UConn Football, one ask….

[UCan3]

Guys it’s hard to explain what big UConn fans my family are. We were season-ticket holder’s and we stayed the whole games no matter what. We get excited for every game and are somewhat satisfied with a loss if there’s a good effort like Wyoming.

Why am I posting this on the thread? My son came up to me yesterday and he said that I’m not going to another game until UConn shows that it is going to get serious again about football It kind of went to the pit of my stomach as we have great memories at the Rent, win or lose,

It is the unnecessary penalties, like the one that cost us dearly against Wyoming last week, the one at the end of the game which set them up to march down the field to win the game. As a fan is getting harder and harder to take. I know these are kids and they’re not professionals and that it is just a game. But there’s a certain Uconn depression setting in with football that may make it hard to buy season tickets again unless I see something change next year in a big way.

A couple of losing season is one thing but the hiring of Edsall and to see what shambles he’s left the program is very disheartening.

I still like the effort from our kids and we have some NFL talent (a couple players) out there but we really need a complete change from top to bottom moving forward. Everything needs to change - a complete start over.

Just venting a little bit with other UConn diehard fans.

 

[giddyup]

Until they drop down or cancel FB, I’ll be there. But, I will also express my abject disgust with the mismanagement of the program at every turn. I figure, I’ve paid money and time for that right.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Everything needs to change - a complete start over.

That's the issue. How patient will you be? We are in year five of a tear down...can you wait another five years?

I think AD Dave knows we can't do another Edsall slow roll. The next coach can't clear house...ignore the portal...and go play golf and hope time fixes the issues.

I think the next coach has to have a vision for how to get the most out of the current roster. This team has some talent...no more of this "not my guy" crap. The coach has to look at the portal as an accelerator of progress...not as some new fangled thing for spoiled kids.

And I think AD Dave knows that to do this....they will have to pay well... including assistants. I am not sure a first time head coach can get this program in a positive place as quick as an experienced successful head coach. May not be the young hot offensive genius...but it has to be someone who has proven they can build a winning competent football team.

Cause...I don't think we can survive another "five year plan" coach.

 

[gtcam]

Looks like you will have an extra ticket for some time.
DB better start earning his money and do something or get out of the way and let's get an AD who has the guts to move and shake
The time is NOW

 

[Milo65]

UConn needs to invest in the program. Get a quality coach, pay for quality assistants. If they go the nickel and dime route again, it will be more of the same.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Looks like you will have an extra ticket for some time.
DB better start earning his money and do something or get out of the way and let's get an AD who has the guts to move and shake
The time is NOW

Please just stop.

 

[billybud]

It really is the Jimmy and Joe's as much as the X's and O's...

Recruiting....

If the Husky coaches can not recruit competitive FBS athletes, it will take real player development and the building of older, more experienced squads to be competitive.

Right now, I see the lack of talent on the team to be as much of an impediment to success as coaching....it has gotten, though, to the point of the chicken or the egg. Talent will not improve on its own. It is recruited or developed....and it will take an energetic coach who can sell the program and attract/find a staff who can recruit and develop kids.

 

[Hoophound]

We actually do have some really good talent. Unfortunately, the obvious talent like QB Tyler P, Cam Ross and Matt Drayton (both excellent WRs) , all of whom are electric are out for the season with injuries. Those 3 alone would make scoring and running much easier. We have many other big injuries as well.

The bright side is we are playing a ton of freshmen, which is being overlooked by many. Our backups are almost all freshmen. So, I don’t perceive this situation as hopeless at all. People have lost sight of the positives as the negatives snowball. We need a good head coach, staff and our players back. I really think we can turn this around very quickly. The UMass game was clearly a game planning regression due to our missing coaches and the apparent absence of Mazzone calling the offense. We had no chance to win that game. It was played just like Edsall would have played it. Hopefully, we can get Mazzone back here and start moving forward again.

