This year is make or break for the 3-3-5.

[Hornet22]

That’s fine - but optimism for optimism’s sake doesn’t actually translate into wins.

Listen, we all know it’s way easier to adopt the most bleakest stance in sport then enjoy the opposite if it occurs. Trust me, if UConn surprises people next season there may be a few “I told you so’s” hurled at Whaler but he will ignore them and quietly (or publicly) enjoy what’s happening on the field. No harm no foul.
I respect optimism and pessimism alike in sport. There are so many factors involved in football that can change the trajectories of every team in every conference. I’m just excited about seeing these 19 create some competitive depth in practice. That’s how teams actually improve. Seems to me like the receivers on our team will have to work a little harder to make plays in practice. The RB’s will have more athletic people coming at them. The QB’s will have to fit balls into tighter windows than last year in practice. That’s what you want.
When the games roll around, who knows after that. But the team will definitely improve because practice will be more competitive.

 

[whaler11]

Listen, we all know it’s way easier to adopt the most bleakest stance in sport then enjoy the opposite if it occurs. Trust me, if UConn surprises people next season there may be a few “I told you so’s” hurled at Whaler but he will ignore them and quietly (or publicly) enjoy what’s happening on the field. No harm no foul.
I respect optimism and pessimism alike in sport. There are so many factors involved in football that can change the trajectories of every team in every conference. I’m just excited about seeing these 19 create some competitive depth in practice. That’s how teams actually improve. Seems to me like the receivers on our team will have to work a little harder to make plays in practice. The RB’s will have more athletic people coming at them. The QB’s will have to fit balls into tighter windows than last year in practice. That’s what you want.
When the games roll around, who knows after that. But the team will definitely improve because practice will be more competitive.

They might be better. As of right now there isn’t evidence that they will be.

If they are better I will gladly admit it and take whatever abuse anyone want to give me.

I don’t deal in faith. I know Edsall well enough that I am confident he’ll have them much improved in 2-3 years.

2018 shapes up to be a nightmare on defense.

 

[Hornet22]

They might be better. As of right now there isn’t evidence that they will be.

If they are better I will gladly admit it and take whatever abuse anyone want to give me.

I don’t deal in faith. I know Edsall well enough that I am confident he’ll have them much improved in 2-3 years.

2018 shapes up to be a nightmare on defense.

It’s actually the perfect stance with this team. If the defense sucks then you look like the ultimate prognosticator or Nostradamus-like. And if they’re good the pleasure of watching the turnaround will assuage any pain from the abuse you will get.

Competitive depth....That must come first before any turnaround.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

All this talk about optimism and pessimism. Any room for realism?

People may not like the way he delivers his message (unlike me), but he’s right a lot more than he’s wrong on the football. Other boards he’s clueless, but he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to football.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

It’s actually the perfect stance with this team. If the defense sucks then you look like the ultimate prognosticator or Nostradamus-like. And if they’re good the pleasure of watching the turnaround will assuage any pain from the abuse you will get.

Competitive depth....That must come first before any turnaround.

And if he’s right and the defense sucks again, people will call him a jerk and say he deals in pessimism.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

This year is make or break for UConn football overall. The team needs to make a bowl game, and improve its ranking significantly.

 

[Exit 4]

This year is make or break for UConn football overall. The team needs to make a bowl game, and improve its ranking significantly.

Time to rename yourself as Fan_on_the_fence or Bowl_or_Bust. Loyal? Ha!

 

[whaler11]

It’s actually the perfect stance with this team. If the defense sucks then you look like the ultimate prognosticator or Nostradamus-like. And if they’re good the pleasure of watching the turnaround will assuage any pain from the abuse you will get.

Competitive depth....That must come first before any turnaround.

I just call them like I see them. There is no strategy involved.

 

[Husky25]

So you think it's safe to assume the defense is better because of intangibles while admitting the players aren't as good?

Okey dokey.

I guess I get why people find the need to have faith but I don't get why 7 years in a row of getting burned by it doesn't seem to impact them.

