Momentum

[whaler11]

Shout out to the leadership for the electricity they have generated around the football program.

Your trending UConn football topics:

1. A half dozen people who really want the helmet to have a block C

2. A guy who wants to borrow a cornhole game, but let's not go crazy it has to be close to his house

3. Player who committed to Clemson.

Thank God we have a guy who really gets football like Dave Benedict. Beth Goetz is knocking it out of the park as the sport administrator for football. Takes a lotta manpower to keep things humming like this.

So many rock stars.

In 5-7 years when UConn drops FBS football just remember how much money these people stole.

You can't make this stuff up:
"The opportunity to add Beth to our team at UConn is like winning the administrative national championship or signing the number one prospect in the recruiting class," said Benedict.

Sure the program is swirling the drain losing by 40 points at home in front of 6k people but WE WON THE ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

Keep supporting Suzie Lax though - she totally believes sports are important. So important she is going to hang a banner on the women's lacrosse field for the ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. By my math it's 3 in a row!

 

[gioff23]

I see the cheap whiskey is flowing late on a Sunday night.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Is Nelson and Whaler11 the same person? They both want UConn to drop football...

 

[Exit 4]

This board is just waiting for either a juco announcement to address the DE position or the next 2019 commit. Not much to get passionate about until then.

 

[uconndogs]

Good lord Whaler.

 

[Purple Stein]

 

[freescooter]

Seriously Whaler. The spring game is over. We just hired a new basketball coach. Heaven forfend, that might be the focus of discussion until, let’s say July, when activity picks up again.

 

[Husky25]

Seriously Whaler. The spring game is over. We just hired a new basketball coach. Heaven forfend, that might be the focus of discussion until, let’s say July, when activity picks up again.

How is Scoot the voice of reason?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Yeah man, why aren’t people discussing our most recent game from 6 months ago?

#casualfans

 

[noeynox]

He isn't wrong. We are preparing for another "rebuilding year". There is zero buzz to this program. The top prospects in the state aren't giving the school even a courtesy official visit.

There was a real chance for something special here at one point. It really feels like it has been totally squandered at this point. It is not solely by this administration by a long shot, but they certainly don't look like they have a clue or a plan on how to right the ship.

 

[Exit 4]

There was a real chance for something special here at one point. It really feels like it has been totally squandered at this point. It is not solely by this administration by a long shot, but they certainly don't look like they have a clue or a plan on how to right the ship.

I respectfully disagree - they know how to right the ship, but its not easy and there are many elements that the football staff and the university administration just don't control.

16 months or so into Edsall 2.0 one thing is apparent, while he has evolved many elements of his approach to football, he still a guy with clear limits to his willingness to kiss the butt of top level prospects.

For this recruiting season I would like to see us have 5-7 recruits by mid August and then wait for those season senior surprises that come during the Nov/Dec/Jan recruiting months to fill the remaining 10 slots (figuring it will be a 15-18 slot class). Our future will be built on the Pierce DeVaughns of the world - senior season bloomers - more than anything else.

 

[noeynox]

I respectfully disagree - they know how to right the ship, but its not easy and there are many elements that the football staff and the university administration just don't control.

16 months or so into Edsall 2.0 one thing is apparent, while he has evolved many elements of his approach to football, he still a guy with clear limits to his willingness to kiss the butt of top level prospects.

For this recrutiing season I would like to see us have 5-7 recruits by mid August and then wait for those season senior surprises that come during the Nov/Dec/Jan recruiting months to fill the remaining 10 slots (figuring it will be a 15-18 slot class). Our future will be built on the Pierce Devaughns of the work - senior season bloomers - more than anything else.

I guess we will see. They appear very reactionary to me. This athletic program cannot exist with the massive subsidy for all eternity. What's the plan for that?

Pierce Devaughn? Let's hope the kid can play, but it's a stretch to think this is the way you're gonna get to the top of this conference.

 

[businesslawyer]

He isn't wrong. We are preparing for another "rebuilding year". There is zero buzz to this program. The top prospects in the state aren't giving the school even a courtesy official visit.

There was a real chance for something special here at one point. It really feels like it has been totally squandered at this point. It is not solely by this administration by a long shot, but they certainly don't look like they have a clue or a plan on how to right the ship.

