So... UConn 56 - URI 49

[JMick]

Okay, so a MAC or MWC defensive coordinator is going to take a lesser job to coach coach this defense giving up 60 ppg? Or you’re going to take an unproven position coach?

I think @CTMike is right in that Crocker will end up being the fall guy. But my point is that no one is just going to come in and turn this thing around unless they’re a magician.

we really need to "stumble upon" some duffle bags of cash. that's the best quick fix

 

[kemba]

He can also try to improve his personnel, that's we have strength and conditioning coaching, tackling drills, agility drills, why demonstrating proper tackling technique in the open field is important when the ball carrier is running by you at an angle or right at you.

Which takes time. Not one training camp, which is all he's had for half the defense.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Well, 10 years ago we beat them 52-10, and 13 years ago 52-7, and today 56-49. So looking at the the last 3 games as a snapshot in the 120 or whatever how many years series, Dot dot dot

I guess the defense needs work.

 

[Chief00]

Everyone does.

Thanks - glad there’s that interest in technique.

 

[Chief00]

He can also try to improve his personnel, that's we have strength and conditioning coaching, tackling drills, agility drills, why demonstrating proper tackling technique in the open field is important when the ball carrier is running by you at an angle or right at you.

True, we take a lot of bad angles and turn our heads away from the ball on passes. Our tackling is so off the charts poor, I see several root causes. Since there seems to be a lot of interest in the techniques per one of the posters I will probably take a shot at that this season after watching a couple more games. It’s been a busy weekend.

Two guys I was encouraged with were Jones and Thomas at LB. I think they both like to hit.

 

[huskyrob1]

Which takes time. Not one training camp, which is all he's had for half the defense.

Oh really? What do they do during the season every week at practice, play cards?

 

[Carl Spackler]

True, we take a lot of bad angles and turn our heads away from the ball on passes. Our tackling is so off the charts poor, I see several root causes. Since there seems to be a lot of interest in the techniques per one of the posters I will probably take a shot at that this season after watching a couple more games. It’s been a busy weekend.

Two guys I was encouraged with were Jones and Thomas at LB. I think they both like to hit.

the freshmen nose tackle is the best player on D. #57 No idea who he is, but they better develop him, and build a D around him.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Oh really? What do they do during the season every week at practice, play cards?

They run 40s with ankle weights on.

 

[kemba]

Oh really? What do they do during the season every week at practice, play cards?

You know other teams practice too, right? When you are playing with freshmen and sophomores and going against offenses that are mostly junior and seniors, you are going to be behind.

 

[Chief00]

Next you'll tell me Edsall has a habit of micromanaging his coordinators

Randy tends to micromanage what’s not working.

 

[Chief00]

They run 40s with ankle weights on.

Goes back to the story I told when Randy came back. He thought the timers were broken measuring the 40 times because the times were so slow and ordered new ones.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Goes back to the story I told when Randy came back. He thought the timers were broken measuring the 40 times because the times were so slow and ordered new ones.

some clown around here posted a pic of a leaderboard in the practice faciility a couple weeks ago. one of the columns was the 40 times. in the same thread, there was a lot of chatter about how fast the players were. I thought it was a joke.

 

[Chief00]

Absolutely no need for Chief00 to teach anyone on secondary techniques - quite simply these freshmen need to grow into 20 yos real quick - it's men vs boys
The missed tackle thing is team wide issue that has to be addressed immediately - that is the biggest issue
Crocker getting canned, blah blah bah, RE isn't canning him during the season because he really needs to stand by his desire of this spring - coaching continuity - but he can do more of the hands on D coaching and let Crocker work on something else
As far as QBDP is concerned - he is the biggest offensive threat this team has now and while he isn't the best passing QB - he is more than serviceable at this time
A win is a win - glad I could sit in my seat and watch it - it was an entertaining game
No disrespect Chief00 but concentrate your energy on the Coach Hurley and his recruiting because I feel that there may be some very disappointed people if many of his targets choose P5 schools. I am fingers crossed that doesn't happen but it's a vibe I've been feeling the past few weeks

Some good points, and thanks for your feedback. As for Chief’s MBB recruiting focus - it’s insanely laser focus. Of course, it’s very competitive but we are out working people. Coach Hurley is also a relationship builder. Speaking of vibes, I don’t get the sense that any current player is sabotaging the recruiting. When a recruit visits everyone is on the same page.

Oh by the way , where is the course catalog? LOL

 

[Chief00]

Because I saw them arguing during the game, or if not arguing having an animated discussion. Also the way Crocker reacted when the game was over. If it had already happened there would have been no arguing at all, though I do think Edsall called for some blitzing near the eog.

What was Crocker's reaction when the game was over?

 

[Chief00]

the freshmen nose tackle is the best player on D. #57 No idea who he is, but they better develop him, and build a D around him.

Yeah, they doubled Travis Jones a lot. He needs to come off the snap with more explosion but I see him shedding blocks and tackling the ball carrier. He’s a big , thick guy who’s tough to move. I think if he got down to 320-325 he could play more plays and be even more effective.

 

[Husky68]

I said before the game just wanted UConn to be competitive. They were.

 

[Exit 4]

Yeah, they doubled Travis Jones a lot. He needs to come off the snap with more explosion but I see him shedding blocks and tackling the ball carrier. He’s a big , thick guy who’s tough to move. I think if he got down to 320-325 he could play more plays and be even more effective.

Right now they are just running right around him and the same with most of the D line. The entire D line seems to stick to offensive lineman like glue.

 

[huskyrob1]

What was Crocker's reaction when the game was over?

He fell to his knees.

 

[Chief00]

He fell to his knees.

