2023 Season

Get ready for some MACtion
User avatar
Rolling Ridge
Junior
Posts: 386
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:17 pm

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Rolling Ridge » Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:54 am

69MG wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:41 am Did I see something about Jim Reid joining the staff or was I hallucinating? If it's true it's a step in the right direction.
I was on the call last night. Jim Reid has been with the program for a while, working with defensive backs, but in some sort of adjunct or consulting role. Coach Brown did mention he was happy to still have Coach Reid involved, saying he was going to be participating in alumni relations, helping with some of the block and tackle on administrative tasks, and working with the offense from a defensive perspective. I'm not sure if he will technically be "on staff," but he'll clearly be involved at some level.

User avatar
Steve81
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2391
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: North Quabbin Region

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Steve81 » Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:16 am

There were ~60 people on the zoom call and hope for us talking and getting more as 120 on the call by the end of the series. Went through the players, 99 are on campus with 4 after the semester. That he hope to get 115 on campus but par it down to 110 with AD approval and chapter 19 concerns. Talked about depth and how much it helps, especially with special teams and not as much drop off for next man up. Invited everyone to practices Tue, Thurs and Sat practices 8:30 or 8:15 and 1 hour later for Saturdays. Even mentioned meetings and the winter drills and spring practice. Coach asked about possibly providing hotdogs and hamburgers to students on Saturdays, as would like to see them. The atmosphere during his time as head coach and the NH play-off game and how much it helps.

Last year we had 71 scholarship players during this time last year, so concerns about hitting hard etc and not as much a concern this year. Looking for 2-3 OL but lots of competition for 3-4 that have interest. Also a TE and gave a 10 foot view on the early schedule. When ask talk about last years players leadership and that it is starting to evolve, mentioning some players by name. Went through the staff, responsibilities and promotions. Other than 2 players leaving early, not much movement on player outflows and his beliefs in competition and if the players don't well than. Doesn't believe in a scout team as everyone should have a shot. When asked about administration support for things as academic and strength staff, he said it was adequate but would not say no to more and acknowledge their roles/jobs by name, what they are doing and showed how appreciated them.

Please feel free oi correct anything as was very tired after getting rid of heavy soupy snow.

P.S Sorry Rolling Ridge did not see you posted as it took me awhile to type and proof read a bit.
Go UMass!!

User avatar
Rolling Ridge
Junior
Posts: 386
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:17 pm

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Rolling Ridge » Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:44 am

Steve81 wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:16 amP.S Sorry Rolling Ridge did not see you posted as it took me awhile to type and proof read a bit.
No worries, that was a great overview! Glad somebody was taking notes. :lol:

User avatar
InnervisionsUMASS
Hall of Fame
Posts: 17647
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:32 am
Location: Milford, MA
Contact:

Re: 2023 Season

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:45 am

So Jim was part of Bell's last year, if I recall. Then last season he was doing something at Mass Maritime. Now he is back? I'm good with that, he's fantastic... the back and forth just seems odd.
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

dennisdent
Senior
Posts: 1906
Joined: Sun May 04, 2003 7:18 pm
Location: Too close to the Beltway

Re: 2023 Season

Post by dennisdent » Wed Mar 15, 2023 4:43 pm

Thanks Steve81! I know last season is over but all my excitement from spring ball/fall camp was destroyed after the season started on how poorly the team played on offense all season.

Fool me once, shame on Casula, fool me twice, shame on me! :lol:

tdmass
Senior
Posts: 1588
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:40 am
Location: Ormond Beach,Florida

Re: 2023 Season

Post by tdmass » Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:24 pm

The Full Spring 2023 Roster is up:

https://umassathletics.com/sports/football/roster

Floyd
Hall of Fame
Posts: 9559
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:50 am
Location: Not where I should be

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Floyd » Tue Mar 28, 2023 4:11 pm

Campiotti listed as a TE, and Wise as a WR. Def need more TE production than last season and Wise is a good athlete so might be a good transition for both

QB will be interesting
Time to Win

Calmass9
Junior
Posts: 708
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:22 pm

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Calmass9 » Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:00 pm

If UMass had the 100th ranked offense in the country and not the 130th ranked offense last year, the team wins 3-4 games. It's really that simple. The goal for this year given the schedule (only 3 guaranteed losses) needs to be 4 wins. The talent level should finally be there to make it happen.

For me, it all comes down to QB play and I feel 10x better about the position going into this year than last year. At the very least we know that Carlos Davis can throw the ball accurately more than 5 yards down the field, which we (hilariously) couldn't do last year. Haston is a talented wildcard, he's already on campus and if he blows everyone away then he'll win the job but I'm not expecting it. He'll def get a shot this year regardless unless Davis is incredible. I don't have the highest hopes for Taisun Phommachanh given that he couldn't get on the field for a bad Georgia Tech offense but he at least provides depth and very likely would have been our #1 last year which tells you everything you need to know. I'm stunned that Olson didn't transfer given who we brought in but he might just enjoy UMass so much that he'll stick around until he graduates.

Still hoping we add an OT to the mix from the portal but that unit should also have more depth and experience than we've had in years. Whether it translates in Casula's system is a different story.

Which brings me to the biggest question mark...Steve Casula. We need to see a lot more variation from Casula this year than we saw last year. The NM State game in particular had some of the worst offensive play calling I've ever seen at any level. It was genuinely embarrassing to watch. He has the guys that fit his mold at QB, the RB room might be as good as we've ever had in the last 10 years, and they brought in some real talent at WR. There are no more excuses.

5 of the first 6 games are winnable before the schedule ramps up in difficulty. We need to win at least 2, beat Merrimack, and then win either the UConn or Army game. That is more than do-able. If the offense falters again out of the gate changes need to be made to who is calling plays ASAP or we'll be staring at another 1 or 2 win season.

