Spaulding Roundup: Hiring New Coaches and Meeting With Old Ones
by gbruin on Dec 15, 2011 6:00 AM PST
in Football
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PrintIt's Thursday. Call the Chancellor's office. 310 825-2151. Replace Dan Guerrero.
Day Two of the Jim Mora regime in Westwood was a lot like Day One, with Mora adding more new coaches to his staff. Mora then met with each member of the existing staff who was in Westwood, though no official announcements were made regarding the future of those coaches.
The big news of the day was the confirmation that ASU's Offensive Coordinator Noel Mazzone was leaving Tempe to take the same position at U.C.L.A. Mazzone has directed the ASU spread offense for the last 2 seasons, and has recent OC experience in the SEC, the Pac-10, and was a WR coach for the NY Jets. It is not clear yet if Mora intends to run primarily a.spread offense versus another style, though from his presser it sounds like there may be a mix of things. However, Mazzone's addition makes it look like we will see some elements of the spread at U.C.L.A. in the future. As was mentioned in a thread, this may also benefit the defense, as well, by giving them more first hand experience at defending the style that will be used by many of their opponents, and a style that Mora has not defensed himself.
More coaching hires after the jump...
Other coaching news included the hiring of Demetrice Martin from Washington as Defensive Backs coach. While Washington's defense was only moderately less bad than our own last season, it is hard to know how much of that was attributable to Martin as opposed to the UW's DC. Undoubtedly, recruiting is Martin's strength. He is a Muir (Pasadena) grad and has many ties to the Los Angeles area.
A third "hire" was the retention of Marques Tuiasosopo as tight ends coach. Tuiasosopo is working with the quarterbacks currently and was recently named the official QB coach, but per Gold, there was no word whether he will continue in that role.
I believe this flurry of hires was done primarily (with the exception of Mazzone, who is highly regarded as an OC) with recruiting in mind. Mora has never recruited, so it is wise for him to hire a staff who can do this effectively for him, and by all accounts, these hires will be able to do just that. However, we had a very good recruiter here for the last 4 years, so we all know that getting talent is only half the battle. What remains to be seen is whether these new coaches are able to develop that talent into top tier college football players. While I am excited about the recruiting end of things, the coaching end is still a big question mark in my mind.
The NCAA allows nine assistants on each coaching staff. So with five assistant coaches hired, there is room for four more (South Campus education at work right there). With Martin being the lone defensive assistant to this point, Mora will be looking to fill out the defensive positions in the near future.
Also, with the hiring of an OC yesterday, and a WR coach the day before in Steve Broussard, where does that leave current OC and WR and interim head coach Mike Johnson? It sounds like Johnson himself doesn't know. Although Johnson and Mora met face-to-face for the first time yesterday, the future did not become any clearer to Johnson.
"I talked to (Mora) briefly but we didn't talk about anything about whether I was going to stay or whether I was going to go," Johnson said after Tuesday's practice. "I know I had some things to do in the afternoon and I know he was busy throughout the day. But I'm sure I'll meet with him sometime today.
"We'll just have to see what happens. I've got to look at all my options and then I'll go from there. But like I said I like UCLA, I like Los Angeles and if the right opportunity comes up and then I'll definitely look at it."
In case you missed it, Mora and Johnson already have a history. When Mora was head coach of the Falcons in 2005, Mora was his quarterbacks coach, until Mora fired him at the end of the season. Honestly, it's nearly impossible to envision Johnson remaining with this program after the bowl game. Johnson has been mentioned in connection with the opening at Akron and was expected to meet with their representatives as soon as today, so hopefully that will be an option for him.
As for other current Bruin coaches, we know that Jim Mastro will be moving north to join Mike Leach at WSU. He missed practice again yesterday as he is away on a personal matter, but he is expected back soon and will be with the team through the bowl game.
Defensive coordinator Jim Tressey left half way through Wednesday's practice due to a family matter. He had not attended a practice this week prior to today. Given the Bruins' struggles on defense this past season under Tressey, Mora would be wise to go in another direction, despite Tressey's contract running to 2013. The DC spot will be an interesting one to watch, considering Mora's background as a defensive coach to see how involved he is and whether the new DC will have much autonomy.
