An Overview of Chianti Dan's Rumored Choice, Jim L. Mora
by tasser10 on Dec 6, 2011 2:01 PM PST
in Football
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PrintWell, the latest news seems to be that our illustrious peabrain of an athletic director, aka Chianti Dan, may be discussing a deal for the UCLA Football HC position with Jim Mora, Jr. Nothing is official yet but from multiple accounts the two parties are currently in negotiations.
If Chianti Dan has indeed made an offer, and if Mora accepts it, well, it will be time to bring out the torches and the pitch forks. There isn't much to blame on Jim Mora, Jr., yet. It's not his fault that Chianti Dan is a supreme tool.
As for Mora well, let's delve a bit into his record and let it speak for itself.
Jim Mora Jr. has spent 4 years as a head coach in the NFL...and not even consecutively. He first spent 3 years as HC of the Atlanta Falcons, with Michael Vick as his QB. He managed to get worse every year with one of the most dynamic QBs in the league, so he was fired. His next stint didn't come until 3 years later, as HC of the Seattle Seahawks. Here's how it breaks down:
ATL 2004 11-5 (0.688)
ATL 2005 8-8 (0.500)
ATL 2006 7-9 (0.438)
SEA 2009 5-11 (0.313)
I think you can all see a downward trend, but I am pretty sure Chianti Dan read the same chart upside down. So, by purely W-L numbers, here's a guy who got worse every year he coached, and only had one winning season. Looks to me like his schtick got old with the players...or he simply didn't know what he was doing.
In any case, MexiBruin has an outstanding post showing that College Football and the NFL are two different beasts, and it takes a very different set of skills to excel at each, from recruiting, to running a program, to developing young players, and very importantly, excellent time management to deal with restricted number of hours practicing.
So let's take a look at Jim Mora Jr.'s college record. But let's look at his record as a college coach.
1984 - Graduate Assistant - University of Washington
That's it. It is simply astounding that Chianti Dan would hone in on the one candidate who has almost zero college coaching experience in any capacity whatsoever, let alone any type of recruiting. It almost looks as if pea-for-brains is doing this on purpose.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Chianti Dan Guerrero is a name-dropper. He's the guy who falls for the glitzy names and thinks he's hobnobbing with the elite. That's why he stupidly agreed to a game in Cowboy Stadium, and that's why he set up an idiotic, insulting "tour of the Chianti region" for donors. He thinks bringing a coach with a recognized name will bring fans back to the Rose Bowl next season, because that's only as far as his shriveled brain will let him see. He has simply no idea what it takes to build a college football program.
The sad part is, many here will be behind this hire, thinking it will be Pete Carroll v.2.0, but really, by the sheer numbers, this is pretty much one of the worst decisions and one of the worst hires anyone could make.
Obviously, we have no way of knowing how Jim Mora will do as head coach. But he will be on a short leash, an extremely short one. If he doesn't get to the Rose Bowl in next 2 years, he will need to be gone. But hopefully, Chianti Dan will be gone even before that and a new AD with some semblance of intelligence will make another hire.
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I already mass emailed the faculty on this one
Please do not hire Jim Mora Jr. The man is a terrible hire. Please
take the decision out of Dan Guerrero’s hands and save UCLA. Please
make a difference, Chancellor! UCLA NEEDS YOU TO STEP UP AND DO THE
RIGHT THING.
Mora got run out of town here in Atlanta
is it too late to get CRN back? Ugh.
You mean "pee" brain, don't you?
Or is it sh_t for brains. This fat slob has to go. No other way to say it.
WSU AD said in the leach presser:
I wanted only ONE man.
Why even make a change then. Might as well of kept Neuhisal
If this is the hire it actually gets me less interested in UCLA football.
you mean
might as well have kept Neuheisel?
