Reading the SU board

[sdhusky]

This. 1000%, perfectly said, this.

If that quote just gets saved somewhere on the board, so that anyone who cares about rationality has access to it, I think I could resist coming in to defend against the silly attacks again and again when goodness forbid someone questions anything about our present regime.

The fact that you can write about Benedict Arnold as the hero of Saratoga means that you can appreciate what he did for this country without ignoring it due to his treason, right? Why can't you do the same for Edsall's accomplishments in light of his treason? Odd...

Why does saying IMHO that Edsall didn't suck but I don't honestly feel he accomplished much more than that is so unreasonable?

This isn't the 70's. The rules when Edsall came to the program were more in the favor of the little guy than ever before. By 2005, we had great facilities, were in a BCS conference and on national TV. I think our situation was about the same as UofL, Cincy and RU. We never had a season like their best years.

He wasn't Krag or GROB or Terry Shea. For that I am thankful but I'm not willing to go much beyond that.

I think Kelly or Petrino or RR all would have done much better so I don't think he should be held in that high of esteem. There is a reason why nobody else wanted him and he kept getting turned down for new jobs.

 

[BlueMAB]

What apoligistas refuse to acknowledge is the effect a crappy ending has on the rest of the story.

The rest of the story? So we can't improve because he quit when he did? Interesting logic. You believe he sucked at coaching, he sucked at quitting, and now UConn sucks because he's not here. Let us know when it's officially Pasqualoni's team and we can stop blaming the former regime Mr. Axelrod.

In fact, let us know how the revolutionary war turned out for Mr. Arnold and the British. Were the colonies able to overcome the traitorous actions of Benedict Arnold?

God Save the Queen.

 

[UConnDan97]

Why does saying IMHO that Edsall didn't suck but I don't honestly feel he accomplished much more than that is so unreasonable?

This isn't the 70's. The rules when Edsall came to the program were more in the favor of the little guy than ever before. By 2005, we had great facilities, were in a BCS conference and on national TV. I think our situation was about the same as UofL, Cincy and RU. We never had a season like their best years.

He wasn't Krag or GROB or Terry Shea. For that I am thankful but I'm not willing to go much beyond that.

I think Kelly or Petrino or RR all would have done much better so I don't think he should be held in that high of esteem. There is a reason why nobody else wanted him and he kept getting turned down for new jobs.

I respect your opinion. And I am not going to argue that Edsall was as good as Kelly, Petrino, or RR. Each one of those individuals was so good that they were pulled away by some of the most coveted positions a coach could be pulled by (ND, the Atlanta Falcons, and Michigan respectively).

However, are you telling me that there are only two levels of coaches; those that went on to the most highly coveted jobs in the country, and those that "didn't suck"?? Is that seriously the only two options? You're right, Edsall wasn't Kragthorpe or Grob, or Shea, (and thank God, he wasn't Robinson!) but I would also say that he was better than Wannstadt, a former professional coach, by the way. He certainly did more with less than what Wanny had. He was also better in my opinion than Schiano (a current professional coach) and also did more than him with less. He was better, in my opinion, than Leavitt, who....wait for it....ALSO had more than he had!

So, I guess my only struggle is with the idea that Edsall's only claim to fame was that he "didn't suck"...

 

[johnhuskies95]

If you look at his record, he's an average coach. And then if you look at the rebuilding job he had, he becomes an above average/pretty good coach.

The fact that he couldn't recruit even a halfway decent quarterback after Danny O is the most disappointing thing during his time here, and the reason UConn never had a 10 win season IMO. In addition, he consistently got killed with in-state recruiting.

 

[pj]

I would also say that he was better than Wannstadt, a former professional coach, by the way. He certainly did more with less than what Wanny had. He was also better in my opinion than Schiano (a current professional coach) and also did more than him with less. He was better, in my opinion, than Leavitt, who....wait for it....ALSO had more than he had!

Maybe Edsall should be in the pros, since he does more with what he has than Schiano; and pro coaches don't have to recruit. But isn't recruiting a pretty significant part of being a college coach? If Edsall recruited worse than Schiano and then outcoached him to get to rough parity in performance, isn't he at best Schiano's peer as a college coach?

I'm guessing that not many people in the pros believe that Edsall is better than Schiano, or Edsall might be working there instead of at Maryland.

