Where were you when

[coachRD]

you recognized the Coach P hire was a big mistake? Me? I was home, tonight. Some called it right off the bat. I realized it just now. I apologize to those of you I doubted who pointed out what a horrific hire this was. I wasn't "excited" for Coach P (I was a huge Edsall fan), but I admit-I thought he was a good replacement. Significant problems off the top of my head:

Specials:
1) We have gone from the #1 KR team in the country, to below average, in one season. All while still having the same player who led the country in KR yardage. That's not easy to do.

2) We have not had a single PR where we blocked gunners sufficiently to give our PR a clean release.

3) Our KR coverage was poor every week so far except for tonight.

Defense:
1) We have consistently allowed opposing QB's to have career days against us, or near career days. The "high"light? Allowing a MAC team to pass for just South of 500 yards against us WHILE THEY WERE MISSING 3 STARTING OL due to injuries.

2) We allowed Pitt to amass more yards between TV timeouts than they did for an entire game against a solid, but unspectacular Utah team. Again-Pitt QB with a career day.

3) Our schemes are so poor, that when driving and on our 15 yard line, Pitt still managed to have a WR so open, there was no one within 15 yards of him. Isn't that impossible?!

Offense:
1) We have doubled our amount of sacks allowed from last year, with 4 games still remaining.

2) We have managed to hand away, at a minimum, 1 game with offensive playcalling (Vandy). Say what you want about Edsall's offenses-at times they were inept, but at least they didnt' GIVE away games with playcalling.

*I understand UCONN wasn't operating with Top 25 talent-specifically we lost 2 of our best program LB's ever in one year, and we lost the nation's 2nd leading rusher. Many, myself included, overestimated our D's ability to overcome our personnel losses. I have been patient because of these things.

However, some issues jump out at me that are more program-wide/schematic concerns:
a) the lack of development in Special Teams, and the downturn in performance from last year in every facet of special teams,
b) the continued coverage scheme issues that allow opposing WR's to be so open that defenders don't even fit in the screen,
c) the way we have artfully created a "3-headed monster" at QB that has somehow created a scenario where NONE of the 3 QB's can feeel good about their place in the program....these are major red flags imo.

 

[willie99]

for me, it was at the Rent watching a Mac team destroy our defense

 

[coachRD]

for me, it was at the Rent watching a Mac team destroy our defense

Willie-would you mind editing your post please for accuracy? It should read "...a Mac's backup team..." since they were missing 3 starting OL that game.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

so are you saying that 5 of 13 isn't good enough for you?

 

[noeynox]

I'll add a couple. The Ryan Griffin stepping out of bounds. The offsides on defense on 3rd and 10, I wasn't a huge Randy fan but those types of mistakes were seldom seen under him. Driving, third and one the QB takes a sack.

Some of it is personnel. Agbor abhors contact it seems, which isn't a good trait to have as a safety. I assume he still plays defense because he is the best we have after the starters. On one third and long screen they converted for a first he had a clear shot at a tackle with a full head of steam and a slight nudge took him completely out of the play.

There are issues with this coaching staff, and if things don't look better by next year it is time to reconsider Ct native thing.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

at first i was a pasqualoni supporter, but the more I watch this team with the amount of mistakes they make on both sides of the ball, the awful qb play, this is just terrible....

 

[jdb50]

We have a number of players that don't tackle. Last year we had Sherman, Frey DJ Shoemate at the end of the year and our backup FB Manning? making tackles on coverage. I have seen #1 watching the play on multiple kickoff coverages. We have starters on D that drop their head, throw a shoulder and never hit and wrapup. Yet they are out there every game. We had plenty of time to prepare for this game and it was 14 zip in a heartbeat.

 

[UConnJim]

How can anyone compare the talent on last year's team to this year? Coach P didn't really recruit anyone on this current team. We lost top 3 RBs, top 2 LBs, starting QB, Best Olineman, some of our best WRs, our best KR, and our best DB to injury. If this was Coach P's 3rd year, we could blame him, but it's not. As for QB, we saw the 3 headed QB and McEntee appeared the best of an inexperienced bunch. What is Coach P supposed to do, turn McEntee into Donovan McNabb?

 

[coachRD]

How can anyone compare the talent on last year's team to this year? Coach P didn't really recruit anyone on this current team. We lost top 3 RBs, top 2 LBs, starting QB, Best Olineman, some of our best WRs, our best KR, and our best DB to injury. If this was Coach P's 3rd year, we could blame him, but it's not. As for QB, we saw the 3 headed QB and McEntee appeared the best of an inexperienced bunch. What is Coach P supposed to do, turn McEntee into Donovan McNabb?

I agree with your important point that we lost a lot of talent off last year's team. However, all teams lose talent EVERY year. I understand taking a step back in the W-L column to an extent this year because of the personnel losses you mention.

But what is scary about Coach P's team is the TREND we see with what he is putting on the field. EVERY facet of Special teams has gotten worse this year; our defense is just as lost after Game 8 as Game 1; etc....

If you are losing because of a talent deficit, but play smart, fundamentally sound football, you have teams string together methodical drives against you that chip away yards at a moderate rate to eventually score. Teams put together 80+ yard drives for TD's against us in 2:00 minutes like they are playing against a HS team. Teams are getting BETTER at picking apart our defense as the year goes on, not worse. Our players consistently lose the 1st quarter-a sign of poor coaching PREPARATION.

These are fundamental SCHEMATIC problems that Coach P is allowing on Defense and Special Teams. This has nothing to do with talent, or with him recruiting "his" type of players.

 

[Northbound]

We cannot trot out the "he didn't recruit these guys" refrain. It's not like we went from a pro style offense to the wishbone for gods sake and the skills sets/position needs are vastly different.

RE was ready to play with these guys (and no I'm not a RE guy - I respect what he accomplish, but thought he was a tool) because what bunch of freshman did he expect to come into UC and have an immediate impact?

Maybe we'd get lucky and get a couple of guys, but good god be realistic, we're not getting a slew of impact freshman, as much as I'd like us to be Bama, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. we are not at that level and therefore we're not exactly a destination for freshman that are going to make an immediate impact, not yet anyway, someday I hope we are.

There was also no way that RE knew he was getting a better gig than his UC gig so he might have been here. Do we really to believe that the kids that were left RE thought would tank a year after a BCS bid? So then he'd have been stuck at UC a place he didn't want to be. He had to have thought there was at least passable talent to be competitive on the field and give him a chance to jump to what he would have perceived as a more attractive program.

I never liked the P hire but he's here (I have actually been forced to defend him with my syracuse friends who say he wasn't successful at SU, he actually was) and I hope he succeeds (who the hell can route against these kids), but good god it's UGLY and I don't care what game you want to look at because all of it's a mess, some is just less messy than others.

JMac, I want the best for the kid, but sheesh you've got to give some of the other folks a real shot in game situations, we burned the redshirt on MN, let the kid get game experience, he'll get hit, it's part of DI football and I feel like channeling my inner Dan Hawkins "It's Division 1 football brother, it's not intramurals" and if we can't develop protection schemes to protect the kid or utilize his mobility to avoid hits it just showcases the staffs inability to adjust the game plan and schemes to fit the talent on hand......you don't need to do a seven step drop and sit the kid in the pocket if you're worried about a breakdown in protection, take a three or five step drop, utilize play action, move the QB out of the pocket on designed rolls, hit bubbles, etc......sheesh.

Clearly it's not that easy or they'd do it, but I'd love to feel like they are flexible and practicing some in game or personnel adjustments, and not Scott M for a play.....that isn't an adjustment, it's just happy high school crap.

Sorry, vent over.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

Vanderbilt ..... Then Western Michigan ...

But what really re-assured me was ESPN asking Pasqualoni after half time (paraphrasing): coach how are you going to adjust to Pitts screen passing your asses over and over and over again?" Pasqualoni: "we will be going more with the zone" First offensive play of the second half ... Uconn blitz's ... Pitt simply does a screen pass dump off. WTF coach WTF?

