Turning the Page to 2017: The Offense

[UConnMatt813]

Honestly, he probably should let the dust settle a bit before posting this story. I appreciate the work he does, but the fan base is salty right now and is not ready to hear this type of positive talk about our offense who is probably the worst in the country.

 

[huskymedic]

Everything in life needs a balance... I don't get all my news from just CNN or just Fox, not just the Washington Post nor the Washington Times - I watch/read both and make up my own mind.

Hell, in life the far right and the far left may be fun for argument purposes but the middle is more likely closer to reality.

(and yes, my middle says we still sucked and it will be just as challenging next year)

 

[Confident Carl]

It's not valid because Matt has been using Heisman trophy candidates and NFL players as analogues for kids on the current roster for a while now. This shows he has no real ability to gauge our talent level. I admit that I'm more bullish about how good some of our players are than most of Matt's critics, but even I admit that it's ridiculous and not worth reading.

Regardless of what Matt's written in previous comparisons, I am sorry but the Lamar Jackson/Donovan Williams numbers are relevant to the point he was making which was simply don't let DW's first 3 games as a frosh determine his true potential.

 

[Fishy]

I gave it a shot and was reminded why I don't bother to read these blogs.

 

[Confident Carl]

Matt has to be trolling @whaler11

That's the only plausible explanation for this HOT steaming pile of garbage.

Truth be told, Matt and I have been hanging out lately.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Truth be told, Matt and I have been hanging out lately.

Makes perfect sense now.

 

[ktuck911]

Honestly, he probably should let the dust settle a bit before posting this story. I appreciate the work he does, but the fan base is salty right now and is not ready to hear this type of positive talk about our offense who is probably the worst in the country.

Not probably bro. IS the worst in all of FBS football.

 

[Confident Carl]

God these keep getting worse. I see he's been reading the comments and has taken nothing from them. You're not better than us just because you're Bob's errand boy

No, he's on the inside and sees what's going on. I agree, the team, stunk last year and it was THE most horrible, ugly boring, crappy football, (especially the 2nd half of the season)I have seen at the FBS level. BUT, unlike most of you, I believe next year's team will be a significantly better on Offense.

I will tell you why in a minute but first I would ask, have any of you ever experienced failure at anything in life, sports or otherwise and later experienced a huge and amazing turnaround? Personally, I've had my back against the wall physically and financially and was able to overcome great odds to be where I am today. If ones life is going in the wrong direction, with imagination, creativity, grit and a little luck, things can change. I know it has for me which is why I always try and think positive no matter how bad things get. We have heard it said before the more dreadful the outlook or cicumstances the sweeter the victory. For sure, things have been dreadful for UCONN football and understand that 2017 is probably Diaco's last chance to save his job.

Here are some big historical sports turnarounds as some evidence that it can be done.

Top 10 Greatest One-Season Turnarounds in Sports History - The Sports Seer

I realize if the 2017 team flips 2016, it will go down as one of the biggest in college football history.

For me, Matt's article was like drinking a cold glass of ice water in the dessert after reading so many understandably, pessimistic posts about UCONN football. Even your enemy Bob Diaco agrees with most of you. He expects that you should be totally pi$$ed and is actually encouraged that the fan base is enraged, as crazy as that may sound. It says, you have a heart and you really care about UCONN football.

There is no real evidence for a bright future if not for A., the foundation that has been built, B., the adjustments that will be made and C. Some of the faster Red Shirt freshmen that will factor in 2017.

Last year was a huge embarrassment. I gave up too many beautful Saturday's of golf to watch the most unentertaining, depressing football ever! So guess what, I will be sucking it up next year and reupping my blue chair backs. So many of my friends that know I am a UCONN football nut laugh at me that I might start wearing a sign that says, I know they suck!

I am actually excited about whoever the next Offensive Coordinator is. I am eager to see the growth and maturity of Donovan Williams. I am anticipating a more dynamic offense with the additions of Jakevious Vickers, Nate Hopkins, Quayvon Skanes and Keyion Dixon. I also believe the O line will be improved.

Like my delusional new friend Matt, I may get into the Defense at a later date. Which by the way I have my concerns about. Have a great weekend, going to play golf now!

 

[CTMike]

Carl- you are wishing and hoping. Whatever you feel - and I'm not telling you not to feel it! - isn't based on any evidence, it's based on faith. And for some folks that's fine, I won't begrudge it. But you or Matt shouldn't be surprised that a lot of us look at the last 6 years, see that the trend is consistently downward, and don't have the same optimism. Eventually I suppose you'll be right because we can't fall any further short of closing up shop.

 

[sub legacy]

Actually a 21st century game plan that uses the whole field and exploits opponents weaknesses will go long way in improving the offense. To name a few obvious things, maybe if opponent is playing nine in the box might not be best idea to run up middle on every first and second down, or how about if blitzing up the middle throwing to tight ends or slot receivers in middle of the field or if the opposing team's secondary is decimated by injury trying testing them early and often and using that to set up the run.

