The yore of UConn QBs & Coaches past…

[Stinger92860]

I have never understood why Diaco wasn't able to recruit better. He was a successful coach at ND who seemed to be turning the program around in his second year here. He was enthusiastic, charismatic (albeit a little
weird) and the players seemed to like him and play hard for him until near the end of his third year. Were his coordinators and position coaches ineffective recruiters? Did he/they target the wrong players? Did he lack connections in the big recruiting states? Or maybe he actually did bring in more talent than he is given credit for but didn't develop it. IDK, but the consensus on this board seems to be that the roster started to slide under PP and that the slide accelerated under Diaco. Outwardly he seemed to be a natural recruiter so I've just never understood why he missed so badly in the eyes of so many people.

We do know he was not very good at breakfast, using timeouts, picking out pants, or returning punts. Without proper breakfast the rest of the day is usually a disaster.

 

[CL82]

We do know he was not very good at breakfast, using timeouts, picking out pants, or returning punts. Without proper breakfast the rest of the day is usually a disaster.

And a little shaky on the concept of a rivalry as well.

 

[Palatine]

We do know he was not very good at breakfast, using timeouts, picking out pants, or returning punts. Without proper breakfast the rest of the day is usually a disaster.

Not knowing what down it is and panicking in crunch time are not good qualities in a head coach.

 

[CL82]

Only terrible teams in BCS conferences didn’t go to bowl games.

So, minimally, we weren’t terrible under HCRE1. Can you say the same about Diaco‘s tenure? (yes, I know we did go to one bowl game.)

Also was the standard for making the Fiesta Bowl “just not being terrible.

HCRE2 was abysmal. HCRE1, not so much.

 

[ZooCougar]

So, minimally, we weren’t terrible under HCRE1. Can you say the same about Diaco‘s tenure? (yes, I know we did go to one bowl game.)

Also was the standard for making the Fiesta Bowl “just not being terrible.

HCRE2 was abysmal. HCRE1, not so much.

You mean the Fiesta Bowl where there was like 4 way tie for first place in the Big East? And got mauled on the actual bowl.

Made Todman tell his teammates he was entering the draft before the game and then didn’t even have decency to fly home with the team.

That’s the real Randy Edsall.

That peak isn’t as high as you think it is.

 

[giddyup]

A couple of counterpoints to the 3-3-5 criticism:
Big athletic humans were not easy to find. That staff could barely fill out the roster on 0-line, D-line or backer. They did recruit lots of smaller guys that potentially could play the schema.
The conference was full of gun slinging QBs at that time. That alignment could have created problems for them.
Obviously, it didn't work, but it did not seem to be a random idea without any basis to me.

It’s a great D for FCS where you have slower lineman and you can use tween speed off the edge and quick fills to a defeat less mobile line. It doesn’t work with fast big-men that neutralize the speed over size advantage. 215 pound linebacker/db has no chance against FBS lineman with quick feet and good hands. They can’t get off blocks, can’t rush and are pushed down field.. What you get is a weaker LB and when is coverage step slower DB that gets beat. It was a bad idea. They were always going to get physically beat.

 

[CL82]

You mean the Fiesta Bowl where there was like 4 way tie for first place in the Big East? And got mauled on the actual bowl.

Made Todman tell his teammates he was entering the draft before the game and then didn’t even have decency to fly home with the team.

That’s the real Randy Edsall.

That peak isn’t as high as you think it is.

Yeah that was the Fiesta Bowl and the University of Connecticut went to it. How many other universities and coaches can’t make that statement?

I get that you are not a fan but his performance in his first tenure was better than you are willing to acknowledge.

 

[HuskyAlum012]

You mean the Fiesta Bowl where there was like 4 way tie for first place in the Big East? And got mauled on the actual bowl.

Made Todman tell his teammates he was entering the draft before the game and then didn’t even have decency to fly home with the team.

That’s the real Randy Edsall.