I don’t believe I have ever seen a coach do that. Was it in prayer or a total emotional collapse?

 

[Adios]

I don’t believe I have ever seen a coach do that. Was it in prayer or a total emotional collapse?

Beating Rhode Island came down to the last defensive play. Probably both.

 

[Adios]

Glad we've reduced the percentage of posters who think dropping FBS football is a smart idea to 4%.

 

[metsfan2323]

I don’t believe I have ever seen a coach do that. Was it in prayer or a total emotional collapse?

I can't get on him for this, he can react any way he wants to react. For us its a game for him its a career on the line. Piling on is just being cruel.

 

[SubbaBub]

Pindell is the only reason we won that game

Which is the problem. We held on to beat a FCS team due to them not being able to stop ad-libbed plays despite scoring at will against us.

There will be day when we can don the blue colored glasses and be overly optimistic about the near future but today is not that day.

 

[jimva]

I think not using the block C helmets gave us bad mojo.

 

[Chief00]

I can't get on him for this, he can react any way he wants to react. For us its a game for him its a career on the line. Piling on is just being cruel.

It really was a simple question - I wasn’t criticizing Crocker for that. There is plenty to criticize during the game! Chief was just trying to understand better what happened.

 

[SubbaBub]

I’m excited about Marvin Washington and the kid with all the consonants in his name. But Pindell completed 75% of his passes for 300 yards and 4 TD. He ran for 140 and 2 more TD.

If 440 total yards and 6 TD isn’t good enough, what exactly are you expecting?

We need a guy who can deliver the ball as called in the huddle. It was painfully obvious that he is missing early reads. That doesn't work against FBS squads. Being the best offensive player on a bad teams isn't really worth much.

 

[Hornet22]

Chief has been saying we should blitz more since we can’t cover anyways. Randy effectively overruled Crocker the last series of downs and started blitzing from the edge. Number 22 Thomas had two huge plays.
Earlier Hahn blitzed up the middle but it was basically ineffective since he got swallowed up.

I am sorry but the DB’s have very poor technique on their coverage.

Too much detail to cover on this very busy weekend, but perhaps some day Chief will write a post regarding what ways the technique needs to be improved. Does anyone have interest in Chief doing that?

It all boils down to open field tackling (which comes with experience because you don’t get to work on that much in practice in this new age of football) it’s confidence (which comes with experience) it’s fully knowing how to anticipate plays based on formations, tendencies which allows you to play faster (again, comes with experience) it’s adapting to the speed of the game as you make the jump from high school to college (experience)
As for DB’s it’s eye discipline and maintaining leverage on your WR (you guessed it- experience)

Uh, basically the team needs more experience.
Stop trying to make this thing so darn complicated.
Geez

 

[Chief00]

It all boils down to open field tackling (which comes with experience because you don’t get to work on that much in practice in this new age of football) it’s confidence (which comes with experience) it’s fully knowing how to anticipate plays based on formations, tendencies which allows you to play faster (again, comes with experience) it’s adapting to the speed of the game as you make the jump from high school to college (experience)
As for DB’s it’s eye discipline and maintaining leverage on your WR (you guessed it- experience)

Uh, basically the team needs more experience.
Stop trying to make this thing so darn complicated.
Geez

Ask any coach - losing (and by giving up lots of points) can get very complicated. But thanks for your feedback. Thus far, it’s a mix bag. Some posters want Chief to break down the technique while others feel its too complicated or detailed.

 

[Hornet22]

They do, however Crocker's list of priorities (most important to least important) is not the same as Edsall's. Crocker needs to teach some fundamentals or he's gone very soon.

So do we really believe that they spend hours throughout the week as a team practicing on the field and meeting off the field and NO fundamentals are being taught? So I guess in practice they just sit around in a circle and sing Kumbaya My Lord?
Do you guys even watch football other than UConn? That’s a serious question too. I think what happens here is that we’re so emotionally invested in this plight that we’re on we manage to break down every play down to the minute details. But when you watch other games you ignore the countless blowned tackles, missed assignments, piss poor angles a player takes and quitting on plays because you’re just watching the game for entertainment purposes. Teams get blown out every week on the highest of FBS levels. Arkansas got hammered by North Texas, Temple which lost to two marginal teams turns around and beats Maryland who pretty much did whatever they wanted on Texas. Ole Miss got hammered by Alabama.
You know what the common denominator is in all of this? From game to game it’s not as easy as you think to go out there and make plays. The other guys have skill too and can put you in a position to miss or look foolish out there. The less experienced you are the more that tends to happen. And the larger the talent discrepancy the likelihood of you being out of position rises.
In our case we were either out talented or we were just inexperienced. Throw in some bad matchups via our first two games.
Turn on that Alabama/Ole Miss game and ask if those Mississippi players even looked like they played football before. And these are 3-5 star kids.
We will get better- with experience.
Gonna sing that song to the cows come home.

 

[Hornet22]

Ask any coach - losing (and by giving up lots of points) can get very complicated. But thanks for your feedback. Thus far, it’s a mix bag. Some posters want Chief to break down the technique while others feel its too complicated or detailed.

Uh I believe you think it’s so complicated that you have to break it down for the board. I think I did a good job detailing a large portion of why this is happening.
Lack of experience.
The techniques are being taught every day- the talking points from practice and games are gone over all week. I’m sure all the coaches meet daily to go over the direction of practice and what needs to be the points of emphasis.
The rest is up to the players in how they take that information and carry it over from day to day. Here is where you find out who takes it seriously, how high a player’s ceiling truly is, and how fast a young kid can develop confidence.
You find all that out after a couple of years of a kid being in the program.
Not rocket science.