Not In Support of Coach P Coming Back, But...

[ZooCougar]

I am attempting to look at this from a rational and strategic perspective and this is the way I see things at the moment. That doesn't mean this is how they are, but I bet I am close.

Bottom line up front. We are all disappointed, but the short term gratification of firing Pasqualoni may not be worth the letdown of another lackluster hire.

1. Warde isn't pleased with the job Pasqualoni is doing. You don't have that kind of talk and then publicize it if you are. It was a "grown up" ass chewing of sorts. Did Hathaway ever have a talk like this with Edsall? Edsall, probably would have laughed in Hathaway's face. It's a minor positive in my book.

Also, the fact that this was publicized was an attempt to inform, if not appease fans. Before freaking out and screaming that it's not enough, stop and think about it first. We know he directed Pasqualoni to make adjustments, he left it up to him to do that with strong caveat that someone other than George DeLeone should be calling the plays.

This quote was the most telling: "Coaches need to make better decisions all around and put them [players] in better positions."

To me this is almost a damning criticism of Pasqualoni's staff. It dismisses the talent excuse by stating that talent still has to be placed in a realistic position to compete.

1a. Let's wait patiently for the adjustments. I think what adjustments that are made will frame how P sees the problem. If he makes wholesale changes in the offensive staff, then we will really know that he is scrambling to hold onto this. If not... then let me tell you, he is digging his own grave.

2. There is never a good time to fire and hire for a school of UConn's stature. This was probably a worse year than normal. BC had spent a great deal of time coach shopping. Believe me, Steve Addazio was probably at best a tertiary choice at the start of this process. It's a "regional" hire in that nobody outside of the region would consider hiring him as a head coach. So was Pasqualoni.

UConn would have ended up with another regional hire. Guz Malzahn? Yeah right. Warde will probably spend some time in the next year researching and refining his list. Who are the NFL Coordinators that we like? Is there a Chip or Brian Kelly out there in the I-AA/FCS Div II ranks?

3. Money. It costs money to buy P out. It will also cost a great deal of money hire above our weight class and staff it the right way.

Let's be realistic, this isn't the SEC where we have reserve of donors lining up to open their checkbooks. It will take some time to line this up.

4. Finally, one more thought on BC. I thought they did it right a while back when they hired Jagodzinski (sp?). He was a very successful Staffer at Green Bay and he was really on the cutting edge at the time. Flipper overplayed his hand and replaced State of The Art with a 1988 Camaro.

If you want the State of the Art, then you better be prepared to pay, and be ready for them to interview. This is the environment, so you better be able to pay to keep them in place too.

If you don't think BC would have givem Jugs an outlandish extension early in his tenure to avoid their current state of affairs then you are crazy.

 

[jbdphi]

Good thoughts here zoo. I think you might be a bit too optimistic about an ass chewing but to be honest, I don't think that was really necessary or appropriate. As much as his public statements say he is upbeat, I would think PP is pretty pissed about the way things turned out and he knows we need to do better. Getting chewed out by WM isn't going to make a difference one way or another.

PP likely has what I call " you" money. He doesn't need this job to put food on the table or kids through college. He just wants to do it.

 

[RedSoloCup]

Good thoughts here zoo. I think you might be a bit too optimistic about an ass chewing but to be honest, I don't think that was really necessary or appropriate. As much as his public statements say he is upbeat, I would think PP is pretty pissed about the way things turned out and he knows we need to do better. Getting chewed out by WM isn't going to make a difference one way or another.

PP likely has what I call "**** you" money. He doesn't need this job to put food on the table or kids through college. He just wants to do it.

Probably right about income, it's not like he has Ferrari payments to keep up.

But getting the message out to Warde's constituents was important as well. We are their customer, buying the product that they put on the field. If we aren't happy they want us to know they are working on it.

Also, I look at the tone of the statements. They didn't seem to be confrontational, and I would guess that the meeting was not.

I am always looking at the glass half full.

