Mission of Athletics

[Carl Spackler]

I know how most around here feel about my self righteous, pompous blow hardyness. I don't really care. Hopefully you can get past that and understand this simple message.

My opinions here, and thoughts in writing, that if you talk to many in athletics at all levels from the youngest age groups of 4 and 5 year old kids in any activity, to the highest levels of international world competition and professional sports.

I've had another night and more hours to stew on this situation our UCONN football program finds itself 1/3 of the way through the 2013 season.

While there is a valid argument on waiting until November to pull the plug on this abomination of a program, to do so, IMNSHO, would be a complete disservice to the athletes, who when they make it to graduation, will be Huskies for life.

In the profession of coaching, and athletics administration, there is but one principle that I believe defines all actions. THat principle is simple.

The coaches, and the administration......the people in charge.......need to do everything in their power to give the athletes in their charge, the opportunity to succeed in competition and in school.

Choosing not to relieve this pair of coaches of their jobs, right now, at this moment, is not putting the athletes in position to succeed. My opinion, and I stand by it.

THAT is unacceptable.

 

[UConn07]

Don't think anybody disagress with you.

 

[Carl Spackler]

No - there are people that think there is rationale for waiting posting here, and most importantly, there are people in charge of athletics at UCONN that think that it is ok to wait and would disagree, because Pasqualoni and Deleone still have keys to the building.

 

[UConn07]

No - there are people that think there is rationale for waiting posting here, and most importantly, there are people in charge of athletics at UCONN that think that it is ok to wait and would disagree, because Pasqualoni and Deleone still have keys to the building.

I'd really like to know, when the change actually does take place, the answer to the question, what took so long/etc? Although I think Jeff Jacobs would be the only with with any gusto to ask that question.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The time to fire him was in December of last year. But I'm glad you finally caught up.

 

[gioff23]

I am hoping (up until Sat nite, it was more thinking; now pure hope) that the administration has a plan to replace the staff. My assumption has been they wanted to give the staff 3 years to prove its worth. I felt optimism coming in to this year that we were headed back to a 7/8 win season, led by young talent. We have exhibited neither. After Towson, my thinking was they felt could hold off until late in the season. I am hoping that WM went in to overdrive after the game, talking to the boss, donors, and his #1 candidate as to a transition that could begin this week. When all else fails, there's always hope

 

[RMS25CT]

There is a saying in crisis management: don't put off what you know must ultimately be done.

 

[gioff23]

you have to acknowledge a crisis in order to effect your crisis management plan

 

[SubbaBub]

Waiting to fire him at the end of the season is soooooo two weeks ago, when it was mildly defensible.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Didn't we just get a 37 paragraph diatribe 5 DAYS AGO about how this is the right system that P installed and its up to the players and winning more than losing wasn't the way to be a top 25 program, etc. etc.

Now you want to come on here and act like some beacon of intelligence and truth and tell everyone what we have been saying for years on here?

I'm sorry you're act has grown stale, I imagine to those who disliked HFD this is how reading his posts felt like. (shout out to HFD).

 

[Carl Spackler]

Didn't we just get a 37 paragraph diatribe 5 DAYS AGO about how this is the right system that P installed and its up to the players and winning more than losing wasn't the way to be a top 25 program, etc. etc.

Now you want to come on here and act like some beacon of intelligence and truth and tell everyone what we have been saying for years on here?

I'm sorry you're act has grown stale, I imagine to those who disliked HFD this is how reading his posts felt like. (shout out to HFD).

Are you just dumb?

There is nothing wrong with the concepts of inside and outside zone blocking on offense in both run and pass blocking. It's the most widely used system in football at collegiate and pro levels. There is nothing wrong with our pass route running systems, and offensive passing game that has been installed, it's more diverse, and can generate more open down field threats than we've had in over a decade. There is nothing wrong with the running game, except we don't maintain the blocks, and hit open holes and run over or around people very well.

As for our defense, we have an attack style defense now, that shows multiple fronts, can blitz and play zone/man mix coverages to confuse QB's, that compliments the kind of offense that has been installed, which is a multiple threat down field and in running, can generate turnovers and make big plays.

It is NOT the Randy Edsall system that was run at UCONN in BCS competition, who's best comparison I think - is Wisconsin, except at Wisconsin, they've been able to recruit QB's and WR's into the program to compliment the simple, ground game, and they play a style of defense that compliments it better than what we did under Edsall.

The systems are fine, and they are systems that can allow us to recruit and reach the highest levels of competition.

The worst possible thing that can happen right now, is to go out and bring in a new coach, that completely turns the systems upside down again.

I write this for other people, not you, because clearly, you don't get it. If Manuel hires a coaching staff, that turns the program over upside down again, we will be set back for many years.

 

[RioDog]

I know how most around here feel about my self righteous, pompous blow hardyness. I don't really care. Hopefully you can get past that and understand this simple message.

Spack-man this is why I love and hate you. Hate the blow-hardy-ness, love that you don't care and will speak your mind.

My opinions here, and thoughts in writing, that if you talk to many in athletics at all levels from the youngest age groups of 4 and 5 year old kids in any activity, to the highest levels of international world competition and professional sports.

I've had another night and more hours to stew on this situation our UCONN football program finds itself 1/3 of the way through the 2013 season.

While there is a valid argument on waiting until November to pull the plug on this abomination of a program, to do so, IMNSHO, would be a complete disservice to the athletes, who when they make it to graduation, will be Huskies for life.

In the profession of coaching, and athletics administration, there is but one principle that I believe defines all actions. THat principle is simple.

The coaches, and the administration......the people in charge.......need to do everything in their power to give the athletes in their charge, the opportunity to succeed in competition and in school.

