#NoMoraDan and The Interview Process?
by Achilles on Dec 11, 2011 9:00 AM PST
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In 2000, Pete Carroll was not the first choice to become USC's head football coach. For those interested in who was, I suggest Google, it's not important here. Just know that Carroll was not a shoe-in for that job and had to impress USC's then-athletic director Mike Garrett. Garrett, in case you didn't know, was (I guess still is) a Heisman Trophy-winning running back who played at Southern Cal and later with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was (I guess, still is) a football guy.
Carroll to that point was an NFL coach (sound familiar) who had been with the San Francisco 49ers (sound familiar) as an assistant and had also had two relatively unsuccessful stints as a head coach (sound familiar) in the NFL.
When Carroll got his interview from Garrett, it was reported that he presented detailed game plans for how he would attack and defend USC's Pac 10 opponents. This supposedly blew Mike Garrett away. Even if that interview has evolved a bit mythically, Carroll clearly had been thinking about what he would do if he ever became USC's coach. He was prepared.
UCLA's new head coach Jim L. Mora -- whose resume today is eerily similar to Carroll's circa 2000 -- said today that he was looking forward to figuring out how to defend college offenses.From Gold's transcript:
"The other challenge will certainly be adapting to some of the unique offenses we have seen in college football that are different than you see in pro football. You see things out of Oregon and some other teams that you don't see in pro football. I'm excited about having the opportunity to learn how to defend those offenses. I've coached defensive football my entire life, I've coached on some outstanding defensive staffs, and I look forward to the challenge. I look forward to the newness of it."
Translation: He hasn't really thought about yet. He's looking forward to thinking about it. It's pretty clear he didn't present Dan Guerrero with a detailed plan on how he would attack and defend all of UCLA's Pac 12 opponents.
I'm not sure if this is a strike against Mora or not. It's definitely not encouraging that he doesn't really know how he's going to stop the offenses of Oregon's Chip Kelly, WSU's Mike Leach, Arizona's Rich Rodriguez, SC's Lane Kiffin and so on. It would have been much better if he'd said he spent his years out of coaching sketching game plans for collegiate spread offenses.
It is though, a strike against Guerrero and the coach search "process." Because, seriously, what good would it have done? How long would the conversation have lasted if L. Mora had offered to present his detailed game plans for Pac 12 opponents?
Think about that in a larger context. Would a law firm ever in a billion years let someone who was not a lawyer interview a lawyer to join or lead a law firm? Would a hospital hire a new surgeon without him or her being interviewed by doctors, querying them about how they would handle certain cases?
Basically, UCLA's athletic director basically made this hire by reading the resume (Coached football? Check!) and then assessed how L. Mora came off in the interview. There couldn't have been much discussion of how you would defend certain offenses or how you would attack certain defenses.
Naturally, a college athletic director who is responsible for 20 or so teams in a dozen or so different sports can't be expert in every sport. And, not every athletic director at a school with a successful football program is expert in football. I get that. But -- how many of these directors has demonstrated not once, but twice, that they can't hire a successful football coach. I would bet there isn't one AD on the job for less than a dozen years who has already fired and hired three football coaches. Who knows, maybe there is another, if there is, I don't know who it is.
What's bothering me, and maybe I speak for others, is not just that we hired a new head football coach whose on-paper resume reveals not much to recommend him for the job; a guy with no real college experience, who has never recruited a high school player, who has never game planned against a college offense, who was not particularly successful as a head football coach in the NFL. No, what's really bothering us is the process.
We tried to hire Chris Petersen and it didn't work out. No one should really label that as failure; others have tried to lure Petersen from Boise but clearly the man just likes Idaho. Fine. But if the head cheerleader turns you down for the senior prom, you don't immediately ask your cousin to be your date, especially if you have four million dollars to spend, I mean, your dad said you could drive his Porsche.
L. Mora was not mentioned as a contender for any other college job. There was no reason to hire him now, you could have hired him in a month. But, you could have spent that month trying to hire someone with some very basic qualities, such as experience coaching in college or maybe compiling a winning record in his prior coaching gigs or some experience game planning against college offenses. It simply seems inconceivable that there was no more qualified candidate willing to come to Los Angeles and coach at UCLA for 4 million bucks.
I hope my last point doesn't come as a surprise, but I really want L. Mora to succeed. I'm intrigued by the fact that he coaches defense and maybe he'll pick the lock on college offenses. I honestly would not be shocked if he did well, at the very least he appears to be a smart guy. But that doesn't change the fact that the process that brought him to UCLA was flawed and that the odds of him succeeding appear at this point longer than they needed to be.