I hear you. So tired of watching ticky-tack football while everyone else is unleashing aerial assaults and blitzing with their hair on fire.

 

[UConnMatt813]

Carl- you are wishing and hoping. Whatever you feel - and I'm not telling you not to feel it! - isn't based on any evidence, it's based on faith. And for some folks that's fine, I won't begrudge it. But you or Matt shouldn't be surprised that a lot of us look at the last 6 years, see that the trend is consistently downward, and don't have the same optimism. Eventually I suppose you'll be right because we can't fall any further short of closing up shop.

This X a billion

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If I hope hard enough the next few months I sure hope we can score two touchdowns against Holy Cross!

 

[UConnNick]

Insanity = doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.

Bringing this coaching staff back, with or without a new OC, is insane. We already lost our best prospective recruit, who gets a no comment when the coaching staff is contacted about the situation. How many other recruits will we lose between now and signing day in February, particularly when they get no comment responses from the staff?

We should have canned this entire staff the day after the season ended, period, end of story, and all the nonsense about not being able to afford it is just that...nonsense. We're going to lose huge amounts of revenue going forward that will dwarf even the 5 million buyout amount. Every day that goes by that we don't end this regime will compound the series of mistakes already made by the school and athletic administrations.

 

[Uconnalliance]

"The true freshman struggled in the first two starts of his career before throwing his first TD pass in the second half against Tulane on Saturday. "

Correction: The true freshman struggled in his first three starts. Though I do agree with Matt that you can't conclude how good a player will or won't be based on 3 games as a true freshman. It's why I repeatedly argued against the posters who said Williams should play so that "we can see what we have next year".

"The immediate success that UConn Nation would liked to have seen shouldn't have been expected despite the high praise from Diaco."

I don't know anyone who expected immediate success. I expected that he would give us a better chance to win if he was taking over the job. He didn't. Not even close.

"It should be noted that Diaco didn't call Williams the best quarterback in the nation, he said Williams possesses the traits that if developed and things progress as they could, that gives him the opportunity to be at that level by the end of his college career."

So? Here's what Diaco said: "His upside, at the end, all things being equal, it will be as high as any player at his position in America. He's that talented. He's big, he's fast, he's smart, he's got an excellent arm, he's got a quick release, he's elusive in the pocket."

Parse his quote all you want, that's high praise for a kid without a single P5 offer. Based on Diaco's record. Fans are entirely justified to express as much skepticism as they want.

"For as much criticism as this unit did receive throughout the year, they put together a very nice effort against Tulane in the run game against a front that featured some talent up the gut."

It's just fantastic that he goes out of his way to pat these guys on the back for a "nice effort" in a game we lost 38-13 against a team that hadn't won a conference game in two years.

"An entire spring and training camp under a new offensive coordinator is only going to aid in his development. With the chance to learn from his mistakes, Williams and the Huskies offense will not be starting from square one on August 31st."

This might be the first time someone has made the argument that switching OCs actually helps QBs develop. Typically, the longer a QB plays in a system, the better he should be able to perform. Starting over with a new OC slows the development depending on how different the new OC's vision is for the offense. We absolutely had to make a change in OC. But who knows how much of Williams learned this year for this offense will be carried over to next year. So yes, we are actually starting from square one on August 31st.

DIACO= TOOL

 

[Colt house75]

No, he's on the inside and sees what's going on. I agree, the team, stunk last year and it was THE most horrible, ugly boring, crappy football, (especially the 2nd half of the season)I have seen at the FBS level. BUT, unlike most of you, I believe next year's team will be a significantly better on Offense.

I will tell you why in a minute but first I would ask, have any of you ever experienced failure at anything in life, sports or otherwise and later experienced a huge and amazing turnaround? Personally, I've had my back against the wall physically and financially and was able to overcome great odds to be where I am today. If ones life is going in the wrong direction, with imagination, creativity, grit and a little luck, things can change. I know it has for me which is why I always try and think positive no matter how bad things get. We have heard it said before the more dreadful the outlook or cicumstances the sweeter the victory. For sure, things have been dreadful for UCONN football and understand that 2017 is probably Diaco's last chance to save his job.

Here are some big historical sports turnarounds as some evidence that it can be done.

Top 10 Greatest One-Season Turnarounds in Sports History - The Sports Seer

I realize if the 2017 team flips 2016, it will go down as one of the biggest in college football history.

For me, Matt's article was like drinking a cold glass of ice water in the dessert after reading so many understandably, pessimistic posts about UCONN football. Even your enemy Bob Diaco agrees with most of you. He expects that you should be totally pi$$ed and is actually encouraged that the fan base is enraged, as crazy as that may sound. It says, you have a heart and you really care about UCONN football.

There is no real evidence for a bright future if not for A., the foundation that has been built, B., the adjustments that will be made and C. Some of the faster Red Shirt freshmen that will factor in 2017.

