Newsflash!!!!! Bob Diaco is the head coach of Uconn

[junglehusky]

I think Diaco has actually gotten more production out of the team over the past 4 games than the first few games. It just hasn't been consistent enough. To be a genuinely good team requires depth, experience and leadership and a team that knows how to win. We do have some talent on the team (the cupboard was not bare), but not enough to overcome the lack of experience especially after losing Cochran. Now I know people are going to continue to analyze timeouts and in-game coaching but to me that's secondary at this point. I honestly do not have the energy to get my blood in a boil over timeouts or press conferences quotes. Next year though, and the year after, different story.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I really wonder if posters like this know anything about football. Did they just start following it?

Anyone who thinks a football team with no QB can magically change overnight is just not very bright.

PP left the cupboard bare, DD needs to be able to recruit, get a QB, and instill his system, style of play, and culture.

As a DC he took a team to the Sugar Bowl and another to the National Championship game, but no the guy cannot win games on the field, right.

I wish that guys like rms25, and several others would write a hell of a lot more actually, and attract more like us. I write, and continue to write because it's basically a mental therapy for me, but the reasons for writing can differ and be greatly variable. The subject matter doesn't change though, and it's football, and guess what? The film doesn't lie. Maybe once it did. South Carolina was a good team on film in 2009. Maybe a few other examples around where maybe the film lied.

But one thing is for certain, it's writer's like you that think you know something about what you are seeing, and have pictures of basketball players on the page, makes it hard for people that do know what they're seeing to engage in discussion.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Marty is right that if Diaco fails badly, it may be the end of the line for UConn football. We are not a MAC school. We have too much overhead to be consistently drawing 15-20k. Diaco has to turn it around.

 

[RMS25CT]

I really wonder if posters like this know anything about football. Did they just start following it?

Anyone who thinks a football team with no QB can magically change overnight is just not very bright.

PP left the cupboard bare, DD needs to be able to recruit, get a QB, and instill his system, style of play, and culture.

As a DC he took a team to the Sugar Bowl and another to the National Championship game, but no the guy cannot win games on the field, right.

I never once said he should be expected to change a team over night. I asked what is the offensive system for which he is recruiting. The question was asked in the context of what types of offensive players does he want to get. We know his defensive system but I have no idea what his preferred offensive style is. He obviously wants tall WRs because he has commits from a lot of those guys. What type of lineman does he want? Road graders like the type Edsall recruited? Lighter but quicker guys like you might see in many of the Big 12 programs? I don't know much about Shireffs, but I think the QB from Long Island is known more for his ability to run than throw.

PP left the cupboard bare just like Edsall did yet how many guys from UConn from the past 4 years are in the NFL....hardly a bare cupboard. And all those recruiting rating watchers were giddy when PP's guys were rated higher than the previous coach's. Can't have it both ways. Either there is talent or there is not. I think there is talent in some spots that was woefully underdeveloped. Believe me I'm not defending PP. My largest issue isn't with the talent or lack thereof, it's about having kids prepared and when you have a chance to steal a game, putting them in a position to succeed. The confusion on the sideline those last 2 offensive drives was disturbing.

And my expectation bar was not high for this year...maybe 5 wins, 6 if they got lucky. But 9 games in and we saw a team on Saturday that looked very unprepared for what they were going to face. While I never expected UConn to be world beaters in 2014, I did expect them to be improved over 2013.

As they say about first year starters in any sport (or coaches), after 2/3 of the season has gone by "he ain't a freshman (or rookie) any more".

 

[Tdaley]

This team still needs a lot of work and talent upgrade. Watching the game in person and then several times again after I got home I saw the same weaknesses bite us in the butt over and over again. We have little or no speed from the edges. Our defense ends are average at best. We got no pressure from our defensive ends or linebackers when Army ran the triple option wide. They rarely ran up the gut because Meyers and Campenni do a great job. Our outside guys did a poor job. I'm not sure I have ever seen a triple option quarterback run along with the line of scrimmage as often as the Army quarterback did with so little pressure put on him. I know that the fans at the game were screaming to bring the two safeties closer to the line but I'm not sure it would have help that much. The linebackers and defensive ends have to do a much better job. Ashiru missed about 4 open field tackles before in causing the fumble in the first half. I know Vann got hurt earlier in the game and was most likely not a 100% but he was unblock on one of the Army's touchdown that was on a sweep and he never got into the play. Whitmer played a great game ( except for that last pass). He has developed into a terrific runner. However, he is not very good when the first pass option is covered. He just doesn't locate the second or third options most of the time. Part of it is probably due to the poor line that he has operated behind the 3 years he has been here. It was a disappointing loss to say the least. However, we have to give Diaco more time improve the program. On the plus side, how good was Ron Johnson. He is a great combo of power and speed. He lowered the boom on one of the would be Army tacklers early in the game. Going forward in this again non-bowl year I do hope we see more of Boyle. The line is improving which should lower Diaco's fear that his future quarterback is going to take too many hits.

