The View From Section 241 -- Navy

[Excalibur]

This situation is very close to the end of the 2015 Super Bowl. Diaco decides to run the ball and he is an idiot. Pete Carroll decides to pass, and he is an idiot. In both instances they went against the "smart" play. If either one had worked we'd be talking about how they outsmarted the defense. Unfortunately, in both cases, the defense came up with the stop. Had Uconn thrown a pass and it had been intercepted, people would complain that his O-line outweighed the Navy defenders and he showed no confidence in them.

Do we really need to list all the ways that our situation was different than Seattle's?

Time on clock
Timeouts
Actual success running the ball

It's such a god-awful comparison . . .

 

[businesslawyer]

This situation is very close to the end of the 2015 Super Bowl. Diaco decides to run the ball and he is an idiot. Pete Carroll decides to pass, and he is an idiot. In both instances they went against the "smart" play. If either one had worked we'd be talking about how they outsmarted the defense. Unfortunately, in both cases, the defense came up with the stop. Had Uconn thrown a pass and it had been intercepted, people would complain that his O-line outweighed the Navy defenders and he showed no confidence in them.

Again, that's just stupid. Intelligent people are able to evaluate whether the play made sense when it was called because it maximized your chances of winning. Only the not so bright are actually influenced the the result. You are not smart because you bet 3 on a roulette wheel with 30 to 1 odds and you win. That just makes you lucky.

 

[BlueMAB]

Do we really need to list all the ways that our situation was different than Seattle's?

Time on clock
Timeouts
Actual success running the ball

It's such a god-awful comparison . . .

Terrible comparison to try and prove a point about Diaco's decision. The biggest thing they share in common is that the coach who went against the smart play lost the game, and somehow people still try and use it to defend the call.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

True for those who post for the sake of posting. But Johnson scoring would not change the fact that he went the low percentage route. You can bet on roulette all you want, and you will win plenty, but ultimately you win more if you play the percentages and at the end he failed.

He should of ran to the left of the blockers...

 

[huskymedic]

Ron Jon was facemasked on that drive late that started deep after punt !!

Nah... Looked like it @ regular speed but it was jersey @ shoulder pad.

 

[J187Money]

The running play call was a no brainer for Diaco. He runs when near to the goal line. There was no debating the play to run and it was never going to be a pass attempt. Here are all scoring plays from inside the 10 since last year (2 pass; 14 runs; neither of the passes were in the fourth quarter; close to 90% run).
Nova:
Ron Johnson rushed to the left for 1 yard gain;
John Robertson rushed to the left for 3 yard gain
Army:
Ron Johnson rushed to the right for 2 yard gain
Missouri:
Ron Johnson rushed to the left for 6 yard gain
Navy:
Bryant Shirreffs passed to Tommy Myers to the left for 6 yard gain
BYU:
None
UCF:
Arkeel Newsome rushed to the left for 5 yard gain
Bryant Shirreffs rushed to the left for 1 yard gain
Arkeel Newsome rushed to the left for 8 yard gain
USF:
None
Cinci:
Arkeel Newsome rushed to the left for 4 yard gain
ECU:
Arkeel Newsome rushed up the middle for 2 yard gain
Bryant Shirreffs rushed to the right for 3 yard gain
Tulane:
None
Houston:
Bryant Shirreffs passed to Noel Thomas to the right for 4 yard gain
Temple:
None
Marshall:
Ron Johnson rushed to the left for 8 yard gain
Maine:
Ron Johnson rushed to the right for 1 yard touchdown
Arkeel Newsome rushed to the left for 2 yard touchdown
Navy:
Ron Johnson rushed to the right for 3 yard touchdown

Diaco told you exactly why he would not pass: "Throw the ball there. Now you're at the half yard line. YOU'RE AT THE HALF YARD LINE. Throw the ball, what if it's picked? Throw the ball, what if it's batted? Throw the ball, what if it's batted and picked? Why'd you throw it?!? What are you doing, you idiots?!? Theoretically, in a petri dish and I don't mean this in any condescending way, I really don't and I'm too animated right now, I apologize, it was a very, very crushing game. In a petri dish, you can look at it and video game it, throw a pass, run QB sneak and get two plays, but we were at the half yard line."