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You have captured my feeling perfectly
Your words: “There was no reason to hire him now, you could have hired him in a month…. It simply seems inconceivable that there was no more qualified candidate willing to come to Los Angeles and coach at UCLA for 4 million bucks.”
Mora may work out but I feel the same as when Dorrell was hired. I was living in the Boston area and had a good friend at the time that was an SC fan (OK that is an admission of guilt but PAC 10 guys have to stick together). In Boston the Pete Carroll hire was viewed as a coup by SC — they had hired a coach that was obviously geared for the college game. (I understand it was not seen as positively here.) And then UCLA hired Dorrell. When asked by my friend I said: “Mabye he will work out but on paper, and I am afraid in the living rooms of recruits, he is quite a step below Carroll.”
Today I feel the same way about Mora. Maybe he will work out but on paper he is substantially below RichRod and Leach. The best we could do is a “roll of the dice”.
Disappointment.
Disappointment.
Disappointment.
by Bruin Dad and Grad on Dec 11, 2011 9:11 AM PST reply actions
Part of Chianti Dan's Master Plan
To bring back UCLA to the forefront of college athletics, Chianti Dan has decided the four letters need to be on ESPN on a daily basis—albeit it will be as the brunt of jokes and jabs and utter bewilderment.
No, he just read the ticker
2 weeks ago where it said “Jim Mora, Jr. interested in UCLA and ASU jobs” reported by some radio station and he said to himself “Doh! That’s our guy. ESPN said it.”
I really think that is how he makes his selections.
Curious that the LA Times kept pimping guys like Sumlin and then off he goes to interview him.
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
meanwhile, Art Briles down in the same state
Is winning 9 games after turning around Baylor and has his quarterback ready to be the come behind story for Heisman. Dan, take a chopper ride over to Baylor while you’re down there.
Why can’t our AD find a guy like this? Pete Dalis, I have no doubt, could have recruited and convinced someone like Art Briles to come to UCLA. I don’t know. Maybe there’s something there with money and Dan’s offers were on a string from the boosters. I did read the 4 mil was only for Peterson. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered who he approached? The thing is, if your AD is going to be a lame duck and not trusted, then he shouldn’t even be there. It’s an embarrassment.
I was told by a former player in the stands at the Colorado game that Rick had to hire Norm Chow. It was part of the deal. Who put this requisite on him? Maybe this type of bs control is why coaches aren’t interested. Hope Mora is getting total control of this team.
I was told by a former player in the stands at the Colorado game that Rick had to hire Norm Chow. It was part of the deal.
While I wouldn’t put it past Guerrero to tell Neuheisel he had to retain Walker (and it has been discussed on BN previously, among other places here ) and I know the prevailing belief here is that Chow was forced onto Neuheisel, there is enough out there to suggest otherwise. For example:
Neuheisel expressed immediate interest in Chow after being hired Dec. 29, but that seemed more a pipe dream as Chow had recently signed a two-year contract extension worth more than $1 million a season. However, when Chow was fired, Neuheisel began a series of talks with Carter Chow, Chow’s son and agent. Norm Chow, who has a home in the Los Angeles area, debated whether to take a year off, but after discussing the situation with his family decided to sign on with the Bruins.
Link from the LA Times, 2008.
That said, though, I think it’s pretty clear that Guerrero’s a meddler, and until he’s gone, no coach who isn’t desperate for work — or, in particular, desperate for the UCLA job — will want to coach here.
I know Leach is said to have wanted to coach here, and I don’t doubt that for a second. But Guerrero probably would have scared him off anyway, because at some point he would have wanted to dictate terms to Leach that Leach would have found both laughable and unacceptable.
WSU I’m sure gave Leach full reign over his assistant hires, and any normal AD would have; Guerrero no doubt would not have. So for all those who think Leach would have been our coach had Guerrero taken his calls — you might be right, or you might be greatly underestimating, as hard as that may be, how unappealing it is to work under Dan.
We all would like for him to succeed
But that doesn’t change my position. DG must be fired now. Block needs to be held accountable for UCLA athletics decline. And Mora needs to win at least a minimum of 8 games and all wins/losses to pass the eye test).
by cyberdbk on Dec 11, 2011 9:29 AM PST via mobile reply actions
More Fuel to get rid of Danny
I don’t usually agree with him but here I do….