 

[UConnDan97]

Maybe Edsall should be in the pros, since he does more with what he has than Schiano; and pro coaches don't have to recruit. But isn't recruiting a pretty significant part of being a college coach? If Edsall recruited worse than Schiano and then outcoached him to get to rough parity in performance, isn't he at best Schiano's peer as a college coach?

I'm guessing that not many people in the pros believe that Edsall is better than Schiano, or Edsall might be working there instead of at Maryland.

First of all, Edsall WAS ALREADY in the pros. He was at Jacksonville with Coughlin (a fact that he never let anyone forget about). Secondly, Schiano's recruiting was better than Edsall's in large part due to the fact that he was at the state university of New Jersey, the football hotbed that every large program comes to in order to recruit. That's why I said Edsall did more with less than those individuals; Wannstadt was in Pennsylvania, Schiano was in Jersey, and Leavitt was in Florida. If you think that those are equivalent recruiting bases to CT, then I have some land to sell you in the Everglades. That's the point here, people; despite intrinsic disadvantages, he played those people evenly. We were consistently on the bottom of recruiting classes in the Big East, and yet we did pretty well in the league.

Now I am even more excited to see what Pasqualoni, a known and proven recruiter in the Northeast, can do for us going forward. Look, everybody, I am not saying the guy was Parcells. I'm just saying that the program was better off having had him as our head coach than if we didn't. I'm just not sure why that fact is such a big friggin' deal to admit for some of you!

 

[ZooCougar]

1. I never said that emphasis on values was a negative. You're either a moron, obtuse or both... You pick.

2. Teams that are Top 25 generally have good records against the Top 25. Edsall had one or two wins against the Top 25 in his lifetime. Prett damning by ant reasonable person's standard.

3. If you cant develop QBs in college football, a QB centric sport, then you are not playing with a full magazine.

4. Blind Spots? Really? Do I look like Google to you? Look it up yourself.

5. His system is great if your goal is to go 7-5 and back into championships in bad league.

On Pasqualoni.... he recruits fine, but he may be no better than Edsall. In fact that's the problem Whaler and company have. Judge Pasqualoni on his own merits, and stop comparing him to Pope Randy.

Don't be baffled (it's not worship, by the way). I'm baffled that some people think his body of work is incomplete after 11 seasons, but let's just focus on your points:

1. Terrible Record against the Top 25. Most do. That's why they are the Top 25.

2. Places a huge emphasis on character and values. And....that's bad?

3. Slow to take responsibility for results on the field, often deflecting blame to the players. Unfortunately, like most coaches do...

4. A good gameplanner who can get alot done with a little. I agree.

5. Slow to evolve and adapt when the plan isn't working or the conditions changed. Unfortunately, like most coaches do. They say, "I'm implementing my system."

6. Lots of blind spots... ??

7. Great at developing running backs.
8. Terrible at developing QBs or QBs seem to get worse as time goes by underneath his glare from the sidelines. So few coaches are good at both. I would just argue that he wasn't very good at recruiting good QB's with the exception of Danny O.

So there you have it. My synopsis of your synopsis in a nutshell.

 

[ZooCougar]

Schiano is a better recruiter because he is a better salesman. He closes deals. Edsall and company never figured out how to go toe to toe and win an occasional fight against a heavyweight. Edsall would rather find some under the radar long snapper from Greenland. He was exceptional at that.

First of all, Edsall WAS ALREADY in the pros. He was at Jacksonville with Coughlin (a fact that he never let anyone forget about). Secondly, Schiano's recruiting was better than Edsall's in large part due to the fact that he was at the state university of New Jersey, the football hotbed that every large program comes to in order to recruit. That's why I said Edsall did more with less than those individuals; Wannstadt was in Pennsylvania, Schiano was in Jersey, and Leavitt was in Florida. If you think that those are equivalent recruiting bases to CT, then I have some land to sell you in the Everglades. That's the point here, people; despite intrinsic disadvantages, he played those people evenly. We were consistently on the bottom of recruiting classes in the Big East, and yet we did pretty well in the league.

Now I am even more excited to see what Pasqualoni, a known and proven recruiter in the Northeast, can do for us going forward. Look, everybody, I am not saying the guy was Parcells. I'm just saying that the program was better off having had him as our head coach than if we didn't. I'm just not sure why that fact is such a big friggin' deal to admit for some of you!

 

[coachcap]

Schiano is a better recruiter because he is a better salesman. He closes deals. Edsall and company never figured out how to go toe to toe and win an occasional fight against a heavyweight. Edsall would rather find some under the radar long snapper from Greenland. He was exceptional at that.