So as the new coaching staff begins to form, there seems to be some general optimism around Bruin football. See? I knew we were all a positive bunch at heart. Well, we certainly are a thirsty bunch who is ready for some success, Truth is, there is no way to predict how this new regime will work out. History would suggest that there may not be much reason for optimism, but this is what we have and I'm going to root for it to succeed, even while my realistic expectations are not so high. One person who seems optimistic today is Casey Wasserman, the entertainment and sports agent and philanthropist, and U.C.L.A. grad.
@caseywasserman Just talked with new UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr...he is excited to be a Bruin and ready to get the program to nat'l prominence! #nomoreGLB
(GLB = Gutty Little Bruins. No offense to those who were around when that was a compliment - I think we can all agree we are aiming for more than that these days). It was encouraging to hear that Mr Wasserman was able to meet the coach, as I'm pretty sure that Casey has some pretty strong opinions about the nauseating culture of apathy surrounding the Morgan Center these days and that he warned Mora that he may not be getting all the help he needs or expects from his boss, Chianti Dan.
There was no specific news from the football field on Wednesday, but there was some news from the baseball field. Richard Brehaut said yesterday that he is planning on playing baseball this spring, but had not spoken with Mora about his situation yet.
"I'm definitely playing so I hope he's OK with it," Brehaut said. "That's something I'll have to sit down and have a talk with him about. I proved that I can do both and be successful this past year so I hope that he understands that and the feeling is mutual."
"If he forces me to make a choice, I'd definitely have to sit down and have a long talk with my family about that but that's something that is in the future and I'll talk to him about that so we'll see," he said.
The Bruins are not expected to practice on Thursday, but will return to Spaulding on Friday. In the meantime, we will be on the lookout for any breaking news on the assistant coaching front.
Go Bruins!
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Thanks for starting off your post.....
….with a reminder to call the Chancellor’s office.
Call traffic was much less yesterday. DG is counting on distractions and apathy to skate through the mess he has made and keep his $700k job for a few more years.
thx
How do you know about the call traffic?
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Asked the receptionist when I called.
They said it was dying down and significantly less than the day before.
Count me as one of those that is not excited at all.
Not by the Mora hiring, and not by the Mazzone hiring. This whole circus feels like the Neuheisel hiring all over again. Great news! Followed by more great news. A lot comments as to what this coordinator will bring to the table, in theory.
I don’t want to sound like a debbie downer, but I will wait and see what the eye test tells me before I celebrate the new coaching staff. Until then, I have to firmly agree with Gbruin; Fire Dan Guerrero!
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
DG needs to go
I do agree. I will wait until this new regime makes a positive impact on the field and investment in our football program takes place. Until then, this is news to me despite all the excitement surrounding the new coaches. It almost seems like DG is giving us some “delicious soma” to calm our minds before the holidays into next year. Maybe DG wants silence from our part as one of his Christmas presents.
DG, our mission is still to get rid of you..just imagine all the money that could have been saved if DG’s pay was much less. All that money would have gone into our facilities. DG has exploited our resources for his benefit and continues to do so.
by Trueblue'09 on Dec 15, 2011 7:45 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Common Mexi
Take some Prozac…I did and it’s helping :). Look – I feel just like you. Who can blame us though….it’s like being in an abusive relationship. Our loyalty and optimism keeps getting rewarded with disappointment and pain.
With that said [and gbruin could speak to this better than I could], there is the doctrine of self fulfilling prophesy potentially at work here. I don’t want to be so negative that I become part of the problem and unintentionally contribute to the “dark cloud” that seems to currently be above our athletic department. At the same time I don’t want to set myself up for future disappointment. What we need is the ideal blend of retribution and accountability for past sins and cautious optimism for future success.
I think BN’s approach (as I interpret it) has what I’m looking for . We need to:
1) Continue to demand DG’s dismissal….that alone would have a huge cathartic/positive effect and give immediate hope that a reversal of fortunes was upon us.
