UConn Coaching changes

[Doggie Style]

A BIG PLUS 1 Samcro!!!

Plus 2 !!!!

 

[2Infinity]

Also very surprising. Foley has consistently churned out effective offensive lines, sometimes without many options, including starting a 260 pounder at tackle, and various walk ons (one of which ended up in the NFL). I am sure teams with O Line vacancies will be calling next season. I don't expect Coach Foley to stick around. Which is too bad.

So you're assuming the worst (that he's leaving next year) before we even learn A) if this is actually happening and been confirmed, and B) did Foley have anything to do with this, as in wanting to take on a new challenge. Incidentally, what if both of these are true, and he really enjoys his new position and duties next season?? Guess that option will be virtually impossible to witness, at least according to so many here who are in the know! He's as good as gone, even though he hasn't even begun his new position!

 

[epark88]

I like this move.

Since Foley's done an excellent job with the Oline, it's pretty safe to assume that with his skills and background he'll do an equally excellent job with the TE's. DeLeone can now directly tailor the pass-protections to his offense, while Griff, Manning, McQuillan and (if healthy) Delahunt can get more hands-on coaching from arguably the staff's best position coach.

We've got some talent at the TE position, and if you've been watching the NFL playoffs at all then you've seen the havoc good TE's can cause if they're used properly. Hopefully, this coaching move does just that for us...

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Pasqualoni did everything shy of stating without exception that the offense is DeLeone's and it has been no secret that the philosophy DeLeone wants to employ differs from what Foley is best at teaching. We will need more and bigger guys than we have been bringing in (this move in some ways does align with Desmond's blog posting from the other day) as even though we've felt that we've had a huge offensive line recently, when compared to many top schools our line was below average in terms of size. The (temporary, only due a shortage of bodies at tackle) move of Friend to guard was evidence of they wanted to do upfront and I imagine that our future lines will be much larger than they had been.

I will be surprised if Foley is around for 2013's spring practice. I don't like seeing this but it is not my decision.

 

[Nostical]

Pasqualoni did everything shy of stating without exception that the offense is DeLeone's and it has been no secret that the philosophy DeLeone wants to employ differs from what Foley is best at teaching.

That's right. DeLeone wanted the line to operate in a different fashion for his offensive system than Foley was coaching. So Deleone got his way with PP and had Foley moved to tight ends. If you remember, DeLeone, in addition to being OC, was coaching the tight ends last year. Unlike Don Brown, the players don't seem to have much love for DeLeone. For what it's worth, the word is that the O-line is ticked off but the tight ends are thrilled.

 

[sportsart]

You can count on Foley getting an offer to coach an OL at a decent school before the 2013 season starts.

He has too much success on his resume to be a TE coach.

 

[uconndogs]

Coach P is the CEO. His job to appoint the executives he wants and where he wants them. Keeping his job will be largely dependent on those positions.

I don't know about Deleone. The offense, or rather offenses, we ran last season could not have been more complicated. We'll have to see.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Dez reports that Foley will continue to have involvement with the tackles.

 

[ZooCougar]

The more I think about this, the dumber this move seems. I want to ge excited about what Pasqualoni is doing, but this just feels like a retread op to me.

 

[ktuck911]

My gut tells me Foley will be gone soon... Just doesn't make sense where he fits in with Coach P in place... Honestly all this is confusing to me. . And I hope we don't get anymore coaches with 30 plus years coaching experience.... IMO that's too old... We need guys who can relate to today's player a little...

 

[ktuck911]

You know what would be a good look for Foley ( short term ... don't think he'd stay there past 2 seasons tops )? Fordham. Or does that make too much sense?

 

[freescooter]

I don't know about Deleone. The offense, or rather offenses, we ran last season could not have been more complicated. We'll have to see.

I have to say that I thought last season the staff got everything they could out of the offense. We had no quarterback, lost arguably our best wide reciever to academics before the opening practice, lost our presumed starter at tailback before the first game and replaced him with a freshman who looked like an 8th grader not a college running back. That they put a fairly credible attack out there was a pretty good accomplishment in my view. With a few better players I like the way this could go.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You know what the responses on here to this is, it's people fearing change.

The only reasons Foley would be anywhere else but UConn next year are #1. He gets fired mid contract, or he dismissed without contract renewal when his contract is up....or #2. He gets a job offer that is better for him professionally, financially, and for his family.

Unless the 2012 season is complete frigging disaster, the chances of #1 are slim to none. But #2? Well, if our offense comes out and starts carving up opposing defenses and putting up big points, and the TE and offensive line are a big part of it, then those offers might be coming in for Foley. and again on #2? Does anyone seriously think that a career college football in division 1/BCS coaching isn't constantly monitoring the job environment? Job secruity is far from the top 10 best perks of being a career football coach. Especially after last year - anyone think that all the coaches aren't in tune with the job circuit?

I don't see how this move is a bad thing for UConn football, and I certainly don't see how challenging a very good coach in Foley, who's been stuck in a run blocking rut on offense, to get back to a full offensive approach to the game, is a bad thing. I don't see how anyone can think that Foley on TE's and Deleone on OL is a bad thing.

It's not like these guys aren't going be working together on that offensive front and the TE's and offensive line players and coaches are goign to be walled off in different areas of the complex and only see each other game days in the fall.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You can count on Foley getting an offer to coach an OL at a decent school before the 2013 season starts.

He has too much success on his resume to be a TE coach.

Seriously? Too much success doing what? Since when does adding new things to your resume weaken it? Coach Foley is a great guy and is a great football coach, but he's now got a challenge to become a better football coach. Does anyone really think that he hasn't had people looking seriously at the coaching job circuit all along, or at least after Edsall blindsided UConn?

I highly doubt that his move, has come as a surprise to anyone on the coaching staff, and it's been thoroughly discussed and agreed upon by all involved. That's how these things get done properly. I guarantee you all, that through the month of December, a very, VERY thorough review of the state of teh UConn football program was conducted, and everyone was involved.

I think I"ll just count on the fact that if Mike Foley gets hired away from UConn to a position that his better for himself professionally, higher in the pecking order of coaches, and in financial secruity for himself and his family, it will be because our offense in 2012 was pretty damn good, and he added a significant piece to his resume.

I'm ok with that, and I"d be happy for Coach Foley.

I haven't read anywhere that Coach has been asked to take a pay cut, or has been given new responsibilities without adequate compensation, or has had benefits cut from his contract, or that he's unhappy with his work environment.

Don't fear change.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The offensive line has done very, very well in run blocking over the past few years. Can you really sit there and type that it has done well in pass protection as well? If you're going to do an accurate critique, you have to be willing to point out the negative with the positive. What has Foley really done with the offensive line when it comes to a passing game?

From what I gather today, Foley is going to working specifically with the TE's and OT's. I think with those two positions, you're talking about the two most important positions in protecting the QB from say....a guy like #11 that played for WVU.

I also know that we're going to be replacing a multi-year starter at center, and not just replacing him, plugging a center in that is going to have an entirely different offense around him, than what we had in the past, and if you know anything about centers need to do at the line of scrimmage, I'm pretty comfortable in having Deleone working with interior line, in his offense, while Foley focuses on that TE position and the tackles.

The key to the 2011 season was the QB position, the key to the 2012 season just might be the other side of that snapping of the ball exchange, - the center.

Fearing the negative consequences of change, is the exact same thing as fearing change dude. Think about it. Funny you should write that.

Looking that potential negative consequences of change? Hey - that makes sense. That's why you need to be real thorough about how you evaluate things, and what you look at to change to improve things.
The positive consequences of this change far outweigh the negative.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

+1

Some of these Spackler posts are mind boggling.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Fearing the negative consequence that could result from change, is the exact same thing as fearing change dude.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

For what it's worth, the word is that the O-line is ticked off but the tight ends are thrilled.

What is this based upon?

I imagine a memo something like this:

TO: Nostical

From: UConn Offensive Line

Subject: Rage

Message Body: We are pissed the duck off. Please let the message board know.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Oh well, we'll see what happens. There are some things that I'm critical negatively of Pasqualoni at this point in his turn driving the bus at UConn. This coaching move involving a shift of job responsibility internally on the staff with Coach Foley and Deleone, is not one of them.

I've got complete faith that Coach Foley will take this challenge on full force and do very well in working with the most diverse offensive position on the field, and that Deleone will get a new interior line trained in both pass protect and run blocking in a multiple formation pro-set offense AND option runnign coming out of the backfield.

Logical fallacy argument statement I'm making now, but if you know anything about what a center needs to be doing out there on the field, and that were putting a new center out there for the first time and year, and what the importance of the TE and the tackles in a pro-set offense, then I think this coachign move makes a whole hell of a lot of sense.

If Coach Foley feels motivated to move on to another coaching job, and his able to do so, by giving himself a better professional, financial and family situation, because of it, so be it. It only means that good things have happened for the UConn football program.

The negative consequences? Coach Foley fails and Coach Deleone fails. I've had people around here poo=poo me when I've talked about fear and fear of failure adn these kinds of things before. Fear of failure either motivates you to get better, or it keeps you stagnant.

 

[businesslawyer]

I thought we led the conference in fewest sacks allowed in 2010. I know facts have no impact on Carl's canned speeches, but that doesn't mean we can't try.