"It remains almost incomprehensible how ill-prepared Dan Guerrero was after firing Rick Neuheisel. As it turns out, Guerrero had done nothing to assemble an inviting package capable of persuading candidates UCLA was now indeed serious about football." TJ Simers
$12mil
I still can’t believe they are paying this guy $12 million for 5 years.. That’s some highway robbery! Donut Dan you fat bureaucrat!
I'm irritated
Irritated that someone like Art Briles, whose qb just won the Heisman, couldn’t have been sold on UCLA or approached weeks ago; or someone like Kyle Whittingham, who beat us this year and runs great Utah teams, couldn’t have been approached. JD Morgan is turning over in his grave.
Dan still in 10 years-at least I don’t think-has hired a coach who’s won an NC, where he promotes his “1st to 100 NCs.” There might be a Softball in there, but that was just a promotion by Inouye-Perez. He hired Savage, but how do you screw up a baseball hire if that’s your former sport?
Well, if TD is going to be the new godfather of UCLA Athletics
He better start recognizing talent better and be able to see start of trends. Is that even legal? To pull the strings of a whole athletic program? Dan is TDs puppet. Impressive AD we got there. I hate that ASU is getting more intriguing recommendations from Gruden and we settle on this retread who’s been out of both games for years.
I am now defaulting to “we’ll see” with Mora and it’s not his fault. But that’s what happens when you’re forced something. Maybe football is so down that it will take a world beater/something to prove type guy to turn it around. Do we have to go for a mysterious UCLA-exclusive type hire because we’re UCLA? What is this stranglehold that former alumni have on the program? ND can go get Brian Kelly or ring shining Charlie Weis-outsiders. What’s our excuse? Oh, we’re first to 100!
New tag line: First to 100, last to 200
by cyberdbk on Dec 11, 2011 10:23 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Particularly...
since Kyle Whittingham has been contacted by BOTH Penn State and Arizona State about their vacancies.
And UCLA didn’t even think or try to approach him?
The reason this is significant is because it has been discovered in the last 48 hours that Whittingham was willing to at least listen to the pitches made by both schools.
In fact, Whittingham reportedly considers the ASU gig or HC at one of the “California schools” to be his “ideal” job.
Thus, if Whittingham was interested in Arizona State… it’s almost a guarantee he would have had MORE interest in a high profile, storied program like UCLA.
No matter how you cut it, it makes Guererro look very bad:
- He allegedly launched a nationwide intensive search for the Bruins’ next head coach.
- He was allegedly prepared to pay a lot of money to the next coach.
- He allegedly sought a proven winner with significant college football head coaching experience
- He allegedly sought an exciting hire which would’ve energized UCLA fans/alum.
We can probably assume DG sought all of that… yet he didn’t even bother calling Whittingham? Yet in the meantime Penn State and Arizona State both do… apparently even stirring up interest from Whittingham as well.
What it does is make Guererro (and UCLA by association) look like he didn’t put any effort or strategy or aggression into his search… only to be shown up by ASU and PSU, who appear to be conducting their searches the right way.
Unless he genuinely had zero interest in Whittingham as a possible replacement. Which I doubt.
I don't read the script. The script reads me.
Whittingham > Sark (by a mile IMO)
And should have been an obvious target. He is a solid, solid coach.
Too fair
I think you are being exceptionally fair to Mora Jr. Do I want Mora Jr. to succeed? Sure, because he is now in charge of my Bruins. Do I think that he has the “mind” to beat college offenses, particularly those of the Pac-12? There is no evidence that he can. He himself admits he will be “learning on the job” … that sounds eminently awful. WTF? For $2.4 a year he wants to “learn” about college offenses? Sorry, I cant go as far as you and give him that.
former editor, DumpDorrell.com ... formerly posted as DumpDorrell
It is exactly that.
For the 2nd out of 3 hires, we have a guy that will be learning on the job. At least Rick had experience and some success in college. I have no idea what The Donut was thinking. Well, I’m pretty sure he had no idea either.
Color me appalled.
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
"learning on the job"...
In your mind you can be thinking that, but don’t go and tell it to the press – jeez!
Learning on the job
Anyone want your surgeon doing that? How about the guy filing your taxes? Brake mechanic? Kid’s teacher? The guy wiring your house?
There are times and places for internships. Our football program shouldn’t be one of those.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
...........
