OT- Coach P - tabbed as new Bears LB coach?

[UConnDan97]

Congrats to Pasqualoni. I wish him well...

 

[Milo65]

Why are you so old?

 

[MattMang23]

He didn't turn UCONN around after Edsall but he still can coach.

I beg to differ. He completely turned UConn around.

 

[huskysupporter]

I don't know why people are wishing him well. He made uconn football a joke to people outside the state. I wish the bears luck

Coach P is a stand up guy, from everything I have read about him. His tenure here was an unmitigated failure, but that doesn't mean I won't wish him well.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Coach P is a stand up guy, from everything I have read about him. His tenure here was an unmitigated failure, but that doesn't mean I won't wish him well.

Sure sure but he was so bad. I can't wish him luck after what he did with this team

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Coach P is a good man, just a horrible fit for UConn at the worst time possible. Best wishes.

 

[jostar1]

This blog post says they hired him:

http://beargoggleson.com/2014/01/16/chicago-bears-hire-paul-pasqualoni-linebackers-coach/

 

[Alum86]

He killed our program. Cannot wish him well. Rot in hell on the banks of icy Lake Michigan, Dracula

 

[gars44]

He took a uconn team on the rise and made us mediocre. I don't appreciate any of his 'coaching skills'

I'm not sure how true that is. RE left a bare cupboard on offense. Granted we were well stocked on defense - well stocked. But on offense we had a walk on at QB (and he would have played at no other FBS institution) (and it's kind of an important position in certain FBS programs, like all); we had a 168 lb red shirt scat back freshman as our marquee running back (he may have started somewhere else, but not many); we had no wide receivers at all; and we had a real good tight end (Ryan) that we underutilized because we didn't have a team around him. You think Randy would have done anything more with that team? We were not on the rise. I think we were on the fall, either way. And this was due to Randy losing stomach for Uconn and not recruiting.

 

[sportsart]

I'm not sure how true that is. RE left a bare cupboard on offense. Granted we were well stocked on defense - well stocked. But on offense we had a walk on at QB (and he would have played at no other FBS institution) (and it's kind of an important position in certain FBS programs, like all); we had a 168 lb red shirt scat back freshman as our marquee running back (he may have started somewhere else, but not many); we had no wide receivers at all; and we had a real good tight end (Ryan) that we underutilized because we didn't have a team around him. You think Randy would have done anything more with that team? We were not on the rise. I think we were on the fall, either way. And this was due to Randy losing stomach for Uconn and not recruiting.

How sad.....did Randy kick your cat? The cupboard wasn't bare when Foley got the line back. I'd bet big money if Foley was the OL coach all the way through we go bowling 2 out of 3 years.

How you can make excuses for someone who only cared about himself and GDL is beyond me. It's embarrassing really.

PP wasn't just horrible. He was so self centered, he was the only one in CT who thought pushing a square peg in a round hole would work if he only had 5 more years.

 

[Alum86]

I'm not sure how true that is. RE left a bare cupboard on offense. Granted we were well stocked on defense - well stocked. But on offense we had a walk on at QB (and he would have played at no other FBS institution) (and it's kind of an important position in certain FBS programs, like all); we had a 168 lb red shirt scat back freshman as our marquee running back (he may have started somewhere else, but not many); we had no wide receivers at all; and we had a real good tight end (Ryan) that we underutilized because we didn't have a team around him. You think Randy would have done anything more with that team? We were not on the rise. I think we were on the fall, either way. And this was due to Randy losing stomach for Uconn and not recruiting.

Really? He took 2 seasons of borderline bowl seasons snd sent us to 5-7 each, then went 0-4 and was shown the door. Do not blame recruiting. He is a horrible coach. How is he going to relate to NFL players?

 

[Jax Husky]

I just don't see how anyone would hire him as coach(even as a position coach), after the horrid job he did at UCONN.

Because he was a damn good position coach in the NFL for like a decade. He failed at UConn, but the guy knows football. HHe's just too old and out of touch for college kids.

 

[gars44]

How sad.....did Randy kick your cat? The cupboard wasn't bare when Foley got the line back. I'd bet big money if Foley was the OL coach all the way through we go bowling 2 out of 3 years.

How you can make excuses for someone who only cared about himself and GDL is beyond me. It's embarrassing really.

PP wasn't just horrible. He was so self centered, he was the only one in CT who thought pushing a square peg in a round hole would work if he only had 5 more years.

Whoa Pilgram. I'm certainly not defending PP, if that's what you're reckoning. Just saying RE left that team in horrible shape talent wise on offense, and anyone would have had a rough time doing much better than 5-7. But glad P's outta here.

 

[gars44]

Really? He took 2 seasons of borderline bowl seasons snd sent us to 5-7 each, then went 0-4 and was shown the door. Do not blame recruiting. He is a horrible coach. How is he going to relate to NFL players?

He is a horrible coach. But RE would have done no better than 5-7, or maybe to 6-6 the second year, and certainly not 0-4 the third. But RE left the cupboard bare, he left at a bad time for trying to find a replacement, bad time for recruiting. He essentially left us in the lurch, totally unexpected. That's the truth. And I don't think he left an offense in place that was very much different than 5-7. Could he have willed it to 6-6? Sure. Maybe. But he sure managed to F up a lot of games while he was head coarch. Rutgers anyone?

 

[Huskyforlife]

I'm not sure how true that is. RE left a bare cupboard on offense. Granted we were well stocked on defense - well stocked. But on offense we had a walk on at QB (and he would have played at no other FBS institution) (and it's kind of an important position in certain FBS programs, like all); we had a 168 lb red shirt scat back freshman as our marquee running back (he may have started somewhere else, but not many); we had no wide receivers at all; and we had a real good tight end (Ryan) that we underutilized because we didn't have a team around him. You think Randy would have done anything more with that team? We were not on the rise. I think we were on the fall, either way. And this was due to Randy losing stomach for Uconn and not recruiting.

He left the cupboard so bare weist could win 3 games to end the season, including a rivalry game vs Rutgers. And even if it was maybe coach p could have coached up some new players? You know like every other coach does. Maybe the guy in charge of everything could have realized cc deserved to start from the beginning? It's comical really how bad he was as a head coach here

 

[sportsart]

Whoa Pilgram. I'm certainly not defending PP, if that's what you're reckoning. Just saying RE left that team in horrible shape talent wise on offense, and anyone would have had a rough time doing much better than 5-7. But glad P's outta here.

What you are doing is making excuses for PP. It was proven, right away in the first game after PP was fired, that he screwed our running game up in a big way.

Instead of using Foley to continue his success at developing very good OL guys, he put in his buddy and the running game under achieved in a big way.

We had adequate talent on the OL and with Griffin, Davis, Nick Williams, Delahunt and McCombs we had enough offensive talent to win. With a good running game Whitmer does that much better in 2012.

Keep in mind PP had the team practice stopping the run a major portion of practice, the week before the Western Michigan game. The run. He is just a horrible coach who couldn't coach a flea to jump.

Stop buying the horde's story about the bare cupboard. A good coach takes the talent he has and designs a plan that fits. PP designed a plan and then had no idea if he had the talent to execute it. He didn't. Doesn't mean there was no talent. It means the coach didn't know how to utilize what he had.

 

[CL82]

He killed our program. Cannot wish him well. Rot in hell on the banks of icy Lake Michigan, Dracula

I liked this just for anger level.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

He was inept not malicious. I get why people get frustrated with coaches like Meyer, Kiffin and Petrino who show a total lack of integrity. Maybe even RE for the way he left the program after what he made Todman do. But Pasqualoni? He sucked as a coach and was bad for the program...but he wasn't a bad person...he was just clueless.

I wish him well. (and I am really really glad he is gone and Diaco is here)

 

[Dooley]

In the mother of all ironies, had Pasqualoni fired GDL after the 2012 season as Manuel wanted, the team would have surely not started 0-4. The OL and running game improved 1000% under Coach Foley and the right mix would have won games early on. But then again, I'm glad he was stubborn and retained GDL because we might not have Coach Diaco and his amazing staff right now.

 

[J187Money]

http://grantland.com/features/whos-laughing-now/

Interesting article on Pete Carroll (who also sucked until he didn't). Couple of interesting points in here:

1) He tried to do some stuff he did in the pros, but the kids at USC couldn't handle it. (see our issues with zone blocking etc)
2) He has changed his style to make sure to make the best out of the available talent instead of just running his stuff straight.

Yes - P did a bad job here. But sometimes it is just fit. He shouldn't have come back to the college game. He'll be fine in Chicago.

 

[Jax Husky]

He was inept not malicious. I get why people get frustrated with coaches like Meyer, Kiffin and Petrino who show a total lack of integrity. Maybe even RE for the way he left the program after what he made Todman do. But Pasqualoni? He sucked as a coach and was bad for the program...but he wasn't a bad person...he was just clueless.

