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UConn’s Head Football Coach Bob Diaco has high expectations for 2015

from: popularnewsinformation.com

from: popularnewsinformation.com

Bob Diaco, head coach of UConn’s football team, held a roundtable at the AAC’s media day in Rhode Island.

The fiery head coach was in fine form as he met with a contingent of media and listening to him speak, you wouldn’t believe the Huskies were a 2-10 football team last season – you’d think they were 10-2.  He even mentioned the National Championship.

He fielded questions on expectations for his team and of course, his created rivalry with UCF who ought to be the team to beat in the AAC’s Eastern Division.

Here were some of the highlights:

On having to play so many young players in 2014..

Reps, are you kidding me, I mean anything you do if you do it over and over you get better

On lineman Andreas Knappe who was in attendance at Media Day…

Conscientious, smart, intelligent, large body, he was mature when I met him and he hasn’t had to reinvent himself too much, what he has had to do is become an offensive lineman, I mean he never really played football…reps.  His best football is s far out in front of him his upside is off the charts…special guy.

On The Civil Conflict with UCF…
It was created out of respect for their program and coaches.  The targeting of that program was the beginning for our team.  Coach O’Leary runs a program the way I want a program to be run.  He’s created one of the best programs in the country.  In my background as a player, I always enjoyed playing in the Big Ten and the enjoyment of the trophy games, and when I was Notre Dame same thing and Cincinnati, plays trophy games like “The Keg of Nails”.  You want to take away the score of 2014, add the score from 2013 change the name, done.  I have thought about all of it – call it the Conflict, capitalize the FL and capitalize the CT.  Whatever is the least offensive to everyone involved.   Take the civil name out? fine , whatever, whoever is the most offended you make the name.  It’s about our team and our lockerroom and the emotion coming out.

On other rivalry games…

That’s fun that’s college football to me.  A story.  Some energy.  IF the teams are great it will be very interesting but even if they’re not, if someone has a choice between watching food network and “the conflict”, they might choose the conflict, because it’s been an interesting conversation, I think it’s all good.

On expectations for the team…

Win.  We are gonna win every game, we’re gonna play as one of the 4 teams in the playoff and win the national championship. And you laugh, that’s ok.  How are we gonna do it?  We are gonna focus every day.  The players are in an active rest mode today.  If someone is playing pickup basketball, that’s a problem, that’s losing.  The culture is strong right now.  The staff is back working.  I can’t wait to get back.  Team shows up on Thursday and that’s exciting.  We are going to focus on today, the work that needs to be done today.  And the goal is at the end of the game to have 1 more point than the opponent.

On team identity…

I want the team identity to be, Love.  Tough. Contact tough and mentally tough. “Uncrackable”.  Aggressive.  Constantly on attack.  Possessed effort.  Smart, high level football intelligent football execution and class character off the field.  Tough gentlemen.

On Position Battles…

The tight ends.  I don’t see that as a battle.  We are going to use two on most downs.  They are really both gonna be starters.   They are in battles with themselves.  Like Tommy Myers looks like a dude…He has turned his body into a guy who can be a force at the point of attack.   He’s not competing necessarily with Alec [Bloom], Competition is at quarterback.  There is incredible competition at defensive end.  There will be great competition for next man in at linebacker.  [on quarterback] we prepared a guy a year ago to run the whole thing, and now we are having a conversation.  There is great competition for the Will Linebacker.

On Center, Ryan Crozier’s injury…

Crushing, I feel bad for Ryan, he was going to be a breakout guy this year.   He’s stayed connected to the program.  But, next man in, here we go.   Get in there and do your job.

On the safeties…

The safeties are the best tandem of safeties in the country, tell me a better one.

On the wide receivers…

Those two receivers should go into every game expecting to dominate their individual matchups.  Noel Thomas should be one of the best receivers in the country.

On the Schedule…

The schedule is exciting, ESPN ranked us with a top 25 schedule, so when we run that schedule, we should be in the conversation.

On the state of the program, and swagger…

I’m confident.  When we talked last fall I just got here, trying to get a handle on manpower.  Whatever we are going to be this fall, we are going to be way better the fall after that, I mean there are still only what, 12 seniors on this team?  So what is happening is love; love for our work, love for each other, love for our mission, what’s happening is trust.  I trust Andrew, Andreas, I trust Michael Myers, I trust Julian, I trust Junior Joseph, they trust me.  I trust Rich Levy, and Rob Johnson, and Noel Thomas.   I have watched him do the work.  I have been around great receivers and he looks like one of them.  I sat here last year and said Byron Jones was one of the best corners in the country, and no one believed me.  We shuffled the whole offensive staff and that gave a wave of positive energy through the program.

On building a program…

If you build a program you’re going to win.  It depends on whether you want to win for a very long time or just for a minute.  How sustained do you want your winning?  You create a winning culture where in our case the student athletes win [in all walks of life] and the scoreboard.  That winning on the scoreboard will happen if all the work is done properly.  This and what we’re building is being built to last.

 

 

 

 

 

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