That's not what I said. I don't know if the new players will be or won't be as good, but maybe they are a better fit for what the coaches want to do. The bodies most definitely need to be replaced. Can't field a team otherwise, but the remaining incumbents can help fill the gaps in productivity. I prefer to look at it as the Moneyball approach. I don't know if you read the book or watched the movie, but a basic tenet in both (disregarding the A's outstanding starting pitching at the time, which was glossed over in the movie) was not how to replace individual players, but how to replace their production. For example, Jason Giambi hit 38 of Oakland's 199 homeruns in 2001. Oakland as a team hit 205 in 2002. Johnny Damon had 165 of 1,469 hits in 2001. Oakland had only 19 fewer hits as a team in 2002, while winning one more game (103 in 2002 vs. 102 the previous year).

Bringing it back to UConn, there are other variables besides intangibles, but yes. Experience and comfort in their assignment does play a roll. Also most of the players who played their final game vs Cincinnati spent 3 or 4 years in different schemes, utilizing different techniques that presumably had to be either unlearned or used differently.

Regarding your last sentence: If that were true, you'd still see 38,000+ people in the stands. Personally, I am certainly more salty than I was 7 years ago, but the gameday experience does not only include time spent inside the confines of Rentschler Field. It also is an opportunity to spend 6 or 7 days in the fall with a bunch of friends who aren't able to get together nearly enough anymore.

 

[Hornet22]

All this talk about optimism and pessimism. Any room for realism?

People may not like the way he delivers his message (unlike me), but he’s right a lot more than he’s wrong on the football. Other boards he’s clueless, but he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to football.

Doesn’t bother me at all. Everyone is entitled to their sense of optimism, pessimism and realism.
But it’s all opinions/hypotheticals. I don’t buy the “but he knows football” stuff because knowledge of football does not bear any affect on the future outcome of any particular upcoming season. It’s guesswork that has a 50/50 chance of being correct. Im a Tampa fan and most people believed they were primed for the playoffs. Now they’re in danger of finishing 4-12. It’s all guesswork.

 

[whaler11]

All this talk about optimism and pessimism. Any room for realism?

People may not like the way he delivers his message (unlike me), but he’s right a lot more than he’s wrong on the football. Other boards he’s clueless, but he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to football.

What board am I clueless on?

 

[whaler11]

Doesn’t bother me at all. Everyone is entitled to their sense of optimism, pessimism and realism.
But it’s all opinions/hypotheticals. I don’t buy the “but he knows football” stuff because knowledge of football does not bear any affect on the future outcome of any particular upcoming season. It’s guesswork that has a 50/50 chance of being correct. Im a Tampa fan and most people believed they were primed for the playoffs. Now they’re in danger of finishing 4-12. It’s all guesswork.

Yeah you don’t get probability do you?

I thought Tampa was going to suck BTW - Winston came off as a total fraud in Hard Knocks.

 

[Bubba1957]

Let's see how February plays out and what other players are signed. The players being brought are better than what was being brought in. To say otherwise is to imply that Diaco was a great recruiter. Randy feels like he is bringing his type of player (hitters with speed). A lot of them will be playing big roles next year. If they could add one or two transfers, the D will be much better. Knocking people on their posterior is still the best way to play the game, the new guys will do that, which will cover up some of the experience issues. The D will miss Junior (a great player) and Foley (didn't live up to his potential), but not much else. Aggressive play is contagious and I believe they will be way more aggressive.

 

[Hornet22]

That's not what I said. I don't know if the new players will be or won't be as good, but maybe they are a better fit for what the coaches want to do. The bodies most definitely need to be replaced. Can't field a team otherwise, but the remaining incumbents can help fill the gaps in productivity. I prefer to look at it as the Moneyball approach. I don't know if you read the book or watched the movie, but a basic tenet in both (disregarding the A's outstanding starting pitching at the time, which was glossed over in the movie) was not how to replace individual players, but how to replace their production. For example, Jason Giambi hit 38 of Oakland's 199 homeruns in 2001. Oakland as a team hit 205 in 2002. Johnny Damon had 165 of 1,469 hits in 2001. Oakland had only 19 fewer hits as a team in 2002, while winning one more game (103 in 2002 vs. 102 the previous year).

