Slow day yesterday, rewatched P's recruiting news conference.

[Kgun7]

Of course I can. I've seen the whole season. I shouldn't have a judgment on the P era at UConn after one season, and I don't. But the season is done. I predicted 8-4 preseason assuming no effects of a coaching change. That might have, in hindsight, been a little optimistic as I hoped we'd have better QB play than we got. But I thought we took a 7-5 team and made it a 5-7 team by giving them too much new too soon. (And by being too aggressive with the lead and the ball in Nashville.)

I'm hoping that a lot that was forced on the team last year leads to more wins this year as they get comfortable with it. I really am. And I have not in any mind given up on this Coach and his staff. But of course you can grade last year, and I don't think, overall, it was a strong start.

Fair enough. You don't think it was a strong start.

I think P's job of changing the philosophy, culture, and attitude of this program almost required small doses of failure ... and will do more for this program going forward.

 

[Palatine]

Fair enough. You don't think it was a strong start.

I think P's job of changing the philosophy, culture, and attitude of this program almost required small doses of failure ... and will do more for this program going forward.

P. could have done all those things and not thrown away the Vandy game. He could have also advanced his philosophy by sitting guys who were not producing or just resting guys who were spent. And none of those things affected his clock management

 

[uconndogs]

Agree with this. There was no reason not to be in a bowl last season. Coaching was abysmal in the Vandy and WMU games. I have no idea what team I saw play Louisville at the Rent last season. Iowa State was a good team, but we picked off three passes in the first quarter and got 3 points out of it.

You get a pass in your first season, but if this crew coaches in 2012 like it did in 2011 there is a good chance it's a 3 and out for P.

 

[businesslawyer]

Fair enough. You don't think it was a strong start.

I think P's job of changing the philosophy, culture, and attitude of this program almost required small doses of failure ... and will do more for this program going forward.

At some point we need to put Edsall to bed it's old and over either get on or get $&k off the wagon,"what is understood need never be discussed". All hail coach P!

I hate to break it to you, but this is a discussion about Coach P.

 

[uconndogs]

I agree with that as well. Because there is no doubt in my mind that Edsall would have had us in a bowl last season.

With that said, P may be in the long-term best interest of the program.

 

[CTMike]

The black-and-whiteness is really astonishing. I know - at the end of the day, your record is what it is. But the difference between going 8-4 in 2010 regular season and 5-7 in the 2011 season is downright miniscule. In 2010, Rutgers, WV, Pitt, and USF could have all gone the other way on a bad bounce of a ball. Again, a bounce here and there and and we could have been 8-4 last year. I think way too much credit/criticism is directed at the head coach. P went 5 and 7. Not great, and not where we want to be. But not such an abysmal coaching failure that some make it out to be.

 

[uconndogs]

.......But the difference between going 8-4 in 2010 regular season and 5-7 in the 2011 season is downright miniscule.

Welcome to big boy football. You want to coach at this level you better win a hell of a lot more of those games than you lose. This coaching staff left some Ws on the field last season. They also showed a remarkable inability to recognize that football is a timed event.

Mark my words, another season of that and P will not see year 4 of his contract. I don't care if the recruiting services say he is the second coming of Greg Schiano or we throw the ball like Texas Tech. At the end of the day you fill your stadium and get to bowls by winning football games.

 

[Palatine]

The black-and-whiteness is really astonishing. I know - at the end of the day, your record is what it is. But the difference between going 8-4 in 2010 regular season and 5-7 in the 2011 season is downright miniscule. In 2010, Rutgers, WV, Pitt, and USF could have all gone the other way on a bad bounce of a ball. Again, a bounce here and there and and we could have been 8-4 last year. I think way too much credit/criticism is directed at the head coach. P went 5 and 7. Not great, and not where we want to be. But not such an abysmal coaching failure that some make it out to be.

Some of believe that the difference in record was not provided by a bounce here or there. It was the direct result of decisions made by the coach.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Some of believe that the difference in record was not provided by a bounce here or there. It was the direct result of decisions made by the coach.

Or the presence of the greatest running backs we've had at UConn.

I think a lot of people are seriously discounting how huge it is to have someone that talented. You take Todman away from the 2010 team and they are absolutely a mediocre 5-7.

 

[businesslawyer]

The black-and-whiteness is really astonishing. I know - at the end of the day, your record is what it is. But the difference between going 8-4 in 2010 regular season and 5-7 in the 2011 season is downright miniscule. In 2010, Rutgers, WV, Pitt, and USF could have all gone the other way on a bad bounce of a ball. Again, a bounce here and there and and we could have been 8-4 last year. I think way too much credit/criticism is directed at the head coach. P went 5 and 7. Not great, and not where we want to be. But not such an abysmal coaching failure that some make it out to be.

