What's it going to take for you to consider this season a success? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

What's it going to take for you to consider this season a success?

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Success can't always be measured in wins, but wins are always nice. Especially at least 6 and a bowl berth.

Heck, just give me a competent football program again that gives it their all every game. One that looks like they're at least on their way back to what they were during the RE years.
 
Consistency on the offensive side of the ball in terms of being able to move the chains and getting some points.

A pass rush.

Less delay of game penalties.

More debates on our end of game victory formation practices.

Hope.
 
I'll be happy when I'm sitting on a beach in south Florida in early December.
 
Honestly, I just want to look forward to paying the money to stream the games again this year; last year was the first time in years that I just couldn't rationalize paying and staying home on a Saturday evening to watch us get pounded.

Oh... And not reaching the over/under on WTF is going on around here?
 
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Moved to Rio in 2010. Waited 4 years only to experience the steaming pile that the Brazilian selecao left on the field. Watched and suffered from Rio through the steaming pile of PPGDL. We're returning to Connecticut permanently in 2 weeks, and I expect to make some games this season. I'll be happy with anything better than a steaming pile.

But seriously 6 wins and cohesive play would be great.
 
CTMike said:
This is one of the most surprisingly rational threads I've ever seen.
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Yeah I tried to word the question in a way that encouraged people to think about what success even means this year, especially because I've been thinking about it a lot lately and while I don't know what to expect myself, I thought maybe if I asked the Boneyard, it might give me some ideas of what the general consensus is heading into the season. I was also curious if people had unreasonable expectations, but the more responses I see, the less I think that's the case.
 
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Six wins is critical. It is also important that they pass the eye test. I am taking Diaco at his word. He described poor conditioning, poor mental attitudes and lack of cohesiveness. Those are things he can fix in short order. He can also fix the schemes and play calling. Last year's pathetic team won three games as soon a PP was gone. This team simply has to be better than that, by a reasonable magnitude. That team lost games to teams with less talent, who played harder and were better coached and conditioned. I expect that will never happen again and I expect this team to steal a couple of wins against more talented teams because it played harder, was better coach and better conditioned.
 
RioDog said:
Moved to Rio in 2010. Waited 4 years only to experience the steaming pile that the Brazilian selecao left on the field. Watched and suffered from Rio through the steaming pile of PPGDL. We're returning to Connecticut permanently in 2 weeks, and I expect to make some games this season. I'll be happy with anything better than a steaming pile.

But seriously 6 wins and cohesive play would be great.
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That is quite a comparison, Very similar. Luckily those of us located in Connecticut only had to endure one steaming pile. 6 wins and a well conditioned, cohesive team will help the last 3 years disappear in the rear view mirror.
 
jackl said:
That is quite a comparison, Very similar. Luckily those of us located in Connecticut only had to endure one steaming pile. 6 wins and a well conditioned, cohesive team will help the last 3 years disappear in the rear view mirror.
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The only thing tempering my post-World Cup depression are my hopes for a turnaround in UConn's football fortunes.
 
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PP and GDL really destroyed this boards confidence. Guys, we play in the AAC, anything less than 6 wins is a major disappointment.
 
I'm not going to put a number on it. I just want to see signs of the development of a program. I think everyone needs to remember that Calhoun's first season here the team was 9-19 and Geno's teams didn't have a winning record until his third season. It takes time.
 
I'm not sure that at this point we can put a number of wins on what would be necessary to view the season as a success and I also don't know if they eye test will be as important as the feeling we have when November & December roll around.

It is great that there is quite a bit of excitement and hope for the program now but we will need to be as positive about the direction of the program in six months in order for the season to be a success. It is quite possible that we can count this season's wins on one hand and have that feeling but it is also possible that we can win more than a half dozen games, go bowling and finish the season knowing that what we have isn't quite what we had hoped.

I still remember how I felt after we finished .500 not quite a dozen years ago. I want that feeling again this December.
 
FfldCntyFan said:
I'm not sure that at this point we can put a number of wins on what would be necessary to view the season as a success and I also don't know if they eye test will be as important as the feeling we have when November & December roll around.

