Realistic Expectations

[sdhusky]

We should expect special teams to make use of the rule that allows punts to be returned.

Is that a new rule? Are you sure its allowed???

 

[tjhusky]

I expect - Lots of new things to watch. More uptempo offense. Slight upgrade on oline and qb, and coaches that can better adapt to what the d is playing. The downside, still lacking speed, will have to limit the playbook, may only be able use uptempo game periodically to limit mistakes and not gas guys not capable of playing at that speed.

Same with D. Scheme; changes may help a bit, but need to get enough personnel fast enough to play it and not make big mistakes.

Specials - should be a big improvement. Randy won't just ignore 1/3 of the game. Hopefully it will swing the tide in our favor in a few games.

That is what I expect this year. Hopefully that gets us some wins.

 

[SubbaBub]

I don't know how anyone can have any idea but I do know this. BD cost us a number of wins both in game management and scheme. That should be worth at least a couple more this season. What I don't know is if there is any talent left on this team. Most of the guys on the roster are BD recruits with scares the living bejeebers out of me. What if he recruited like he coached? We expect RE to be able to coach up these guys, but what if slow and unfocused are still the ceiling? Horror!

But seriously, DB and LB play will be key, as will some positives on ST (all new kickers), and an Offense that can hold on to the ball, both in terms of time and turnovers. I don't expect great leaps on O, just a better plan of attack. The D not dropping off and not giving up big plays are what are going to keep us in games long enough to win them.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I think anybody who speculates about how good or bad we're going to be before we play Holy Cross is insane. I have no idea what to expect, other than, "not miracles."

 

[IMind]

I don't see this schedule as soft. As Husky25 noted, it is likely that we're only going to be favored in 1 game. We play 3 P5 teams with only one true home game among those three. I don't feel comfortable with any of the AAC games. Maybe I have PostDiacoStressDisorder.

I don't feel comfortable with any game and understand the Diaco factor but I still think .500 against this schedule isnt crazy. Im normally on the other side of this argument, but like I said I'm optimistic.

 

[Excalibur]

My expectation is for them to win every game. Setting such low expectations is short-sited. Obviously, none of you have ever coached football.

We are neither coaching nor playing, so there is no need to take that approach. We have the luxury of being somewhat detached from the situation and can assess our prospects more objectively . . .

 

[J187Money]

There is zero reason that we can't get to 6 wins and a bowl game. I refuse to believe otherwise until we are mathematically eliminated from doing so.

 

[junglehusky]

I have no freakin' idea. I do know thatmore than a few people expected 7-8 wins last year. In hindsight, that was never going to happen. My hope was to see an arc of improvement over the course of the season, and the exact opposite of that was what we got. With Randy back, I am going back to hoping for improvement. What record that translates to, I honestly don't know.

 

[Woof 101]

I think anybody who speculates about how good or bad we're going to be before we play Holy Cross is insane. I have no idea what to expect, other than, "not miracles."

I like this Irish as I agree other than the word insane. A few fans are way over the top but insane is a bit much, they may just not know how to express themselves.
Again keeping it real, it is way too early to have expectations other than the obvious....

Expectations this early...A new enthusiasm among the hard core to get the situation turned around.
A head coach leading the team onto the field not wearing his wife's pants...
A lot of empty seats for the opener, bring a friend and tell them to come again...
A much easier watch for the informed fan, no longer will we have to scream, THE CLOCK! THE CLOCK! .....................
BOB LOOK AT THE FREAKING CLOCK !!!!!!
Yes we will have players running back punts etc but still much too early to to generate actual realistic expectations....Randy not starting from scratch but damn close to it.!

 

[Ldandy]

I glanced at the schedule and there is not one team on there that is a guaranteed L. None. That doesn't mean that this team can't lose to any of them, just that realistically they should be in every single game. Even the so called P5 Teams UVA, Missouri, and BC are well within reason for Uconn to be able to grab a W. I'm sure the team's goal will be to get to a bowl game. That is definitely achievable.

 

[Husky92]

If we go 3-9 but are competing at the right level, the coaching staff is putting the right schemes on the field, the playcalling makes sense, and the losses come because of a talent gap, then I'd rather that result than go 5-7 or 6-6 where we luckbox our way into two or three wins because we play like garbage but the other team makes unforced errors that hand us victories.

You make a calm rational argument in your post Brass, but I personally have to disagree with the above sentence. From an enjoyment standpoint, I would much prefer 5-7 or 6-6 over 3-9 any day. I just want to enjoy watching UCONN football again and that means seeing some W's, even if some are WTF wins.

