Whose Fault is the D?

[mhk9run]

Long time boneyard onlooker here, first time poster. Couldn’t help but create an account after what I saw last night. I guess my question at this point is, who do we have to blame? I know we have some Randy fanboys on here, but is he responsible for much of this blame? It seems far fetched to say that Crocker switched to a 4 down front after running his own 3-3-5 defense his whole life. This move was clearly influenced by Edsall, if not totally made by him. Also, are the freshman who are playing right now really the best option for us? I have a feeling that the reason they are all playing is because we are playing for the future, and next season when Edsall is presumably on the hot seat. Do we really think that Kevon Jones is a better player than Eddie Hahn, who shined in the 4th quarter last night when he played? Are our freshman D Lineman who have been getting manhandled better than the upperclassmen? Don’t get me wrong, Travis Jones will be a great player for us, but last night he missed multiple tackles when he was right there and I think he is having trouble playing at 355 pounds. And as for the DBs, is there really no better option, including shuffling around where they play? I hardly saw any competitive plays on the ball last night. I have a feeling there is more going on than we know, and we are not putting our best players on the field right now. And it’s not our coordinators fault.

 

[Stainmaster]

Do we really think that Kevon Jones is a better player than Eddie Hahn, who shined in the 4th quarter last night when he played?

Considering they both play different positions, is this at all relevant?

 

[businesslawyer]

Long time boneyard onlooker here, first time poster. Couldn’t help but create an account after what I saw last night. I guess my question at this point is, who do we have to blame? I know we have some Randy fanboys on here, but is he responsible for much of this blame? It seems far fetched to say that Crocker switched to a 4 down front after running his own 3-3-5 defense his whole life. This move was clearly influenced by Edsall, if not totally made by him. Also, are the freshman who are playing right now really the best option for us? I have a feeling that the reason they are all playing is because we are playing for the future, and next season when Edsall is presumably on the hot seat. Do we really think that Kevon Jones is a better player than Eddie Hahn, who shined in the 4th quarter last night when he played? Are our freshman D Lineman who have been getting manhandled better than the upperclassmen? Don’t get me wrong, Travis Jones will be a great player for us, but last night he missed multiple tackles when he was right there and I think he is having trouble playing at 355 pounds. And as for the DBs, is there really no better option, including shuffling around where they play? I hardly saw any competitive plays on the ball last night. I have a feeling there is more going on than we know, and we are not putting our best players on the field right now. And it’s not our coordinators fault.

The very fact that you want to come here to find someone to blame tells me to ask you to please go away.

We don't have players yet. We brought Edsall in thinking that our best choice to stop this race to the bottom was to rehire him and give him time to rebuild the roster. That hasn't happened yet, and won't happen this year. The only thing to debate at this point is whether we made a mistake firing Diaco or not bringing in someone you've never heard of. And the answer to both of them is no.

We knew that this would take time when we made the hire. If you don't want to give it time, you shouldn't be here.

 

[SubbaBub]

If we rehired Edsall after PP, then there would still have been talent, some NFL talent left to work with.

Today we still have guys who don't belong on the field yet and some that don't belong at all.

It only takes a couple weak spots before the whole unit collapses.

 

[Husky68]

If we rehired Edsall after PP, then there would still have been talent, some NFL talent left to work with.

Today we still have guys who don't belong on the field yet and some that don't belong at all.

It only takes a couple weak spots before the whole unit collapses.

I'm not sure I should be a Kool-Aid drinker like I was with PP and Diaco or for that matter Ollie and defend stupid until the bitter end or maybe I should recognize that this quacking/feathered/webbedfoot thing is really a duck.
But your comment really struck me as funny "It only takes a couple weak spots before the whole unit collapses." I saw nothing but weak spots, other than punting at 2,812 ft. name one "unweak spot".

I know Chief is the dispenser of "unCasual" info and BL gets to decide what is "Fair" but come on this is 0-2 on its way to really, really bad. That was not a well coached team out there. Talent might be better on offense but the schemes are just as bad (considering the personnel) as on defense. There was not a single play on offense or defense where the Boise could not easily read where to go to have the advantage.

The coaching matches the talent for UConn.

 

[Woof 101]

I'm not sure I should be a Kool-Aid drinker like I was with PP and Diaco or for that matter Ollie and defend stupid until the bitter end or maybe I should recognize that this quacking/feathered/webbedfoot thing is really a duck.
But your comment really struck me as funny "It only takes a couple weak spots before the whole unit collapses." I saw nothing but weak spots, other than punting at 2,812 ft. name one "unweak spot".

I know Chief is the dispenser of "unCasual" info and BL gets to decide what is "Fair" but come on this is 0-2 on its way to really, really bad. That was not a well coached team out there. Talent might be better on offense but the schemes are just as bad (considering the personnel) as on defense. There was not a single play on offense or defense where the Boise could not easily read where to go to have the advantage.
The coaching matches the talent for UConn.

