The Morning After, Part 10: Utah
by gbruin on Nov 13, 2011 6:01 AM PST
in Football
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PrintUtah. Not my favorite state.
The Beehive State has been my nemesis since childhood. Growing up, my family drove from our home in Lancaster to Dillon, Colorado to visit my grandparents for vacations. We'd do this twice a year usually, once over spring break and then again toward the end of summer. It was a 16-18 hour drive in those days, the longest stretch being the 8+ hour trek across Utah. Utah represented a long arduous grind, which, though scenic in a few parts, was mostly just a giant pain in the ass to cross, especially the 120 mile stretch of I-70 between Salina and Green River where there are no services, and where I always assumed a flat tire or empty tank meant a slow death from dehydration and starvation (I won't mention how I felt about Kansas when we continued on to visit my other grandparents in Missouri in the summer). I was young, so I grew to fear and dislike Utah.
Utah hasn't done much to win me over since. That cold fusion achievement trumpeted by scientists at the University of Utah was a mean trick. Way to make us think the planet's energy issues were solved forever. Also, I was never much of a Jazz fan. Karl Malone ran the same play over and over for an entire career and no one seemed to do anything about it. This bothered me, though not as much as John Stockton's shorts did. Then the SLC Olympics became the first time since 1932 that the U.S. had hosted the games without our men's hockey team winning gold. I blamed the state. Utah tortures me today by mocking me with the "closest" In-n-Out to me - just a mere 8 hours away near St George. The LDS discourages caffeine and alcohol, but they have no problem offering Double Double animals. Really? Nine locations in Utah but none in Colorado? And no matter how they propagandize their license plates, Colorado has better snow. And beer.
Things, of course, have been even worse in football. The Utes dropped 44 points on us the last time we met. Our last trip to the Beehive state (vs BYU) saw us get a 59-0 ass kicking. Utah tacked on a mere 31 points yesterday. But when you compare that to our two whole field goals, it adds up to yet another humbling experience with my nemesis.
But there is one great thing about Utah. It was a catalyst for change before, and I hope it will be again. And that's important, because we have a population of Neubs, and one in particular, that we need to convert.
Over the last two weeks, following wins at home over a schizophrenic Cal and an ASU team that is decidedly weaker on the road, the Neubs suddenly appeared in force. It was like a mosquito bloom after a flood, because all these annoying little pests appeared from out of nowhere. We tried to use reason and facts to quell the pestilence, but it's hard to overcome beliefs based on nothing more concrete than hope. As N likes to say, hope is not a strategy. Well, Neubs, I know no one likes an I told you so, but really, we don't make this stuff up. None of us wants failure. We're just not blinded to what's going on with this team. Neuheisel's body of work was simply too much to overcome by just two decent (but not impressive) wins, and the Bruin football team that we have come to know and dread returned in force yesterday in Salt Lake City.
But I will give the Neubs on BN an ounce of slack. Everyone has his or her own breaking point, and maybe the Bruin fans who were clinging to hope after the last 2 weeks were just so desperate for something good to happen that they were grasping for any sign of an end to the misery that is U.C.L.A. football. I'll bet that some of them even knew deep down in their hearts that we were right in calling for regime change, but they just couldn't bear going through the process of starting over. I understand that. As with a job, a relationship, a home, or any significant commitment, it's hard to admit that something you want to work out isn't working out at all. It's a big step to admit that change is needed, and a bigger one to actually take that step. Sometimes, it's easier just to convince yourself that it really isn't as bad as it seems and avoid taking those steps. But we already covered cognitive dissonance last week, and if we want any real work to get done around here, we have to get back to my South Campus roots and talk some physics and chemistry, and see why things happen.
In chemistry, for any reaction to begin, there is an energy of activation that has to be overcome. A simple analogy for this is to consider a hiker who wants to get from Point A to Point B, but finds a hill separating the two points. The hiker must expend energy to climb over the hill to arrive at Point B. Molecules behave in a similar fashion, as reactions require at least some amount of energy to begin before they can proceed to completion. Sometimes the activation energy is so low that room temperature is enough to trigger them so that the reaction seems to proceed spontaneously. In other cases, the activation energy is extremely high. For instance, if you want to fuse hydrogen atoms, you need a nuclear detonation to provide adequate energy. (See how that works, Utah?).
