OT? Maybe. re: CT High School QB's

[Jimdish255]

I'm not going to requote Carl's entire post and I agree with many of the percieved advantages of the stadium. Problem is it doesn't make a bad team good and doesn't attract top players or fans. I was thinking about this the other day and came to the conclusion that we would benefit from the most fan-friendly environment possible, and a configuration that allows us to implement a more diversified offense on a consistent basis. In other words, some changes such as upgrading the tailgating environment (which is already OK but could be better), and upgrading the Rent (which will need to be done anyway as it ages) including closing up some of the wind tunnel features that make it uncomfortable for fans, players and visiting recruits will do more to fill the stadium and bring in players than romanticizing about how wind and cold benefit us.

A good coach and better recruits are the 2 most important things for our football success in the short-term. In the long-term conference affiliation and fans in the seats will keep it viable and to that end we need to have the most fan and player friendly environment we can create. IMO the frozen tundra is not the way to do that.

http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/09/17/the-science-of-sound-how-seattle-got-so-darn-loud/

 

[Jimdish255]

The wind is a factor at the rent. It is undeniable fact. But when play about six home games a year, your probably going to play about three in inclement/windy weather. To me that is not enough to tailor your offensive attack to a style of play that is going to severely hamper your ability to recruit offensive talent at quarterback and wide receiver. I've watched Boise games on TV that look child and windy as hell. It is proof it can be done. Western Michigan came in here and lit us up through the air on our home field.

UConn vs WMU October 1st 2011 Weather - http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-history/search-results/

I'm sure there are some better examples but FWIW.

Weather History Results for East Hartford, CT
October 1st, 2011
« Previous Day - 9/30/2011 •••• 10/2/2011 - Next Day »
On October 1st, 2011, the closest available weather station to East Hartford, CT(HARTFORD BRAINARD FD, CT), reported the following conditions:

High Temp: 71.1F
Low Temp: 57F
Average Temp: 62.6F
Dewpoint: 57.4F
Wind Speed: 5.7 Knots
Precipitation Amount: 0.08 Inches
Snow Depth: n/a

Observations: n/a
See more historical weather results for East Hartford, CT on this day:

 

[ZooCougar]

Does there exist no middle in this conversation?


I know that TDH thinks it's 90 passes a game or 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but does everyone else not get the concept of balance?

Balance is good. An antiquated offense is not. I just don't believe that you can't have a good passing oriented attack because the weather is bad when they have done exactly that in places like Waco, Lubbock, Stillwater and Boise.

Casey is a smart QB, and we have some weapons now. We have a pretty good RB coming in as well in Newsome.

 

[noeynox]

Does there exist no middle in this conversation?


I know that TDH thinks it's 90 passes a game or 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but does everyone else not get the concept of balance?

Balance would be key. Thought w got that last game even if the passing yards were much higher. I do not want a return to the Edsall bread and butter days, because i don't believe that is av style that hs kids coming from spread offenses want to play in.

What P talked about at his hiring day press conference would be ideal, though he never came close to inplementing it.

 

[tduconn]

I wouldn't use weather as a factor in our offensive woes.

In fact, when UConn played in a "wide open stadium" in the Yankee and A-10 conferences, none of those teams lacked a QB that could throw in all conditions of weather. In fact I can "almost quote" from memory the headlines on a Summer NCAA football magazine in the mid "80's" ....."What has happened to the Yankee Conference1?" referencing the change from decades of predominantly run oriented offences (from NJ to Maine and everyone in between) to wide open pass happy attacks. You think wind blows in the Rent? Try experiencing Memorial Stadium, New Hampshire, Maine, URI, etc. They all, at one time or another, had highly regarded QB's at the 1-aa level, including UConn......DeGennaro through Stafford.

UConns impotent passing attack at the BCS level is /(has been) because of one thing......lack of quality recruits at the QB and receiver positions. Balance is good, but I wouldn't use weather as an excuse for an offence with limited passing. Heck, a good portion of the BE games were played in warmer climates.

As Noeynox previously suggested, of the six games a year at the Rent, few have extreme weather conditions that prohibit passing. Heck, USF never had passing problems......and some of their games occurred in wind and snow.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think everybody should refresh a little bit on von Clausewitz.

Strategy and Tactical aspects of warfare. The ultimate goal is to win championships. The strategical level is to identify what the ultimate goal is, and make use of every available resource, categorically by strength. Employing every power to your advantage to win as many games as possible.

If any of you think that the orientation of the stadium, when it comes to the level of detail, as to where the sun shines on a winter afternoon, was not incorporated into the strategy for this football program, you are mistaken. It's just one of many things that went into planning. Of the 23k or so people that were in the stadium on Saturday you experienced why. Nearly every single one of the fans on the shade side of that stadium found their way into the sun by the third quarter. Our players were playing a game in an environment about 20 degrees warmer than the team we were trying to defeat. Edsall liked noon games for many reasons. He was a big part of the planning of every part of this program. THe guys that we just had come in either were too stupid, or didn't care, to really grasp the level of what had been built at UCONN and what to do with it. I can never look at Pasqualoni with respect again.

