Quitting
by IE Angel on Oct 24, 2011 10:49 PM PDT
Email
PrintThis week has been the worst week of my life as a UCLA football fan.
Worse than USC putting up 66. Worse than Utah knocking UCLA from 11 to unranked in 2007. Worse than Oregon embarrassing us on Thursday night last season. Worse than Arizona knocking us out of any BCS discussion in 2005.
Worse than the fact that this team hasn't beaten a team that finished with a winning record since Tennessee in 2009.
It is unacceptable to have these problems for such a long period of time.
Being embarrassed by a football team is not unfamiliar to me. I suffered through quite a few bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers teams in my 21 years of life. My high school football team went 0-10 my sophomore year (had 5 upperclassmen, one of whom was the kicker). After two relatively successful seasons, I graduated and went to play at a Division 3 school here in the Inland Empire. I played for the University of La Verne for two seasons and went 1-17.
The most embarrassing thing I have ever been through was not losing, or margin of defeat, or that feeling after you've left your heart and soul on the field and knowing it wasn't enough to win.
No, the most embarrassing thing I've ever been through was being a part of a team that quit on its coaching staff.
I still have trouble admitting this to anyone. But it happened last season at ULV.
This is a personal issue with me, so I have to preface this next part: I am not even attempting to make excuses because what happened was inexcusable and will be with me a long, long time. It is simply a quick background of the situation.
Our head coach was an awful fit. He was extremely passive. He was reluctant to ever reprimand any of us for any wrongdoing. He had no previous head coaching experience. There was a clear divide between coordinators and the head coach. We went into games expecting the worst. All of this in addition to losses created a culture of mediocrity around the program.
How is this relevant to UCLA football?
Randall Carroll (per Jon Gold): "Not everyone was into the game...as usual."
Reports from Peter Yoon and Jon Gold that there were skirmishes in the locker room following the game. No names were leaked, but I believe those reports with zero hesitation for reasons I'll list later.
This, along with the nonchalant attitude this team has shown in every single game this season to some degree (sometimes to an alarming degree) confirms my fear for the second most important football program to me.
The UCLA Bruins have quit on the coaching staff.
The most common responses when someone drops a bomb like that are:
1. Instant agreement
2. What makes you say that?
My position coach my freshman year, who was also our DC (who most of our team wanted to be our head coach because he was the antithesis of our Head Coach), gave me this grain of knowledge about tough times in general:
"If you have to ask the question, the answer is probably yes or close to it."
Before pinning blame on a group of anti-Neuheisel players who aren't giving everything they have on the field, try to look at this from a player's perspective.
You are between 18-23 years old. You are insanely talented and were recruited by schools all over the country, a great deal of which are Top 25 programs. You are surrounded by other talented players, who you spend almost all of your time with year-round. You live together, work out together, practice together, party and pick up girls together. These guys are your brothers, your family. These are the guys who get you through the tough times and celebrate the good times with, in all things not just football. You see the talent and ability all of your brothers have every day, on and off the field.
You get through a mediocre or a bad season. It is easy to pin the lack of success on injuries to key players or a tough schedule. You get basically an entire new coaching staff after that season. You're revitalized. Obviously, it was on those coaches. You'll reach your expectations now.
Then the season starts. And, at a certain moment, you realize that nothing has changed.
That moment is tangible. It is a distinct moment in time.
I can still pinpoint the exact moment that I realized what had happened to my team.
We had just lost to Claremont, 20-14. For me personally, it was my 12th loss in a row. For the upperclassmen, it was the 14th. We had lost in the 4th quarter. One of those games that winning teams find a way to finish and losing teams find a way to let slip away. I was shook up pretty bad, as was almost every guy on our team. We gathered up around our coaches and took a knee. This was the moment that we needed something to spark us and keep us fighting. He proceeded to give the exact same spiel he'd given us almost every week. "Stay positive, we're right on the cusp of turning the corner. Pick me up guys." For some reason I broke my eyes off of our coach and I took a look around and saw the disheveled faces of my teammates switch from distraught to disgusted.
He'd lost us.
Now, I don't profess to know more than anyone else about UCLA football. I haven't been around as long as guys like Fox71 or Class of 66. I'm not a UCLA student like so many of the great front-pagers on this site.
But I know what this team is going through because I've been there. It feels like I'm watching a Hollywood version of my team's story every week on FSN or PrimeTicket.