Of course there is zero buzz to this program. We have been beyond awful (not just poor but really and truly bottom of the barrel) an incredibly depressing 4 out of 5 years. I don't know that a quick fix was available by way of a new coach, but if there was we didn't have the cash to get it, so we rationally went for someone we had high confidence could fix things over time. We now have to let that play out, but it was never going to be fixed by this season. All we can hope for is signs of improvement and then moving back towards mediocrity (which is a huge step from where we've been) in '19.

The fanbase is depressed and disinterested. Nothing will change that but wins. And that will take time. And, even with wins, it won't be as exciting as it was when we were in a conference that had a guaranteed BCS bowl berth, regional rivals and was clearly a "have", even if it was by far the weakest of the haves.

So with all due respect to Whaler, why?

 

[CL82]

This athletic program cannot exist with the massive subsidy for all eternity. What's the plan for that?

Position ourselves for a P5 invite by maintaining P5 level sports and facilities for as long as we can and then pray there is expansion in an conference that is a good a fit.

I wish it was more than that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I guess we will see. They appear very reactionary to me. This athletic program cannot exist with the massive subsidy for all eternity. What's the plan for that?

Pierce Devaughn? Let's hope the kid can play, but it's a stretch to think this is the way you're gonna get to the top of this conference.

Win some games. I am not sure how or why anyone expects UConn football to recruit like an established program. This will require patience and baby steps. Win 5-6 game instead of 3, maybe qualify for a bowl. Then Edsall will be able to recruit slightly better guys, who might eventually take us to 7-8 wins. Then maybe, if we're lucky here and there, we get an occasional 9 win season (10 would be amazing).

Right now, I get the sense that we're in a "prove it" stage. HS players want us to prove that we can win more than we lose. It's not easy, and requires that we get more out of the talent we have than many may think is possible. That's how he did it the first time. He has to do it again.

 

[Exit 4]

I guess we will see. They appear very reactionary to me. This athletic program cannot exist with the massive subsidy for all eternity. What's the plan for that?

Pierce Devaughn? Let's hope the kid can play, but it's a stretch to think this is the way you're gonna get to the top of this conference.

Gotta have a 6 or 7 win season if we want a realistic chance to land more top 10 instate guys. To get to a 6 or 7 win season we need the late bloomers that other schools overlook. I don't see another path in this climate. Oh, and take a few flyers on JUCO guys. But the JUCO guys capable of starting in P6 football tend to have options too that are way better than UConn. When UConn searches the JUCO market it seems we are stuck with guys that just give us depth and better practice squads rather than full fledged starters.

Last year I really liked that Plank-Talerico kid in PA (LB/TE) that Crocker pushed on in mid December that signed with Delaware. Those are the kinds of kids they need to flag now- build a relationship and be in better position to pounce on come November.

 

[Pudge]

Shout out to the leadership for the electricity they have generated around the football program.

Your trending UConn football topics:

1. A half dozen people who really want the helmet to have a block C

2. A guy who wants to borrow a cornhole game, but let's not go crazy it has to be close to his house

3. Player who committed to Clemson.

Thank God we have a guy who really gets football like Dave Benedict. Beth Goetz is knocking it out of the park as the sport administrator for football. Takes a lotta manpower to keep things humming like this.

So many rock stars.

In 5-7 years when UConn drops FBS football just remember how much money these people stole.

You can't make this stuff up:
"The opportunity to add Beth to our team at UConn is like winning the administrative national championship or signing the number one prospect in the recruiting class," said Benedict.

Sure the program is swirling the drain losing by 40 points at home in front of 6k people but WE WON THE ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

Keep supporting Suzie Lax though - she totally believes sports are important. So important she is going to hang a banner on the women's lacrosse field for the ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. By my math it's 3 in a row!

What a quintessential New England curmudgeon.

 

[YoungFree]

Shout out to the leadership for the electricity they have generated around the football program.

Your trending UConn football topics:

1. A half dozen people who really want the helmet to have a block C

2. A guy who wants to borrow a cornhole game, but let's not go crazy it has to be close to his house

3. Player who committed to Clemson.

Thank God we have a guy who really gets football like Dave Benedict. Beth Goetz is knocking it out of the park as the sport administrator for football. Takes a lotta manpower to keep things humming like this.

So many rock stars.

In 5-7 years when UConn drops FBS football just remember how much money these people stole.

You can't make this stuff up:
"The opportunity to add Beth to our team at UConn is like winning the administrative national championship or signing the number one prospect in the recruiting class," said Benedict.