No attack here Husky68, just a few questions. When is the last time you saw a D1 football team have to start 5 freshmen on D?
Actually when was the last time you saw a D1 team start more than a couple of freshmen players on either side of the ball?
Does it occur to you the freshmen that have out played or out worked the upperclassmen are not 4 & 5 star recruits?
You mention 0-2, did you really think it would be any different going against two top 20 teams to start the season? Really?

You admit to being a Kool-Aid drinker in the past and defending stupid until the bitter end. Many did the same, maybe not quite so far but this scene is totally different than anything you mention. The damage (poor recruiting by PP and BD) will take a few years to recover from.

 

[whaler11]

The answer is Bob Diaco.

He’s also the answer to a half dozen other questions on blame.

 

[Palatine]

Edsall.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Diaco’s mind boggling recruiting is the answer. He spent 4 years recruiting nice kids who couldn’t make it on the field for CCSU or Yale let alone compete in the AAC. Edsall has gotten us recruiting against at least MAC and Sun Belt teams.

Diaco was a good looking young coach who was the DC for Notre Dame in the freaking national championship game with ties to the Midwest and Jersey and wanted to use none of that to get high level football players.

 

[Dooley]

The D's "fault" is mostly because our 2-deep consists of players who are simply not good enough to play FBS level yet. Most/all of these guys would be under a RS now in most competitive programs, but alas, thanks to some very underwhelming Diaco classes, here we are playing FR everywhere. We're asking undersized and overmatched FR to play in just about every position on the field. Not strong enough, not fast enough yet. Give them another year or two to build the necessary football strength, speed and IQ. That said, I've always hated 3-3-5 and really hope this isn't our defensive future.

The program's "fault" can be shared by many many many participants, including our current head coach for fleeing like the Baltimore Colts after our Fiesta Bowl and leaving the completely inept and unqualified Jeff Hathaway in charge of hiring his replacement. Every single hire/move since has been terrible and added a L to every season's schedule. Just a perfect storm of ineptitude and unqualified employees & scholarship recipients.

 

[History Geek]

The D's "fault" is mostly because our 2-deep consists of players who are simply not good enough to play FBS level yet. Most/all of these guys would be under a RS now in most competitive programs, but alas, thanks to some very underwhelming Diaco classes, here we are playing FR everywhere. We're asking undersized and overmatched FR to play in just about every position on the field. Not strong enough, not fast enough yet. Give them another year or two to build the necessary football strength, speed and IQ. That said, I've always hated 3-3-5 and really hope this isn't our defensive future.

The program's "fault" can be shared by many many many participants, including our current head coach for fleeing like the Baltimore Colts after our Fiesta Bowl and leaving the completely inept and unqualified Jeff Hathaway in charge of hiring his replacement. Every single hire/move since has been terrible and added a L to every season's schedule. Just a perfect storm of ineptitude and unqualified employees & scholarship recipients.

Key word in this post, repeated twice -- "yet." I agree. Endure the nightmare now, enjoy the fruits later.

 

[History Geek]

Key word in this post, repeated twice -- "yet." I agree. Endure the nightmare now, enjoy the fruits later.

Key word in my post, and my new mantra for the rest of the season -- "endure."

 

[uconn34]

Currently to blame? Lets see, youth, inexperience, knowledge, strength, speed.

 

[JMick]

Currently to blame? Lets see, youth, inexperience, knowledge, strength, speed.

Yeah we really have the total package this year lol

 

[uconnbill]

There is a lot of blame to go around.
Diaco couldn't recruit, period. We all know that
Speed, speed and more speed. I think it has improved, but it is still in need of more players
I saw some players with their heads down, which bothers me more than anything else. You have to keep your head into the game and up. You can never give up on a play. We saw that last week and this past week.
More talent is needed and playing maybe the two best teams on the schedule this early did UConn no favors at all.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The answer is Edsall, but not for any current move.

He is the answer because he left the program at a critical point. Coming of a BCS appearance, just three or four more seasons of steady growth would have changed the fortunes of our entire Athletic Department. We would have been a much stronger candidate in realignment and Football was on the rise.

He chose to leave and left a FOOL to pick his replacement. The rest, as they say, is history; which has created our current state.

"But everything is only for now"- Avenue Q

 

[whaler11]

How is it possibly Edsall’s fault that UConn employed Jeff Hathaway.

And how is it Hathaway’s fault - the guy after him hired someone EVEN WORSE.

 

[Dooley]

Key word in this post, repeated twice -- "yet." I agree. Endure the nightmare now, enjoy the fruits later.

