UConn Football is Dead | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn Football is Dead

Status
Not open for further replies.
Unless Diaco did something to make his contract void they couldn't fire him if they lost 70-0 every week.

There isn't $10 million more laying around for the next guy.
 
Have to find a way to get players. Fast, athletic players that are capable of playing in an aggressive scheme. When you watch the team, it's clear that there just isn't much there. So the question is, is Diaco capable of finding the kids that are maybe a notch below what the top programs can get and can be developed? He needs a couple of years to show that he can or can't. However, this conservative style does nothing. It's a feeble effort to keep games close in the hopes of stealing a win here or there. It doesn't appeal to fans and more importantly, recruits. Based on that alone I suspect he is headed towards being replaced in a couple of years.
 
whaler11 said:
Unless Diaco did something to make his contract void they couldn't fire him if they lost 70-0 every week. There isn't $10 million more laying around for the next guy.
Expand ...


I'm aware. However, I think we need to give him 3 years per the contract. If he doesn't turn it around some next year, can we afford to go to year 3 when TJ or Whipple would take the job for 500-600k? Not sure it is worth it.

I know Bob is bringing in some athletes, I'm just very concerned that his head coaching strategy is way off.
 
traitor71 said:
Have to find a way to get players. Fast, athletic players that are capable of playing in an aggressive scheme. When you watch the team, it's clear that there just isn't much there. So the question is, is Diaco capable of finding the kids that are maybe a notch below what the top programs can get and can be developed? He needs a couple of years to show that he can or can't. However, this conservative style does nothing. It's a feeble effort to keep games close in the hopes of stealing a win here or there. It doesn't appeal to fans and more importantly, recruits. Based on that alone I suspect he is headed towards being replaced in a couple of years.
Expand ...




That's just it. Whipple is scoring points left and right in Amherst with no talent. Why do we need to wait for Bob to bring in players when he is NEVER going to bring in the players he needs to for his game plan to work. He needs to switch strategies and get a dynamic OC and a running QB or we (and he) are toast.
 
This team isn't winning another game this season period. Welcome to the absolute bottom, it boils my blood to think of the laughter in Piscataway, Syracuse and Louisville. WTF did we do to deserve this football reality? Wake me up when this nightmare is over.
 
Hoophound said:
That's just it. Whipple is scoring points left and right in Amherst with no talent. Why do we need to wait for Bob to bring in players when he is NEVER going to bring in the players he needs to for his game plan to work. He needs to switch strategies and get a dynamic OC and a running QB or we (and he) are toast.
Expand ...


UMASS's QB is a pro prospect. Thank God we don't play UMASS this year. Hathaway was so close to making a good hire with Whipple. Oh Well.
 
Last edited:
.-.
Hoophound said:
That's just it. Whipple is scoring points left and right in Amherst with no talent. Why do we need to wait for Bob to bring in players when he is NEVER going to bring in the players he needs to for his game plan to work. He needs to switch strategies and get a dynamic OC and a running QB or we (and he) are toast.
Expand ...

A running QB - I don't care how we win - but wait until you see the comments about not throwing the ball once that happens!!

How many times was Edsalls offense criticized for not passing even when we were winning. Fun times on the board to come for sure!!

:-)
 
Bonehead said:
A running QB - I don't care how we win - but wait until you see the comments about not throwing the ball once that happens!! How many times was Edsalls offense criticized for not passing even when we were winning. Fun times on the board to come for sure!! :-)
Expand ...



We need a running QB. He needs to be able to throw but he can't be a non threat on the ground. A QB that can take off makes up for shortcomings on the OL. Look at the wins Lorenzen produced with no talent as a passer. He just got first downs and got out of trouble. It was ugl and sometimes boring, but it was better than this.

We've let our running QBs slip away again and again without a real shot at playing meaningful minutes. Nebrich, Taylor and McCummings all gone.
 
ktuck911 said:
Hey guys, me thinks this might have been HCBD's expectations of this team all along. He's clearly in full rebuild mold with this team. Only problem I have is he could've at least cut the political talk out to us fans and kept it 100 with us. Just say up front to be prepared for a looong season.

Being die hard bleed blue Husky myself, every time I watch them this season, I keep having a glimmer of hope that they finally 'get it' and turn all that they're learning from this new staff into a finished product on the football field. Only problem with that mindset is that once they get on the field of play you get the same results. There are definitely pieces there for us to build on, but when the opposing team's defense is able pin their ears back put 7 to 8 men in the box and wreak havoc on the QB like that, STARTING FROM OUR 2ND OFFENSIVE SERIES OF THE GAME, Ray Charles (from his grave) & Stevie Wonder can see there's no real chance this team is going to win...painfully obvious we'll finish 0-fer the rest of the way...

