The all Connecticut backfield

[freescooter]

Except that they have won (38-26 over past 5 years, 70-53 over past 10), 2 BE banners, a BCS bowl bid, wins over teams in every major conference ex-PAC12, and still we sell out only slightly more than 1/2 of season tix and always have tix available on gameday. It takes more than winning - it takes a fanbase to identify with a team, and that does not exist. If it did, folks would easily fill a 40K seat stadium and we would be discussing stadium expansion, instead of conference expansion. Fans will not come if you win, at least not here. We need more, that has been proven every saturday in the fall for the past decade.

gioff23, It takes more than just "winning" to build a fan base. You really need to have one of those special seasons...UCONN hasn't done that yet. They've been pretty good, certainly better than many thought they'd be at this point, and have actually drawn better since Day 1 at the Rent than most predicted, too (the original analyses were for 25,000 annual attnedance for the first 10 or so years). I'm not knocking the performance to date, by the way. It has been better than what I expected, honestly, but when you look at the two BE titles, in one they got blown out by West Virginia in the game which had they won would have made them outright champs. The second, they did a great job down the stretch but won the big East at 5-2, 8-4 with some awful losses in the early season...again not the kind of thing that makes th ecasula fan say Wow, I have to see these guys...What they really need is to put together a 10-2 type year followed by a bowl win over a much hyped program...10-2 with a win over Michigan next year and a bowl win over Georgia or someone...That is the type of year we've really never had so far. Actually, 2009 was close, but not quite and while we followed it up with a championship, it was a "weak" championship, if you knwo what I mean. Had we come out and beaten Michigan, beaten Temple, that would have changed the entire perception.

 

[Dann]

we need a bosie st type blow up year to get to that next level. it will happen one day soon i hope.

 

[freescooter]

we need a bosie st type blow up year to get to that next level. it will happen one day soon i hope.

Exactly!

 

[businesslawyer]

If we had a Boise type year we'd still be dealing with fans posting:

1. We suck. We haven't beaten anyone. How do they expect me to shell out money for this schedule.

2. Yes, we're winning but the way we're winning isn't real football.

3. How do we expect the rest of football to take us seriously when we don't all wear the same color?

4. BC sucks. If I keep repeating that maybe I'll feel better about myself.

5. Did you hear what happened at Maryland today?

 

[kris1]

Active CT-born NFL players:

Dan Orlovsky- Bridgeport-UConn
Jon Carney-Hartford-ND
Dwight Freeney-Hartford-Syracuse
Terrance Knighton-Hartford-Temple
Matt Lawrence-Hartford-UMass
Niko Koutouvides-New Britain-Purdue
Rob Jackson-New Haven-Kansas St.
Matt Shaughnessy-Norwich-Wisconsin
Jamey Richard-Weston-Buffalo
Chris Baker-Windsor-Hampton

Oops, I forgot :
Amari Spievey-Middletown-Iowa
Aaron Hernandez-Bristol-Florida
John Moffitt-Guilford-Wisconsin

 

[mattp]

we need a bosie st type blow up year to get to that next level. it will happen one day soon i hope.

Boise State didnt have a blow up year. after moving up to 1A they won something like 7 conference titles in 9 years. they won 10+ games in 6 of the 8 seasons before the fiesta bowl, and even after beating Oklahoma a lot of people said they weren't for real and only won due to gimmicks. it's been a long process for them and you're oversimplifying what they did to say they had one blow up year. it doesn't take one blow up year, it takes sustained excellence. Rutgers is exhibit B refuting your blow up year theory. they had a blow up year and quickly returned to afterthought

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Oops, I forgot :
Amari Spievey-Middletown-Iowa
Aaron Hernandez-Bristol-Florida
John Moffitt-Guilford-Wisconsin

and, John Sullivan-Greenwich-ND

 

[kris1]

and, John Sullivan-Greenwich-ND

John Sullivan was born in Mount Kisco, NY

Others:
Scott Lutrus-Brookfield-UConn
Marcus Easley-Stratford-UConn
Zach Hurd-Waterford-UConn
Kory Sheets-Manchester-Purdue

 

[Dann]

let this be a lesson to any ct kid that commits to bcu...its stay home or go to a big time school. bcu sucks!!!