Everything fits so perfect. There are probably shoving matches and hostile shouting matches in the locker room a few times a week. There is probably dissent amongst the players. It is directed at the coaches and at the situation in general. These are hyper-competitive, testosterone-fueled, flat-out fed up players. All that emotion gets bottled up for the good of your brothers, the good of the family.
But, somehow, it comes out. Whether it is in the locker room, to the media, in the classroom, at a party, maybe just venting to your parents.
That is the kind of emotion that leads a team, seemingly without any fight, to get into a bench-clearing brawl at the first opportunity.
There is only one resolution to this kind of a situation. A regime change to change the culture and path of football at UCLA.
No performance from this team should change this. A team that has quit on its coach can still compete and win. We won and competed in all but 2 of the games following that moment, both games we were over-matched talent-wise to start. This was in spite of our leader, not because of him. And had it not been for a team meeting with the Athletic Director, the performance at the end of the season would have merited another year under the previous regime. She was fully prepared to bring back the entire staff to finish out their contracts. We opened up in that meeting and made ourselves heard. Our voices led to a change.
Check out this article on the current state of my program. La Verne Making Big Strides
Culture change can lead to quick results at a program without multiple top 15 recruiting classes full of 4* and 5* athletes.
It is well-known that UCLA has the talent to be a factor in the Pac-12 and nationally. The voices need to be heard at UCLA. The administration needs to be made aware of what is so obvious to anyone watching the product on the field.
UCLA desperately needs the leader.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
60 comments
|
13 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
IE Angel,
as usual, a home run post. RN has lost this team. I think he lost it sometime last year when the rumors of player quit started floating. This last Thursday merely confirmed it.
Bravo sir.
Only drastic change in the leadership can revive this team. Is it time for Leach to put this whole team in an unventilated equipment shed? Maybe :-P
As a fan, I love Mike Leach.
Dude is exciting, sharp as a tack, innovative and he gets guys to buy in. He does have a lot of unwarranted baggage, which will be with him everywhere he goes.
I hated the handling of the Leach/Adam and Craig James/Texas Tech Administration situation. It all felt very underhanded and kind of dirty to me. No amount of money should ever be more important than following through on your word (contract).
If he is the right fit, I’m all for it.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Fantastic Post
Perhaps a painful memory, but it provides a kind of perspective that I have never seen before.
We all saw this coming
Given how the personnel on this program has been utilized and developed (or lack there of), we saw this coming for a while ago. We have been talking about this for months and it is now imploding in front of our eyes.
It has been a very steady buildup.
I am just curious as to when it happened.
Obviously, it would be different for every player. But I’d be interested to know the boiling point that made the vibe bad enough to impact a game like it did against Arizona.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
I wonder...
Does this also speak to the lack of an obvious team leader? It seems this is another area in which Neuheisel and his staff have failed to succeed. Sure we had players like Brian Price and ATV who were great talents and impressive peolpe, but who has been the face and voice of this team over the last 4 years? Who has been our go to guy to get in his teammates’ faces and push them on, especially given the failure of the coaching staff to unite this team with a common goal of playing with excellence. Part of our culture change needs to be to bring in a dominant leader as a coach, but one who also cultivates leaders within his team.
Another great post IEAngel. Thanks for the insight. It reminds me of my high school team a long time back. My Junior year, we had the state’s best tailback (went to that place over there) but the team was divided and selfish and played poorly. The next year, we had zero talent, but a great group of friends and teammates. The record wasn’t as good, but the attitude at practice and on the field was “never quit”, and we were much prouder of that season than the one before by a mile.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
I think the last "leader" I remember on UCLA was Reggie Carter.
He was a flawed player for sure. But I remember him being mentioned as the leader of the defense in 08 and 09.
But I just don’t see it with this group and a part of that is the QB situation during CRN’s tenure. Like him or not, the QB is usually the offensive leader. Other guys can be leaders like a stud offensive tackle or a senior running back. But the QB is who you look too, more often than not.
On defense, it usually is a LB. But the group of LB on this team are…unique. There isn’t that “GUY”. Maybe Kendricks or Zumalt can be. There certainly isn’t one right now.
At this point, the older guys are probably just trying to keep it together. Stopping the team from falling apart and dividing is going to lead to more conflict. And, with reason.