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Yes - "Have" - too pissed off to have grammar
Mora is an awful awful pick. Think of all the good coordinator that fail as NFL head coaches, they always get a coordinator job the following year…Wade Phillips ;Mike Martz. But Mora was passed over last year for the Phily D coordinator job. He is maybe the most unwanted coach on anyone’s list
Passed up as DC
for their offensive line coach. That speaks volumes
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 2:44 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
That fact that Martz continues to work and is held pretty highly
while Mora languished is pretty damning.
310 825-2151
Call now. Keep calling.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
by gbruin on Dec 6, 2011 2:13 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
done.
but i fear its too late.
i have called that number too many times. it feels like im stalking now….
haha i did when i called
some lady she is nice. she listened to me. dont be afraid. just dont be rude.
Left a message with the assistant for Block.
Explained that Mora is absolutely unacceptable and that DG should have never been allowed to hire a 3rd coach. She said she will pass it along with all the other messages. She is very nice but I can tell she’s getting hammered with calls. Keep up the pressure. Hopefully disaster will be averted.
Been sending an email every few days as well. Its so sad that UCLA is capable of SUCH GREATNESS and a huge level of alumni support if they would just get it together and do the right thing re: football and basketball.
by ucsbbruinfan on Dec 6, 2011 2:31 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Even worse . . .
Mora could be a finalist in the “Bob Toledo Look-alike contest” too.
The Mad Bruin
Well this has to be stopped at all costs.
I would rather have DeWayne Walker than Mora, at least he has improved slightly every year as a head coach and has been in college football.
And I thought Walker was the absolute worse case scenario before hearing this.
So awful.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
well based on Guerreo's history...
he seems to be on track
dorell>rick>mora
Hiring someone with a worse track record than Neuheisel had...
…before coaching UCLA does not appear to me to be a strategy for success.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 2:27 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
In case you hadn't noticed
Chianti Dan doesn’t go by things like “experience” and “track record”. He just goes for the name.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
?
Sorry, but Mora won 31 games in the NFL. What’s the saying? Wins aren’t hard to come by in the NFL. This is a step up from Neuheisel, but it’s more like hiring Mariucci. At least Mora can coach defense; was a db coach and player. That’s a positive. Would an up and comer on the upswing, ready to break out coordinator like Diaz have been better, yes. Would a Mullen or that HC at MSU would have been better, yes. But Dan has to sell tickets quickly. This was a sellout hire. We could have done better, but it was typical Dan. You knew he wasn’t going to shift the paradigm.
How does Mora sell tickets, exactly?
DG “thinks” Mora will because he recognizes the name, but this one of the most uninspiring coaches that I could imagine.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
because
students and fans not following this close enough will go “wow, we hired a former NFL guy who coached Vick!” Something uninformed. They’ll come to see how things go. It’s up to him to put a dramatically different product on the field. I’d be looking for clear-cut improvements. No missed tackles, the right system, sound fundamentals and execution, all three units tightly ran. The guy won average 7-8 times per season in the NFL and got to an NFC champ. game. Can that translate up by a win or two in college?
and let me say
I wouldn’t be complacent with a 1 to 2 win improvement. We need to play for pac championships.
We need to play for NATIONAL championships.
It’s only decades of UCLA chancellors’ love of mediocrity that is keeping us from doing that.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 3:03 PM PST up reply actions
no
pac-12 championships first. Baby steps. The rest will come. pac-12 has enough strength to be right there. That’s why Oregon and SC are consistently in the picture. They win their conference first. The BCS voting takes care of the rest.
No.
That kind of thinking gets you the Terry Donahue era.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 4:07 PM PST up reply actions
LOL at average wins
He went from 11 wins to 5. Trend way worse than average.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I guess if his trend
had went the other way, we woudn’t be thinking about hiring him. He’d be a coach in the NFL. That IS a good criteria for hiring a coach, like Peterson.
He won an average 7-8 games a season.
You are aware that they have a 16-game season in the NFL, right? Saying he was almost a .500 coach doesn’t get me excited.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
How is this a step up from Neuheisel?
The man has zero college experience, and what NFL experience he has, sucks.
