Quick thoughts on Diaco | The Boneyard

Quick thoughts on Diaco

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nelsonmuntz

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Diaco stunk it up on Friday. Bad calls, poor preparation, and a terrible press conference afterwards. Luckily, UConn was playing against a class act like Mendenhall because BYU could have beat UConn by 50. Diaco looked like a guy coaching his first game. I don't think there is much of a silver lining other than next week is a new week.

We knew going in that it would be a bumpy ride with a first time Head Coach, and there will be more head scratching moments as Diaco figures out how to be a head coach. First time coaches will struggle at times. Ollie's loss to Stanford in December was one of the worst coached games I have ever seen, and Ollie didn't bathe himself in glory on New Year's Eve either, yet things turned out ok for us there. Chip Kelly's first game at Oregon ended with a National Championship contender not only losing to Boise, but then starting a brawl while walking off the field.

I don't know if Diaco will be successful, but I do know there will be more WTF moments this season. It comes with the territory of a first time coach.
 
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Couldn't agree more. Diaco talks a big game, but you don't do those things prior to your first game. He was outcoached and outsmarted period. The only thing saving him is that these are the prior regime players not his. I know he's got that positive mental attitude going and that's a good thing, but tone it down prior to your first game.
 
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I understand the sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the future, but nothing changed. Too many easy TD's 3rd down conversions and not much offense. I really expected more. Say what you want, this game was not competitive. After the Presser I felt like reading this.

I%27m_OK-_You%27re_OK.jpg
 
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I will do a 241 later today, but all of this is right. He looked like someone coaching his first game. But that's not necessarily fatal or even material to how he will develop, and we lost that game before it started because for 2 years we've had nothing but 290 pound DEs on the roster and it's not just that we can't generate a pass rush -- we don't even have the speed at DL to contain a mobile QB when he wants to get outside the pocket.

More later. But yeah -- I do laugh at those who are happy we've been talking a big game, as opposed to waiting until we actually have one.
 
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I really don't know what to think of Diaco at this point. I think he was more concerned about assessing personnel than he was about beating BYU. And at this stage, maybe that's the right approach.

That said, we certainly appear to have issues on defense. I just don't see the talent at LB to generate any type of pass rush. On the flip side I thought the OL looked surprisingly good.
 
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I really don't know what to think of Diaco at this point. I think he was more concerned about assessing personnel than he was about beating BYU. And at this stage, maybe that's the right approach.

I think -- at least hope -- that this is spot on. Either an evaluation, or it was a motivational tool through spring and fall camp that everyone would get a shot on the field the first few weeks.

If I see 50 people playing from scrimmage when we head down to Tampa, I won't be happy. But if the new staff needed the start of their first season for something more important than just winning, I'm willing to give it time and see what happens.
 
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Diaco stunk it up on Friday. Bad calls, poor preparation, and a terrible press conference afterwards. Luckily, UConn was playing against a class act like Mendenhall because BYU could have beat UConn by 50. Diaco looked like a guy coaching his first game. I don't think there is much of a silver lining other than next week is a new week.

We knew going in that it would be a bumpy ride with a first time Head Coach, and there will be more head scratching moments as Diaco figures out how to be a head coach. First time coaches will struggle at times. Ollie's loss to Stanford in December was one of the worst coached games I have ever seen, and Ollie didn't bathe himself in glory on New Year's Eve either, yet things turned out ok for us there. Chip Kelly's first game at Oregon ended with a National Championship contender not only losing to Boise, but then starting a brawl while walking off the field.

I don't know if Diaco will be successful, but I do know there will be more WTF moments this season. It comes with the territory of a first time coach.


It's never too early to start a "Dump Diaco" website.
 

pj

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We knew going in that it would be a bumpy ride with a first time Head Coach, and there will be more head scratching moments as Diaco figures out how to be a head coach. First time coaches will struggle at times. Ollie's loss to Stanford in December was one of the worst coached games I have ever seen, and Ollie didn't bathe himself in glory on New Year's Eve either, yet things turned out ok for us there. Chip Kelly's first game at Oregon ended with a National Championship contender not only losing to Boise, but then starting a brawl while walking off the field.

