UConn may compete in Spring

[MustangMan]

So you think Randy and the players are wrong? Just want to be clear...because that's who made the decision. (and don't cite one player dissenting from the others...the majority of players decided not to play).

Yes. Option theory teaches us that the option has inherent valueand you never exercise it until you absolutely have to. When the crisis hit, it was obvious that it would impact the season. By pulling the plug, they took away the option of playing ANY games in the Fall.

Unlike members of the B10 and P12, Uconn has no real ability to put together a schedule at this point.

Instead of shutting things down, UConn should have been working with experts on a plan to play/train safely. The AD should have been working to build a schedule with the knowledge that games might be cancelled or postponed.

Basically, UConn’s leadership needed to be flexible- it was not.

 

[Ldandy]

So you think Randy and the players are wrong? Just want to be clear...because that's who made the decision. (and don't cite one player dissenting from the others...the majority of players decided not to play).

It’s TBD if UCONN made the right move or not in respect to Covid, however I don’t buy for a second that the players really wanted this. They simply accepted the reality that they had no schedule to speak of and put on a brave face. At the end of the day players want to play. It’s why you see kids in The MAC and MWC pushing their administrators to get something done.

 

[uconnbill]

BYU, Army, Liberty all play out of conferences games and there is no way. UConn could have played Army, Liberty, MTSU, ODU and at least a ACC team or two. No team is playing 12 games and playing 6 or 7 would have been something we all could have dealt with.

 

[Goatmeat]

The transfer portal will ultimate prove who’s right. Part of the issue is the players were either given inaccurate information or information that proved to be wrong regarding the college football landscape. They are not happy campers now.

Well then they are more than welcome to transfer to any of the FCS schools that recruited them.

 

[huskymedic]

UConn could have played Army, Liberty, MTSU, ODU and at least a ACC team or two.

Just a point of reference... ODU cancelled their football season as well.

 

[Rosebud70]

I dont think players did not want to play I feel they wanted to protect they’re eligibility. They should of made some effort to pull off a 8-10 game season especially now since kids won’t lose they’re eligibility now. They should look into throwing something together now. Seems to be working out for 98 percent of the NCAA

 

[Hornet22]

You couldn’t be so wrong. 95% of the players hate the decision and Chief avoids using that word (hate). In fact, one or two took the unusual step of entering the portal at this time of year. Morale is at an all time low. These kids have been working out since 7/1.
Worse, they were thrown in as props against their will and fed incorrect information about the college football landscape. That meeting one described as - did you ever see a hostage video?

Chief, please stop lying. Please.

 

[Chief00]

I dont think players did not want to play I feel they wanted to protect they’re eligibility. They should of made some effort to pull off a 8-10 game season especially now since kids won’t lose they’re eligibility now. They should look into throwing something together now. Seems to be working out for 98 percent of the NCAA

Agree, and the players were not provided with the full information at that meeting. For the sake of argument let’s give UConn AD/Edsall the bendfit of the doubt that they just either did a poor job pulling together information at the time, read the landscape wrong and did not mean to mislead. They still have the responsibility to own up to that with the players based on current information, apologize and take action to play football this Fall, if still possible.

 

[Exit 4]

Agree, and the players were not provided with the full information at that meeting. For the sake of argument let’s give UConn AD/Edsall the bendfit of the doubt that they just either did a poor job pulling together information at the time, read the landscape wrong and did not mean to mislead. They still have the responsibility to own up to that with the players based on current information, apologize and take action to play football this Fall, if still possible.

What information was missing? Who could have foreseen and/or promised that the NCAA would grant a universal exemption on fall 2020 sports regardless of playing time. I think most expected some sort of limit to prevent a "double dip" so to speak. With the possibility of a wasted year of eligibility fully off the table it opens things up for UMass and others to toy with playing 1, 2, 5 or whatever number of games they can book.

 

[Hornet22]

Agree, and the players were not provided with the full information at that meeting. For the sake of argument let’s give UConn AD/Edsall the bendfit of the doubt that they just either did a poor job pulling together information at the time, read the landscape wrong and did not mean to mislead. They still have the responsibility to own up to that with the players based on current information, apologize and take action to play football this Fall, if still possible.

This narrative you’re pedaling is irresponsible.

 

[Chief00]

What information was missing? Who could have foreseen and/or promised that the NCAA would grant a universal exemption on fall 2020 sports regardless of playing time. I think most expected some sort of limit to prevent a "double dip" so to speak. With the possibility of a wasted year of eligibility fully off the table it opens things up for UMass and others to toy with playing 1, 2, 5 or whatever number of games they can book.

So you think the universal waiver or some variation of that should have been a complete surprise? To get such an absolute result, there had to be an abundance of tea leaves. Another thing was the expectation that others would not play, so we really had no choice and we were merely making the decision before it was made for us. Now we see all kinds of teams have put together some kind of season, not perfect seasons, but much better than none at all.
I think if we were just honest about messing up that would make some difference with the players. Right now it’s not a good situation no matter what people say here.

 

[Exit 4]

So you think the universal waiver or some variation of that should have been a complete surprise? To get such an absolute result, there had to be an abundance of tea leaves. Another thing was the expectation that others would not play, so we really had no choice and we were merely making the decision before it was made for us. Now we see all kinds of teams have put together some kind of season, not perfect seasons, but much better than none at all.

As of early Aug conventional wisdom was that the NCAA would allow players to play either this fall or sit out to get an extra year. I don't think many thought we would get the best of both - unlimited fall/spring play and an extra year.

They didn't lead astray, they guessed wrong.

 

[Chief00]

Well then they are more than welcome to transfer to any of the FCS schools that recruited them.

Your type of mindset doesn’t help. You play with and appreciate the players that you have.

 

[Chief00]

As of early Aug conventional wisdom was that the NCAA would allow players to play either this fall or sit out to get an extra year. I don't think many thought we would get the best of both - unlimited fall/spring play and an extra year.

They didn't lead astray, they guessed wrong.

When players depend on adults either voluntarily or involuntarily to make decisions that impact them - and then those adults mess up - at least call a meeting and apologize. Say we did the best we could, but got things wrong.

 

[uconndogs]

When people speak in absolutes I am very suspect. Certainly some things are absolute. Right and wrong are well defined and the path clear. But, many decisions are not like that.

Then their are those that speak in absolute terms often with imperfect knowledge or an agenda to promote. I dismiss their dialogue and if I am in a position to do so, I dismiss them.

Credibility and trust are just so important and very difficult to establish.

 

[Goatmeat]

Your type of mindset doesn’t help. You play with and appreciate the players that you have.

This coming from the guy who says “all programs of significance are moving forward this season,” knowing full well that UConn is not moving forward this season. Give it a rest.

 

[Chief00]

This coming from the guy who says “all programs of significance are moving forward this season,” knowing full well that UConn is not moving forward this season. Give it a rest.

It’s not a good moment for us. Chief doesn’t sugar coat things. That’s not how you improve. Look what we have done on the basketball side by being honest with ourselves and Grinding.

 

[BlueDogs]

It’s TBD if UCONN made the right move or not in respect to Covid, however I don’t buy for a second that the players really wanted this. They simply accepted the reality that they had no schedule to speak of and put on a brave face. At the end of the day players want to play. It’s why you see kids in The MAC and MWC pushing their administrators to get something done.

Putting aside all arguments for or against, this is the most incisive indictment of the innate silliness of the decision made.

 

[HardFacts]

It’s not a good moment for us. Chief doesn’t sugar coat things. That’s not how you improve. Look what we have done on the basketball side by being honest with ourselves and Grinding.

Agree It is not a good moment! I said all along play the games 4,5,6 whatever was available. Players want to compete and if not we have real problems! A year of no real competition will actually set us back. AD and Randy jumped the gun and they thought everyone’s seasons would fall apart.

 

[HardFacts]

The idea some had of playing in the spring is ridiculous. We could have kept UMass, Liberty, Army, and added a couple of games. A six game season with spacing between games would have been perfect for development.