And hoping it's Whistle Pig rye.

 

[ZooCougar]

Gents,

You know as well as I do, at that level, frank comments in an even and calm tone are generally how negative assessments (ass chewings) are delivered. We only see the tip of the iceberg.

Warde owes it to P to tell him where he stands. The next conversation of that nature won't come as a surprise, or it won't happen at all.

 

[ZooCougar]

Probably right about income, it's not like he has Ferrari payments to keep up.

But getting the message out to Warde's constituents was important as well. We are their customer, buying the product that they put on the field. If we aren't happy they want us to know they are working on it.

Also, I look at the tone of the statements. They didn't seem to be confrontational, and I would guess that the meeting was not.

I am always looking at the glass half full.

And hoping it's Whistle Pig rye.

I doubt it was confrontational. It doesn't need to be. It just has to be a frank conversation. But what was interesting to me was how Warde made it clear that he meets with all of his coaches after every season. Of course, the meetings doesn't always get publicized like this one did.

 

[J187Money]

Well said ZC.

 

[CTMike]

Really good post, Zoo.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I am attempting to look at this from a rational and strategic perspective and this is the way I see things at the moment. That doesn't mean this is how they are, but I bet I am close.

Bottom line up front. We are all disappointed, but the short term gratification of firing Pasqualoni may not be worth the letdown of another lackluster hire.

1. Warde isn't pleased with the job Pasqualoni is doing. You don't have that kind of talk and then publicize it if you are. It was a "grown up" ass chewing of sorts. Did Hathaway ever have a talk like this with Edsall? Edsall, probably would have laughed in Hathaway's face. It's a minor positive in my book.

Also, the fact that this was publicized was an attempt to inform, if not appease fans. Before freaking out and screaming that it's not enough, stop and think about it first. We know he directed Pasqualoni to make adjustments, he left it up to him to do that with strong caveat that someone other than George DeLeone should be calling the plays.

This quote was the most telling: "Coaches need to make better decisions all around and put them [players] in better positions."

To me this is almost a damning criticism of Pasqualoni's staff. It dismisses the talent excuse by stating that talent still has to be placed in a realistic position to compete.

1a. Let's wait patiently for the adjustments. I think what adjustments that are made will frame how P sees the problem. If he makes wholesale changes in the offensive staff, then we will really know that he is scrambling to hold onto this. If not... then let me tell you, he is digging his own grave.

2. There is never a good time to fire and hire for a school of UConn's stature. This was probably a worse year than normal. BC had spent a great deal of time coach shopping. Believe me, Steve Addazio was probably at best a tertiary choice at the start of this process. It's a "regional" hire in that nobody outside of the region would consider hiring him as a head coach. So was Pasqualoni.

UConn would have ended up with another regional hire. Guz Malzahn? Yeah right. Warde will probably spend some time in the next year researching and refining his list. Who are the NFL Coordinators that we like? Is there a Chip or Brian Kelly out there in the I-AA/FCS Div II ranks?

3. Money. It costs money to buy P out. It will also cost a great deal of money hire above our weight class and staff it the right way.

Let's be realistic, this isn't the SEC where we have reserve of donors lining up to open their checkbooks. It will take some time to line this up.

4. Finally, one more thought on BC. I thought they did it right a while back when they hired Jagodzinski (sp?). He was a very successful Staffer at Green Bay and he was really on the cutting edge at the time. Flipper overplayed his hand and replaced State of The Art with a 1988 Camaro.

If you want the State of the Art, then you better be prepared to pay, and be ready for them to interview. This is the environment, so you better be able to pay to keep them in place too.

If you don't think BC would have givem Jugs an outlandish extension early in his tenure to avoid their current state of affairs then you are crazy.

This really is an outstanding post. I'll be patiently awaiting word on staff adjustments. I do think we'll see significant turnover in this regard. Whether guys leave voluntarily or not, I'm guessing we keep only about half of the current staff. But we likely won't find out until January.