The activation energy of a reaction can be lowered by introducing a catalyst, a substance that lowers the energy needed to start the reaction, and thus makes the reaction proceed more readily. In the example of the hiker above, a tunnel would be analogous to a catalyst, as the hiker does not have to climb as high to get over the hill to point B. It's obviously more complicated than that in real life, but the Chem 11 series doesn't have the same pleasant memories for me as most of my classes at Westwood, so I'll do us all a favor and leave it at that. But the principles remain. For many Neubs, the activation energy needed to take those steps toward change has been substantial. Yesterday's Utah game should be the catalyst that makes it easier for the remaining Neubs to react. We must have regime change in Westwood
Last night's game was a perfect microcosm of the Rick Neuheisel era. Everything that we have discussed as the failures of Neuheisel's era showed up. Flags, conservative play calling, turnovers, more flags, wrong personnel, and a 25 point loss on the road. It was like his own personal lowlight film. Rick showed us exactly what we can expect with him continuing at the helm of this program. The team may get a nice win over an average conference team or two, but we are sure to see a lot more Houstons and Texases and Stanfords and Utahs and Arizonas, and that's just this year. Throw out Stanford, and are there any of those games that weren't winnable?
Although Utah was favored, this was another winnable game for us. This wasn't a 45 point spread type of game. Utah was 2-4 in the Pac-12, and was playing with a backup QB who transferred from a D II school that cut football last year.
Hey...cut football...that's an idea...
Anyway, back to the game, if U.C.L.A. played the way it had the last 2 weeks and added some specific adjustments for the Utes, they had as much chance at winning as the Utes. Instead, they laid an egg in all 3 phases of the game and were blown out. The only thing consistent is our inconsistency.
Once again, the Bruins came in to a winnable game, and never had a chance at winning. The players were poorly prepared (anyone want to stop the Utah running back?), poorly coached (12 men in the huddle, again?!, wasting a timeout at the start of the second half, another bad offensive scheme), and poorly disciplined (penalty after penalty after penalty). It showed what we get with Rick Neuheisel - a team that loses winnable games more often than it wins them, a team that makes the same mistakes over and over, a team that isn't competitive in the conference, let alone on a national scale.
A team will never reach its potential.
Think back to the start of this year when we were making predictions for the season. Think about the differences between what we expected, and what we felt we were capable of. Most of us thought we would be in the 6-8 win range, but most of us believed we could win more than that, especially in a weak Pac-12 south division. Sadly, and not surprisingly, this year has played out just how we expected. And doesn't that tell us something when we expect to win fewer games than we know we are capable of winning? We already know that our team will underachieve. And that is not acceptable, and the responsible parties must be fired immediately.
So like the Utah game in 2007 that served as part of the catalyst to get rid of Karl Dorrell, this Utah game has to be a catalyst to convince the remaining Neubs that we are right and they are wrong, and that U.C.L.A. football will not be successful or competitive or financially viable with Neuheisel and Guerreror running the show.
The key is that there is really only one Neub we need to convert. Chancellor Gene Block. It is his call to pull the plug on Guerrero. Block needs to find and hire an Athletic Director who will run U.C.L.A. Athletics like a modern day University Athletic program, and not like some lazy low key apathetic D II school. The new AD would recognize the need and opportunity for bringing in a big time football coach. In fact, if Block had any sense at all, he could get athletics out of his hair altogether by making the right hire. Then Athletics runs itself and Block can focus on the things he cares about, like hospitals and hotels.
Unfortunately, the activation energy necessary to get him to do anything productive with our athletics programs appears to be very very high. And if Arizona wasn't enough of a nuclear explosion to get him moving, then I can only hope that yesterday was enough of a catalyst to finally get the ball rolling. But since I already said hope isn't a strategy, here are his phone number and email address.
Phone: 310 825-2151. Email: chancellor@ucla.edu
Let's keep adding energy until this process begins. Let the Chancellor know that we want a new culture in Morgan Center, and that Dan Guerrero must go.
I know football rules the world right now, but the problems with football are more than just Neuheisel. If you want proof that Guerreror is an equally big part of the problem, just wait until our basketball team starts unraveling. Oh, wait...
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Good analogy GBruin. Here’s another one – we’d all like to date/marry or otherwise associate ourselves with someone with both beauty and brains. Sure, the beauty part may be somewhat superficial…but let’s be honest…it’s still important for most of us. For me, the same goes for my choice in universities. I chose UCLA because it was one of a handful of universities that had both great athletics (the beauty that the outside world sees) and brains. My fear is that Chancellor Block ONLY appreciates the brains part of UCLA . He’s letting the beautiful side of UCLA go…we’re becoming fat, bald and lazy (remind you of anyone). We need to remind him that UCLA has a very unique brand.