ZooMass84
Senior
Posts: 1307
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:46 pm

Re: 2023 Season

Post by ZooMass84 » Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:47 am

Calmass9 wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:00 pm If UMass had the 100th ranked offense in the country and not the 130th ranked offense last year, the team wins 3-4 games. It's really that simple. The goal for this year given the schedule (only 3 guaranteed losses) needs to be 4 wins. The talent level should finally be there to make it happen.

For me, it all comes down to QB play and I feel 10x better about the position going into this year than last year. At the very least we know that Carlos Davis can throw the ball accurately more than 5 yards down the field, which we (hilariously) couldn't do last year. Haston is a talented wildcard, he's already on campus and if he blows everyone away then he'll win the job but I'm not expecting it. He'll def get a shot this year regardless unless Davis is incredible. I don't have the highest hopes for Taisun Phommachanh given that he couldn't get on the field for a bad Georgia Tech offense but he at least provides depth and very likely would have been our #1 last year which tells you everything you need to know. I'm stunned that Olson didn't transfer given who we brought in but he might just enjoy UMass so much that he'll stick around until he graduates.

Still hoping we add an OT to the mix from the portal but that unit should also have more depth and experience than we've had in years. Whether it translates in Casula's system is a different story.

Which brings me to the biggest question mark...Steve Casula. We need to see a lot more variation from Casula this year than we saw last year. The NM State game in particular had some of the worst offensive play calling I've ever seen at any level. It was genuinely embarrassing to watch. He has the guys that fit his mold at QB, the RB room might be as good as we've ever had in the last 10 years, and they brought in some real talent at WR. There are no more excuses.

5 of the first 6 games are winnable before the schedule ramps up in difficulty. We need to win at least 2, beat Merrimack, and then win either the UConn or Army game. That is more than do-able. If the offense falters again out of the gate changes need to be made to who is calling plays ASAP or we'll be staring at another 1 or 2 win season.
I'll say it again for the millionth time: Casula must have something on Don Brown or something........play calling is atrocious. Why is Casula still around? Can't believe he has some sort of multi year contract like DB. For the worst play calling see the NMSU and Army game. If Casula doesn't have the players to "fit his schemes"; then why not change "his schemes" to fit his players? I hate to say this: UMass would need to have the 1985 Chicago Bears defense for the offense not to matter. in a 5 week stretch we will have 4 home games. How many 4th and shorts being down late in the game did Casula punt the ball? A lot of coaches would relish a shot at 4th and 3.
And the main problem is this: if the offense can't stay on the field, then the defense will get gassed by half time and we know what happens then: 56-7 or some shit like that. maybe down 21-7 at the half then forget about it.

User avatar
Quann
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2489
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Hopkinton, MA

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Quann » Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:56 am

^^^
Zoo my favorite Casula game last season was the Texas A&M game when Casula kept ordering up 15-20 yard outs in the pouring rain play after play. I think we completed maybe one of them all day. The quick seam passes up the middle were open all day but he called maybe 2 of them. That showed what a bad coach he was. Normally we'd have no shot against A&M but that day in the rain with good offensive play calling we could have won. He stinks and I am so disappointed he's still here.
Last edited by Quann on Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

dennisdent
Senior
Posts: 1906
Joined: Sun May 04, 2003 7:18 pm
Location: Too close to the Beltway

Re: 2023 Season

Post by dennisdent » Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:16 am

Casula returning has put a real damper on the enthusiasm for the upcoming season. His boss and mentor at Michigan, Josh Gattis was fired after one season at Miami but we're stuck with his flunky analyst for another season. In Whip's first season he brought in Froh and Sifrin--game changing players that at least gave the offense a chance to score points. We got a TE who they tried to make a QB and no actual TE who could play. Hoping the three new Qbs can make a difference.

User avatar
Rolling Ridge
Junior
Posts: 386
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:17 pm

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Rolling Ridge » Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:48 am

I got tied up with something and missed the Zoom call last night with the offensive coaches. Did anyone who attended learn anything interesting?

dennisdent
Senior
Posts: 1906
Joined: Sun May 04, 2003 7:18 pm
Location: Too close to the Beltway

Re: 2023 Season

Post by dennisdent » Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:08 am

^Skipped it. I want to see results on the field and I'm done with the BS coach speak.

User avatar
Steve81
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2391
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: North Quabbin Region

Re: 2023 Season

Post by Steve81 » Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:10 am

There were about 50 people on the call. Some interesting stuff. Came down with COVID yesterday, after taking my daughter to the ER on Saturday. She also came down with COVID, but is ok. Feel people need to be on the call, as you ever went to those 300 people lectures and purchased the kib notes and skipped the lectures from time to time; the info is highly variable. Best to be there in person. Rolling Ridge will send you PM later.
Go UMass!!

dennisdent
Senior
Posts: 1906
Joined: Sun May 04, 2003 7:18 pm
Location: Too close to the Beltway

Re: 2023 Season

Post by dennisdent » Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:28 am

Steve81 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:10 am There were about 50 people on the call. Some interesting stuff. Came down with COVID yesterday, after taking my daughter to the ER on Saturday. She also came down with COVID, but is ok. Feel people need to be on the call, as you ever went to those 300 people lectures and purchased the kib notes and skipped the lectures from time to time; the info is highly variable. Best to be there in person. Rolling Ridge will send you PM later.
My wife is dealing with COVID right now. Keeping my distance as she gets better each day. I didn't get it so far...Hope you and your daughter get well soon!

I'll wait for the games (final exams) to see what the team does on offense this season.

Post Reply