 

[mattp]

You're making too much sense, get out of here. In reality almost every coach that gets fired (which is the majority of coaches) spends at least a year on the hot seat. P's seat didn't get hot until the end of September. I'd rather WM do his due diligence than fire first and look later. A fire drill hiring process is how Maryland ended up with Edsall.

The more I think about it the more I want Brown as our HC. My main priorities in a hire are success as a HC, is a good recruiter, has energy/enthusiasm, and is a guy the players want to run through a wall for. Brown hits all of those out of the park and he's right under our nose. And he's a local guy so he's probably less likely to bolt for greener pastures.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You're making too much sense, get out of here. In reality almost every coach that gets fired (which is the majority of coaches) spends at least a year on the hot seat. P's seat didn't get hot until the end of September. I'd rather WM do his due diligence than fire first and look later. A fire drill hiring process is how Maryland ended up with Edsall.

The more I think about it the more I want Brown as our HC. My main priorities in a hire are success as a HC, is a good recruiter, has energy/enthusiasm, and is a guy the players want to run through a wall for. Brown hits all of those out of the park and he's right under our nose. And he's a local guy so he's probably less likely to bolt for greener pastures.

And Brown has head coaching experience as well.

The only thing about the conventional approach of waiting until after the 3rd year to can a coach.......that 3rd year never works out and the coach is always fired. But whether P is the coach or not next year......we're going to take some lumps IMO. And if we're going to hear the mantra of "P needs to get his guys in there"......well then our 2 deep better have a lot of RS freshmen at the top next year.

 

[Palatine]

Zoolander, it's rational speculation. But that doesn't mean it's right. I think P. was kept on for two reasons.

1. Financial considerations of the buyout and paying a new coach. Warde has bigger financial fish to fry. He needs every penny to keep the basketball practice facility on track. This was not simply a football decision. If this was a football school, P. would be gone.

2. Warde has shown himself to be very cautious in his decision making. The seven month try out for Ollie was revealing. If a decision has to be made sooner or later, Warde seems to be a "later" kind of guy.

 

[ZooCougar]

Zoolander, it's rational speculation. But that doesn't mean it's right. I think P. was kept on for two reasons.

1. Financial considerations of the buyout and paying a new coach. Warde has bigger financial fish to fry. He needs every penny to keep the basketball practice facility on track. This was not simply a football decision. If this was a football school, P. would be gone.

2. Warde has shown himself to be very cautious in his decision making. The seven month try out for Ollie was revealing. If a decision has to be made sooner or later, Warde seems to be a "later" kind of guy.

I agree. I think that those two items played into it.

Blue Steel.

 

[NutmegState]

Zoolander, it's rational speculation. But that doesn't mean it's right. I think P. was kept on for two reasons.

1. Financial considerations of the buyout and paying a new coach. Warde has bigger financial fish to fry. He needs every penny to keep the basketball practice facility on track. This was not simply a football decision. If this was a football school, P. would be gone.

2. Warde has shown himself to be very cautious in his decision making. The seven month try out for Ollie was revealing. If a decision has to be made sooner or later, Warde seems to be a "later" kind of guy.

Number 1 is inaccurate. Pasqualoni being retained has nothing to do with money. Let's just say, the buyout(s) would have been taken care of.

 

[ZooCougar]

Number 1 is inaccurate. Pasqualoni being retained has nothing to do with money. Let's just say, the buyout(s) would have been taken care of.

The buyout is not that big. In this market, getting the coach we need would probably cost more. I think that this factor probably weighs less into the situation than most.

It would be pretty messed if we asked Bobby Burton to buy out the guy he through a temper tantrum over hiring him in the first place.

 

[RS9999X]

Warde handled it well. Had the post-mortem, Asked for documented changes on the offense and improvement on the field. Will not accept a 3rd losing season was the obvious point. If Warde is doing his job he's hiring a consultant in the Fall to report on the available and noted assistants or winning MAC/Sun Belt coaches or sidelined names and has an interview short -list ready to go on November 1.