Derek Chard was from Burlington, but close enough.

 

[businesslawyer]

That guy pissed in our faces, and now he is paying a humorous price for it. It is my absolute wish and desire to continue the humorous price by beating the urine out of them this coming football year. It doesn't mean that he wasn't a very good coach for us. Period.

Sorry. People who I've mentored at work, and whose departure costs me a lot of money to replace them, leave all the time. I wish them the best and hope their moves work out for them and their families. I don't view it as pissing in my face because I accept that this is their job and their first responsibility is to do what is best for them and their families.

Grown ups realize that people switch jobs, even if it inconveniences their former employers, and realize that sometimes you don't like the way they leave but that is secondary to the fact that they have the right to leave and can.

 

[uconndogs]

Schiano was a better recruiter because he got kids that were purportedly more sought after recruits per Scout and Rivals. Once the recruits got on the field I'm not at all certain that Sciano recruited better talent.

 

[ZooCougar]

When was the last time Edsall's team beat Schiano's? Where is Schiano now exactly?

Also I don't bear any ill will towards Edsall for leaving, thats the way it works. However the manner in which he left lacked class and probably showed his true colors. It was so bad that since then whenever a coach leaves a place ungracefully, the media references Edsall's departure.

 

[uconndogs]

When was the last time Edsall's team beat Schiano's?

ummmm...........last season????

 

[pj]

ummmm...........last season????

Pasqualoni was the coach last season, using Edsall recruits. Before that Edsall had 3 straight losses to Schiano; last Edsall win over Schiano was 2007. Just in case the facts matter. Not sure they do.

 

[ZooCougar]

ummmm...........last season????

Was Edsall standing on the sideline that game?

I guess Saint Randy was coaching two teams last season.

 

[uconndogs]

I realize that. But, have you really seen a dramatic difference in the talent level between the programs based on the play on the field, at least as it relates to the differential suggested by the recruiting sites?

My beef here is with the weight folks place on the recruiting rankings. UCONN and Rutgers have played very competitive football since UCONN's entrance into the Big East. There is nothing to suggest that the talent differential is significantly in favor of Rutgers, although the recruiting sites would suggest it is.

 

[UConnDan97]

Sorry. People who I've mentored at work, and whose departure costs me a lot of money to replace them, leave all the time. I wish them the best and hope their moves work out for them and their families. I don't view it as pissing in my face because I accept that this is their job and their first responsibility is to do what is best for them and their families.

Grown ups realize that people switch jobs, even if it inconveniences their former employers, and realize that sometimes you don't like the way they leave but that is secondary to the fact that they have the right to leave and can.

I was just repeating that line because that is what Waquoit used. I tend to lean more towards your sentiment about the job movement. However, I still hold it against him that he left about 30 minutes after the biggest loss in all of those kids' football careers. He could have waited one day. Just like when people leave a job, normally, they give a 2 week notice.

 

[UConnDan97]

1. I never said that emphasis on values was a negative. You're either a moron, obtuse or both... You pick.

People who normally feel like they cannot make a point without resorting to name calling are typically obtuse morons. I guess you don't need to pick.

 

[UConnDan97]

By the way, if everyone stops and thinks about the biggest players we've had in our program (with the exception of Orlovsky) under the Edsall era, they were normally from Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Florida. People like Donald Brown and Kashif Moore. So hopefully people can stop telling me about how many recruiting battles he lost because he sucks.

If I'm from Jersey, you have to really be a fantastic recruiter to draw me away from the local team, where I can play in front of my friends and family. I hope that people understand that. Which school do you think most of the biggest recruits in Texas go to? Exactly.

 

[UConnDan97]

By the way, at risk of beating a dead horse, here is a link to Maryland's Rivals page. It looks to me, at least in the early going, that he is bringing in an equivalent class to Pasqualoni right now:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/connecticut/football/recruiting/commitments/2013/maryland-5

Hopefully, Pasqualoni can take us farther and for longer. UConn is all I care about, and right now, Edsall's jacket is red...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

and right now, Edsall's jacket is red...

Or black.

Or black, red and yellow.

Or tortoise shell.

 

[UConnDan97]

Or black.

Or black, red and yellow.

Or tortoise shell.

I'm still laughing!!

 

[johnhuskies95]

Sorry. People who I've mentored at work, and whose departure costs me a lot of money to replace them, leave all the time. I wish them the best and hope their moves work out for them and their families. I don't view it as pissing in my face because I accept that this is their job and their first responsibility is to do what is best for them and their families.

