Why is the board so hard on Dez Conner?

[junglehusky]

I think part of the issue is the blurring between writing articles, blogging and social media. For example Des is professional about his cuse background not getting into articles, but he sometimes tweets as a syracuse fan. I don't mind that but I can see how other fans do (and seeing the tweets makes them assume he's biased in his writing). You can see the Courant (and other papers) pushing their writers to use blogging and social networking platforms, which means anytime you write something with a point of view (or even something from a neutral point of view) you'll instantly hear from people with the other point of view. Especially when fans are angry about a losing record. Some of those responses will be nasty and/or personal. In this business you have to be thick skinned, and DC is the opposite of that. With the newspaper business cutting jobs every year or so, and Dez being on the beat of a struggling program and being pushed to engage the fans more, I don't envy his position. It's easy to say "just ignore them" but I'm sure it's harder than that.

 

[defense]

IMO, Dez's coverage has gotten progressively worse over the past two seasons. He became way too defensive. There was a point last season when there was little to no coverage and I thought he no longer covered the team.

Silver is not great either.

 

[SubbaBub]

There is one area where the entire hoarde falls down. We have been at the center of the realignment whirlwind from the start in 2003. Why has no one from the local press taken a really good look inside these decisions, relationships, media contracts, etc.? If Yahoo can uncover the stories it does, why not anyone around here?

 

[junglehusky]

There is one area where the entire hoarde falls down. We have been at the center of the realignment whirlwind from the start in 2003. Why has no one from the local press taken a really good look inside these decisions, relationships, media contracts, etc.? If Yahoo can uncover the stories it does, why not anyone around here?

Because that's not at the level of the people sportswriters deal with, namely the coaches. I seem to recall Jacobs getting a nugget or two about Hockey East and KO's contract before anyone else got that info, which may have been through one of Warde or Susan's underlings and (my guess) probably was done with their OK. All the realignment stuff is happening at the president level, not even the AD level (aside from Tom Jurich). For all we know, some of the sportswriters or other reporters have probably tried to build a story of what went down from UConn's side of things but since we're still hoping for an invite somewhere else and there's probably nothing on the horizon at the time, people probably don't want to talk. And the real story about what went down is at FSU and other ACC schools anyway.

 

[whaler11]

I don't read Jacobs day in and day out but he's seemed pretty reasonable the past year or so when I have read.

 

[CTMike]

Between reporting on the facts of what's going on with the the program (the majority of his job), a blogging platform (which is typically a venue for opinions or loosely verified facts), and twitter (where he offers many personal thoughts)... those 3 are often at odds with each other, and people often are left disappointed with some combination of the 3. The thing is, it wasn't that long ago where all we had was the nuggets we could find in the Courant. The rest came in effort to give us more coverage. Pretty close to a no-win situation.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

A problem I have is that while it isn't his job to call for the coaches head, then it shouldn't be his job to adamantly defend Coach P and the staff as well.

You can't play that card and have it both ways.

 

[Waquoit]

A lot of people were pissed last season that Dez didn't grab the torch and pitchfork and lead the march up 195 for Pasqualoni's head. And as the beat guy for the team, he does not have that freedom, regardless of if he agrees or disagrees. He has to maintain professional relationships to do his job. Jacobs has a different role - opinions. Thus you got more tough words out of him towards the end of the season.

It's not that he "didn't grab the torch and pitchfork and lead the march up 195 for Pasqualoni's head." It's that he wouldn't even acknowledge that there was a issue. He described the program as a trainwreck before P got there. Well, if it was has he made it at all better two underachieving years later? Almost as sad is Loops defense. We're not too far way from 8-5 he says. We were at 8-4 last year, but P coached that team to 5-7. Just awful. P is just pathetic. But the Spring Game is Saturday and I'm ten toes in. I would love a winning year. C'mon P prove wrong!

 

[sdhusky]

Kiss my !

He does have a point.

I would bet that about 90% of you posts are basically whining.

 

[Husky25]

It's not that he "didn't grab the torch and pitchfork and lead the march up 195 for Pasqualoni's head." It's that he wouldn't even acknowledge that there was a issue. He described the program as a trainwreck before P got there. Well, if it was has he made it at all better two underachieving years later? Almost as sad is Loops defense. We're not too far way from 8-5 he says. We were at 8-4 last year, but P coached that team to 5-7. Just awful. P is just pathetic. But the Spring Game is Saturday and I'm ten toes in. I would love a winning year. C'mon P prove wrong!

This.

And I don't remember him defending Coach Pasqualoni so much as him reporting the AD told him that Coach Pasqualoni's job was not in danger. Many fans didn't want to hear it and when they challenged this, he got defensive. Fault can be laid on both sides.

Secondarily, he toed the company line and fell back on the, "The team lacks talent" mantra. I mean that's got to be it because the coaches are in the office for 18 hours a day. The problem with this line is that it tosses the kids, who have had past success, under the bus. Is it not remotely possible that the coaches were not working in the most efficient manner during those 18 hour days? Mr Conner did not acknowledge this and 35,000 armchair QBs did not want to hear what he was reporting.

 

[ZooCougar]

This.

And I don't remember him defending Coach Pasqualoni so much as him reporting the AD told him that Coach Pasqualoni's job was not in danger. Many fans didn't want to hear it and when they challenged this, he got defensive. Fault can be laid on both sides.

Secondarily, he toed the company line and fell back on the, "The team lacks talent" mantra. I mean that's got to be it because the coaches are in the office for 18 hours a day. The problem with this line is that it tosses the kids, who have had past success, under the bus. Is it not remotely possible that the coaches were not working in the most efficient manner during those 18 hour days? Mr Conner did not acknowledge this and 35,000 armchair QBs did not want to hear what he was reporting.