UCLA - Fat, bald & lazy...but damn are they intelligent!
Love the analogy!
by Flem on Nov 13, 2011 8:41 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
UCLA is the Roseanne Barr of college football.
That’ll sell.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
A better approach
I really think our complaints and letters to Gene Block will be more effective if sent before and after every game. Especially after a win rather than when we lose a game. That way we may not be accused of being " unreasonable/shortsighted fans".
by cyberdbk on Nov 13, 2011 6:40 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Calls for firing Dan and Neu should have been pouring after the ASU win
by cyberdbk on Nov 13, 2011 6:43 AM PST via mobile reply actions
More Cognitive Dissonance- Pac 12 South Tie Breaker?
I went to the Stanford-Oregon game yesterday. I wanted to see some offense, and I knew that watching UCLA on TV would not do the trick.
So after feeling bad for the players for the loss, I felt glad that at least the joke of UCLA being in the Pac-12 championship game (and saving RN’s job in the process) was behind us.
And then I look this morning, and ASU lost. WTF?
The only reason UCLA has a prayer of being in the title game is because of the schedule- no Oregon or Washington.
Who wants to endure the spectacle of seeing the Bruins get blown out by Oregon in a bogus title game? Not me.
My guess is that UCLA can beat Colorado, even with the state of the team these days. Assuming that UCLA loses to $C (how many nails does a coffin need?), then UCLA would be 5-4 in conference play.
ASU is likely to lose to Cal, the way ASU is playing. If ASU beat Arizona, then they would also be 5-4.
If Utah wins out (which they could do- vs Colorado and WSU), then they would also be 5-4.
3 way tie- with UCLA beating ASU who beat Utah who beat UCLA.
Is the tie breaker non-conference record?
Back to the cognitive dissonance- rooting for the Bruins to win game by game, but not wanting the Bruins to back into the Pac 12 championship game due to schedule and save RN’s job.
In terms of the sacrificial lamb to Oregon:
According to Wikipedia:
“In the event that three teams are tied, the following criteria shall be used as tiebreakers to determine who will represent the division in the championship game:
1. Collective head-to-head record among all tied teams
2. Record of the tied teams within the division
3. BCS component”
UCLA = 2-3 in the South Division in your scenario
ASU = 4-1
Utath = 3-2
In this scenario ASU represents.
While Utah gets cupcake Colorado, Washington State did win at home vs. ASU (who admittedly sucks on the road). Utah is 2-2 outside the state of Utah; who knows I guess at this point how to evaluate that game
Actually, I apologize, I had ASU 4-1
They would 3-2. I will assume actually that ASU is higher BCS wise than Utah cause they have some decent wins against ranked teams. So ASU gets into the game(?)
*and i had ucla at 2-3 (so i'm just going to quit typing
UCLA I guess is 3-2 with a win over Colorado
><;; it’s 12:50 AM here in Korea..
BN- The leader in worldwide UCLA coverage
Very impressive that you are keeping track of UCLA from Korea. It makes sense to put yourself about 12 time zones away from the debacle of UCLA football.
I assume that UCLA would split, so would be 2-3 as you said originally. In any event, it sounds like the odds of UCLA backing into the Pac-12 championship game are slim. Thank goodness.
No Hollywood ending
I think many people that we refer to as Neubs were really hoping for anything other than another lost season. This is Hollywood and a trip to the PAC-12 inaugural game would have been historic and ENERTAINING! This was another weekend that I will never get back. Therein lies Guerrero’s biggest problem. How can you market crap like this in LA? When will I be enertained? Our revenue teams mill lifelessly around on offense and don’t play any defense either.
However the horror could get worse. AZ State lost, were still alive to win the toilet bowl South. How bad do you think that Oregon would beat us at Autzen? 70-3? I don’t know if I can even watch the SC game live. I might have to DVR and watch it by myself so I don’t have to listen to the laughter of others. Chancellor Block we are begging you to do the right thing by this University.
Oops
Entertained, Still on my first cup of Joe.