It is great that there is quite a bit of excitement and hope for the program now but we will need to be as positive about the direction of the program in six months in order for the season to be a success. It is quite possible that we can count this season's wins on one hand and have that feeling but it is also possible that we can win more than a half dozen games, go bowling and finish the season knowing that what we have isn't quite what we had hoped.

I still remember how I felt after we finished .500 not quite a dozen years ago. I want that feeling again this December.
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The feeling that I want to have is that of HOPE as we stand around the grill cooking up whatever. Last year the Tailgate was the highlight of the Day. Depressing, I don't even remember if football was a topic of conversation. This year looking for a turn around in that feeling in B lot. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!
 
I'm with FCF with this. This year is, more than anything, about assessing the damage from the PP years, and making sure that HCBD can actually coach as well as look good at a presser. I know PP couldn't coach any more, but I'm not sure yet whether his recruiting classes are, as those kids now become upperclassmen, going to be impossible to work with because he didn't recruit the right kids, or whether the raw material was fine and it will just take a better coach to make them productive players. And none of us know how good a head coach HCBD will be when the season starts.

So you want a number? I'd love 6-6 because it would show me that there is hope to be competitive while HCBD rebuilds the roster with his kids, and that he can get enough out of his players to make the next few seasons fun while we wait. But it's possible it can be much worse than that, and people may have to look very hard to try to determine if a bad season is reflective of HCBD or just the talent he is starting with.

Because FHCRE critics/PP suck ups made a huge point of determining we stepped back in '10 because of the talent PP was left and not his coaching. Subsequent events (draft picks, all conference selections and coaching) challenge that interpretation. That scenario, however (that no coach could win with the food in the cupboard), is far more likely this time around (although people may be slower to see that because we will have good QB play).
 
My Expectations for this year:

4 sunny home games
Way to much food at tailgate
WAYYYY to much beer at tailgate
7 stunning performances by the marching band, as per usual
A refreshing sense of hope and ironic/sarcastic PP/GDL banter
staying in Gray Lot until the coppers impolitely prompt us to .
 
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I'm hopeful, again, that after Aug. 29, on Aug. 30, that fan expectations have been completely reset - positively.

I freely admit that I was blinded to what was happening, supported a head coach and his program, blindly based on respect from eons ago, and came up with many - any - explanation except for the obvious, between the 2011 and 2012 5-7 seasons. In 2011, we went 5-7 and were in it for a bowl game right up to the last game against Cincy. in 2012, we struggled more, but won a big game against a ranked opponent on the road late in the season, put together a great game against Pittsburgh, and again, were fighting for 6-6 and a bowl game at the end of the season. I wasn't the only rational football oriented person that was snowballed by the old farts. Those two consecutive 5-7 seasons could be rationalized, but progress needed to happen in 2013, without a doubt. Kudos to all of you that knew different - too bad you weren't in position to actually make changes in the coaching staff.

After the opener against Towson in 2013, I knew it was over, and I admitted it then. I still remember how awful that next morning was for me. What a disaster of a game. I drank way too much. Got too close to getting into fights. Just generally pissed off at how bad the team performed, and it was the frigging season opener. I wrote here, right after, that my confidence in Pasqualoni's guidance was gone after that game. It's not that we lost, it's how we played against Towson. Nothing that happened after that Towson game was a surprise until halftime at Temple. The team was a disaster. THey weren't talent poor, as the Michigan game showed. Something clicked though, in Philadelphia, with nobody watching, and nothing tangible to play for.

We've got a new coaching staff now, but mostly the same players. It will be interesting to see if whatever it was that clicked late last year, and surprised me, can carry over, and be built upon. Because there is plenty tangible to play for now.

I think we will all know, on Saturday morning Aug. 30, win or lose against BYU - and I hope again, that fan expectations, are completely reset, and the feeling and direction that thoughts seem to go, to bring up the past and Edsall and Pasqualoni's successes and failures, falls by the wayside, very quickly, as we begin to look more and more only at what's happening now, and going forward, rather than looking back.
 