That peak isn’t as high as you think it is.

Did you even watch that game? We were down 2 scores with 5 minutes left in the 3rd against the #7 team in the country. Could you even imagine that being the case today? I would sign up for that in a heartbeat. 12/10. Any day of the week, and twice on Saturdays.

 

[kemba]

You mean the Fiesta Bowl where there was like 4 way tie for first place in the Big East? And got mauled on the actual bowl.

Made Todman tell his teammates he was entering the draft before the game and then didn’t even have decency to fly home with the team.

That’s the real Randy Edsall.

That peak isn’t as high as you think it is.

The peak was he got us to the point where we could expect to be an upper tier team in the Big East and go bowling consistently

Since then we've been a laughing stock, one of, and arguably the most, embarrassing team in fbs.

 

[Hoophound]

I’ll never forget how poorly Frazer was playing in the Fiesta Bowl. He was so tentative it looked like he had a broken arm. I often wonder what could have been if Cody Endres stayed on track. He had a lot of potential and squandered it.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

There was also a Jordan McAfee from Massachusetts. He didn't pan out either. I have no idea between McEntee and McAfee which one was on roster at same time as Nebrich.

And for the record, I always thought Nebrich should have had a better shot at UConn. Kid was real good in HS and did fine at Fordham.

He was better than just fine at Fordham. Nebrich would have had his shot at the NFL if he hadn’t blown his knee twice. The kid was great, very sad ending to his career. PP and staff ruined him at UConn. Playing McEntee all season while naming Nebrich chief benchwarmer was the worst single use of a player in the UConn football program that I can remember.

 

[Bubba1957]

It’s a great D for FCS where you have slower lineman and you can use tween speed off the edge and quick fills to a defeat less mobile line. It doesn’t work with fast big-men that neutralize the speed over size advantage. 215 pound linebacker/db has no chance against FBS lineman with quick feet and good hands. They can’t get off blocks, can’t rush and are pushed down field.. What you get is a weaker LB and when is coverage step slower DB that gets beat. It was a bad idea. They were always going to get physically beat.

You probably have a good point, but generally I think there were other bigger problems than the base D alignment. The NFL uses a nickel with 2 or 3 lineman all the time and we would switch in and out of it. I think it had more to do with not being coached to see and react and not being able to play well at that level.

 

[ZooCougar]

You probably have a good point, but generally I think there were other bigger problems than the base D alignment. The NFL uses a nickel with 2 or 3 lineman all the time and we would switch in and out of it. I think it had more to do with not being coached to see and react and not being able to play well at that level.

Yes. But the NFL has 5-6 pro fast DBs on the backfield and linebackers that are as fast our DBs. They close down space much more efficiently.

 

[ScottVib]

Edsall 1.0 had established the processes that had the program set up to be generally successful. It had a high floor, but not an elite ceiling as he’d demonstrated that he was unable to or unwilling to land a consistent level of talent to move into the top tier of programs.

Pasqualoni’s tenure saw the erosion of those processes and discipline resulting in the disappointment of too many close losses and bowl misses. The talent remained consistent and the team settled at the Edsall 1.0 floor despite the talent, before discipline completely fell apart costing him his job.

Diaco’s tenure saw the erosion of the talent level to the point where a new floor was established along with a new much lower ceiling.

Edsall 2.0 demonstrated that he hadn’t evolved along with the game in the time since his first tenure. He stubbornly tried to return to the trailer days and rebuild everything as if it were the late 90s. It failed.

 

[ZooCougar]

Edsall 1.0 had established the processes that had the program set up to be generally successful. It had a high floor, but not an elite ceiling as he’d demonstrated that he was unable to or unwilling to land a consistent level of talent to move into the top tier of programs.

Pasqualoni’s tenure saw the erosion of those processes and discipline resulting in the disappointment of too many close losses and bowl misses. The talent remained consistent and the team settled at the Edsall 1.0 floor despite the talent, before discipline completely fell apart costing him his job.