Who goofed! I want to know! DG has gone the Leonard Tose route!
I'm glad that the late great Jim Healy is not here to witness the destruction of his (and our) athletic program.
But at the same time, Jim would long since have fried and chopped and diced and placed Chianti Dan in the doggy bowl for his buffoonery.
Pete carroll
Had a lot of college experience, under some great coaches. JLM had one season of college experience before any of his players were even born.
Please!! Let's not compare Mora to Pete Carroll!
Carroll was only successful because he was a consumate liar and cheater from the first day of his time at pUSC. He recruited all the Frostee Ruckers of the world and imposed no discipline or rules. Let’s be clear, Carroll would never have been successful at pUSC if he did not have his dispicable lawbreaking nonstudent athletes. Whatever we say about Mora, from all accounts, he is at the very least very honest.
by Chicago Bruin on Dec 11, 2011 11:36 AM PST up reply actions
That's my fear, Chicago
I think the new guy (I remain unwilling to use his name on a UCLA blog) will assume that he has to do at least as well as Cheatie Petie, and that means he will cheat, since it’s patently obvious that he can’t do it simply by coaching. It’s also plainly obvious that just$c* was the perfect place for a guy willling to cheat, because they were quite familiar with and perfectly comfiortable with the concept of looking way the other way. I doubt if our new guy can cheat as well as Cheatie did, and I doubt that his cheating will be as thoroughly covered up by our guys.
If I were Chianti Dan, my first step would be to put Harlan the liar in charge of covering up the new guy’s chearing. He’s an accomplished liar, and I would put him up against the best liar just$c*’s got (Ethical Pat, in other words) in terms of smoothness and sincerity
Wait?
This actually happened? I woke up this morning thinking it was all a nightmare. At least the Lakers aren’t in complete disarray…wait…what??? I’m going back to bed.
Interesting
Would a law firm ever in a billion years let someone who was not a lawyer interview a lawyer to join or lead a law firm? Would a hospital hire a new surgeon without him or her being interviewed by doctors, querying them about how they would handle certain cases?
I have interviewed people for IT positions who looked great on paper, but when asked technical questions (typically by a group of technicians, in addition to just looking at the resume) failed miserably. And you are spot on when you say
It simply seems inconceivable that there was no more qualified candidate willing to come to Los Angeles and coach at UCLA for 4 million bucks.
Like everybody else, I hope he does well, but you really have to question the interview and the vetting process, assuming there was one. FWIW, an acquaintance whose husband is now retired and worked in the MC, saw me yesterday and came up to me all excited about the great coach they hired. Turns out that she and her husband are close friends with the Mora, Sr. family, which leads me to wonder if there may have been some back-channel maneuverings that we don’t know about. Just saying.
I have no idea if Mora, Jr. will work or not...
It isn’t crazy to think a defensive coach with a grind it out offense can successful (see LSU and Alabama). That said, here’s what Mora, Jr. is up against:
1. Recruiting: Who is he going to get to recruit the Los Angeles inner city. Take it from someone who is FROM South Central, UCLA has never been the football favorite of young African Americans in LA. Basketball? Much different. Mora, Jr. is going to need someone to compete against some pretty damn good recruiters, including Colorado’s Bienenmy (sp?). Everyone who talks about UCLA being in such a rich recruiting area doesn’t understand that Westwood is as foreign to most African Americans kids who live on Crenshaw/Western/Van Ness/ as the Palouse. Mora, Jr. will need to get someone credible in that role.
2. Identity: Mora, Jr. CAN be successful if he puts an immediate imprint on this team. You wanna be a defensive team? Go out and get the biggest, baddest, D-Linemen in the country. Make D-linemen your calling card like Stanford made tight ends their calling card.
3. Show Don’t Tell: Mora, Jr. would be good to shut up. Not say a damn thing about what you’re gonna do. Just go out there and do it. Even if everyone is asking you about your plans to resurrect UCLA, give them boring answers and go about your business. That way, you don’t get caught up in “Monopoly” or “Passion Buckets” etc. Just do your job.
If he does that, and he wins, he’ll win over UCLA fans.
Lawrence Ross
Great post, esp re the LA inner city recruiting.
He is supposedly hiring the OL coach from SMU, who is the #1 recruiter in the US according to Scout.com. I forget his name.
show don't tell is solid advice
We need an identity. Tough guys on D would be nice.
by Bruin Dad and Grad on Dec 11, 2011 10:43 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
and I'd add a baddass OL.
