We can still get to a bowl.

[kris1]

Although I agree that the last 4 games are winnable (on paper), reality tells me this staff will find a way to lose all of them.

I honestly thought this was the year it all came together. Newsome and Thomas would each have 1000+ yard seasons respectively. Sherriffs could lead the offense out of NCAA mediocrity behind a big, strong, experienced offensive line. The defense would keep the team in every game. They've always been stout against the run and they had two pro prospects in the secondary. The staff seemed to be creating a winning culture through commitment, hard work and positive reinforcement. There was excitement and buzz heading into the season. UConn football was going to take the next step. They would finally match the success of basketball, baseball, hockey, field hockey, soccer, etc. The staff just had to manage the games, put the players in a position to win, and utilize the talent the team has. Then the season started and the weakness was exposed....Head Coach Bob Diaco. He's a great motivator. Very likable outside the lines, but his fashion sense, in-game philosophies and decision-making has hindered the players and this team. I believed he could turn things around, but he hasn't grown with the players through the process. The offense shows flashes, then stalls in the red zone. The defense (his defense) is gashed every game. The secondary has more cushion then Kim K and gets banged just as hard. He has shown zero ability to make adjustments in-game. He needs halftime and burned timeouts to think things through. Then HE makes the same mistakes he's made in year 1 and 2.

Bob Diaco is a pilot flying at 10,000 feet waiting to land at Brainard, who thinks he's an astronaut trying to re-enter the atmosphere in the space shuttle. He turns the simplest things into rocket science (including his press conferences). I guess it makes him sound smarter then everyone else. He's hindering himself and this team from succeeding at the FBS level (or any level for that matter).

 

[FDNY99]

Although I agree that the last 4 games are winnable (on paper), reality tells me this staff will find a way to lose all of them.

I honestly thought this was the year it all came together. Newsome and Thomas would each have 1000+ yard seasons respectively. Sherriffs could lead the offense out of NCAA mediocrity behind a big, strong, experienced offensive line. The defense would keep the team in every game. They've always been stout against the run and they had two pro prospects in the secondary. The staff seemed to be creating a winning culture through commitment, hard work and positive reinforcement. There was excitement and buzz heading into the season. UConn football was going to take the next step. They would finally match the success of basketball, baseball, hockey, field hockey, soccer, etc. The staff just had to manage the games, put the players in a position to win, and utilize the talent the team has. Then the season started and the weakness was exposed....Head Coach Bob Diaco. He's a great motivator. Very likable outside the lines, but his fashion sense, in-game philosophies and decision-making has hindered the players and this team. I believed he could turn things around, but he hasn't grown with the players through the process. The offense shows flashes, then stalls in the red zone. The defense (his defense) is gashed every game. The secondary has more cushion then Kim K and gets banged just as hard. He has shown zero ability to make adjustments in-game. He needs halftime and burned timeouts to think things through. Then HE makes the same mistakes he's made in year 1 and 2.

Bob Diaco is a pilot flying at 10,000 feet waiting to land at Brainard, who thinks he's an astronaut trying to re-enter the atmosphere in the space shuttle. He turns the simplest things into rocket science. He's hindering himself and this team from succeeding at the FBS level (or any level for that matter).

@kris1 I'm sure you had qb's who were better at making their reads and move through their progressions at Ansonia than BS. I'm not taking anything away from your criticism of the staff but BS belongs in that category as well.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Although I agree that the last 4 games are winnable (on paper), reality tells me this staff will find a way to lose all of them.

I honestly thought this was the year it all came together. Newsome and Thomas would each have 1000+ yard seasons respectively. Sherriffs could lead the offense out of NCAA mediocrity behind a big, strong, experienced offensive line. The defense would keep the team in every game. They've always been stout against the run and they had two pro prospects in the secondary. The staff seemed to be creating a winning culture through commitment, hard work and positive reinforcement. There was excitement and buzz heading into the season. UConn football was going to take the next step. They would finally match the success of basketball, baseball, hockey, field hockey, soccer, etc. The staff just had to manage the games, put the players in a position to win, and utilize the talent the team has. Then the season started and the weakness was exposed....Head Coach Bob Diaco. He's a great motivator. Very likable outside the lines, but his fashion sense, in-game philosophies and decision-making has hindered the players and this team. I believed he could turn things around, but he hasn't grown with the players through the process. The offense shows flashes, then stalls in the red zone. The defense (his defense) is gashed every game. The secondary has more cushion then Kim K and gets banged just as hard. He has shown zero ability to make adjustments in-game. He needs halftime and burned timeouts to think things through. Then HE makes the same mistakes he's made in year 1 and 2.

Bob Diaco is a pilot flying at 10,000 feet waiting to land at Brainard, who thinks he's an astronaut trying to re-enter the atmosphere in the space shuttle. He turns the simplest things into rocket science (including his press conferences). I guess it makes him sound smarter then everyone else. He's hindering himself and this team from succeeding at the FBS level (or any level for that matter).

