Things you look for in Fall camp

[ktuck911]

Exciting to say that we're only a few weeks away from the start of Fall camp.

With that said, there's a lot to look forward to with this team. Primarily, defense. Can't get any worse, or can it? Let's hope not. We couldn't stop running water last year. My thinking is, even though we're still young, with year 2 of the new regime now in place, it's gotta be better.
As for the O, that will be our strong point, as long as our OL holds up.

My opinion, there's enough talent on this team for us to surprise folks and end up in a bowl game.

Thoughts???

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Exciting to say that we're only a few weeks away from the start of Fall camp.

With that said, there's a lot to look forward to with this team. Primarily, defense. Can't get any worse, or can it? Let's hope not. We couldn't stop running water last year. My thinking is, even though we're still young, with year 2 of the new regime now in place, it's gotta be better.
As for the O, that will be our strong point, as long as our OL holds up.

My opinion, there's enough talent on this team for us to surprise folks and end up in a bowl game.

Thoughts???

Curious if Cespedes sticks with the 1s.
Wasnt sure if he was there in the spring due to injury of other(s) Happy for him if he stays. Hoping Black is an eye opener. DL rotation.

 

[whaler11]

The defense is so bad it’s made everyone forget they need someone to step up at Quarterback. 2017 Pindell is not going to get it done.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

The defense is so bad it’s made everyone forget they need someone to step up at Quarterback. 2017 Pindell is not going to get it done.

It was amazing how he would throw the deep ball directly to the defense. I would have predicted Washington to come out of Spring being the guy. The fact he was unable to outshow Pindell concerns me. There’s always the chance that Pindell greatly improved?

 

[JMick]

It was amazing how he would throw the deep ball directly to the defense. I would have predicted Washington to come out of Spring being the guy. The fact he was unable to outshow Pindell concerns me. There’s always the chance that Pindell greatly improved?

It seems like Washington has just been in the dog house since he got here. I think that has a lot to do with the job being Pindells to lose

 

[Exit 4]

I am foolishly optimistic Pindell will take another step forward.

Some things I am looking for:

• Are the DBs physically stronger? Can they cut down on the YAC which was insanely high in some games last year?
• Obviously DL rotation will be interesting to say the least; R. Fines, T. Jones, Caleb Thomas (its been mentioned on the yard that he was the best we had this past spring) and who else in the rotation?
• Can TJ Gardner, who looked pretty darn athletic in high school, become a plus level LB? And can Beavers become “the” face of the LB core showing skills on all downs?

 

[Chin Diesel]

In general when dealing with a team with average (at best) talent, I look for positions to be won early and different components (Line, DB's, LB's, etc) gelling.

Firm believer that average talent executing in unison beats superior talent that isn't all on the same page.

 

[RSTuthill]

Exciting to say that we're only a few weeks away from the start of Fall camp.

With that said, there's a lot to look forward to with this team. Primarily, defense. Can't get any worse, or can it? Let's hope not. We couldn't stop running water last year. My thinking is, even though we're still young, with year 2 of the new regime now in place, it's gotta be better.
As for the O, that will be our strong point, as long as our OL holds up.

My opinion, there's enough talent on this team for us to surprise folks and end up in a bowl game.

Thoughts???

Yup, unlikely but possible. Depends on a lotta things including the rate of gel and that depends a lot on leadership.

 

[Life Is Good]

It seems like Washington has just been in the dog house since he got here. I think that has a lot to do with the job being Pindells to lose

I still think Pindell will start but the question is for how many games? We have four QB’s and three were red shirted. It’s hard to say what they can bring to the table because none of them have seen any game time. Bisack played in spring games and ran scout team. Washington had to sit out both spring games and had seen limited practice time. McAfee had limited time in the spring game and at practice. Krajewski will see his first practice on August 1st. It will be very interesting to see how he adjusts to this level. I like his tape and he has all the tools to compete for the job but two weeks of practice is not enough time for anyone. I say Pindell gets the nod but QB2 is wide open.

 

[Husky25]

I'm looking for 100% buy in.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I’ll be most concerned with CB and DL. These two spots are so inexperienced and have a good shot to see true freshmen on the field. I predict Shameless Lazarus gets a good amount of burn, but who else steps up? We could be pretty weak there. What’s DL like? I’ve seen the possibility that Travis Jones starts at DE being thrown around...how would that work? If we can be decent at those two position groups, I think our defense will be fine

 

[CL82]

Pindell says he's more comfortable under center, let's see what he looks like there. At Lackawanna his best moments were when things fell apart. He was able to scramble and find the open man or a gap and make things happen. Let's see. He now knows the speed of the game at this level. I'm hopeful. The video of Washington working on his timing routes looked promising. He may push Pindell for the starting spot yet.

I think you look where you had the biggest problems, so defensive line and LBs is what I'm most curious about. Love to be able to pressure QBs more, otherwise it will be a long season. Wouldn't mind seeing more speed at the corners either. Seemed like we had to give everyone a big cushion to make sure we weren't beat deep. That was a big part of the reason our defense struggled. Next is offensive line. Whichever QB gets the nod, he'll look better if he isn't constantly under pressure.

 

[hardcorehusky]

The defense is so bad it’s made everyone forget they need someone to step up at Quarterback. 2017 Pindell is not going to get it done.

I disagree. Last year he played better as the season went on and led us on a should have been game tying drive against Cinnci at the end of the game. That one drive showed me he had something to lead the team. He will build on last year's experience and be a much better qb this year. Washington needs to do his off field work to become viable for this team. McAfee has a ways to go, Krajewski should not be anointed anything yet and right now Brandon Bisack is your #2. I met him recently and he is the epitomy of a drop back passer. My understanding is John Dunn has tweaked things to fit the QB's strengths so with an improved O-Line, we should see a more consistent offense.

 

[whaler11]

I disagree. Last year he played better as the season went on and led us on a should have been game tying drive against Cinnci at the end of the game. That one drive showed me he had something to lead the team. He will build on last year's experience and be a much better qb this year. Washington needs to do his off field work to become viable for this team. McAfee has a ways to go, Krajewski should not be anointed anything yet and right now Brandon Bisack is your #2. I met him recently and he is the epitomy of a drop back passer. My understanding is John Dunn has tweaked things to fit the QB's strengths so with an improved O-Line, we should see a more consistent offense.

One drive against one of the worst teams in the country. Ok - problem solved.

 

[huskysupporter]

The problem with Pindell is his lack of accuracy and touch when throwing the deep ball. It really hurts the offense when safeties can creep closer to the line of scrimmage with little worry that a pass will be completed behind them.

 

[Life Is Good]

I disagree. Last year he played better as the season went on and led us on a should have been game tying drive against Cinnci at the end of the game. That one drive showed me he had something to lead the team. He will build on last year's experience and be a much better qb this year. Washington needs to do his off field work to become viable for this team. McAfee has a ways to go, Krajewski should not be anointed anything yet and right now Brandon Bisack is your #2. I met him recently and he is the epitomy of a drop back passer. My understanding is John Dunn has tweaked things to fit the QB's strengths so with an improved O-Line, we should see a more consistent offense.

The good news is that we do have some talent at the QB position. However, unless you talked to RE, and he gave you some inside information, he has not announced the depth chart at QB. All four QB’s are going in with the exact amount of game time experience. I believe all of them are capable of winning the QB2 spot. It will be up to them to show up andmake Coach Edsall’s decision an easy one.

 

[gioff23]

Thoughts???


Tweets from RE that include quotes suggesting the young pups have bought in and that the play on the field is seeing positive results.

 

[uconndogs]

I think Pindell will be fine. He threw a lot of INTs last season, but they were late in games when we were out of it. He moves well and throws fine. He goes down I don't know what we have.

I think the defense will be about as good as the LBs allow it to be. To my eye we simply have not had good LB play for a number of years. I thought Junior Joseph was a good one, but not among the best we have had. I'm hoping upon hope that this young group brings a level of speed and athleticism that we desperately need at the position. They're on the smaller side, but hopefully they can run and make plays.

I do agree that the defense appeared to get better in spots late last season. Hopefully that was an indication that folks were getting used to the new system.

 

[Bubba1957]

I can't help but be really optimistic about this season. The D will be much, much better this year for a number of reasons; some of the older guys got a lot of experience, the freshmen will be pushing for playing time, the offense will be good and the pace of play will keep them from being over exposed. Also they made a unusual low number takeaways last year. A few more will make a world of difference.

Can't wait to see how it plays out.

 

[hardcorehusky]

One drive against one of the worst teams in the country. Ok - problem solved.

It is a show of progression. It is also called the IT factor. When you have the ability to a game by the neck for a last minute win. If Pindell was such a lost cause, he wouldn't have been able to do it against anyone - including Holy Cross where the game was too fast for him.

Projecting kids is what makes a college coach like RE so good. If you have been around the program long enough, you can see what he sees and trust the process.

 

[SubbaBub]

Speed. I don't think you can tell too much from camp, but a bunch of objectively fast guys on the field would be nice to see.

 

[whaler11]

It is a show of progression. It is also called the IT factor. When you have the ability to a game by the neck for a last minute win. If Pindell was such a lost cause, he wouldn't have been able to do it against anyone - including Holy Cross where the game was too fast for him.

Projecting kids is what makes a college coach like RE so good. If you have been around the program long enough, you can see what he sees and trust the process.

Sure thing buddy. Pindell stunk last year.

I’ve been around the program longer than Edsall. That’s how I know how ridiculous your post is.

 

[gioff23]

You can tell it’s been a long offseason, sparse news and hot weather when a discussion about what folks are looking for turns in to a my dads bigger than yours retort.

 

[ktuck911]

I'm not liking the sparse news but then again I am. Edsall run football teams (the UConn ones anyways) are known to overachieve. Therefore Im encouraged

 

[hardcorehusky]

Sure thing buddy. Pindell stunk last year.

I’ve been around the program longer than Edsall. That’s how I know how ridiculous your post is.

So do you want to go back to the days of Eric Torkelson or earlier to show what you know because that tells me nothing. Your negativity about everything, your smugness about your posts- that tells me everything I need to know.

Pindell will be better- that is the progression from junior year to senior year. The kid has some ability to run this offense. If you think kids don't progress from year to year, than there is nothing left to be said.