 

[Confident Carl]

He's not trending in the right direction. We are all hoping for a light bulb moment when the foundation he claims to be building starts to show on the field. Haven't seen anything worthy of note to date. Doesn't mean it won't happen after a full season and offseason, but the bar for some of you is so freaking low, it's Yankee conference level. It is not difficult to win 6 games. In fact, it's pretty hard not to when you can schedule your way to 4. Add in the 5-6 sub 100 team in the AAC and there really is no excuse. We gave PP a ton of crap for blowing the first Vanderbilt game before it was fashionable. There is a lot of the same going on here. No one is looking to fire BD, but if there is no bowl game next season, I'd cut him loose and not think twice about it, solely based on the schedule strength. If you can't come in and take a bunch of competitive players and beat these teams, then you are not the guy. He should be on notice that this isn't acceptable. He is only raising expectations for next season, and it didn't have to happen.

So play Boyle, it's a tough way for CW to end his career, but it's time. With no bowl game and the extra practices, BD needs to treat the rest of the season as tool for next season.

I think we should do everything possible to win the last three games to set the tone for next season, just like we ended last year except this time we will have the same coach and staff plus 20 hand picked recruits to start the season. Losing Casey was huge and you have to wonder how well
Weist would have done with the Players and coaching staff in place. I guess we will never know. If we can finish 5-7 this year, it would be a great way to end the season.

 

[Hoophound]

I think TJ would have done much better. That doesn't mean Diaco won't succeed, I just think TJ was more experienced in ways that made him more "game ready".

Diaco needs to spend a lot of time studying clock management and game preparation from an X and O standpoint. The Army game was an easy win for a coaching staff that game planned right. At the same time, UCF is a very good team and the schemes worked beautifully.

It is all about spending a lot of time planning for the opponent rather than only working on our own "system". We went into that Army game with a defensive game plan aimed at ECU or Cincy rather than Army. When this stuff happens it is horrifyingly similar to the PP era.

 

[warbler1055]

If Diaco and Cummings do not show any improvement next year, then UConn FB and UConn Athletics have a very serious problem. They surely did not show anything this year except talk about process and building for the future. It's hard to see how building for the future based on the dismal performance so far by everybody, specifically coaches.

 

[ktuck911]

It is all about spending a lot of time planning for the opponent rather than only working on our own "system". We went into that Army game with a defensive game plan aimed at ECU or Cincy rather than Army. When this stuff happens it is horrifyingly similar to the PP era.

Valid point here...

 

[Jerry1714]

I wish that guys like rms25, and several others would write a hell of a lot more actually, and attract more like us. I write, and continue to write because it's basically a mental therapy for me, but the reasons for writing can differ and be greatly variable. The subject matter doesn't change though, and it's football, and guess what? The film doesn't lie. Maybe once it did. South Carolina was a good team on film in 2009. Maybe a few other examples around where maybe the film lied.

But one thing is for certain, it's writer's like you that think you know something about what you are seeing, and have pictures of basketball players on the page, makes it hard for people that do know what they're seeing to engage in discussion.

The fact you disagree makes me even more confident in my points.

 

[Stray_Dog]

did you guys really look at the roster this off season thinking we were going to be an above average team? and did you expect a first time head coach not to have some issues with game management? Diaco has definitely left some points out there but until it happens next season with a full year under his belt i think its less of an issue than it is being made out to be

No, but my bar was low, I did feel that 3 wins was a must. Otherwise why did we get rid of TJ Weist? Did anyone think we would lose to Army? There are cup cake games that we should not lose. This was one of them. And losing by 14? Getting blown out? I'll describe our game coach versus our media coach. Game coach, play doesn't go your way, what do I do, (Tick Tock) How do I do it? (Tick Tick Tick) Who is putting personal in there? (Well call something simple) do this for three and out and guess what, when your playing against the other coach and your playing against the play clock - you can't win. Then even if you have unbiased refs your still out numbered 2 to 1 and in the ACC we would be outnumbered 3 to 1. And I am of the mindset that is, Bob Diaco deserves our critique deserves to see the pessimism of our fan base. Who is paying who? No, I don't think he should be fired. Our problem is simple, every year we have a head coach job in FBS is a year we need to always evaluate the person holding the job and compare them to the best capable person who would want the job. When the current holder is better than those that would want to come here you leave them alone. When the adverse is true you need to at least be open. And no - no coach would want to come here after Bob Diaco has had only year in the position. And those that would are likely worse than even PP. Therefore it is likely that the best candidate for the job is the current one holding the job. But after year 2 - the AD and those making the business decision need to determine if this is still true. My fear is that we always have knee jerk reactions to these high profile decisions. Poor planning leads to poor execution. Sure I play Lotto, but I do not for a second believe this will be the huge pay-out necessary for me in retirement.