UConn football is ahead of schedule headed into spring ball (McFarlane/Courant)

[hardcorehusky]

pull the plug.

Coming on the football board and typing that says what about you?

 

[Chief00]

As of today, 43% of UConn's men's basketball games have been either cancelled or postponed with only 14 to 15 players on the roster. Never mind that UConn football has over 100 players, would not have been allowed to play home games, and had no conference to help schedule games, COVID positives and contact tracing would have probably ended the season anyway.

Gee, how did all these other D1 teams accomplish this amazing feat?

 

[Buffett10]

Gee, how did all these other D1 teams accomplish this amazing feat?

Because other schools didn't have King Ned and the DOH guidelines. How is it every state but CT and 2 others have played a football season or are going to be playing HS football games? Same answer if you're wondering.

 

[UConnJim]

It's pretty clear that the Governor and the CT Department of Health have been holding back athletics in Connecticut. The following if from an article on the cancellation of the fall football season in Connecticut. (I bolded the key sentence.)

"The CIAC said the decision was made in alignment with the Connecticut Department of Public Health's recommendation that football is a "high-risk" sport in relation to the possible spread of COVID-19."

"The CIAC met with the Department of Public Health last week to try and reach an agreement on mitigation factors that might make full-contact football possible, but the DPH said the proposals did not change football to a moderate-risk sport."

""CIAC made every effort to weigh all factors in this decision, including the passionate voices of students, parents, and school personnel, and ultimately made the determination to align its decision with the recommendations of the Governor’s office and DPH to not hold high-risk sports at this time,” CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini said in a news release. “In conversation with other state associations across the country, it was clear that a key factor in playing interscholastic football was alignment with the opinion of their state’s governor and state health agency.”"

CIAC Officially Cancels Fall High School Football Season

 

[freescooter]

Seriously, you act like Connecticut was the only state that didn’t play football in 2020. Most if not all of New England didn’t play. Virginia and NorthCarolina didn't play. New York didn’t play. Delaware didn’t play. California, Oregon, Washington didn’t. Give the King Ned nonsense a break. And remember when the decision was made the Big 10 and PAC 12 had both said they weren’t playing at the collegiate level. This was a not unreasonable decision and many other states made the same one.

 

[Exit 4]

Seriously, you act like Connecticut was the only state that didn’t play football in 2020. Most if not all of New England didn’t play. Virginia and NorthCarolina didn't play. New York didn’t play. Delaware didn’t play. California, Oregon, Washington didn’t. Give the King Ned nonsense a break. And remember when the decision was made the Big 10 and PAC 12 had both said they weren’t playing at the collegiate level. This was a not unreasonable decision and many other states made the same one.

Well thats nice. I suppose someone could also list all the states that did play, so whatever.

What matters now is how this team is allowed to conduct a real spring program beginning 3/1 building toward a real season in 2021. This past fall all they were permitted to do was individual skills development due to social distancing. Now the real test begins for this athletic program, can they actually get on the field and play real team football starting in March. The hockey team seems to be playing and BB has its spurts, so yeah it should happen. If the program is going to follow the same n'th degree contract tracing / 14 day look back, then yeah they wont get many snaps in....happy to be wrong.

 

[UConnJim]

Seriously, you act like Connecticut was the only state that didn’t play football in 2020. Most if not all of New England didn’t play. Virginia and NorthCarolina didn't play. New York didn’t play. Delaware didn’t play. California, Oregon, Washington didn’t. Give the King Ned nonsense a break. And remember when the decision was made the Big 10 and PAC 12 had both said they weren’t playing at the collegiate level. This was a not unreasonable decision and many other states made the same one.

Actually, New Hampshire and Vermont figured out a way to salvage a fall football season.

My point was that some posters wanted to blame Edsall for no fall football and I think that is ridiculous as the CT DOH and the governor really made the call and with no conference to provide games and almost all games cancelled, there was no way to move forward with the season.

And, there is something different in Connecticut (or at UConn) when UConn men's basketball has one of the highest % of cancelled games in college basketball and Butler played 2 games after UConn shut down due to exposure to a COVID positive ref.

 

[huskymedic]

Now the real test begins for this athletic program, can they actually get on the field and play real team football starting in March. The hockey team seems to be playing and BB has its spurts, so yeah it should happen. If the program is going to follow the same n'th degree contract tracing / 14 day look back, then yeah they wont get many snaps in....happy to be wrong.

