"Lot of work to do" - J. Silver article

[DoctorWho85]

We can have NFL players at every position except the OL. And if the OL was bad, we're not winning.

AS long as the O-line isn't doing zone blocking, I think they can be pretty good. Obviously with CC quick release and fast decision making (assuming he wins the starting job) is obviously going to make the line look better like it did at the end of the season last year. Really all I want to see is some holes for Delorenzo and company and enough time for any of the QB's to make the throw. If they can do that consistently, UConn can have apretty good record this year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Potential size and strength are what Diaco brought in in his first recruiting class and the Huskies are going to have after big guys, high-ceiling players. They may not get the finished top recruit, but if you can’t recruit that big prototype athlete then you have to create them.

This is exactly what I said in another thread a couple of weeks ago. Diaco's recruiting focus suggested the old Nebraska, Tom Osbourne model to me. Bring in big kids with potential. Redshirt them while teaching them and beefing them up. Play them as Sophomores or Juniors. Rinse and repeat. This is mostly on both lines, but can extend to LBs and TEs. Then you still need to go find skill position guys and secondary players. Even there it may mean recruiting an "athlete" and creating a free safety over two or more years of practice.

 

[freescooter]

I guess I read this and the other articles of the past week on the status of the program as somewhat obvious. Teams that finish 3-8 have issues and if you watched UConn get knocked around by Towson State it was pretty clear that at least some of those issues involved physical conditioning. If you watched them fall apart in the 2nd half of so many games, you had to question how mentally tough that team was. A new head coach comes into that situation, he's pretty much confirming what my eyes told me.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

AS long as the O-line isn't doing zone blocking, I think they can be pretty good. Obviously with CC quick release and fast decision making (assuming he wins the starting job) is obviously going to make the line look better like it did at the end of the season last year. Really all I want to see is some holes for Delorenzo and company and enough time for any of the QB's to make the throw. If they can do that consistently, UConn can have apretty good record this year.

Well, if you think the line can be pretty good, you're basing on the fact that they're wearing a UConn uniform. We've seen little to nothing from the starting OL other than Mateas, who has been hit or miss.

 

[LIUCHusky]

Diaco is building some cover and it's probably to be expected. Interestingly, P did the same thing. We didn't have prototypes and this and that. Then we kept on pumping guys into the NFL while losing seasons mounted up. Diaco has his work cut out for him next season with the OL and at LB, but at some point he has to start winning pretty quick given the level of competition imo.

The level of competition in this league is a lot higher than most realize. The competition is at least as good as the old BE.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Well, if you think the line can be pretty good, you're basing on the fact that they're wearing a UConn uniform. We've seen little to nothing from the starting OL other than Mateas, who has been hit or miss.

My thought process is GDL isn't here anymore and Foley is back, at least in my mind, where he is meant to be. So it can't get any worse. Do I think the line will be as good as past lines? Definitely not. Yes the line is inexperience right now, but in Foley I trust.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

My thought process is GDL isn't here anymore and Foley is back, at least in my mind, where he is meant to be. So it can't get any worse. Do I think the line will be as good as past lines? Definitely not. Yes the line is inexperience right now, but in Foley I trust.

I hear you. But I need to see it. I don't trust anything that these clowns did the last 3 years. Including recruiting.

 

[uconndogs]

The level of competition in this league is a lot higher than most realize. The competition is at least as good as the old BE.

Not sure how you define the old BE, but I don't see programs the caliber of Louisville, Pitt, or WVU with the only exception being Cincinnati which has played very consistent ball. Agree that the departure on Rutgers and Cuse did not dilute competition.

 

[freescooter]

Jimmy, you bring up a really good point on recruiting. In his hunt for prototypes I'm not sure what Pasqualoni brought in. There didn't seem to be many linemen pushing for playing time. On the other hand, maybe that's to be expected with 4 seniors. Gifford seemed to play credibly once he moved to right tackle and was tutored by Foley. That provides some hope at least.

 

[metsfan2323]

Not sure how you define the old BE, but I don't see programs the caliber of Louisville, Pitt, or WVU with the only exception being Cincinnati which has played very consistent ball. Agree that the departure on Rutgers and Cuse did not dilute competition.