2) Support Mora with a very short leash. Let me be clear…we need to congratulate him when he makes smart decisions and criticize him when he doesn’t. Lately, he’s shown me that he’s not as bad as I was thinking. He’s made some QUICK and QUALITY hiring choices. My optimism will further grow if he (i) makes a smart DC hire, (ii) pushes us into a top 20 recruiting class with a few unexpected LOI signings and (iii) I see a few player statements that he’s bringing discipline back to the football program.
Meh. Never been a big believer in chanting hosana and blindly following a charismatic.
Mind you, I’m not saying Mora won’t succeed. Only time will tell. I will certainly be happy if he does. I’m just not emotionally invested in this. I can’t be. I’ve been emotionally and financially invested since Rout 66 in 96 (97?) and it’s kind of like hearing an unfaithful spouse promising she’ll be good. I’ve heard it all before.
When (if?) we start winning, I’ll be pumped as anybody. The eye test will be applied early and liberally. If we beat really good teams, ranked teams, then I’ll get doubly pumped. Until then, I’ll just wait and see. Also:
com·mon /ˈkɒmən/ Show Spelled [kom-uhn] Show IPA adjective, -er, -est, noun
adjective
1. belonging equally to, or shared alike by, two or more or all in question: common property; common interests.
2. pertaining or belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or culture; public: a common language or history; a common water-supply system.
3. joint; united: a common defense.
4. widespread; general; ordinary: common knowledge.
5. of frequent occurrence; usual; familiar: a common event; a common mistake.
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
I'm with Mexi
How long to we have to wait before we push the eject button on Jim Mora, Jr.?
Is 5 or 6 losses the first year long enough? Or do we have to wait two or three more YEARS?
Aside from the basic notion of supporting who is in place, do we really want the UCLA HC job to a training program for an announcer with no recruiting or college coaching experience? I’m frankly just tired of the same old stuff.
Winning starts at the top, and I just don’t think that this coaching candidate is a winner, which has been demonstrated by his coaching record.
So the fact that he’s hired a few assistants who have recruiting experience gives me very small comfort.
To be realistic, given how slow the Morgon center is, at least two years before ejecting.
Now if he wins zero games next year, it’ll be faster…. But just by showing up 6 wins will occur.
another point to bring up in the call
is the attendence at football and basketball games. Football attendence down 25% over the past 4 years and basketball is drawing less than 3,000 fans a games now.
The alumni, students and fans have cast a vote of no confidence in Dan Guerrero with our decision not to buy tickets.
by silverlakebruin on Dec 15, 2011 7:34 AM PST reply actions
Re offensive style
Heard the interview on Petros and Money yesterday on the way home, and Petros specifically asked him about that. His answer was something to the effect that he didn’t want to commit to any particular offensive style.
by ucla717274 on Dec 15, 2011 7:59 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Also sounded like
Chianti Dan used the campus footprint as an excuse for the crappy facilities.
Go Bruins!
Or the IM field?
Seems like a great place to put a 100-yard field with real goal posts.
by 0725brui on Dec 15, 2011 9:11 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Because it would mean Change
Change bad.
Fire scary.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
IM Field
It’s absurd not to utilize the im field, it’s real grass, long enough, and seriously, students wouldn’t care if they played there or on spaulding(at least I wouldn’t if as a student)
You don't even need much of the IM field
All you need to do is switch the North Athletic Field and Spaulding. Plenty of room.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Because at UCLA
Track and Field is the money maker…not football.
Go Bruins!
I like not committing
I think coaches need to be flexible. We will see if that is what is meant by not committing, but being flexible enough to tailor the offensive style to fit the skill sets of the players on the team is vital. (see Howland defensively the last few seasons). Wooden’s offenses varied a LOT during his runs to greatness.
Wasserman had my hopes up
#nomoreGLB
At first glance I thought he was referring to Gene Blockhead . . .
We need to keep the pressure on donut dan so he doesn’t think he can just shine this turd.
by Big Bully on Dec 15, 2011 9:06 AM PST via mobile reply actions
keep optimism cautious and call the Block's office
With 1/2 our staff assembled and optimism seemingly replacing frustration across parts of BN, lets take a deep breath and look at 12 reasons to not get idealistic.