How is a guy like Randall Carroll going to listen to anything Taylor Embree has to say? How can Owa or Marsh hang on every word that Datone Jones or Justin Edison say? Why would Hundley give Kevin Prince his full attention?
You cannot have people who have bought in to mediocrity teaching kids who can’t stand for it.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
That was an awesome post
It made me want to charge into battle to throw out the current regime.
Send it to Chancellor Block.
"I have something 95 percent of all those All-Stars only wish they had: a World Series ring. If I had to choose between that and being an All-Star, it would be no contest. I’d grab the gold ring and never look back." -Tim Salmon
Thanks and Done.
I had to adjust it a little bit though.
I would doubt that it gets read though.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Thanks, again, for taking us inside a team
Of course, I don’t know anything of what’s going on within the UCLA team, either. Your “Everything fits so perfect” evidence, along with what we see with our own eyes, is convincing. I would bet that one or moments similar or identical to your “Stay positive… Pick me up, guys” has occurred on the current UCLA squad. As you say, it all fits.
You write with clarity, drama, care, and relevance. Well done, and exactly on point. Even if you’re not an official UCLA student, I hereby nominate you as a Bruin. Do we have a second?
Welcome to the family, IE.
That exact thing happened
at halftime against Oregon State. Neuheisel asked the team to pick him up.
And I second the motion. Well written, IE.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
See report by Jon Gold
in his blog after the game.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Thought so
Just as with IE’s team. Probably, there are other such moments in other games and other seasons, as well, that added momentum to the down-slide. Thanks, tasser.
“Stay positive” messages sound hollow if, along the way, you’ve lost the players.
Appreciate the nomination and would be glad to accept.
The absolute scariest part of watching UCLA’s situation is looking at videos of Neuheisel’s interviews.
His eyes are completely devoid of the “passion bucket” he preached about. The guy 100% knows what his fate is. I don’t know exactly when it changed, but I remember the same thing happening to my old head coach.
To a degree, it is honorable to stay the course while going through something like that and giving everything you have into a hopeless situation. But, when the coach knows his fate is sealed, the team knows too.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
A second without a doubt, IE.
You obviously care as much about Bruin sports as any student or alumnus, and that says a lot. One former college football player to another – well done, and I can relate to how you feel.
You obviously have character as an athlete (not to mention the ability to write well beyond your years). Ever thought of sports writing after school?
by gmurraynewyork on Oct 25, 2011 7:49 PM PDT up reply actions
I really appreciate that. And the sports writing idea has passed through my head a few times.
I’m a business major at the moment. But I’ve been thinking a lot about what do in regards to grad school and the future in general.
My big concern with sports writing is that I kind of see it as a dying medium, print at least. I’m not sure about the future of sports writing in regards to a career because of how relevant and effective sites like this are at giving out information.
And where did you play ball at? Just interested to know.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
I hear you. I do think the ESPN site is in serious need of articulate and fair conference bloggers. What few posts of yours I’ve read are better than many of theirs.
Good luck in school, sports, and whatever comes afterward.
And I played at Texas Tech long before going to grad school at UCLA.
by gmurraynewyork on Oct 25, 2011 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions
It can be done.
Yahoo Sports has been on top of many important stories over the past few years, and has broken some big ones. Just because the print newspaper is a dying medium doesn’t mean people don’t want to read intelligent, well-written reporting/analysis about sports. Your writing is excellent – I’ve previously mentioned being impressed at how you explain ‘coach-speak’ to those not versed in it, and I’m among the multitude of BN denizens who appreciate your analysis, as your already frequent presence on the ‘recommended fanpost’ list proves.
If nothing else, you could certainly keep doing it on the side as time permits and see what it grows into. Perhaps Nestor might be able to give you a bit of insight on how he nurtured the growth of BN while (presumably!) also having a day job.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
Great Post IEAngel!
Not hard to imagine at all that this is exactly what is going on with our team.
Your description of your coaching situation reminds me of a guy I used to answer to at work. Nobody could kill team work and therefore productivity like this guy. Then I got moved to a different department with a different boss and it was like going from an eternally cloudy day to all sunshine and smiles.
The right leader makes all the difference.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Great post
The team quit last year IMO, but obviously hoped things would change with the new coordinators and all the talk about open competition. Then the season started, and it was the same old crap, same old favorites, same old hot air, and the players, of course, see through it before anybody.
