Overexposure of UCONN football by the Courant

[Rumrunner]

I'm sorry, I mistyped the title. What I really meant was, "Things that you'll never hear."

That is all.

 

[Dooley]

While true, the coverage of Boston College in the Courant has been excellent.

 

[formerlurker]

What's good?

 

[junglehusky]

Well you can go ahead and cut and paste this thread every week through august; I think there's not going to be much news coming out of summer camp and not much in the way of analysis / previews until the week before Towson.

 

[UConnDan97]

While true, the coverage of Boston College in the Courant has been excellent.

Zing!!!!

Let's just say I was beyond irritated with the little expose that the Courant did on Addazio and BC. I was further irritated by the amount of time they left it as the main story on the website. I was even further irritated by the fact that they don't seem to cover anything about the football team (or basketball team) during this summer. The Courant is about 5 seconds away from losing my subscription...

 

[formerlurker]

Zing!!!!

Let's just say I was beyond irritated with the little expose that the Courant did on Addazio and BC. I was further irritated by the amount of time they left it as the main story on the website. I was even further irritated by the fact that they don't seem to cover anything about the football team (or basketball team) during this summer. The Courant is about 5 seconds away from losing my subscription...

Junglehusky just solved the riddle. Dez and his cohorts are at Summer camp. Can't blame him for not reporting anything when he's kayaking up at Camp Iblowcuse.

Well you can go ahead and cut and paste this thread every week through august; I think there's not going to be much news coming out of summer camp and not much in the way of analysis / previews until the week before Towson.

 

[uconnell]

Junglehusky just solved the riddle. Dez and his cohorts are at Summer camp. Can't blame him for not reporting anything when he's kayaking up at Camp Iblowcuse.

Thanks for the laugh but sad that it's true.

 

[Doggie Style]

Zing!!!!

Let's just say I was beyond irritated with the little expose that the Courant did on Addazio and BC. I was further irritated by the amount of time they left it as the main story on the website. I was even further irritated by the fact that they don't seem to cover anything about the football team (or basketball team) during this summer. The Courant is about 5 seconds away from losing my subscription...

I agree. Just thinking here... Do you think it could of been directed at the staff as a message towards the lack of information coming out of the program? Kind of like "well, if you don't give us anything to write about we'll write about the most hated program in NE" as far as Husky fans are concerned at least If so, its kind of a risky move on account of potential backlash. Who knows, I'm giving those knuckleheads at the Courant to much credit to come up with a plan like that. Honestly though, how could they think it would be a good idea to pencil a write up about BC though.....? I would of expected that from the sports writer I spoke to a few weeks back.

 

[jdb50]

I can't fault Dez for coverage of UConn football at this time because there isn't alot happening that the school is trying to get coverage of. If during camp there is crickets then we have a problem and it is with management of the sports section not just the team beat writer. Does anyone think that the coaching staff at this time is crying out for coverage and not getting it? One thing about the Courant is that we get coverage of more than one towns teams. If one article about Addazio is going to make UConn football fly around the room like a deflated ballon then the trouble lies with UConn not the Courant.

 

[Dooley]

All kidding aside, I would have thought that the horde covering UCONN would have written a piece about the scoreboard renovations taking place at the Rent after the USMNT game ended. Maybe snap a picture or something to create a little excitement?? I guess we all have to rely on the fine folks on the Boneyard who drive past the Rent on 84 to give us crane updates for the rest of the summer.

 

[UConnDan97]

I agree. Just thinking here... Do you think it could of been directed at the staff as a message towards the lack of information coming out of the program? Kind of like "well, if you don't give us anything to write about we'll write about the most hated program in NE" as far as Husky fans are concerned at least If so, its kind of a risky move on account of potential backlash. Who knows, I'm giving those knuckleheads at the Courant to much credit to come up with a plan like that. Honestly though, how could they think it would be a good idea to pencil a write up about BC though.....? I would of expected that from the sports writer I spoke to a few weeks back.

I wish your explanation was THE explanation, but for all the things that Pasqualoni is or is not, does anyone believe that he is not friendly to local people when it comes to information and the UConn brand??? No way. I don't believe for one second that PP or the staff is limiting the Courant's ability to do the job. I just think that the beat writers aren't on the beat.

And I should have prefaced this by saying that I don't share the same animosity towards Dez that others on the BY do. I think that some of the criticisms of his write-ups are pretty harsh. However, where has he been lately? We've had new uniforms, new logos, new scoreboard, new coaches on the coaching staff, new verbal commits, new conference management since July 1st, new pre-season predictions, etc. Why have they disappeared??? Plenty to talk about, to be honest...

 

[formerlurker]

I wish your explanation was THE explanation, but for all the things that Pasqualoni is or is not, does anyone believe that he is not friendly to local people when it comes to information and the UConn brand??? No way. I don't believe for one second that PP or the staff is limiting the Courant's ability to do the job. I just think that the beat writers aren't on the beat.

And I should have prefaced this by saying that I don't share the same animosity towards Dez that others on the BY do. I think that some of the criticisms of his write-ups are pretty harsh. However, where has he been lately? We've had new uniforms, new logos, new scoreboard, new coaches on the coaching staff, new verbal commits, new conference management since July 1st, new pre-season predictions, etc. Why have they disappeared??? Plenty to talk about, to be honest...

The only thing "beat" about the UConn writers is their coverage and breaking news of the very team they get paid to report on.

 

[dsturdy5]

I don't care what time of year it is, find a way. The reporter I hold all others to the standard of is Mike Reiss. His Patriots Blog at ESPNBoston has at least two new posts daily, even during the dead period of June through now.

How hard is it to reach out to the new commits or to the families and former coaches of the incoming frosh for some more information? How about a preview of each team on the schedule, once each day or every few days? Maybe a position by position break down? A look at where recruiting could go from here? A mock depth chart with detailed explanations and after each open practice, revisit it? A look at former Huskies as they get ready to open NFL camps? I just gave several options, time for Dez to give us something...

 

[Drew]

While there may not be any "big" news stories, the Courant could very easily create hype with a new story on the program/players/facilities/coaches/conference foes every 3 days or so. I remember that last year during the down period of summer the Lincoln Journal Star for example started a countdown of the greatest touchdowns from 99 yards out all the way down to 1 yard out of the programs history. While UConn may/may not be able to replicate a similar countdown, this is a good example of a newspaper knowing its football crowd wants new articles and they don't really have to rely on any new information coming out of the program to create those stories.

A simple story about the scoreboard being replaced, for example, would be a great start. Then maybe a quick article or DC blog post about the discrepancies of beer prices between the USMNT game and what UConn games will be this year. pair that with the story about the Towson coach being a former UConn coach and you have three updates on the program that didn't really require a ton of new stuff or hardcore research. Hopefully there will be a nice writeup about the evening with PP on July 31.

 

[dsturdy5]

I get that the Courant may be pressed for space given the precarious position of the print media today. However, there is no reason that they cannot have a larger electronic footprint through twitter, blogs, etc. The capacity is there and the desire is there.

At the risk of sounding like a certain poster to this site, if I were running the Courant football blog, I would:
find a way to do a short bio on each incoming frosh. There are about what, 28 true freshmen? So for 28 days before camp, I'd put a post about 1 per day. I'd also have a post on red shirts, one per day for about 18 or so days ahead of camp. Or, I could do that for an astounding 46 days before camp, one day for frosh and then one day for red shirt frosh. That would back us up to early June and let the readership know what to expect, if anything, from these guys.

At this time of year, I'd do a daily post on each of the following:

1. A look at each of UConn's 12 opponents, in order. A brief paragraph or two on offense, defense, special teams, coaching, past meetings, and of course a quick mention about where and when the games with a link to the ticket site.
2. A breakdown of the coaching staff on each side of the ball. Brief bios, mentions of responsibilities, and what to look for on the field from the players at their positions.
3. One post per day on one of UConn players in the NFL and his prospects entering camp.
4. Days after the CFL and Arena league play, updates on any UConn players there.

Other things I'd post include:

1. A weekly look at the program, the AAC, and college football in general. Notes type of column on Saturday's, year round, with at least 5 items each week. Here is where you could include info on other programs within New England as well. Look at some of the 1-AA, D2 and D3 programs. Heck, include high schools if you need to.
2. Updates on visits, even if it is just a name.
3. Updates on local players, with a focus on UConn's targets, as they play their high school games, 7 on 7 camps/tourneys, etc.
4. Links to and/or summaries of articles from around the web on the program. Keep the people talking.
5. A weekly (or bi-weekly) mailbag and/or chat with fans.
6. Calendar reminders with events (signing day event, open practices, night with PP, games, as well as events that are not UConn specific but rather those on a national scale).
7. Copies of UConn press releases with my own thoughts afterwards.

A lot of the above would be brief entries and could easily be collected and crafted into articles for the paper. No need to double up the work.

Someone once posted here that the Courant (and other local media) do not put as much effort into producing content for UConn football because of the lack of interest. Well, this is a chance for the media to create interest. It goes back to what Drew just posted. Create buzz. Find stories, find news. It doesn't all have to be hard hitting football stuff. Get people who are just reading the paper or visiting the site to read about UConn football to get them to watch or listen to a game and then, maybe they attend a game. Perhaps they get hooked. Maybe they never come back, but at least you are putting the program out there and perhaps increasing traffic to your site and adding subscriptions.

Too many in the media today want the stories handed to them instead of going out and finding something to write about. Like Edsall, PP does not throw a ton out there for the media to devour. They need to work for it and most are just not willing to do so.

 

[Adios]

We have the state fenced in pretty well now. That is impressive.

 

[jdb50]

Excellent ideas, dsturdy for Courant sports editor. My theory was wrong. If Dez came up with these ideas would the Courant give the go ahead?

 

[huskymedic]

The Courant is not the end all/be all for Husky sports coverage anymore... There are plenty of other sources.

 

[Doggie Style]

The Courant is not the end all/be all for Husky sports coverage anymore... There are plenty of other sources.

Then why the hell r we all hanging around here looking for more information then? Lol......

 

[dsturdy5]

The Courant is not the end all/be all for Husky sports coverage anymore... There are plenty of other sources.

Absolutely correct. However, I think most people here are of the belief that the largest paper in CT, the one printed in the capital city, with arguably the easiest access to the program should be able to give us more than they are. The NH Register has had football-related content this week. Why can't the Courant produce something beyond a fluff piece on BCU? There is plenty to write about.

 

[Doggie Style]

Absolutely correct. However, I think most people here are of the belief that the largest paper in CT, the one printed in the capital city, with arguably the easiest access to the program should be able to give us more than they are. The NH Register has had football-related content this week. Why can't the Courant produce something beyond a fluff piece on BCU? There is plenty to write about.

Maybe they are saving up all of their content for the "season preview" section that comes out every year......

 

[huskymedic]

Then why the hell r we all hanging around here looking for more information then? Lol......

Because you will get info on here faster than the Courant lately...

 

[Doggie Style]

Because you will get info on here faster than the Courant lately...

No doubt!!

 

[formerlurker]

Then why the hell r we all hanging around here looking for more information then? Lol......

I'd have lost the second "then", spelled out the word "are" and capitalized the entire "Lol".

Those things aside, this might be the best question I've seen posed on the BY in a long time.

With all due respect to Huskymedic, who busts his/her ass to bring us breaking recruit and team news, why is it so absurd to expect the state newspaper to satiate the current fans and buy into creating new ones?

I'm 9 beers deep and have no clue if I used satiate correctly.

If I did, that shts gonna rank right up there with me graduating UConn with a solid 2.25 and the time I got arrested at Yankee Stadium in 1987 for hitting Cory Snyder in the ass with a peanut.

Kid's still got it!

 

[dsturdy5]

Maybe they are saving up all of their content for the "season preview" section that comes out every year......

Great, put everything out at once. That way if someone doesn't get their paper that day, they miss it. If you aren't constantly updating the site, what is the incentive for people to continually look back for more information? What about the other items that are not season preview items that could keep fans satisfied? They can't feed us information?

I live near the MA/NH border and they have a blurb on Reyes and Griffin today both in print and online. This is the third time Griffin has been mentioned in recent weeks by this small paper.