 

[UCan3]

In terms of being patient, yes, I do not expect a big turnaround next year. To be clear, here is what I expect:

• Hire a reputable younger coach with a history of winning and motivating player. Look for how the teams coached performed consistently - not a one year wonder! One that can recruit - massively important.
• I expect a team that can beat a Holy Cross or UMass
• While we cannot guarantee some things, playing disciplined football, less game changing penalties. I don’t mind aggressive defensive plays but no more strange needless penalties.
• Look for a coach that has a solid track record of his teams improving as the season goes on. - that is a game day coach that makes good decisions at critical junctures of the game.
• A coach that not only “talks the talk” but “walks the walk.”
• We hired the worst coach in Division 1 with Edsall, The absolute and unequivocally worst coach - did we learn from this?

Yes I will be patient but if I don’t see DB deliver - going to watch from the couch next year.

 

[uconndogs]

What's very disappointing to me is that I believed Edsall was a good interim step to get the program heading back in the right direction before handing it over to the next HC. The thing needed to be fixed, not the least of which was the roster which Diaco f.......ed. Then Edsall hired Crocker and that screwed up defense and then stuck with the guy for another year! That was probably a sign as much as any that Edsall's head and probably heart were not in it.

I'm not sure the UMASS game was indicative of all that much given the COVID outbreak and missing coaches. It was very evident that the team responded much better to Spanos the moment he became the HC. That tells me Edsall lost the locker room and he may never have had it.

UCONN can recruit and play decent football. But, it's going to take the right leadership. I actually agree that DB is on the clock with this one.

 

[ktuck911]

UConn needs to invest in the program. Get a quality coach, pay for quality assistants. If they go the nickel and dime route again, it will be more of the same.

 

[billybud]

Clawson at Wake is an example of a good coaching change....

Clawson built up Bowling Green over four season until, in 2013, they were MAC Champs....

His first season at Wake was 2014. He started slow with a couple of three win years but had a new offense going by 2016.

He has now had Wake in five straight bowl games.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

What's very disappointing to me is that I believed Edsall was a good interim step to get the program heading back in the right direction before handing it over to the next HC. The thing needed to be fixed, not the least of which was the roster which Diaco f.......ed. Then Edsall hired Crocker and that screwed up defense and then stuck with the guy for another year! That was probably a sign as much as any that Edsall's head and probably heart were not in it.

I'm not sure the UMASS game was indicative of all that much given the COVID outbreak and missing coaches. It was very evident that the team responded much better to Spanos the moment he became the HC. That tells me Edsall lost the locker room and he may never have had it.

UCONN can recruit and play decent football. But, it's going to take the right leadership. I actually agree that DB is on the clock with this one.

Edsall could not recruit for anything or any school. Parents never liked him, many in state HS football coaches didn’t like him as well. Maryland boosters practically ran him out of town.

 

[uconndogs]

Edsall could not recruit for anything or any school. Parents never liked him, many in state HS football coaches didn’t like him as well. Maryland boosters practically ran him out of town.

To my eye Edsall took recruiting and talent up quite a bit from the depths Diaco left the roster. There are some very good athletes on the team. I'm sure others can and will do better. My gut says Edsall's heart just wasn't in it. It's a brutal business and you cannot be a little pregnant. If you are not all in you will get your head handed to you.

Where this program is today is a real tragedy. There was no reason for this debacle other than a total and utter lack of sound leadership and vision.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

To my eye Edsall took recruiting and talent up quite a bit from the depths Diaco left the roster. There are some very good athletes on the team. I'm sure others can and will do better. My gut says Edsall's heart just wasn't in it. It's a brutal business and you cannot be a little pregnant. If you are not all in you will get your head handed to you.

Where this program is today is a real tragedy. There was no reason for this debacle other than a total and utter lack of sound leadership and vision.

He’s not a bad person, I met him a couple of times. He just didn’t have the moxie or personality to make the moms & dads or HS coaches of recruits like him. He did have a great eye for talent, among the best, but selling his program and UConn was not his strong point. Of all the 3 and 4 stars to have come out CT over the years I think he managed to get maybe one or two to come to UConn. He started building UConn football in the late 90’s and took the program to some great heights then flushed it down toilet by bolting for Maryland. As for now, he will surface somewhere but after the disaster at Maryland and RE 2.0, I think he needs to take a break from coaching and then try again in a couple of years.