1. CJM was not our “guy”
2. Our “guy” coaches in Pullman and we never took a crack at Mullen
3. King of Boise remains as such (enjoy that natural beauty and cultural diversity over your winter sir)
5. We’ve made the least impressive HC hire in PAC12
Thus, while seemingly we’ve improved U.C.L.A. Football in less than a week, all other programs are ramping up and have $ too. It’s nice to temporarily think out program improves and our competition gets stuck in neutral but reality dictates otherwise. Facilities will improve, players conditioning will improve, competition will improve.
Can’t forget:
6.Our facilities are still embarrassing
7.Our academic standards pose a recruiting challenge
8.Oregon is Oregon, Cal is landing recruits and is set to unveil the best football facility on west coast, u$C, Rich Rod, you get the picture.
9. We must overcome PR problems: hungry players tweeting, national spotlight on DG (yikes for our rep.), not having stadium on campus, etc.
10. We have a BOWL GAME against a decent opponent with a new coach in two weeks-focus on that before next season.
11. Our staff still has to prove itself, recruit, discipline, work with Moran Center, obtain an DC, etc.
12.We have an AD that subsists on donuts and chianti to fuel his malaise.
It is premature to predict # of victories next season and our collective focus should be on removing DG.
310-825-2151, do you have it memorized yet? You should. As mentioned, call traffic is down and without sustained pressure, DG will remain in a position of influence and access. Call NOW and every day to express your disapproval and request the Chancellor to remove our underperforming AD.
Go Bruins
by NicoBlue&Gold on Dec 15, 2011 9:10 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
I don't know...
I’m not too impressed with ASU’s hire. His team got stomped by Utah.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I like #12
funny. That was not a thorough, competent coaching search. Our ADs capabilities as a headhunter are “cryogenically frozen” like Dufrense from latimes wrote. Mora was put in Guerrero’s lap, and he fell back on it as his last resort after he went after guys already in contract. Too weird. If Mora really was the only guy out of that caliber of coaches in NFL who would take the job, then bravo to him. He’s welcome to get us back, but I still have a hard time believing he’s the best we could do.
Wasserman -- ignored or complicit?
Under no circumstance was this a good hire. Yes, he is our coach, now, and we must be supportive.
But, I wonder if Wasserman played much of a role, if any at all.
We all assume that he was the alum willing to put up $ to get a first tier coach. Did he consider Mora a frist tier hire and is his money still in the mix?
Or, have we wrongfully assumed he was a player in this mess?
If I were he, I’d want to get some distance from DG and this hire. DG is going to remain a target, and Mora really has to climb a long way up hill to meet the 9 wins and a win over sc that will define the hire.
sjh
Mora was not his choice
It was Dan and Dan alone. Wasserman was not involved in this hire, as far as I know. Chianti Dan doesn’t need his money in the mix for this hire.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Cautiously Optimistic
While the rhetoric out of Morgan Center sounds the same I think Coach Mora deserves a chance to show his stuff.
CRN’s initial coaching staff looked like the Dream Team on paper but in reality a very dysfunctional group. Walker never wanted to work for CRN and was at best an average DC and slightly better than average recruiter. Chow was never given the keys to the car and was held back by CRN’s philosophy of managing the game via Donahue’s conservative mindset. On the offensive side Coach Mora has assembled an impressive group of proven coaches. I think Mazzone’s offense will be very popular with the players, recruits and fans.
While CRN was an outstanding recruiter I think as a group the new coaches will prove equal to him. With all the chatter about Cheetey Peete being a great coach the reality was he had the players to dominate the PAC-10 and college football. We are hearing the same BS about Kiffen being a good coach but the reality is just about every starter leaving $C will be drafted in rounds 1-5 of the NFL draft. Great schemes are meaningless without NFL quality talent on both sides of the ball and a top tier QB to score +30pts a game. When was the last time UCLA had a top quality offensive lineman or QB … the last time we had a good team! The coaches that Mora is hiring will bring NFL talent to Westwood.
The real tests for Mora will be breaking the current players from CRN’s pitfalls;
-Player development, none of the recruits actually got better with CRN.
-Accountability, guys that produce in practice n games … get to play!