Bringing it back to UConn, there are other variables besides intangibles, but yes. Experience and comfort in their assignment does play a roll. Also most of the players who played their final game vs Cincinnati spent 3 or 4 years in different schemes, utilizing different techniques that presumably had to be either unlearned or used differently.

Regarding your last sentence: If that were true, you'd still see 38,000+ people in the stands. Personally, I am certainly more salty than I was 7 years ago, but the gameday experience does not only include time spent inside the confines of Rentschler Field. It also is an opportunity to spend 6 or 7 days in the fall with a bunch of friends who aren't able to get together nearly enough anymore.

For starters I’d just like to see a more competitive team. I’m educated enough to know we’re in the middle of a rebuild and it takes time. Especially in football because it’s a war of attrition and you need ample and capable bodies to compete.

 

[whaler11]

That's not what I said. I don't know if the new players will be or won't be as good, but maybe they are a better fit for what the coaches want to do. The bodies most definitely need to be replaced. Can't field a team otherwise, but the remaining incumbents can help fill the gaps in productivity. I prefer to look at it as the Moneyball approach. I don't know if you read the book or watched the movie, but a basic tenet in both (disregarding the A's outstanding starting pitching at the time, which was glossed over in the movie) was not how to replace individual players, but how to replace their production. For example, Jason Giambi hit 38 of Oakland's 199 homeruns in 2001. Oakland as a team hit 205 in 2002. Johnny Damon had 165 of 1,469 hits in 2001. Oakland had only 19 fewer hits as a team in 2002, while winning one more game (103 in 2002 vs. 102 the previous year).

Bringing it back to UConn, there are other variables besides intangibles, but yes. Experience and comfort in their assignment does play a roll. Also most of the players who played their final game vs Cincinnati spent 3 or 4 years in different schemes, utilizing different techniques that presumably had to be either unlearned or used differently.

Regarding your last sentence: If that were true, you'd still see 38,000+ people in the stands. Personally, I am certainly more salty than I was 7 years ago, but the gameday experience does not only include time spent inside the confines of Rentschler Field. It also is an opportunity to spend 6 or 7 days in the fall with a bunch of friends who aren't able to get together nearly enough anymore.

There are no incumbents in the front 7.

That’s the problem.

Your comment about the attendance makes zero sense. Obviously not everyone is blindly optimistic like some on the BY who constantly tell me one thing while the opposite happens.

 

[Hornet22]

Yeah you don’t get probability do you?

I thought Tampa was going to suck BTW - Winston came off as a total fraud in Hard Knocks.

Well I guess you’re the ultimate prognosticator brother. I didn’t foresee 4-12 no matter how much of a fraud Winston came off as.
I guess you predicted Dallas wouldn’t make the playoffs, Cleveland would go 0-15 and the Raiders wouldn’t make the playoffs either right?
Because I got all those wrong too.

 

[JMick]

I just call them like I see them. There is no strategy involved.

If you're "negative" it means you have an agenda to tear down UConn sports. You didn't know that?

 

[whaler11]

Well I guess you’re the ultimate prognosticator brother. I didn’t foresee 4-12 no matter how much of a fraud Winston came off as.
I guess you predicted Dallas wouldn’t make the playoffs, Cleveland would go 0-15 and the Raiders wouldn’t make the playoffs either right?
Because I got all those wrong too.

Be as sarcastic as you like. There is more than enough proof on this very website that you’ll be a lot better off with my predictions than 99% of others.

 

[whaler11]

If you're "negative" it means you have an agenda to tear down UConn sports. You didn't know that?

It’s actually just being negative about Bob Diaco - but that is too nuanced for those who choose to go on faith.

 

[Hornet22]

Yeah you don’t get probability do you?

I thought Tampa was going to suck BTW - Winston came off as a total fraud in Hard Knocks.

Well, they finished 9-7 last year and missed the playoffs by a tie breaker and was one of the hottest teams in football. Their defense was proven as one of the toughest defense in the NFL. They have Mike Evans who did all his damage with safeties over the top of him consistently. They signed DeSean Jackson who is still a deep threat to compliment Evans. And after ALL of that you thought they would suck because of Hard Knocks episodes where if every team was featured you’d probably find a few stars that came off as “something” other than what they were perceived to be?
Hmmm. And someone said you know football?
Again, 50/50 man. And the person that’s right gets the luxury of quoting their handicap- Hard Knocks which is all about entertainment btw. So to make judgments on people from that forum is in my opinion absurd.