 

[UCan3]

He’s not a bad person, I met him a couple of times. He just didn’t have the moxie or personality to make the moms & dads or HS coaches of recruits like him. He did have a great eye for talent, among the best, but selling his program and UConn was not his strong point. Of all the 3 and 4 stars to have come out CT over the years I think he managed to get maybe one or two to come to UConn. He started building UConn football in the late 90’s and took the program to some great heights then flushed it down toilet by bolting for Maryland. As for now, he will surface somewhere but after the disaster at Maryland and RE 2.0, I think he needs to take a break from coaching and then try again in a couple of years.

I respectfully do not agree. While I agree he has an eye for talent - we have a couple of good players no doubt - look at the way both UMass and Holy Cross not only beat us but appeared to have better athletes.

I also think there is truth in they saying “you are as good as record says you are.” Forget all the silver linings - Edsall told us “be patient” and not to hold him accountable as he was “cleaning up the mess.” Well the UConn fan base mostly did and gave him all he could ask for and more.

And what did he do? Completely fouled up the QB selection and had such bad team chemistry that they could not get a high five going during his last game as HC.

I am not saying Edsall is some horrible person. He just didn’t care enough and fed the fans lines of bull, just ride to ride it out. He collects all the $ to boot.

He should not coach again as a head coach but perhaps as a coordinator somewhere.

 

[John Greene]

He’s not a bad person, I met him a couple of times. He just didn’t have the moxie or personality to make the moms & dads or HS coaches of recruits like him. He did have a great eye for talent, among the best, but selling his program and UConn was not his strong point. Of all the 3 and 4 stars to have come out CT over the years I think he managed to get maybe one or two to come to UConn. He started building UConn football in the late 90’s and took the program to some great heights then flushed it down toilet by bolting for Maryland. As for now, he will surface somewhere but after the disaster at Maryland and RE 2.0, I think he needs to take a break from coaching and then try again in a couple of years.

At his age and with his resume I doubt Randy gets another chance. He blew it with his 'dream job' failure followed by the RE2 disaster at UConn. He had something of a legacy within his grasp but screwed it up running off to MD.

 

[Bongo Fury]

He might not care. He’s probably relaxing in Jacksonville

 

[UCFBfan]

Look, UConn can turn this program around quicker than a usual rebuild could take, it's called the transfer portal and if I'm DB, I'm looking for the coach that best knows how to use it. Edsall failed at using it, as in he never used it. Look across the FBS landscape, teams are winning with other school's backups. This article shows exactly how important and vital the portal can be to a program. I know the schools mentioned are big P5 programs, but the idea is still the same....find the players who have the skill but never saw the field, and sell them on playing at UConn.

Welcome to college football's new era: Embrace the madness

College football's transfer portal contributed to one of the sport's most chaotic Saturdays. Get ready for more of it.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[John Greene]

Look, UConn can turn this program around quicker than a usual rebuild could take, it's called the transfer portal and if I'm DB, I'm looking for the coach that best knows how to use it. Edsall failed at using it, as in he never used it. Look across the FBS landscape, teams are winning with other school's backups. This article shows exactly how important and vital the portal can be to a program. I know the schools mentioned are big P5 programs, but the idea is still the same....find the players who have the skill but never saw the field, and sell them on playing at UConn.

Welcome to college football's new era: Embrace the madness

College football's transfer portal contributed to one of the sport's most chaotic Saturdays. Get ready for more of it.

sports.yahoo.com

Even the Dr Pepper ads know how to use 'the portal'.

 

[SubbaBub]

To my eye Edsall took recruiting and talent up quite a bit from the depths Diaco left the roster. There are some very good athletes on the team. I'm sure others can and will do better. My gut says Edsall's heart just wasn't in it. It's a brutal business and you cannot be a little pregnant. If you are not all in you will get your head handed to you.

Where this program is today is a real tragedy. There was no reason for this debacle other than a total and utter lack of sound leadership and vision.

