The Karl Dorrel Kool Aid

by Nestor on Aug 25, 2006 11:14 AM PDT in Football

So Sporting News's Matt Hayes wrote a glowing article on Karl Dorrell that came out this week. Dorrell fans are all fired up about. Morgan Center's PR department is totally psyched. They even have it featured in its entirety in the official website. It's titled, "Watch out, USC -- Dorrell is making UCLA a threat again."

Wow that's pretty heavy stuff. So I decided to do a read through. And found some eye opening grafs. Let's start with this one from example:

When Dorrell arrived at UCLA, the program was a wreck. Even worse, that school across town had just finished a season in which its quarterback had won the Heisman Trophy. And because he wasn't Pete Carroll -- because he wasn't a teen with boundless energy trapped in a 50-something body -- and because he chooses words carefully and speaks in measured tones, he was seen as a coach in over his head.

So exactly how much of a "wreck" UCLA football program was when KD took over? Well let's revisit 2003 again when Dorrell took over. We posted this before (emphasis mine):

There is a new excitement surrounding UCLA football. Former wide receiver Karl Dorrell (1982-86) has returned to Westwood as the Bruins' head coach and optimism is high.

UCLA returns 14 starters from last season's 8-5 team - seven on offense and seven on defense - to form the nucleus of Dorrell's first Bruin team. On offense, the returnees include split end Craig Bragg, an All-America candidate who led the Bruins with 55 receptions a year ago; flanker Tab Perry, an honors candidate who averaged a Pac-10 best 19.9 yards per reception; tailback Tyler Ebell, who earned second-team Freshman All-America honors while rushing for 994 yards; fullback Manuel White, the team's second-leading rusher; guard Eyoseph Efseaff, a second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference performer; tackle Steven Vieira, a Pac-10 honorable mention selection at guard last season; and center Mike McCloskey, a second-team Freshman All-American. On defense, the returnees include tackle Rodney Leisle, a 2002 pre-season All-American before suffering a broken foot; end Dave Ball, who made 11 quarterback sacks en route to second-team All-Pac-10 honors; linebackers Brandon Chillar, an All-America candidate, and first-team Freshman All-American Spencer Havner; cornerback Matt Ware, a 2001 first-team Freshman All-American; and safeties Ben Emanuel, who tied for the team lead in interceptions, and first-team Freshman All-American Jarrad Page.

Other key returnees include sophomore quarterbacks Drew Olson, who started the final five games of the year, and Matt Moore, who helped rally the team to a victory in the SEGA Sports Las Vegas Bowl; wide receivers Junior Taylor and Ryan Smith; tailback Akil Harris; fullbacks J.D. Groves and Pat Norton; offensive linemen Ed Blanton, Paul Mociler and Shane Lehmann; defensive linemen Ryan Boschetti, who started five games a year ago, Mat Ball and Asi Faoa; linebackers Dennis Link and Justin London; and defensive backs Matt Clark, Marcus Cassel, Keith Short, Kevin Brant and Glenn Ohaeri.

Yeah, uhm "wreck" could hardly be described a football team which went 8-5 with a bowl win (yeah it didn't lose to MWC opponents like Fresno State and Wyoming) and was fairly stocked with talents in both offense and defense that would merit the expectations of Dorrell producing at least a 8 win team in his first season. That of course didn't happen. And most UCLA fans were willing to give Dorrell benefit of the doubt for sounding clueless in press, but what we really had problems with was Dorrell forgetting details like he had one of the most talented backs in the conference Manny White on his roster in his first game. He was seen as a coach "over his head," not for his "measured tones," but coming across as an individual who looked clueless and not in control of his football team.

Of course the article then has the standard fans are meanies and unreasonable segment usually woven in puff peace for a coach who is insecure about the job he has done at a program. Apparently Dorrell got a lot of mail after his first two seasons going 6-7 and 6-6, which includes disgraceful, embracing, and humiliating bowl losses to Fresno State and Wyoming:

Then came the e-mails, the hurtful, embarrassing and, yes, threatening e-mails. This is what happens when the guy across town recaptures the glory and the Bruins are losing to the Fresno States and Wyomings of the world.

"If they could've hanged me," Dorrell says, "they would've."

Well if anyone actually sent that kind of "threatening" emails to KD after those games he or she should be embarrassed of him (her) self. There is of course no place for that king of garbage in any level of our society.