 

[Skiblets]

At the beginning of the season I started the 'time for a change' thread. Some agreed, most decided that it was best to give him more time, install his systems etc. Hell, even RE was struggling at Maryland.

I admit that that thread may have been a bit premature but I knew what I was seeing and it wasn't pretty.

USF gave me some hope that things were being worked out but last night's performance confirmed my fears. USF was the aberration. As the sample size grows, the warts are becoming more apparent.

Specials - worse - by far.
Defense - worse - we lost two NFL LBs so not surprising. What is surprising is the amount of space that there seems to be. Last night it looked like we were playing on a CFL field with all the room to run. I'm not sold on Don Brown. Solve you problems with aggression? Nice slogan but results are results.
Offense - putrid. The gimmicky three QB thing is a joke. I'm not sure how Mccummings would perform for 60 minutes but it's time to start pointing to the future and let him and Nebrich take their lumps. The O line has regressed terribly as well
In game adjustments - zero.

Coach P is a nice guy but not the right guy.

 

[uconNYC]

I had my doubts when I watched his introductory press conference. He came across as a very likable guy, but didn't seem to have the fire and intensity you look for in a college head coach. I still felt that he could guide us to the middle-of-the-pack of the Big East on a consistent basis and pave the way for an up-and-coming coach in 4-5 years time. But after the first few games I'm thinking this could turn into a GRob, Kragthorpe situation. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

I was smack in the middle of January, 2011 when I realized it was a bad hire. Never like it. Thought is was ridiculous to think that a 62 year old former college coach, former NFL assistance was gonna put together a long term plan for the program. Hire him as a steering committee consultant if you must, but not as the head coach.

Rich Rod? "We'll never get him", "We wouldn"t want someone like him".

Mike Leach? "We'll never get him" "We stop making alumni contributions if the university ever stooped so low". "We don't wanna become some SEC football factory" (No worries there, mate).

Addazio? He was only good cuz he was at Florida.

McGee (from Arkansas)?"He's not from New England", "He's more 'pass oriented' and we're UConn we run the ball" Blah, blah, blah.

So then it became a matter of "RETREADS": Whipple, Paul P,etc. And so Connecticut took the "safe route". Land of Steady Habits, don't do anything 'outside the box".

If UConn was gonna hire a "past-his-prime" coach, why not go for a Bobby Bowden - someone who could at least excite kids when he make a home visit. Someone who knows how to recruit. Heck he'd have probably love it since Teggart is pretty accurate (no more wide rights).

 

[zls44]

Land of Steady Habits, don't do anything 'outside the box".

This, this, a thousand times this. It was such a Hathaway type of hire. Gee shucks, well golly, I oughta tell ya, back in 1998 this guy was coaching one of the best teams and gosh golly etc.

 

[NutmegState]

Mr. Burton is chirping away...he has the University's ear, we know this much.

 

[CTMike]

You don't have the kind of career that Pasqualoni has had without having some serious football knowledge. You just don't. I think P was a good choice, given who was available at the time. I'm even willing to give him time to bring in a recruiting class or two.

.... but I'm saying all that much, MUCH more reluctantly these days.

 

[businesslawyer]

Never would have made that hire. He's an easy gentleman to root for, but I had no reason to think he was going to be a much better coach than his last few years at Syracuse.

Having said that, if I am allowed one move with the staff this offseason, I would fire Brown, push Hughes to an office job and either bring back Todd Orlando as Defensive Coordinator (this time without Hughes above him in the hierarchy) or go after Vernon Hargraves. I am not a Deleone fan, but being fair to him requires that he have time to get a QB that he has some confidence in on the field.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

Never would have made that hire. He's an easy gentleman to root for, but I had no reason to think he was going to be a much better coach than his last few years at Syracuse.

Having said that, if I am allowed one more with the staff this offseason, I would fire Brown, push Hughes to an office job and either bring back Todd Orlando as Defensive Coordinator (this time without Hughes above him in the hierarch) or go after Vernon Hargraves. I am not a Deleone fan, but being fair to him requires that he have time to get a QB that he has some confidence in on the field.

