Wellness Check

[Hornet22]

No crime in that.

Watched a little of Tulane and Cincinnati today. We are not physically ready to compete with any team in the league this year. Our players just look thinner and slower than everyone else's in this league.

Correct.
It’s just tough to execute in this sport when you’re overmatched in size, speed and strength due to just plain old youth.
I just need someone to find an FBS roster that is constructed like ours and do a comparison (if you can find one). If the team you find is performing at a competent level then I’ll wave the white flag on this team.
Until then I will remain positive and hope they work their tails off during the offseason to get better.

 

[Hornet22]

Didn't he fly out for the Boise game? That's true fandom right there. I'm having a hard time deciding if I go to another home game this year.

Ya gotta go man.
These freshmen starters have nothing to do with the past years of losing. The sophomores have one year of losing under their belt.
They have been thrust into a situation that I’m positive they didn’t expect to be in. If we’re fans we owe it to them to support them through this. If we think this losing is hard as fans, imagine the players? They are the ones grinding through practice and class and meetings. They’re the ones being talked about in the media like trash. And at the end of the day they show up on Saturdays representing the University of Connecticut. If they can do that then so can we.
Just my opinion.

 

[Hornet22]

Just a quick question for shytes and giggles...
If Darien’s freshman team crafted a schedule and played all the varsity teams in their league, think they would be undefeated? Win maybe one game? Think they would make marginal improvements each week and resembled something competent? Or would they get the snot kicked out of them week in and week out? Even by Stamford?

 

[TRest]

Just a quick question for shytes and giggles...
If Darien’s freshman team crafted a schedule and played all the varsity teams in their league, think they would be undefeated? Win maybe one game? Think they would make marginal improvements each week and resembled something competent? Or would they get the snot kicked out of them week in and week out? Even by Stamford?

Would Darien's freshmen be objectively better than the upperclassmen? Conn's don't seem to be physically capable of even taking the field yet we are supposed to believe these guys represent the best at their positions?

 

[Chief00]

Correct.
It’s just tough to execute in this sport when you’re overmatched in size, speed and strength due to just plain old youth.
I just need someone to find an FBS roster that is constructed like ours and do a comparison (if you can find one). If the team you find is performing at a competent level then I’ll wave the white flag on this team.
Until then I will remain positive and hope they work their tails off during the offseason to get better.

Cincy has a lot of youth too and they killed us. It’s talent and on defense finding guys who want to hit people.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Cincy has a lot of youth too and they killed us. It’s talent and on defense finding guys who want to hit people.

Did you even bother to look at their depth chart?

 

[noeynox]

Ya gotta go man.
These freshmen starters have nothing to do with the past years of losing. The sophomores have one year of losing under their belt.
They have been thrust into a situation that I’m positive they didn’t expect to be in. If we’re fans we owe it to them to support them through this. If we think this losing is hard as fans, imagine the players? They are the ones grinding through practice and class and meetings. They’re the ones being talked about in the media like trash. And at the end of the day they show up on Saturdays representing the University of Connecticut. If they can do that then so can we.
Just my opinion.

I've gone for 15 years plus. It has got to be somewhat enjoyable. Nothing about what we see is even remotely enjoyable. Not even Diacos worst was as bad as what we are seeing performance wise. I get their young, but next year without Pindell is shaping up to be worse. We will hear about the offense what we currently hear about the defense. They're so young, yadda yadda.

 

[Hornet22]

Did you even bother to look at their depth chart?

Clearly he hasn’t to make that post.
It just seems like some people on here are hell bent to blow this thing up or write this team off. The obvious is either being overlooked or you hear, “I know the team is young but...”
There are no buts. They’re young and that’s 90 percent of the reason we’re getting beat so bad. There’s just no way around that fact

 

[Hornet22]

Would Darien's freshmen be objectively better than the upperclassmen? Conn's don't seem to be physically capable of even taking the field yet we are supposed to believe these guys represent the best at their positions?

That’s a fair point and fair question. I can’t speak to who the coaches decide to put on their two deep. All I’ve been commenting on is the product and youth on the field that’s actually playing.
If RE is playing young guys over others who are older that could offer more competitiveness then that’s on him.
Whether the freshmen for Darien or UConn are better than the upperclassmen is irrelevant. If they’re on the field against varsity players they would get smacked every which way and Sunday.
You just can’t get around that fact.
I would even make the point more fair and give the Darien freshman team a Will Levis at QB and the best coordinator you can find on both offense and defense.
The results would be the same.