Except QB. Tyler Phommachanh is clearly the best QB on the roster by a mile. He should have been playing immediately in spite of true freshman, yada, yada, yada. No one else can hit a wide open receiver. If Tyler Phommachanh is playing before Ross got hurt, we already have a W. And even if we didn't we'd be a lot closer.

All the smoke out of camp was just that, smoke. The irony here is that the OL is actually doing a decent job at protecting. That should mean we can pass the ball somewhat effectively.

Same goes for RB. Mensah is a shell of his younger self and Carter is clearly better at this point. The was also likely very clear during camp.

Another ray of sunshine, for the last two seasons our leader tacklers were safeties, meaning runners were getting into the secondary. This year our leading tackler is at LB. Baby steps even if they aren't winning.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I respectfully do not agree. While I agree he has an eye for talent - we have a couple of good players no doubt - look at the way both UMass and Holy Cross not only beat us but appeared to have better athletes.

I also think there is truth in they saying “you are as good as record says you are.” Forget all the silver linings - Edsall told us “be patient” and not to hold him accountable as he was “cleaning up the mess.” Well the UConn fan base mostly did and gave him all he could ask for and more.

And what did he do? Completely fouled up the QB selection and had such bad team chemistry that they could not get a high five going during his last game as HC.

I am not saying Edsall is some horrible person. He just didn’t care enough and fed the fans lines of bull, just ride to ride it out. He collects all the $ to boot.

He should not coach again as a head coach but perhaps as a coordinator somewhere.

I never said he would be a head coach again and quite frankly I think he might even go back to the NFL in some capacity. He is 60 something with not the greatest resume so the college ranks might not be best for him. If it makes you feel any better I agree with almost everything you said, but I have to say his big weakness as a coach is in recruiting and selling his program to recruits and their families, followed by player motivation. He definitely was not a charmer so to speak, and a successful college coach needs to have that skill. As I already said his best skill in coaching was his eye for talent, but not just for players, he was also excellent at choosing his coaches who coached under him, with one possible exception. Lol

 

[Guru13]

Except QB. Tyler Phommachanh is clearly the best QB on the roster by a mile. He should have been playing immediately in spite of true freshman, yada, yada, yada. No one else can hit a wide open receiver. If Tyler Phommachanh is playing before Ross got hurt, we already have a W. And even if we didn't we'd be a lot closer.

All the smoke out of camp was just that, smoke. The irony here is that the OL is actually doing a decent job at protecting. That should mean we can pass the ball somewhat effectively.

Same goes for RB. Mensah is a shell of his younger self and Carter is clearly better at this point. The was also likely very clear during camp.

Another ray of sunshine, for the last two seasons our leader tacklers were safeties, meaning runners were getting into the secondary. This year our leading tackler is at LB. Baby steps even if they aren't winning.

I rewatched the game and i gotta say Steven Krajewski is not a dual threat QB.... There were a couple of read options plays that Steven Krajewski should've kept the ball and ran with it but instead he gave it to the rb to get stuffed behind the line. Tyler Phommachanh could do a better job at reading the linebacker/D-ends and knowing when to run with the ball on read options

 

[Milo65]

We actually do have some really good talent. Unfortunately, the obvious talent like QB Tyler P, Cam Ross and Matt Drayton (both excellent WRs) , all of whom are electric are out for the season with injuries. Those 3 alone would make scoring and running much easier. We have many other big injuries as well.

The bright side is we are playing a ton of freshmen, which is being overlooked by many. Our backups are almost all freshmen. So, I don’t perceive this situation as hopeless at all. People have lost sight of the positives as the negatives snowball. We need a good head coach, staff and our players back. I really think we can turn this around very quickly. The UMass game was clearly a game planning regression due to our missing coaches and the apparent absence of Mazzone calling the offense. We had no chance to win that game. It was played just like Edsall would have played it. Hopefully, we can get Mazzone back here and start moving forward again.

I feel like we’ve been playing a lot of freshmen for 8 years.

 

[Hoophound]

I feel like we’ve been playing a lot of freshmen for 8 years.

We have. Edsall only played his guys. The last few years, he recruited pretty well it seems. The new staff has been liking the young players.