Hmmm. Maybe those data points should tell you that national championship caliber coaches don't sacrifice all their priorities for looking good in regular season games. Maybe they prioritize becoming a champion in the future. Maybe you can't optimize development and game performance simultaneously.
 

pj

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I understand the sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the future, but nothing changed. Too many easy TD's 3rd down conversions and not much offense. I really expected more. Say what you want, this game was not competitive. After the Presser I felt like reading this.

In other words, the only "sacrifice for the future" you wanted was one that would show results in twenty minutes. Very forward looking.
 
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From the stands, last night looked like a fire drill from the Uconn perspective. Players running on and off, missed assignments on defense, poor schemes, poor football IQ, penalties, etc. We all know P left this program with little talent, but watching live the lack of coordination was appalling and discouraging.

I never liked Edsall, but his teams were disciplined and had an identity (run the ball and play tough defense). Other teams had to respect that. UConn is never going to compete nationally in football (conference aside) because the rules and direction of football is pointing toward passing and speed, two things UConn will never be able to recruit effectively in the current climate. But they should be able to build and develop good lines, play smart and run the ball. I watched that debacle last night and seriously walked out thinking our new coach is a lot about motivation and a little about teaching and smarts. A good friend of mine who is a ND fanatic told me when Diaco was hired that he'd be over his head as a head coach and "had better have a good group of assistants to game plan." It didn't bother me at the time because a college head coach can be a marketer and recruiter first, two things UConn desperately needed. Plus, he wasn't Pasqualoni. But, Uconn also needs a winning program. Its only one game and its pretty clear winning that game was maybe fifth or sixth on Diaco's "to do" list from last night. At least I hope they were because nothing he was doing pointed toward winning a four quarter game. And I have no clue about the staff, but the two QB system is a disaster. And the defense was not ready at all for the no-huddle or the QB. And I'm not even getting to the fake FG execution or the decision to kick a FG down 3 TDs.

Deep down I think Uconn football is hanging on by a thread. I don't think the football program will ever be invited to a real conference and eventually the decision will be made to shut it down because economically it will be a loser for the school. I hope I'm wrong. I hope Diaco is able to get kids to come who can play and the team wins and going to the Rent is fun like it was for the first six or so years. The apathy amongst the fan base and locals is palpable. The schedule sucks. The conference sucks. I'm afraid Warde hired a guy who he thought could first sell the program to the fans and maybe then to the B1G; he's good looking, motivational, media friendly and comes from Notre Dame! The problem is fans here only care about winning, and winning big. no one has time or interest in a crappy team when there are eight or nine other pro and college teams they can cheer that could win a championship any given year. Uconn football is never going to win anything meaningful, the only thing fans could point to was beating rutgers or BC or syracuse simply because we didn't like their basketball teams and fans. And that hope is gone now, at least for the next several years.

One game is too soon to draw a conclusion, of course. But if you told me this team wouldn't win a game outside of Stony Brook I wouldn't be surprised. Nor would I be surprised if they won four or five games. But I have no idea how they'd actually win such a game as I have no idea if they do anything well. That includes coaching, fundamentals and strategy. Perhaps its too bad that BYU was first and Boise is third, perhaps after 5-6 games we could be competitive given all the young players. We'll see
 

Dooley

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Diaco stunk it up on Friday. Bad calls, poor preparation, and a terrible press conference afterwards. Luckily, UConn was playing against a class act like Mendenhall because BYU could have beat UConn by 50. Diaco looked like a guy coaching his first game. I don't think there is much of a silver lining other than next week is a new week.

We knew going in that it would be a bumpy ride with a first time Head Coach, and there will be more head scratching moments as Diaco figures out how to be a head coach. First time coaches will struggle at times. Ollie's loss to Stanford in December was one of the worst coached games I have ever seen, and Ollie didn't bathe himself in glory on New Year's Eve either, yet things turned out ok for us there. Chip Kelly's first game at Oregon ended with a National Championship contender not only losing to Boise, but then starting a brawl while walking off the field.

I don't know if Diaco will be successful, but I do know there will be more WTF moments this season. It comes with the territory of a first time coach.