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I think a lot of people have the right view here. I think I can differentiate between what I would like to see and what would be acceptable. I do think we have a pretty tough schedule, especially early. I've seen both Boise and BYU listed in various pre-season Top 25s so it could be rough out of the gate, but I pretty much agree with J187 that for our fan base it needs to be 6 wins, but for me it is about seeing a team that is prepared, that doesn't panic when things go bad, and that gives you a sense that you have a shot in every game.. I'd also like to see progress as the season goes on. Even if it is a bit rocky early, and I think it could be with a new coach and the mess he inherited, I'd like to see us end the year with a nice run, say 4-5 game win streak. And fi I never again see the oline looking utterly confused and completely over matched it will be too soon.
 
freescooter said:
I think a lot of people have the right view here. I think I can differentiate between what I would like to see and what would be acceptable. I do think we have a pretty tough schedule, especially early. I've seen both Boise and BYU listed in various pre-season Top 25s so it could be rough out of the gate, but I pretty much agree with J187 that for our fan base it needs to be 6 wins, but for me it is about seeing a team that is prepared, that doesn't panic when things go bad, and that gives you a sense that you have a shot in every game.. I'd also like to see progress as the season goes on. Even if it is a bit rocky early, and I think it could be with a new coach and the mess he inherited, I'd like to see us end the year with a nice run, say 4-5 game win streak. And fi I never again see the oline looking utterly confused and completely over matched it will be too soon.
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Here's the thing...If the team is prepared better than they appeared to be over the last 36 games, If they are better conditioned than they appeared to be over the last 36 games, and if the attitude is more positive than it was over the last 36 games, then the wins are going to come. It's as simple as that.

I am on the record that UConn could very well be 4-2 or better by Columbus day. If that is the case, Memphis is certainly winnable, as is Cinci, Army, and SMU. There are 4 games that I see UConn having a hard time winning, but they will certainly stay in the game/have a better showing than last year by leaps and bounds. Those are BYU, BSU, ECU, and UCF.
 
Husky25 said:
Here's the thing...If the team is prepared better than they appeared to be over the last 36 games, If they are better conditioned than they appeared to be over the last 36 games, and if the attitude is more positive than it was over the last 36 games, then the wins are going to come. It's as simple as that.

I am on the record that UConn could very well be 4-2 or better by Columbus day. If that is the case, Memphis is certainly winnable, as is Cinci, Army, and SMU. There are 4 games that I see UConn having a hard time winning, but they will certainly stay in the game/have a better showing than last year by leaps and bounds. Those are BYU, BSU, ECU, and UCF.
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Bingo. Conditioning, preparation and most importantly the mental discipline individually and as a group. Took me until the Towson game to realize that everything that had done to establish the high level of competency in those three things, through Jan 2011, had been erased by Sept 2013. Others can claim to have known earlier. Whoop dee do.

Simply by correcting that, I believe we will be a competitive team, week in and week out, and have a great opportunity to impose our will to win on our opponents, re-energize the fan base at home, and compete for a league title and a post season game, as the season draws out.

We'll all know by the end of the game on Aug. 29.
 
Irish Loop said:
Is it a number of wins? Just forward progress? An uptick in recruiting? Progress as the season moves on?
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An identity. Not sure what it will be but it needs to be something that fans and opponents will know. Whether it is smash mouth, play to end, tough, physical or the opposite end with run and gun, risk takers, etc. It will reveal itself in the first 3 weeks if the play is consistent from game to game. The identity will come from the coaching/game plan and the execution on the field.

Problem is, no one knows who Diaco will become game day. He talks a good game but does he get tight and play not to lose in a game day situation. Does he turtle if there is an early turnover? I think this board hopes that he is more like year 5 RE and than any year of PP.

Wins? I don't expect more than 4 or 5, including one major upset. The team needs a make over and that will take several seasons. Playing hard and to win? Anything less than 12 games like that will be a failure.
 