-Guts, are we playing to win or simply managing the game to stay close?
-Tackling, are we going "live" in practice or continue this "wrap up n nobody goes down" philosophy?
The bottom line, CRN was not a very good coach. Even a second tier coach(Mora) could take this group of players to 8 wins with some solid coaching and game management. I’m cautiously optimistic and willing to give the new guys a fair shot … looking forward to Sept 1, 2012.
Culture change is the first and biggest hurdle.
Harbough pulled it off in Stanford quickly, not many others have that success though.
Sorta OT, but it was mentioned in the post, so...
Aside from the possibility of injury, why is it a bad thing if a player (i.e. Brehaut) plays another sport (i.e. baseball) in the off-season?
I would think it’d be a good thing, keep his conditioning up, work your body and brain in different ways than you do in football, keep your competitive edge…
Am I crazy?
It can be done
Played baseball at Ucla with Freddie Mitchell for one year and Jarrad page for one year. They both balanced football/baseball very well. However, being a quarterback Brehaut will always be under the microscope a bit more. Everytime he throws a pick fans will question his commitment to football. That being said, he is a tremendous athlete and could possibly succeed at both. Joe Borchard did it at Stanford.
by 0725brui on Dec 15, 2011 10:40 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
He does both. Did it last year.
He’s said that it’s worked out so he doesn’t ever miss spring ball. If the two conflict, he picks football. That’s what he did last year and it worked out very well up until his fluky Pistol-offense injury.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Brehaut did do it last year.
As I recall, we had a lot of discussion about the issue. Baseball season overlaps with spring football practice, and some were worried that Brehaut wasn’t putting everything into the playbook and improving at his football position. The other side was, college kids should explore at lot; that’s what college is for. Not sure Mora is going to like the second choice, especially since it looks like the playbook will be different for this next year.
I disagree with the concensus, Mora will do a great job.
I want DG gone. He’s a cancer that keeps spreading thru UCLA athletics. However, I believe coach Mora will do a great job leading and developing our student athletes in to becoming great men and great student athletes. I liked CRN a lot, but he lacked the player developmental skills to develop our players to go and fight for UCLA as a team, otherwise we would of won a lot more games. Coach Mora’s is a great talent evaluator and will bring discipline to undisciplined program. In my opinion coach Mora was a great hire and will bring UCLA back to prominence and respectability!
I like the optimism?
But what makes Mora a great talent evaluator and what makes you think he will succeed from his past stops?
I think its a lot harder trying to lead millionaires who feel that they have arrived.
I’ve been around every level of player high school, college, and pro. When there’s special treatment for players who don’t follow the rules and are still rewarded there is dissension within the team. When a team is undisciplined it shows in the weight room, with work ethic, and most importantly on the football field (penalties) which translates to injuries (like the last 4yrs plus). All of this starts with the leadership at the top (head coach) and his vision is passed on to his coaches, who pass their vision on thru coaching and developing the student athlete. Coach Mora’s accountability for himself will in return make others accountable. If you look at all the great coaches of the last few years or even decades they were all disciplinarians (miles, brown, Saban, stoops, Osbourne, Johnson, holtz) they all held there players accountable on the field. CRN never did.
Coach Mora will hold his players accountable and not reward a players for bad play.
In the pro’s most players think they’re the greatest because of what there told by everyone and how much their paid so they stop listening to coaching. Coach Mora’s style didn’t work because pro’s don’t like to be told what to do. In college you get athletes fresh out of high school and they want to prove they belong. If a team does what ever it wants the new players will do what ever they want (diseased environment) and mediocrity continues.
What makes you think Mora will do this?
How can you say that when he has no experience doing it? I hope he can, don’t get me wrong. But no experience evaluating high school talent and no experience developing it. What makes you so confident?
by beeru on Dec 15, 2011 12:49 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Evaluating high school talent
I think that’s where having good recruiters helps. He’ll still have a learning curve.
Developing talent will be a big question and I’m sure we’ll all keep an eye on that.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
You need to fanshot stuff like that
or even better, write a fanpost. Participation!