Yes, it was typical Dan, and that was exactly what we were trying to prevent. Meanwhile, you seem to just be accepting of it. Oh, that darned Dan did it again!
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I wonder if DG even watches football.
I’m being serious. I wonder if he is even in tune with the product on the field.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
He operates in a bubble
and definitely has no clue what he’s doing.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It is completely mind blowing that Chianti Dan would even consider this guy. Honestly at this point lets just hang onto Rick for another year and wait for a top tier coach instead of wasting money on another failure. At least Rick bleeds blue and gold.
Although BN does not traditionally take a stand on a particular candidate, Maybe it is time we act united and campaign for a coach that we would see fit for hire. I feel like leaving this thing up to chance/Dan will send UCLA football into extinction. I care too much about our university to see this happen.
I just watched part of the Mike Leach news conference at WSU.
Cannot believe that news conference was in Pullman and not Westwood. I guarantee that WSU will be in the Top 25 before we will.
Well at least due to PAC-12 scheduling
WSU won’t be kicking out butts every year.
They will skip us every once in a while.
interesting
i posted that Mike Leach and Herman Edwards might a good fit and i almost got beheaded. Now we are wanting Mike Leach! Mike Leach would of been perfect.
We were strong backers of Leach
You’re delusional if you thought that was why you were clowned. You were clowned because Herm Edwards is a retread and we don’t want retreads.
Same team
Relax we are on the same team. I need to some more research since my 2 pick are gone.
Need someone with strong NFL ties (this is for recruiting)
Football family (knowledge and staff)
PROVEN track record
Pat Hill would be good he did a lot with less at Fresno St.
"Need someone with strong NFL ties"
How about someone with experience in, say, college football? Someone who’s been through the recruiting process that an NFL coach has not?
Pat Hill would be good he did a lot with less at Fresno St.
No.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 6, 2011 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
When you get a recruit they think they are going to make it or at least have a chance to go the NFL. Someone with some ties will help the recruit come to UCLA. Remember these are 17 yr olds.
Why not Pat Hill?
I do want Dan Mullen though
Stop advancing this argument
Ties to the NFL is a tiny factor in any recruiting. This isn’t like with the NBA. Kids have to stay 3 years in football before going to the NFL. Ties to the NFL weren’t needed for Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Chip Kelly, Rich Rodriguez, Les Miles, etc., etc.
Pat Hill? What’s he done in the last 5 years? No thank you.
Dan Mullen, yes, very good candidate. Interestingly, where are his NFL ties? You contradict yourself…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:09 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Look at what Pat Hill has done the last half-decade at Fresno
Nothing. Hell, there are folks at FSU starting to talk about forcing him out of the job. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the UCLA job (though don’t tell Chianti Dan…).
formerly bruinhoo
I highly doubt anyone criticized the Leach suggestion.
He was #1 in most people’s book.
Herm Edwards on the other hand.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Can I behead you
for writing “would of”?
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Dec 6, 2011 4:32 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
As much as I hated the idea of Walker or Cable......
that would be preferable to Mora Jr.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
(Formerly "HoozierDaddy")
Honestly
There are a lot of guys that I would choose over Mora as DC. As HC, he wouldn’t even be in my top 15.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
Are there any positives to hiring Mora?
I hate the idea of hiring him but for some reason NFL teams are still interested in him. This past year he interviewed with the Eagles and Broncos to be their DC. When UW hired Sark many wanted them to hire Mora instead. I don’t get it but people still see him as a good coach for some reason.
The only positive I can see is he can sell recruits on getting them to the NFL as well as working with NFL players. The other positive is I think he’d be able to bring in a good staff defensively and hopefully find an OC and let him do all the hiring on that side of the ball
Positives
1. He is alive
2. He speaks English
3. He know the shape of a football
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
But the real question is
how good are his post-game speeches and will he talk about passion buckets?
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 2:47 PM PST up reply actions
My letter to Block
Not Jim Mora. A worse track record than Neuheisel.