Because of the many factors, of which weather at the home stadium is just one, that go into playing football at UCONN, I believe that incorporating a fundamental offensive strategy of playing ball control running game at the offensive line of scrimmage, is very important to incorporate into the strategy of winning championships at UCONN. Every successful team, has a base offensive play system that they can be reduced down to. Ours needs to be a powerful, ball control, offensive line of scrimmage control run game. I won't ever waiver from that.

Doing that, does NOT mean you can't throw the ball effectively and for big numbers and points whenever you want to.

The tactical level of warfare is where you plan you are going to conduct battle. Game planning. If you can't throw the ball, well, especially when tactical planning dicattes you should, you are at a tactical disadvantage. If you don't recruit players that can throw and catch the ball well, you are at a tactical disadvantage. If you can only run the ball well, you are at a tactical disadvantage. When we couldn't throw the ball well under Edsall, we were at a tactical disadvantage.

The campaign, the operational level of the whole thing - is recruiting.

 

[noeynox]

I was in the stadium. On the shady side. The whole game. Along with thousands of others. You have a habit of exagerating to the point where your valid points are often overlooked.

 

[noeynox]

UConn vs WMU October 1st 2011 Weather - http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-history/search-results/

I'm sure there are some better examples but FWIW.

Weather History Results for East Hartford, CT
October 1st, 2011
« Previous Day - 9/30/2011 •••• 10/2/2011 - Next Day »
On October 1st, 2011, the closest available weather station to East Hartford, CT(HARTFORD BRAINARD FD, CT), reported the following conditions:

High Temp: 71.1F
Low Temp: 57F
Average Temp: 62.6F
Dewpoint: 57.4F
Wind Speed: 5.7 Knots
Precipitation Amount: 0.08 Inches
Snow Depth: n/a

Observations: n/a
See more historical weather results for East Hartford, CT on this day:

Furthers my point. The weather isnt all that bad till the last two, maybe three home games.

 

[whaler11]

It's windy even when the weather is good. It was windy in September the past two years for NCSU and USF. It was windy for Michigan - note Michigan had the wind when they took the game over.

If you'd like to ignore the fact that wind makes it more difficult to run a passing game... Just watch some the over/unders crash on Sunday morning when it's windy - and those are NFL teams.

I'm not saying they can't modernize the offense, but pretending they are playing in a dome under perfect conditions is silly.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

The wind is a factor at the rent. It is undeniable fact. But when play about six home games a year, your probably going to play about three in inclement/windy weather. To me that is not enough to tailor your offensive attack to a style of play that is going to severely hamper your ability to recruit offensive talent at quarterback and wide receiver. I've watched Boise games on TV that look child and windy as hell. It is proof it can be done. Western Michigan came in here and lit us up through the air on our home field.

Texas Tech used to win throwing the ball, in Lubbock, Texas, only the windiest place on earth. If you want win throwing in the wind, then practice throwing in the wind. It's like any other skill.

Balance would be key. Thought w got that last game even if the passing yards were much higher. I do not want a return to the Edsall bread and butter days, because i don't believe that is av style that hs kids coming from spread offenses want to play in.

What P talked about at his hiring day press conference would be ideal, though he never came close to inplementing it.

Well said. Want better QBs and playmakers. Incorporate and offensive philosophy that values them - maybe even features them.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

[quote="Carl Spackler, post: 774517,



Because of the many factors, of which weather at the home stadium is just one, that go into playing football at UCONN, I believe that incorporating a fundamental offensive strategy of playing ball control running game at the offensive line of scrimmage, is very important to incorporate into the strategy of winning championships at UCONN. Every successful team, has a base offensive play system that they can be reduced down to. Ours needs to be a powerful, ball control, offensive line of scrimmage control run game. I won't ever waiver from that.

Doing that, does NOT mean you can't throw the ball effectively and for big numbers and points whenever you want to.

The tactical level of warfare is where you plan you are going to conduct battle. Game planning. If you can't throw the ball, well, especially when tactical planning dicattes you should, you are at a tactical disadvantage. If you don't recruit players that can throw and catch the ball well, you are at a tactical disadvantage. If you can only run the ball well, you are at a tactical disadvantage. When we couldn't throw the ball well under Edsall, we were at a tactical disadvantage.

The campaign, the operational level of the whole thing - is recruiting.[/quote]

I'm more concerned about QBs & talented WRs waivering in their decision to commit to UConn than I am you, my friend, in your desire for powerful, ball control, offensive line of scrimmage control run game.

Old Bobby E. Lee was big on a powerful ground game too on that third day at Gettysburg. Wonder if General Pickett didn't come around to seeing the value of a more finessful approach after his day was done. In fact, the above mentioned battle in the war between the states was the beginning of the end of that era's tactics for waging war. Two sides lining up at the "line of scrimmage" and hammering straight ahead into each other was falling into disfavor.