Bruin Bites: Dan Guerrero and Rick Neuheisel Must Go Edition
by Bellerophon on Oct 23, 2011 1:35 PM PDT
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PrintIt's Sunday afternoon, and hopefully, you've spent the weekend watching football teams that actually had real coaching and, more importantly, the support of an athletic department and university that actually care about having a successful program. Unless and until UCLA decides to dump Dan Guerrero and give Neuheisel the axe, Bruin football is going to continue as a mediocre embarrassment to our great alma mater.
I mean, does anyone else see the irony in this? UCLA does pretty much everything phenomenally. Academically, we're one of the top universities in the entire world (see here (#34), here (#2), here (#34), here (#13), and here (#13) . . . also note how much further below U$C is, and yet they talk so much). Athletically, we have more national championships than any other university, you know, "First to 100" and all of that. We are a national title contender in every sport we contend in every year (including men's basketball under Howland, except for the last few seasons), except for one: football.
We're in a BCS conference. We have a football program than dominated in the 1980s and 1990s. We produced countless players in the NFL, including some of the best the game has ever seen (read: Troy Aikman, Jonathan Ogden, Ken Norton Jr., etc.). UCLA sits in the second largest media market in the United States and is in the middle of a recruiting hot-bed. Even with U$C across town, there's so many elite prospects in Southern California that both programs should be able to stock up with top talent. In short, there's no excuse for why we suck at football. None. Zero.
Except, we have an athletic director who isn't a football guy, who came from a small-time sister UC school (Irvine) with no football program and nothing close to the level of excellence we expect at UCLA. He's bought into the diseased culture of mediocrity at Morgan Center, where people think doing things the "UCLA way" is the right way: that we can pay coaches with UCLA ties on the cheap and that we don't need to aggressively market our program because we're UCLA and the kids should just want to come here and that's that.
Make no mistake about it: UCLA will continue to be a joke unless and until we get serious about football. That means that Dan Guerrero must be fired or resign immediately and Rick Neuheisel must be fired or resign immediately.
Both guys are UCLA guys. They were good Bruins and they should be applauded for what they did in their time as UCLA student athletes. But they don't get it. Rick has become a conservative shell of his former self and if Thursday showed us anything, he has no control over this program, and there's nothing resembling "coaching" going on at Spaulding. Not when you lose to a 1-5 program with a guy coaching his first game ever as the boss. Dan used to play baseball for the Bruins, yet our baseball program, with one of the nation's best coaches, has broken-down decrepit facilities that are not even on par with other Pac-12 programs, let alone the college baseball powers in the SEC. When you look around at UCLA athletics, we succeed in spite of our athletic department and in spite of the diseased culture of mediocrity at Morgan Center.
When you look at UCLA athletics, it's clear that it's time for wholesale regime change, starting with Dan Guerrero.
It's been a long few days since our last edition of Bruin Bites. What's sad is that this is not even the first time that Bruin Bites had a special "Dan and Rick fail" edition. With those thoughts, let's turn to some other bits and pieces of news coming from around the UCLA-iverse after the jump:
- Starting with football news, with talk of the NFL moving a franchise to Los Angeles heating up, the Rose Bowl is evaluating having that new NFL team play their home games in Pasadena until the new stadium (either the downtown stadium plan, or the City of Industry plan with the stadium at the intersection of the 57 and the 60) is constructed. Meanwhile, the Coliseum is also evaluating the impact of an NFL team as they seek to have the new NFL team play their home games there pending the construction of the new stadium. I mean, really, Coliseum: you already have one professional team playing there, do you really need a second?
- Looking at our football program, it's gotten so bad that even casual college football fans are taking note. James Sheldon at Manolith wonders why UCLA sucks so bad at football, given all the natural recruiting advantages. Sheldon echos a lot of points we've been making at BN for some time, and sums it by failing to understand how it's possible that UCLA is consistently bad at football. Gee, Rick and Dan, when non-sports writers are picking up on this, don't you think it's a problem?
- Just in case you missed it, the L.A. Times has the video of this Thursday's referee impersonator/Arizona streaker and, for good measure, threw in a video of David Beckham (during the Paul Scholes testimonial game) tackling a kid who ran on to the field.
- Finally, in simulated football news, the guys at Operation Sports (better known for being the place you can download roster files for EA Sports games that have the college players named) put together their list of five down-and-out programs that are perfect for re-building a dynasty in EA Sports' NCAA Football 12. Even in virtual reality, they note that the Bruins, despite not being a winning program, have a lot of young talent. So, if even the video game developers at EA Sports notice all the young talent on the roster, why can't Rick seem to turn it into a consistent winner? Oh yeah, because we give "sure-handed" guys like Rosario and Embree reps instead of playmakers like Marvray and Shaq Evans. When video game programmers (read: nerds) know more about your football talent than your football head coach, someone needs to be fired (read: Dan and Rick). Facepalm.