Give Neuheisel his job back for one year, give him 3 million to hire assistants, fire Guerrero and hire a new coach in next year’s hiring season, if necessary. Do NOT condemn UCLA to another four years of failure just to give Terry Donahue’s buddy a chance.
Fire Guerrero. It’s obvious that the HIGHEST PAID ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IN THE PAC-12 had no plan if this year with Neuheisel didn’t work out. He struck out with every top-tier replacement because he started too late and because no one wants to work for an incompetent, dishonest (Morgan Center lied about Pauley Pavilion student seating) boss.
If you can’t see what the problem is, and who the problem is, you have no business being chancellor.
Sincerely,
Seth Chandler, UCLA 1981
Nicely Done
Especially the last line. I sent him something alone those lines but added “Dan Guerrero’s seat is heating up and the flames are eventually going to reach yours too. We, Bruins have spoken and we will be heard.”
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 2:46 PM PST up reply actions
Does Chainti Dan
even know that he’s hiring Mora Jr. and not Mora Sr.?
“Playoffs? Don’t talk about — playoffs?! You kidding me?! Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game!”
Expecting Chianti Dan to Know Something
is to expect too much, my friend.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 2:47 PM PST up reply actions
Mora basically has pro experience paralleling RN's HC experience pre-UCLA
In other words, his HC record gets worse as the years/ months go on.
I think I’m going to be ill.
M
"It's not who you are underneath. It's what you DO that defines you."
WOW...Dan is a dumb piece of s**t
His stupidity is going to further implode this program. This nimrod is laying the Death Penalty on UCLA FB.
I have no clue whether this will work out or not. This will have to play itself out. I’m deflated because for the first time (if reports are accurate) UCLA is willing to pay top dollar for a HC, upgrade facilities, etc. This was our shot to pretty much split and double down so that we can resuscitate a program that is on life support. If so, we needed to conduct a thorough search and get a HC with minimal unknowns/risks. Instead, this is the best he could do? A HC with zero college experience? A HC that has been unemployed (I’m seeing the HC version of Tressey)? WTF!?!?
We need to get rid of this clueless bureaucratic bum.
+1
in regards to FINALLY stepping up financially only to be a day late and clueless AD short.
In the “old” days, it never seemed to make sense to fire a coach in the middle of a season due to the chaos it would create. Plus, you never knew what other coaches were going to be available so you had better hold onto to what you had until you knew you had a stellar choice.
But, the old days are long gone and Guerrero appears to have pissed away any hope of landing a top tier coach by waiting too long to fire Rick and entirely bungling the search so far.
All we can hope is that some mystery candidate yet to be identified is negotiating behind the scenes because NONE of the available, already mentioned candidates are worth Dorrell money much less Chris Peterson money.
How sure are we that this is happening?
What are the sources? Haven’t seen anything concrete. I certainly wouldn’t put it past DG but am trying to hang on to any last shred of hope.
Well ...
We have heard from few folks that talks have gotten serious. Obviously there is always a shot that overwhelming negative feedback will give these guys second thought.
is there anyway we can go to
petersen and ask him if he’s willing to reconsider since bsu got the shaft for a bowl. we can point out that we are going to a bowl in San Fran with a crappy record.
If lifestyle is the issue, we’ll tell him we’ll move him to San Marino where he can be in a fabulous neighborhood with a great school system for his kids. His wife will not need to worry about anything so long as she stays within the San Marino lines.
Such a whiff...
He cant even do his specialty of defense well, the guy is a fraud living off his daddy’s name.
As a Seahawks fan I watched him bumble and stumble as a head coach for one season and even that was too much time.
He runs a boring offense very predictable, does not adjust to what opponents are doing, and the defense was awful with soft cushions and no blitzing. (Sound familiar?)
Best part was he tried to mask his ineptness by throwing players under the bus.
Carroll is a breath of fresh air after how quickly Mora drug the Seahawks back into the top ten of the draft.