 

[PUPPY4]

Everybody in the backfield with the American Flag Blue and White on, with the block C on the helmet is an all Connecticut backfield!

What is ya?!

 

[ConnHuskBask]

"Fans will come if we win", that's genius. I see that sports marketing degree is paying off.

But it's not the end of the story. I think the nay-sayers are missing a big point on this one. Like Pudge always says, building a program is a process that takes time. CT high schools have produced more D-1 talent since UConn went D-1. If UConn was to win with a big chunk of local talent at the skill positions I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that the level of HS play would increase even more. The more players produced locally, the better for the program. And it would help UConn football to find an identity and that adds to building a program. Let's face it, whatever identity UConn FB had moved to Maryland.

It's simple because it's true. No need to be a about it.

People have shown up through the ups and downs - I don't know what stadium you guys have been going to the past 7 seasons when we've had championships and awful seasons, but the attendance hasn't been discernibly different from year to year.

Frankly the whole premise is moronic. Once the kids commit to UConn, they are Huskies plain and simple. It doesn't matter where you came from, but only important that you're here now.

 

[Johnbuoy]

player a- is a qb and overall you would grade a 90
player b-is a qb and overall you would grade a 90

They are the exact same player on the field down to the way they walk onto the field for warmups. So which one do you recruit or start (if your arguing 2 players here already) then? Well lets look at it deeper.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT is much higher when its a "footprint kid". Thats how you build a program from nothing to something quick and also build a loyal fanbase. RE did a ok job at it but he wasn't great at it, he was great at development of athletes. PP to me seems like the guy for this next level of UConn football, I just question a bit his on the field stuff at this point. Off the field hes getting it going. Word

I agree with most of your assessment. In fact I always thought it curious that most of the players for Texas and Texas Tech and to some extent Oklahoma are from Texas. I also think it has something to do with the way they develop their players in the art of football from the time they're knee high to a grasshopper.

 

[Dann]

saw a kid walking down the street from the local hs yesterday with a PP football camp t shirt on. judging from my body type he was 6 foot+ 2oo and looked very athletic. i yelled over to him hey u go to uconn camp with PP? he said "hell yea, it was great last summer. i want to play there if i get the chance!" thats what i'm talking about!!!!! I have seen his tshirts several times since last summer on kids at local events and just around town, i've also def seen more uconn gear on fball kids and just kids in general down here than in the past. in the local gyms i always see a fair amount of uconn stuff becuase bball is established fan base wise and big time to the public. fball was not and under RE it was hard to find fans and even harder to find kids repping it down here. things have changed in ct under PP, there is no doubt about it. hopefully the on the field product follows.

 

[Palatine]

It's simple because it's true. No need to be a about it.

People have shown up through the ups and downs - I don't know what stadium you guys have been going to the past 7 seasons when we've had championships and awful seasons, but the attendance hasn't been discernibly different from year to year.

Frankly the whole premise is moronic. Once the kids commit to UConn, they are Huskies plain and simple. It doesn't matter where you came from, but only important that you're here now.

Yeah, but what if we lose a game -- or two.

Frankly your whole premise is moronic. Who is the most popular UConn player of this century? Which player sold the most jersey with his number on it? Why?

 

[gioff23]

saw a kid walking down the street from the local hs yesterday with a PP football camp t shirt on. judging from my body type he was 6 foot+ 2oo and looked very athletic. i yelled over to him hey u go to uconn camp with PP? he said "hell yea, it was great last summer. i want to play there if i get the chance!" thats what i'm talking about!!!!! I have seen his tshirts several times since last summer on kids at local events and just around town, i've also def seen more uconn gear on fball kids and just kids in general down here than in the past. in the local gyms i always see a fair amount of uconn stuff becuase bball is established fan base wise and big time to the public. fball was not and under RE it was hard to find fans and even harder to find kids repping it down here. things have changed in ct under PP, there is no doubt about it. hopefully the on the field product follows.

