New OC Frank Verducci

[Confident Carl]

We already have a successful FCS OC on staff, Wayne Linberg. He coached receivers last year and QB's this year. He played QB at Virgina. He should have a great deal of input in the passing game. Together with Verducci and staff, along with a united philosophy should do well.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wayne_lineburg_880854.html

 

[CTMike]

We've got a lot of cooks in the kitchen. The buck stops with Diaco - there's no excuse this year for not running exactly the offense he envisions.

 

[uconnbill]

agreed that preparation and planning are how this team will win on the field. Again as the run coordinator at Florida he had a hand in the offense whether it was as a coordinator or not.

 

[cttxus]

We already have a successful FCS OC on staff, Wayne Linberg. He coached receivers last year and QB's this year. He played QB at Virgina. He should have a great deal of input in the passing game. Together with Verducci and staff, along with a united philosophy should do well.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wayne_lineburg_880854.html

Not sure who HCBD will have calling plays this year but coach Linberg would seem to have the credentials . . .

Lineburg originally came to Richmond in 2010 as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and was the interim head coach in 2011.

In 2013, Lineburg's offensive help lead the Spiders to a four-game winning streak at the end of the season, including victories over two ranked teams to close the year. Richmond's offense ranked 24th in the country (441.4 yards per game) in the Football Championship Subdivision - a mark which was second in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Spiders led the CAA in passing offense at 328.2 yards per game.

In 2012, Lineburg helped guide a prolific Richmond offense rank 20th in the nation in passing offense (271.2) and 21st in scoring offense (33.2). Richmond had an 8-3 record and earning a share of the Colonial Athletic Association championship. The Spiders saw two offensive players, fullback Kendall Gaskins and tight end Kevin Finney, earn All-American honors.

Lineburg had twice been the Spiders' offensive coordinator prior to the start of the 2011 campaign, when he continued in that role while also serving as interim head coach. Under Lineburg, senior wide receiver Tre Gray was named Associate Press Third-Team All-American.

The Radford, Va. native had a first stint with Richmond for three years from 2004-06 as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach.

Under Lineburg, the Spiders' posted prolific offensive numbers. In 2005, Richmond gained a school-record 4,957 yards of total offense and scored 44 touchdowns. The offensive unit averaged 381.3 yards per game and ranked 41st in the country that year. Lineburg's offense averaged more than 330 yards per game every year and had an 800-yard rusher each of those three seasons.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The fact that we're all speculating who will be calling plays? Not good.

 

[whaler11]

The fact that we're all speculating who will be calling plays? Not good.

Do we know who called them last year?

 

[Husky25]

I'm not happy with the hire, but hoping that I'm wrong. Does that make me "hopefully pessimistic"?

This reminds me of the diner scene from, "Beautiful Girls." In Kevs' words, "bad bet." the only thing that's missing is the $20.

http://new.miramax.com/watch?v=B3YmRvYToO_idBceXRJQVgwLu1NShD2Y

"If you win, she's banging the guy, so you lose. If you lose, you lose $20. Not a smart bet."

 

[uconnbill]

The fact that we're all speculating who will be calling plays? Not good.

As long as the coaching staff knows what is going on then we can speculate all we want about something none of us have any control over. I think HCBD has his plan in place and I have to trust him right now, because he is all we have.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Do we know who called them last year?

We aren't supposed to discuss those things on this board. Reflects poorly on the program.

 

[uconnbill]

Do we know who called them last year?

How about asking Diaco or ask a reporter to ask him when they speak to him next time

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

As long as the coaching staff knows what is going on then we can speculate all we want about something none of us have any control over. I think HCBD has his plan in place and I have to trust him right now, because he is all we have.

If we're going to post only about things we can control this place would be lonely.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

How about asking Diaco or ask a reporter to ask him when they speak to him next time

I think that question was asked and we got an answer that confused us more.

 

[CL82]

In not wanting to be accused of making the board" unreadable", I kept from posting this. This will be another one of these things that I'm hoping works out on blind faith alone. I too would have preferred a younger FCS coordinator type, but Diaco seems hell bent on a particular style.

Geez, what's up with the negativity? Way to kill the thread!

 

[LRock34]

I watched the clip. The take home point for me, is that Coach Fry talks about improving as the season goes along and as young players get experience. That's absolutely necessary for success. What concerns me about young coach booby is that in his first season as a head coach, I am hard pressed to find a single unit on the field that progressed well during the course of the season and improved.

The offensive line improved a great deal. It still wasn't what I would call "good" by the end of the season but it was much better than it had been the first 6 games. Unfortunately we fired the only coach who's unit actually improved..

And if I can add my two cents on this hire well I just don't get it.....at all. We hired a career offensive line coach and gave him his first OC job in 30 years.

