Looks like GDL will stick around

[B1GEast]

I think you guys need to step back off of the cliff. If we are going to have a new OC, that doesn't mean that we will keep the zone blocking scheme. We may go back to a man on man blocking scheme.

GDL may actually show his value, we just have to wait and see. I will say this, if the zone block scheme stays, then I think it will be much of the same. I am excited about the new OC.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I think you guys need to step back off of the cliff. If we are going to have a new OC, that doesn't mean that we will keep the zone blocking scheme. We may go back to a man on man blocking scheme.

GDL may actually show his value, we just have to wait and see. I will say this, if the zone block scheme stays, then I think it will be much of the same. I am excited about the new OC.

Sorry I don't buy it. Same Shiite he did in cuse. GDL not "officially" the OC, but was making the play calls anyway. To think that he'd do any less is naive. I like to be positive.... And I am. This is a train wreck.

 

[freescooter]

This is nothing to panic about. Nothing. The Associate head Coach designation is just a face-saving device for Pasqualoni and his long time friend. Its like kicking a guy upstairs to a job with a fancy title but less authority. Hank Hughes has been Assistant Head Coach for the last 5 or so years. Anyone think he over-ruled Don Brown on defense? think he over ruled Todd Orlando? Of course not. The Assistant/Associate Head Coach designation is basically an administrative and marketing/recruiting tool. Now of course DeLeone will have more input than some, given his relationship with Pasqualoni, but he isn't going to be the guy calling the plays, designing the offense, and that is a net gain for the team.

 

[uconndogs]

Next season will be P's last at UCONN. Little doubt in my mind. What GDL did to our OL and running game was malpractice and how that is not plainly evident is beyound me.

Very disappointed in P.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I wish I could share your optimism. If you can point to any one thing in terms of where UConn got worse from the Edsall to the PP eras, it's the OL and the failed transition to zone blocking. Maaaaaybe you could say it showed some signs of improving in the last half of the 2012 season, but that's coming from a really low floor. As long as GDL is going to have any coaching resposibilities on the OL I fear it won't matter that somebody else is calling the plays.

This sucks.

I'm not entirely convinced that the huge problem with the OL isn't a talent gap and Edsall knew damn well that we were screwed talent-wise going forward. Going from guys like Will Beatty, Zach Hurd, Adam Masters to Gus Cruz, Kevin Friend, Alex Mateas, etc. is a non-trivial step down, especially when you don't have a guy like Jordan Todman to lean on.

I am not saying I know with 100% certainty that this is true -- I just am not as convinced it's a pure scheme issue as others are. Nor do I think college kids are incapable of understanding zone blocking.

 

[HomeKing93]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember at last year's signing day event PP took some questions. I plan to be there again this year, and something tells me this year any questions about GDL and the similarities to Syracuse 2004 won't make it past the screeners!

 

[uconnell]

Next season will be P's last at UCONN. Little doubt in my mind. What GDL did to our OL and running game was malpractice and how that is not plainly evident is beyound me.

Very disappointed in P.

V ery disappointed in Warde. I am going to signing day and I wonder if they have a Q@A session if anyone will ask about GDL. I just got an instant stomach ache.

 

[mattp]

V ery disappointed in Warde. I am going to signing day and I wonder if they have a Q@A session if anyone will ask about GDL. I just got an instant stomach ache.

I don't think Warde did anything wrong. For the most part you have to let your coaches work with who they want, if that means they all lose their jobs after the 2013 season it'll be nobody's fault but P's, which is where the responsibility should be.

I suggest we all look at 2013 as the can't lose season, we either make a bowl or hire a new coach. win-win

 

[B1GEast]

I'm not entirely convinced that the huge problem with the OL isn't a talent gap and Edsall knew damn well that we were screwed talent-wise going forward. Going from guys like Will Beatty, Zach Hurd, Adam Masters to Gus Cruz, Kevin Friend, Alex Mateas, etc. is a non-trivial step down, especially when you don't have a guy like Jordan Todman to lean on.

I am not saying I know with 100% certainty that this is true -- I just am not as convinced it's a pure scheme issue as others are. Nor do I think college kids are incapable of understanding zone blocking.

It's not that kids aren't capable of understanding zone blocking, it's about having the skill set required to zone block, you don't need huge beefy linemen, you can get away with short 265lb guys in that scheme. For the past several years we've recruited big behemoth linemen that may not be suited for such a scheme.

 

[ktuck911]

It's not that kids aren't capable of understanding zone blocking, it's about having the skill set required to zone block, you don't need huge beefy linemen, you can get away with short 265lb guys in that scheme. For the past several years we've recruited big behemoth linemen that may not be suited for such a scheme.

2 years ago we recruited 260 plus pounders Xavier Hemingway (262lbs) and Paul Nwokeji (261lbs).. with your comments above you'd think they'd potentially help in this scheme... maybe they're not strong enough? we seem to be scrambling to bring in more OL kids for this coming season...