+1. This is the pipeline that needs to be cultivated and this staff gets it.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Yeah, but what if we lose a game -- or two.

Frankly your whole premise is moronic. Who is the most popular UConn player of this century? Which player sold the most jersey with his number on it? Why?

It's pretty hilarious that you're calling my premise moronic, when you have 6 pages of people telling you your premise is unfounded.

The most popular UConn football player this century is Donald Brown or Dan Orlovsky.

What's your point? They both made the NFL - that's why they are popular not because of where they were from.

 

[Johnbuoy]

This thread's gone almost a whole day without any comments. I guess (hope) that's the end of it.

Thnx for the entertainment.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

This could be one of the most important developments in UConn football history.

I know there are folks who think that geography is an unimportant consideration in building a football team. They have posted that if good players come from New Jersey or Alaska, that is the only thing that counts.

I disagree with the thinking in the second paragraph. Here's why. If the backfield combination of Cochrane, Osiecki and DeLorenzo ever led us to a win, the Connecticut media would explode. If they led us to a BE title, it would be the biggest thing in the state since, I dunno, the '99 national championship or since that guy hid the state charter in a big oak tree.

It would provide a connection between the football team and the state. Pride would swell. Merchandise would fly off shelves. Seats would fill.

It could happen. And it would be a much bigger deal than a QB from Mass, a RB from New York, and a fullback from Maryland accomplishing the same goals. Or any combination of states that you can conceive. Word.

Why shouldn't it be the best players...Truthfully, I wouldn't care if the backfield starters were: An Aussie at QB, a japanese at FB, a finn at RB and an Egpytian at RB with a Canadian TE and a French WR, if they won the national championship for us!!

 

[Waquoit]

An Aussie at QB, a japanese at FB, a finn at RB and an Egpytian at RB with a Canadian TE and a French WR, ...

Did hear about the time all those guys walked into a bar? The bartender said, "What is this, a joke?"

 

[kris1]

Why shouldn't it be the best players...Truthfully, I wouldn't care if the backfield starters were: An Aussie at QB, a japanese at FB, a finn at RB and an Egpytian at RB with a Canadian TE and a French WR, if they won the national championship for us!!

Wouldn't that be considered an International Championship?

 

[pj]

saw a kid walking down the street from the local hs yesterday with a PP football camp t shirt on. judging from my body type he was 6 foot+ 2oo and looked very athletic. i yelled over to him hey u go to uconn camp with PP? he said "hell yea, it was great last summer. i want to play there if i get the chance!" thats what i'm talking about!!!!! I have seen his tshirts several times since last summer on kids at local events and just around town, i've also def seen more uconn gear on fball kids and just kids in general down here than in the past. in the local gyms i always see a fair amount of uconn stuff becuase bball is established fan base wise and big time to the public. fball was not and under RE it was hard to find fans and even harder to find kids repping it down here. things have changed in ct under PP, there is no doubt about it. hopefully the on the field product follows.

+2. Success on the field will come, hopefully it comes before we endure too much whining from the negative Nancys. Success is a journey and PP is going about it the right way.

 

[whaler11]

Winning is what matters. Winning with some kids who are from Connecticut is a nice bonus.

It really only matters if they are offensive stars though. Your whole offensive line could be from Connecticut but for anyone to notice it needs to be someone who handles the ball. To get any bump they also need to be a star for multiple years, as no one really cared that Easley was from CT.

Lutrus is the only player besides DO that made a CT impact, and he had multiple excellent seasons.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Did hear about the time all those guys walked into a bar? The bartender said, "What is this, a joke?"

What I'm saying is to paraphase ML King's line...Judge each by s skill level, not where he is from!!

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Wouldn't that be considered an International Championship?

Maybe... if the Big East invite Oxford University, McGill University, the

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Xi'an Jiaotong University (China) Kokushikan_University (Japan) or Lifshitz_College_of_Education (Isreal)

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Might need a review of the concept: "All other things being equal".