Same thing happened under KD. The players will always let you know when it’s time to go.
It’s time for CRN and BIG TIME for DG.
It is really alarming that nothing has changed, IMO.
And it all points to the guy at the top.
If you hire an entire new coaching staff and the team still looks exactly the same emotionally, then it wasn’t the position coaches and coordinators. It was the head coach.
I like Neuheisel as a man, he seems to be an awesome human being who has learned from the mistakes he made in the past.
I liked my old coach as a man, he was a family guy and, though he did play favorites a little bit, he seemed to genuinely care for each and every one of us. It was tough to say goodbye to a coach that who you committed 4-5 years of your life to. But, once you lose a team, it is necessary to leave
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
I hate to say it...
but given the players that see the most time, are we really surprised that some (or perhaps most) are disgruntled? I don’t think it is ever acceptable to quit or give less that 100% effort, but I certainly understand the frustration. These kids aren’t stupid; they know who the best players are and who should be getting on the field.
You can't win if you're a player
You either do what the coaches say, and end up looking like a chump on the field, or you don’t do what they say and end up on the bench. It’s not much of a choice.
Do you really think the corners want to give their guy 8 yard cushions? Do you think the LBs just want to wait around to find a gap to plug? Do you think Fauria wants to block all the time? Randall Carroll can drop just as many passes as Rosario, but he’s faster, why shouldn’t he play more? The whole thing is just nonsense.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Obviously, your list is illustrative ....
But not exclusive, as the examples could go on and on, unfortunately.
Exactly,
It seems as if the coaches and coordinators have lost the trust of the players and I understand why. I think they, like most of us, would rather see a team that errs on the side of being a little too aggressive. I am sure the defense would rather give up a bigger play once in a while because of corner play that is too aggressive that to continue to get shredded underneath because the corners are being told to play 7-8 yards off of their man. That has to wear on the psyche of the team.
The most deflating thing to a defense is a long drive.
It is so easy to get over a big play, because big plays are fluky. Someone can trip or get held or be out of position and it is an easily fixable thing.
A long, 10+ play drive is deflating because it is one side physically and mentally winning over and over.
In my experience, big plays require adjustments to players, long drives require adjustments to scheme.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Is there a way to call an audible?
On offense, doesn’t Prince have the authority to call an audible if he wants to? Or even if he doesn’t have the authority, what is the coaching staff going to do if he changes a run up the middle to a long pass? It’s not like there are a dozen or so other quarterbacks they can send in.
And if the offense can call an audible, why not have the defense call an audible? I assume there is a defense that calls for the corners to press the receivers. Call that audible. Again, what’s the coaching staff going to do? Especially if they tell the coaching staff that they’re going to play the defense that has the best chance of stopping the other side.
quitters are as quitting do.
I’ve been on plenty of teams in different sports at different levels over time. Some coaches were good, some were bad, some you just had to tune out and succeed in spite of them. I’ve been on teams that don’t have coaches but are run by players.
If you have leaders on your team, then you don’t quit. Quitting means you have quit not only on your coach but also on your teammates, your team, and whatever it is that you nominally represent. If you are on athletic scholarship at UCLA and ‘quit’, then I don’t believe you are living up to the terms on which you are provided a free education.
Rick is to blame for losing his team, and maybe if you replace him all these other issues can be managed. But this also reflects poorly on the players, the lack of leadership demonstrated by people who should be leaders, and lack of team focus from the other guys who should be pulling together in adversity. If players on the team have quit, kick them off the depth chart and play the scout team. If pride in the four letters can’t get you to give effort, let’s give the opportunity to someone else.
by VeniceBruin on Oct 25, 2011 3:57 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't always agree with Venice, but this time I do.
I’m not sure I could tell who quit and who didn’t against Arizona, but probably the coaches can. I think Venice is right – if your first and second and third teams have given up, then send the coaches up into the stands to find some able bodied guys. it’s time to inconvenience some of the guys by putting them on the bench.
Fauria
Were he on the field more, I think he would be a strong leader and I see no quit in him.
I first believed RN had lost his team when we saw the sideline shot of Fauria apparently in a shouting match with RN and Prince trying to drag Fauria away.
My sense was that Fauria was upset with our conservative, play not to lose ways, and the fact that he was not getting thrown to or playing. I didn’t sense that he was a “give me my minutes guy” or selfish — he just seems to want to win so much that he got in the coach’s face.