This can not be true, and there is no possible way DG can look the bruin faithful in the eye and say we got a coach that is going to “move the needle”
by Seahawcla on Dec 6, 2011 3:04 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Seems like Mora = Kiffin + Neuheisel
He’s like Kiffin because of Daddy Mora. He’s like Neuheisel because his coaching abilities are suspect at best (11-5 to Neuheisel’s Colorado/UW years). They also leave a wake of destruction in their wake…well Vick was responsible too.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 3:06 PM PST up reply actions
I'm actually glad Coach isn't around to see this mockery
It seems like it was all downhill after he consorted with these Vespa Klowns
Check out WSU's Responses to Leach Hiring
Cougs are fired up, donations are coming back in. Note to Dan and Gene, this could’ve been you.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 3:19 PM PST up reply actions
Whatever your opinion, get the facts straight
“Jim Mora Jr. has spent 4 years in the NFL…and not even consecutively”
He actually has spent something like 20+ years in the NFL. 4 as HC.
by BruinsinceBarnes on Dec 6, 2011 3:14 PM PST reply actions
If this happens, our focus should turn to....
….replacing the AD as fast as possible. This will be the only way to get a real viable coach at UCLA.
The new AD will want his own hires.
mora can stay if he has 10 win seasons right away and beats $UC. Otherwise – we are back at this stage again.
Regardless – UCLA sees no funds or donations until Guerrero is gone and these programs have turned around to where they should be.
by tazmiami on Dec 6, 2011 3:15 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
I don't know the story behind..
…y’all calling him “Chianti Dan,” but it cracks me up everytime I see it.
Roll Bama Roll - The Champagne of Bama Blogs.
Here's the reason
See this.
This is what our moron of an AD does with his time. When he’s not busy burning a legendary athletics program to the ground, that is.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
by gbruin on Dec 6, 2011 3:19 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Yellow Hammer
Please confirm that the road to football glory does in fact begin in Tuscany….
Hail to the Hills of Westwood.
Comparison to Carroll
In 1994, Carroll coached the NY Jets. His record was 6-10, & he was fired. His next HC job was with the Patriots, from 1997-99. His records: 10-6 (1997), 9-7 (1998), & 8-8 (1999). So, the record is pretty similar to Mora Jr. The one difference is that Carroll has more college experience, spending time as an assistant at Iowa State, Ohio State, & NC State. I’m not saying Mora Jr is a great hire, but there are similarities to Carroll. I actually think Mora will be better than you think. I think he has the type of personality that could make him a good recruiter. The key will be getting the right assistants.
Other similarities...
They are both male. They both have an “a”, “o”, and “r” in their last name.
Correlation does not equal causation.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
Minga, you checked in here today, so I'll be kind.
Go do a little research. Look at the 18 gazillion reasons why NFL coaches are invariably busts in college. Also, do just a little thinking and figure out why Cheatie Petie did well at just$c*. He cheated. It’s as simple as that. He had infinite money to pay athletes. He had extra coaches. He did whatever it took to win. He had no one to answer to for his cheating other than the trOJan boosters. Look at his record when he had to play by the same rules as everyone else. He is mediocre at best. When he didn’t have to play by any rules, and could cheat at will, of course his guys did well.
And before Mexi says anything about not feeding the trolls, I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.
Does this model sound familiar?
Hire a out-of-work, defensive minded NFL washout, with no college experience for around 20 years, and zero head coaching experience in college, after missing on your first 3-4 choices?
Dan, the Pete Carroll thing at *$c was a fluke. And he cheated. This is not how to find our next head coach. Imbecile.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
Arizona St
is reportedly meeting with Sumlin and Fedora today (so I assume Fedora is still in play) and Texas A&M is pushing towards Sumlin but may have changed focus to Charlie Strong (I really like Strong). And we are left with Mora Jr?
Fedora or Strong are in play, get one DG. Mullen is possibly in play, make an offer.
