Post Tulsa Game > Sunday Afternoon Call w/ Edsall

[huskymedic]

The Courant's Alex Putterman's story: Randy Edsall clarifies comment on ignoring wins and losses, emphasizes learning process for UConn football

More detailed "transcript" from Matt @ This is UConn Country: HC Randy Edsall Assesses Program After Latest Loss To Tulsa (Week 9) | This is UConn Country

 

[SubbaBub]

I can't argue with anything Randy said here.

"Number two, we aren’t strong enough because one of the things if you’re strong enough, you can go out and really manhandle and dominate you’re opponent, you gain confidence. The next thing is some guys are just too young, but in saying that, I think there are some young guys who are really getting better."

 

[jbdphi]

Someone asked my question regarding the contradiction in Randy’s quote re: wins and losses and the way he preaches / coaches. I get it and think he didn’t express himself particularly well last week.

That said, I’m sure many people on this board will forever say that Randy doesn’t care about winning until he leaves our program.

 

[mdkhusky]

Excuse after excuse . Would be one thing if we had been seeing improvement. Things just keep getting worse

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I think edsall's comment about not caring about wins and losses would be more bearable (dare I say understandable?) if this was his first year. But it's not. And no noticeable improvement as we approach the end of year 2...

 

[noeynox]

It’s a historically bad team. Just got throttled by the 2nd worse team in the league and didn’t look like we belonged on the field with them. People will say Edsall doesn’t care about wins and losses because he said it. Obviously someone told him he can’t say that out loud and he tried to clean it up some.

 

[BlueDogs]

Randy wants wins. It’s what you say when you have no answers other than trying to buy time to find them and you take cover behind “process” and “rebuilding”. That carries coaches for 3 years when what’s patently obvious in year 2 becomes unavoidably obvious in year 3. We’ve seen this movie twice already.

 

[Purple Stein]

And no noticeable improvement as we approach the end of year 2...

It’s much worse than that — there is noticeable decline.

It’s not apples-to-apples, but last year we averaged a 38-21 loss. This year we’re averaging a 48-21 loss.

Last year, we gave up 26 first downs per game. This year, we’re giving up 28.

Last year, we gave up 519 yards per game. This year we’re giving up 627 yards per game. For context, remember last year when Missouri crushed us and went up and down the field at will? They “only” had 583 yards in that game — the only teams we’ve held under 600 yards this year are URI (550) and UMass (444). We gave up 818 yards at Boise.

It’s not that we’re not improving. It’s that we’ve become historically terrible.

 

[Husky68]

Coach to win and the team learns, coach to learn and you lose the team.

 

[BlueWhiteKid]

It’s much worse than that — there is noticeable decline.

It’s not apples-to-apples, but last year we averaged a 38-21 loss. This year we’re averaging a 48-21 loss.

Last year, we gave up 26 first downs per game. This year, we’re giving up 28.

Last year, we gave up 519 yards per game. This year we’re giving up 627 yards per game. For context, remember last year when Missouri crushed us and went up and down the field at will? They “only” had 583 yards in that game — the only teams we’ve held under 600 yards this year are URI (550) and UMass (444). We gave up 818 yards at Boise.

It’s not that we’re not improving. It’s that we’ve become historically terrible.

Last year we started 7 seniors on defense. Saturday we started 0 seniors on defense and 5 freshman.

 

[BlueDogs]

Last year we started 7 seniors on defense. Saturday we started 0 seniors on defense and 5 freshman.

True. And last year the Defense was the worst in the nation too, but the excuse was different. This year what worries me is there is no improvement over the course of this season. It’s as bad as ever. In fact even worse.

 

[Carl Spackler]

True. And last year the Defense was the worst in the nation too, but the excuse was different. This year what worries me is there is no improvement over the course of this season. It’s as bad as ever. In fact even worse.

I disagree with this. The defense has played well early in games as of late. There is some improvement as the season has gone on, but they are simply physically overmatched both in size and strength (understandable given they are babies fresh out of high school and playing a full 12 game college 1-A schedule) but more worrisome speed - for the schedule we are playing and are getting destroyed after a handful of series on the field.

