UConn Football: The Bridge Year

[J187Money]

We are on the same page JMoney. I'm going to continue buying tickets, that's a given now. If I was going to stop, it would have been this year. I'll hold on to them like baseball cards I suppose, and hope they're valueable again someday. I'm in a tough spot with my family too. It's easy to justify going to games when they are good, and missing other stuff, but I've really had to work this season. Army and Navy are givens, as is opening day, but I will have a tough sell later in the season if things proceed like they did last year. My wife isn't going to put up with me going to games with my buddies and ending up turning it into what it turned into most of the time last year. The Cincinnati game was the last straw. Showing up at home, when I did, in the condition I did, after a 41-0 loss? I'll need better excuses to go out with my old buddies and do that again in the future. I didn't even know the final score until the next day. I think it was 33-0 when we left.

I will only miss UCONN football for other football (or other really special events). This year in order of importance.

1a) Vegas for iHeartRadio music festival (kills the Mizzou trip)

1b) My son's HS games. He should be varsity this year.

2) Packers games (for the 2 or 3 I will go to)

3) UConn games.

4) Anything else.

 

[freescooter]

Close.

But choosing not to punch when the guy leaves himself open or is dancing around the ring with his back to you is never a winning strategy. At least try.

And that, at the end of the day is my issue. I actually think we agree more than we disagree J. I just think we need to see the evidence of progress more quickly than you do.

 

[J187Money]

And that, at the end of the day is my issue. I actually think we agree more than we disagree J. I just think we need to see the evidence of progress more quickly than you do.

I think the only thing we really disagree on (this time) is what the Villanova game means. Until I see it on the field, I believe based on recent evidence that Villanova is a better football team than we are. Army is a different story. I think this is a 2 game story, not a 1 game story. 2-0, great. 1-1, ok. 0-2, yes we have a serious problem.

 

[Husky25]

Look Franklin went into the worst college football situation in the country, lined up and won 6 games in year 1, something nobody had done there since 1980s. If he had so much talent how come they won 2 to he year before and UConn ran them out of the building I might add. Before Franklin they had a worse history than Rutgers before Schiano. That was the point. This guy coming in and wins in year 1 in a place where there had been 1 winning season in 30 years I the SEC and you say he had a weak schedule. I thought UConn was set up to make a run in 2014 because we had a weak schedule. Maybe we win 6. Maybe we get lucky and get 7. It can be done. But not if you treat the first 4 games as pre-season, basically run up the white flag against USF and don't bother game planning for the rest.

Worse than Louisiana-Lafeyette? North Texas? Worse than UConn 2014? Vanderbilt was the worst college football situation in the SEC, but country-wide at that time or versus UConn 2014 is highly, highly, debatable.

Regarding UConn winning vs. Vandy in 2010: I assume you remember that UConn went to the Fiesta Bowl that year. UConn then lost Frasier, Todman, Shoemate, Frey, Sherman, Olivier, Hurd, Polito, 'Bama, Lloyd, and Lutrus before the 2011 season (Oh, and their coach). Of course, that doesn't fit your spin.

I never said Vandy had a weak schedule in 2011. I did however point out that they did not have a win vs. an opponent with a winning record and the combined W% of those teams was barely over .360. Whatever. Good for him. His team won the games and he parlayed it into a Big Ten coaching gig. Still doesn't mean he had a quality win in 2011.

Finally, I thought 7-5 was in play in 2014. I drank every last drop of the Diaco Kool-Aid in December 2013. I also took him at his word when giving his assessment of the team during the Spring, Summer and throughout the fall. It became quite obvious what he was doing and as such, I adjusted my expectations. I do wish he stopped saying it as time went on, but pretty much everything he said was true. Diaco gets the benefit of the doubt from me until it's time where he doesn't deserve it. That time is nowhere near upon us.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

And that, at the end of the day is my issue. I actually think we agree more than we disagree J. I just think we need to see the evidence of progress more quickly than you do.

Who would you and J trust to that? On O and Specials? Who?

 

[freescooter]

H25
You miss the point. Vandy had 1 winning season in 30 years. Let me say that again. They had one winning season in 30 years. And this guy comes in and turns it around. They were a joke. We on the other hand lost to Army and SMU. And the coach quit at South Florida. And called the first 4 games the pre-season. So we need to se major improvement this year. He threw last year away against a weak schedule. Squandered lots of goodwill as the "crowd" at the SMU debacle showed and as the season ticket sales are showing now. Here's the thing. You can do what Diaco did and some other coaches have done but you best be successful going forward or you wreck the program for years to come.