 

[Chief00]

Yes. Option theory teaches us that the option has inherent valueand you never exercise it until you absolutely have to. When the crisis hit, it was obvious that it would impact the season. By pulling the plug, they took away the option of playing ANY games in the Fall.

Unlike members of the B10 and P12, Uconn has no real ability to put together a schedule at this point.

Instead of shutting things down, UConn should have been working with experts on a plan to play/train safely. The AD should have been working to build a schedule with the knowledge that games might be cancelled or postponed.

Basically, UConn’s leadership needed to be flexible- it was not.

I agree it could have been done but figured it wasn’t worth the effort. I feel they looking for a 5th year Mensah, Vandermark and Rose. Looking for a more mature OLine QB and rest of team. 2020 is a desperate season but yes it could have happened.

You are assuming the transfer doors aren’t going to open wide. There’s an inherent trust when a player signs that the school is committed to playing football and all that it means. We have a lot of work to do to restore that trust. I am not sure if Randy is the guy who can do that after most of what he told and guided the team to do, proved to be wrong, at best.

 

[Chief00]

UMass player pushing

This could have been written by 90% of our players, except for that one incident since 7/1. The Spring nonsense is an unspoken acknowledgement that we got it wrong but that energy should have been directed towards a fall season.
Chief is doing no victory lap about being right about this, at this point can we play 2 or 3 teams twice that also made the wrong decision and maybe pick up a random game or two? We need a new state agency, separate from our disaster of a Health Dept, focused on playing outdoor sports - it’s a very low risk activity and should actually be encouraged vs. anything inside.
I hope I am wrong, but Chief doesn’t see Randy as being the guy flexible enough to navigate this. Chief sounded the alarm in August and early September and the pushback Chief received was blind to the college football environment driven by southern schools. People here made fun of the Bama President who marched on despite 1,200 positive tests and said we are going to make it work and figure it out. As it turned out, he drove things nationally. You can agree or disagree with him, what he did took courage and he turned the Tide at a national level so that everyone else started reversing themselves except the UConn’s of this World.

 

[ktuck911]

UConn UMass in the spring? as an exhibition game? Would that count as a 2020 game, or would it impact the schedule for 2021?

It shouldn't impact 2021 whatsoever one would think...Heck it'd be kinda like what Middle Tenn State and Troy are doing this year, playing twice, but there's a loooong break from Spring to the Fall...

 

[Nextmanup]

Someone mentioned the team is meeting tomorrow.. Maybe we get some info after the meeting on the possibility of playing a few games this fall.
A few games could be beneficial..
I am not a fan of a spring season .. or even 3-4 games played then.. too close to the fall .. And injuries could hamper our fall season in 2021.. not worth the risk.

 

[BlueDogs]

This could have been written by 90% of our players, except for that one incident since 7/1. The Spring nonsense is an unspoken acknowledgement that we got it wrong but that energy should have been directed towards a fall season.
Chief is doing no victory lap about being right about this, at this point can we play 2 or 3 teams twice that also made the wrong decision and maybe pick up a random game or two? We need a new state agency, separate from our disaster of a Health Dept, focused on playing outdoor sports - it’s a very low risk activity and should actually be encouraged vs. anything inside.
I hope I am wrong, but Chief doesn’t see Randy as being the guy flexible enough to navigate this. Chief sounded the alarm in August and early September and the pushback Chief received was blind to the college football environment driven by southern schools. People here made fun of the Bama President who marched on despite 1,200 positive tests and said we are going to make it work and figure it out. As it turned out, he drove things nationally. You can agree or disagree with him, what he did took courage and he turned the Tide at a national level so that everyone else started reversing themselves except the UConn’s of this World.

This should be a lesson that group think is powerful social force that can distort the judgment of the best intentioned. Lots of folks flying under the banner of “science” when the don’t know the first principles of it.. hypothesis, measurement and repeatability. They confuse expert opinion (hypothesis) with fact. The data says it’s relatively safe. Many experts said was safe. But, too many were invested in their own narrative to actually practice what they preach. The UMichigan President is classic as was the PSU expert who got his data wrong. The greatest sin of all is pride and refusing to admit when you’re wrong. UConn needs to reverse course.