The View From Section 241

[tduconn]

All comments are good/

One thing I noticed, and I hinted on before the season, was if the offense is stagnant and has too many 3 and outs, the defense will get worn down. And the last 3 games it showed,

A typical comment made by broadcasters is something like "you can tell the defense is tired. They are standing around with their hands on their hips." I mentioned this eight minutes into the second quarter against Iowa State to my friends. Even saw it in the Buffalo game in the second quarter of a "3-3 dogfight".

Against WMU, the defense just looked confused and out of place. I will give credit to their QB.......numerous times you would observe him racing around behind his O-line before the snap.......possibly changing things before the snap......and quite often his observations and changeas resulted in big plays. He is/was a good QB,

If the offense is headed to a more wide open scheme......good for them. A number of people around me were energized in the second half, and although UC lost......said it was a very exciting game. I don't care if it was WMU.....they are a decent team .......the play calling and execution at times was a breath of fresh air over run, run, run, and run some more.

Johnny Mac did o.k. We all got to remember, all of the QB;s started the season with "O' experience. When the offensive line gives him some time to throw, he's not too shabby. Yes, hes missed terribly a couple of times. But that huge pass down the field that hit the receiver in the bread basket (which was dropped) in the forth quarter showed signs of an offense that can play with more than a high school playbook.

First time in six years we've had four TD passes in a game!!!!!!! I love it. Just think of all the marshmellow (OOC) teams UC has played in that time without four TD passes.!!!!!!

Yep. A ways to go in all phases of the game. Disappointing loss.....exciting game.

Saturday I hope the O-line can keep the wolves off J Macs back against WVU. I'm afraid WVU will score a lot and shut down the running game.....which means J Mac will be a big target most of the game.

Go UConn!

 

[businesslawyer]

I liked the analysis until the last paragraph. I can't believe the pessimism that comes with losing games around here. You know how often a team goes undefeated? not often.

But a team needs to believe it can undefeated. A team needs to play and practice like they expect to win every game.

I fully expect that this team will win next Saturday. I'm sure they all do to.

WHY? you ask? Because we've got all the working parts. They just need to get put together now, and the spanking this team just got on defense will be a real eye opener for practice this week on top of everything else.

You don't just walk out on the field and an opponent is going to lay down and play dead. Practice practice practice.

Discipline, penalties, defense. You get yourself in position to win a game, and then you go out and win it.

There were things that happened on Saturday that need to cleaned up, for sure. It still is telling to me though, that coaching on defense is so poor, yet this coach - the holy one, Edsall - wanted him. He thought it would be a real good idea to keep this guy at Maryland. Says something about the guy - one way or the other, about how you feel about Edsall. I personally think Edsall was a great football strategist and defensive coach.

Anyway - play clock speed, adjustments at the line of scrimmage, our defense is clearly still learning a new system.

When you can see your mistakes on film, they're easy to correct.

One more thing. I hate losing, i hate it.

But the only thing I hate more, is a team that loses by playign with no heart, no balls, no urgency and no passion.

I haven't seen that, and I don't expect to.

The rest, we can fix.

And lastly, the concept of front loading the schedule was something that was consciously done in the past, to prepare for conference play, and make it through conference play.

This team will have played more than half it's schedule by Oct. 15. An done so, coming from where it was in March.

A bowl game is not out of reach, every single goal set for this team is still on the board. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together, now the whole picture needs to be assembled.

It's odd to me, how people can't see the forest because of the trees.

Would I rather be 5-0? Duh. But I'll take this team's sub .500 record through September and into October over last year's anyday.

Last year, it took the worst performance by a UConn team - ENTIRE team - in many years for the players to get themselves together.

You want to talk about poor coaching, look at last year.

The defense took a step back this week. Sometimes you need that to really step forward.

THis team will be ready to play, and to say we have little to no chance to win next week, is a very poor attitude, and not only that, seems to ignore the evidence.

Our team puts together the three phases of the game on Saturday, and we're coming home 1-0 in conference.

I'm glad you see evidence invisible to all those who put their money where their mouths are and cause betting lines to be established. As for attitude, I am not associated with the program beyond signing checks. At the games I am a fan. When I'm on the board, I see absolutely no reason why I need to be a cheerleader as opposed to honest with myself and those who care to discuss UConn football. But you want to wave pompoms -- more power to you.

 

[freescooter]

I thought McCombs actually had a pretty solid day. he had a 65 yard run, but he also had several solid 5-8 yarders, one inside as I recall where he got hit broke the tackle and kept churning. He also had a nice gain on a screen pass. He's not jordan todman, maybe, but he seems to be a servicable back. I do think he could use a break now and then. I watched this one on tv, and in answer to you question, the defense did look confused, especially late. You can say that Wilburn got beat all day, and he did, but coverage was pretty awful from th e2nd quarter on. Except when Western Michigan self-destructed on the early drives in the 3rd quarter, we seemed completely incapable of defending them. And how many times is Junior going to make stupid penalties before he gets yanked? I was really concerned that this defense was such a radical change from past years that it wouldn't be easy to implement. Having now given up late leads 3 times, I'm afraid my fears have been justiifed. the problem with solving your problem with agression is that it requires everyone to be perfect. If they aren't it leaves huge openings. And if you look at Brown's defense at Maryland, it was not very good in his first season. In the second it was very good. I suspect it is too difficult to get in place in a year.