Wow. I actually agree with you 100%. There will be growing pains as a program, coaches included. I think as the season progresses, the mistakes will be less frequent.
 
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Rossomondo took Central and beat Towson at their place. First game. That really get's my attention. When the field goal was lined up down 28-7 no one in our section was behind that decision. It made no sense! It WAS a practice kick. The 2 QB rotation makes no sense. Obi has to stop being a penalty machine. Our D-line needs more quickness on the edge. Do we really get any advantage with a fullback instead of another running back or slot receiver. I don't think that UConn football is hanging by a thread but fans are not going to sit and watch a game where we have no offense and our big hope is we can stop the opponent on 3rd down. It was a bad draw to get a Heisman candidate for game one but it sure was a measuring stick for where we are. The students made the mass exodus halfway through the 4th Q because they knew we were no threat to score. Stony Brook better be a total destruction. Then we will see what happens with Boise.
 
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Diaco has to stop being a cheerleader, It's OK to say we need a lot work and we have a long way to go. He has dug such a hole with mouth that he can't say it or anything negative, his post game report was a joke.
 
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I think many of these comments are way too harsh, but there are some truths.

The 2 QB system: total disaster from many angles. If you are building for the future, why would you play a senior QB anyway? I can understand bringing in Whitmer during garbage time, but in the middle of a drive? Correctable problem

The pass rush: UConn does not have the DE's to play Diaco's defense as we are playing DTs as DEs. We have plenty of Former DEs on the roster that have been moved to LB who could rush the passer. Adjust the defense. I hoped to see more blitzing. By the way, you aren't going to win many games with a 3 man DT pass rush against a running QB. Correctable problem.

Coaching: maybe Diaco made some mistakes, but this appears to be the best coaching staff UConn has ever had. The fact that Diaco got so many coaches that he has worked with before to come to UConn should tell us that they have confidence in him. I don't know if he viewed the game as an exhibition game or not, but I hope the answer is not. Correctable problem.

Chaos on the field: I didn't see it. BYU has one of the most uptempo offenses in college football and they were uptempo last night. This puts extreme pressure on the defense and it doesn't help when your offense turns it over or doesn't sustain a drive.

On a positive note: who isn't excited about our RBs? Or, the OL is better than expected? What about the positive vibes on the sideline? I can see a power running offense developing.

A couple of comments. UConn opened up the season against a seasoned team that plays an uptempo offense with a new, first time head coach after 3 straight losing seasons. And, we are playing true freshmen! Our OLine has 2 true freshmen on the 2 deep which was a clear warning sign. Could we have played better and been coached better? Yes, but I have been saying people needed to temper expectations for this year. I still think 6 wins would be a great season. Let's see what happens with Stony Brook and see if the coaches have made the corrections.
 
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Diaco has to stop being a cheerleader, It's OK to say we need a lot work and we have a long way to go. He has dug such a hole with mouth that he can't say it or anything negative, his post game report was a joke.

Huh - He has said the team needs a lot of work and has a long way to go just about every chance he has had??

This is also a team that by all reports was psychologically broken by certain members of the staff last year and needed to be be rebuilt both mentally and physically. He's trying to be as positive and encouraging with the players as he can. He's walking a fine line.

NoelThomas05Aug 29, 11:22pm via Twitter for iPhone
Appreciate the love and support from all of our fans... We got better today. #StayWithUs #WeGotThis
 
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IMO, almost all of the criticisms of Diaco are overboard and and excessive. The same people hyping Diaco up the last several months will tear him down the first chance they get. I don't think him experimenting with different personnel, trying the fake, kicking the field goal are big deals at all. His clock management was poor but the games outcome wasn't changed and this is his first game and he will get better. That said, the fact that it was a pre-established plan to bring in a different QB for red zone packages is disturbing to me.
 

RioDog

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I think many of these comments are way too harsh, but there are some truths.