My point was that some posters wanted to blame Edsall for no fall football and I think that is ridiculous as the CT DOH and the governor really made the call and with no conference to provide games and almost all games cancelled, there was no way to move forward with the season.

And, there is something different in Connecticut (or at UConn) when UConn men's basketball has one of the highest % of cancelled games in college basketball and Butler played 2 games after UConn shut down due to exposure to a COVID positive ref.

Well, we've been assured that won't happen going forward so full speed ahead!

We will play the games out now. Somebody has been finally put in their place. So don’t expect any further power trips from someone,who is clueless how to get things done.

 

[Exit 4]

Well, we've been assured that won't happen going forward so full speed ahead!

Haha - well March certainly will be telling!

But even if March practice goes awry, they will have to figure it out in July because its pretty much a lock that the other 129 programs will be going full steam ahead (learning how to keep COVid to a minimum and practice to a maximum) and thus the fall competition will be unforgiving as always.

 

[freescooter]

Actually, New Hampshire and Vermont figured out a way to salvage a fall football season.

My point was that some posters wanted to blame Edsall for no fall football and I think that is ridiculous as the CT DOH and the governor really made the call and with no conference to provide games and almost all games cancelled, there was no way to move forward with the season.

And, there is something different in Connecticut (or at UConn) when UConn men's basketball has one of the highest % of cancelled games in college basketball and Butler played 2 games after UConn shut down due to exposure to a COVID positive ref.

You might make that argument if almost half the cancelations didn’t come from the other team. But we’ve played 11 games. Villanova has 13. DePaul has 9 or 10. Georgetown has 11, Xavier has 13...and a couple have 18-19. It is the way this season is going to go.

 

[huskymedic]

This has probably been answered somewhere else but I haven't seen it. Is Mensah staying for next season?

 

[Nextmanup]

I’m thinking almost all seniors are back for 2021!! Hope I’m right..I know now Mensah is staying as well as Rose, Keating, Fortt and Van Demark .. not sure about Harrell, Morgan, and Harris.. sure would be nice to get an updated roster or some type of news. Hopefully soon.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Husky25]

Who were we going to play, chief? 3 games agaist UMass? Given all the circumstaces, yeah not playing was the right thing

Insiders do not concern themselves with such trivial details as opponents. That is for the casual little brains.

 

[uconnbill]

pull the plug.

Shouldn't talk that was about yourself

 

[Bongo Fury]

Haha - well March certainly will be telling!

But even if March practice goes awry, they will have to figure it out in July because its pretty much a lock that the other 129 programs will be going full steam ahead (learning how to keep COVid to a minimum and practice to a maximum) and thus the fall competition will be unforgiving as always.

CT has one of the lowest positivity rates currently of all states and rates are declining everywhere. Glass is more than half full here.

 

[freescooter]

CT has one of the lowest positivity rates currently of all states and rates are declining everywhere. Glass is more than half full here.

Absolutely correct. And after the first wave we have consistently outperformed most of the country.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Absolutely correct. And after the first wave we have consistently outperformed most of the country.

There's a huge amount of "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did the rest of the play go?" in your comment.

 

[ktuck911]

I’m thinking almost all seniors are back for 2021!! Hope I’m right..I know now Mensah is staying as well as Rose, Keating, Fortt and Van Demark .. not sure about Harrell, Morgan, and Harris.. sure would be nice to get an updated roster or some type of news. Hopefully soon.

Amen bro.. that's all we can get next...Guess we have to wait for that another month (3/1/21 maybe????) when Spring practice starts...

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Palatine]

Absolutely correct. And after the first wave we have consistently outperformed most of the country.

Connecticut is 7th in the nation in deaths per million. 43 states and the District of Columbia have outperformed Connecticut

 

[Bongo Fury]

Connecticut is 7th in the nation in deaths per million. 43 states and the District of Columbia have outperformed Connecticut

Positivity rate

 

[Madmannsucks]

As if the head coaching jobs are lined up at his doorstep. UConn got him on the relative cheap, simply because of the law of supply and demand. Little demand for his services.

And you know this HOW?
If you look at his career, he has never, in 40 years been out of work in college or the pros.

 

[Chief00]

And you know this HOW?
If you look at his career, he has never, in 40 years been out of work in college or the pros.

He got fired at his last head coaching gig after a few years, despite the Under Armour dollars at Maryland. What’s Randy 2.0 record at UConn? Yeah, things are great.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

The 2017 season not withstanding, those having more patience with Edsall do so understanding that transitioning a roster especially upperclassman made up of largely FCS or lesser quality players without the benefit of a parallel transitioning schedule knew it was going to be tough. He was not going to do so utilizing one offs from the portal, that is just his philosophy. He now has a number of recruiting classes and a transitional schedule(yes with wins built in) afforded by the move to independence. If the program doesn't show improvement this season than he will likely be gone. We have had trouble beating FCS teams for years. Many of them not very good. It would be worth a notice to see how we play against them and the competitiveness against others with hopefully some wins to go along with it.

 

[DoctorWho85]

He got fired at his last head coaching gig after a few years, despite the Under Armour dollars at Maryland. What’s Randy 2.0 record at UConn? Yeah, things are great.

Let's be honest here. Randy was brought in to clean up the mess the previous coach left with academics and compliance at Maryland. He's was literally set up to fail. And his last year almost all of his playmakers on offense were injured for the season within the first couple games. Randy is good a picking out diamonds in the rough and developing players. His biggest mistake this time around is the hiring of the Crocker. Crocker's defense works (see his success at Villanova) if he has the players that fit his system or the time to recruit. He did not and it showed painfully. I'll give you this year is make or break for Edsall. I don't think wins and loses will necessarily be the determining factor of keeping him. I think UConn can win 3 or 4 games and look competitive in every game and he will be brought back for another season. If he wins 2 or 3 games and the team looks like they don't even belong on the same field as the other, then he needs to get let go. I fully believe we see a big leap with the defense this year with another year under Spanos. I think we see a lot of improvement at QB this year with finally a consistent OC.

 

[Vuce]

Amen. If he is going to be a tool about it, then take it off completely and make your statement. Otherwise wear it like the guidelines state.,...and like other coaches do.

Be a role model.

I love Hurley...but the mask thing is frustrating.

This is odd. Every game I have watched, the opposing coach has had his mask down a lot. Not sure if you are talking about only UConn games or overall

 

[Chief00]

Let's be honest here. Randy was brought in to clean up the mess the previous coach left with academics and compliance at Maryland. He's was literally set up to fail. And his last year almost all of his playmakers on offense were injured for the season within the first couple games. Randy is good a picking out diamonds in the rough and developing players. His biggest mistake this time around is the hiring of the Crocker. Crocker's defense works (see his success at Villanova) if he has the players that fit his system or the time to recruit. He did not and it showed painfully. I'll give you this year is make or break for Edsall. I don't think wins and loses will necessarily be the determining factor of keeping him. I think UConn can win 3 or 4 games and look competitive in every game and he will be brought back for another season. If he wins 2 or 3 games and the team looks like they don't even belong on the same field as the other, then he needs to get let go. I fully believe we see a big leap with the defense this year with another year under Spanos. I think we see a lot of improvement at QB this year with finally a consistent OC.

Agree, Crocker was a terrible hire by Randy. Lashlee, who Benedict brought in, was a great hire but Randy had an inability to co-exist with him. He even blamed him for scoring too fast and putting the Defense back on the field. Imagine that failure? It was really odd - my guess was he was doubling down defending his poor hire, while blaming it on the guy he was forced to hire.

 

[Hornet22]

So by you, 127 D1 schools messed up and UConn, NM State and I forgot will lead them out of the football irrelevancy wilderness.

Who said 127 D1 schools messed up?????? This was a decision that was made in the best interest of UConn. Read D Benedict’s statements on this. He never mentioned that other schools were making a bad decision- this was all about UConn. I assure you, the team, including their early enrollees are only thinking about upcoming Spring Ball and Fresno. Let it go. UConn kept the majority of the recruits that committed. They obviously weren’t affected by the decision not to play

 

[Chief00]

Who said 127 D1 schools messed up?????? This was a decision that was made in the best interest of UConn. Read D Benedict’s statements on this. He never mentioned that other schools were making a bad decision- this was all about UConn. I assure you, the team, including their early enrollees are only thinking about upcoming Spring Ball and Fresno. Let it go. UConn kept the majority of the recruits that committed. They obviously weren’t affected by the decision not to play

So UConn is unique? Good luck thinking like that. You need to get exposed to other schools. You are too provincial.