- We've talked a lot about soccer manager turned football kicker Tyler Gonzalez, but the Daily Bruin profiled some of the other student managers for our football, basketball, and soccer programs. Kind of a neat read to see the world of these students who work behind the scenes. With how piss-poor our football team has played, maybe one of these guys can play QB? Or fair-catch punts?
- Turning to men's basketball, Ben Howland's squad will start the season ranked in the top 25, checking in at #20 in the first ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, unlike last year, where Howland's team was never able to crack the top 25 in a disappointing (by UCLA standards) rebound season.
- Also in basketball news, Fox Sports' Michael Martinez interviewed UCLA forward Reeves Nelson about how he is using yoga to improve his flexibility, get stronger for the upcoming season, improve his balance, and tighten his focus (which is something he definitely needs). Reeves joins a long list of athletes using yoga, including his teammates LJ and the Wear twins, as well as former Bruins JF, JS, KL, as well as Blake Griffin, our own Patrick Cantlay, and former tennis superstar Pete Sampras. Interesting, to say the least.
With that, those are your Bruin Bites for the end of this fall weekend free of the embarrassment of UCLA football. It's been a long decade of irrelevance for UCLA football and it's time for wholesale regime change. We'll check in tomorrow with all the news and results from our non-revenue programs. For now, fire away with your thoughts, comments, and additions in the comment thread.
GO BRUINS
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Actually, make Tresey the interim coach
Arizona had an even worse defense than us. When they elevated their DC to interim, it removed him from running the defense, and they promptly held us to 10 points, including a garbage FG.
So it’s either head coach for Tresey, or bus driver. But no more DC.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
I really don't understand
How can the defense be so bad? What did this guy do at Cincinnati and USF? Is it our players who make him coach this way? Our coach? The tap water? What the FROCK! Somebody explain this to me!!!
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
LA Times is Fair Game
I wasn’t sure if BN tolerates quotes from LAT or maybe its just certain columnists. So I will stick my neck out and reference a column by Simers in todays paper that profiles a Notre Dame fanatic. This column hit home for me because it basically describes me and my crew. Were unrepentent fans, suc haters, and share the same work ethic and devoted love for all things Bruin.
To a man (and women and children) we do not relate to high paid coaches and administrators who have not provided the necessary leadership to make the sweat, and injuries by the players pay off. But we also understand when a team member does not pull their weight it falls on the rest of crew to finish the job. So it appears with this Bruin team. Once again I call upon the Bruin seniors and RsJrs to step up even if it means letting someone else who is better get on the field.
The Bruin World is crying out for change and judging by some of the posts there is ample evidence that CRN and AD have lost control of the football program. The fan base is slipping away, and fans like my crew are left trying to rally behind those Bruin players who will bring it next week. This is madness, make a bold change for the betterment of all concerned.
Bring in the transition team now. I agree that Tressey has to go and replace him with Randy Shannon. Hire a transition leader such as Dick Vermier, Lou Holtz, or someone of respected stature who is not interested in the full time job. Keep the OC, hire JW, do it now.
There's not a blanket prohibition for anyone
If we see someone write a pretty good, balanced, and fair take, then we’ll quote it and give them the link. What we don’t like to see is when people (both in the MSM and other “bloggers”) take unfair, cheap shots at UCLA, our programs, our players, or coaches, in desperate attempts to drive up their own traffic. When that happens, we’ll call them out, but won’t give them links. No sense in rewarding that kind of lame flame stuff.
For example, cheap shots would include saying that “Rick is dirty” or “Rick was a cheater” or “Rick got what came to him at Washington” or something along those lines. Calling out Rick for his conservative, play-not-lose “coaching” is fair game (just as it was with Karl), but it has to be based on facts.
In other words, to borrow from the Supreme Court, we 100% support striking hard blows, but not foul ones.
Small Correction re NFL
Ken Norton, Jr.: Not a Bruin.
There's a world of difference between a Bruin and a player that happened to attend UCLA
Having said that, I still don’t feel like Henry Bibby turned total traitor like the former heavyweight boxer’s son. I guess it’s because of the interview when he talks about people remembering him from having played at UCLA and not for anything else.
Rick's a goner . . . dead man walking . . . but who the ---- is going to fill in for the interim?
The staff is worse than the coach so who replaces him? Ed Kezirian?
That Operation Sports list is damning testimony.