Did you completely miss UCF last season? They were one of the better teams we have ever been in a conference with and that includes the Rich Rod West Virginia teams.

Houston is on par with Pitt, Cincinnati, Louisville especially now that they have a new stadium which should give them loud crowds at home games.

 

[freescooter]

Not sure how you define the old BE, but I don't see programs the caliber of Louisville, Pitt, or WVU with the only exception being Cincinnati which has played very consistent ball. Agree that the departure on Rutgers and Cuse did not dilute competition.

Hard to tell based on 1 season, but Central Florida's team was as good as any of those. And how did Pitt get into your list? They were good for 2 years under Wannstadt. Beyond that, very average.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

I'm a little surprised he is talking as openly as he is about the deficiencies on the roster. I think it's a little CYA but also leads you to question just WTF has been going on there in the last 3 years.

I read his quote of a "quote" a little differently.

"“There are massive deficiencies, in terms of the number of personnel,” he said. “There are massive deficiencies in terms of physical and mental development of players. We’ve got a lot of work to do. But underneath that stuff, there’s a great core.”"

He's not talking about quality or player ability. We've all mentioned the low numbers at certain positions. Many have questioned the seeming lack of strength and conditioning. But, in the end, he states his belief that the "core," the necessary clay, is available. Just my take.

 

[Irishfan]

The O-Line Daisy Chain one?

View attachment 5084

What are these guys doing.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I read his quote of a "quote" a little differently.

"“There are massive deficiencies, in terms of the number of personnel,” he said. “There are massive deficiencies in terms of physical and mental development of players. We’ve got a lot of work to do. But underneath that stuff, there’s a great core.”"

He's not talking about quality or player ability. We've all mentioned the low numbers at certain positions. Many have questioned the seeming lack of strength and conditioning. But, in the end, he states his belief that the "core," the necessary clay, is available. Just my take.

If stating that we have "massive deficiencies in terms of physical and mental development of players" is not talking about the quality or player ability, then we have different definitions for the terms that Diaco used.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

What are these guys doing.

They are doing nothing. That never happened.

 

[tduconn]

Let's be fair with the statement and honest with ourselves.

I give BD credit for calling a spade a spade. Whether the team is "mentally weak" or "physically weak" somehow BD is calling the team deficient as it relates to the competition. The record speaks for itself.

If he is using different terms to call the "cubbard bare", I don't have a problem with that. For many years others have said of the program since its inception "UConn does not have much room for error".
Does that suggest the talent may not be as good as the competition? Do we call that "Cubbard bare?" or "mentally weak" or "physically weak".

Everyone has a ceiling limit.......and maybe when a program is built on "under the radar" athletes, the ceiling is "mentally or physically" not as high as the better competition.

You may have a good core of players, and occasionally each year a core of 1-5 players may get a shot at the NFL ......but you can't build a program that can compete at the highest level successfully with a small core.

I do not have a problem with a coach calling a spade a spade. I do not have a problem with any of our current and former players as I firmly believe all of them wanted to be winners. But be it physical or mental, they may have been deficient when compared to the better teams.

So BD recognizes this, and instead of sweeping it under the rug with excuses such as "didn't execute", his goal is to get players with higher physical abilities, higher mental motivation and drive, and to "fill the cubbard" with more and better core players........which, I hope will elevate this program to a level it has yet to realize.

Thanks for your honesty. Go BD! Go Uconn!

 

[CTMike]

If stating that we have "massive deficiencies in terms of physical and mental development of players" is not talking about the quality or player ability, then we have different definitions for the terms that Diaco used.

We are nothing if not consistent in analyzing things to death on the BY, so...

I don't think he was talking about the players per se - it was more an indictment on the way things were run under P without naming P specifically. Balis is addressing the physical and Diaco the mental - I think (hope) we'll be a much better prepared TEAM heading in to this season.

 

[sportsart]

Diaco inherited a team of beaten puppies (pun intended). They were torn down without being built back up.

