Poll: Happy with Edsall?

[Vowelguy]

Day 1 reactions

 

[Redding Husky]

Seeing ESPN showing old video of HCRE in UConn gear on the sideline is like putting on an old pair of blue jeans. It's not flashy or exciting, but pretty comfortable.

We could do far worse (we already have).

 

[Vowelguy]

bump

 

[BNich]

Seeing ESPN showing old video of HCRE in UConn gear on the sideline is like putting on an old pair of blue jeans. It's not flashy or exciting, but pretty comfortable.

We could do far worse (we already have).

Not only that, putting on that old pair of blue jeans that fit just right. Theres not much better.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Benedict, you are a failure. Stupid....

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Seeing ESPN showing old video of HCRE in UConn gear on the sideline is like putting on an old pair of blue jeans. It's not flashy or exciting, but pretty comfortable.

We could do far worse (we already have).

Do worse...yes we did, but we just became a laughing stock. No one will look at us as a P5 team. Will he bail on us 'for his dream job' in 3 years? Yes, Randy was a good coach, but come on, can't we hire anyone else? Why not Skip Holtz, DB, at least we didn't leave after a bowl game, like the A'hole did.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

I seriously wonder 2 things with this hire...

1. There's a really good chance (and I've heard) that the cash to buy out Diaco came from Burton and some of the big wig donors. And that they really wanted Edsall back. If that's the case, and he really just needed to cut ties with him, Benedict's hands were basically tied. It makes sense...

2. And, since the search was conducted "in-house" without using a search firm, did the Edsall deal already happen days ago and was locked-in when Diaco was canned, thus no real "national search" ever even took place? Like were Les Miles' agent, Al Golden's and Greg Schiano's agents all contacted even? Then what about Moorhead and Orlando- were they even ever contacted by UConn at all, or was this all just BS because the Randy deal was already done?

 

[Stainmaster]

Do worse...yes we did, but we just became a laughing stock.

Were you on shrooms for the past 3 years?

 

[DoctorWho85]

I'd be lying if I'd say I wasn't disappointed in this hire. There are better coaches out there and I was hoping to try out one of the hot FCS coaches, but as some say they probably didn't want to come here. You could also say they could have done worse. So for that I voted not sure. I'm not "hell no", but this doesn't get me excited for the future of the program. At all.

 

[willie99]

He's OK

which is a lot better than what we've been since he left, so being "OK" is great around here

 

[uconndogs]

It's the right hire given where we are and, I expect, given the dollars available.

Those looking for a flashy name and/or a flashy offense will be disappointed. That said, Randy knows how to win football games and develop talent. His teams are well coached, physical and motivated. He tolerates absolutely no BS. I expect a lot of player defections between now and the start of next season. I expect a pretty rough go of it next season given what I see as a lack of depth on the roster. From there I expect Edsall to make pretty steady progress in the American.

Here's the other thing folks will have to live with regarding Edsall. When it comes to the press, HS coaches, fans. etc. he will give what he minimally has to give. He does not enjoy that interaction and he knows that much of that constituency has little impact on winning football games which is where his focus will be.

 

[coachcap]

Feel that the A.D. could have done better.
The positives to take from this hire:
-Known commodity>this team will be disciplined & carry out its assignments in orderly fashion
-for one day it got UConn football in the headlines as various national outlets (Sirius-XM college, ESPN, etc.) took time out to discuss the impact of this hire on the program going forward
-NHCRE is a no nonsense leader who get the players in lock step to perform at the highest level that they are capable of.

The Negatives:
-The way he left-won't dwell on it-have to turn the page, but it's on the back of everyone's mind
-Knowing from past history that, with each successful season, he will look to renegotiate his contract or look for greener pastures
-his bunker mentality with the media

 

[uconndogs]

..............

The Negatives:
..........
-Knowing from past history that, with each successful season, he will look to renegotiate his contract or look for greener pastures
..............


Here's my sense on this. I think when the numbers got pushed together for the cost of the buyout and a new hire Benedict was limited on the salary he had available. I think HCRE was anxious to get back into college football and, absent Hathaway, enjoyed his time at UCONN immensely. I would be willing to bet that there is a handshake (for what that is worth nowadays) that Edsall's contract is renegotiated quickly once the program starts winning and fannies are back in the seats. There is probably no one with the perspective of what the potential for UCONN football can be that Edsall has.

The other thing I will say about Edsall, from everything I have observed (and I do not know him personally), he is a man of high integrity. His handling of the Jasper Howard incident was extraordinary. It showed great leadership and perspective. Folks will of course focus on the plunder of his departure when he probably thought he was sticking it up Hathaway's . Most here have evidently never made a professional mistake...........and certainly not with that kind of public visibility.

This works, I can see a 60+ year old Edsall sticking around and handing off a program that's in a good place. That scenario is not out of the question.

 

[31GuardTrap]

The ship needed stabilizing. That was done.
RE will not be here long term. Someone alluded to this in another thread buried deep in the 50k posts from yesterday but this is to set us up for CR 4.0
No, I am not kidding. An assistant will emerge as the heir apparent to take us into that next chapter.
RE won't be getting another "P5" type of HC job again no matter what he does here. He's a development coach and I am pretty confident the rest of the country now knows this.

 

[Excalibur]

Given the circumstances, the choice was between Edsall and Diaco. I can live with that, but I don't have to like it, and I really don't understand people doing cartwheels over it.

 

[SECONN]

It was enough to convince me to renew my season tickets, which I was not going to do if Diaco stayed.

I have solid expectations that the team will be better.

 

[Vowelguy]

Favorable (62%) has really surged in the last 12 hours vs Unfavorable (23%)

 

[hardcorehusky]

Randy is back t0 rebuild the program. At his age, he could last 5 years, 8 years or so- but when conference realignment starts up again in 5 years or so, we won't be anyone's punching bag like this past year. All the 5 year look backs will look OK, the fan base will come back with the wins and quite frankly, enough of the boring offense crap. He did what he had to do to win games, when he had Dan O he threw the ball well. After the last 6 years, we as fans, should not complain about anything regarding offense.

 

[warbler1055]

I have to believe that RE has grown and matured as a coach and a man over the last 6 years. RE is not blind to the criticism he got from Maryland media and fan, he is well aware of the anger CT fans have about the horrible departure from the Fiesta bowl. So RE will be a much better coach to UConn this time. Here's hoping for an escape from the last 6 years of hell.

 

[businesslawyer]

Do worse...yes we did, but we just became a laughing stock. No one will look at us as a P5 team. Will he bail on us 'for his dream job' in 3 years? Yes, Randy was a good coach, but come on, can't we hire anyone else? Why not Skip Holtz, DB, at least we didn't leave after a bowl game, like the A'hole did.

You're funny. There are only two times to leave -- before a bowl game and after one. You really want to pretend you would rather have left us in the lurch for the bowl. NOt to mention, great comparison Einstein given that Skip never coached UConn in a bowl game, so he couldn't metaphysically have left after one.

O.K., I'll give you the trifecta. WE WERE ALREADY A LAUGHINGSTOCK BASED ON HOW WE PLAYED THIS YEAR. Pretending that hiring a coach who had success here made is one is beyond disingenous -- it's just bizarre.

 

[freescooter]

This is a strategic move that o rebuild the brand so to speak. For those wh wanted an fcs guy, please. That rarely works out well unless the guy has major 1A experience. Even then it's iffy. And we really can't afford being an ojt site for a coordinator moving to head coach for the first time. An established guy who knows how to build was critical and there aren't a blot out there. Golden and Schiano about finish the list. I don't love Golden. I expected Schiano to be truthful. Edsall gets a bad rap over his conservative offense I think too. He used the tools he had at hand. When he had a qb who could throw it around he did that. When he had stud running backs he used them pretty effectively. People forget that in 2008 and 2009 we had guys throw for over 300 yards in games. Our offenses were generally pretty balanced.

 

[BlueMAB]

People who are critical of the hire "because Edsall left once, and could leave again" apparently haven't followed college football outside of UConn.

Coaches who are successful move on to bigger and better jobs. How he left upset people, okay. The fact he left, shouldn't upset anyone. That's business. 99% of the coaches we get will leave for a better opportunity or more money. Ironically, Edsall is probably less likely to leave this time around. He took his shot at a P5 program and failed. He's done the NFL, he's not going to get better than a coordinator position there, if that. He can run this program, and if he's as successful as he was last time, he can probably coach here until he retires. Most won't want to hear that, and no, he's not Vince Lombardi. But his recipe put us in 4 straight bowl games, won conference championships, and more often than not, left me feeling we would at least be competitive. And over the long run, he was more likely to win 8 games a year, than he was 3-4.

 

[BlueMAB]

My only concern about Edsall is:

Orlovsky.......


Grand Canyon...


Every other QB since Orlovsky


He has to be able to find a competent QB. I'm hoping Shirreffs comes back.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

I think the choice here - given finances, donor input, and the current attractiveness of the UConn HC position - was: (1) Keep Diaco or (2) Bring back RE.

Some people seem to be upset that DB did not select option (3): FREE PONIES FOR EVERYONE!!!

I don't think there was any realistic option 3 on the table. Would I have loved for us to bring Les Miles here? Absolutely! But we'd probably have had to kidnap him.

If you compare the hiring to a fantasy scenario in which UConn is a highly desirable HC job and money is no object, then sure, this sucked. (Fire DB!!!) But if the choice was Diaco vs RE, this was a solid move that puts us in a much better position moving forward.

 

[SubbaBub]

The only realistic options that one would think MIGHT be better are the JMU and ODU coaches and I can't be sure the job is attractive enought to get wither one of those guys.

Moorhead was out. Orlando was probably out due to their current jobs being closer to a P5 HC job than ours at this moment in time.

The fact that two guys who on paper should have done better, didn't probably scared a fee people off.

Certainly for the price, I think DB did as well as one could expect. RE benefited from leaving on top and being willing to work with DB on the contract.