Well, now we're in some esteemed company

[huskymedic]

yeah, I tripled my posts (thanks for following). I'm pissed about another in a long string of unacceptable losses under an over-the-hill coach who should not have been brought back if not for the wonderful inner machinations of good-old-boy Connecticut politics (Larry McHugh, who told Herbst to give P another year, who told Warde, and somehow Larry has clean hands when it comes to the hire, the Burton fallout, and now keeping a failed coach). I do a decent job of finding breaking news on my own, so don't flatter yourself by "throwing me a bone". The Diaz firing should be its own thread because it's good guidance for Warde. Since you have appointed yourself the breaking news-meister here why don't you do the honor?

See... Lighten up Francis!

 

[ruskin]

See... Lighten up Francis!

I guess if I don't see Diaz as its own thread in a few minutes I'll do it. You'll get credit for the find.

 

[huskymedic]

I guess if I don't see Diaz as its own thread in a few minutes I'll do it. You'll get credit for the find.

We're all crazy here... I'm just not a fire everyone type of guy!

 

[Dooley]

I hope Greg Robinson finds stability in Texas because if we follow up Pasqualoni with Robinson in 2014, I know one guy with two thumbs who will not renew his season tickets. This guy.

 

[junglehusky]

Besides engaging me, medic is it your position that everyone should just back off on PP and see how the season plays out?

I won't presume to speak for medic, I'll just reiterate my general outlook which is "Look, PP probably isn't going to get fired as long as UConn hasn't been mathematically eliminated from bowl contention, and even if he is fired it's not realistic to think that it'll help UConn's record 2013 or attract a better coach if it's done sooner rather than later". Notice how that is not the same thing as "let's back off and see how the season plays out". I think we have a pretty good idea how the season is going to play out, apart from maybe 1-2 posters here who think PP has a chance. (there are others who just are tired of the same post in every thread though I don't know what they think of PP's chances). Many of us, or at least some of us, are confident that the program even if UConn suffers another losing season, once PP is replaced with the right hire, UConn will get back on track to winning games again in 2014 and building the program to being ranked, changing perceptions nationally and having new levels of success in the long term.

You're free to disagree, maybe you think UConn will be irreversibly damaged by 2-4 months of negative press and empty bleachers, as if UConn is different from other programs that have had multi-year seasons in the dumps but rose to prominence with a new HC. But perhaps you should change your avatar from "Keep calm and trust TJ" to "Freak the duck*out and perform useless gestures".

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I wouldnt be minimizing the impact of that Texas loss on their fanbase, medic. Yet another 'it's not just one loss' case Did you see some of the titles of the threads -- '"Can we forfeit the Oklahoma game?' Sort of the way Michigan is being viewed here. Not quite as bad at Towson but in the ballpark. UConn is never going to be Texas but Boise State East is a reasonable goal.

Boise State East?? Us???The AAC is never going to be the MWC. BSU saw that the bigEast will be splitting and decided not to join, so I think BSU is smarter than us -- they left before they joined.

 

[SubbaBub]

Mack Brown's first 155 games at Texas: 128-27.
Last 40: 23-17.

It would be great if we can scoop a coach like him up if Texas canned him, but I just can't figure out the disparity between the present part of his career vs earlier days. He doesn't have Vince Young or Colt McCoy anymore, but they bring in top talent like nobody's business.

Mailing it in. Happens with older coaches.

 

[junglehusky]

Boise State East?? Us???The AAC is never going to be the MWC. BSU saw that the bigEast will be splitting and decided not to join, so I think BSU is smarter than us -- they left before they joined.

No, they got a sweetheart deal on the MWC TV money that surpasses what the other MWC schools get. If they didn't get that they could have decided to stay with the BE / AAC (would have helped offset the loss of UL) but the AAC presidents wisely decided against paying off Boise.

