As of two weeks ago, I have a new roommate. Well, technically not a roommate, but she lives down the hall from me and is the king (or queen) of the family television since her arrival.
It’s the one and only mother of my mother, aka, grams.
She likes to sit in her chair (throne), eat dark chocolate and look out the window watching for any New England wildlife. Her television habits include morning talk shows, game shows, and the six o’clock news before dinner.
However, there is one habit I haven’t become a fan of.
She likes to watch our 48’’ HDTV all day in standard version, making for an unpleasant viewing experience, for me anyways. I didn’t know I had this pet peeve until she arrived.
Why watch limited programming in sub-par conditions when you have such a beautiful and efficient option just a few clicks away?
Here’s a better, more relevant question; What does this have anything to do with UConn football?
At the turn of the decade, UConn fans were fresh off of a Fiesta Bowl appearance and an 8-4 record with thoughts that the program was headed in the right direction.
Instead, UConn’s athletic department actually lost an estimated $1.8 million by playing in the Fiesta Bowl, mostly due to unsold tickets.
The Huskies haven’t had a winning season since then.
A pair of 5-7 seasons, a 3-9 2013 campaign, followed by last year’s 2-10 record comprise the state of football in Connecticut for the last four years.
Forget standard, it’s black and white television quality now.
The hiring of Bob Diaco was a step forward, but what does his first season mean for fans and the program? Was it part of his long-term rebuild that counts towards his early head coaching resume? Or was it a place holder season to get the program fully under his control with his own recruits and playing style?
It depends on how you see Diaco as the head coach and if he could possibly be on the hot seat after this year or after another three to four years.
The only other question on Diaco that remains is about his absence on…Twitter?
Sure, it’s not anything that affects the game on the scoreboard at the end of the day, but it is interesting that Diaco is the youngest FBS head coach not on Twitter, according to FootballScoop.com. He’s one of two coaches in the AAC not on Twitter and is potentially missing out on making a connection with the fan base and even his own players and recruits.
Take a look at the oldest FBS head coach on Twitter, Frank Solich of Ohio University, and his timeline to see what a head coach (or his intern) is capable of in only a month of tweeting.
I get it, let’s fix the TV before we get to tweeting about it.
Fast forward to this offseason and the program’s mediocrity is under the shadow of a national championship for the women’s basketball team, the word of new uniforms and even cameo appearances by players on ESPN.
Bryant Shirreffs, Ryan Crozier on @ESPNNFL NFL Live #work2win http://t.co/E1RdnWZaDt pic.twitter.com/7AywzaHeOI
— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) April 16, 2015
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For the optimistic, it’s good promo.
For the realist, it’s like watching re-runs of Sportscenter in the early hours of the morning — nothing has changed.
Both men’s and women’s basketball dominate the UConn campus and uniform changes are as much of a money making opportunity as they are a recruiting edge in this new age of eye candy apparel. Of course, grandma, you need a HDTV to really appreciate the detail of some of the new gear, including Navy’s “Don’t Tread On Me” uniforms.
As far as the appearance on the set of NFL Live Wednesday, Bryant Shirreffs and Ryan Crozier demonstrated, as human props, the difference between taking a snap under center and in the shotgun formation.
It’s simple stuff, but it’s a pretty cool look for the two of them and it makes me think Shirreffs is going to be the starter for the home opener.
The recent struggles for UConn has been a fuzzy picture, mostly due to rotating coaches, quarterbacks and the lack of solidarity.
Has the standard of UConn football lowered or has it just been a mix of channel surfing trying to find something decent to watch (on the football field that is)?
Once you get used to the better quality football (Big East co-championships, bowl games, etc.), the struggles of a football program are hard to watch no matter who you are or what team you root for.
Sometimes you can’t control everything you watch, but you can change the way you see it.
Remember, perception is everything.
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