 

[UConnFranklin]

Our expectations should be more based on the on-field play rather than strictly the results. We should expect an improved offensive scheme that's more geared to the tools we have. Randy and Rhett obviously don't have their guys in the offense yet so they have to work with what they have, thus setting results expectations isn't the most reasonable way to approach this question. We should expect the offense to better adjust in-game to how the defense is playing. We should expect the defense as well to better adjust to what's going on and not do dumb things like staying with lax CB coverage while the opposition dinks and dunks their WR all the way down the field. We should expect general competence in play calling on both sides of the ball. No more going for it on 4th and 12 from the 14. No more fake FGs at the end of the game without the personnel able to pull it off. We should expect special teams to make use of the rule that allows punts to be returned. If we go 3-9 but are competing at the right level, the coaching staff is putting the right schemes on the field, the playcalling makes sense, and the losses come because of a talent gap, then I'd rather that result than go 5-7 or 6-6 where we luckbox our way into two or three wins because we play like garbage but the other team makes unforced errors that hand us victories. Overall quality of play and coaching > results, for this year.

I agree with most of what Brassbonanzaa said. My EXPECTATIONS are for improved on field performance and coaching(time clock management and a few punt returns, etc). However my GOAL is to win a National Championship. I won't settle for anything less. This should be the goal of the team and fans every year. Nothing short. My PREDICTION is they will go 4 and 8. What would MAKE ME HAPPY (i.e., that progress is being made toward my goal) would be 7 and 6 (winning in the bowl game we go to) What would MAKE ME SATISFIED with would be 5 and 7. Winning all the games we are supposed to win and beating a team we are not supposed to beat.

 

[Confident Carl]

It all turns on a big improvement at Oline and a QB with the ability to make a read past the primary and deliver a ball with some accuracy. If the Oline is restored to midling to fair, we can win 5-7. If it struggles again, 2-3.

I agree, we need to have major improvements controlling the line of scrimmage (on both sides of the ball) in order to produce significant change. This should improve QB play regardless of who the QB is.

 

[J187Money]

I glanced at the schedule and there is not one team on there that is a guaranteed L. None. That doesn't mean that this team can't lose to any of them, just that realistically they should be in every single game. Even the so called P5 Teams UVA, Missouri, and BC are well within reason for Uconn to be able to grab a W. I'm sure the team's goal will be to get to a bowl game. That is definitely achievable.

Randy only got blown out when he was completely outmatched (I'm sure there are a couple of exceptions but not many). I expect to be in every game.

 

[BlueMAB]

There's no rational reason to prefer a well coached 3-9 over a "lucky" 6-6. Nobody wins 25% of their season based on "luck". If we can play poorly and still win 6 games, then our ceiling is much higher if the coaches can continue to coach the players up.

If we play solidly, but only win 3, then we just suck. That's depressing.

 

[jdb50]

Going to miss the fans counting down the play clock. It was such a continuous problem. Who says we didn't care.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

You make a calm rational argument in your post Brass, but I personally have to disagree with the above sentence. From an enjoyment standpoint, I would much prefer 5-7 or 6-6 over 3-9 any day. I just want to enjoy watching UCONN football again and that means seeing some W's, even if some are WTF wins.

You're right, the results do matter to some extent - I didn't include that line because it would negate everything I wrote before it . The good news is, if the things I listed before get done, that maximizes the chances that the results end up in our favor. The odds that we do indeed luckbox our way into three or four wins we don't deserve aren't high.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I'd honestly be happy with the same win totally as last year, but we look competitive in every game and three offense looks anything but offensive

 

[Confident Carl]

Orlando Sentinel has UCONN with the 4th toughest OC schedule in the AAC.

Ranking the toughest nonconference schedules in the AAC

 

[SubbaBub]

The secret sauce is that you only need to win 2 OOC games (at least 1 is a gimme), and split your conference slate to be bowl eligible. Losing to Navy, BC, and Cuse was the difference. That should not that too big a bridge to cross. It gets smaller if you can beat the Tulanes and UCF's of the world.

I hope we can look back at the end of the year and say to BD and PP, "See, it wasn't that hard now was it?"

 

[Excalibur]

Randy only got blown out when he was completely outmatched (I'm sure there are a couple of exceptions but not many). I expect to be in every game.

I can think of only three examples: at Cincy in 2007, vs. Pitt in 2008, and at Temple in 2010.

 

[sportsart]

I can think of only three examples: at Cincy in 2007, vs. Pitt in 2008, and at Temple in 2010.

Plus almost every WVU game, minus one or two. The almost win in the "Jazz game" and the one with 5 TO's by WVU (a win for us) are the only 2 I can remember close or a win.

 

[SubbaBub]

At Miami.

 

[Excalibur]

Plus almost every WVU game, minus one or two. The almost win in the "Jazz game" and the one with 5 TO's by WVU (a win for us) are the only 2 I can remember close or a win.

I think those were cases of being outmatched. The games I cited were winnable games that we didn't show up for. There weren't many of those.

 

[J187Money]

Plus almost every WVU game, minus one or two. The almost win in the "Jazz game" and the one with 5 TO's by WVU (a win for us) are the only 2 I can remember close or a win.

Right. But we were way outmatched in most of those WVU games. Anyone that thinks we should have played most of those games close were looking through homer glasses.