Offensive Line

[uconndogs]

Diaco stated upon his hire that the roster was significantly deficient in areas in terms of physical development and depth and specifically mentioned the OL as an example. What we saw last Friday was a perfect display of that. On a soggy field the lack of physical development is amplified. P and GDL did not emphasize and maybe even ignored S&C. We had multiple 5th year seniors last year who could not get 225 LBs up more than 15 times as an example. The physical psyche was gone as well - the big uglies were just ugly and not particularly big, strong or nasty.

This thing got really broke under P. I heard things I didn't want to believe, but I'm convinced now they were entirely accurate. Diaco's comment about stuff going missing from the football facilities is only one other symptom of a very sick culture that took root.

The game Friday was awful, but I did not see the kids quit. That will be the key going forward. Progress and continued effort.

 

[RMS25CT]

Everyone is ripping the OL (deservedly so), but the backs aren't blocking either. The fullbacks have missed numerous kick out blocks on the edge as well as fill blocks for pulling lineman. In the passing game, the backs get a D at best in pass protection.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Everyone is ripping the OL (deservedly so), but the backs aren't blocking either. The fullbacks have missed numerous kick out blocks on the edge as well as fill blocks for pulling lineman. In the passing game, the backs get a D at best in pass protection.

It's incredibly frustrating to watch, without knowing the systems, the communication, the reads, and the way they are practicing and the play calls. Because the breakdowns are so obvious. The strip sack that led to basically shutting down the passing game Friday. The OL nearly botched the DL stunt, but it happen becaused there were 3 players, the TE, the FB, or the TB, that could have picked up that edge pressure, and at least one should have, but no one did.

It's maddening, for me, because how the hell can you expect young players like we've got to begin to get this kind of discipline if we're constantly rotating backs and TE's and lineman? Not going to happen, when they're not on the field regularly.

The other way to complete the play is for Whitmer to stand in, deliver the ball to the open FB down field and take the hit on that 2nd and 17 play That's not good for keeping a QB on the field. Football is evolving as a sport, and the days of a QB standing in the pocket and taking their shots to the chin and standing back up are ending very quickly. We have got to get the pass protections working, if we're going to pass the ball. I have no problem with scrapping everything but the most basic of plays, until we can demonstrate it in practices. We've also got to get our lineman and TE's to be able to line up consistently with their splits and simple body positioning to be able to get into a good blocks. By now, we are telegraphing plays to defenses by the way these players are simply lining up.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I agree. But on a positive note most of the issues I noticed were missed blocks NOT an offensive lineman getting beat. If you look at all the sacks this line has given up, usually it is someone coming through completely untouched. When our line does block the right people they do a good job mostly. So they can block they just need to communicate better, so they know who is responsible to block which defender. I think they have the ability but just need more experience or coaching to know their assignments.

Also a lot of sacks can blamed on the QBs who need to have the ability anticipate blitzes and make adjustments. If the defense has two people lined up on a tackle. The tackle can't block both, so an adjustment must be made. The QB needs to audible or make some adjustment. Chandler doesn't do a good job with this. He is blissfully unaware when a defender creeps towards the line to blitz. Casey had much more awareness which explains why he was sacked less.

Finally the RBs need this awareness too. They need to anticipate the blitz so they can help. Often our RBs are out of place on a blitz when it was pretty obvious that the blitz was coming from a particular side.

I think the talent and size is there. Hopefully more experience will help things.

How do you get enough experience when you are rotating players like we do? Can you? rhetorical question.

What seems obvious to me, painful through the first quarter of the seasons, it that there is a simple decision that this rookie head coach has made, and does not appear to be waivering from it as the season is ongoing. HE was pretty clear about it too, in the real preseason - about splitting reps.

He has decided that he will split reps almost evenly, among all players, rather than weigh reps heavily for starters. That's going to go for practices and games.

It may help out in the long run, but it is costing us the ability to develop young players now, to the point where they are completely unreliable in what you describe up there, to the point where the head coach, chose to shut down the entire passing game.

The young coach is at a crossroads. He's getting a priceless education as a head coach, and I hope to good god that he stays at UCONN long term after he learns, because I think he's a fantastic coach.

You can't keep practicing this way, if you're not going to use it in games to try to win.

 

[Confident Carl]

What ever happened to Zack Rugg. I thought he had potenial. I never see his name.

