Post U$C State of Mind: So Which "Phase" Are We In?

I know that as a “bleed blue and gold” BRUIN, I am as frustrated with the football program as any one else – but, we need to remember that Rick Neuheisel is one of us! He hates $c just as much as the rest of us and he even had to play them in his career – more hate. I feel we have to let him go out and recruit now and then deal with the problems in our program. I trust that he will make the right decisions. I do believe that he needs to take more control over the offense. Remember, when he came to Westwood, the cupboard was bare. He didn’t have the players that other coaches inherited to continue the program. He has some great recruits coming in and here already. I do wish that he would recruit more athletes out of Orange County. Servite and Mission Viejo High Schools have some of their best players going to $c – just like Barkley did from Mater Dei. I am hoping that he finds the answers. I like Neuheisel.

I am not clear on this. DG of late seemed to say, “Why shouldn’t he return?” and “He has the team going in a good direction.” I think the last 6 games really damaged recruiting with many players still going to the other guys. I looked at the OC register article about the top 100, and we get only 1. SC 3 or 4.

It’s more important than that."…Red Sanders, the only coach to bring us a National Title.

Give us a competitive team that can win 9-10 games and see more tix sales and maybe some greater student interest therefore greater attendance.I love the Rose Bowl but empty seats there and at Pauley piss me off. I was not a backer of CRN when he was hired but said OK if thats what they want lets give him a chance. He has had 3 years and I feel should be given 4 to at least see MAJOR improvements. You can put butts in the seats if you are exciting but with our defense and a conservative offense we are frightening. Injuries play a part but an expressed lack of effective effort should never be tolerated.

is highly unlikely to happen at a time that the university is raising fees and furloughing staff. All the big salary decisions have to be passed by the Regents, and splurging on a high priced head coach would be a PR disaster (even if there is an economic argument that improved performance on the field would earn that money back).

  I think Rick made a big mistake when he took on the job. First he was basically forced to keep Walker as his DC. The argument at the time was that Walker recruited the incoming class and we didn’t want to lose what recruits we had committed. The down side was that we kept Walker and his deciple the current DC, Bullough.
  Mistake #2 was buying into the fact that Norm Chow was an offensive genius and how can you pass up a chance to have a real certified geniun on your staff. Besides, the Trogies wanted him back and what a coup it was snatching hime from the Trogan.
   As it has played out, CNC is a burned out genius. He has mismanaged our offense and QB development. Our first year went down in flames when we lost our two QB’s almost at the same time. Everbody forgets that KC was recruited by Norm and Rick. They went to Mt. Sac and signed him to a scholie. They must have seen something in him, beside the heart of a Lion, He knocked his brains out for us, literally.
   The excuse has been that we have had to OL and that the cupboard was bear when CRN arrived. I seem to recall that CTS garnered some high ranked recruiting classes. Go back an look it up. I remember asking my son, a writer for MaxPrepsorts.com how our classes were so highly ranked. He said they were typical UCLA type players. Which in his vernacular means they are smart, talented and soft.
   Rick needs to get rid of Chow and Bullogh ASAP. You can’t tell me that hidden in the deepest recesses of his desk, CRN has a short list of names and numbers he can call to fill vacancies on his staff.
  Rick has had three years to settle back into college ball. He’s had a chance to hone his recruiting chops and bs. I think he had things on cruise control with CNC, CDW and CCB. Nows the time to fully take the reins and establish his mark on UCLA football. If not then next year will be time to say "Adios M.Fer!

