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UConn Liveblog Comment Count

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Comments

Kfojames

September 21st, 2013 at 8:26 PM ^

UM and Borges do not do a very good job of imposing their will on teams. Pussy footing around with a team that shouldn't be able to handle an attacking running game. Stop with the little screens. And DG that was a terrible pass!

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 180

eamus_caeruli (not verified)

September 21st, 2013 at 9:52 PM ^

I have officially lost my shit with this team. I knew this was gonna be a roller coaster ride this year, but this team doesn't get it. Not yet at least. The special teams and offense are absolutely terrible and inconsistent.

Devin better get his head out if his ass, and Al, I love you, but you suck ass right now. Fing run power and bowl these pansies off the field. No more zone stretch plays!!!!!!!!!!!'nnn

Joined: 12/12/2017

MGoPoints: 0

D.C.Blue

September 21st, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^

I don't see any improvement from last week. In fact, they look worse. Toussaint dances too much. All 5 O linemen look uncoached. D Line swaps too much. Linebackers don't hit receivers when they cross their face and just in general look lost most of the time. CBs either are taught to or can't play bump and run. Either way it's just bad. Safeties don't anticipate run or pass. It's just bad all around.

Joined: 10/24/2009

MGoPoints: 503

Kfojames

September 21st, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^

Devin is regressing. Can we bring Scott Loeffler back. O line is an absolute disaster. Jack may be getting over matched. And please Devin just learn to throw the ball AWAAAY

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 180

Eyzwidopn

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:07 AM ^

Speaking to the ABC reporter right after the game, Hoke said that the turnover problem started last year and he doesn't know why it's happening.  One reason might be accountability.

Hoke and Borges let Denard off the hook for his turnover problems last year because they adopted a "live with it" attitude due to the hybrid offense they were stuck running with Denard at QB.  But what effect did that "blind eye" approach have on the rest of the team.

Yes, this is a young team and mistakes are to be expected but what type of environment are these mistake being made in?  For all of Denard's exciting plays, he cost the team games last year and if Hoke really held his players accountable, was trying to teach them what that means for the team, on the field and ultimately in life, then he would have pulled Denard after multiple turnovers in multiple games... just like he should treat Gardner now. 

If a running back fumbles repeatedly he's pulled (just ask Wilson for the Giants), so how is it Gardner has 7 turnovers the past 2 games and he has yet to sniff the bench?  If there's no threat of Gardner losing his job or at the very least being benched during a game to give him a different perspective, then how deep can his effort to stop making the mistakes he's making in turning the ball over be?

If this program has championship aspirations then standards have to be set and met by the coaches and filtered down to the players.  Any player who doesn't live up to those standards, on and off the field, will only hold the team back, cost the team games and keep the program in also-ran status.

Start giving Morris more reps in practice because come B10 play, this team can't afford to wait for Gardner to "get it," or find his confidence... and if the coaches keep treating Gardner like they did Denard, UofM isn't playing for championships, it's just coddling players.

Joined: 09/16/2013

MGoPoints: 3087

Kfojames

September 22nd, 2013 at 4:34 AM ^

You're right! I honestly think that sometimes Hoke is a bit too passive in terms of the length of leash with some guys most notably Devin. Sometimes you need to get a little pissed off and say enough is enough. Never thought I'd see the day that DG looked this out of place but I caught myself midway through this game thinking that maybe he should move back to WR. I mean he just doesn't have the greatest pocket wherewithal to evade pressure and manage the play/offense, THROW THE BALL AWAY maybe. He may be a great athlete who has a good arm but my goodness it takes more than tht to be a quality QB. With that being said the OL is still a big mess. UM needs to get an identity established IMO. I feel like Borges is just trying to be balanced and calling plays to try and fool the D too much with the mis directions and reverse plays. Maybe just lining it up and running the ball/zone blocking and continue to try and impose their will on the D even if you only get 1-3 yards on 1st down come right back on 2nd down and run it again, shuffle Green in more while your at it. Might even have to try a combination of Glasgow at C with Kalis and Bryant at G's. Even if we punt at least we live to see another day and aren't throwing pics and fumbling and totally turning the momentum over to the other team. We have a good D. They may have to carry us until the OL comes together. They say the OL is penciled in every week and competition is ongoing. That should go for every other position including QB.