 

[junglehusky]

@DanBeebe 45m
GREG ROBINSON IS AIDS-COVERED SALTINES ON A PAPER PLATE AND MACK BROWN JUST SERVED IT UP #TEXASTEARS #TEXASTEARS #TEXASTEARS

@DanBeebe 43m
MANNY DIAZ MIGHT HAVE SUCKED BUT GERG IS THE WORST COACH I HAVE EVER SEEN AND BELIEVE YOU ME I SAW FIVE YEARS OF KANSAS FOOTBALL

@DanBeebe 42m
YOU COULD PUT GERG ON AN EPISODE OF DEAL OR NO DEAL AND HE'D FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GIVE UP 500 YARDS TO THOSE MODELS

@DanBeebe 37m
FIRING MANNY DIAZ AND HIRING GERG IS LIKE DIVORCING YOUR AVERAGE-LOOKING WIFE AND MARRYING A PILE OF ASBESTOS #TEXASTEARS #TEXASTEARS

DanBeebe 35m
TEXAS FANS YOU ARE AWFULLY QUIET RIGHT NOW ALTHOUGH I GUESS AUTOEROTIC ASPHYXIATION DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF NOISE

 

[huskymedic]

I guess if I don't see Diaz as its own thread in a few minutes I'll do it. You'll get credit for the find.

Done - but needs your creative touches.

 

[UConnDan97]

"Aids-covered saltines" and "marrying a pile of asbestos" would normally be considered hyperbole, but they hired Greg Robinson...

 

[ruskin]

Many of us, or at least some of us, are confident that the program even if UConn suffers another losing season, once PP is replaced with the right hire, UConn will get back on track to winning games again in 2014 and building the program to being ranked, changing perceptions nationally and having new levels of success in the long term.

You're free to disagree, maybe you think UConn will be irreversibly damaged by 2-4 months of negative press and empty bleachers, as if UConn is different from other programs that have had multi-year seasons in the dumps but rose to prominence with a new HC.

I admire your optimism, Jungle. But I think CR is what makes UConn different from the other schools you reference -- I assume you're talking about the Indianas, Vandys, Baylors and Washington States of the world; they didn't have this CR sword hanging over them.

Fairly or unfairly, everything is under the national microscope, and being the first big upset victim of 2013 has made it worse. PP was regarded as an unserious hire at the time and everything that has happened since has validated that. Any following embarrassments - getting hammered at home by Maryland and/or Michigan, not selling out Michigan, losing at Buffalo -- will just exacerbate the long-term damage. The "UConn doesn't belong" meme, already going strong, will gain further traction. This could be a 10-year-plus hole to crawl out of by Dec. 7.

The fact that all of this was preventable is what's most frustrating. Warde and Susan knew last December that P is an uninspiring figurehead given the morgue-like atmosphere at Cincinnati -- a week after UConn somehow beat Louisville on the road! That they likely deferred to McHugh and his bromance with an old-boy CT HS FB association buddy, or decided not to pay the buyout because of the school's deficits elsewhere, both look bad now. The Towson loss and the many empty seats was just reaping what was sown after last season.

Who knows, maybe somebody somewhere waved a magic wand and a win over Maryland (which would be Randy's ticket out of College Park, given Towson's win) and a competitive showing against Michigan will put things back on track. I've seen too much of PP's vacant "what just happened" look the past two years to believe this will really happen.

I wish we had a fan base like USC's that know ineptitude when they see it and make it clear at games they want a change.

 

[Adios]

At least Larry McHugh lost all credibility. Won't have to worry about him anymore.

 

[huskymedic]

At least Larry McHugh lost all credibility. Won't have to worry about him anymore.

Lost all credibility with who Butch - people on the Boneyard? Do you really have a sense who he is or where his power base comes from?

 

[Adios]

Lost all credibility with who Butch - people on the Boneyard? Do you really have a sense who he is or where his power base comes from?

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2011/05/mchugh-approved-for-new-term-as-uconn-board-chair/

Lost credibility in making hires in the athletic department.

 

[junglehusky]

Ruskin... I think you are overestimating the national focus on UConn. I could be wrong but we don't have College Gameday talking about how pathetic UConn football is, they just ignore us. I also think if we had maintained Edsall's standard of 7,8 win seasons (while admittedly a lot frikkin' better than PP's 5 win seasons) we would not be perceived much differently nationally than we are today. I know UConn fans hate to hear him say it but I think Frank the Tank might be right that even sucky football programs like Syracuse and Pitt have an advantage over UConn simply because they are old-name football schools. For UConn to break that barrier, 8 wins probably won't move the needle. The "UConn doesn't belong" meme is already going very strong, I think it's so strong that waiting a few months to replace PP won't make it significantly stronger, because it's already pegged at 10.