And it will never reach Gene Block’s or Dan Guerrero’s radar.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Senate
The academic senate is the largest hurdle we have to overcome. Getthem to relax their rules and we will have more talented recruits then we have been able to obtain. Neuheisal has been trying to get them to do that but to no avail. Put the blame where it is deserved.
That's a lame cop-out excuse
It’s funny how “academics” wasn’t a problem in the 1980s and 1990s when we owned L.A., made regular trips to the Rose Bowl, and were in the national title picture.
It’s an even more laughable “excuse” when you see what Stanford has built in the same time-frame as we’ve had Rick at the helm. You really want to argue that UCLA’s academics are tougher than Stanford’s dude?
Nice try.
beat me to it.
Personally, a plus side of Stanford’s resurgence has been that it shows what a great coach can do with an academically elite university, and makes it clear that we cannot use that as an excuse for sporting mediocrity.
The downside is that kids who are serious about football and serious about academics may now consider Stanford over us.
Real question
Have the admission standards changed for athletes from the 80s and 90s? I know it’s harder for non-athletes to get in.
I have read that athletic admissions became stricter on the early '00s
the change coming after a large portion of one of Toledo’s recruiting classes ended up on academic probation and/or left due to academic problems. I think that as in one of Jon Wilner ieces, but I need to go back to check that (and as I am at a concert right now – writing this during a stage change – that won’t be tonight.
Arcade Fire just finished a top notch set, waiting for Neil Young to come on and finish the show, btw
formerly bruinhoo
by Patroclus on Oct 23, 2011 10:21 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh come on Fox
Neil Young is from your generation. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? I think you are just fooling around. If you were in school when you say you were, there is no way you don’t know him. Or maybe you’re a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Our academic standards have always been the same
but the primary and secondary education system, by and large, has diminished since the 80s-90s.
nope
UCLA is an institution with proud academics. Make that a strength, don’t whine about it as a disadvantage. Rick has recruited talent even to a losing program; a winning coach with the same charisma ought to be able to bring in elite talents who are serious student-athletes
Bullshit.
Number one, we have had highly ranked recruiting classes in recent years, despite whatever disadvantages our academic standards might give us. Numbers two, and three: Stanford and Cal. Number four, even if we did have slightly inferior talent, that does not explain the utter incompetence in every aspect of the game except for when Kai Forbath was kicking. Nor does it explain the blowout losses we have suffered again and again to teams we should have been competitive with.
So you can take that excuse and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
by Seth Chandler on Oct 23, 2011 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions
You gotta let it out, Seth
Don’t hold back – it’s bad for your health.
by Fox 71 on Oct 23, 2011 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
exactly right
before the current frosh class, we had 4 straight recruiting classes that were either rated top-10 overall nationally and/or was top-10 on a per-recruit average (the class that Walker got in for KD’s last season, the Walker/Neu class in winter/spring 08, and the following 2 classes that Neu brought in.
formerly bruinhoo
by Patroclus on Oct 23, 2011 10:27 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Why does everyone keep using mediocrity to describe the program?
We are downright terrible, mediocrity would imply we are decent in some area but what area would that be?
Denial.
In football, we flat out suck. We ain’t sheet.
Basketball is worse (higher expectation). Those final 4’s are ancient history. Jordan Farmar has played for 3 pro teams since (Real NBA team, Fake NBA team, Non-NBA team.) In football, we should compare ourselves to other Top 15 programs. In basketball, Top 4. That’s my view. (Basketball seems hopeful this season, but we’re on the road all year. We’ll see.)
However, to be PC… football simply lacks leadership… and Ben… well… he’s a god, ya know (3 back to back Final 4’s, Coach to current NBA All-Stars and NBA starters). Go Bruins.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
A Modest Correction
Bellephron wrote:
We’re in a BCS conference. We have a football program than dominated in the1980s and 1990s1950s, 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s.
With the greatest of respect, UCLA was a powerhouse to be reckoned with under Sanders and Prothro, and shone brilliantly at times during the 70s. It would be unfair to omit that from your assertion.
Also – and I wish to phrase this delicately so as to not offend – there is a lot of unnecessary hatred of USC here on BN and it borders on a sort of inferiority and a monumental waste of time and energy. I am being semi-facetious, of course, but I think we ought to move beyond this and not give them any creds by just simply dialing it back and “ignoring” them.
Your post here and the others have well substantiated the fact that UCLA is a superior institution and has (or had) a superior athletic program, and that USC is primarily a football factory.