Diaco’s tenure saw the erosion of the talent level to the point where a new floor was established along with a new much lower ceiling.

Edsall 2.0 demonstrated that he hadn’t evolved along with the game in the time since his first tenure. He stubbornly tried to return to the trailer days and rebuild everything as if it were the late 90s. It failed.

It doesn’t matter if it’s 1.0 or 2.0, Randy Edsall is so stubborn that he would rather lose games than admit or be proven wrong.

The guy gets such a pass it’s ridiculous.

The Fiesta Bowl year we 8-4 in the regular season. We lost to Temple and Rutgers (that was their only Big East win that year).

He would often get flummoxed like in 2008 when we had tons of our kicks blocked and he seemed incapable of doing anything about it. Or in that same year when we needed a terrible call to be a Temple team that was about as bad as we are now.

The cult of Randy Edsall needs to be flushed down the toilet forever. We’re we light years better than now? Sure. But that’s not an argument.

It’s not like he was even Dave Clawson or anything like that. Just look at what happened when he got to Maryland.

 

[CL82]

Edsall 1.0 had established the processes that had the program set up to be generally successful. It had a high floor, but not an elite ceiling as he’d demonstrated that he was unable to or unwilling to land a consistent level of talent to move into the top tier of programs.

Pasqualoni’s tenure saw the erosion of those processes and discipline resulting in the disappointment of too many close losses and bowl misses. The talent remained consistent and the team settled at the Edsall 1.0 floor despite the talent, before discipline completely fell apart costing him his job.

Diaco’s tenure saw the erosion of the talent level to the point where a new floor was established along with a new much lower ceiling.

Edsall 2.0 demonstrated that he hadn’t evolved along with the game in the time since his first tenure. He stubbornly tried to return to the trailer days and rebuild everything as if it were the late 90s. It failed.

Agree with everything except the last paragraph. FUCHRE v.2 was worse than his original incarnation. Randy version one was always looking to improve and had an upward trend line. Randy version two seemed like he had thrown in the towel.

 

[Tdaley]

Edsall 1.0 had established the processes that had the program set up to be generally successful. It had a high floor, but not an elite ceiling as he’d demonstrated that he was unable to or unwilling to land a consistent level of talent to move into the top tier of programs.

Pasqualoni’s tenure saw the erosion of those processes and discipline resulting in the disappointment of too many close losses and bowl misses. The talent remained consistent and the team settled at the Edsall 1.0 floor despite the talent, before discipline completely fell apart costing him his job.

Diaco’s tenure saw the erosion of the talent level to the point where a new floor was established along with a new much lower ceiling.

Edsall 2.0 demonstrated that he hadn’t evolved along with the game in the time since his first tenure. He stubbornly tried to return to the trailer days and rebuild everything as if it were the late 90s. It failed.

In my humble opinion, this is the most accurate description of the events that led to the decline of our football program. It comes down to 3 bad hires in a row. Maybe the 4th one will be a charm.

 

[hardcorehusky]

In retrospect, Scott Vib is dead on. However, the one caveat I would say in RE2.0 defense is that the school wasn't spending money on him and the program. The coffers didn't open up until we were a laughing stock and Mora came aboard. Many here will blame RE for that, I doubt he turns down more help or better salaries for staff. He earned the blame for the product, but the University owns some of it as well.

As for Red Pants and PP, they were bad hires. RE1 had a few detractors but he fielded competitive teams and the Rent was full during his stint, so take that as you wish.

 

[Palatine]

So let's split the difference. P's first game, they below out Fordham in 2011. I have no recollection at all of that game. They didn't play an FCS team in 2012, and then lost to Towson in 2013.

I recall, on our first play from scrimmage, the LOG blocked in and the LOT blocked out. The Fordham DE ran through the hole and sacked the QB. I remember thinking this needs to fixed. We won. But it was foreshadowing of the next decade.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I’ll never forget how poorly Frazer was playing in the Fiesta Bowl. He was so tentative it looked like he had a broken arm. I often wonder what could have been if Cody Endres stayed on track. He had a lot of potential and squandered it.