 

[kemba]

I thought UConn was set up to make a run in 2014 because we had a weak schedule. Maybe we win 6. Maybe we get lucky and get 7.

I thought the same, optimistically.

Should be obvious now though that we were wrong. Regardless of preseason games, etc., a quick turnaround like that was never on the table.

 

[J187Money]

If CC hadn't been hurt we might have been ok. I think most of us thought that 6/7 wins were possible BECAUSE we thought we had a QB. Turns out we didn't. And also turns out we didn't have Cardale Jones on the bench.

 

[Jimdish255]

Diaco did what he hinted he was going to do; I have a fighter that is fat, weak, unconditioned and mentally undisciplined. He has to go 12 rounds. He wont be able to throw many punches because missing is going to wear him out. He will be covering up for most of the fight. We just got to get through this fight. We are going to be better prepared for the next one.
We are sorry, we felt we had to do this, here is a couple of hockey tickets and btw we are truly interested in your input on how to improve the game day experience.
No one is going to pay to see a fight where one of the combatants just covers up. He bought himself a year to get his guy in shape and learn some skills. Diaco can't coach like he did last year. Nobody will show up after the Army game.

Not even close to analogous. BB can be impacted by 1 to 2 outstanding players surrounded by 5 to 6 adequate role players. In BB, the head coach has a much more dramatic impact as the interaction with all the players is constant. The coaching is constant. The imposing of the coaches will is constant and immediate.

FB, you need at least 15 to 20 adequate role and 2 to 3 outstanding players at the skill positions on both sides of the ball. Finding the 2 to 3 and not surrounding them with adequate during a season, they look ordinary. The head coach in FB has less of an impact as well since the day to day interactions and coaching of the players is up to the position coaches. While BD may interact with every player (and I am sure he does), his ability to impose his will is far less than any BB head coach.

Baby steps should be the expectation after the last few years. BD has done about as good a job as he can in setting the expectation bar fairly low. I hope he exceeds it.

These two posts pretty much cover where we are at right now, but if you look at the impact of certain coaches and their ability to elevate an offense ie: Spurrier or a mid-level team into one that consistently goes Bowling you can see the risk we took hiring a guy that a) was not a head coach and b) was a defensive coordinator. I think it's clear at this point that Coach D, with all the positive changes he's trying to implement needs an OC he can lean heavily on from scheme to preparation to game management. The fitness and culture are foundational prerequisites to the team being mentally and physically ready to compete. But the right coaches utilizing their talent with the proper gameplan and gameday decisions, determine whether we're just competing versus winning games.

It would be nice to hear some introspective responses during AAC media weeks from Coach D on the evolution of his own approach to coaching and preparation as opposed to just an x's and o's evaluation of our players.

 

[Husky25]

You can't make a discernible point when your analogies don't work. I seems like you entered "first year coach winning record" into the search bar and fill in selective details after the fact. You are a broken record and only interested in picking at the low hanging fruit fed to you by Wikipedia. At this point you are the very definition of insanity.

I'm done with the Vanderbilt comparison because it is not one. The only similarity is a rookie head coach. Vanderbilt did not lose their starting quarterback for the season. 80% of their line did not turn over (In fact they came back 100% intact in 2011 with experience...and Zac Stacy). They did not end the season with 60 scholarship players, and they did not lose a 1st round draft pick or high impact receiver halfway through the season.

I understand you can only Judge Diaco on what he has already done (for the umpteenth time, Diaco never said preseason. You are spinning Jeff Jacobs' interpretation.), but after seeing what he had to work with and the condition of the conference on the field in 2014 (not on paper), did you really not adjust your expectations? Also, in hindsight I don't think it reasonable to maintain that UConn's 2014 schedule was all that weak either. BYU and Boise State added to Cincinnati, Central Florida, and ECU. All the while, Memphis was obviously drastically improved.

Instead of the doom and gloom comparisons, how about comparing apples to apples. Temple was 2-10 in 2013 with a new coach. They were 6-6 in year 2 (No bowl bid). Better yet, Matt Rhule is a first time head coach.

Looking forward, I agree. Given how Diaco managed the team last year, they must show major signs of improvement if UConn hopes to be taken seriously. This may not happen anyway. Even after the Fiesta Bowl bid, UConn fans still "don't travel well" and the National BB Championship 4 months later cements UConn as a basketball school. Be that as it may, it makes no sense to ignore reports coming out of spring camp or player tweets this summer about their conditioning and development only to assume improvement won't without evidence of it.