A sermon delivered from the steps of Young Hall
Excellent post!
by DrJay32 on Nov 13, 2011 7:06 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Dear Chancellor Block
Dear Chancellor Block,
I received a phone call a few nights ago asking for a donation to the Chancellor’s Greatest Needs Fund. I told the student that while nanotechnology and scholarships for low-income kids are important, UCLA’s greatest need at the present time is to restore credibility to the revenue-generating sports programs and I will not be donating this year until we have a new athletic director and football coach. Regards,
At least we haven’t seen any tweets about losing to the straight bums at Utah. That probably passes for progress these days at Morgan Center.
Nice Chem analogy...
I find it hard to believe that there is STILL a sizable population of said Neubs in existence. FIRE HIM NOW PLEEEAASE!!!
Block needs to find an A.D. who can have the same business-like approach to UCLA football as new PAC-12 commissioner Larry Scott has with the conference. Business is business and successful college football = $$$$$
Which is shorter:
A list of good ideas coming from DG, or John Stockton’s shorts? (LOL at your gripe)
Chemically, I think Neubs don’t so much require activation energy as awareness. It’s as though they’re standing at the foot of the mountain at point A, completely oblivious to the perfectly good tunnel immediately in front of them, and they arduously start their trek over the mountain to reach point B on the other side. It takes active, internal energy to ignore an obvious path.
So, maybe it’s attention energy that they need, as in Hello, are you paying attention?
Thanks for another well-written post-mortem, g. Your words comfort, somehow.
Pac 12 Weak South
It seems like Ariz (done), ASU and UCLA will be seeking new coaches at end of this season. Embree is new at Colorado so he gets a pass, Utah hopes to finish 8-4. Only Lame is safe at U$C. Therefore, the search better start soon and the decision to “raise our game” must happen or good candidates will disappear pretty fast.
Good point.
If our hiring process resembles our search for a defensive coordinator, we are F*CT.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Love your metaphors.
Almost like going back to college, only better lectures by you.
Last week cognitive dissonance to describe our frustration.
This week the activation complex and the catalyst to describe the need for regime change.
Next week how about something from ancient Roman history, the vomitorium, to describe our football program under Donut Dan?
useless
More penalty yards than offense yards in the first half. Jonathan Franklin still putting the ball on the ground. KP getting picked. Predictable play calling, unfavorable yardage/down scenarios. This team has so much to play for yet it can’t get out of it’s own way. Meanwhile USC has nothing to play for, yet they execute and win. When is this going to end. I want that fat idiot fired. He can take Rick with him. Block needs to get out of his ivory tower. Sports do matter. John Wooden had as much to do with putting UCLA on the map as academics.
by Strathmore&Gayley on Nov 13, 2011 8:57 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
7 pt spread and 29 pt loss says it all.
Neu was quoted as saying he is STILL a good coach. I remember Nixon on TV saying “Well, I’m not a crook.” Some people never see the truth even when it explodes in their face.
Crazy Scenario
UCLA wins one and likely loses one of the following 2. More than likely a blow out loss to SC. Yet, Utah and ASU also lose once. We get a ticket to the pac 12 championship and get blown out by Oregon.
Well, suppose also that we end up as the “Fifth Team” in our bowl configuration because Oregon and Stanford don’t both get into a BCS game. Guess what, we end up playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. Great bowl, eh? Well, with Boise State losing to TCU, it means we either get TCU or (even worse if TCU loses its final 2) a match up with Boise State. Does anyone really want to see either of those games?
So I am relegated to saying the following—I am afraid to watch the Bruins play Boise State or Texas Christian in the Las Vegas Bowl. Truly a testament to where this program is.
We really do not belong in any bowl. Sorry, but don't ad UCLA right now.
6 W is pathetic. All for $
Six points. Twelve penalties.
One coach and one AD looking for work.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
The giant squid Emperor
In less than 24 hours a disease spread out and infected both the basketball and football teams of the Bruins. This disease transcends coaches, AD’s and Mr. Bloch for it is spread by an evil mastermind-the Giant Squid Emperor who reigns supreme. Once a player gets a whiff of his rancid vapor he forgets anything he knows about team work and behaves in an opposite way—maet krow, pronounced Meat Crow. Players with this disease always have a clueless look, they wander, they shake their heads, and they complain about the size of the rim, the snow packed ground, and the men in stripes. Please avoid all contact with these diseased individuals for they can infect you too. The cure is in a small town in Oregon. Clone the serum, copy the healthy.
First animals and now Utah -- know you no shame?