 

[J187Money]

Foley could never tell these guys to hit the gym? Regardless of what PP and GDL focused on it isn't like Foley had his mouth sown shut. Sio absolutely hit the gym so it wasn't like nobody was working out. Some of this just doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Foley could never tell these guys to hit the gym? Regardless of what PP and GDL focused on it isn't like Foley had his mouth sown shut. Sio absolutely hit the gym so it wasn't like nobody was working out. Some of this just doesn't make any sense to me.

It's widely known now, that Jerry Martin was fighting some serious illness for a quite some time while he was still working at UCONN. He never told anyone, as far as I know, and never went to the doctor get himself checked either, and the people closest to him, his players and family, didn't really find out until after he left UCONN in January, but it's pretty clear, in hindsight now, that his energy levels and ability to do what he was doing in the past, to motivate, energize, and build the strength and conditioning program was slowing down in the past few seasons as he was battling an aggressive form of cancer quietly, and unknown to anyone, including himself, on his own for a long time. He was just tired and run down most of the time for the past few seasons. It explains a lot.

As the hiring of the new coach, has shown, the energy level of a strength and conditioning coach is very important.

Everyone in the UCONN family, should be doing everything they can do support Jerry Martin and his family.

Contact the school to find out how, if you don't already know on your own.

 

[BNich]

It's widely known now, that Jerry Martin was fighting some serious illness for a quite some time while he was still working at UCONN. He never told anyone, as far as I know, and never went to the doctor get himself checked either, and the people closest to him, his players and family, didn't really find out until after he left UCONN in January, but it's pretty clear, in hindsight now, that his energy levels and ability to do what he was doing in the past, to motivate, energize, and build the strength and conditioning program was slowing down in the past few seasons as he was battling an aggressive form of cancer quietly, and unknown to anyone, including himself, on his own for a long time. He was just tired and run down most of the time for the past few seasons. It explains a lot.

As the hiring of the new coach, has shown, the energy level of a strength and conditioning coach is very important.

Everyone in the UCONN family, should be doing everything they can do support Jerry Martin and his family.

Contact the school to find out how, if you don't already know on your own.

Where did you hear about that?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Foley could never tell these guys to hit the gym? Regardless of what PP and GDL focused on it isn't like Foley had his mouth sown shut. Sio absolutely hit the gym so it wasn't like nobody was working out. Some of this just doesn't make any sense to me.

Don't you know that even Foley sucks? Diaco might as well have been starting from scratch, at least according to the Apologists.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Where did you hear about that?

At a football game at Rentschler field on Aug. 29.

 

[BNich]

At a football game at Rentschler field on Aug. 29.

That's sad. I guess it explains why I change was needed.

 

[Bill Sussman]

At a football game at Rentschler field on Aug. 29.

There were also several former athletes from UConn on facebook that were buying "Martin Strong" t-shirts months ago to raise some money or show support for Jerry.

 

[J187Money]

Don't you know that even Foley sucks? Diaco might as well have been starting from scratch, at least according to the Apologists.

I don't think he sucks. But we are also in year 4 of poor OL performance. And while he didn't have the ball the whole time, it just seems odd to me.

If you are great at what you do, and you don't have the ability to do your job, why would you stay? He can't get 100 percent of the credit for results under HCRE and not take any heat for where we are now.

 

[huskymedic]

Interesting read:

O-line woes hurting evaluation and development of Husky offense

 

[Pudge]

I think WE should really hammer those amongst us that want to segment this by Apologists ... and the Genius (did you receive your MacArthur a few weeks ago?)

Fact is: some of us are Adults. Not Drama queens who change & blow around like a Hershey wrapper in the wind. We were darn right about Edsall ... You were wrong. (He did a fabulous job building ... To a point).

I'd like you all to stop writing abusive posts. But your true character shows. Thank God you're not on our Football team; this is a character flaw.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I think WE should really hammer those amongst us that want to segment this by Apologists ... and the Genius (did you receive your MacArthur a few weeks ago?)

Fact is: some of us are Adults. Not Drama queens who change & blow around like a Hershey wrapper in the wind. We were darn right about Edsall ... You were wrong. (He did a fabulous job building ... To a point).

I'd like you all to stop writing abusive posts. But your true character shows. Thank God you're not on our Football team; this is a character flaw.

The only thing I didn't like about Edsall is that he seemed to never be able to figure out mobile QB's. Pat White, Zach Collaros and Dennard Robinson had field days with us. Ok well that and the way he left. So two things.

And I agree, we as fans should be supporting the team not constantly throwing someone under the bus for this or that. We get that the offense is not good and is painful to watch at times. That doesn't mean these young men are terrible. I still have hope that the ship can get corrected by the end of the year and this team can go bowling.