Furthermore, maybe because of the CR board I think some UConn fans have become a little to optimistic about getting a Big Ten or ACC invite in the near future. I'm not saying it's impossible but with the ACC GOR and B1G seeming patient for the time being, I think UConn's CR game already is in a 5-10 year hole. The fact that Cuse, Pitt, Rutgers and Pitt got out I think makes UConn fans understandably defensive, and in the event the ACC decides to add teams we have a decent shot though we still have to worry about Cinci. But let's not kid ourselves - for a chance to get in the B1G there is a ton of work to do, but the good news being that if they take their time that gives us a chance to get everything (academics, research, athletics) bumped up a couple levels. Which we have to do because we're not there yet. Also good news, with a slightly longer timetable, whatever our record in football is in 2013 is less of a factor than our LONG TERM trend which a new coach can start to fix. This is a 5 year process minimum, not a 3 month quick fix. There are no quick fixes for UConn.

 

[junglehusky]

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2011/05/mchugh-approved-for-new-term-as-uconn-board-chair/

Lost credibility in making hires in the athletic department.

??? the link says he was reappointed to a 6 year term in 2011.

 

[RioDog]

Boise State East?? Us???The AAC is never going to be the MWC. BSU saw that the bigEast will be splitting and decided not to join, so I think BSU is smarter than us -- they left before they joined.

This quote caught my eye as well, but for a different reason. Where you focused on the conference comparison, my first thought was about the university, and how in Hades being Boise East could be a reasonable goal is just (insert the politically incorrect pejorative of your choice)...goofy. Except for briefly being conference brethren, there is zero similarity between the two institutions. Do people really have such low expectations for our program? I triangulate our ultimate goal on the axes of the University of North Carolina and the University of Michigan. Maybe this belongs in another thread, but I'm really curious about others' hopes and expectations for UConn and UConn athletics.

 

[epark88]

Related; We're #4! We're #4! In the Misery Index!

Screw that stupid 'Misery Index'.

That's just a vehicle for ACC Today to keep the negative screws tightened on UConn. My prediction: Wolken will be taking gratuitous potshots at us all season in that index for as long as he can get away with it.

And that's gonna suck out loud...

 

[ruskin]

I could be wrong but we don't have College Gameday talking about how pathetic UConn football is, they just ignore us.

Jungle, the rest of your post was well-reasoned and sensible. And the above will be correct before and after Sept. 21. But if Maryland doesn't go well I'd be braced for some serious derision that morning in the previews of ranked teams, especially from Herbstreit.

 

[gars44]

Ruskin... I think you are overestimating the national focus on UConn. I could be wrong but we don't have College Gameday talking about how pathetic UConn football is, they just ignore us. I also think if we had maintained Edsall's standard of 7,8 win seasons (while admittedly a lot frikkin' better than PP's 5 win seasons) we would not be perceived much differently nationally than we are today. I know UConn fans hate to hear him say it but I think Frank the Tank might be right that even sucky football programs like Syracuse and Pitt have an advantage over UConn simply because they are old-name football schools. For UConn to break that barrier, 8 wins probably won't move the needle. The "UConn doesn't belong" meme is already going very strong, I think it's so strong that waiting a few months to replace PP won't make it significantly stronger, because it's already pegged at 10.

Furthermore, maybe because of the CR board I think some UConn fans have become a little to optimistic about getting a Big Ten or ACC invite in the near future. I'm not saying it's impossible but with the ACC GOR and B1G seeming patient for the time being, I think UConn's CR game already is in a 5-10 year hole. The fact that Cuse, Pitt, Rutgers and Pitt got out I think makes UConn fans understandably defensive, and in the event the ACC decides to add teams we have a decent shot though we still have to worry about Cinci. But let's not kid ourselves - for a chance to get in the B1G there is a ton of work to do, but the good news being that if they take their time that gives us a chance to get everything (academics, research, athletics) bumped up a couple levels. Which we have to do because we're not there yet. Also good news, with a slightly longer timetable, whatever our record in football is in 2013 is less of a factor than our LONG TERM trend which a new coach can start to fix. This is a 5 year process minimum, not a 3 month quick fix. There are no quick fixes for UConn.

This is so right on every level. Nothing is going to change our situation short of a paradigm shift in thinking and outlook. Clean house at the end of the year and start a 5 year rebuilding plan. On a national level, Uconn moves the needle like Indiana and Wake Forrest, the only difference being: Indiana and Wake Forrest are already in and have been for a long time. We have to kick the door down to get in, and do we have the stomach for that? Calhoun did it for us in basketball, but is there anyone to do it in football?