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I don't think Warde did anything wrong. For the most part you have to let your coaches work with who they want, if that means they all lose their jobs after the 2013 season it'll be nobody's fault but P's, which is where the responsibility should be.

I suggest we all look at 2013 as the can't lose season, we either make a bowl or hire a new coach. win-win

In general I agree with this comment...but while a bad season may get a coaching change, it may also get us an extended sentence in conference realignment purgatory.

 

[freescooter]

Zone blocking schemes are not uncommon. Notre Dame among others used it and they did pretty well. I suspect that there were multiple problems, some personnel related, some trying to adjust from one approach to the other, and some just coaching issues. And in at least a couple of games it didn't seem to work badly, Pitt and Louisville come to mind. But the way I think Gus Cruz is going to be a nice one. Just based on some of the things he did, made some mistakes, but he also made a couple of really crushing blocks. Execution is more important than scheme, always will be. Zone blocking has a bad name at UConn becuase we didn't do it well.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I suggest we all look at 2013 as the can't lose season, we either make a bowl or hire a new coach. win-win

I hope the criteria isn't that simple. If we go 6-6 and make the Beef O'Brady Bowl, I hope that doesn't save PPs job.

 

[Alum86]

From Ruskin:

it's actually kind of funny the Sunshine Boys think they're pulling a fast one on everybody. "No, Warde, George won't REALLY call the plays".

_______

This is exactly what this is. To remove him from the booth and remove him from our lives was what we wanted. To endanger Whitmer's life again this year by still leaving him with the line is an insult.
Coach Blue and Coach II Luther in Huskacuse, the Revivial.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is a nice site with explanation of what happens up front in a zone blocking system, with visuals, and what you can do with the system offensively, if the linemen have both the individual footwork and skill and the teamwork as a unit to get it done. Note how important the FB/RB is in the slide pass protection to set up the passing lanes and pocket for the QB.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2012/11/2...nd-the-zone-blocking-scheme-explained-part-iv


I have no idea what we're going to with the OL next year, except that we need those guys up front not to be playing with lead (Pb) feet. Whether that be a coaching thing that caused players to play slow and miss assignments, or it a talent issue in that we just have some slow footed linemen......that can generate pages of argument.

The fact still will always be, that we need linemen with fast, and great footwork.

 

[bmayuc]

Zone blocking schemes are not uncommon. Notre Dame among others used it and they did pretty well. I suspect that there were multiple problems, some personnel related, some trying to adjust from one approach to the other, and some just coaching issues. And in at least a couple of games it didn't seem to work badly, Pitt and Louisville come to mind. But the way I think Gus Cruz is going to be a nice one. Just based on some of the things he did, made some mistakes, but he also made a couple of really crushing blocks. Execution is more important than scheme, always will be. Zone blocking has a bad name at UConn becuase we didn't do it well.

They are not uncommon, and they are usually very effective. Unfortunately, the players were poorly coached. This is not a one/two year abberation. GDL's last 10 years as a coordinator have been atrocious, and extremely similar.

COACHING COACHING COACHING

 

[B1GEast]

2 years ago we recruited 260 plus pounders Xavier Hemingway (262lbs) and Paul Nwokeji (261lbs).. with your comments above you'd think they'd potentially help in this scheme... maybe they're not strong enough? we seem to be scrambling to bring in more OL kids for this coming season...

Trust me, Hemingway and Nwokeji were not recruited to stay at 260lbs, those guys should have filled out by now.

 

[joey3$trike$]

It's not that kids aren't capable of understanding zone blocking, it's about having the skill set required to zone block, you don't need huge beefy linemen, you can get away with short 265lb guys in that scheme. For the past several years we've recruited big behemoth linemen that may not be suited for such a scheme.

they don't communicate period. If you keep shuffling the line there's no time to gel. Hence defenders untouched and smacking the heck out of the qb.

 

[uconnbill]

You coach towards your talent which GDL and HCPP didn't do last year.

I hope Weist is given free rein and I doubt he would come here to be tossed to the side and just collect a paycheck. He could have stayed at Cincinnati if that was the case

 

[HuskyHawk]

You guys are so negative. You wanted somebody new to call plays and be the OC. WM evidently instructed PP to find a new OC and play caller as had been hinted. PP has done so. Meanwhile, the old OC, who was evidently a strong recruiter and who has tons of experience as an OL coach, is retained in a position where he does just that. WTF is the problem? You just unwrapped a Christmas present that was what you asked for.

Bitch about zone blocking all you want, but several NFL teams run it, including those under Shanahan, who managed to turn nobody RBs into fantasy stars year after year with it in Denver. We didn't execute it well. Whether that is newness and a learning curve or a talent mismatch, who knows? It does not mean that it cannot work.