Sure the program is swirling the drain losing by 40 points at home in front of 6k people but WE WON THE ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

Keep supporting Suzie Lax though - she totally believes sports are important. So important she is going to hang a banner on the women's lacrosse field for the ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. By my math it's 3 in a row!

I would not be upset if UConn football moved down to the FCS. I know that is blasphemy but if that is the level we should be playing at then let's do it.

 

[whaler11]

I see the cheap whiskey is flowing late on a Sunday night.

Like I would drink cheap whiskey.

Is Nelson and Whaler11 the same person? They both want UConn to drop football...

Quite the opposite ol chap. I’m noting how dead the program is because I worry about it’s ongoing existance and I’m a bigger football fan than basketball.

Seriously Whaler. The spring game is over. We just hired a new basketball coach. Heaven forfend, that might be the focus of discussion until, let’s say July, when activity picks up again.

TIL that you can only discuss one sport at a time. Look on the bright side - bashing me got a handful of people thinking about football. BTW the spring game got just about zero attention here.

What a quintessential New England curmudgeon.

Why thank you. You are the quintessential guy who has nothing of substance to add so just attacks me personally.


I guess even an expectation that there would be any interest or discussion of a ‘P6’ football program is too high a standard.

Drumming up even one iota of interest in the program must not be a scored category for ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.

When the drumbeats get loud on making football go away hopefully we have an argument against it.

 

[whaler11]

BTW whomever agreed to play UCF on opening night should be shot to the sun.

Let’s have our completely inexperienced defense get lit up for 120+ points the first two weeks so that everyone has given up on the season by mid-September.

Hope it doesn’t hurt our 2018 ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP bid.

 

[YoungFree]

BTW whomever agreed to play UCF on opening night should be shot to the sun.

Let’s have our completely inexperienced defense get lit up for 120+ points the first two weeks so that everyone has given up on the season by mid-September.

Hope it doesn’t hurt our 2018 ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP bid.

I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep last night so when I read your comments I see Madea shouting this out and I can't stop laughing...am I delirious?

 

[BlueMAB]

@whaler11

Honest question: how do you propose they generate buzz around what's been a terrible team, at a time when the spring game is done, they don't play a game for 4 months, and we're competing with NBA/NHL playoffs, the NFL draft, MLB, and Golf in the news cycle?

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

BTW whomever agreed to play UCF on opening night should be shot to the sun.

Let’s have our completely inexperienced defense get lit up for 120+ points the first two weeks so that everyone has given up on the season by mid-September.

Hope it doesn’t hurt our 2018 ADMINISTRATIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP bid.

Honest question...do you have the option to agree or disagree? Or is the schedule dictated. My guess is there is not way around this. RE is usually pretty smart about scheduling. He knows this isn't ideal...so there must have been no other option.

 

[whaler11]

@whaler11

Honest question: how do you propose they generate buzz around what's been a terrible team, at a time when the spring game is done, they don't play a game for 4 months, and we're competing with NBA/NHL playoffs, the NFL draft, MLB, and Golf in the news cycle?

I wrote a long reply and the machine ate it.

The cheap version:
1. Try. There is zero effort right now. Zero is generous.
2. You’ve got free/cheap labor in your marketing majors - we already know the kids get promotion better than the professionals we have. Jalen Adams gets it better than anything the AD does. There are a half dozen social media platforms they can leverage for free.
3. Market what you are actually selling. Stop wasting your money on TV commercials focused on tailgating.
4. The scoreboard end of Rentschler Field is an excellent opportunity to design something that would make people want to attend. The model of sit here in your seat is fading - just look at how many people stand behind the red line.
5. Completely revisit the way they price and sell tickets. Stop saddling football fans with tack on costs for funding other facilities. Make growing the football fanbase the priority - stop bleeding them for non-revenue sports. Have more than a one year view on revenue (lol).
6. There should be someone in a Jonathan costume at every fair and festival in the state accompanied by someone selling tickets
7. Partner with your sponsors - why are they not in the Travelers cafe twice a summer selling tickets for example.

Do something - if the best anyone can come up with is - we stink can’t try we should probably find someone who thinks a little more of what they are selling.

 

[YoungFree]

Honest question...do you have the option to agree or disagree? Or is the schedule dictated. My guess is there is not way around this. RE is usually pretty smart about scheduling. He knows this isn't ideal...so there must have been no other option.

Or perhaps he thought to get the beating over early...