The Gutless Coward

by Nestor on Oct 21, 2007 11:35 AM PDT in Football Comment 22 comments

Dohn has the explanation from the Doofus on his "4th and 1" decision:

Here is what UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said about the fourth-and-1 decision to try and draw Cal offsides, before punting. The call came after a timeout, with UCLA on Cal's 38-yard line.
"I didn't want to make a mistake,'' Dorrell said. "It was long than just fourth-and-1. it was about fourth-and-one-and-a-half. I just didn't want to put ourselves in a bad situation there. You can get a chance to put them in their end of the field and make them drive to score some points. We were donw by one at the time. We didn't nail the punt like we wanted to, but our defense came through and protected ourselves."

The doofus can say whatever he wants. But he cannot hide the fact that his decision was one of the most cowardly, gutless, and moronic decisions I have seen during my 20 years of following UCLA football. The only other call that was so gutless was the same coward's decision to punt the ball on 4th and 1 against Southern Cal in 2005. It killed all the momentum Bruins had and as folks have mentioned here it already it turned cheers into deafening boos, that was audible that we could hear in a crowded all the way across the country.

And the most amusing part of this was to see Dorrell chewing out our punter after he kicked into the endzone. ROFL. Perez was getting chewed out by the gutless coward, even after it was the doofus who made the moronic decision. I have never seen a coach who has such zero feel for the game. A coward who is afraid to make any move to win the game. Sooner or later it will come back to bite our program in the rear end, which will once again cause all the shameless cultists to crawl back in their little holes.

GO BRUINS.

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In other words...

he has no faith in his defense.

BTW, I love these quotes:

"I didn't want to make a mistake''
"I just didn't want to put ourselves in a bad situation there."

My response to both of these comments would have been "Since when?"

by UCngLA on Oct 21, 2007 11:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Excellent

Where are the Dorrellistas who were crowing last night?

I'll just wait to hear your defense of that fine playcalling.

by Barnes2JJ on Oct 21, 2007 12:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

But history is full of such examples....

Consider these other examples:

When asked why he ordered the Union's Retreat from Gettysburg before the battle had started, Mr. Lincoln replied, "Well, I didn't want to make a mistake."

George S. Patton, on why he was unwilling to race his armored column north to repel the German advance at the Battle of the Bulge: "I didn't want to make a mistake."

After Mr. Disney decided not to build the theme park in the middle of an orange grove in Anaheim, he was reportedly overheard saying "I didn't want to make a mistake."

In a stunning reversal of opinion, the signers of last month's now-infamous "Declaration of Independence" today issued a complete retration, offering only a terse, pre-drafted release to a throng of gathered reporters: "We didn't want to make a mistake."

by Fedup on Oct 21, 2007 12:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Total BS

What a bunch of crap.

This is the second week where a 4th and 1 led to the wrong call.

One justification, during both ND and Cal -- it was a loooong 1. So, we pass against ND and kick against Cal even though neither can stop the run.

Then, we blame the firm for throwing a bad pass and Perez for a bad kick.

BTW -- we were behind Cal. Even if we trust our D to get the ball back, in a "field position game" we are not likely to get it back in any better position than we were in when we took the penalty. We'd lose time on the clock and yards.

Finally, I can't recall Moline losing yards on a carry this year. It may have happened, but I can't remember it. He's really good for 1 loooong yard, almost all of the time. To not try against either ND or Cal is not just cowardly, it's dumb.

And, what a great message it sends to the O players.

O players, who loves you? Your friends at BN.

Who doesn't trust you and who throws you under the bus, not us.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Oct 21, 2007 12:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh, you're all just a bunch of haters

I know that's the deal, because I read it in all the posts from the guys with names I had never seen before. Come to think of it, I didn't see any of those names after Utah or Notre Dame.

by Fox 71 on Oct 21, 2007 12:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This is true

I hate the acceptance of mediocrity, particularly by drive-by posters who only visit BN after wins to say "OMG, we are the bomb," but hide behind their mama's skirts when we lose.

I hate runs up the gut on first down.

I hate stupid 4th down and 1 decisions.