Last year was a huge embarrassment. I gave up too many beautful Saturday's of golf to watch the most unentertaining, depressing football ever! So guess what, I will be sucking it up next year and reupping my blue chair backs. So many of my friends that know I am a UCONN football nut laugh at me that I might start wearing a sign that says, I know they suck!

I am actually excited about whoever the next Offensive Coordinator is. I am eager to see the growth and maturity of Donovan Williams. I am anticipating a more dynamic offense with the additions of Jakevious Vickers, Nate Hopkins, Quayvon Skanes and Keyion Dixon. I also believe the O line will be improved.

Like my delusional new friend Matt, I may get into the Defense at a later date. Which by the way I have my concerns about. Have a great weekend, going to play golf now!

I liked your post for ideas and thoughts especially about the burners we have RED SHIRTING.
If I WAS IN CHARGE, and we had no choice but to go with Diaco, an order would be made to freaking put a muzzle on and STF UP because you'really an embarrassment when you open your mouth. Like Forbidden word is "spectacular ".
Take a TOASTMASTERS COURSE PLEASE!
In light of fact that we have only 7 recruits and the next AAC PROGRAM has 17, tend to think he is departing.
So, Confident Carl agree with you on glass "half empty" philosophy seeing we have in house some pretty decent people, question is "who " gets to fill the glass if Suzie" finds the $3.4 mm?
Remember...it'seems $3.4 for all of 2017 and does not go down especially if the SHEET SHOW continues 3 games into 2017 season.
Come on Suzie,, find the donors and the doneros...

 

[Sky ball]

We had an offense?

You can find at the bottom of the NCAA Football Offensive Statistics.

 

[Colt house75]

If I hope hard enough the next few months I sure hope we can score two touchdowns against Holy Cross!

Sat through the sheet show at Boston.
Traveled to Annapolis and watched in horror the last 17 seconds .
4 fake field goals, 4 punts fielded in last 2 years, defensive backs 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, a non existent pass rush, we outweighed Maine by 40 ponds up front and they dominated he line of scrimmage, and on and on and on.....we will lose to Holy Cross in the opener by a field goal if Joe Moorehead or somebody else that is competent to run a team is not brought in, plain and simple...

 

[Confident Carl]

Carl- you are wishing and hoping. Whatever you feel - and I'm not telling you not to feel it! - isn't based on any evidence, it's based on faith. And for some folks that's fine, I won't begrudge it. But you or Matt shouldn't be surprised that a lot of us look at the last 6 years, see that the trend is consistently downward, and don't have the same optimism. Eventually I suppose you'll be right because we can't fall any further short of closing up shop.

Not really. We lost Knappe and Levy on offense. We are bringing in more weapons. This might be the most talented offensive team in years. I can see the offense doubling their production next year! The O line is bringing back some good people. You are going down a black hole.

 

[Stainmaster]

Not really. We lost Knappe and Levy on offense. We are bringing in more weapons. This might be the most talented offensive team in years. I can see the offense doubling their production next year! The O line is bringing back some good people. You are going down a black hole.

This is all hypothetical conjecture with not one bit of logic behind it.

 

[Confident Carl]

This is all hypothetical conjecture with not one bit of logic behind it.

Probably about as much hypothetical conjecture as those who trash next years team with not one bit of logic behind it.

 

[Stainmaster]

Probably about as much hypothetical conjecture as those who trash next years team with not one bit of logic behind it.

No, those of of us who don't believe in your crazy optimism are basing our thoughts off of what we observe when we watch games and listen to the coaches' public comments.

 

[Confident Carl]

No, those of of us who don't believe in your crazy optimism are basing our thoughts off of what we observe when we watch games and listen to the coaches' public comments.

You are perfectly entitled to be dark and pessimistic. That's your perogative. I choose to be optimistic about the team and what they learned these past 3 years. Sometimes losing is part of the building process. Players study the play book more and work harder in the weight room during the off season. If last year it didn't kill them it will makes them stronger. Playing college football taught me that. I would really pity the kids if they carried your attitude into next season.

 

[whaler11]

Probably about as much hypothetical conjecture as those who trash next years team with not one bit of logic behind it.

Um... they lost the one good player they had, lost two long time starters that bench never pushed on the offensive line and don't even have the semblance of a quarterback.

So yeah if you look at the actual roster and the results - it's likely they get worse.

 

[Confident Carl]

Um... they lost the one good player they had, lost two long time starters that bench never pushed on the offensive line and don't even have the semblance of a quarterback.

So yeah if you look at the actual roster and the results - it's likely they get worse.

Only problem with your logic is you just don't know how the young pups are going to perform next year. Including Donovan Williams, Mr. Eye ball test!

 

[Stainmaster]

Only problem with your logic is you just don't know how the young pups are going to perform next year. Including Donovan Williams, Mr. Eye ball test!

Neither do you.