Diaco is afraid of the turnover on a pass play near the goal line. Almost paralyzed by the fear and his play calling becomes ridiculously predictable. So why would Nave be surprised when they call a running play and not have it defended exceptionally well? Much like Maine game, without Navy having a turnover returned for a TD by Uconn, this game would not have come down to a last play for them.

The way this board erupted during the Army game with the pick six...he is kind of in a no-win situation.

 

[businesslawyer]

The way this board erupted during the Army game with the pick six...he is kind of in a no-win situation.

Well, every coach is in a kind of no-win situation if they care what every idiot who is going to complain about the outcome no matter the intelligence of the decision says. That is correct.

But it's also irrelevant to this situation, where he elected to maybe only have one shot at the end zone when he could have had three. Whitmer's pick six at Yankee Stadium was frustrating, but it wasn't stupid for him to decide to pass there. It just didn't work.

Said another way, every time we lose a game we will have someone say it was totally our coach and want to count days until he is gone. But I don't say that a coach "failed miserably" at the end of a game often or lightly.

 

[Uconnalliance]

I thought he got him around the inside of the shoulder pad.

My bad i was down the other end of the field..lol

 

[joey3$trike$]

If you can't gain a yard, you don't deserve to win the game. How our captain and leader doesn't have the guys lined up ready to go is mind numbing.

 

[31GuardTrap]

My bad i was down the other end of the field..lol

Hey, at the game I was yelling face mask myself. Then they showed the replay and I cowered back into my seat.

 

[noeynox]

Well, every coach is in a kind of no-win situation if they care what every idiot who is going to complain about the outcome no matter the intelligence of the decision says. That is correct.

But it's also irrelevant to this situation, where he elected to maybe only have one shot at the end zone when he could have had three. Whitmer's pick six at Yankee Stadium was frustrating, but it wasn't stupid for him to decide to pass there. It just didn't work.

Said another way, every time we lose a game we will have someone say it was totally our coach and want to count days until he is gone. But I don't say that a coach "failed miserably" at the end of a game often or lightly.

I remembered the outrage being at the horrible pass Whitmer made anyway. Kid was tough but he was very turnover prone. Especially when contrasted with a guy like BS.

This really comes down do you prefer one chance to win the game, or multiple chances. Most would pick multiple, Diaco went with one and lost the gamble.

On to UVA.

 

[Srqhusky]

Why is nobody crying about the BS strip. Anyone think the whistle should have been blown from forward progress?

 

[Husky68]

This situation is very close to the end of the 2015 Super Bowl. Diaco decides to run the ball and he is an idiot. Pete Carroll decides to pass, and he is an idiot. In both instances they went against the "smart" play. If either one had worked we'd be talking about how they outsmarted the defense. Unfortunately, in both cases, the defense came up with the stop. Had Uconn thrown a pass and it had been intercepted, people would complain that his O-line outweighed the Navy defenders and he showed no confidence in them.

Didn't Seattle still have time out left or more time on clock? Don't remember thinking well if they ran and didn't make it time would run out. If so makes big difference as only way for UConn to get 3 chances at score is Pass, Pass and then best play.

 

[businesslawyer]

Why is nobody crying about the BS strip. Anyone think the whistle should have been blown from forward progress?

Because it was early in the game and we overcame it. But I said it was a terrible call and it was.

 

[uconndogs]

BL, terrific job as usual. Nice to read a post that wasn't personally insulting of Diaco.

• Team showed great heart in coming back and the staff made some nice adjustments on both sides of the ball.
• Special teams need work. Through many years of Edsall's tenure his teams struggled on specials and eventually built them to be a strength. Let's hope Diaco progresses as well.
• I've said this repeatedly, Diaco needs to have an assistant mirror him during the games to protect him from himself. I think he's still too emotional and inexperienced to make these calls late in games.
• I think for teams not named OSU or Alabama, a run first offense to establish the passing games may be coming out of college football. Our struggles running are not unique to UCONN. I see it everywhere. I'm wondering is defensive fronts are just too good and strong if you don't demonstrate the ability to go over the top of the LBs.
• BS may be in a groove with the receivers. 23-26 is some serious efficiency. That could be very interesting.
• I want these next two really bad.