You have that and you’ll have your offense, whether you’re running spread, pro, or pistol.
Under KD and Neu we NEVER had a good OL.
No pocket so the QB got sacked at hot before he could find rec.
I like #3 a lot
For Mora, this is a results game. He needs to win and win now. I don’t have a whole lot of interest in what he has to say.
My sentiments exactly.
Recruiting is HUGE and every team needs to have strength on it’s lines to be effective with anything. He can start by keeping XSF, Latui, and getting Ellis McCarthy to sign with us. Then get these guys to start playing to their potential next year and putting up some quality W’s.
by rsmbruinfan on Dec 11, 2011 11:00 AM PST up reply actions
Points well taken
However I wonder if your outcome of #1 is impeded by your #3. I think there may be some benefit of having a higher profile, having a little swagger, in order to be the place kids want to go. It might annoy you, but having a little in-your-face representin’ might get a linebacker who is fast, strong, and can actually tackle. Not to mention a receiver who is fast with hands… not to mention…………
by harry bruin on Dec 11, 2011 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
I point to Bill Snyder...
The most unlikable, unquotable, irritating, disagreeable, head coach in the history of college football. He never talks to anyone, and sometimes not even to his players…and yet they all play in the Bill Synder Stadium. Win and you’ll have the swag you need to impress.
Lawrence Ross
Good ideas, alpha
And the new guy has just crapped on one “putting an immediate imprint on the team.” While Meyer got the NCAA to allow tOSU to let him start gathering his own coaching staff and start recruiting while the old guys get ready for their bowl, our new guy can’t even be bothered to come to town. He would rather pontificate as an “analyst” on TV than start turning our program around.
Let’s just say that my enthusiasm for the new guy is about on a par with his enthusiasm for UCLA.
My late mentor told me something I will always cherish...
“Don’t tell me….SHOW ME. Don’t bank in your head…Bank in the bank.” Something Mora should do also.
BTW...re: Inner City Recruiting...
The reason why UCLA isn’t as relevant in South Central is simple: they’ve never built long lasting relationships in South Central. It’s easier to pick out athletes from schools like my alma mater, Loyola High, but more difficult to build a relationship with the coaches at Washington or Crenshaw. Dwayne Walker went all in, which is why UCLA got some traction. But you can’t treat South Central like some colonial area which you dip into for athletic resources when you need it. And unfortunately, that’s how UCLA is perceived. Too aloof to come in and build relationships with coaches and schools. It’s amazing, but UCLA is perceived to the private school, and USC the PUBLIC school.
I know you all hate Carroll, but he was a smart MF when it came to recruiting. Building that foundation was genius, in that it told parents and kids that he gave a sh*t beyond their kids running the ball. Meant he could walk down streets I wouldn’t go down. Means that Kiffin walks into each living room with that ammo. When a UCLA coach is hosting spring practice on Crenshaw’s field, I’ll know UCLA is serious.
Lawrence Ross
Yes and no.
I remember seeing a profile on Carrolll where he went to some south central housing project (was it Nickerson Gardens) after midnight just to talk to the homies about staying in school. Wallking up to guys hanging out in the projects at 2:00am. So 1) good on him, it showed he was “connecting” and 2) what a crock of BS, he was surrounded by cameras and security guys and the homies were like “who the f**k are you?” That said, I concur… the connection and outreach in ACADEMICS at UCLA is real, and effective. That needs to be part of the outreach in recruiting in FB, and not as a visiting colonialist.
by harry bruin on Dec 11, 2011 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
Exactly...
You go into Nickerson Gardens and run a football clinic, the folks in Nickerson Gardens will start rocking UCLA gear. Perfect example: You know how LA is a Lakers town and how we hate Boston? Well, when Paul Pierce started hosting a basketball tournament at Inglewood High, you started seeing more and more black kids wearing the unthinkable, Boston Celtics gear. Why? Because they associated Paul Pierce, a hometown idol, with themselves. And therefore, they were willing to root for an ARCH ENEMY over their Lakers. That’s influence.
Lawrence Ross
You are mischaracterizing UCLA at this point
Yes, there were issues with outreach to inner city during Toledo days and also early days of Dorrell era. Dewayne Walker and Eric Scott (until he got himself in trouble) did a good job of rebuilding that pipeline. Arguably Neuheisel improved on those efforts with balls out recruiting last few years.