You haven't lost your astuteness, sir. Yup, the "yet"s were intentional. Our D is awful but I won't officially freak out until it's awful with a bunch of JR and SR starters. It sucks that we've been stuck in this "rebuild" for close to a decade now but it is what it is and I'm still optimistic in Edsall's ability to find talented but under-recruited players that fit our mold...but it will take time. Unfortunately, it might take alot of time.

 

[Dooley]

Wasn't Edsall's "fault" that Hathaway was already here, but like it or not, leaving for Maryland - especially so late in the coaching carousel silly season - put into motion the series of very unfortunate events that has led our football program, maybe even our entire AD, to being where it is today.

 

[Adios]

I am sure our low-rate facilities for other sports played a role in CR. They were a well-kept secret.

 

[kris1]

The answer is Edsall, but not for any current move.

He is the answer because he left the program at a critical point. Coming of a BCS appearance, just three or four more seasons of steady growth would have changed the fortunes of our entire Athletic Department. We would have been a much stronger candidate in realignment and Football was on the rise.

He chose to leave and left a FOOL to pick his replacement. The rest, as they say, is history; which has created our current state.

"But everything is only for now"- Avenue Q

Sorry....you can’t blame Edsall 1.0. Was it shady the way he left? YES!!! But, he had taken a program from FCS to a BCS appearance (with average to below-average talent) in a short period of time, in the Northeast!!! His career was at a high point. He used that to leverage what he thought was a better gig, in a better football conference. Although that didn’t quite work out for him. You can’t blame him for doing what any obscure coach thrust into the national spotlight would have done....follow the money. You can blame him for the way he left, but not for the program taking a sharp turn off a cliff, after. Edsall left the program at it’s pinnacle. What followed was a train wreck and those hiring decisions were out of his hands. Any blame should be pointed toward the leadership in charge at that time. The cupboard was not bare when Edsall left. There were a few crumbs left when he came back. He’s trying to restock the cabinets. My concern is that it may be impossible given the current landscape of college football. RE 2.0 is Sisyphus right now.

And for those that think Edsall is on the hot seat....that’s funny!!! Seriously!!!

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Sorry....you can’t blame Edsall 1.0. Was it shady the way he left? YES!!! But, he had taken a program from FCS to a BCS appearance (with average to below-average talent) in a short period of time, in the Northeast!!! His career was at a high point. He used that to leverage what he thought was a better gig, in a better football conference. Although that didn’t quite work out for him. You can’t blame him for doing what any obscure coach thrust into the national spotlight would have done....follow the money. You can blame him for the way he left, but not for the program taking a sharp turn off a cliff, after. Edsall left the program at it’s pinnacle. What followed was a train wreck and those hiring decisions were out of his hands. Any blame should be pointed toward the leadership in charge at that time. The cupboard was not bare when Edsall left. There were a few crumbs left when he came back. He’s trying to restock the cabinets. My concern is that it may be impossible given the current landscape of college football. RE 2.0 is Sisyphus right now.

And for those that think Edsall is on the hot seat....that’s funny!!! Seriously!!!

He isn't on any hot seat. And I am not talking about the way he left. But had he stayed the program would not have fallen into the hands of those who followed. That was our jumping off point, but we missed because we didn't have the right leader. I fully believe if he had stayed just three more seasons, we would be in a much better situation. But we will never know.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

How is it possibly Edsall’s fault that UConn employed Jeff Hathaway.

And how is it Hathaway’s fault - the guy after him hired someone EVEN WORSE.

He brought the program where it was in spite of Limp Jeffrey. So I believe he could have carried farther. Not mad at him for taking the Maryland job, but all the followed after he left happened in large part because he left. Nothing deeper than that.

 

[Irishfan]

No attack here Husky68, just a few questions. When is the last time you saw a D1 football team have to start 5 freshmen on D?
Actually when was the last time you saw a D1 team start more than a couple of freshmen players on either side of the ball?
Does it occur to you the freshmen that have out played or out worked the upperclassmen are not 4 & 5 star recruits?
You mention 0-2, did you really think it would be any different going against two top 20 teams to start the season? Really?

You admit to being a Kool-Aid drinker in the past and defending stupid until the bitter end. Many did the same, maybe not quite so far but this scene is totally different than anything you mention. The damage (poor recruiting by PP and BD) will take a few years to recover from.

Bleacher Report did a ranking of the youngest teams in CFB. Based on the years of the 22 starting players (not counting special teams). Uconn did not make the top 25. (Houston wa# #2 and Michigan was #5).

 

[MrHockey9]

I’m no expert but I find the 41-3 loss to ECU in addition to the home season ending clunker against Tulane in the Otis elevator man’s third season in 2016 far more catastrophic than these first two losses based on the opponent. Those losses were sandwiched between the home Temple shut out on Burn the Donovan Williams Red Shirt Night. That’s a nadir for me.