I wish him well. (and I am really really glad he is gone and Diaco is here)

Thank you. Those wishing the man ill will here need to put things in perspective. Glad he's gone.

 

[john2153]

As a GB fan, this news excites me. Maybe he can get a promotion to defensive coordinator next season.

 

[Confident Carl]

Coach P is a good man, just a horrible fit for UConn at the worst time possible. Best wishes.

I agree with about the fit and worst time. The frustrating thing for most fans is we were close to having winning seasons during the 1st two years and I can understand and appreciate much off the frustration and disappointed during the Paul Pasqualoni era at UCONN. No question the program hit some new lows. During his rein UCONN finished 10-18. What stands out is the lackluster, boring offense, the lack of a running game, handing the ball off to Lyle McCombs play after play, George Deleon loyalty, etc.

Having said that, looking back at first year 2011 our QB's were Johnny McEntee, Scott McCummings and Michael Nebrich. That year we lost close games to Vandy, Iowa State, Western MI and Cincy. UCONN goes 2-2 in those games and ends up 7-5 and bowling. Year two, 2012 UCONN loses are heart breaker 10-7 to NC State, beats Randy and MD 24-21 away, loses again to Western MI. Then Chad Christiansen misses 4 very make-able field goals vs. Temple and we lose to USF 13-6. Again, 2 more wins and UCONN is 7-5 and going bowling with a first year JC transfer QB, Chandler Whitmer. No question our top 10 D was tremendous with 4 players going to the NFL. So IF (they didn't) but IF UCONN goes 7-5, Coach P goes into 2013 in a lot better shape.

Then in 2013, we loss the opener to D1A Towson (who ended up #2 in the Nation) Lose to a better MD team in game #2. Give MI all they can take in a heartbreaking loss at home and then PP's death, a bad loss to Buffalo who finished 8-4 and had one of their best seasons in memory. Also turns out UCF was as good as PP said they were as evidenced by their #10 AP finish.

All this lead to a justifiable firing of PP and GD. I was in favor of the change. I believe it was good for the program. I thought Warde Manual handled the situation professionally. TJ did an excellent job as interim and I am very happy with Bob Diaco as our new head coach.

My point in writing all this is the Chicago Bears know that Coach P can coach. He is well respected by his peers in college and the NFL. No one likes to lose but once and a while we have to hold back our emotions and logically look at the facts.

Paul Pasqualoni is the winningest coach in Big East History with a 107-59-1 record. His overall collegiate coaching record is 151-94. He is 6-3 in bowl games. He is a good football coach that for a number of reasons was the wrong hire. I compare the sentiment towards PP to how Texas felt this year about Mack Brown. Brown did not live up to TX standards. He didn't forget how to coach but it is apparent that his better days are behind him and it is now the Charlie Strong era. Same thing for UCONN, let the Bob Diaco era begin.

Let's show a little more class than Syracuse fans have by admonishing PP for some of the disappointing losses but also acknowledging his successful career.

I know I will get a lot of flack and anger for defending Paul Pasqualoni but I believe he is a class guy, a real professional and should be given a little more respect for his life accomplishments. Obviously the Chicago Bears think so too.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

The tone on this board always seems to be that PP failed because of GDL. I hope I am just mis-reading that sentiment. Even if PP fired GDL two years ago, PP still would have been a complete disaster.

To me, GDL was not the cause of PP's downfall, it was a symption of the problem with PP (he was set in his ways, was not willing to change or consider alternatives to what he succeeded with 20 years ago, and hadn't evolved with the game over the past 10 years). While GDL was a complete failure, I feel like he gets too much of the blame for the downfall. Again, he was horrible...but I feel like he was a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.

Well put. Just about sums up the PP hiring and tenure.

 

[Stray_Dog]

Because he was a damn good position coach in the NFL for like a decade. He failed at UConn, but the guy knows football. HHe's just too old and out of touch for college kids.

...Wow, I mean really, When P came here how many Syracuse Fans were happy he once again landed on his feet. The boards lit up from them, warning us what was about to happen. They didn't gloat, they actually had sympathy for us. When a league opponent offers you sympathy...well get a life boat...and believe me we needed it, we had a flood of tears and GDL..I won't even start. When P came here we had two colors blue and white. But are first three years all I saw was P-Yellow. Then they added red, and man the first four games, like many of my friends that is all I saw was red. And you want sympathy for P all over the field and red anger. Man, you see red and its all rosy? Well now that he left, - good riddance and I won't wish ill on him, but I won't follow him either. Just glad he is NOT our problem any longer!