A Different Spring

The move that has had the most immediate impact was the hiring of Mike Linn as head athletic performance coach.

Bruins' players never fail to mention how much tougher the training has become, as well as how much their muscles ache. Bottom line: tougher training, tougher players -- or so goes the theory.

That would fit nicely with first-year offensive line coach Bob Palcic's plan.

"You've heard of Grumpy old men? Well, that's me," Palcic said. "They better get ready for a rougher spring than they have ever been through."

Simplicity, Chow acknowledges, is a key element in his success.

"I told the quarterbacks I want us to understand things so well it will allow us to play fast and hard," Chow said. "If I have to worry about this, this, this, this ... I'm not going to play well. Schematically, we're going to set it up so they all know what they're doing."

In the former offense, once breaking the huddle and strolling to the line of scrimmage, UCLA's quarterback went through myriad observations and calls. In some formations, the weakside linebacker had to be identified as a middle linebacker. If a safety walked toward the line of scrimmage, the player identified as the middle linebacker might have to be changed, and it was the quarterback's job to communicate all the changes with his offensive line. The center would then make the blocking calls.

And what if a safety walked toward the line of scrimmage, calls were made, and the safety dropped back again?

"It could get confusing at times," Olson said. "I'm not making any excuses for anything, but the West Coast Offense, especially the version that we ran last year, is a very complicated, intricate offense, which is run by professionals.

"It's a great offense, and can be very, very powerful in the right situation. It's very cerebral. You have to be on top of your game, and I don't think people who don't know a lick about football understand that."

In meetings with the offensive players, Neuheisel said "it was clear" the play-calling terminology was too complex.

"We're going to have some of the same plays we had (last season)," Olson said. "We're just going to run them in different ways."

There is another way Chow approaches his offense.

"You only run an average of 72 plays a game, so why would you practice 200 plays?" Chow said. "That's what kids tell me from practice (last season). If you don't run a play one week, you run it the next week. You have to have a play in case (the defense) does this, in case they do that. But you're not going to wear yourself out in case (the defense) does this, when they've never shown it before.

"And if they put it in, they must not be good because why are they putting it in and practicing it for two days? And if they do something different, we'll adjust."