The funny thing is Bob's comparison between flying at 10k in a Cessna and landing the shuttle is that landing the Cessna is much harder. The shuttle is on autopilot the entire time. The shuttle can land itself thanks to all the work done before the mission. The preparation, the trial and error and the command center. Everyone values every thousandth of a second. Bob unwittingly clowned himself.

 

[kris1]

@kris1 I'm sure you had qb's who were better at making their reads and move through their progressions at Ansonia than BS. I'm not taking anything away from your criticism of the staff but BS belongs in that category as well.

Can't disagree....BS has to shoulder some of the blame. He makes the on-field decisions. But the game plan and play selection come from the staff. I won't put it all on BS. He's got guts and leaves everything on the field. I think this team can win with him. The staff has to do a better job getting the ball out of his hands. He doesn't need to win games...he needs to manage them. That's on the staff. Their conservative style continually put BS in a positioned to be the scapegoat for the offensive ineptitude inside the 20 and late in games.

 

[FDNY99]

Can't disagree....BS has to shoulder some of the blame. He makes the on-field decisions. But the game plan and play selection come from the staff. I won't put it all on BS. He's got guts and leaves everything on the field. I think this team can win with him. The staff has to do a better job getting the ball out of his hands. He doesn't need to win games...he needs to manage them. That's on the staff. Their conservative style continually put BS in a positioned to be the scapegoat for the offensive ineptitude inside the 20 and late in games.

I disagree with you a bit...if Diaco didn't call that timeout in the first half BS would have earned a delay of game penalty in the red zone. Not too hard to see the play clock in the student section end zone...it sticks out like a sore thumb. And worse yet, he had the team on the line with 10 seconds on the play clock.

 

[BugsyCT]

Let's just say it would take a heckuva turnaround to get back to a bowl game. Although these 4 remaining games are very winnable, this team & coaching staff haven't shown anything to lead us to believe that they can string together 3-4 wins regardless of the competition.

 

[gtcam]

I think all those fans in and around Wrigley Field destroys the whole MY Cubbies narrative you're peddling.

peddling nothing
THE Cubbies - how's that
Thanks for being a ________

 

[Confident Carl]

Although I agree that the last 4 games are winnable (on paper), reality tells me this staff will find a way to lose all of them.

I honestly thought this was the year it all came together. Newsome and Thomas would each have 1000+ yard seasons respectively. Sherriffs could lead the offense out of NCAA mediocrity behind a big, strong, experienced offensive line. The defense would keep the team in every game. They've always been stout against the run and they had two pro prospects in the secondary. The staff seemed to be creating a winning culture through commitment, hard work and positive reinforcement. There was excitement and buzz heading into the season. UConn football was going to take the next step. They would finally match the success of basketball, baseball, hockey, field hockey, soccer, etc. The staff just had to manage the games, put the players in a position to win, and utilize the talent the team has. Then the season started and the weakness was exposed....Head Coach Bob Diaco. He's a great motivator. Very likable outside the lines, but his fashion sense, in-game philosophies and decision-making has hindered the players and this team. I believed he could turn things around, but he hasn't grown with the players through the process. The offense shows flashes, then stalls in the red zone. The defense (his defense) is gashed every game. The secondary has more cushion then Kim K and gets banged just as hard. He has shown zero ability to make adjustments in-game. He needs halftime and burned timeouts to think things through. Then HE makes the same mistakes he's made in year 1 and 2.

Bob Diaco is a pilot flying at 10,000 feet waiting to land at Brainard, who thinks he's an astronaut trying to re-enter the atmosphere in the space shuttle. He turns the simplest things into rocket science (including his press conferences). I guess it makes him sound smarter then everyone else. He's hindering himself and this team from succeeding at the FBS level (or any level for that matter).

Can't disagree with you. We are all feeling it

 

[jdb50]

Seemed like first down in the red zone was always a wasted play. Like the staff had no idea what to call all day in that situation. We never use our taller recievers which includes the TE's effectively in those situations.

 

[DefCONNOne]

peddling nothing
THE Cubbies - how's that
Thanks for being a ________

I'll let you choose the insult and respond to said insult with a hearty "You're welcome".

 

[CL82]

Got tix for BC too! I don't know anymore, so tough to get excited when you know things should and could be better.

Say it ain't so Carl. You and @UConnDan97 are supposed to be pumping up the rest of us.

 

[jazyj]

What's the point of going to a bowl when your fans don't travel well and you will most likely face a team that far outclasses your own. Sure the program can say "we went bowling 2 years in a row", but with little effort you can see a team that some crawled them selves to a meaning less game.

 

[Confident Carl]

Say it ain't so Carl. You and @UConnDan97 are supposed to be pumping up the rest of us.

Sorry, I am human and the product on the field is way below expectations. I have met Diaco, Vertucci and the other coaches. I happen to like them but they are not getting it done. Sitting in the rain for 31/2 hours yesterday and watching the same garbage was hard to take. This is getting too painful.