Guerror Is Punishing All Bruins Who Forced His Hand on Neuheisel
Last year, I posted that the hiring of all new assistant coaches would guarantee RN two more years, not just this year. That would give DG cover in keeping RN, no matter how bad a season RN had.
Unfortunately for that plan, RN’s season was so bad that DG’s hand was forced. And, he wasn’t ready.
So now, we are going to get a coach who is worse than the coach we just fired — and will be paid more AND given the money and freedom to hire assistants of his choice — things that were denied RN.
If I am going to have a mediocre coach, because I have the worst AD in college sports, I would have the mediocre coach we just fired, not some NFL reject Bozo.
To think, Mike Leach was one phone call away.
And, people here wonder why I am angry and use the F word.
sjh
I agree.
And I find it grossly unfair that Rick Neuheisel, who is a fine human being who loves UCLA, was not given the same resources that we are about to give an NFL washout.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 4:15 PM PST up reply actions
+2
Where the fuck was all this cash when we needed a real D coordinator last year?
+1
I agree—Guerrero was caught unprepared.
I am just as disappointed and upset as you that we let Leach slip away, what a travesty.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 6, 2011 4:22 PM PST up reply actions
Exactly
Our AD is not smart enough to even look at names like Fedora, Malzahn, and Strong which numerous other schools are looking into. Clueless…
Worst News
For me to read. It’s my birthday today. Thanks for ruining my birthday today Dan Guerror. I should be celebrating, not holding my head in shame! And even if this is a rumor, you still ruined it.
I'm starting to think the writers at Bruin Nation hate me.
Every time I go online I become more and more pissed off. It’s worse than a conversation with my ex-wife. Tell me it’s not personal. Jim Mora, are you f******* kidding me. Our athletic department is run by a HUGE moron. No one on this site is an AD and we have more sense than this clown. It’s UCLA for f***** sake… we’re not some little pansy ass school. UGH. Sorry for the bitterness. I may need to stay off BN for a while.
by SF Bruin on Dec 6, 2011 3:59 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
It ain't personal
we’re just reporting (and clowning) at this point :)
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
As a Cal fan
I come here not to gloat at little brother, but give my sincere apologies. You guys deserve better than this NFL retread.
:(
"The Bear will not quit, the Bear will not die." -Joe Kapp
Little brother?
Appreciate the apologies, we are very sorry you are a Cal fan.
But really, thanks. That means a lot, despite the fact that you like Cal.
OK, in all seriousness: It’s nice to know we have the sympathy of an inferior foe.
For real, for real … Nevermind, I cannot stop.
I have the Sons of Westwood on my iPod in my "favorites" playlist ...
http://sonsofwestwood.wordpress.com
Younger brother
not little brother.
Still more popular than older brother.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Why we are the Three Mile Island of College Athletics
After hearing that our Basketball season went into the tank, I began to wonder why our athletic program is so radioactive. I dashed off an email to my son to see if he had any insight. My son is an editor in the sports department of the Las Vegas RJ and was the prep spots editor for the Oakland Trib. He has covered prep sports for thelast 15 ears and has a lot of insight nto the minds of high school athletes.He literally grew up in section 28 at the Rose Bowl. David is a graduate of U of Wiscnsin and has a lot of experience with their athletic department. Here is his comments on the current situation at UCLA,
No insight, no. I know Nelson was suspended for a game a couple of weeks ago, so it’s not too surprising that he got booted for good.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that issues like this always start at the top. Howland has been running off kids for the last few years (Stanback, Moser, Gordon, Carlino etc) and they’ve all said same thing after departure, which gets around in recruiting circles. Plus, he can’t hide his style any longer. Early on, he convinced some phenomenal players to come to UCLA (or he inherited from Lavin) and he imposed a style on them that they bought into. That’s what new coaches can do when you’re winning. And Love was the dream kid, like a perfect storm. But after a while, you can’t hide who you are, and most really good players don’t want to get “coached” forcefully and play games that end 56-49, especially if you’re not winning. The ones who respond to that style of “coaching” are hard to find and harder to convince to come to your school. And then, if you can’t keep kids in your program, what good are you doing the university? But it’s like Howland built up so much equity with the Final Fours he thinks he can do whatever he wants and Guerrero lets him. Mean time, kids don’t want to come play for him now. I’ll put $$ down they don’t get Shabazz and the Anderson kid leaves for NBA or transfers after one year.
