipated results. I am trying to reserve judgment until this team and coaching staff are well down the road and we can look back. Separating out the decision making from actual field of play will be the toughest and it's not looking good for those of us trying to stay positive and stay the course. It feels like 1999 all over again.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If we want to live retrospectively, by the same logic there is a litany of comments over 2 and a half years of those calling others pot stirrers, disloyal, morons, etc..for calling out PP and GDL.

My opinion is BD is trying to be a change agent, but he is young and lacks HC experience and has made some questionable decisions. He may very well be following the JC do it right and bite the bullet philosophy. But all things have context. The BB program was moving up and part of an exciting new emerging BB power conference, not moving backwards from being a BCS level program into a bleak mid tier conference removed from the big boys. We have endured years of misery and the fan base cannot sustain more hopelessness marked by another bad season. So, all things have a balance. Yes, fans have a right to be impatient and skittish after being burned, and yes Diaco should do it right. The problem is we can't tell if BD is doing it right or just another Pp GDL problem looming.

I agree with this post about 95%. My biggest two additional complaints are:

1) Diaco needs to stop publicly trashing the players and making excuses. We get that the team is bad, but when the coach keeps saying it over and over, it sounds like throwing the players under the bus with the fans.

2) there is nothing we can do about it now, but the team would be playing better if Weist was the coach. The Apologists need to stop overstating the talent gap against mid majors.

 

[mauconnfan]

No overstating he talent gap, just watch the games. It's glaringly obvious and it has little to do with coaching. He was left a heaping pile of crap which started steaming even more after Cochran's news. They have a Divy 2 QB now with the same on the offensive line. The defense is mud slower than the past few years and noticeably by a large margin in all areas.

To not see these things is ignorant.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I've made my position on Diaco pretty clear and have purposely stopped harping about it.

But the notion that people can't criticize his performance in his first four games is ridiculous.

 

[sportsart]

I've made my position on Diaco pretty clear and have purposely stopped harping about it.

But the notion that people can't criticize his performance in his first four games is ridiculous.

Your second sentence is a continuation of your harping. It's ridiculous to to judge his overall performance with just 4 games.

It's clear why he did what he did Friday, and while people may not agree with what he did, if you look at it objectively, it made sense.

CW would have got hammered if they kept passing and then we would have needed to insert a QB with a "pain" in his leg. The turf conditions would have more than likely furthered that pain and then what?

Too many people think that the hole he inherited should be fixed over night.

You have gone over the top to sound like some of the newbies that don't understand that you need to win the war, not the battles on the way.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Your second sentence is a continuation of your harping. It's ridiculous to to judge his overall performance with just 4 games.

It's clear why he did what he did Friday, and while people may not agree with what he did, if you look at it objectively, it made sense.

CW would have got hammered if they kept passing and then we would have needed to insert a QB with a "pain" in his leg. The turf conditions would have more than likely furthered that pain and then what?

Too many people think that the hole he inherited should be fixed over night.

You have gone over the top to sound like some of the newbies that don't understand that you need to win the war, not the battles on the way.

Not harping on it. You and I disagree. I won't lose any sleep over that.

 

[sportsart]

Not harping on it. You and I disagree. I won't lose any sleep over that.

But you are harping on it. After 4 games you seem to have the position that Diaco is not doing a very good job. In the scheme of things it is way too early to know if he has a clue or not.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

But you are harping on it. After 4 games you seem to have the position that Diaco is not doing a very good job. In the scheme of things it is way too early to know if he has a clue or not.

I've made no judgements whether he works out in the long term or not. I've been clear about that. My issues are regarding some of the decisions he's made in these first 4 games. I do not agree with the approach he's taking about these "preseason" games. IMO he did one of the few things that would cost us the USF game and give us no chance to win. You and I disagree on that. So there's no point in arguing.

But what you and others are doing to me, whaler, and others is creating strawmen that implies we think he's going to be a failure. For the 19th time, nobody is saying that.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I don't mind people disagreeing with my criticism. But there are plenty who have stated it's too early to criticize. What really annoys me is when people make strawman arguments.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Bob Diaco = Jim Calhoun. Got it.

Who thought Calhoun was CALHOUN off that 9 win season?

 

[uconnbill]

How have some forgot about last season is beyond me. FHCPP left this place a mess and fixing it will not happen overnight. Most of you complaining had not issue giving FHCPP time and yet you can't give him the same opportunity

 

[sportsart]

I don't mind people disagreeing with my criticism. What annoys me is when people make strawman arguments.

Actually what appears to annoy you is when people present a reasonable answer to why Diaco did what he did. You consistently appose the theory that the passing game, after 4 attempts, was a disaster, and that protecting the back up QB, who appeared to have a minor pain, was not the way to go.

Tell us how you would have felt if CW got hurt (probable in the weather, field conditions and poor blocking) and then Boyle comes in, with a pain in his leg, slips and gets hurt.

You'd have called for Diaco's head.

 

[sportsart]

I don't mind people disagreeing with my criticism. But there are plenty who have stated it's too early to criticize. What really annoys me is when people make strawman arguments.

Please explain, what you feel are, the strawman arguments.

 

[freescooter]

Your second sentence is a continuation of your harping. It's ridiculous to to judge his overall performance with just 4 games.

It's clear why he did what he did Friday, and while people may not agree with what he did, if you look at it objectively, it made sense.

CW would have got hammered if they kept passing and then we would have needed to insert a QB with a "pain" in his leg. The turf conditions would have more than likely furthered that pain and then what?

Too many people think that the hole he inherited should be fixed over night.

You have gone over the top to sound like some of the newbies that don't understand that you need to win the war, not the battles on the way.

I think you absolutely can say his performance in the first 4 games has been significantly below expectations. At least that's my view. I don't believe for a minute that he was tryign to protect Whitmer. I think he panicked when the first 4 passing plays went bad and went into a shell. You're not going to win a punting contest when the other team has the best punter in the league and one of the best in the country. And that's what he was trying to do...plus his defense hadn't stopped South Florida when he went into the shell. He's made more head scratching decisions in the first 4 games than I'd care to count. As to the idea that losing Cochran killed his chances to succeed, I'd agree if he wasn't essentially splitting time between Cochran and Whitmer. Seems pretty obvious that he didn't view it that Casey was irreplaceable. Having said all that, does it mean that he can't won't be a decent to good coach in the long run? No. I remember Schiano's early going at Rutgers and he made many many questionable calls in the early going including a failed fake punt against UConn that cost the Rutbois the game. By the time he left, Rutgers was if not great, at least a decent program. While I have higher aspirations for our program than just a decent one, for the moment I'd take that without complaint.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Please explain, what you feel are, the strawman arguments.

For starters:

Too many people think that the hole he inherited should be fixed over night.

You have gone over the top to sound like some of the newbies that don't understand that you need to win the war, not the battles on the way.

 

[Waquoit]

Who thought Calhoun was CALHOUN off that 9 win season?

I did. And you know who HATED Calhoun back then, CT high school coaches.

 

[Waquoit]

For starters:

Too many people think that the hole he inherited should be fixed over night.

You have gone over the top to sound like some of the newbies that don't understand that you need to win the war, not the battles on the way.

Call that strawmen? Maybe not the first, but the second can be legitmately assumed from your incessant barrage of negativity.