Speaking for myself, I'm not calling it an abysmal coaching failure and I don't think many are. Someone said it was a good start, or words to that effect. There is a big gap between abysmal failure and good start. And people are discussing it.

 

[J187Money]

The black-and-whiteness is really astonishing. I know - at the end of the day, your record is what it is. But the difference between going 8-4 in 2010 regular season and 5-7 in the 2011 season is downright miniscule. In 2010, Rutgers, WV, Pitt, and USF could have all gone the other way on a bad bounce of a ball. Again, a bounce here and there and and we could have been 8-4 last year. I think way too much credit/criticism is directed at the head coach. P went 5 and 7. Not great, and not where we want to be. But not such an abysmal coaching failure that some make it out to be.

And Wisconsin was 2 plays away from playing for the NC.

 

[sportsart]

You take Todman away from the 2010 team and they are absolutely a mediocre 5-7.

If we take Palatine off the boneyard does that make us mediocre?

 

[uconndogs]

Or the presence of the greatest running backs we've had at UConn.

I think a lot of people are seriously discounting how huge it is to have someone that talented. You take Todman away from the 2010 team and they are absolutely a mediocre 5-7.

Todman was a special athlete for us and Brown is about as good a college back as you will find. I recognize that.

Further, I think what McCombs did last season was terrific and I never believed that he could hold up under that work load.

That all said, I think our running game last season was average and was below average in short yardage and redzone situations. McCombs does not break tackles and does not have the speed to take it the distance. He is a very good scat back and given some room he can make people miss. I believe we were in desperate need of establishing another back who could bang insider and I would be willing to bet that JSL could have been that guy and I also think he is probably faster than McCombs as well.

 

[Palatine]

Or the presence of the greatest running backs we've had at UConn.

I think a lot of people are seriously discounting how huge it is to have someone that talented. You take Todman away from the 2010 team and they are absolutely a mediocre 5-7.

Every team loses good or great players every year. I loved JT. But we were still in a position to win a number of games and questionable coaching hurt us.

 

[Nostical]

I agree with you Pal. I thought the sideline pass up by 7 late in the 4th Q at Vandy was one of the worst calls I'd ever witnessed considering the circumstances and the possible alternatives available.

 

[ZooCougar]

P blew it when he didn't commit to a QB until later on. There were also brutally bad sideline decisions in addition to abysmal clock management.

This year was probably a freebie though.

 

[huskysupporter]

Coach P made some real head scratching calls in regard to time management. Mistakes I would expect from a green head coach, not someone with his experience.

I also was not overly impressed with defensive adjustments. There were games where the opposing qb continued to expose the defensive coverage, yet there was no change on our end.

But there were positives. I really liked the offensive scheme. It took about 4 games for me to see what Coach Deleone wanted to do on O, and if executed correctly, it can be very effective. Scheme is fine, just need the players. 2 glaring holes - QB play. We have talked about it ad naseum, but we have to get better there. Better accuracy, better defense recognition, better pocket presence. Also, we need better pass blocking from our running backs. A lot better. I don't want a tailback out there on obvious passing downs if they don't want to block. Use a TE as an H back in the backfield, or have Reuben Frank be the lone back (I actually think he has a lot of potential as a receiver out of the backfield).

 

[uconnric]

I agree with that as well. Because there is no doubt in my mind that Edsall would have had us in a bowl last season.

That's absurd.

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[sportsart]

That's absurd.

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If you don't think coaching probably cost us one game last year you are not being honest with yourself. Far fromabsurd.

 

[metsfan2323]

If you don't think coaching probably cost us one game last year you are not being honest with yourself. Far fromabsurd.

Far too simplistic. There is no way to know what the previous regime would have accomplished last year. History tells us McEntee would not have seen the light of day, Box would have probably started the season behind center and we probably would not have beaten Rutgers.

Most importantly we do know that Whitmer and Cochran would have been attending another school.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

We have enough trouble debating over hard facts on this board. And now we're gonna start debating what none of us can possibly know or back up with facts?

How about this.....to save everyone some time.....we could've gone 10-2 or 2-10 with our former coach this past year. Most likely somewhere in between. Everyone happy now?

 

[weyuo]

"There's always next year". Pessimists look at that statement as the glass half empty. But in Coach P's case, after evaluating what he had behind center last year, it was probably the most optimistic way to go into last season. Five month's till tackling dummies and drills, drills, drills(to twist an old baseball saying). Or, more optimistically....... 164 days till the Maryland game.