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I am optimistic but also cautious
Remember that the game of football is played on the field. The new coaches are great news but remember Neuheisel brought in Chow (the best OC in the game, back in 08) and highly regarded DeWayne Walker. A lot can change (for the worse) in 3 years if Guerrero is at the helm.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 15, 2011 10:23 AM PST up reply actions
seriously
what the f is wrong with our community? Look, I get the ‘support the coach’ edict and can even accept the optimism, though I don’t share it with this hire. Heck we all want our team to succeed. But the blinders I cannot accept. Never. There is not a damn thing about Mora Jr.‘s history that deserved this job. Anyone can talk a good game, name a few legends they’ve learned from, even hire good names (Neu hired Chow and Walker, the holy triumvirate anyone?!!). F the song and dance. I’ve seen dog and pony shows at every stage of my life and career. You know what, though the duds look smarter, they are all still just dog and pony shows.
No offense to you jaybru77, but seriously your arguments are horribly flawed. Whats bad is not that they are flawed, but that you ignore the flaws. I can rattle off a list of failures, including Mora Jr., who were disciplinarians and who were great at player development (dont need to go far on UCLAs campus to find another example – Howland is fast becoming a failure). That list is far longer than the list of champions with the same qualities you assume was the reason for their trophies.
I am not at all excited about the hire or whom he has hired Ive seen it all before and remain unconvinced based on the evidence. Great coaching staffs (Chow and Walker) came and lost already. Passion came and lost already. So now the magic that has been missing is discipline. Yeah right. Thats worked so well for Mora Jr. If he fails there certainly is ample foreshadowing. No one knows what will happen. There is no formula that is iron clad for winning, the closest being perhaps to hire coaches who are winners. Mora Jr. is no winner, and never has been, as a coach.
So, hire all the great assistants, do the great recruiting (been there done that too!), but it all dont add up to jack. Win games .. that is what is convincing. Until the, its all a dog and pony show.
former editor, DumpDorrell.com ... formerly posted as DumpDorrell
by BruinCore on Dec 15, 2011 3:58 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Just like me
Your entitled to your opinion and I’m fine with that. What if he wins BriunCore? Than you’ll be the first one saying how great he is? In my opinion he was a great hire, and until we play next year, a whole year we won’t know. However, I’m going to support our BRUINS!
ahh
dude, check out my signature. If anyone has to prove they are no bandwagoner, that they support our Bruins, its you.
Let me make it more clear to you:
1. Fact – we hired great assistants – we lost
2. Fact – we hired passion and energy and enthusiasm – we lost
3. Fact – we had great recruiting – we lost
So, the answer for all this losing is to hire a career loser. Right, and you are excited to see how this turns out.
former editor, DumpDorrell.com ... formerly posted as DumpDorrell
I am not so optimistic with DG around....
…DG has proven that he likes to mettle in the revenue-generating sports and “mark his territory” for lack of a better phrase. His ignorance and arrogance can undermine the best intentions and efforts of Mora and his staff.
DG should remain the focus – otherwise it is tough to find optimism knowing that this one fool can continue to tear down the program.
Nice
I actually think he’s William H. Macy from the movie The Cooler.
He turns winners into losers.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Defensive Coaches
I’m excited to see who Mora has in mind for our defensive coaches. From what we’ve seen from his offensive coaching hires, he seems to have a lot of respect from coaches around the country. He should be able to pull in some great defensive coaches, especially since he’s a defensive coach himself. Should is the key word in that sentence.
I am cautiously excited right now. I’m ready to give him a shot and see what he can do. Whether I wanted it or not, he’s a Bruin now. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves that he doesn’t deserve it.
by jcgobruins on Dec 15, 2011 10:34 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Three points
1. DG must go. He is a cancer to success. Call the number!
2. CRN was overrated as a recruiter, and even then we were spiraling downward. Nor did he, with few exceptions, recruit the top tier big uglies that really win the games. Then he rarely put in the top kids he recruited as the experienced starters flailed year after year. Inexplicable. The key to what is hype or not is whether Mora gets guys like Armistead. Until then, it’s mora the same.
3. Mazzone is a top tier OC. My concerns are (a) that I prefer power football and running to make us tougher, especially on short yardage and (b) I dread that favorite pay of his, the dangerous flat pass to the back on the side that is really a loooong lateral half the time. We shall see.