Once again, we were unable to take advantage of turnovers deep in their territory. That is just a killer! It pumps the other defense up and it gives the offense a new life. And Taggart cannot continue to hit 50% of his kicks. We went through a period like this last year, when he potetnially cost us games. I think we need to be looking at kickers this week. Maybe use him for extra points and 45+ and someone else for shorter kicks, where he seems to struggle.

finally, I don't get our kickoff "strategy" There is no possible expalnation for the ob kick late. An experienced kicker cannot do that. he simply cannot. And if I remember correctly, this is the 2nd one this season. One in a career is too many. But we looked to be almost pooching the ball on a couple of the kickoffs, too. Either than or Christiansen simply doesn't have the leg to kick it deep. I really couldn't figure it out. Kick the damned thing ito the endzone and make them start at the 20 is my basic philosophy.

 

[businesslawyer]

I thought McCombs actually had a pretty solid day. he had a 65 yard run, but he also had several solid 5-8 yarders, one inside as I recall where he got hit broke the tackle and kept churning. He also had a nice gain on a screen pass. He's not jordan todman, maybe, but he seems to be a servicable back. I do think he could use a break now and then. I watched this one on tv, and in answer to you question, the defense did look confused, especially late. You can say that Wilburn got beat all day, and he did, but coverage was pretty awful from th e2nd quarter on. Except when Western Michigan self-destructed on the early drives in the 3rd quarter, we seemed completely incapable of defending them. And how many times is Junior going to make stupid penalties before he gets yanked? I was really concerned that this defense was such a radical change from past years that it wouldn't be easy to implement. Having now given up late leads 3 times, I'm afraid my fears have been justiifed. the problem with solving your problem with agression is that it requires everyone to be perfect. If they aren't it leaves huge openings. And if you look at Brown's defense at Maryland, it was not very good in his first season. In the second it was very good. I suspect it is too difficult to get in place in a year.

Once again, we were unable to take advantage of turnovers deep in their territory. That is just a killer! It pumps the other defense up and it gives the offense a new life. And Taggart cannot continue to hit 50% of his kicks. We went through a period like this last year, when he potetnially cost us games. I think we need to be looking at kickers this week. Maybe use him for extra points and 45+ and someone else for shorter kicks, where he seems to struggle.

finally, I don't get our kickoff "strategy" There is no possible expalnation for the ob kick late. An experienced kicker cannot do that. he simply cannot. And if I remember correctly, this is the 2nd one this season. One in a career is too many. But we looked to be almost pooching the ball on a couple of the kickoffs, too. Either than or Christiansen simply doesn't have the leg to kick it deep. I really couldn't figure it out. Kick the damned thing ito the endzone and make them start at the 20 is my basic philosophy.

The wind was blowing dead in his face. The decision not to kick away was almost certainly based on that.

 

[freescooter]

The wind was blowing dead in his face. The decision not to kick away was almost certainly based on that.

Thanks. They didn't mention that on tv. And I couldn't figure out why we weren't kcicking away.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I'm glad you see evidence invisible to all those who put their money where their mouths are and cause betting lines to be established. As for attitude, I am not associated with the program beyond signing checks. At the games I am a fan. When I'm on the board, I see absolutely no reason why I need to be a cheerleader as opposed to honest with myself and those who care to discuss UConn football. But you want to wave pompoms -- more power to you.

Oh come on counselor. Show some energy. You must be the life of the party!!

No offense intended, seriously, I hope you don't take it the wrong way. this game is entirely about waving pom poms. I can't imagine what it must be like to play for a team that doesn't have cheerleaders. There's something that's just completely wrong about that.

I stamp my checks BTW.

As for the betting lines, the betting lines are set up by people that want equal amounts of money coming in on both sides. That's how sports books make money. Because WVU starts out the week 14.5 favorites means that Vegas thinks that nobody is going to put money on UConn.

If the team is really as bad as many think, and the gambling lines are to be used as some kind of measure, the line come game time will be at 17 or above, trying to get people to put money on UConn.

It won't the line will end up somehwere 10-12.

One big assumption - that the team can put all three phases of the game together for one afternoon....

I just don't see how through the 5 games, anyone can be pessimistic about where this team is headed.

This year's month of september has left us in a place that is far greater than we were last september.

last season it was the players that turned things around and got thigns going - on their own.

This season, moving forward from then and now, our entire program is working like hell to keep things going in the right direction.