At the time, I was not pleased with Fauria — but I understood him.
I really hope our next coach takes advantage of some of the players who strive to be excellent and want to win.
sjh
Partly it's a function of a lack of real pecking order / leadership in key positions, particularly on offense
None of our QBs has the role as unquestioned leader.
Our RBs split carries.
Our starting WRs are among the guys who seem to have most tenuous hold on their roles.
Fauria splits time with Harkey and appears to be a bit of a loose cannon.
Kai Maiava is in a position where he could step up as a leader, but has had his own issues (along with the rest of the OL…).
by VeniceBruin on Oct 25, 2011 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree on the Fauria point. He doesn't strike me as a traditional leader type.
Not to say that it isn’t possible to be a leader through actions rather than words, but he is a little too aloof and easy-going to strike anyone as a guy to rally behind.
In the same regard, he has this fire during games that is admirable. He backs it up when he says that he is a different guy on the field than he is off the field.
To me, he is probably the most entertaining and enjoyable player to watch on the field. And his “10 questions” segment with Jon Gold was my favorite interview of the season.
But, it is tough for a team to get behind a guy that splits reps (just or unjustly so), and admittedly has an “on-off” switch when it comes to football.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
agreed.
winning is an attitude. no doubt there has been a lack of leadership from the coaches, but most of these players are 4 or 5 star recruits. I think it’s time that they start taking on the responsibility of being marquee athletes and perhaps for once, earning their keep. When i was a student athlete in westwood (nonrev), the fences at spaulding had the words “players make plays” written in huge letters. Not sure if they are still there, but it was always a constant reminder of what being a bruin athlete was all about. Now i’m not being critical, and i’ve never played collegiate football, but i see blown coverages, dropped passes, fumbles, bad throws, etc, etc. Regardless of how bad the leadership is (and we’ve all had horrible coaches), it’s always your decision to decide how you want to go down. Time for some of our guys to show some pride in themselves, their teammates, and the ucla letters… and beat the guy across them dressed in opposing colors. I’m not being critical, but just sayin…
+1
love this line
it’s always your decision to decide how you want to go down
I think all the criticism of Rick for losing the team is justified – but I think it speaks to the ‘diseased culture’ in Westwood when guys have to call out other guys for not being into the game.
We’ve had a few exemplary leaders in the basketball program under Howland, with AA chief among them, and seen the consequences when our teams that have lacked that leadership. Where are those guys on the current football squad?
by VeniceBruin on Oct 25, 2011 11:21 PM PDT up reply actions
I love this point.
There are different kinds of quitting, which is a loaded word.
A few:
-The point of quit where you’re indifferent to anything that goes on.
-The point of quit where you’re numb to any criticism or attempt at coaching.
-The point of quit where you’re defiant and further motivated in spite of the leader.
-The point of quit where you fail to fully exert your best effort mentally and/or physically.
With regards to athletics, the point where a coach loses his team can be the moment that brings the players closer together than ever before, because that is all you have at your lowest point.
Or it can be the moment where a program completely unravels beyond a point of quick repair.
The 2nd moment is a great deal more likely without internal leadership. I hope UCLA doesn’t fall victim to that.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Just a thought for a side-topic.
Going player-by-player, who can you see on this roster being a leader?
I think this would be an interesting process to go through.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Honestly
I think Westgate fits that bill. But I have a feeling that he is not respected as much by his teammate, some probably feel that he shouldn’t be starting.
Tony Dye was also pretty vocal and had the makings of a leader, but now he’s out for the season.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Leaders
1. Jet Ski: most talented RB, well-spoken, veteran.
2. Tony Dye: before injury, this was not even a question mark.
3. Derrick Coleman: the player I most respect on the team, hands down. I think he also has the respect of his teammates.
Also, an important point for next year, speculating over who could be a leader will be moot. It will HAVE to be Brett Hundley.
I know the “savior” label has been applied to him unfairly, but Hundley came here to be the starting QB. You can bet that he and CRN have some understanding over when he will start, and that this is what led him to pick UCLA over some of the other premier perennial top-25 programs in the nation. Next year, he will start at QB and he’s going to have to lead both by example and by words.
Next year on defense, I think Cassius Marsh will need to assume this role, unless Dye is back. Marsh plays with a fire and anger that we need on defense.