Moreover, under Neuheisel UCLA systematically started rebuilding those pipelines through clinics organized by James Washington and Marcedes Lewis. Mora needs to build on it. So the problem you are suggesting is frankly a bit blown out of proportion, indicative of someone who doesn’t follow our program closely.
We appreciate your concern for UCLA as your “second favorite” college program but lot of the info and perspective you are sharing is not well grounded on full facts around UCLA football.
Okay...
You can roll with the condescending “second favorite” crack, but it speaks to the main problem about UCLA and the program, and what I was speaking about. You may think you have a lot of knowledge about UCLA recruiting in the inner city, but you’re still on the outside looking in, and frankly, you have little idea.
I live here, have always lived here, and know most of the coaches at the black high schools AND the youth programs which feed into those high school. Hell, James Washington’s son goes to Loyola, so I know him (besides also knowing him from being in rival fraternities for the past 25 years). What I’m stating about UCLA isn’t “not well grounded,” in fact, I’m understating it.
But hell, whatever. I offered an honest perspective of where UCLA was in terms of recruiting the Los Angeles inner city. Think it’s blown out of proportion? The proofs in the recruiting.
Lawrence Ross
You are projecting with your own concdenscesion
Yes, the proof is in the recruiting
We have done pretty well in last few years except for last season following 4-8 season. You can look through Rick’s first three classes and you will see we more than held our own. Of course we have to do better but we have improved a lot.
You have made some good points but you are embellishing our recruiting issues. Our issue last year and this year has had to do with on field results. I’d suggest at this point you move on. Thanks.
Then I would ask, from your perspective
What specifically should U.C.L.A. be doing to better develop both short and long term relationships with these coaches and communities?
While Nestor is correct that U.C.L.A. has made strides in building those relationships, you clearly feel that U.C.L.A. still has a long way to go. So what are some suggestions or solutions for Mora? And do you think that as an outsider – in multiple facets – he has the ability to make the necessary advances that would benefit both your community and the community in Westwood?
These are sincere questions, as you clearly have a perspective that I don’t, and I’d like to better understand. Plus, we’d like to make U.C.L.A. your first favorite ;-)
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
Maybe you ought to send this kind of thing to Mora. Sounds very smart. Sure Klemm knows it.
Petie was VERY smart when it came to getting in the heads of those guys and families. Genius and it paid dividends. He did whatever it took. Truth is that SC can relax a lot more school standards than we can, but that is not an excuse. Toledo began the ignorance of this, and then Neu did better with them.
Now...
that you have a coach without UCLA pedigree, I’m pretty sure he knows. Washington got good by being one of the first Pac 10 schools to invest in South Central. Mora, Jr. will know how to do it ( I think).
Lawrence Ross
Can we stop pushing the BS Mora is an outsider?
He is a Donahue recommended hire and former Donahue employee. He is not some outside the box Bruin hire.
I agree with your three points but don’t push the tradmed nonsense that he is some outside the box hire. He is a classic hire as a result of continued dependence on Donahue by Ucla’s visionless leaders.
by Nestor on Dec 11, 2011 11:09 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
In my original post about Mora, Jr.
I said that he had tenuous connections to UCLA. That said, another person remarked that he was a kid when his dad was at UCLA (for one year) and I actually thought that to be correct. That said, Mora, Jr. doesn’t have professional ties. Anyone coming to UCLA is going to have the input of Donahue as long as DG is involved, so I’m not sure you can hold that against the man. That’s out of his control. His personal lineage is Washington.
Lawrence Ross
The connection with Donahue is not just tenous
He worked for Donahue for years. Moreover, you write:
Anyone coming to UCLA is going to have the input of Donahue as long as DG is involved, so I’m not sure you can hold that against the man.
We are not going to hold that connection against the man, but we will certainly hold it as a scathing indictment of this hiring process. Something you clearly don’t understand goes to the heart of the problem.
Of course I understand...
There’s the tactical and the strategic. I provided tactical advice for Mora, Jr., based on the realities of where UCLA is right now. You’re looking at the strategic, in terms of Morgan Center, the hiring practices of DG, etc. Both can run concurrently.
Lawrence Ross
We get the strategic v. tactical povs
It’s important to note that your observation that Mora being a coach without “UCLA pedigree” is not totally accurate given strong connections with Donahue. Thanks.
What galls me about the Donahue connection is not just that no one sees it for what it is (the athletic equivalent to hemophilia),
but that no one will even suggest making an attempt to break away from the inbreeding.