Oh, your were using metaphors and childhood perceptions which,in context, denigrate neither?
In the words of the late, great Emily Litella, “Nevermind”.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Nov 13, 2011 10:28 AM PST up reply actions
Opps
This is supposed to be under Nick’s post, below.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Nov 13, 2011 10:29 AM PST up reply actions
Utah
gBruin,
While I realize it’s your opinion and can respect that, I don’t really appreciate your comments about Utah (the state). I have family that live there that I often visit. I don’t expect an apology but hope that you will be more sensitive in the future.
Regarding football, I completely agree with the rest of your analysis and thoughts on the UCLA football program. Even before last night’s debacle, I felt that Neuheisel had to go even if we had won out the rest of the season. I appreciate the effort he’s put in the last 4 years and his enthusiasm, but unfortunately it has not been enough. While he is great at certain things (recruiting, for instance), as a complete package he is not the coach that UCLA needs. And don’t even get me started on Guerrero.
???
You’ve never, in your life, made any snide, ribbing, or otherwise even slightly denigrating or belittling remark about California?
What with its stereotyped image of overtanned, plastic surgery-addicted film-industry has-beens, its history of Gov.’s Reagan and Schwarzenegger, all of Hollywood, the OJ trial, the Kardashians, and Mel Gibson, you have never poked even a little harmless fun—which is all gBruin has done, by the way, based on his own personal experience of Utah—at anything considered “characteristic” about the State of California?
Sorry, I am having trouble believing that, and also that you are that sensitive about Utah’s snow and their beer. (I’ve experienced both, in both States, and for me the snow is about the same and he’s dead right about the beer.)
As for I-70, what gBruin says is absolutely true, and goes for that stretch of unrelenting void all the way through Kansas and Missouri, as well.
Love My Bruins
by Bruingirl83 on Nov 13, 2011 12:17 PM PST up reply actions
Bruingirl
Hey, I still have family in California and I visit sometimes…
Ah, never mind. ;-)
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
Utah
Actually, the stretch of I-70 between Salina and Green River crosses the San Rafael Swell, which is one of the most beautiful places in the country. “The Swell” would be a national park if it were in any other state that didn’t already have an overabundance of natural beauty.
The Swell is home to spectacular slot canyons (did you see “127 Hours”?), ancient cliff dwellings, pictographs and petroglyphs.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__rl_RZunrf4/TOn-ZgcXflI/AAAAAAAABBg/xXDUqG0PvUU/s1600/11-20+biking+the+wedge+San+Rafael+Swell+037.JPG
No f-ing way does Colorado have better snow than Utah. I have skied all over the world including Switzerland, Argentina, heli-skiing in Canada, all over Colorado and Utah. And I can speak as an expert on the topic that Utah has the best snow. No where else are you going to get 500+ inches of 5% water content snow than Utah.
Don’t take my word for it:
Rankings of “Best Snow”
http://www.skinet.com/ski/galleries/top-10-resorts-best-snow-2010
- = Alta, UT
- = Snowbird, UT
- = Powder Mountain, UT
- = Brighton, UT
- = Solitude, UT
As for beer, Utah has several outstanding local microbrews. Not too far off I-70 you could find Moab Brewery.
http://www.themoabbrewery.com/
My personal favorite Utah beer is the 8% Devastator Double Bock:
http://www.utahbeers.com/devastator.html
But if you really want the strong stuff, try High West Distillery:
http://www.highwest.com/
Powder to the People
Of course we have the best snow.....
We have machines set up that suck all the good flakes down here and let the defective ones continue eastward to Buffalo land. Most of them are near Provo, hence the oft repeated comment about BYU sucking.
Anytime you think any portion of I-70 is bad (and it is actually) try the portion of I-80 from Evanston to Laramie. You will believe you are on a lifeless, barren waste of a planet.
And we’re trying with the beer. Needs work, but its a lot better than it was before the Olympics.
The Utah Chamber of Commerce thanks you for your input
Actually, I agree there is a lot of really pretty scenery driving through Utah. It’s just that if you only want to get to the other side, it’s really long.
I might still debate the snow, though. But I’m always willing to try beer.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
The only place in CO that is in the same category snow-wise is....
Wolf Creek Pass.
Powder to the People
Nick,
I think you are taking my comments about Utah a bit too seriously. When my complaints are limited to the long drive, Stockton’s shorts, In-n-Out locations, and snow, then I would expect most people to realize they are tongue in cheek. I’m not sure what part of what I wrote was seriously insensitive.