Tulsa and UMass are not exactly the cream of the crop in college football, but they both beat us in recent weeks, not because of game plans or play calling, but because they were physically stronger and faster late in games.

 

[Carl Spackler]

It’s a historically bad team. Just got throttled by the 2nd worse team in the league and didn’t look like we belonged on the field with them. People will say Edsall doesn’t care about wins and losses because he said it. Obviously someone told him he can’t say that out loud and he tried to clean it up some.

Agreed. But he still doesn't seem to acknowledge that he put all these players in the position they're in. Coach Batman did actually manage to land a few players on the roster.

But to look at what Randy Edsall has done in two years through a paper towel cardboard tube, you'd think that the program was put through a 2-year SMU death penalty.

I know we've had this convo before this season, but it's just quite astonishing that where this program is right now, was allowed to happen by the UConn administration.

 

[huskymedic]

Agreed. But he still doesn't seem to acknowledge that he put all these players in the position they're in. Coach Batman did actually manage to land a few players on the roster.

From last week:

>> I have to make decisions based on what can help us be the best we can, and sometimes those decisions are tough decision to make but hey, I’m a leader and I have to make them. Some are good and some don’t turn out as well. I made a decision to play all of these young kids that weren’t ready to play but they were the best guys in my decision and in my coaching staff’s opinion.”<<

 

[Carl Spackler]

From last week:

>>I have to make decisions based on what can help us be the best we can, and sometimes those decisions are tough decision to make but hey, I’m a leader and I have to make them. Some are good and some don’t turn out as well. I made a decision to play all of these young kids that weren’t ready to play but they were the best guys in my decision and in my coaching staff’s opinion.”<<

Thanks - didn't read this article til now.

I still find it less than comforting, that there is absolutely nothing to go on regarding video to believe Edsall's assessments, and as I noted elsewhere already - the UConn 2018-2019 schedule is a division 1-A schedule, not a 1-AA schedule of 1999-2000, and these players are being put through a meat grinder.

It's a possibility/probability that they will come through all of it, and in a couple of years - we'll have a competitve team.

in the meantime, it's very convenient for 60 year old Randy - to be collecting his salary, and having established expectations and measures of success to come in years, and the bar to measure success set as low as possible.

 

[Hornet22]

Last year we started 7 seniors on defense. Saturday we started 0 seniors on defense and 5 freshman.

It boggles my mind how comparisons continued to be made with prior teams with missing this exact point.
Truly baffling.
It’s almost like purposely ignoring the big elephant in the room just to remain mired in the “UConn football is historically bad” mindset.

 

[JMick]

It’s much worse than that — there is noticeable decline.

It’s not apples-to-apples, but last year we averaged a 38-21 loss. This year we’re averaging a 48-21 loss.

Last year, we gave up 26 first downs per game. This year, we’re giving up 28.

Last year, we gave up 519 yards per game. This year we’re giving up 627 yards per game. For context, remember last year when Missouri crushed us and went up and down the field at will? They “only” had 583 yards in that game — the only teams we’ve held under 600 yards this year are URI (550) and UMass (444). We gave up 818 yards at Boise.

It’s not that we’re not improving. It’s that we’ve become historically terrible.

We knew the defense was going to suck this year. I'm more disappointed in the offense, but not necessarily the coaching staff. We have moved the ball well all year but once we get momentum or end up in the red zone, we make mental mistakes. Next year could be even worse so we better hope the defense makes even marginal improvements. Hopefully next season we start seeing the week to week improvement that we've been missing this season

 

[Palatine]

He's worried about socks and sundaes? He doesn't seem to realize that those things happen because he lets them get away with it. After two years they players think they can slide on the coach? Well, that on you coach. You haven't made it clear.

The thing he should worry about is why his DBs never turn and see the ball. WTF is he teaching them? Anything? Hell, I could name half a dozen fundamentals that his kids don't use in games. Do we ever see a lineman use a swin move or bull rush. They just sort of dance and stick to the opponent defensive line like glue. Why Randy? Do you teach them anything?

Teach them some football.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

He doesn't have to run a daycare camp. If he chooses to, this is what he gets.
Read Pal's take from last week. Maybe it's time for tough love from Daddy.
Culture is vastly overrated