 

[Chief00]

Clearly he hasn’t to make that post.
It just seems like some people on here are hell bent to blow this thing up or write this team off. The obvious is either being overlooked or you hear, “I know the team is young but...”
There are no buts. They’re young and that’s 90 percent of the reason we’re getting beat so bad. There’s just no way around that fact

Saw a stat where Cincy has one of the youngest roosters in the country.

 

[huskymedic]

Saw a stat where Cincy has one of the youngest roosters in the country.

... they may be a young team overall (haven't matched rosters) but their starters are mostly upperclassmen (and are now a Top 25 team):

 

[Chief00]

... they may be a young team overall (haven't matched rosters) but their starters are mostly upperclassmen (and are now a Top 25 team):
View attachment 34990

They are loaded with talented Freshman and Sophmores from great recruiting the last couple years. They defer to upper class men on the formal depth chart but the under classmen are making good contributions.

 

[whaler11]

... they may be a young team overall (haven't matched rosters) but their starters are mostly upperclassmen (and are now a Top 25 team):
View attachment 34990

What about their rooster though? That sucker just hatched.

 

[Stainmaster]

What about their rooster though? That sucker just hatched.

Be careful now. Chief might suddenly start acting cocky.

 

[Chief00]

What about their rooster though? That sucker just hatched.

At least 45 Soph and Freshmen on depth chart provided.

 

[uconnphil2016]

can we believe that someone is getting paid $1 million to lead this ship of fools? That’s basically theft. Randy should be carrying people’s luggage at Bradley airport to earn his pay at this point

 

[uconnphil2016]

First they came for Serrano,
and I did not speak out, for I was not Serrano.

Then they came for Whaler,
and I did not speak out, for I was not Whaler.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

 

[huskymedic]

can we believe that someone is getting paid $1 million to lead this ship of fools? That’s basically theft. Randy should be carrying people’s luggage at Bradley airport to earn his pay at this point

Phil must be joining the Hot Take Tuesday movement:

UConnBlog: Hot Take Tuesday: Coaching is Causing Defensive Problems

>>Author’s disclaimer: This column is called Hot Take Tuesday. The opinions and predictions contained in this column will not all be accurate. In keeping with the hot take tradition of sports (particularly football) media, you’re probably better off taking in the spirit of the take rather than the words themselves. Don’t worry, at the end I’ll tell you how seriously to take it.<<

Plus i wasn’t starting another thread and was looking for a fitting home for this

 

[Hornet22]

They are loaded with talented Freshman and Sophmores from great recruiting the last couple years. They defer to upper class men on the formal depth chart but the under classmen are making good contributions.

Yeah but if those freshmen started against some of the teams we played they would be made to look like HS kids. The good thing about their roster is those freshmen will be playing as much more mature sophomores next year.
We got our butts kicked by the number 1’s on that two deep. Not the twos

 

[Chief00]

Yeah but if those freshmen started against some of the teams we played they would be made to look like HS kids. The good thing about their roster is those freshmen will be playing as much more mature sophomores next year.
We got our butts kicked by the number 1’s on that two deep. Not the twos

The 2 deep kicked our butts too.

 

[uconndogs]

What’s it mean when a poster’s name has a line struck through it? That’s what I see for Whaler.

 

[huskymedic]

What’s it mean when a poster’s name has a line struck through it? That’s what I see for Whaler.

He’s on vacation....

 

[uconndogs]

He’s on vacation....

Self imposed or forced?

 

[Exit 4]

He’s on vacation....

I thought it meant he has digital cooties.

 

[jonsmith]

The 2 deep kicked our butts too.

Cincinnati has been playing lots of players this season and giving more and more PT to frosh as the season goes on. Aside from the freshman QB (Ridder) the 2nd and 3rd string RBs are both true frosh and looking very good. And now playing a freshman at Center after the starter was hurt last week.

The good news for Cincinnati is they have a lot of upperclassmen in the trenches but can also rotate with young guys throughout the game. And at many other positions they can get a lot of freshman and sophomores to contribute at a high level. So they are getting a lot of reps with the 1s but also don't have to solely rely on freshmen to a huge extent. But Fickell's recruiting ability is showing in the freshman and sophomore classes for sure.