Gotta sit and grin and bare it guys.... Hopefully coach can get this thing pointed in the right direction by year 3. If not we fell for the old car salesman lingo....
Expand ...
No coach in their right mind would ever say this to a fan base. Not sure how anyone would ever expect and/or appreciate a coach saying such a thing.
 
I keep telling myself that this is a rebuilding year, but then I look at frantic Bob pacing on the sideline and I am afraid that this spaz doesn't have a handle on what the team is doing.

We need a real offensive line.

We need a modern offense.

We need a QB.

Honestly that's asking for a lot right now.

Rebuilding year or not, this offense is inexcusable. There is no pass for this production.
 
.-.
concerned143 said:
We can all thank Larry McHugh
Expand ...
To think he represented the interests of high school coaches in CT, it's so ironic.

We'll be fine. We're not going to be Oregon yet. Someone will step up for the beautiful state of Connecticut.
 
Did a little research. UMass' QB is a Marshall transfer tracked down and personally interviewed by Whipple prior to committing to come to UMass. He came in knowing there was competition but he and Whipple both saw something in each other. I think him becoming a pro prospect already this year is another major feather in Whipple's cap.

Umass is competing against everyone. We escaped with a win over Stony Brook due to a Foxx run back. Best play Fiaco called all year.
 
The football program may be on life support, but the men's and women's bball teams are alive and well and strong enough to carry us through these disappointing and dark times.

It will happen, they will get better, they will start to see it and then we will. We'll be fine. I stopped watching because it's too painful. I'll check in once and a while to get an update, then I move on to more productive things, but I still believe.
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
It's absolutely astonishing how little talent P had on this roster.
Expand ...
Ironically, that was the thing for which he got the most credit. Say, for arguments sake that HCBD can recruit better kids. It is long time until they will have an impact on the field. Nope. Bob has got to figure out a way to win with what we have. Step one is a new OC.
 
Last edited:
What I'm looking for are nuggets to determine if the coaching staff has what it takes. Granted it's hard to do when outcomes are bad and I'm emotionally invested in the team.

What I saw as a positive is that the coaching staff made adjustments on the defensive end. Their game plan on that first drive was obviously flawed and they took corrective measures. That's something I did not see under PP. And for the most part those corrective measure were very successful.

In almost every game or for most of every game the defense has been fairly successful at stopping the opposing teams offensive strengths and that tells me the coaches are preparing the defensive players well.

The offense of course is the issue. In this game I felt there were positives. There were four drives in which the offense looked palpable. In fact in two drives the OL actually looked decent. They had some decent runs for significant gains and they were better at protecting the QBs. There were a lot fewer sacks. And in the second half there were far fewer run plays resulting in negative yardage compared to the first half. Unfortunately the Newsome fumbles were momentum killers.

The defense has better overall personnel allowing the coaches to be more flexible in making adjustments. That's not the case on offense. So my standards for what the offense can do has to be different than how I evaluate the defense. With that in mind I felt the adjustment to scale back the offensive play calling was a wise choice, albeit the sample size and the quality of opponent are two qualifiers that I have to account for and would continue to monitor. To be fair I also have to take into account that a reduction in types of play calling will make it easier for opposing defenses to scout and prepare. But this is the predicament this coaching staff faces with the personnel they have. They don't have the personnel to open up the offense without creating turnover after turnover. If they reduce the play calling the offense potentially grinds down.

In this game the worst of both worlds happened. The offense ground down and there were turnovers. With the Boyle turnover the coaching staff has to have some accountability. But so does Boyle. I can't see how the two fumbles by Newsome were on the coaches. They handled him as well as can be expected.

The only criticism I can categorically put solely on the coaches was what happened on that drive in the 4th quarter in which two timeouts had to be burned. That was a momentum killer that can only be attributed to OC Cummings.

I'm not willing to throw in the towel at this point. The season is obviously very frustrating and the games are painful to watch, but there isn't enough data for me to know if Diaco has the ability to be a decent head coach or not.
 
.-.
I only read the OP so pardon if this has been mentioned but, CTMike is a good poster. But I think this is a little over the top.

My guess is that he woke up this morning and wanted a mulligan on this thread. I'd be inclined to grant him one.
 