What I'm wondering/hoping is that he's OC in title only and not truly responsible for the entire offense. Diaco spoke about having 3 passing game experts on the staff....I have no idea who that might be...but if we believe we already have passing experts in house, the new guy is probably going to be the run game coordinator. I'm guessing we're probably going to run the ball 70% of the time and dial up a few passes that are going to be designed by someone else on the staff. I can live with that...when we were winning we ran the ball 80 to 90% of the time. If we can find a 70/30 balance it will be a welcome change...especially if we have a true running QB.

 

[whaler11]

How about asking Diaco or ask a reporter to ask him when they speak to him next time

LOL. It was asked and not answered.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The offensive line improved a great deal. It still wasn't what I would call "good" by the end of the season but it was much better than it had been the first 6 games. Unfortunately we fired the only coach who's unit actually improved..

And if I can add my two cents on this hire well I just don't get it.....at all. We hired a career offensive line coach and gave him his first OC job in 30 years.

What I'm wondering/hoping is that he's OC in title only and not truly responsible for the entire offense. Diaco spoke about having 3 passing game experts on the staff....I have no idea who that might be...but if we believe we already have passing experts in house, the new guy is probably going to be the run game coordinator. I'm guessing we're probably going to run the ball 70% of the time and dial up a few passes that are going to be designed by someone else on the staff. I can live with that...when we were winning we ran the ball 80 to 90% of the time. If we can find a 70/30 balance it will be a welcome change...especially if we have a true running QB.

I don't remember much improvement by any unit when we lost to Army, and got beat by Cincinatti 41-0 and lost to a previously winless SMU.

 

[UConn Dan]

I don't know why but I like DP!!!

That's what she said

 

[Jimdish255]

My only early critique of the hire is the lack of play calling experience in Verducci's past.

According to John Silver, Verducci will help with the O-line as well as running backs and overall offensive game plan (obviously, as the Offensive coordinator), there is no clear indication of successful offensive play calling on the staff. As has been said on the board recently (Spackler or Serrano IIRC), play calling is an art form, not a science. Would Coach Diaco entrust Lineburg (Past Coordinator and QB coach) or Patterson (TE Coach) to usurp the Offensive Coordinator in terms of play calling? I sincerely hope not and with only 25 seconds between plays, Play calling cannot be a committee endeavor. I just hope that over the last 31 years, Verducci has perused "Play Calling for Dummies" at least a couple times. On the other hand, I don't remember play calling experience in Shane Day's background prior to October 2013, so who knows?

Contrary to what Spackler says above, I believe we will see more than a glimpse in 67 days, not 200.

This is clearly a chain-of-command question, and a good one. And the impact of play-calling can be diminished when you have an experienced QB running the show.

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

Diaco knows he's never going to recruit a top QB and will struggle to recruit great WRs. Their just are not a lot of them in his recruiting area. He can develop offensive lineman, however, and build around a pound it out running game. This is especially important playing outdoors in Ct in November and December. Edsall knew this and his teams' identity was 1) run the ball effectively; 2) play fundamentally sound 3) tackle well. The years UConn did well they had great special teams play on top of that. If you get lucky and a DanO falls into your lap, then you have a chance to be a top 25 team with that recipe.

That being said, it sounds to me like Verducci, on paper, is an intelligent hire.

 

[uconnbill]

LOL. It was asked and not answered.

I understand your frustration especially after FHCPP and Deleone offense. Remember this was his first year being a head coach and this is his truly first recruiting class. I guess you and Jimmy forget the disaster before in Pasqualoni and Deleone and that total mess. He is getting a pass from me this past year and I am hopeful that the team will improve.

 

[Husky25]

This is clearly a chain-of-command question, and a good one. And the impact of play-calling can be diminished when you have an experienced QB running the show.

Unfortunately, UConn has a junior with happy feet, a transferred red shirt sophomore, and a true freshman from whom to choose. That said, IF Boyle can settle down behind a more experienced line, the down field component of the offense may still become a reality.

 

[whaler11]

I understand your frustration especially after FHCPP and Deleone offense. Remember this was his first year being a head coach and this is his truly first recruiting class. I guess you and Jimmy forget the disaster before in Pasqualoni and Deleone and that total mess. He is getting a pass from me this past year and I am hopeful that the team will improve.

I was really just making a joke that it was unclear about who was calling plays last year. When the question was asked the answer was bizarre.

Playcalling is the most overrated thing in the sport to me.

 

[Nostical]

Playcalling is the most overrated thing in the sport to me.

Tell that to the Seahawks.

 

[whaler11]

Tell that to the Seahawks.

Yes, you can toss away a game on brainlock - but Oregon doesn't score 50 a game because of playcalling.

UConn could improve merely by getting a play called early enough in the play clock to avoid delay penalties.

 

[Adios]

Tell that to the Seahawks.

Or their fans. Holy moly. Some are reacting worse than we do to conference realignment.