Warde Speaks:

[ruskin]

Has no one else ever been unemployed? Do we really need to discuss TJ's motivation to take the job?

Thought the discussion point was that Weist was available/unemployed because he had flaws of some kind.

 

[whaler11]

Thought the discussion point was that Weist was available/unemployed because he had flaws of some kind.

Yeah that's inherent to the situation that some would like to ignore.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Those quotes sound a lot more like someone who has a season long leash for PP than a guy who is going to fire him in 4 days. He is throwing the fanbase a bone by saying he shares the frustration. As much as I think PP is just damaging the program by the day, I dont think Warde feels there is any gain to bin PP now.

Wholly disagree. These are the quotes of an AD who knows he can't make public knee-jerk quotes two games into the season unless he's planning to drop the axe on Monday. WM was right to make comments, and it was 100% necessary, but if he makes any kind of incendiary comments, they will, of course, be heard by the team and assuredly pollute the vibe and environment of the locker room for them - that would be incredibly counterproductive. At the same time, the comments are very clear that he's not happy, he doesn't accept what's going on, he is not endorsing the coach whatsoever, and specifically states he reserves the right to make a coaching change whenever he sees fit. Honestly, I thought the quotes were about as good as they could be on September 18. If this were Thanksgiving and we're 2-8 and he made these comments, then I'd be upset. But if he had gone any farther now than he did, he would've essentially had to fire him today or send the program into even more chaos.

 

[ruskin]

Yeah that's inherent to the situation that some would like to ignore.

OK, what flaws do you see after two games that reveal he was unhireable elsewhere?

 

[whaler11]

OK, what flaws do you see after two games that reveal he was unhireable elsewhere?

I didn't say he was unhireable. I said he was available. He wasn't taken to Tennessee and he didn't have a better offer than a job where the head coach is on the hot seat and didn't want him in the first place.

That's all evidence that maybe he isn't a shooting star. He might be but I think it's less likely just based on the fact he is here. I'm hearing enough elsewhere that further confirms my suspicions.

 

[SubbaBub]

People are looking to TJ because he is the OC, he came from a very successful program and because no one likes the other options on staff.

 

[CTMike]

I see that he's had success at other stops, and been around successful programs. The brief time I've seen him in person- he's an "energy" guy and strikes me as being well prepared. Players (at least in August) had a very positive impression of him. Now none of that speaks specifically to game coaching, but I see a lot of good things to work with there. He says he's calling the shots, and I mostly believe him. I think the play calling has been better, but the variables out of his control are a) being overridden and b) coaching of the OL. I think TJW is a good hire, but we won't know how good until PGDL are gone.

 

[FDNY99]

Interesting article Jacobs wrote ths morning on Manuel. When you see his quote it takes on totally different meaning than the way ED and Dez put them out on Twitter. It was more like he has pretty much made a decision than just monitoring the situation. If I were P I sure hope my team doesn't get blown out Sat!

 

[upstater]

Why do people want Weist as the intermin coach? You just heard it from himself that he calls the plays... I'd rather have DJ Joey coach.

When Moorhead and Ambrose were here, they called their own plays too, and the plays consisted of dive after dive up the middle. Now that they call their own shots without a HC lording over them, they are lighting up the Colonial offensively.

 

[freescooter]

In Weist's defense, anyone who thought changing coordinators would make this team alot better just was incredibly optimistic. In the first place, that type of change is really cosmetic. Coaches on the hot seat do it all the time, and it buys them an extra year maybe but it seldom gets tot he underlying problems. And that's what is happening at UConn. Our problem isn't that the offense is bad, though it is. That is just a symptom of a much larger issue. We have no fire. We are disorganized, poorly disciplined, watch the offensive line that in its 3rd year still is utterly clueless many times...in a word, UConn is poorly coached. Don Brown's firey personality and an abundance of NFL level talent kept the defense from succumbing last year but this year the malady is spreading to that side of the ball. And unlike Brown, Weist has a much tougher job. He isn't trying to maintain something that was there, he is trying to create something that hasn't been present for 2 years. I won't say it is impossible, but it is pretty unlikely. I'll also concede that having George DeLeone on the staff still doesn't help things. But even if George was sent to the Australian Outback, changing coordinators had only a very long shot chance of solving this team's problem.

 

[Pudge]

I don't like the idea of Weist being the Interim HC ... with any talk of not having a wide search late November. And replace HH? With whom? We used to have Todd Orlando, Lyndon Johnson ... and now we have two 20 year old assistants and Perkins ... just don't know where you would go (Cochran?)

 

[Pudge]

I think if it unfathomable how deep a hole we have dropped into with the Offensive Line's performance. Good God ... we were pushing top rated Notre Dame recruits all over the lot & now we are getting guys beat regularly by Towson.

 

[noeynox]

When Moorhead and Ambrose were here, they called their own plays too, and the plays consisted of dive after dive up the middle. Now that they call their own shots without a HC lording over them, they are lighting up the Colonial offensively.

I thought both of their offenses looked very similar to what they ran when they were here. The obvious difference was that they had capable passers. The biggest mystery of the Edsall era is why he had such a hard time recruiting capable passers when the Mac churns them out like clockwork.

 

[freescooter]

I think if it unfathomable how deep a hole we have dropped into with the Offensive Line's performance. Good God ... we were pushing top rated Notre Dame recruits all over the lot & now we are getting guys beat regularly by Towson.