You may not remember it because you weren't in the chats with him.

Paraphrasing what Dez said:

"I support Pasqualoni because he inherited Edsall's trainwreck".

I was no Edsall fan, but if he thinks Edsall left Coach Ozymandias a trainwreck then he has zero credibility.

 

[CTMike]

I don't want to derail the topic, but at least to me it seems clear that both the talent on offense AND the coaches were lacking (defense gave me very little to complain about). Not just one or the other. Improve EITHER the talent on O or the coaching on O last year, and I think our O ranking climbs out of the basement and we go to a mediocre bowl. I'm optimistic that we've improved both this year.

Pointing out that there wasn't much talent for P to work with on O is fair... But it's also fair to point out that the last guy here found ways to do more with less.

 

[Husky25]

You may not remember it because you weren't in the chats with him.

Paraphrasing what Dez said:

"I support Pasqualoni because he inherited Edsall's trainwreck".

I was no Edsall fan, but if he thinks Edsall left Coach Ozymandias a trainwreck then he has zero credibility.

Yes I was. I don't use Husky25 as my moniker though.

He supported the staff throwing the kids under the bus. For that he loses credibility.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

It's not that he "didn't grab the torch and pitchfork and lead the march up 195 for Pasqualoni's head." It's that he wouldn't even acknowledge that there was a issue. He described the program as a trainwreck before P got there. Well, if it was has he made it at all better two underachieving years later? Almost as sad is Loops defense. We're not too far way from 8-5 he says. We were at 8-4 last year, but P coached that team to 5-7. Just awful. P is just pathetic. But the Spring Game is Saturday and I'm ten toes in. I would love a winning year. C'mon P prove wrong!

He's a beat reporter. It's not his job to offer opinions about whether a coach should or shouldn't be fired. No more than you hire a lawyer to do your taxes. If you want someone to call for Paqualoni's head, you don't use your straight-up news reporter, you use your opinion guy, Jeff Jacobs.

I know in a world of social media blitz it all kind of bleeds together, but there is a very distinct and important difference in the world of journalism between reporting and opining.

I won't waste my breath defending my opinions re: the team's talent level, as we've all heard it ad nauseum.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I was no Edsall fan, but if he thinks Edsall left Coach Ozymandias a trainwreck then he has zero credibility.

See, here's my issue with you. It's not that you disagree with me. It's that anybody who disagrees with you has "zero credibility."

 

[ZooCougar]

See, here's my issue with you. It's not that you disagree with me. It's that anybody who disagrees with you has "zero credibility."

Well if the shoe fits. Dez has no credibility. You agree with him. Therefore..... which means... and

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

See, here's my issue with you. It's not that you disagree with me. It's that anybody who disagrees with you has "zero credibility."

Well, anyone who disagrees with you is a mouth breathing knuckle dragger who is not capable of analyzing complex issues in a nuanced kind of way.

Or something like that.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Well, anyone who disagrees with you is a mouth breathing knuckle dragger who is not capable of analyzing complex issues in a nuanced kind of way.

Or something like that.

You have this view of me based on some false premise you have about New Haven and Yalies. You constantly condescend to me and yet I'm the only "arrogant" one. Pot, kettle, all that jazz.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You have this view of me based on some false premise you have about New Haven and Yalies. You constantly condescend to me and yet I'm the only "arrogant" one. Pot, kettle, all that jazz.

Nope. My view of you is based solely on what you write, and how you write it, on this board. Nothing else.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Nope. My view of you is based solely on what you write, and how you write it, on this board. Nothing else.

Meh, your whole "you hang out with too many Yalies" jibe tells me you've got some other opinions flavoring the way you view me. S'cool. I'm sure our political differences don't help either.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Desmond Conner uses the talent excuse to cover up for Pasqualoni and Deleone's lack of coaching effectiveness.

Even last season when it was obvious that Deleone was doing a terrible job he was making excuses and parroting Pasqualoni. "He's working 18 hours a day!".

Is that the new "We used to be in trailers?" If so I'm definitely adopting it.


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[ZooCougar]

Is that the new "We used to be in trailers?" If so I'm definitely adopting it.


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Yes. Clearly it is. Along with:

"We had no talent on the offensive line and we had a first year BCS QB last season and that's why we only scored six points against USF last season".

 

[Waquoit]

He's a beat reporter. It's not his job to offer opinions about whether a coach should or shouldn't be fired.

You're living in the past. Those distinctions mattered back in the days when they still set type. Dez is a beat guy/columnist/blogger. He's given plenty of opinions over the years.

 

[Srqhusky]

even edsall may agree with dez s and coach p evaluation of offense. Lets look at 2010 offense. Michigan 10 points, usf no offensive touchdowns. Louisville shut out, Oklahoma no offensive touchdowns. None o these teams were top twenty defense nationally. Louisville was good defensively but even eastern Kentucky. Scored thirteen on them.
It looks like the lack of offensive talent was already showing signs so I am not so sure the reporters / coaches were being harsh. The offense does seem to finally be heading in the right direction. Sometimes you take a step back to take two steps forward

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

You're living in the past. Those distinctions mattered back in the days when they still set type. Dez is a beat guy/columnist/blogger. He's given plenty of opinions over the years.

I'm not sure I agree. The Courant still views itself as a fairly prestigious publication. It's one thing to offer an opinion like, "I think a dual threat QB would be a good thing to have" (heh.) or "We need a more dynamic offense," but actually damning a coach is a pretty serious charge to levy by someone who isn't technically an opinion writer.