Damn it. Being non-competitive for the umpteenth time vs. $UC again this year while those F—ing weasels are dancing around the Rose Bowl taunting (laughing at?) us while their jackass 3-note band is playing some new: “UCLA-Sucks” diddy just pisses me the HELL OFF. I cannot accept the continued imbalance of power. Objectively, $UC dominated us on both sides of the ball, and once the fatal fumble/pick6 occurred, we were DONE/Toast. We’ve got to find the way back to the Promised Land. Poor Cade McNown who was the honorary game Captain was certainly mortified at what he saw. I just know that I was more pissed than ever and my hatred of anything $UC grew even more as they taunted and danced and pranced at our expense. I can’t think straight to offer any “game changer” strategies — but like the 1976 film, network proclaims: “I’m MAD AS HELL and not going to take it anymore!” Bruins, we need a GAME changer, a Paradigm Shift to change the balance of power in Los Angeles. Or, we’ll continue to suffer in ignominy while those bastards @ $UC continue to dance on our grave. Someone. somehow take us to the Promised Land of Milk and Honey and stomping $UC’s malfeasant ASS! Go Bruins! Are better days ahead? How? When? Who?

I now have my doubts about CRN. I say give him another year for sure. However, I’m wondering if everybody is realizing how much the college football landscape has changed from 10 to 15 years ago. It is insanely more competitive now. Look at the PAC-10, really only 1 dog currently – WAZU. 10 to 15 years ago the middle and lower tier of the conference weren’t much. Now, you can’t take anybody for granted and schools are investing more into the “flagship” sport of their ADs. This is in no way excuses the performance of the Bruins recently and should not deter from setting lofty goals. However, everybody should acknowledge the environment you have to operate in now. The margin for error is slim (i.e. coaching hires, recruiting, etc.). As others have posted, I’m also wondering, why would top tier recruits want to come to UCLA right now? Lastly, I have a feeling that the Embree-Bieniemy duo at CU is going to be a real force to be reckoned with fairly soon (especially on the recruiting trail).

We HEARD this and other justifications regarding Rick so many times. They are tired, compellingly nonsensical, and in so many ways desperate rationale to not sack Rick & Norm as we speak.

Nothing personal about you, my fellow bruin.

It’s just that this is someone who talks better than he coaches. We remember him as that young, brash yet valiant player who started as walk-on but finished his career quarterbacking his Bruin team to an upset victory in Rose Bowl. I honestly thought he was the legitimate heir apparent to Donohue, when UCLA somehow slighted him in favor of Bob Toledo. But we were mighty proud of him still when he coached his Huskies team to Rose Bowl victory years later.

But facts are facts. How is it conceivable for him to become so lame now at his own alma mater when he succeeded elsewhere, warts and all ?

I really, really believe it is time for Rick to walk away.

Next year will only get progressively more ugly, difficult because I don’t think players have confidence in their coach anymore. For all his uplifting locker room talks and stirring speeches, Rick is merely an empty suit, a poker player without chips and someone who merely delivers words without punches.

I like him. But I am even more desperate and concerned that he is not who we think he is.

UCLA has been a second tier team for decades. The last good UCLA team was run by Terry Donahue, quarterbacked by Rick Neuhiesel himself.

UCLA has gone through numerous coaches. Having a revolving door of coaches creates instability in the program that turns off the best recruits.

Rick and Norm have good track records as coaches. Sure, they need a better defensive coach. They need stability and time – not year to year assessments.

UCLA has traditionally had high school and junior college quality players. They have not had the best players in the nation since the Donahue years – just a smattering of NFL quality players.

UCLA’s current crop of players are soft and psychologically troubled. They are undisciplined. They have character problems. They are not hard edged competitive players. Look at how many of the players used drugs this year. That is unthinkable. Look how many were charged with a crime. This is why we lose. We have poor players.

This year, the injury bug seriously impaired our team. When most of your top players are out for the season due to injury or surgery, you don’t survive the expectations. You lose.

I agree that the coaches need to discipline their players better. It is difficult since UCLA is so close to the beach and there is a party in Westwood all the time. USC is in a slum area where you would be fearful of walking out at night. Thus USC’s players don’t get to party like UCLA’s players do. Cal is in a slum area also. Stanford is in a nerd area. There is a problem when right outside the campus are parties galore.

The coaches needs to impose their wills better and discipline the team. They should kick out the bad weeds. They don’t need to on the team.

The coaches need to recruit players who are psychologically winners, who want to win, who will die to win, who are aggressive and competitively driven. We no longer need soft, undisciplined players like we do now.

Football should be life or death to the players. We don’t have that currently.