 

[freescooter]

Really uconndogs if a head coach needs someone to save him from himself you really have to wonder if he's ready to be a head coach.

This team has 2 winnable games at home the next 2 weeks. They need to be wins.

 

[uconndogs]

Really uconndogs if a head coach needs someone to save him from himself you really have to wonder if he's ready to be a head coach.

This team has 2 winnable games at home the next 2 weeks. They need to be wins.

He's a relatively young guy with his first HC gig. He has some strengths and weaknesses. Like any good leader he'll learn to address those weaknesses. If he doesn't, he won't have a job. I don't know the guy from Adam, but I would be shocked if he isn't very genuine and I think his players will run through a wall for him. Compared to some of the absolute scum out there, I'll see where this goes for a big before I fire the guy for some bonehead moves.

 

[Stinger92860]

He's a relatively young guy with his first HC gig. He has some strengths and weaknesses. Like any good leader he'll learn to address those weaknesses. If he doesn't, he won't have a job. I don't know the guy from Adam, but I would be shocked if he isn't very genuine and I think his players will run through a wall for him. Compared to some of the absolute scum out there, I'll see where this goes for a big before I fire the guy for some bonehead moves.

You are right and I hang my head in shame, but can we avoid a 3rd straight week with a bonehead move?

 

[Excalibur]

If you can't gain a yard, you don't deserve to win the game. How our captain and leader doesn't have the guys lined up ready to go is mind numbing.

The ball was never spotted. But keep blaming the QB . . .

 

[joey3$trike$]

The ball was never spotted. But keep blaming the QB . . .

Ron johns run was less than a yard,

 

[Nostical]

I doubt there was a UConn fan out there who wasn't thinking passing was the right way to go (or a BS run/pass option).

Absolutely. We were actually debating whether we'd get 2 or 3 plays run in 17 seconds. No one even suggested a running play with no time outs. Diaco says a pass play was originally called but with the timeout they had an extra opportunity to discuss various options--and it was the players who wanted to go with a running play. Frankly, considering Shirreffs had completed 6 of 6 on the drive and with his mobility, I simply don't believe Diaco. A roll-out and toss to a big tight end, or .....anything but a run.
But here's the thing. Diaco seemed to revel in calling the play he says the players wanted to run. But his job is to be the boss--he knows better. He's the adult with the experience to say no when his starting pitcher wants to stay in the game for one more batter. He should have been the coach. Instead he was one of the guys.

 

[UConnNick]

Don't underestimate the effect of the Army game at Yankee Stadium in 2014 on HCBD's thinking. With a chance to tie in the last minute at Army's six yard line, UConn's Chandler Whitmer threw a pick six.

Things like that stick with a coach. And you can be sure he will never run the ball on second and goal with no time outs and 17 seconds left again. Third and goal...maybe.

Whatever happened to the axiom that you put the last play behind you? They tell QBs when they throw INTs to put it behind them and move on. Same for DBs who get beat for TDs, and RBs that fumble. Why shouldn't that rule be equally applicable to coaches?

If coaches are going to recall every single play call they've ever made that went wrong, how will they ever be able to confidently put together and implement a game plan? They'll keep recalling negative plays, and sooner or later practically every conceivable play goes wrong. If you're storing these negative plays in your memory bank all along, pretty soon you'll be paralyzed with fear no matter what plays are being called, because you're going to remember when they went wrong.

I don't see how any coach can successfully call plays with that kind of stuff going on in their head.

Diaco needs to learn to trust his players. Shirreffs should have been trusted to get the play off in time, and if he had been we either score on that play or we at least had one and maybe two more plays left to score. Shirreffs is a seasoned veteran who's proven he can be depended on to manage the game. If you don't trust your players, it's tantamount to saying you don't trust your own coaching staff and yourself as head coach, because you don't think your players are adequately prepared to perform and execute their plays. If they're not up to the task, whose fault is that?

 

[Bubba1957]

The Navy punt that landed at our 20 and rolled inside our 5 changed the whole complexion of the game, in my opinion. Up to that point, we were being aggressive, assertive, and playing to win the game. Not getting, at the very least, a fair catch at our 20 was the first step up the timid conservative ladder that our coaching staff seems all too willing to climbing. A timid, conservative play that cost us 15 huge yards and sent our OC into uber conservative mode with 3 straight runs up the middle. Ironically, Navy reminded us that punt returns are actually quite an effective weapon when their guy returned our punt to our 20.

I'm not saying Navy wasn't able to put up a full field drive against us - they could have (and did). But let's make them at least work for it instead of ushering them inside our red zone with the game on the line.

I've said this 1000x in various threads over the years and I'll say it once again: this asinine way-too-conservative(scared) approach to punt returns has got to go.

More than anything this was the key play. Catch the punt and the whole game changes. There was no reason to give the ball back or give it back with that field position. Of course it would be nice if more than 1 guy ran down to cover once we had to punt.

 

[uconndogs]

I will say one more thing about our running game. Newsome and Johnson are nice college backs. Neither is explosive from the line of scrimmage and to my eye neither has breakaway speed. I don't think our OL is nearly the run blocking unit it was under Edsall and my sense is that college defenses have gotten much better up front over the years. That said, we haven't seen anything like a Brown or Todman in recent years (understandable as that might be) or a Dixon or Frey for that matter.

 

[freescooter]

I will say one more thing about our running game. Newsome and Johnson are nice college backs. Neither is explosive from the line of scrimmage and to my eye neither has breakaway speed. I don't think our OL is nearly the run blocking unit it was under Edsall and my sense is that college defenses have gotten much better up front over the years. That said, we haven't seen anything like a Brown or Todman in recent years (understandable as that might be) or a Dixon or Frey for that matter.

I agree with your characterization of our running backs. Average at best. I've been saying that for a while now. As a frosh I thought Johnson might be a next level guy but he really hasn't shown much since. I really think Newsome is more of a "3rd down" back. Obviously not limited to 3rd downs but he is best getting the ball in space not running between the tackles. I sort of agree on defenses though I also think that very few teams line it up and try to run you over any more so that might contribute too. And it seems like a century since we had a dominating offensive line.

 

[J187Money]

I agree with your characterization of our running backs. Average at best. I've been saying that for a while now. As a frosh I thought Johnson might be a next level guy but he really hasn't shown much since. I really think Newsome is more of a "3rd down" back. Obviously not limited to 3rd downs but he is best getting the ball in space not running between the tackles. I sort of agree on defenses though I also think that very few teams line it up and try to run you over any more so that might contribute too. And it seems like a century since we had a dominating offensive line.

I think of Newsome like Sproles. Screens / wheel routes / and spread running plays. I know he "likes" the contact, but doesn't survive it very often. Better than McCombs - and if he finds the crease and gets a step he is great, but we aren't creating enough space for him to be successful.

 

[freescooter]

I think of Newsome like Sproles. Screens / wheel routes / and spread running plays. I know he "likes" the contact, but doesn't survive it very often. Better than McCombs - and if he finds the crease and gets a step he is great, but we aren't creating enough space for him to be successful.

Fair enough. I think we are basically saying the same thing.

 

[uconndogs]

I think of Newsome like Sproles. Screens / wheel routes / and spread running plays. I know he "likes" the contact, but doesn't survive it very often. Better than McCombs - and if he finds the crease and gets a step he is great, but we aren't creating enough space for him to be successful.

McCombs had a good frosh year because he ran behind a pretty good OL, before GDL had time to completely and totally duckk it up. After that, he was a marginal talent. That the stupid twins road him they way they did speaks volumes about their total incompetence.

 

[Palatine]

This situation is very close to the end of the 2015 Super Bowl. Diaco decides to run the ball and he is an idiot. Pete Carroll decides to pass, and he is an idiot. In both instances they went against the "smart" play. If either one had worked we'd be talking about how they outsmarted the defense. Unfortunately, in both cases, the defense came up with the stop. Had Uconn thrown a pass and it had been intercepted, people would complain that his O-line outweighed the Navy defenders and he showed no confidence in them.

Wrong, in the Super Bowl there was plenty of time, Seattle still had a time out, and they had just run fro five yards on the previous play.

UConn had no TOs and hadn't run on any play of the drive except for scrambles.

The difference between the two end game situations are huge.