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06029 said:
An identity. Not sure what it will be but it needs to be something that fans and opponents will know. Whether it is smash mouth, play to end, tough, physical or the opposite end with run and gun, risk takers, etc. It will reveal itself in the first 3 weeks if the play is consistent from game to game. The identity will come from the coaching/game plan and the execution on the field.

Problem is, no one knows who Diaco will become game day. He talks a good game but does he get tight and play not to lose in a game day situation. Does he turtle if there is an early turnover? I think this board hopes that he is more like year 5 RE and than any year of PP.

Wins? I don't expect more than 4 or 5, including one major upset. The team needs a make over and that will take several seasons. Playing hard and to win? Anything less than 12 games like that will be a failure.
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I'd have to dig to find it, but there was a quote from Dave Wannstedt many years ago, regarding UCONN, that I loved, and it spoke volumes as to the identity of UCONN football. He said something to the effect, that he always knows when they've played UCONN (at Pitt) because his players are all walking around with headaches and in a daze the next day.

I want that back. That's the indentity I want back.

edit - just looked a bit, can't find the article. it was some post game interview many years ago where Wannstedt said that about UCONN.

As for wins and losses, if the things happen, that most people around here are pointing out as to see a successful season in 2014, and it's remarkable how consistent it is - it's all conditioning, preparation and mental discipline and will power - 25 nailed it. The question about #s of wins and losses will be what our actual talent level is. In that respect, as long as we come well conditioned, well prepared, and disciplined and motivated to exert our will week in and week out - we will certainly get a very good idea of whether or not Pasqualoni's failure was entirely complete, because the talent level we are going to be competing with will be mostly recruited by Pasqualoni. My gut tells me that we've got the talent to do really well, but there really is no way to know, with the complete mental and discipline breakdowns the program went through in the past 2 seasons.

last season, I had such high expectations for this program, I had gotten myself so fired up, and it was a multi year process for that 2013 season, and what it entailed. That's probably what made the failure that we produced against Towson so much more dramatic for me personally at least. There was enough from 2011-2012, to keep me positive and hopeful that things were going right, and 2013 - was supposed to be our year. How could we not be prepared to take on that challenge of that season and what he had in front of us? WE proved it's possible. it's over and gone though.

I'm getting very excited for 2014 though, we've got entirely new sets of challenges in front of this program, and I want to see us win.

have a nice day everyone.
 
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Carl Spackler said:
I'd have to dig to find it, but there was a quote from Dave Wannstedt many years ago, regarding UCONN, that I loved, and it spoke volumes as to the identity of UCONN football. He said something to the effect, that he always knows when they've played UCONN (at Pitt) because his players are all walking around with headaches and in a daze the next day.

I want that back. That's the indentity I want back.
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Speaking if Pitt, My sister in Law is a Pitt grad and she and my brother in law moved back to suburban Pittsburgh after he retired from the Navy. We are going to visit tomorrow. Needless to say that I will be donning UConn gear every day for the 5 that we are there...
 
My expectation is to have DJ Joey fired or muzzled. Can't understand a word his high pitched girl voice says anyway.
Other than that. I expect to see linebackers droping bombs like this is OIF.
 
CodyJ. said:
My expectation is to have DJ Joey fired or muzzled. Can't understand a word his high pitched girl voice says anyway.
Other than that. I expect to see linebackers droping bombs like this is OIF.
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I don't remember him late last season.
 
Husky25 said:
I don't remember him late last season.
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Lets pray it stays that way. Nothing more annoying than getting our butts whooped only to hear that nails on chalkboard voice ramble in some foreign language that nobody understands.
 
I have simple expectations for this season. I want to be entertained. I want to go to a game and believe that we have a CHANCE to win. I want each game to be close, to be hard fought but for to come out on top more often than not. Does it need to be 6 wins and a bowl game this season, no not really, that would be the icing on the cake but if we can be competitive and consistent each and every week this year that would be a springboard to reestablishing ourselves as a threat to win this conference next year and each and every year afterward. There was nothing worst than going to game with very little chance of winning.
 
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