Nevertheless, I am sorry to have upset you.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
gbruin, you are not out of line
Born, raised and still in Utah and in no way was I offended by your post. Actually I got a kick out of it. People need to lighten up. I’ve often ripped on Cali for this reason or that. While in the MWC we would poke fun at Wyoming and the miserable drive to Laramie every other year to see the Cowboys. I feel like maybe Utah has become to you what Wyoming was to us. Hope to see your program improve and I can’t wait to come down to the LA for a road trip next year.
by everclearute on Nov 14, 2011 2:37 PM PST up reply actions
Whoa, now
Have you ever been to a game in Laramie? I-70 is a big stretch of nothing, but it doesn’t come close to the sagebrush wasteland of I-80 through Wyoming. And Salt Lake is 1000 times nicer to visit than Laramie.
Dolphins and sharks are natural enemies. Dolphins are like, "Quit eating us," and sharks are like, "Stop smiling all the time, you morons."
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
I laughed at your Utah comments
But Utah’s snow is better than Colorado’s. And more accessible.
Also, I had In-n-Out on my way home from the game. Not even kidding.
Dolphins and sharks are natural enemies. Dolphins are like, "Quit eating us," and sharks are like, "Stop smiling all the time, you morons."
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
You nailed it G!
I do think that the Neubs were grasping at news, and semblance of something positive, with the wins against Cal and ASU. They want something positive to happen. We all want something positive to happen.
Your cognitive dissonance piece still resonates with me (and I’m a North Campus guy) because people want to see a football program and a athletic department that have a firm grasp on what needs to happen and execute against that vision. But wanting to see something and not seeing what is in front of you avoids the reality of what has to change across the entirety of Bruin athletics.
I think another factor too is that Rick is really likable. We all hoped he was the favorite Bruin son returning home to save our Alma Mater from Football purgatory. In my view he has overcome the issues that trailed him at Colorado and Washington. His benching of Hester for his comments after the ASU game were spot on and something that CBH could learn from.
That’s what makes this hard. If Rick was someone else that wasn’t someone we all care about everyone wearing True Blue would be 100% aligned. But wanting Rick to be somehow unlikeable to make the decision that needs to be made easier isn’t reality.
What I saw on Rick’s face last night, late in the fourth quarter, was a coach who sees what we see. That the solution is not in his grasp. That he doesn’t have any more passion in his bucket. He wants to be the guy that turns this thing around, but he doesn’t know what to do or how to do it. I imagine that the pressure he feels on himself is immense and for folks in his situation, relieving him from his head coaching duties is both proper and humane.
As bad as this has been for us
it has been worse for RN. It was clear, when he came over to speak with us after last year’s sc game, that he was spent, emotionally.
I suggested he resign after our third game this year, in great part because of my admiration of RN the person and a strong sense that just what is happening now would happen.
I really wish he would step down, now — but it is clear he will not. Pround men need someone to help them step away.
Unfortunately, we do not have a wise and compassionate AD.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Nov 13, 2011 10:32 AM PST up reply actions
This AD cut loose a man with a far superior win-loss record. No excues.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
66, glad you mentioned it now.
We’re on the same wavelength. RN the person, the Rose Bowl quarterback enamored us. As coach, he cannot cut it. As early as last February, I started calling for him " to just walk away ", for the sake of the program. But then the AD’s expedient decision kept RN’s malaise continuing for another season, even as we speak.
RN is haggard, emotionally spent and at the end of his wits, utterly lost about anything else he could still do to change the picture. Mentally, It is not a good place to be.
I put the blame squarely on Guerrero because this didn’t have to happen both for him and the fanbase of UCLA.
Spot on
about Rick’s likability. CTS had a grim demeanor on the sidelines and didn’t exude the same positive enthusiasm, although arguably he was the better of the two coaches (note that I didn’t say he was a good coach. which he obviously wasn’t). At least at the beginning, we all bought into Rick’s enthusiastic proclamations, even though they’ve certainly been replaced by the harsh reality of his coaching. I wish he would just resign and I wish that the season were over already. This has been too long and drawn out.
Special Treatment. Why Does Rick Neuheisel Get Special Treatment? What's His Special Class?
Alumn? Rose Bowl Victor? Nice Guy? Even if we go to a bowl, he better not be allowed to coach that game. Fair is fair.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
No way he gets to coach the bowl game.