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 180

bokee88

September 22nd, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^

I think hoke is just good about not publicly calling people out and not losing his cool like some other coaches. Sometimes I think it might be the right thing to lose your cool but I think more often than not home takes he right approach and keeps it private with the players (aka 18-23 yr olds).

Joined: 12/01/2009

MGoPoints: 1490

D.C.Blue

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^

...between getting pissed off and showing your ass vs benching a player. I don't think anyone wants a coach that loses his cool and looks like a fool on the sideline but you have to ask yourself, what is it going to take to push Hoke or Borges to the point that they make a change before we have another situation like Nebraska last year with an untested back up?

Joined: 10/24/2009

MGoPoints: 503

Procumbo

September 22nd, 2013 at 1:27 PM ^

Gardner had two terrible games, but we don't have another choice. Morris isn't ready and he won't be this year. Let's not forget Gardner played an amazing game to beat a good Notre Dame defense. He had a series of bad plays and bad breaks and lost his cool. He may well come out of the bye week with more confidence and another great performance. He still has less than a season playing QB, he's not a finished product. At this point, he's our guy, and the team's fortunes are going to mirror his. Fortunately, he's tremendously talented and I think there's a good chance he pulls it together.

I think we let our expectations get too high based on the Notre Dame win. What we knew before the season is still true: this is a very young, inexperienced team.

Joined: 11/24/2008

MGoPoints: 287

D.C.Blue

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^

And to your point of this being a young team, I believe the coaches themselves have said numerous times that the expectation is for the position. If one player isn't getting it done then the next guy needs to step up but I'm not seeing them give anyone else a chance except on the D Line and DBs. The D line is being swapped too much in game. They have to be given a chance to get in rhythm. The opposing teams O Line doesn't swap out, so our guys need to suck it up and increase their cardio. I haven't seen anyone in the country swap out their front 7 as much as we do. Not to say it doesn't happen but I haven't seen it. What you don't see is our O line swapping and it needs to. You haven't seen our running backs swap out. I understand they need to practice well to play but you have to take a chance on some guys in the game and we've blown our chances at handling cupcakes so we can see if some guys actually play better than they practice. And yes, there are guys that don't practice well but play much better.

Joined: 10/24/2009

MGoPoints: 503

Procumbo

September 22nd, 2013 at 5:56 PM ^

So you want them to stop rotatin the position they're rotating, and start rotating every other position?

Rotating DL, but playing the same 5 on OL, is pretty much standard football strategy employed by nearly every team.

Joined: 11/24/2008

MGoPoints: 287

Eyzwidopn

September 22nd, 2013 at 5:39 PM ^

I'm not necesarily saying that Gardner should be benched right now, just that the threat of benching should be evident and I don't think, based off of how Denard was treated, that Hoke embraces that approach to teach a lesson to/motivate his players.

I think the bye week will do wonders for the team, giving them time to heal their wounds, look deep, dig in with the "world" against them and every talking head questioning the strength of the program.  But Gardner should be on a short leash based on not just the past two games but every start by Gardner consisting of a turnover... and we've only seen it get worse the past two games.  If winning the B10 is the goal and he cost us a game(s) with his continual bad decision making turnovers, then it's time to let Morris get reps and build for next season.  

Joined: 09/16/2013

MGoPoints: 3087

Kfojames

September 22nd, 2013 at 11:32 PM ^

I still think they need to scrimmage and put Devin in those situations in practice and go over and over what to do when a play just totally breaks down so that we can avoid disaster. Yes this team is young and they're going to have hiccups and the OL may take a minute to establish themselves. But I agree in the fact that practice is one thing and sometimes throwing a kid into the fire in a game is the best way to find out if they can hack it. I'm mostly saying this in regards to possibly shuffling the OL and playing Green more. I know we haven't had the best opportunities in the last two games to do so but you get to a point and say, hey, we have to try some things. It's like Albert Einstein's old definition of insanity.. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting better results. At. Some point you have to try other options and see how they'll work out.

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 180

MMB 82

September 23rd, 2013 at 12:02 PM ^

Not too many cable providers with ESPN3; I ended up watching it on WatchESPN App, glad I didn't spring for PPV. Coverage was suboptimal, but then again so was the game....

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 18691