 

[Palatine]

Number 1 is inaccurate. Pasqualoni being retained has nothing to do with money. Let's just say, the buyout(s) would have been taken care of.

It's not just the buy out. A new coach is a big ticket.

And let's not forget that Malloy's destruction of the state's economy has very large implications for the university community as a whole. Every department is looking at tightening their belts. Not the best time to grab headlines by spending a lot of cash on a football coach. If the fiscal part of the decision is not the first priority, it's second. But I definitely think it's first.

 

[NutmegState]

It's not just the buy out. A new coach is a big ticket.

And let's not forget that Malloy's destruction of the state's economy has very large implications for the university community as a whole. Every department is looking at tightening their belts. Not the best time to grab headlines by spending a lot of cash on a football coach. If the fiscal part of the decision is not the first priority, it's second. But I definitely think it's first.

Pasqualoni is overpaid. I'd argue that we could hire a better coach, for less money. He's set to make 1.7 this season.

Look how high Pasqualoni is on this list (sad) :

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/SalariesContracts.htm

 

[freescooter]

Not sure he's that high paid in comparison to others. he is in the middle of D1A coaches and in the middle of the big east. What do you want to pay for a coach? Could you get someone for a little less? Maybe, but not a whole lot less. You could also spend a whole lot more and not get much, if any, better coaching.

 

[NutmegState]

Not sure he's that high paid in comparison to others. he is in the middle of D1A coaches and in the middle of the big east. What do you want to pay for a coach? Could you get someone for a little less? Maybe, but not a whole lot less. You could also spend a whole lot more and not get much, if any, better coaching.

The point is, money isn't the issue. With buyouts out of the way, surely we could get a competent coach for at least the same as we're paying now. Maybe less. I would see no reason to spend more.

 

[Waquoit]

I think Manual just doesn't have the stones to make a move. Canning P is clearly the right call, keeping him gains us nothing. The rock star has feet of clay.

 

[Husky25]

It's not just the buy out. A new coach is a big ticket.

And let's not forget that Malloy's destruction of the state's economy has very large implications for the university community as a whole. Every department is looking at tightening their belts. Not the best time to grab headlines by spending a lot of cash on a football coach. If the fiscal part of the decision is not the first priority, it's second. But I definitely think it's first.

Leave the anti-Malloy wingnut politics in the Cesspool. Its been established that the UConn Athletic Department is not funded with public tax dollars.

 

[freescooter]

The point is, money isn't the issue. With buyouts out of the way, surely we could get a competent coach for at least the same as we're paying now. Maybe less. I would see no reason to spend more.

Don't disagree with this.

 

[freescooter]

I think Manual just doesn't have the stones to make a move. Canning P is clearly the right call, keeping him gains us nothing. The rock star has feet of clay.

this is a concern to me to some extent. I don't think he covered himself in glory in the Ollie situation where he bowed to pressure to hire him and likely will do the same to keep him, but I don't think that was the case here. I think zoo's scenario is more likely. The interesting thing will be what happens if UConn ends up say 6-6, 7-5 next year. Is that "progress" or more of the same?

 

[Palatine]

Leave the anti-Malloy wingnut politics in the Cesspool. Its been established that the UConn Athletic Department is not funded with public tax dollars.

That was not my point. My point was that the current financial problem (and yes, Malloy caused it, just a fact) will affect ever department of the university. And it is NOT the time to put out the perception that UConn is spending big on football coaches.

Even though Calhoun was paid by the athletic department, the "not one dime" controversy was about tax money and state fiscal responsibility.

 

[huskymedic]

Pasqualoni is overpaid. I'd argue that we could hire a better coach, for less money. He's set to make 1.7 this season.

Look how high Pasqualoni is on this list (sad) :

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/SalariesContracts.htm

He's overpaid in your mind because he didn't deliver - he's not overpaid for experiance and market. Good OC/DC ccordinators make $1m+ in some conferences.