Self-assuredness or stubborn arrogance

[weyuo]

I couldn't quite put my finger on it back in the spring but Diaco's speeches to the press and a couple functions he attended reminded me a little like car salesman talk and a lot like Tony Robbins motivational seminars. Throw a couple God references in and bingo.... you have a typical Coach Diaco conference. Not saying that's a bad thing at all... just an observation. Hope it sells to the people that it needs to be sold to and hope it motivates the ones that need motivation.

Now lets see some wins- GO HUSKIES!!

 

[Dogged]

I think he's a unique guy with his own idiosyncratic ways. I know he seems odd to some but I don't find these things to be real negatives. Maybe you need a little personal kumbaya from the coach.

 

[Perfect Hair]

I would describe them as "inconsequential", "perfunctory" , meaning I assign very little weight to what he says. I would also call them "press conferences", which is what they are, rather than "pronouncements", which gives the statements much more merit than they deserve. I am confident the people in the football program as well as Warde assign little value, if any, in what BD says to the press. The media and fans may assign higher value to whatever he says in public, but the head coach typically does not assign much value to these outside opinions. I am okay with that, and personally I am fine with the coach saying nonsense or quoting Monty Python as long as he doesn't become a "hey look at this crazy coach" story" on ESPN.

Actually, I would be okay with that too, if he did it when UConn was having a winning season.

I think the starting QB announcement was a "look at the crazy coach" moment that I found embarrassing as a UConn supporter. The thought of it to this day makes me squirm. My son said he saw the guys on barstool making fun of it. That's not good, right?

I also think he embarrassed his QBs with that charade, I mean for god's sake he announced the winner of a QB competition and managed to knock both QBs at the same time!! I would not be surprised if that "press conference" had some of the players questioning him after his actions that day. THAT is certainly a lot more significant than what the media or fans like I think.

 

[CTMike]

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more. Great country.

 

[junglehusky]

I think the starting QB announcement was a "look at the crazy coach" moment that I found embarrassing as a UConn supporter. The thought of it to this day makes me squirm. My son said he saw the guys on barstool making fun of it. That's not good, right?

For fans' feelings, perhaps. For the program, inconsequential. I don't care what random dudes on barstools opinions are, but I can see how fanswould be annoyed by this. Still, if the coach were 10-0 and the barstool guys were singing his praises, would that matter? Not much.

I also think he embarrassed his QBs with that charade, I mean for god's sake he announced the winner of a QB competition and managed to knock both QBs at the same time!! I would not be surprised if that "press conference" had some of the players questioning him after his actions that day. THAT is certainly a lot more significant than what the media or fans like I think.

I would be on board with this statement if one of the QB's was head and shoulders above the rest and a clear college D1 qb. That wasn't the case, and though it was odd, I think it was obviously designed to put pressure on all 3 QB's to up their games, while at the same time give them a positive outlook on the season. A lot of fans and media seemed disoriented by this more than anything, only because the conventional way to handle a QB competition is to name a starter and a backup at the end of the summer. Well, in the head coach's assessment, nobody was at the level of D1 starter so both QB's would be given game experience and a chance to help the team and to improve. I don't think he could have been more clear about this, but our culture is ingrained with having to have a clear winner and a clear loser. So, fans and the media could not understand why the coach would have an outside the box approach.

As far as the players questioning the coach, if they don't like the handling of the situation they can transfer or leave the program, as some have. It's a normal part of coaching changes to have player turnover in the first year of the new regime.

 

[RedStickHusky]

How would you describe his "pronouncements"? I've seen them quoted on here as "bizarre", "weird", "strange", "nonsensical", "disingenuous" etc. I have a tough time disagreeing with any of those descriptions, do you? Maybe because of my age and experience with a lot of salesman, and a lot of bad salesman (my brother in law is the worst), I use that comparison too much, but it's the way I feel about the head coach, sorry not sorry.

"deflecting"? It's a weird situation for a coach in the first year of a rebuild. Kind of like an artist holding press conferences mid-painting... what is there to say other than "trust me, it'll be great". The analogy breaks down though when you consider that artists aren't trying to sell tickets or motivate their brushes and paints.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I recall a year after he also put on the backs of their jerseys "FAMILY" instead of players last names. Rebuilding involves much more than performance and on field results. IT's much more and much deeper than me, but WE.

Instead of players' last names, FAMILY is somewhere between trite and tacky. On the other hand, there may be something no names at all and only Connecticut or UCONN on the front. Afterall, jersey numbers serve a purpose even with walk-ons wearing the same number as some other players playing on the opposite side of the line.

 

[Stray_Dog]

I agree with you that a process and next year is better, so long as there is actually a process! So the answer is, "Yes, I would feel that much better about an Army win, because it would tell me that with an extra week to prepare, this coaching staff could game plan one of the worst teams in D-1." The fact that they couldn't doesn't fill me with hope for there being a true process.

Nobody hopes they are wrong more than I do. Nobody hopes that they eat crow more than I do. I hope we go 13-0 next year (literally, not '97). And if we have a great turnaround, I will be the first on the board to eat my words, I promise you that. It's not in my nature to be negative. But in the immortal words of Poison; "Give me something to believe in..."

Ummm, I think I see a process... I see a coach that tries to dictate what the outcome of a play on the field is due to his planning. What he fails to do is to react to the guy across the field who has his own game plan. When the opposing team is able to see through your game plan weather it is due to poor execution of the game plan or that the strategy simply cannot be enforced but our coach wants these kids to see the concept of his strategy. Great, so lets you say you buy into his ideology, but never get to see the true labor of those efforts translated into wins. How long would you buy into that system? This to me defines the level of arrogance that I see in this coach. his methodology may work, but like any head coach, the need for results will become more urgent with each game. Either the players will lose trust and faith in their coach should these results continue or the administration will forcefully move the football program into another direction (replacing said football coach). I think one season is too early and maybe I am in the minority but next year, he will need to show improvement over this year and that means with an easier schedule (not lke this years schedule was ll that tough) he will need more W's. (oh and for the record, an ugly W will be better for him than a coaching lesson - L