I still think that Brehaut is a leader when given the opportunity.
I think that when the new coach comes in, with an offensive scheme that plays to the strengths of the personnel on the roster, RB will win out over Prince and Hundley.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
I agree with that
and frankly I was happy that he was starting. He wouldn’t have missed that wide open receiver on 3rd down in the first series.
I like Prince the person, but (and correct me if I’m wrong, since you actually played football), it’s hard for his teammates to look up to him as a leader because of his propensity for injuries and the fact that he has missed so much playing time.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I can't 100% fairly comment on the Prince vs. Brehaut scenario.
Because I played Little League against RB, played against him in summer passing leagues. So I will always be biased towards the guy who I have been aware of for a long time and who is from my area versus the guy who is competing with him.
But……..being as objective as possible, it is damn near impossible to follow a guy who has constantly been hurt and competing for his job on a week to week basis. Either one of them would be a much better leader without all of the uncertainty. There can’t be a QB controversy past fall camp. Someone should win the job, even if they are dead-even. Because you can’t rotate QBs effectively, the only position on the field that can’t have any PT splits, IMO.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Not an iron clad rule, IE
Once every 30 or 40 years someone proves that you can have co-first string QBs. Or maybe that’s every 40 or 50 years. Actually probably once a century.
When he came in,
one of Norm Chow’s prevailing philosophies was that, in essence, “the quarterback is always right.” This simple credo is easy to follow, eliminates delays and frictions, and does not impede the flow of the game. One leader. Everybody follow. Simple.
More and more, it’s looking like CRN created the apparent bad chemistry between himself and CNC, and not the other way around. Without endorsing either Prince or Brehaut, the strategy of winging it week to week for QB leader, in retrospect, is both un-Chow like and unproductive.
Then again
given what CNC has been doing at Utah…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
And I think that it is safe to say that this group of QBs is not that one time a century though.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
I wonder if
Fauria would develop into a leader if he were the primary TE and had a much more involved role in the offense, as it appears (to my didn’t-play, wasn’t-coached mind) would benefit us.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
I was telling my husband ALL of this yesterday
Of course I’ve never been a football player, but I’ve been on teams, and I know what it’s like to have a coach single handedly ruin a team and vice versa. Your post is an exact retelling of our conversation. It’s not talent—they just have no clear leader. There needs to be a change in leadership to bring this back around. Nice post.
by AnteatersandBruins on Oct 26, 2011 9:02 AM PDT reply actions
Fly on the Wall
Excellent Post! So often this season and last, I just would love the chance to talk to CRN or the players and find out what’s REALLY going on….
Coach, Really? This is how you want your team to play? This is the best you can do with the talent you’ve got?
Your post gave me a great look at what might actually be happening behind the scenes at UCLA right now.
Thank you.
Youngsters
That’s what CTSS calls the team. We’ve heard that excuse before, but after the Arizona melee he was clearly letting them off the hook with his “two youngsters getting into it” comment. When I was in high school, our coach called us “men”. Of course we weren’t men, but the implication was that we were to act like it.
The implications of CTSS viewing the team as youngsters (not even young men) have been obvious from year one, in retrospect, and continue today. Like an over conservative parent, he is just not willing to give the car keys to the brightest prospects because he is so afraid of them making “youngster” mistakes. Instead, he should put them in the fire and demand that they grow up. I imagine that Crenshaw High, and now Oregon phenom, DeAnthony Thomas would be “maturing” on the bench at UCLA.
It is obvious that this coach has not demanded performance from his players nor has he “coached them up”. Although the HC is the one in question, nobody seems to have done a good job with the exception of Bob Palcic, whose often less talented players seem to have stepped up. In fact some of the assistant coaching changes made by CTSS seem to have moved us backwards. Enough!
Embree
is no youngster. This is his 4th year in the program.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I'm Late to The Party, But...
…what a terrific post this is, IE. Just spot on. Thank you, and you really are a Bruin.
Personally, I think this team lost hope, and faith in Rick, at the first game, here in Houston. Their disgust was eminating from each of them. (It’s fair enough for them to have lost faith in their coach—he shows absolutely none in them, either.)
Who knows what this team could have accomplished, with the will, determination, and some real coaching? It’s an opportunity none of them will ever have again.
Love My Bruins
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bruins Nation
Related FanShots on Bruins Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