Grown ups realize that people switch jobs, even if it inconveniences their former employers, and realize that sometimes you don't like the way they leave but that is secondary to the fact that they have the right to leave and can.

Do people that you "mentor" always get on a plane before they even tell you that they're leaving?

 

[Waquoit]

The rest of the story? So we can't improve because he quit when he did? Interesting logic. You believe he sucked at coaching, he sucked at quitting, and now UConn sucks because he's not here. Let us know when it's officially Pasqualoni's team and we can stop blaming the former regime Mr. Axelrod.

In fact, let us know how the revolutionary war turned out for Mr. Arnold and the British. Were the colonies able to overcome the traitorous actions of Benedict Arnold?

God Save the Queen.

When you miss a point, you don't mess around. None of your post has anything remotely to do with what I said. My OP had nothing to do with post-Edsall UConn. My point is that the way Edsall left was so lousy that it mitigated his successes and highlighted his shortcomings while he was here. Like Arnold's subsequent actions affected his heroism. I admit the guys that jump in with the apologista stuff at any little HCRE dig either real or imagined get to me. Where you came up with "Axelrod" can probably only be explained by your shrink.

 

[businesslawyer]

Do people that you "mentor" always get on a plane before they even tell you that they're leaving?

Do they go to their new employer and tell them "yes" before they tell me they're going? Of course they do. Almost everyone who does a job does that. The only thing that was unusual here is that it was publicly announced after Edsall said "yes" before he got his players, and while that is unfortunate (very unfortunate), that was done because Maryland needed it to be done. Which is not a situation that 999 out of 1000 job changers deal with.

 

[UConnDan97]

Do they go to their new employer and tell them "yes" before they tell me they're going? Of course they do. Almost everyone who does a job does that. The only thing that was unusual here is that it was publicly announced after Edsall said "yes" before he got his players, and while that is unfortunate (very unfortunate), that was done because Maryland needed it to be done. Which is not a situation that 999 out of 1000 job changers deal with.

Yeah, but BizLaw, you have to admit that it was more than crappy for Edsall to have this big lecture to Jordan Todman about the importance of telling his teammates that day that he was planning on entering the draft, and the whole time, he himself had already agreed to another opportunity. Pretty up, in my opinion. And I'm one of the "apologistas"!

 

[businesslawyer]

Yeah, but BizLaw, you have to admit that it was more than crappy for Edsall to have this big lecture to Jordan Todman about the importance of telling his teammates that day that he was planning on entering the draft, and the whole time, he himself had already agreed to another opportunity. Pretty up, in my opinion. And I'm one of the "apologistas"!

It very well might have been hypocritical. Whether it actually was or not depends on many factors that we don't know. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt where conclusions are based on speculation rather than facts. Those who choose not to follow the golden rule are free to assume the worst when they speculate. It's a free country.

 

[BlueMAB]

My point is that the way Edsall left was so lousy that it mitigated his successes and highlighted his shortcomings while he was here.

Only to those who already chose to criticize everything he did or said, perceived or real. Only to those who insist on criticizing the accomplishments of the team because they can't bring themselves to admit that a man they despise, actually achieved some success.

You compared a man who quit a job and burned the bridge on his way out (which happens every day, and is punishable by nothing but a soiled reputation) to man who committed an act of treason which is punishable by death.

None of that matters. But you, and others, repeatedly tear down, ridicule, and minimize, what took hundreds of young men years of hard work to accomplish. That's pathetic.

 

[BlueMAB]

I guess Saint Randy was coaching two teams last season.

If it makes you feel better to pretend that people worship him then so be it. But the only people that call him Saint Randy are you and Palatine.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Only to those who already chose to criticize everything he did or said, perceived or real. Only to those who insist on criticizing the accomplishments of the team because they can't bring themselves to admit that a man they despise, actually achieved some success.

You compared a man who quit a job and burned the bridge on his way out (which happens every day, and is punishable by nothing but a soiled reputation) to man who committed an act of treason which is punishable by death.

None of that matters. But you, and others, repeatedly tear down, ridicule, and minimize, what took hundreds of young men years of hard work to accomplish. That's pathetic.

You're taking this way too seriously. This is just a message board. I highly doubt the former players care at all about what we think.

Again, he was a little over .500 here and he's now a little under .500 for his career. Edsall is what he is, a decent coach. Nothing more, nothing less.