The above having been said, as a professional educator I 100% agree with this. A University above all else is an educational institution, and the above said mission is its first and best function. Now, if you could just say that in 2 paragraphs instead of 6 we'd really be getting somewhere.

Choosing not to relieve this pair of coaches of their jobs, right now, at this moment, is not putting the athletes in position to succeed. My opinion, and I stand by it.

THAT is unacceptable.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Carl, calling myself or anyone else dumb on this board is hilarious, considering you are universally viewed as the biggest blowhard and moron on here and it sure isn't due to lack of competition.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Why don't you try to put your feelings about me personally aside for a second. Are you capable of that? If not, then that's the kind of response you'll get from me.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Give me Edsall's simple concepts and bowl games over what we've seen the last 2 plus years every single day of the week.

 

[jdb50]

The crisis is not do we fire him and GDL but what team shows up for the rest of the season. 4 home games left, one on National TV. The bye week gives the players time to refocus but trying to do so with the same leader will be a recipe for failure. I can't see how the team can regain the positive energy needed to compete and win with the same guy at the head of the column. The players in the program should be foremost in the Administrations mind.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Give me Edsall's simple concepts and bowl games over what we've seen the last 2 plus years every single day of the week.

I've said it for years that my biggest issue with Edsall was that outside of Orlovsky he simply couldn't recruit or develop a QB.

If you put even a BCS average QB on the 2007-2010 teams, were finishing in the top 25 every season.

It wasn't the system, it was simply the lack of competent QB play.

To blow up our successful, proven and consistent UConn football program when all we were was one (albeit big) piece away in a QB is sheer negligence.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Give me Edsall's simple concepts and bowl games over what we've seen the last 2 plus years every single day of the week.

This is the kind of thinking, at this point in time, that can really set us back. (Not the desire to be winnign and going to bowl games of course).

Recruiting for UCONN football is a different animal than recruiting for other programs. Unless such time as millionaire donors start shelling out money in piles, and we develop slush funds, and start buying players cars, and giving them free shows in New York City and strippers......oh wait....we can't do that.

We need to be able to do things on the field with our systems, that will draw the most talented offensive skill that we can, so that they can play and be featured in a multiple threat offense. We can't afford to be bland and vanilla on offense when it comes to recruiting, the margin for error is too thin.

just ask yourself a couple questions - where would the UCONN program be, if Edsall had not been able to land Dan Orlovsky? (who went against everyone's wishes to come to UCONN) Donald Brown? Marcus Easley hadn't walked on? Why would it be, that there are so few players on offense, that have had such a great impact on our success as an entire program in 13 year of division 1A football?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

This is the kind of thinking, at this point in time, that can really set us back. (Not the desire to be winnign and going to bowl games of course).

Recruiting for UCONN football is a different animal than recruiting for other programs. Unless such time as millionaire donors start shelling out money in piles, and we develop slush funds, and start buying players cars, and giving them free shows in New York City and strippers......oh wait....we can't do that.

We need to be able to do things on the field with our systems, that will draw the most talented offensive skill that we can, so that they can play and be featured in a multiple threat offense. We can't afford to be bland and vanilla on offense when it comes to recruiting, the margin for error is too thin.

just ask yourself a couple questions - where would the UCONN program be, if Edsall had not been able to land Dan Orlovsky? (who went against everyone's wishes to come to UCONN) Donald Brown? Marcus Easley hadn't walked on? Why would it be, that there are so few players on offense, that have had such a great impact on our success as an entire program in 13 year of division 1A football?

Yeah if only Edsall put guys in the NFL.........

 

[BlueMAB]

But he was able to land Orlovsky, and Brown, and Todman, and others who are now in the CFL and NFL.

Where would the program be if Cody Endres could stop smoking pot?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Yeah if only Edsall put guys in the NFL.........

Look - we can have a difference of opinion here, and be civil no? It's actually turned into a very bright day for UCONN football moving forward. Happy Monday.

I don't think we can recruit for UCONN, to get the kind of athletes that Maryland has to run the systems that Edsall wants to run, and wanted to run for the level of competition that we are at, and get to the top of heap. The offense that Maryland is running now, is a fantastic collegiate offense, multiple threat attack based on the running game. They have the offensive athletes to do it.

Edsall built the program he did - there are very, very few people left in the collegiate coaching ranks, that can have a detailed understanding of what it takes to recruit for our program, and Edsall is one of them, and he decided he didn't want to be here anymore, when if he had stayed, he'd probably have the stadium named after him at some point.

If it were easy to get the kind of athletes that it takes to get to the level of say a Wisconsin, with their systems at UCONN, don't you think we would have been able to do it under Edsall?

I'll drop it for now. It's turned into a good day, and I have a new sense of optimism, not for just the future, but for this season as well.

 

[Waquoit]

I write this for other people, .

Be honest, you write for yourself. You spent the entire pre-season attacking anyone who saw this debacle coming. Your credibility is shot, you calling some else dumb is hilarious.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Be honest, you write for yourself. You spent the entire pre-season attacking anyone who saw this debacle coming. Your credibility is shot, you calling some else dumb is hilarious.

True enough. If I was writing for others, I'd have found a way to get paid for it by now. Sooner or later, I'll change gears and actually make an effort to do that. And as far as credibility, credibility in an internet forum like this isn't top priority for me.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

The time to fire him was in December of last year. But I'm glad you finally caught up.

I'll agree with you in part. The time to disassociate from P was when his name was brought up for consideration when Randy left. Bringing him on board at that point would be like Syracuse hoops bringing on George Blaney if Jimmy B were too leave.

 

[uconn_jack]

No reason to disparage Blaney like that.......