The us vs them mentality was their way of surviving.

Diaco made a comment a while back about not tearing into players and said they would work to build players up.

I'm sure he saw players cower like a beaten animal.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

If stating that we have "massive deficiencies in terms of physical and mental development of players" is not talking about the quality or player ability, then we have different definitions for the terms that Diaco used.

It's the word "development" I'm keying (maybe hoping) on. "Mental" means moral, confidence and belief; things typically hard to find on losing teams; obviously. "Physical" means the team is not at a fitness level required to perform at a 1A level. I'd be scared if he was describing a group that couldn't beat a High School team.

 

[huskypantz]

Diaco didn't say the cupboard was bare. He said they have a lot of work to do.

When players are mentally weak, and a program goes 13-23 they have to change the culture from the a losing one to a winning one. Teams are dynamic, football is as much mental as it is physical.

I agree that 6 wins is a very reasonable goal, but it's not like he can send them out on the field and we can sleepwalk through six wins.

I saw lots of lookout blocks on the o-line last year. Not even guys getting beat - just missed assignments. That's what I term mentally weak. I think he said what he did to challenge the guys in the weight room and challenge the guys with the playbook. If they want to compete, listen to the message and step up. There are starting jobs to be won.

 

[BugsyCT]

Just give me a team that fights, plays with emotion, and hates to lose in 2014 and I think the wins will come. The culture needs to change and the sooner it's addressed, the better. I like that HCBD is addressing this now and not in the summer or fall.

Give me the team from the last 2 1/2 games of the season, and I'll be happy. That team had a ton of fight, and had finally begun to heal from the poison PP/GDL inflicted on this program. A good start to build on heading into the HCBD era.

 

[Confident Carl]

He can try to set the bar low, but if he wins less than 6 he failed.

and he is on record many times saying he will not ask players to do things they can't do, so if he implements a 3/4 defense and it fails because we don't have the proper personnel, its on him, or if he tries to implement a power running game and it fails because WR's are obviously the strength of this offense (Oline is not a strength) then he failed for not passing the ball in the spread offense.

He would be wise to not completely throw away the things that were working well at the end of last season.

You are kidding right? Love it when everyone thinks they are a head coach. They got like 900 years of coaching experience on the staff, they'll get it right.

 

[metsfan2323]

You are kidding right? Love it when everyone thinks they are a head coach. They got like 900 years of coaching experience on the staff, they'll get it right.

If you don't like reading fan opinions then maybe The Boneyard isn't for you. BTW I too think they will get it right.

Not for nothing, but there have been many instances the last few years where a consensus opinion on the Boneyard has been way ahead of the curve even without the 900 years of coaching experience.

 

[Confident Carl]

• He would be wise to listen to his position coaches and the game films and not read the boneyard.

 

[metsfan2323]

• 
  [ ]He would be wise to listen to his position coaches and the game films and not read the boneyard.

I agree, and the game films from the end of last season show that things started to click on offense.

 

[Confident Carl]

Did you completely miss UCF last season? They were one of the better teams we have ever been in a conference with and that includes the Rich Rod West Virginia teams.

Houston is on par with Pitt, Cincinnati, Louisville especially now that they have a new stadium which should give them loud crowds at home games.

East Carolina and Tulsa should be tough outs as well. USF will improve. UCONN has its hands full. No cake walk.

 

[Colt house75]

You are kidding right? Love it when everyone thinks they are a head coach. They got like 900 years of coaching experience on the staff, they'll get it right.

If you don't like reading fan opinions then maybe The Boneyard isn't for you. BTW I too think they will get it right.

Not for nothing, but there have been many instances the last few years where a consensus opinion on the Boneyard has been way ahead of the curve even without the 900 years of coaching experience.

When a detail oriented person in HCBD took over, he began laying the groundwork mentally within the players and all of Husky nation. For the first time in many years, I sit in the off-season encouraged...not discouraged. It takes a confident person in HCBD to grab the bull (or young bulls) by the horns and achieve a paradigm shift. I look at that and the small things being done as the action(s) of a winner. If you do the right things every day, the process starts...and this is a matter of process. The process is what it is all about, IMHO..... I measure every day's efforts... that they do what they are supposed to do with the first exam in 188 days.... whether we get to 6 wins or not immediately is not important, IMO because it will come...when?----don't know but feel that it will take place in the next 24 months so that by year 3 this is a rebuilt and transformed organization.

I have to believe whether there is 900 years of coaching experience or 9000 years of coaching experience, the direction is positive.

Mr. Mets, not withstanding I agree with you on most points on this board but won't agree with you on setting a bar at 6 as a failure. Too many things can happen in the course of a season, barring injuries etc.....I want the bar set higher, not in terms of wins and losses initially,... but outstanding movement of the program. Year 1 is all about the base and foundation.
I agree with you on Casey and having the weapons is a great base and should not be discounted, not abandoned but to built upon-it appears that is the direction we are moving...IMO, if we get Casey a running game, which HCBD is adamant about---, the kid has the ability to throw for 450 to 500 yards every time out-he is that talented and that football smart.

The last part of the season proved what most of us knew and yes, the BY was way ahead of the curve.... this coaching staff gets it, thank God, the Pope, allah, and all the bears that poop in the woods ....we are going back to the Promised Land, when???....enjoy the journey and the process.

 

[Confident Carl]

Not sure how you define the old BE, but I don't see programs the caliber of Louisville, Pitt, or WVU with the only exception being Cincinnati which has played very consistent ball. Agree that the departure on Rutgers and Cuse did not dilute competition.

Keep your eye on East Carolina. They are a VA Tech/WVA on the rise. Tulsa can play with any of those teams. USF will compete year in and year out with UCF. Houston and SMU will also improve. If the TV money gets better this ain't a bad conference, especially when Navy comes aboard.

 

[uconnbill]

I took what HCBD stated as lighting a fire under the players on the team. He expects them to work hard and get the job done. I don't think he would have taken the job if he thought that he couldn't win in the near future.

 

[tjhusky]

When a detail oriented person in HCBD took over, he began laying the groundwork mentally within the players and all of Husky nation. For the first time in many years, I sit in the off-season encouraged...not discouraged. It takes a confident person in HCBD to grab the bull (or young bulls) by the horns and achieve a paradigm shift. I look at that and the small things being done as the action(s) of a winner. If you do the right things every day, the process starts...and this is a matter of process. The process is what it is all about, IMHO..... I measure every day's efforts... that they do what they are supposed to do with the first exam in 188 days.... whether we get to 6 wins or not immediately is not important, IMO because it will come...when?----don't know but feel that it will take place in the next 24 months so that by year 3 this is a rebuilt and transformed organization.

I have to believe whether there is 900 years of coaching experience or 9000 years of coaching experience, the direction is positive.

Mr. Mets, not withstanding I agree with you on most points on this board but won't agree with you on setting a bar at 6 as a failure. Too many things can happen in the course of a season, barring injuries etc.....I want the bar set higher, not in terms of wins and losses initially,... but outstanding movement of the program. Year 1 is all about the base and foundation.
I agree with you on Casey and having the weapons is a great base and should not be discounted, not abandoned but to built upon-it appears that is the direction we are moving...IMO, if we get Casey a running game, which HCBD is adamant about---, the kid has the ability to throw for 450 to 500 yards every time out-he is that talented and that football smart.

The last part of the season proved what most of us knew and yes, the BY was way ahead of the curve.... this coaching staff gets it, thank God, the Pope, allah, and all the bears that poop in the woods ....we are going back to the Promised Land, when???....enjoy the journey and the process.

Exactly.

Remind you of another Husky coach? Does Geno go out and say I think we can win 20 games this year. No, he tells people, we are not as good as you think. Then he pushes each girl to improve and the team to fix their deficiencies.

HCBD is the same type. He knows there is a lot to do. The goal is perfection and he hit the ground running back in Dec. to move us toward that goal.

I am still amazed that we are all this excited about football during a pretty good basketball season. I think we are witnessing the start of something special with UCONN football. It is a process and so far it has been a blast.