Football is a disaster. I like your word radioactive. Seems like Guerrero thinks he can just throw some extra money down and every coach will come running. Uh, no. Neuheisel’s comments after the firing were interesting, that Dorrell and him both asked for things to happen, and the next coach will need them to be successful. Shows there is huge disconnect between AD/administration and reality.
As far as I’m concerned, from the outside it sounds like the school has no idea how to run an athletic dept these days. Or they just don’t care. They need a major football hire, someone who can come in and teach them how to run a football program in 2012. I’ll give Carroll credit for that. He reminded that school how to run a football “organization” because I think they took a step away from that with Larry Smith on down to Hackett. Carroll cheated like hell and all that, sure, but in terms of structure, consistency, image and the like, he understood how you have to do it nowadays. He was a dynamic leader for that shit university, I’ll buy that.
I think Alvarez has been an incredible AD for Wisconsin. The guy just knows how to lead an organization, whether it’s a football team or an athletic dept. He could probably go run a Fortune 500 company if he was into that sorta thing. He’s made Bielema into a better coach, isn’t afraid to fire a coach he hired, done a good job cultivating that W brand and is the unquestioned man out front. It’s HIS dept.
UCLA doesn’t have a dynamic leader in that dept right now, whether it’s the football coach, basketball coach or the AD. Say what you want about Donahue, but dude never hid from who he was as a coach and what they were as a team, and he was pretty damn consistent for 20 years. He knew how to run a program. UC Irvine don’t have football, so Guerrero has no clue and probably a huge ego, so they need someone who Guerrero can defer to and learn from when it comes to football. Someone he can trust to just do what he has to do with the program and not be afraid if the dude is visible and comfortable in the glare of the media. That is vital these days. I think part of the issue with Neuheisel was I felt like he got reigned in, or did it to himself. He got so wrapped up in doing it right and getting away from all the Slick Rick stuff that he lost any of that initial excitement surrounding the program to take advantage of the $C shit storm and the Pac-10 taking a dump. Instead, Harbaugh made Stanford a power and UCLA went backward after winning a mediocre bowl game. Who the fuck does that?!
I guess my point is they need a difference maker in that football seat. I heard Herm Edwards’ name. That was very interesting. Either that or they need to shitcan Guerrero and hire a big-time AD that will get a big-name coach, but I don’t see that happening. The administration seems too old-school for that. As long as they’re willing to accept having a nice, quiet lil athletic dept that wins softball national championships and plays Oregon State at the Rose Bowl in front of 51,000 on a Saturday in October, nothing will ever change at UCLA.
“Rack ’em” :-)
by Twothphry on Dec 6, 2011 4:10 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
51,000
will soon be 15,000 with 5,000 Oregon State fans.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 4:12 PM PST up reply actions
What do you guys tjknk of Jim Tressel?
Why don’t we make a move for Jim Tressel? I don’t care if he has a dirty past. I never want to be on the tail end of a 50-0 blowout again.
No. He brings automatic NCAA sanctions with him.
NCAA will penalize a university for hiring him.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 4:21 PM PST up reply actions
They didn't penalize justSC*
for Kiffen’s constant rule-breaking at Tennessee.
Not that the NCAA pays any attention to its own precedents.
Kiffin didn't get hit with a "show cause" penalty.
Kiffin didn’t lie to NCAA investigators and cover up violations.
by Kenneth Powers on Dec 6, 2011 4:39 PM PST up reply actions
The Cardinal Rule of making a hire
“SELECT do not SETTLE upon”
Any seasoned executive knows this.