That criticism is less warranted now that the NCAA has actually punished them
There was legitimate concern here that the NCAA was going to do all in its power to sweep their blatant cheating under the rug. That is simply not an acceptable outcome if we are to accept collegiate sports as a legitimate pastime. Whether they were punished sufficiently to make up for what they did is up for debate, but the coverage of their scandals is not nearly at the level it was before the sanctions were handed down. Part of that is that we are now dealing with our own issues (again), but the other part is that many of the major players over at that cesspool that were involved in the rampant cheating are gone.
Don’t worry about what proportion of coverage is dedicated to what. We’ve got enough firepower to direct at our own administration and theirs (and the Pac-12’s) when any party steps out of line and does things that we consider not in UCLA’s best interest.
Maybe this is the work of our moderators - I don't know
but it seems to me there are very few trOJies dropping in to take any shots. Those that do are quiet and respectful, kind of like paying respects at a funeral. We’re so irrelevant that the trogans don’t even mock us any more.
Have experienced some strange Trogan interactions recently...
Friends and co-workers that went to Figueroa Tech have been reaching out to express authentic sympathy and dismay over our current Bruin state of affairs. The gist of the messages are “it really is sad that you guys have fallen so far and we can’t have the rivalry that we used to have.” While they are being sincere, it just makes me sick to be pitied by ancestors of the great wooden horse debacle.
Or Pepper Rodgers
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Oct 24, 2011 4:37 AM PDT up reply actions
I recall with Rodgers
wishbone teams that lit up the scoreboard and churned up some impressive rushing numbers, but being one-dimensional, couldn’t overcome SUC, and therefore no PAC-8 championship and no bowl appearance. I think that’s what put off Rodgers with the conference, just as it did Prothro. You could only get to one bowl and to get there you had to win the conference, otherwise with 8-3 and 9-2 season records and no conference win you got the pleasure to sit at home and watch teams with lesser records play in holiday bowl games.
Winningest Coach in UCLA history.
Don’t dis the Towel Waver. He’s undefeated as a UCLA coach. His winning percentage is 100%. Nobody else can top his record.
Mike Leach or Jim Tressel
pick your poison hahaha
A maverick over a proven liar
Time to gun it & run it.
I think a Leach jolt might exactly what some of these players need
by impaulv on Oct 23, 2011 7:33 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, because there's only two possible replacements out there
Really dude? That’s the lamest comment of the day.
The first focus
Fire Guerrero now. He is the root of the problem and the sooner he is gone and a new AD is in place, the sooner a search for a viable head coach can begin. Guerrero must go first and now is the time. Getting rid of Guerrero is where our ire should be directed.
Numbers don't lie
Dan Gurerror fired Bob Toledo after an 8-5 season – In 7 seasons, he went 49-32, 3-4 against SUC
Then basketball Dan hired Dorrell – In 5 seasons, he went 35-27, 1-4 against SUC
After firing Dorrell, he hired RN – In 4 seasons so far, 18-26, 0-3 against SUC
Dan Gurrerror must go. He basically sucks at running a football program.
Egad! And to complete this season CRN is likely to finish somewhere
from 18-31 to 20-29, and certainly 0-4 against SUC. How does the team react to this coaching staff? How is its morale? Can it overcome the coaching and come out on fire against Cal and the remaining games? Or will it merely show up put it its time in and mail it in for the rest of the season?
Rick for AD?
I know this idea has been brought up in comments before, but why not make Rick our AD?
I get the fact that he has brought some shame to our program during his tenure as coach, but if we can get over that fact, he fits the perfect mould of a good AD. He’s telegenic, charismatic, and is great with donors. He’s full of energy and handles the media well. On top of that, he’s a UCLA guy and knows what it means to be a Bruin. I know that we’re trying to move away from the past with a total regime change, but you don’t think Rick would try to find the best possible coach for UCLA? And as a football guy, you know that success in football would be a top priority for him and he would leave no stone unturned. I think Rick is just as dedicated to winning as any of us, and he definitely does not lack in effort. If it wasn’t for the fact that he simply couldn’t coach very well, Rick is the perfect face of an athletic program. . . .
I’m not being entirely serious of course, but I can imagine Rick being a good AD somewhere, if not UCLA.
Do his coaching hires and play-not-to-lose philosophies suggest he'd make a good AD?
Rick is a great Bruin. I don’t think he is what we need now as an AD.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
will the ucla admin sac up
and actually fire guerrero? should that happen would ucla give ex-boise st ad, gene bleymaier, a look? i know he was fired over ncaa sanctions but it all seemed kind of bogus to me and it wasn’t football related.
as far as fb coaches, i’m surprised phil fulmer’s name hasn’t been brought up, seems like more of a legit candidate than the tressels and butch davises of the world. plus the fact that he was replaced by kiffin makes for a delicious side story. heck how about pat hill at fresno st?
Across The Face
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