Hoophound said:
Did a little research. UMass' QB is a Marshall transfer tracked down and personally interviewed by Whipple prior to committing to come to UMass. He came in knowing there was competition but he and Whipple both saw something in each other. I think him becoming a pro prospect already this year is another major feather in Whipple's cap.
Expand ...


Hopefully Diaco has scored a similar coup with the NC State transfer (whose name I will never learn how to spell). We just have to wait another year unfortunately.
 
Good post fleudslip.

Only nit to pick is that judging the timeout handling assumes the HC would approach the situation the same way in a competitive game with a lot on the line. That might be the situation 2 years from now (Diaco will still be a young HC) but I think the approach with this young team is to teach them whenever situations arise. That is a higher priority right now than situational coaching. We just wish it wasn't.
 
junglehusky said:
Good post fleudslip.

Only nit to pick is that judging the timeout handling assumes the HC would approach the situation the same way in a competitive game with a lot on the line. That might be the situation 2 years from now (Diaco will still be a young HC) but I think the approach with this young team is to teach them whenever situations arise. That is a higher priority right now than situational coaching. We just wish it wasn't.
Expand ...
Absolutely a valid point and a mitigating factor to my statement if true. We won't know unless the press asks, but no matter how it is explained I wan't intending to put too much emphasis on just two sequences. Which you obviously accounted for in your preamble.
 
A huge concern for me going forward is recruiting. With HCRE you knew not to judge the players he had coming in by their stars or offers due to his track record.

HCBD though is putting together a full recruiting class of kids that have FCS, MAC, and C-USA offers.

Nobody wants to say it to hamper the enthusiasm on new recruits, but if it's bad now... what does Year 3 bring with a roster of guys that should be at URI, Lehigh and Middle Tennessee state.
 
Hoophound said:
Did a little research. UMass' QB is a Marshall transfer tracked down and personally interviewed by Whipple prior to committing to come to UMass. He came in knowing there was competition but he and Whipple both saw something in each other. I think him becoming a pro prospect already this year is another major feather in Whipple's cap.

Umass is competing against everyone. We escaped with a win over Stony Brook due to a Foxx run back. Best play Fiaco called all year.
Expand ...

I will say this, the board as a whole was very much against Whipple as head coach. I remember posting non stop about how I thought he could be a good hire. He took UMASS to the a 1-AA national championship, had a wealth of experience working with qb's (including Ben Roethlesberger in Pitt). He had to recruit to a Division 1-AA team, he has to have an eye for talent and moldable players. That is imperative at this job.
 
.-.
traitor71 said:
Have to find a way to get players. Fast, athletic players that are capable of playing in an aggressive scheme. When you watch the team, it's clear that there just isn't much there. So the question is, is Diaco capable of finding the kids that are maybe a notch below what the top programs can get and can be developed? He needs a couple of years to show that he can or can't. However, this conservative style does nothing. It's a feeble effort to keep games close in the hopes of stealing a win here or there. It doesn't appeal to fans and more importantly, recruits. Based on that alone I suspect he is headed towards being replaced in a couple of years.
Expand ...
Yeah. The thing is, even teams like Umass and Buffalo are getting kids that are more talented than what we have now. So, the players are out there. I'm putting all my hope in the belief that PP and GDL were such downers that they just could not attract the recruits needed to run a competent program, and I'm hoping that Diacco's youth, energy, and positivity will change that. I do believe that. You see too many other non P5 teams that have it together. Even in the AAC. So, yeah, we are bottoming out this season. You don't turn the Queen Mary on a dime.
 
You don't fire someone because your not pleased with how things are going. I don't think he is happy about this and the cupboards were bare when it came to the offensive line. The strength coach brought in will help more and more. We gave FHCPP more time before people mentioning he should be canned.
 
uconnbill said:
You don't fire someone because your not pleased with how things are going. I don't think he is happy about this and the cupboards were bare when it came to the offensive line. The strength coach brought in will help more and more. We gave FHCPP more time before people mentioning he should be canned.
Expand ...

That is the only thing that gives me hope for the O Line, another year in the weight room. Some of the guys are pretty light, and the young guys don't look overly strong. The hope is guys like Oak, Crozier, Hopkins, and Gifford put on some weight and strength.
 
BNich said:
No coach in their right mind would ever say this to a fan base. Not sure how anyone would ever expect and/or appreciate a coach saying such a thing.
Expand ...

I get that but am I the only one that feels like what coach is saying gives us hope for this season that we never really had?
 
You'd be surprised how much a serviceable offensive line can do.
 
.-.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,372
Messages
4,568,864
Members
10,474
Latest member
MyStore24


Top Bottom