Unbelievable.
by OldSage on Dec 6, 2011 4:24 PM PST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Gus Malzahn has interviewed at UNC and Kansas (!)
and I bet we haven’t even looked at him.
Does Dan know who Gus Malzahn is?
I’m beginning to doubt that he watches football and he’s calling head coaches whose names come up on BN. Let’s see…Boise State..Chris Petersen. I shall call this fellow! Nope…ok Houston…Kevin Sumlin..Nope? Ok…Terry, can you point me in the right direction? Jim Mora? Let me call this fellow. Gus Malzone? Nope, never heard of him and haven’t seen his name on BN more than 3 times. He can’t be any good! Time to throw money at Mora!
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 4:31 PM PST up reply actions
Every time I hear calzone
it makes me think of Seinfeld.
Here’s a [wishful] clip of Chianti Dan walking into Gene Block’s office.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Malzan? My family used to vacation there.
Uh, no, that’s Mazatlan, Dan.
by Seth Chandler on Dec 6, 2011 10:13 PM PST up reply actions
Part of the Problem is Dan's advisor
none other than Terry Donahue…
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-pugmire-qa-20111205,0,5603705.story
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
I asked earlier if Donahue had any ties left to any potential candidates
Little did I know that another Donahue disciple would be unearthed. You would think that after Dorrell/Neuheisel, that Chianti Dan would learn to stay away from the Donahue coaching tree. Again, my expectations were too lofty. Time to go bang my head against a wall.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
He did so well
advising the Niners.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I feel bad for the nice lady in Block's Office
What do you think she would do to Chianti Dan if she got, lets say 5 min with him in a room with no windows?
Just saying… I think she might to explain the difference between a tackle and a tannin.
Troy Aikman just expressed positive sentiments for Mora
on Petros and money AM 570
I am afraid we are lost.
by ocbruin1985 on Dec 6, 2011 5:27 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Mora is not my first choice
but if Aikman is backing Mora, it is worth noting.
Especially since Aikman has more football knowledge than all of us here combined.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 6, 2011 5:33 PM PST up reply actions
Aikman backed Neuheisel too, I believe
Any way you cut it, Mora will = status quo.
Suspecious
If a “B” level color commentator pimps for a loser like Mora…one is left wondering what’s in it for Aikman. Whats the quid pro quo on this?
by GemCityBruin on Dec 6, 2011 5:42 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
This smells like Donahue
…yet again
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 6, 2011 7:06 PM PST up reply actions
B-level commentator?
I would say Aikman is one of the best color commentators in the NFL right now. He’s literally the Hubie Brown equivalent of football. Maybe we’re missing something with Jim Mora. Is it possible that he’s personable enough to be a solid recruiter if Aikman is talking so high on him?
I have the Sons of Westwood on my iPod in my "favorites" playlist ...
http://sonsofwestwood.wordpress.com
Actually ...
Nevermind. Mora worked (works?) for Fox, so perhaps he’s forbidden to talk bad about him.
I have the Sons of Westwood on my iPod in my "favorites" playlist ...
http://sonsofwestwood.wordpress.com
Colorful...yes,
But no Dick Enberg… A guy once hired specifically by JD Morgan…
by GemCityBruin on Dec 6, 2011 8:26 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
"So let's take a look at Jim Mora Jr.'s college record. But let's look at his record as a college coach."
I know that wasn’t intended but the follow up to that made it extremely hilarious
the loss of leach left me so numb
This is driving the nails into the coffin of ucla football. This might be even more damaging than the cts hire, as the PAC12 is going to get much much better with Better coaches/teams in the both the north and south division. We are about to enter a longer period of darkness and football irrelevance the north will be dominated by Stanford/Oregon/wazzu and the south USC/zona. I don’t think we will even be 6-6 on a regular basis. We are about to become the new/old Washington state. Jim Mora Jr hire is about to decimate UCLA football. Dan Guerrero needs to be fired.
by Strathmore&Gayley on Dec 7, 2011 5:35 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
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