They won’t let it linger for a month between the USC game and a bowl. It’ll be like the end of the KD reign.
All of our past head coaches represented the University well.
None were a public embarrassment. None were embroiled in scandal. All had a respective following. All loved and appreciated the opportunity to be at UCLA. All are respectable men. The bottomline is the record. Judge by the record. For what does it matter if one is quiet, or one is rah-rah, or one is solely focused on league, or one gets called to an NFL job? In the final analysis… all things being equal… it’s all about the record. It’s like that, and that’s the way it is.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
There is no special treatment as far as I can see.
He is being accorded all the respect and love that a great Bruin is entitled to based on he heroism on the field and his passion for UCLA. He is a horrible coach who should have been released as soon as his great flaw was exposed, namely, his inability to translate his enthusiasm into actual coaching. He should not have been allowed to return for his second 4-8 season. He should have been fired every day for the past year and a half.
That’s the treatment any horrible coach and great Bruin is entitled to, in my opinion.
Let's add BOB FIELD to the list of names that must go
Of course, he is implied in regime change — but he needs to be mentioned by name, because if there’s a priority of anyone in the AD having to go it is him. He has been in charge of football and had all the sway. He is the Donahue poison, the Neub-in-chief. He gave us the Karl Dorrel/Greg Robinson, and Chow/Walker/Neuheisal finalist lists. He is the worst thing in our AD and must be purged as well and cited by name so there is no confusion.
I agree with Blue 100%
I think we should change the name of Spaulding Field to get his name out of it. How about “Spaulding Undersized Practice Facility, home of the 80% field, where we can only hope that players play up to 80% of their potential.”
Agreed: Bobby Field must be purged
He has been part of the cancer killing UCLA football for years. For the first time in my life, I had to hesitate about wearing my UCLA golf cap to the golf course this morning. In the end I decided I could put up with the humiliation and ribbing from those that hate UCLA and wore the cap anyway. I have to accept the fact that the brand has been severely damaged under Dangerous Dan and Slick Rick. I will not give another dollar to my alma mater and I have not renewed my season tickets. UCLA has become a joke wherever I go and I’m beyond sick of the continued downward slide of our brand. I was tricked by Ricky when he was hired. I bought in. I should have listened to my brothers and sisters who live in Seattle and Boulder. They said the Slickster was all smoke and mirrors and was a fraud who had no substance. They were right. All the proof was the train wreck we witnessed yesterday. I’ve seen more discipline in Pee Wee football. Winning sports do matter at a major university, especially in this economy. I hate to admit it, but Pete Carroll did upgrade the entire state of things at USC simply by winning and upgrading the brand. We can get Chris Peterson, Urban Meyer or Mike Leach now. We gotta get Dangerous Dan and the likes of Bobby Field out.
I'd argue that Field is even more urgent than Guerrero
Because it doesn’t matter who our AD is if Field and his clan are entrenched.
For those who do not understand our disgust with the current athletic
administration, I strongly urge you to buy the new Wooden Basketball and Beyond…While none of us can ever come close to the legacy that was Coach Wooden, UCLA athletics should be dedicated to STRIVING to be what Coach embodied. As someone who was fortunate to be a student during the Wooden years, I wish I would have had greater appreciation of his greatness as well as the model he represented for greatness. The book captures what it takes to be great, as recounted by many who knew him best. It is clear that the lower expectations of many who have allowed the athletic administration to drag the program to its current state are an anathema to all that Coach Wooden taught.
Among the three, Chris Peterson seems the logical choice, not to say Dan & Gene's choice
Boise State is in the west, Peterson’s recruiting base. I am sure he is familiar with many high schools here in California too. His team plays well consistently with whatever talents he recruits.
To me, he reminds me of Frank Kelly ( or Kelley ? ) at Cincinnati before Notre Dame signed him. Cincinnati lives under the giant shadow of Ohio State for years, yet his team still played competitively. Notre Dame does fare better now than before, although the rebuilding process still continues.
Wooden’s words and deeds are timeless, inimitable & one for the ages. This is a preternatural coach. If Gene & Dan cannot live up to Wooden’s ideals, don’t fault them but at least they should try.
THAT THEY DO NOT EVEN BOTHER TO IS A DAMN SHAME !!!!
This one makes sense
When he’s losing, his face turns Bruin Blue!
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