He IS an outside-the-box hire...
…because traditionally most schools hire coaches with winning records.
You're right, mcbruin
When you hire a guy who has never coached or recruited at the college level, but who has demonstrated that he can’t coach in the NFL, that’s thinking outside the box. Next out of the box hire will probably be Richie Kotite, based on his 4-28 record with the Jets.
Qualifications:
I recommended 4 coaches, 3 of which failed and got fired and one of which likely will.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Just as another comparison that isn't Carroll...
Al Golden had a 300 page notebook that detailed a plan of success for Miami when he interviewed. That would have been nice.
A view from the other side of the fence:
I am an SC alumnus and live in the Seattle area. Mora has always been well respected up here until he took the reigns of the Seahawks. He is still a bit of a favorite by the sports radio guys. After all, it was a Seattle sports radio interview that got Mora fired from Atlanta. He has actually been pretty good as a analyst. But as the DBs coach under Holmgren, he led the worst unit on the team. Not all of that was his fault, personnel was an issue. But when he had the ability to give input as head coach on what personnel was needed he retained the same group. He never seemed able to game plan for an opponent. His greatest shortcoming is he lacks the maturity to accept responsibility or to know when to keep his mouth shut. After a loss to Chicago, Mora threw kicker, Olindo Mare, under the bus. He blamed a D lineman that was playing with a cast and them wondered why he still had a cast. As head coach he made decisions who played and I would expect him to know the extent of his players injuries. Every week he targeted a different player or unit to blame for his failures and it destroyed team unity. Say what you will about Carroll, but in two years as head coach he has never made a negative comment, even towards Trent Cole who by way of a cheap move after the whistle ended Russell Okung’s season. As much as I dislike Neuheisel for what he did to the University of Washington, Mora is not an upgrade. He is something new. He is someone your AD can say needs time. Then 4 years from now he can fire Mora jr.
Dan won't be around in 4 years to fire him.
Because if he is, then our entire athletic department won’t be, and it won’t matter anyway.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
There is a more profound strike against Mora
It is obvious to all, save for “Mad Dog 20/20” and Blockhead, that he lacks the necessary collegiate experience to succeed at UCLA. And that he has little idea about the college game, evident in his quote above. So what brings him to UCLA? We all know what brought him here. Any man or women in the labor force should have enough integrity to realize ones limitations and that some jobs surpass the scope of one’s experience, irrespective if it is in the same industry. Not Mora. He could careless whether he has the qualifications for the job, he could careless of the four letters, our history and decades frustration of UCLA mediocrity, of our anger toward our athletic department. Dim Moral took advantage of our hapless and blind leadership, only the millions of UCLA dollars attracted him, his objective clear, get richer. UCLA is just another bullet in his resume. It’s a great divide between the previous candidate’s and former coach’s motivation. To me Jim Mora lacked the integrity to defer this job offer because 12 million dollars simply was hard for him to ignore, and probably for others in his income level as well. Many argue it’s not Mora’s fault he was offered 12 million. Well it is his fault, he took party in this obscenity. It is to me a profound strike against Jim Mora the man. He will get his limited chance and if he succeeds, I will applaud the team’s achievements, but he will always be a SOB.
by Angelitos on Dec 11, 2011 12:33 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
You touched upon a key point:
Pete Carroll was hired by a “football guy”. From Mike Garrett’s perspective, Carroll had what it took to run the program.
Dan G. is not a “football guy”. And this is the type of hire that you would expect from someone who wasn’t tuned in or had a good grasp of what it takes to succeed at a major Division 1 football program.
It is not a coincidence that Dan G. has been running the show all the while UCLA has endured it’s worst decade in the history of its football program.
Sadly, until Dan G. goes, and there is a shakeup at the Morgan Center whereby UCLA is freed of the beaurocracy, red tape and insular nature that has hampered it for more than a decade, there is no reason to believe that things will change, even for the most optimistic of Bruin fans.
Quality coaches will not subject themselves to work for Dan Guererro and Gene Block
I just wrote and (thankfully) deleted a “give in and let Jimbo do his best” comment. As I was proof reading it… the thought came over me that that’s exactly what DG wants me to do. FTS. Dan GueERROR, thanks to you pal, we are the laughing stock of FBS. We won’t rest until you are out. Dan Guerrero! And I’m looking at you too, Geno.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
Go Lakers! Go Dodgers! Go Angels!
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