 

[uconnphil2016]

OT but a few members of the football team were volunteering at the camp where I work today in Hartford and I have to say I was so impressed with how well they engaged with the kids. We've truly got a group of great kids on our hands and that's something worth rooting for. Whether were 2-10 or 10-2 this season, we ought to be proud

 

[hardcorehusky]

Where Diaco got himself on the hotseat with the fanbase(not anyone at the University) is as follows:
(1) off the wall comments - first 4 games are pre-season, etc
(2) Not trying to win at USF, losing to an Army team that lost to Yale and losing to SMU at home
(3) a perceived lack of improvement offensively as the year progressed.

When Randy first came in - he cleaned house and brought in his own guys - but you could see the improvements- and a lot of it had to do with Orlovsky figuring things out the second half of his sophomore year. But Randy did not say anything that off the wall and even if he did not say much, a fan could relate to what he was doing.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Randy didn't follow PP who should have been brought up on negligent charges.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Where Diaco got himself on the hotseat with the fanbase(not anyone at the University) is as follows:
(1) off the wall comments - first 4 games are pre-season, etc
(2) Not trying to win at USF, losing to an Army team that lost to Yale and losing to SMU at home
(3) a perceived lack of improvement offensively as the year progressed.

When Randy first came in - he cleaned house and brought in his own guys - but you could see the improvements- and a lot of it had to do with Orlovsky figuring things out the second half of his sophomore year. But Randy did not say anything that off the wall and even if he did not say much, a fan could relate to what he was doing.

Totally agree. I'm rooting for HCBD to succeed but his comments are dangerous in that they make us a laughingstock rather than simply a bad program. Once your program becomes the brunt of comedic routines you're kinda screwed. If we're going to suck, let's at least do so quietly.

 

[Nostical]

As I've said before, Diaco, while currently labeled as zany, will be deemed to be inspirational and witty when he wins. In the meantime a friend in St Louis says the word out there is that MO better not sleep on the Huskies as UConn is "expected to be much improved and will sneak up on some folks". Mizzou opens vs Southeast Missouri State and then Arkansas State, both of which they are expected to dominate. UConn is up next and the thought (I wouldn't say fear) is that the Tigers will be coasting and we could surprise. They obviously got some positive feedback on us from spring practice since I was told they track every opponent and their spring game). I liked hearing that.

 

[freescooter]

Totally agree. I'm rooting for HCBD to succeed but his comments are dangerous in that they make us a laughingstock rather than simply a bad program. Once your program becomes the brunt of comedic routines you're kinda screwed. If we're going to suck, let's at least do so quietly.

People still joke about Rutgers and they have been mediocre for 10 years now. So you are right. And that's another big concern with Diaco. If Schiano had just kept quiet they'd be just a mediocre team.

OT but a few members of the football team were volunteering at the camp where I work today in Hartford and I have to say I was so impressed with how well they engaged with the kids. We've truly got a group of great kids on our hands and that's something worth rooting for. Whether were 2-10 or 10-2 this season, we ought to be proud

It's nice that we have good kids but good kids doesn't get you anywhere. I've changed my views on this after watching the non-punishment of basketball players at UConn and football players se where. We need good football player. They can be the guys on the Group W bench for all it matters as long as we win. Boise St isn't the darling of the G6 because they have good students and nice kids. In fact they take guys who can't even get into Utah and Arizona State. They are the media darling because the beat big name teams. That needs to be our goal too.

 

[History Geek]

People still joke about Rutgers and they have been mediocre for 10 years now. So you are right. And that's another big concern with Diaco. If Schiano had just kept quiet they'd be just a mediocre team.

It's nice that we have good kids but good kids doesn't get you anywhere. I've changed my views on this after watching the non-punishment of basketball players at UConn and football players se where. We need good football player. They can be the guys on the Group W bench for all it matters as long as we win. Boise St isn't the darling of the G6 because they have good students and nice kids. In fact they take guys who can't even get into Utah and Arizona State. They are the media darling because the beat big name teams. That needs to be our goal too.

I disagree 100%. If given the (false) choice between a bad team with good guys or a good team with bad guys, i would sign up for the former all of the time. Having winning athletic teams should not be a university's first priority. Develop

 

[freescooter]

Yeah, sure. I used to think that way, too. Then the laptop incident happened and I watched our fans get delirious when Williams came back just in time for the Big East season to start. Now I get that winning IS the most important thing and we just need to stop pretending we are better than anyone else on that score. Took me a while to come around but if we're going to play at this level we need players not choirboys.

 

[J187Money]

Yeah, sure. I used to think that way, too. Then the laptop incident happened and I watched our fans get delirious when Williams came back just in time for the Big East season to start. Now I get that winning IS the most important thing and we just need to stop pretending we are better than anyone else on that score. Took me a while to come around but if we're going to play at this level we need players not choirboys.