I can't disagree with that! As to your other point, I don't know who would be named interim coach if P is relieved of his duties, which I still think is a long shot, but I doubt any of the current staff goes. You just can't retool the whole staff mid-year. Hughes will continue running the Defense. Weist, if he's not the head coach, will continue running the offense. Maybe he does both. Maybe they also bring in someone for the rest of the season. As I said on another thread, I could see someone like Keeler stepping in as offensive coordinator to finish out the year. Who knows who else is sitting on the sidelines or in an ESPN booth right now that would take the job for 8 games, but I bet there is someone. Maybe its such a hornets nest on the staff right now that they don't promote anyone, but bring in a grey eminence type to finish out the season. In a different context it would be a perfect set up for Pasqualoni. Or offer the job to someone like Keeler on a no guarantees basis. Wouldn't be that different from what they did with Ollie and Dave Berard last year. both did well. One got the permanent job, the other didn't.

 

[noeynox]

I really don't care if they let P go in season or after. The damage has been done in IMO, by the opening loss to Towson. The UMD and Michigan games were supposed to create huge buzz. Instead coach buzzkill, has completely taken the anticipation out of the biggest game in Rentschler Field history. More than all the other shenanigans, this is what has me completely pissed off. Even at 1 and 1, this game would have had some buzz. Now it feels like I will be attending a public flogging more than an anticipated football game we've been waiting on for years. Afterwards we will hear about how we had self inflicted wounds and if we had scored more points, we actually would have won.

 

[joey3$trike$]

I was actually more interested in Warde's feelings on Coach P's statement about having fun in a game they were losing. Also I think it's time Coach Weist comes down from the press box and gets in some kids faces on the sidelines. If he has all this energy and pep it should be on the sidelines not controlled in a box. I think GDL or Buggs is gone soon, either after Michigan or Buffalo.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Those quotes sound a lot more like someone who has a season long leash for PP than a guy who is going to fire him in 4 days. He is throwing the fanbase a bone by saying he shares the frustration. As much as I think PP is just damaging the program by the day, I dont think Warde feels there is any gain to bin PP now.

If that's the case, if he's really willing to allow continued devaluation of his business unit's most important product/asset, then WM is UCONN's worst PR nightmare. PR =perception. Perception = reality. To the outside, the "reality" looks terrible, at the absolute worst possible time.

 

[FDNY99]

I was actually more interested in Warde's feelings on Coach P's statement about having fun in a game they were losing. Also I think it's time Coach Weist comes down from the press box and gets in some kids faces on the sidelines. If he has all this energy and pep it should be on the sidelines not controlled in a box. I think GDL or Buggs is gone soon, either after Michigan or Buffalo.

I would like to put my money on GDL if you are taking bets.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

explain 'debunked'. A couple of reporters got spoon-fed some quotes from a nice guy who doesn't want to be blamed for ending another nice guy's career. big whoop. Look at the uconnblog play calling analysis, medic. Weist didn't bring that here with him.

As important, a reputation for undermining HC's might create "trust issues" that hamper an Assistant's future employment opportunities.

 

[uconndogs]

I think if it unfathomable how deep a hole we have dropped into with the Offensive Line's performance. Good God ... we were pushing top rated Notre Dame recruits all over the lot & now we are getting guys beat regularly by Towson.

I think if the story on this is ever completely told you will find it's structural - right down to offseason strenght and conditioning. There is just no way it falls off like this unless somebody revamped it and in the process completely screwed it up. When's the last time we had a offensive lineman get out to the next level a mow over a LB or DB?

I'ld bet my last dollar that GDL is a "technician"......

 

[FDNY99]

I think if the story on this is ever completely told you will find it's structural - right down to offseason strenght and conditioning. There is just no way it falls off like this unless somebody revamped it and in the process completely screwed it up. When's the last time we had a offensive lineman get out to the next level a mow over a LB or DB?

I'ld bet my last dollar that GDL is a "technician"......

You bring up a point about Strength & conditioning...Jerry Martin is the head guy..but P hired a guy who was an asst strength/conditioning coach with the Cowboys to hold the top position in football at UCONN right after he was hired. He'll be out of a job too.

 

[ZooCougar]

As important, a reputation for undermining HC's might create "trust issues" that hamper an Assistant's future employment opportunities.

It just wouldn't be prudent or smart to act like some whistle blower two games into your career as an OC. Even if he is being overridden...

 

[freescooter]

the strength and conditioning stuff is more of the same and why I kept saying that replacing the OC wasn't, and hasn't been the solution to our problems. We simply are not well coached, from however you want to look at it. Whatever perspective you want to take. Conditioning, game planning, execution, schemes, offense, defense. When problems are that wide spread the only solution is a new coach. Might Weist be a very good coordinator under a different regime? It is possible, but we'll only know by seeing what he does at some other school.

For what its worth, the more I think about it the more I think Shane Day runs the offense if Weist were ever to take over as interim head coach. Again, I think it is doubtful except maybe for Memphis, but that would be the logical choice.

 

[HuskyBarker]

Found a copy of GDL's and PP's birth certificate.

Hey I smell a conspiracy in the making! Those look like two cleaned Slate's AUC. ie: After UCONN

 

[Joe Menchetti]

10:01 am on Monday 9/23 the clock starts on Warde Manuel's job, if he hasn't fired PP. It sets up the interim coach to do something that is barely thinkable at the moment...to win a game!