But I wonder how of this has to do with perhaps Dorrell playing the "victim" - ooooh UCLA fans are bunch of meanies - card, we saw Lavin play so masterfully during his seven years at Westwood. Lavin always talked up about how he was getting death threats. Yet during all that time not a single person was charged with any attempts to make any kind of threats after him. All these references to "death threats" you hear from (usually incompetent/insecure/mediocre) coaches pretty much sound like WATB canard to me. I don't know about you, but when I see the words "death threat" in my daily newspaper, I expect to read about an actual threat of death to someone somewhere. I sometimes get threat often from an angry reader in the emails. But if you take everyone of these lunatics seriously then you might as well assume that MRS. MIRIAM ABACHA really does need your help to recover her husband's funds as assume that some emailer is who they say they are, without more proof that that. It's the same level of net-ignorance. Dorrell got lot of emails from irate/emotional UCLA alums because they were upset about KD embarrassing the program and turning it into a national laughing stock.

And even though he had a nice little "10 win" season last year at the end of the season it still a joke not just nationally but a laughing stock within the confines of the 405 and the 10:

Yeah, that video sure makes us look like a "threat." Doesn't it? We are such a "threat" we are ranked by national pundits nowhere in the preseason top-25.

And then Hayes has this note on recruiting:

There's one way to get better in college football: get better players. When that school across town is like a black hole sucking up every five-star stud high schooler north of Tijuana, it makes it even tougher. Yet Dorrell is making recruiting inroads. It began a few years ago with guys such as safety Dennis Keyes, Jones-Drew and Tevaga, who grew up a USC fan but chose to play for UCLA because of Dorrell.

Look, USC still is the king -- not just of L.A. but of the entire nation. But the Bruins are becoming more than just a nuisance on the recruiting trail. UCLA has seven early commitments for 2007, three of whom USC badly wanted, including defensive tackle Brian Price from Crenshaw High School, a Trojan stronghold a couple miles from USC's campus.

Uh if getting better players is the best way to improve a program what exactly Dorrell had been doing his first three years to close the talent gap with USC? Well he was so spectacular that the talent gap widened not just against USC but we also fell behind Cal. Ok so this year we are off to a good start. That is nice. But any hard core college football fans knows it's not how you start, but how you finish. In other words if we end up having another 6-7 win season with no wins against USC, all that early season momentum is going to dissipate in the recruiting trail, and then come next August Dorrell's supporters will be looking forward to - not 2007 - but 2008 season. Yes, it will be the "next" next year.

But anyways it's a new season. Everyone is excited. We haven't drunk the Dorrell Kool Aid yet, but will try to stay positive. So I will end with this portion of the article:

This team is more talented than his previous three. Bigger and stronger and more, well, more like that school's across town. This team is his team. For the first time since he arrived before the 2003 season, nearly every scholarship player is one Dorrell recruited.

There are seven fifth-year seniors who were recruited by the previous staff, seven players who have bought into and embraced Dorrell's philosophy. This year's freshmen, some of whom could have chosen that school across town, make up his best recruiting class yet. This team is coming off a 10-win season, something only six other teams in school history have accomplished.

The staff believes quarterback Ben Olson, after two years on a Mormon mission and one year sitting and waiting, finally is ready to live up to his megarecruit hype. Remember mighty-mite tailback Maurice Jones-Drew? Meet tailback Chris Markey, who, if he lost a couple of inches, would be Jones-Drew's twin. The interior lines are stronger and more experienced, and the Bruins haven't been this deep at wide receiver in years.

Well then. So if all this is true what will be the excuse for this team not winning 9 games and beating SC? If they can get that done perhaps UCLA will really emerge again as a "threat" to USC, and then I will be happy to drink that kool aid from Mr. Hayes. Again as fellow Bruin scittles wrote couple of days ago, "let 10 wins be momentum, not an excuse."

8 more days.

GO BRUINS.