PS: I called. Make sure you call, too! Do not let up!
Got on the line very quickly. The receptionist is very nice. Reminded her of my prior email. Told her I have nothing against Mora, but DG must be fired because he has destroyed our revenue sports and is an embarrassing bumbler. Said I would not renew my season tickets for football if he is still the AD.
Welcome Mora. Fire Dan!
Re: power football
Take from this what you will, but in Mora’s interview on the Petros and Money Show, he said something to the effect of “i believe in throwing the football to score points, but running the football to win games”.
Your point 2 is a bit off
CRN was a very good recruiter. He got a great class after a 4-8 season and an even better one after a 7-6 season. He brought in Stan Hasiak, XSF, and other big uglies, and plugged in with JC players when he couldn’t. I think you’re forgetting the big uglies we lost to injury, including a couple who couldn’t play anymore. The line played pretty well this year.
Finally, not every top recruit can come to UCLA. Some just don’t qualify, whether we like it or not.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I agree he got some,
but not like SUC, unfortunately, and not this last class that I am aware, but we are agreeing on the general I believe, that it has spiraled downward the last two years. Yes, overall, he has been a good recruiter, but we need to reach a higher standard to really improve.
The o-line did play weel this year. The d-line was a major disappointment, in no small part to no Willis.
Yup
a second 4-8 season in your third year is not going to sell anyone. Put that on top of having a system with unfamiliar coaches, then brand new coaches in the 4th year. It all adds up to bad recruiting.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
One aspect of Ricks recruiting
we can question is his talent evaluation. Did he go after guys that fit his style of coaching? Did he evaluate how kids might delevolp physically?
From listening to coach JLM, it sounds like that is one of his strenghts. He talked about his journey through his coaching career and about how one of the biggest things he learned in player evaluation is being able to tell where the player will be in a few years. He said it’s easy to see who is good now, the tough part was figuring out who will develop and be awesome in time. Hope he’s good at this.
Go Bruins!
What style of coaching?
He didn’t have one. Other than being loosey goosey.
Shoulda stuck to their system and sprinkled in the pistol.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
well there's that
lol. He never identified a style of play. When he did (run first), he went about it the wrong way (pistol).
Go Bruins!
to 3b
you mean that same play that gain 8+ yards everytime run vs UCLA?
I’ll love that play if it nets us even half of what it generally goes for against the Bruins
I should be working right now...
Ha ha ha! Not fair!
Our corners played back ten yards on almost every play, and don’t get me started on pur linebackers.
You know what I mean, right? If the lateral is not caught it’s a fumble and can be recovered or run back for a score. I have no problem using it as a change up. I just cringe when I see it over and over.
Nice.
Our graduation rate was worst than the worst SEC team.
By the way, when you put a link in the subject line, people can’t click on it, it’s a link to the comment. So for those who are interested and too lazy to copy and paste, here is the link.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
IM Field
As a guy who spent four years on the UCLA campus I for the life of me cannot understand why the IM field is not used for a football practice field and a football only weight room/training building. There could easliy be room for both given the size of the IM fields. All the IM activities could easily be moved to Spaulding field. Last time I checked it seemed slightly more important for our D1 football team to practice on a 100 yard field than the Sig Ep flag football team. Before everyone start shouting about womens rugby and mens club lacrosse they too could practice on Spaulding field or on Drake Field which I have seen them do many times. Let’s stop this nonsense and keep our eye on the ball, that being our main revenue sport FOOTBALL! Last I checked mens club lacrosse didn’t bring in as much money as football, could be wrong though.
You should search through our posts on facilities
We have even mapped it out, here is the post. You could have an on-campus stadium, a new football facility, and still most of the IM field available to students.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Stadium yes!
I bet it could seat 80,000 no problem for way under the cost of Cal’s renovations, about $350 million.
If you build it, they will come!
One of the greatest fanposts of all time
And, i’m not being all Dr. Mexican either.
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
I called the chancellor's office today...
spoke with the secretary and explained why I thought changes need to be made at the athletic department.
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