The 2 QB system: total disaster from many angles. If you are building for the future, why would you play a senior QB anyway? I can understand bringing in Whitmer during garbage time, but in the middle of a drive? Correctable problem

The pass rush: UConn does not have the DE's to play Diaco's defense as we are playing DTs as DEs. We have plenty of Former DEs on the roster that have been moved to LB who could rush the passer. Adjust the defense. I hoped to see more blitzing. By the way, you aren't going to win many games with a 3 man DT pass rush against a running QB. Correctable problem.

Coaching: maybe Diaco made some mistakes, but this appears to be the best coaching staff UConn has ever had. The fact that Diaco got so many coaches that he has worked with before to come to UConn should tell us that they have confidence in him. I don't know if he viewed the game as an exhibition game or not, but I hope the answer is not. Correctable problem.

Chaos on the field: I didn't see it. BYU has one of the most uptempo offenses in college football and they were uptempo last night. This puts extreme pressure on the defense and it doesn't help when your offense turns it over or doesn't sustain a drive.

On a positive note: who isn't excited about our RBs? Or, the OL is better than expected? What about the positive vibes on the sideline? I can see a power running offense developing.

A couple of comments. UConn opened up the season against a seasoned team that plays an uptempo offense with a new, first time head coach after 3 straight losing seasons. And, we are playing true freshmen! Our OLine has 2 true freshmen on the 2 deep which was a clear warning sign. Could we have played better and been coached better? Yes, but I have been saying people needed to temper expectations for this year. I still think 6 wins would be a great season. Let's see what happens with Stony Brook and see if the coaches have made the corrections.

Best post-game post so far. Thanks for the sanity.
 
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I'm still 100% behind Diaco, but he needs to man up and take responsibility for a poor performance. If he viewed the game as a throw-away exhibition, Warde needs to put his nutz in a vice, frankly. That said, the team was still was 2x better than last year at game 1. He better have the team ready to destroy next week.
 
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Diaco took over a program where the players wouldn't leave anything in the players lounge because it would be stolen.

2-3 weeks ago posters were complaining that Diaco kept talking about how tough the job was going to be building this team back up, and how the program was in shambles.

Now posters enjoy laughing at the "fact" he was talking such a big game? What?

He has talked about where he wants to take the program. He never said it would happen overnight. A win friday night wouldn't mean anything if we came out and lost to Stony Brook.
 
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I assume this is a reference to the fact that 4 of the 5 athletes charged in this mess were all coached by Diaco. While some have hinted that he might have had some knowledge of the situation, I do not believe he can be held responsible for their actions. But if that makes you feel better, feel free to spread your rumors. I doubt many Husky fans will support you in this.
 
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We all know P left this program with little talent, but watching live the lack of coordination was appalling and discouraging.

Do we really have to listen to this %$#% again. And in five years when we can list the 10 NFL players that were on this squad, someone else will be making the same argument.

These are the NFL draftees or UDFA or guys who were in NFL camps or practice squad players that Pasqualoni had on his team in his first year (when Dez and the press were crying that Edsall left the cupboard bare). We have talent. We've always had and developed talent. That ain't the problem.

Kendall Reyes
Blidi Wilson
Yawin Smallwoood
Shamar Stephen
Sio Moore
Dwayne Gratz
Ryan Griffin
Trevardo Williams
Nick Williams
Jesse Joseph
Kash Moore
Geremy Davis
Shakim Phillips
Byron Jones
Dave Teggart
 
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Kevin Ollie didn't know when to use time outs 2 years ago and at times as an X's and O's guy had some rough spells during games early on. Last year a big time out when Giffey was in trouble in the corner in the NC game came from KO ……….

Not saying he's winning any titles soon but people who are already throwing rocks at this guy are fairly ridiculous. I mean it was great to have PP know what he was doing on the sidelines, yet he didn't!! LOL….he was awful and they finally have someone who will turn this spiral back to expectations but it will take time. 1st year head coaches can't be graded in practice but they can impact in practice. They can be graded in games and he didn't pass his first one but that's okay because the good ones learn from their mistakes and I'm guessing he will And anyone expecting a lot from this pile of heaping crap that PP left him with is not living in reality. There's some players but there's a lot of missing pieces. He'll make some of these guys better and he'll bring in what is necessary to get them back into contention. If you have no patience it's time to stop watching!
 
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