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Comments

ready to vomit

I really wish you had put some kind of warning in your post with regards to the U$C highlight film. Who knows how many innocent children and unsuspecting Bruin fans will watch that video, not knowing the gruesome footage they are about to encounter. After watching that, I am about to recycle my lunch all over my desk. The horror. The horror.

by SactoBruin on Aug 25, 2006 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

Vomit

I will vomit if we lose to SC again. I am not buying any of thise BS until we those m'fers.

by bluestreet on Aug 25, 2006 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree

with most of your post. However I have had the pleasure of meeting KD, his brother Kent and their father and can tell you that playing the victim card does not run in that family. You can bark all you want about his coaching abilities but to question his character is out of line. Unlike the thugs across town he actually holds the young men in his program accountable. 10 wins in my opinion was merely a small stepping stone on returning this program to the glory of the 80's. GO BRUINS!

by bruinelder on Aug 25, 2006 1:12 PM PDT reply actions

I met Lavin back in the day ...

and he also seem like a "nice" guy too.

by bluestreet on Aug 25, 2006 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions

And If He Succeeds?

So I'll assume that if KD does manage to turn the program into the consistent winner most of us long for, that all the diatribes about him will dry up. Built into that assumption is the notion that most of us would rather win in the near future with KD at the helm rather than suffer through a couple of disastrous seasons in order to dump him. Hope that's the case.

by MacBruin on Aug 25, 2006 1:36 PM PDT reply actions

'diatribes'

Just providing a reality based context to a puff piece.

If KD beats SC and wins 9 games - we will be more than happy to get behind him. This is not about Dorrell, this is about UCLA football, the program.

by Nestor on Aug 25, 2006 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions

KD

You don't haer any more diatribes about Mack Brown, do you?

Winning helps a lot. That's all KD needs to do...win, and not humiliate the program during the losses. Even if we lose a couple of games this year (outside of the SC game), so long as we at least lose respectably and end up somewhere in the 9+ win range, I'll be happy.

It's these damn blowouts where the coaching staff looks way in over their head that make things so depressing sometimes.

by CAJason80 on Aug 25, 2006 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions

One man's opinion (with rose colored glasses?)

With 8 days to go until the season starts, this is how I am looking at things.

What KD has done the previous 3 years is in the past. I can wish it didn't happen the way it turned out, but I can't. The outcome of games and events that have transpired can't be changed. I'm done with it.

All the stats for and against KD doesn't mean anything anymore either. The KD haters, KD supporters & the middle roaders can talk & write anything they want to support their side of the argument, I'm done with that also.

All the "feel good" stories are fodder for those that like to get caught up in that kind of stuff.
There articles to fill papers and hit deadlines. I always take those with a grain of salt.

The "clueless" at Morgan Center didn't just get that way when KD arrived, they now have it as an art form from years of practice. They were the same when we won the '95 championship in BB. Once again, don't care.

The only thing I care about right now is the upcoming season. Until something different happens, we are an undefeated team. That's been my outlook on every new season since I've been a Bruin fan. How the Coaches (old & new)& the players perform this year will answer any questions I may have about KD's future as our Coach.

I'm probabbly one of the few people that think we can beat ND. I will continue to believe it until the final seconds tick off the scoreboard to prove me wrong. I also think that about every opponent.

Thanks for listening, count your change before you leave the window.

GO BRUINS

by artybruin on Aug 25, 2006 2:34 PM PDT reply actions

Preach it Arty

I like the optimism. I need that. We all need it. But it's hard sometimes as a UCLA football fan. But post like your helps.

by bluestreet on Aug 25, 2006 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Thank You!!

I would like to second what you said here. Everything that can be said has been said. We all know our positions on KD and The Morgan Center and all of that stuff. The big thing is UTAH now. We all need to show up, wear our blue proudly, be loud, and our team should reward us with a big win. I look forward to the season and hope to see you all out there (those of you that can).

by isodore on Aug 25, 2006 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

YES!

Please! Everyone wear powder blue for once. I'm sick of seeing the BRUIN faithful proudly wearing white, yellow, and dark CAL blue.

It's completely retarded that UCLA distributes any other color besides powder blue. If you look at any other home stadium there is only one color being worn. The Morgan Center needs to pull their head out of their ass and do something about it.

Here's an idea, along with a season ticket package their could be an order form for a variety of powder blue shirts available for purchase and we could FINALLY be able to witness a SEA OF BLUE at the ROSE BOWL.

I just can't seem to figure out why we can't do anything about this problem. I mean everyone else in the college football world sells only ONE color. Why can't UCLA follow suit?

by BruinGeek88 on Aug 25, 2006 3:05 PM PDT reply actions