 

[UConnNick]

What's the point of going to a bowl when your fans don't travel well and you will most likely face a team that far outclasses your own. Sure the program can say "we went bowling 2 years in a row", but with little effort you can see a team that some crawled them selves to a meaning less game.

Going to any bowl game, no matter how insignificant, is always preferable to missing out. It gives you three or four weeks of extra practice time, it's a reward to the players, and the fans generally get to travel to a warmer weather destination for a few days. It also gives the program some exposure in a generally unfamiliar market area and nationally. Even if you lose money on the payout, all schools value it as a positive.

 

[UConnDan97]

Say it ain't so Carl. You and @UConnDan97 are supposed to be pumping up the rest of us.

This $#it is gonna get better someday...

(That's the best I've got this week)

 

[CL82]

This $#it is gonna get better someday...

(That's the best I've got this week)

This would be sad... if wasn't so funny.

 

[NavinRJohnson]

This $#it is gonna get better someday...

(That's the best I've got this week)

If someone has the power to snap their fingers and make the "someday" NOW? That will make most us on here happy.

 

[ktuck911]

I can still see 6 wins for us now, but we won't get the invite with that. not after how we've performed. how we attack opposing team's defenses, whether we're winning or not, must improve. the 2nd half 3 and out show, then since we're down late we do hurry up than stall out in the redzone party MUST end....

 

[UConnNick]

I can still see 6 wins for us now, but we won't get the invite with that. not after how we've performed. how we attack opposing team's defenses, whether we're winning or not, must improve. the 2nd half 3 and out show, then since we're down late we do hurry up than stall out in the redzone party MUST end....

There are so many bowls and conference tie-ins now that six wins virtually assures you're going to get a bid. I think they're now allowed to take teams with five wins if there are not enough six win teams to fill all the slots, and no, I'm definitely not suggesting we would be considered with only five. I'm not so sure we get to six, particularly since we have a coaching staff that stubbornly refuses to learn anything from its own mistakes week after week.

 

[amory]

I just don't see any way this team wins 3 out of 4 against our upcoming competition, with 2 games on the road. Home losses against Cuse and UCF killed our bowl chances this year.

It's too bad, because 7 or even 8 wins seemed possible this year.

 

[Scoe]

Its doable, all I'm hoping for right now is a win against East Carolina, because I'm going to the Temple game, and I wanna go to a game that will have more meaning to it.

 

[Scoe]

We should be 6-2 right now its absolutely sickening.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

I hope we don't get to a bowl this year. If we do, all does is prolong the pain with Diaco. Also, we will probably get our asses handed to us by a CUSA or a MAC team in a crappy bowl.

We need a new start minus Diaco after this season.

 

[whaler11]

Bob Diaco is a pilot flying at 10,000 feet waiting to land at Brainard, who thinks he's an astronaut trying to re-enter the atmosphere in the space shuttle. He turns the simplest things into rocket science (including his press conferences). I guess it makes him sound smarter then everyone else. He's hindering himself and this team from succeeding at the FBS level (or any level for that matter).

You've nailed it on the head.

This is what drove me completely nuts year 1.

It's not that complicated. Go get some players and coach them up.

He came in acting like he was going to receate the concept of how to rebuild a bad team and has only made himself look foolish and further buried the program.

 

[DCUconnfan]

Last year on Oct 24th we were 3-5. We had ECU, Tulane, and a ranked Houston and Temple on the schedule, we needed to go 3-1 to make a bowl, and wouldn't you know, we did. This year, we have ECU, Tulane, BC and Temple, arguably more winnable games than last year's slate of 4.

In the early season prediction thread, most people had us going 6-6 or 7-5 (me) this season, with a better upshot than down. When we lost to Navy and 'Cuse, the upshot disappeared, but when we beat Cincy most everyone's projections were still well in play.

I see the errors, I see the coaching blunders, and I see BS airmail some wide open passes on the run. There's blame to be had everywhere, to be sure. People have complained about our offense not being exciting - we went 5 wide at least a dozen times against UCF. Perhaps they're not practicing things enough and it's all two TE sets with runs up the gut when they're at Shenkman so when they hit the field on a 5 wide set we still throw incomplete or end up with BS running for 4 yards and getting hammered attempting to reach for 1st down. With that being said, I actually do see the coaches trying to advance & make some changes. It is a slower roll than anticipated, and there's a lot to be desired - but if we beat Navy or Cuse and were sitting here 4-4 my bet is people wouldn't be quite as dire.

The whole board almost sounds as bad as it did with PP at the helm. There may be some issues, but at least the players believe, are certainly better physically than they were, and there's a vision. This is not the tshow that once was, as much as people want to believe it is.

Bottom line, we're still completely capable of reaching a bowl. For the love of UConn, how about some positivism? Focus on ECU, get back on track, make a bowl, and re-assess once the dust has settled. I, for one, will be making my way from DC for Temple, BC, and Tulane.