College Football 2010: Randy Edsall To Coach UConn Safeties

UConn coach Randy Edsall has always been a defensive-minded coach. It is what he is known for and this season with his team young and relatively inexperienced at safety he has made the decision to coach them. For a head coach this is a relatively unusual but Edsall realizes the importance of making sure his safeties are ready when they open up the season at Michigan.

Edsall has a lot of experience serving as a secondary coach in both college and the NFL.  He worked under Tom Coughlin when he was at Jacksonville. Coach Edsall has the ability to step outside the box and take this task with confident in hope of making his defense even stronger.

Darrell Perkins who is working with the cornerbacks is a younger coach. Edsall knows he has the capability to coach the entire defense, but taking the safeties off his hands gives him more time working with the cornerbacks.

UConn needs to fix its secondary problems from a year ago. It can't continually allow wide receivers to run open down the field, because it ends up costing them at the end of games. Teams are going to come out early and challenge this defense often. It is the secondary's responsibility to be able to read the quarterback and dictate what his next move is when he drops back to pass.

Last year, UConn was 88th out of 120 teams when it comes down to pass defense.  Through the air the secondary allowed a staggering 235 yards per game. A high number that Edsall and his staff knows has to come down if this team wants to compete for a Big East title.

The big plays through the air can't be allowed by this defense. It will make them look weak and translates to points for the opposing team on the scoreboard. UConn's passing game has come a long way, but it has always been known as a team that runs the ball hard and plays tough defense.

There's a ton of optimism when it comes to the goals this team has set for the season and what all the fans have to say about the 2010 season. For those who have lived in Connecticut their entire lives as far as sports team UConn football is the future.

Seeing Edsall out there coaching these young kids is another telling sign about what this season could be. He understands what these safeties need to know and how they can apply their talent on the field. 

When they open up the season against Michigan's spread offense, we should have a good idea of how well they have acclimated to the system.

In the end, a team is only as a good as its defense.