There were two Oklahoma pick sixes that went through our WR's hands. You can't knock Frazer for that game without knocking a lot of other players a lot more.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

You probably have a good point, but generally I think there were other bigger problems than the base D alignment. The NFL uses a nickel with 2 or 3 lineman all the time and we would switch in and out of it. I think it had more to do with not being coached to see and react and not being able to play well at that level.

The AD hired a 335 guy then started negotiating out of a 335 conference. The whole thing was doomed from the start. We ended up with 190-215lb LBs. playing against this

The SLB always had sideline leverage and played way outside the TEs or HBacks. It got worse if the opponent Qb would run or if there was a FB or 2 TE sets.

 

[businesslawyer]

There were two Oklahoma pick sixes that went through our WR's hands. You can't knock Frazer for that game without knocking a lot of other players a lot more.

One by Dwayne Difton, or something like that, on the UConn sideline. The guy who everyone wanted to play over Marcus Easley the year before, because of course Difton was given three stars by somebody and Marcus was a walk on.

Genuises we have here.

 

[metsfan2323]

One by Dwayne Difton, or something like that, on the UConn sideline. The guy who everyone wanted to play over Marcus Easley the year before, because of course Difton was given three stars by somebody and Marcus was a walk on.

Genuises we have here.

Actually Easley was the very last WR to get an opportunity to play in 2009. Edsall royally screwed that one up not the Boneyard. Once given an opportunity (Pitt road game) Easley was an immediate fan favorite as his talent was obvious. Easley is an example of a head coach being blind to a walk-on's talent.

 

[businesslawyer]

Actually Easley was the very last WR to get an opportunity to play in 2009. Edsall royally screwed that one up not the Boneyard. Once given an opportunity (Pitt road game) Easley was an immediate fan favorite as his talent was obvious. Easley is an example of a head coach being blind to a walk-on's talent.

Edsall was absolutely wrong in not playing Marcus for that long in ‘09, especially as he until then had gotten more snaps the year before. That having been said, as to the Board’s reaction you couldn’t be more wrong.

 

[metsfan2323]

Edsall was absolutely wrong in not playing Marcus for that long in ‘09, especially as he until then had gotten more snaps the year before. That having been said, as to the Board’s reaction you couldn’t be more wrong.

It's hard to imagine anyone wanting Easley benched after running for that TD versus Pitt. I don't remember that being the case at all. I do remember a lot of Boneyard hype about Difton and his 4 star power, Edsall bought into the hype too and gave Difton a long undeserved leash.

 

[RedStickHusky]

oh snap. Mora has fallen in to the PP "prototype" sized guy traps. We need speed not size. JK. Kinda. But us fans have gotten abused by both mentalities. Maybe it's talent regardless of size?

I think there's a baseline in size; if we want to be overpowering FCS teams and competing with FBS. Speed and skill level need upgrading, but that shouldn't be an issue against CCSU or Holy Cross.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Well look at his overall record in the Big East and then have a seat. He wasn’t as good as everyone remembers.

It's a sad indictment of the program that we remember mediocrity with such longing. That said, we did have some moments under RE 1.0.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Did you even watch that game? We were down 2 scores with 5 minutes left in the 3rd against the #7 team in the country. Could you even imagine that being the case today? I would sign up for that in a heartbeat. 12/10. Any day of the week, and twice on Saturdays.

That was a better game than people want to remember or acknowledge.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Diaco’s tenure saw the erosion of the talent level to the point where a new floor was established along with a new much lower ceiling.

I remember thinking, every week, this must be the bottom.

 

[Waquoit]

Wasn't it Whitmer whose concussion protocol involved moving to wideout for a play or two?

That's what gave him the concussion. Thanks to the PA announcer.