Sure - but we also don't need rapists and guys that will get kicked out of school and cause a ton of distractions either.

I still don't understand how some of our hoops players didn't get kicked out of school or at least off the team. I presume that the school makes the right decisions with this stuff. Once the players are actually on the field I will cheer for them no matter who they are.

 

[freescooter]

I think that's pretty much my view too. If they are good guys it's a bonus but most important is that they are good football players basketball players or whatever.

 

[CL82]

Randy didn't follow PP who should have been brought up on negligent charges.

Homicide. He pretty much killed this program. He's a serial killer, too - Syracuse.

 

[CL82]

Yeah, sure. I used to think that way, too. Then the laptop incident happened and I watched our fans get delirious when Williams came back just in time for the Big East season to start. Now I get that winning IS the most important thing and we just need to stop pretending we are better than anyone else on that score. Took me a while to come around but if we're going to play at this level we need players not choirboys.

So suspensions for half a season and for a season are "non-punishments?" You're an idiot Free.

 

[freescooter]

So suspensions for half a season and for a season are "non-punishments?" You're an idiot Free.

Look at the games he missed. Look at the ones he came back for and you tell me. As for Price, he was not medically eligible to play the entire time he was suspended. His "punishment" was the equivalent of taking away your 15 year old's drivers license until he turns 16. he was suspended for the entire time he couldn't play for medical purposes. Go back and check it out. Not too much different from what Florida State or Auburn would do in my mind. That's ghe way it's done at this level so let's stop pretending we care whether our players are "great kids."

 

[CL82]

Look at the games he missed. Look at the ones he came back for and you tell me. As for Price, he was not medically eligible to play the entire time he was suspended. His "punishment" was the equivalent of taking away your 15 year old's drivers license until he turns 16. he was suspended for the entire time he couldn't play for medical purposes. Go back and check it out. Not too much different from what Florida State or Auburn would do in my mind. That's ghe way it's done at this level so let's stop pretending we care whether our players are "great kids."

They got the same punishments that "non student athlete" would have gotten. You're wrong on this.

 

[Stainmaster]

@freescooter, you're advocating for a setup that will never be put in place. Continuing to argue for it is just a waste of your time. Maybe if you start writing letters to Warde, you can convince him to get rid of this dumb goody-goody coach and hire someone who doesn't care about ridiculous things like "attitude" or "character" that bear no relevance to the game of football.

 

[RedSoloCup]

LOL I love the ignore feature. I can tell when the fringe is making you guys nuts by the @... And I don't have to read it.

 

[06029]

Where Diaco got himself on the hotseat with the fanbase(not anyone at the University) is as follows:
(1) off the wall comments - first 4 games are pre-season, etc
(2) Not trying to win at USF, losing to an Army team that lost to Yale and losing to SMU at home
(3) a perceived lack of improvement offensively as the year progressed.

When Randy first came in - he cleaned house and brought in his own guys - but you could see the improvements- and a lot of it had to do with Orlovsky figuring things out the second half of his sophomore year. But Randy did not say anything that off the wall and even if he did not say much, a fan could relate to what he was doing.

BD is doubling down as of right now for weird off the field things with the one sided rivalry game and the trophy. I get that he wants excitement and something for the fans but it feels weird and keeps the doubt about him pretty close to the front on my thoughts. Bad game day coaching again, uninspired coaching and play calling, those are way worse than being whacky.

 

[uconnphil2016]

So, you're saying that because former basketball players demonstrated poor character and weren't properly punished that the football team ought not value character? Seems like a pretty poor view...

 

[freescooter]

I'm saying we want successful big boy football. Let's stop pretending that we should only recruit Eagle Scouts with straight As who spend their free time volunteering at the little sisters of the poor and live in the 06 zip code. Just like we brought in basketball players from around the world with zero regard for their fitness for college we should approach football the same way. If a guy is scum but can run over linebackers get him to sign in the line and hire a minder if necessary but get him. You think FSU fans cared when Jimbo hoisted the trophy that their star is probably a criminal? That's where we need to be from here on. Or go back to the Yankee Conference

 

[Husky25]

You think FSU fans cared when Jimbo hoisted the trophy that their star is probably a criminal?

I think Coach Diaco has already demonstrated that probable criminality is grounds for dismissal.

OTOH, I totally get where you coming from. Ideally, I'd like the best of both worlds (Animals on the field and choir boys off it), but after 4 years of putting down good money after bad, at the end of the day, all I really want is to be entertained by college football on Saturday afternoons.

Regarding Winston however, I now have three favorite (non-fantasy) teams, in this order: Washington, New England, and whoever is playing the Buccaneers.