 

[Dann]

You guys are so negative. You wanted somebody new to call plays and be the OL. WM evidently instructed PP to find a new OC and play caller as had been hinted. PP has done so. Meanwhile, the old OC, who was evidently a strong recruiter and who has tons of experience as an OL coach, is retained in a position where he does just that. WTF is the problem? You just unwrapped a Christmas present that was what you asked for.

Bitch about zone blocking all you want, but several NFL teams run it, including those under Shanahan, who managed to turn nobody RBs into fantasy stars year after year with it in Denver. We didn't execute it well. Whether that is newness and a learning curve or a talent mismatch, who knows? It does not mean that it cannot work.

1) we got a wr coach to be oc. for him to work out he needs to be a actual oc and lets see what he has not operate under this clown show
2) we have seen the pp and gdl play call act before at cuse...
3)gdl is not a good recruiter. i have torn him on that here. besides a couple local arentthat he can talk about the 1975 ct state ship with he is a fail on the trail
4)warde playing little league games with our fball progrma sucks more di ck then chaz bono
5)zone blocking will be bitched about. becuase w/e blocking was going on pre this crew with RE worked. i will knock RE on recruiting all day and the program hump etc, but he taught kids how to frucking block. or was that foley? oh well if that wa sfoley then this clown show saff moved him from Ol to elsewhere. fun times
6)gdl as ol coach sucks donkey poopies. guy is a booth guy. kids come off the field and what, u want them to throw up gang signs to the tower so they can conversate with gdl? god knows that mother frucker doesn't know how to use a headset at his old age
7)the reason hes up in the booth is becuase hes old and he spits when he talks, players dont want to deal with that during the game. hey i got a idea, hes awkard so lets put him in living rooms face to face with kids to see if they liek us recruitng wise. horay!
8)we didn't execute on the coaches end. is this team alabama? no. but we had the talent to go 8-4 or better and after watching the schedule, how other teams did and how we did. i can find 8 wins 5 different ways on that schedule. hell i can find 10 or 11 with a different coach who knows wtf is going on the rutgers temple and wm games should have had ppl with pitchforks in bradley waiting for his ass to get off a dam plane. if i have a shiny red brick and P's adress i would make remember the titans look like snow white one friday night.
9)we have a great amount of young talent and its being mis taught and hung out to dry on the field. whitmer has potential and is a tough kid. handing the ball off twice up the middle to lyle and then letting the d blitz on 3rd and 10 consistently is not how u set a qb up to develope or suceed. its 100% on the staff. if we had a actual offense and we wern't scoring, then its exectuion. is our Ol good? no not really. buts its servicable if the coaching staff set the offense up where we could do sometings to take the load of them.

i'll stop

 

[zls44]

You guys are so negative. You wanted somebody new to call plays and be the OC. WM evidently instructed PP to find a new OC and play caller as had been hinted. PP has done so. Meanwhile, the old OC, who was evidently a strong recruiter and who has tons of experience as an OL coach, is retained in a position where he does just that. WTF is the problem? You just unwrapped a Christmas present that was what you asked for.

Bitch about zone blocking all you want, but several NFL teams run it, including those under Shanahan, who managed to turn nobody RBs into fantasy stars year after year with it in Denver. We didn't execute it well. Whether that is newness and a learning curve or a talent mismatch, who knows? It does not mean that it cannot work.

People are upset because:
1. He pulled the exact same crap at Syracuse and it didn't work.

This is Paul trying to save his buddy. That's all this is. Don't overanalyze it as anything else. This isn't some belief in zone blocking as a theory, its Paul looking out for his best friend. He's a good friend to do it, but its bad for the program.

2. The finest positional coach, BY FAR, in modern program history continues to be marginalized, for someone who is a source of many of the team's ills.

It's a disgrace what they are doing to Mike Foley. Absolute disgrace. Its insulting. He deserves far better than this program.

 

[uconnric]

Lighten up girls. We wanted a new offensive coordinator and we got one. GDL's role is significantly reduced. This is a change in the right direction. Looks like niether of the Kelly boys were available anyway.

 

[B1GEast]

they don't communicate period. If you keep shuffling the line there's no time to gel. Hence defenders untouched and smacking the heck out of the qb.

You're not shuffling the line, you're changing the scheme. I don't know what your point about communicate is.

 

[zls44]

Lighten up girls. We wanted a new offensive coordinator and we got one. GDL's role is significantly reduced. This is a change in the right direction. Looks like niether of the Kelly boys were available anyway.

You are functioning on the idea that it was impossible to get a new OC without keeping GDL in some capacity.

That's the real problem. It isn't either or- there's no reason he has to keep GDL at all, and there certainly isn't any evidence justifying him staying. He is, literally, the least-defensible retainment in any capacity. Why should he be around at all?

If you don't have a problem with him continuing to get a paycheck and have even a minor say in the offense, then you have really low standards.