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Edsall calls out CIAC
Edsall spoke of how hypocritical the CIAC is with its current football set-up, particularly the playoff system which teams could play three games in a 9-day span.
“It’s crazy,” Edsall said. “They say everything is about player safety, but then they contradict themselves by asking kids to play three games in nine days. They play Thanksgiving Day, then if you make the playoffs you play the following Tuesday and then the following Saturday. To me it’s not fair to the kids and it’s not the way you should have a state championship in my opinion.”
Edsall would like to see Connecticut change policy to become more like other states by beginning football practice in early August instead of August 24, then finish the regular season the first week of November and begin playoffs with a larger field.
"It could still all be finished by the first or second week of December," said Edsall, who compared the CIAC with the Ivy League in terms of its slowness to adapt change.
Connecticut high school players are far behind other states in terms of experience and coaching because they have less time to practice and play games. Take Difton's alma mater, St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. They played 30 games the past two seasons, more than double what Connecticut's best team played over that span. Florida schools also have longer preseason and spring training camps. That gives Florida players a distinct advantage, and several other states have similar rules.
"I sat down and figured it out once, and it's like an extra year and a half of football over a four-year span in Florida," Edsall said.
posted by Chip Malafronte at
4:50 PM
3 Comments:
I agree with Edsall 100% on this issue. Why does the CIAC start so late. It has been this way since I was playing football 28 years ago without any changes.
Time for Connecticut to move up the start of practice a week at least and play the first game a week earlier at least. That way they are playing by the second Friday or Saturday in September instead of a week later.
I think Edsall should worry abouts getting his team ready for the season and keeping the players out of jail. There's plenty enough there to keep him busy.
One issue I hear on on message boards as far as a gripe on UConn football is that they do not recruit enough in the state of Connecticut. It seems to me that coach Edsall would like to increase in state recruiting but feels that the CIAC rules restrict player development.
It seems to me this can be a fair criticism of high school football in the state. A lot of guys work hard - players and coaches alike. But it is a simple truth that Connecticut high school football has far more restrictions on it than many other states.
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