I hate burning timeouts, game after game after game.

I hate being second fiddle in town to a bunch of thugs.

So, yes, I guess I'm a hater.

by Barnes2JJ on Oct 21, 2007 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Compare LSU's Les Miles gutsy call to win the game

I watched the whole LSU-Auburn game when I got home from the Rose Bowl. LSU's coach Les Miles has got some big brass ones and puts it on the line. LSU was within a long FG range to win the game with 16 seconds left. Instead, they throw to the end zone for a TD and only 1 second left. If it was an incomplete, the clock might have run out and they would not have been able to attempt a FG. All the while, the entire LSU stadium was loud and rocking. Now that's college football! When they interviewed Les Miles immediately after the game he sounded very confident and like a champion with a desire to WIN, not "not lose."

Compare that to KD's chickenshit "no-play" play on 4 and 1. After several seconds it became apparent to everyone that we weren't going to run a play but try to draw them offsides. Was it KD or JN that came up with that "play?"

by mark the bruin on Oct 21, 2007 1:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Point

I watched the LSU game and thought the same thing.

Miles trusts his team and his own decisions.

It was a great game.

My friends from LSU look forward to every game. Right now, I don't.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Oct 21, 2007 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To add insult to injury

that came after a FRIGGIN' TIME OUT!!!! The element of surprise (if there even is any with that maneuver) is GONE!!!

Justifiably so, Dorrell got absolutely skewered by Fouts and Brandt for that call, and the Rose Bowl boos were definitely audible on television.

And Dorrell burned another timeout shortly after that, leaving them only with one in a tight ball game late in the 4th.

If not for Verner's heroics, Cal goes up 24-23 with about a minute left, and Dorrell would likely have been toast for those calls.

Lucky bastard.

"If I don't do my job, I will get fired" -Karl Dorrell

by godblesstyus95 on Oct 21, 2007 2:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He really has been lucky

How many times does that kid on OSU have a total meltdown in the fourth quarter and literally give us the game? And even though ATV was apparently open on the play, how many times will the QB hit him that perfectly to seal the deal?

We are 5-2. We should be 7-0. We could easily be 1-6. CTS has nothing to do with our being 5-2 and our not being 1-6. He has prevented us from being 7-0.

by Fox 71 on Oct 21, 2007 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yawwwwwn...

these rants are old and tiresome. It's the same bitch and moan day after day. You and the millions of other "next day quarterbacks" will always find something to whine about...be it a season, game, play, quote...whatever. You have become repetitive, dull, and mean. There is absolutely nothing new in any of your posts. News flash...other thoughts and opinions exist. Many of us do not live in a vacuum with blinders on. We are capapble of independent thought and do not succumb to group think. Of course, those who engage in actual independent thought are ridiculed for not adhering to party line. Whatever.

by simibruin on Oct 21, 2007 3:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Rather than attack those who don't agree with you

why don't you do your best to explain why I should have anything but a negative attitude toward KD and his tenure at UCLA. Please do share those "other thoughts and opinions."

by UCngLA on Oct 21, 2007 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree about the hatred of late...

I'm ready for CKD to move on as well - but the posts the last few weeks have been ridiculous.

C'mon, I mean a WHOLE POST on the 4th and 1 and what a "Gutless Coward" Dorrell is? Why not talk about the play of the secondary, the play of St. Pat, how well the O-line played, etc. - and yes, you could say in spite of the coaching.

Look, I'm as mad as anyone else, I am alum and also have been a fan since Tom Ramsey. But that was INDEED a solid win yesterday, against a good team and we're in 1st place in the Pac-10 with all our hard games at home still. Yet all the regulars here only post negative comments.

You want to hear a positive thing? Dennis Keyes stopped when my son Nico (6 years old) called out his name after the game as we waited for the team at the RB, came over and talked to us, thanked us for providing the team support, and was a great ambassador at that momemt for the school we all love dearly. That's what being a Bruin is all about.

by JohnnyBruin on Oct 21, 2007 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The players have our support

But the Head Coach doesn't. Yes, there are posters here who rip on certain players for shooting off their mouths when they should let their play do the talking. I, as many here, support the players and don't blame any of them for our team's performance this season, or any season under the KD era. That blame falls squarely on KD.