 

[whaler11]

Well, they finished 9-7 last year and missed the playoffs by a tie breaker and was one of the hottest teams in football. Their defense was proven as one of the toughest defense in the NFL. They have Mike Evans who did all his damage with safeties over the top of him consistently. They signed DeSean Jackson who is still a deep threat to compliment Evans. And after ALL of that you thought they would suck because of Hard Knocks episodes where if every team was featured you’d probably find a few stars that came off as “something” other than what they were perceived to be?
Hmmm. And someone said you know football?
Again, 50/50 man. And the person that’s right gets the luxury of quoting their handicap- Hard Knocks which is all about entertainment btw. So to make judgments on people from that forum is in my opinion absurd.

Yeah you don’t get probability you should probably stop.

When they try to create a infomercial for Winston and you can still smell the stink through the TV it’s a bad sign.

When you’ve got the distant 4th best QB in your division that’s a bad sign.

When you’ve got a mediocre college coach as your head coach that’s a bad sign.

It’s funny to think how surprised you were every week when they stunk again.

 

[Palatine]

Let's see how February plays out and what other players are signed. The players being brought are better than what was being brought in. To say otherwise is to imply that Diaco was a great recruiter. Randy feels like he is bringing his type of player (hitters with speed). A lot of them will be playing big roles next year. If they could add one or two transfers, the D will be much better. Knocking people on their posterior is still the best way to play the game, the new guys will do that, which will cover up some of the experience issues. The D will miss Junior (a great player) and Foley (didn't live up to his potential), but not much else. Aggressive play is contagious and I believe they will be way more aggressive.

Interesting that you think Joseph was great and Fatukasi under performed.

Fatukasi's job was to eat up blocks so that Joseph could make plays. If Fatukasi doesn't eat up two guys, Joseph doesn't look so good.

Fatukasi was probably the best player on the defense. He was a big part of the the reason that the rushing defense was 43 positions higher than the passing defense. He did what he was asked to do in the new scheme. It wasn't glamorous and it certainly didn't help his numbers. But he was a man in there, no question.

 

[Hornet22]

If you're "negative" it means you have an agenda to tear down UConn sports. You didn't know that?

I don’t agree with attacking people that have a realistic (in their opinion) point of view. It’s justfied based on past performance. But year to year I still believe it’s 50/50. From my playing days I know there’s so much that goes into a losing season and a winning season that people on the outside don’t see. For all we know the players that Diaco recruited checked out on the season before it was over. Maybe they stopped going as hard as they could when they faced a little adversity. Perhaps the team wasn’t as close as you need to be in order to succeed. Perhaps there were some bad apples that caused issues in the locker room. And yes, talent tops the list. But what I do know is that when you have good players that go hard for each other for an entire season good things can happen.
I played in locker rooms and had seasons where we overachieved and underachieved. And the variable was how we played as a family.
I would guess that the UConn from RE1 overachieved because that was a tight knit unit that played for each other. When all the soldiers are following one message of the leader, special things can happen in sports.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

What board am I clueless on?

All of them

 

[whaler11]

I don’t agree with attacking people that have a realistic (in their opinion) point of view. It’s justfied based on past performance. But year to year I still believe it’s 50/50. From my playing days I know there’s so much that goes into a losing season and a winning season that people on the outside don’t see. For all we know the players that Diaco recruited checked out on the season before it was over. Maybe they stopped going as hard as they could when they faced a little adversity. Perhaps the team wasn’t as close as you need to be in order to succeed. Perhaps there were some bad apples that caused issues in the locker room. And yes, talent tops the list. But what I do know is that when you have good players that go hard for each other for an entire season good things can happen.
I played in locker rooms and had seasons where we overachieved and underachieved. And the variable was how we played as a family.
I would guess that the UConn from RE1 overachieved because that was a tight knit unit that played for each other. When all the soldiers are following one message of the leader, special things can happen in sports.

Are you still sticking with Javier Mojica’s biography?