I agree with just about everything you said above ... but also I would take Clay White off of special teams and either move him to help with RB's or part ways. Getting Todd Orlando back would be a dream scenario IMO. Brown needs to go ... His style would be successful in the SEC with regards to speed.

 

[metsfan2323]

The lack of defensive adjustments is shocking. Pitt beat us the same way W Michigan beat us, with quick hits over the middle which for some reason is consistently vacated. P was the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys last year so I can't imagine that Brown is running anything that P doesn't want run. They better figure it out before the next game because Marrone will no doubt go to school on how to attack this D. He need only watch two games.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Quick question - i know that P is ultimately responsible for everything, but do you really think he's the special teams coach?

 

[Husky68]

The lack of defensive adjustments is shocking. Pitt beat us the same way W Michigan beat us, with quick hits over the middle which for some reason is consistently vacated. P was the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys last year so I can't imagine that Brown is running anything that P doesn't want run. They better figure it out before the next game because Marrone will no doubt go to school on how to attack this D. He need only watch two games.

Unfortunately, what Pitt did to Uconn is exactly what Syracuse did to WV. Syracuse got swing passes to receivers with plenty of space and quick cuts up the middle by TE's were amazingly open. Pitt and Syracuse offenses looked like they were out scheming the same defense (WV and Uconn defensive weaknesses looked the same and both did not correct during the game).

 

[freescooter]

Never would have made that hire. He's an easy gentleman to root for, but I had no reason to think he was going to be a much better coach than his last few years at Syracuse.

Having said that, if I am allowed one move with the staff this offseason, I would fire Brown, push Hughes to an office job and either bring back Todd Orlando as Defensive Coordinator (this time without Hughes above him in the hierarchy) or go after Vernon Hargraves. I am not a Deleone fan, but being fair to him requires that he have time to get a QB that he has some confidence in on the field.

I think I agree, mostly but you lost me with the Hughes move. I think he has done a solid job witht he Dline which is the only positive element in this whole defensive mess.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Again - I'm not doing this from watching on film.

BUT: I AM 100% POSITIVE that the defense DID adjust. We went to a zone based system on defense in the second half to stop the slants and timing routes b/c we've shown time and again that we can't cover those in man coverages when we're putting pressure on the QB, and we were getting pressure.

on defense - WE BLEW SPACING AND ASSIGNMENTS AND MISSED TACKLES. How much more fundamental on the field can you get than that - missed tackles? You're in position to make the play, you make the ducking play or you don't.

This defense puts players in position to make plays and do good things, and they absolutely DID adjust. this idea that the defense did not adjust in this game is FALSE. The offense creates space all over the field, there was no need to change anythign on offense except find players that can actually make the plays.

The players need to get the job done. It's on the coaches to make sure they're not ducking up the details. That's where the coaches need to improve,a nd that comes down to adjusting the way they're running practices. I fully expect that these guys will be practicing a little different after this game.

I'm so tired of the argument that these coaches are not doing a bad job. There are open receivers all over the field on offense. They're creating holes to run the ball on offense. They're giving the QB enough time to throw. The defense is stopping the run among the best in teh country, and our backside of the defense, the supposed strength, is being exposed as not really being able to cover anybody in man coverage, or any scheme we're you know, you actually try to do something to stop the QB BEFORE he throws the ball.

On offense, they continue to build and have incorporated into the offense the ability to change things at the line of scrimmage that I haven't seen before this year.

Special teams? What was so bad about special teams last night?

ARGG.

This team lost last night becuase they failed to make plays when they were in position to make plays. That means all the little details about playing each position weren't right.

I expect practices to be harder than ever, and reduced down to the basics of blocking and tackling and positional skills.

The overall systems are working. ALong the way, the details fell apart last week.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think I agree, mostly but you lost me with the Hughes move. I think he has done a solid job witht he Dline which is the only positive element in this whole defensive mess.

I am not in any way blaming this on Hughes. But I don't think you're getting Orlando back to be the sort-of DC where he's reporting to Hughes again. I would just bit the bullet and go younger.