It's hard to be positive when the performance of your team is inconsistent at best. It's hard to be positive when the attitude, philosophy, and and decisions of your head coach are not representative of a championship-caliber team.

The posts this past week have been ridiculous? How so? This forum provides the only outlet for Bruin fans fed up with the inconsistent and underachieving performance of KD. The media only recently has slammed him, but nowhere else can we speak our minds without being absolutely ripped by fellow fans.

If you don't want to read negative comments about KD, I suggest you go elsewhere. This post is dead on about how gutless that call was on 4th and 1. It was absolutely justified because it typifies KD's lack of risk-taking during his years here.

It's good to hear positive things about our players. I just don't see the same being done about our coach.

by hspigskinfan on Oct 21, 2007 7:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even if this was a good win

What makes this win more significant than losses to Utah, Notre Dame, USC, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington St and any other team that has embarrassed Dorrell coached UCLA teams? Lavin had wins like these all the time, and he clearly was never a good coach.

If you don't live in a vacuum, why do you act as if this is the only game Dorrell has coached?

by SuperBruinMan on Oct 21, 2007 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here you are again

for the 50th straight time, with the 50th same tire, old, boring, repetitive post.

Is there some reason you never post after UCLA loses?

by Barnes2JJ on Oct 21, 2007 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Simi - some questions

These is a real question, not "in your face" questions.

Do you really think that this team benefits from having CTS on the sidelines? Would this same group of guys, all other things being equal, be 5-2 at this point? Of the 119 coaches in D-1, how many could have figured a way to beat either Utah or Notre Dame. I'm not asking about winning both - just one of the two.

Does CTS's body of work justify his continued employment? Has he done a good job?

If you think so, please explain why. I would really be interested in your answers and your analyses. As you have undoubtedly perceived, there are many who haven't forgiven this coach for his failure or inability to have the team prepared for so many games. My nearly 50 years of watching UCLA has seen some tough seasons and some tough losses, but never so many losses in games that I was sure we could and should win as under the current coach. I view that as a failure. I think his total body of work has been at best mediocre.

You have defended him many times, but I for the life of me can't figure out why.

I'll hang up and take your answer off the air.

by Fox 71 on Oct 21, 2007 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Please forgive the typos.

by Fox 71 on Oct 21, 2007 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Simi

I assume you're composing your thoughts to answer some real questions. Where are you? Let's have a dialogue without taking shots about why CTS should be retained.

by Fox 71 on Oct 21, 2007 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still waiting for the response

It's been a while now, so whatever Simi is coming up with right now must be great. Can't wait!

by Class of 86 on Oct 21, 2007 7:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

FYI

Simi is gone. We are not going to let our comment threads turn into flame wars initiated by drive by trolls.

We have no problems with folks disagreeing and engaging with each other based on numbers, stats, reality you get the picture.

But posts that are just meant to attack the moderators, other members, and our community in general, will simply not be tolerated.

by Nestor on Oct 21, 2007 7:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

NO U

You know it's sad when all the namecalling you threw out during your little temper tantrum there more accurately apply to you than to anyone in this community. Bitch and moan day after day? Looking at your posting history, seems you've got the market cornered on that one. I also find it funny that you mention independent thought and groupthink, the first of which certainly doesn't describe a Dorrelista like yourself, and the second of which describes virtually all Dorrelistas, since their little Cal game bubble/vacuum world is all they have to cling to to support their house of cards.

I don't see any independent thought in your comment. None. Bitching and moaning about bitching and moaning isn't independent thought. It's being a bitch. A bitch that doesn't contribute a goddamn thing but just wants to whine about what is contributed. Seriously, I better not see anymore posts like this out of you until you've actually contributed something "fresh". And it better not be non-football-related Pollyanna bullshit either. I'm talking about the reasons why KD is doing a good job and why he doesn't deserve negativity.

Go.

by Tydides on Oct 21, 2007 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs