Spaulding Roundup: Rushing Into Mediocrity With Mora?
by Patroclus on Dec 7, 2011 6:01 AM PST
in Football
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PrintI suppose the headline is a bit misleading, as anyone that has followed the UCLA Football program over the past decade or more can tell you that under the directorship and coaching hires of Chianti Dan Guerrero, mediocre is the right way to describe the program's present status. After failing in his last two coaching hires, the case for Wholesale Regime Change in Westwood should be clear. Nevertheless, Chianti Dan is being given a 3rd shot at getting the football program on track. The past week has again shown the level of competence present with Morgan Center, misjudging the probability of Chris Petersen and family making the move to LA, while other leading coaches began to leave the market.
With names such as Leach and Fedora gone, and others such as Golden, and even Sumlin turning down the job, Chianti Dan has started hitting up the retreads and washouts. While Mike Belotti had been the leading retread candidate, a new contender has entered that less-than-distinguished field. Jim Mora Jr, former Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks coach and lifetime NFL assistant. Even worse is the appearance that Chianti Dan is pursuing these fallback coaches now, when there is little competition for their services and nothing else that would prevent them from being candidates later on, if other more promising candidates fall through. Odysseus and tasser began to lay out the case against Mora yesterday, but it is hard to stop when an incompetent administrator is said to be looking to bring a guy with this history into Westwood to lead the football program.
At the time of Jim Mora Jr's firing in Seattle, one of the bloggers at 'The 12th Man' laid out 10 reasons why Mora was fired after 1 year on the job. Some of his reasons should sound familiar to a UCLA fan of recent vintage.
Don’t forget, the Seahawks WERE 5-11.
After a miserable season in the National Football League, no one’s job is secure. In a "what have you done for me lately?" environment, this decision shouldn’t have shocked any of us. An undefeated preseason isn’t enough to keep a coaching gig in the NFL.
And it didn’t look like things were going to get any better.
The Seahawks didn’t improve at all, and most of the season was an absolute failure. After watching the Seahawks get outscored 123-37 during the last four games of the season, the 12th Man was left pretty hopeless moving forward.
A bad record AND players that did not get better as the season progressed? When can he sign?
Veteran loyalty is overrated.
I understand that being loyal to your experienced players is important, but what if your veterans are noticeably inferior options? Why did Julius Jones continue to receive carries instead of Justin Forsett? Several players were overused while more youthful and capable players waited on the sidelines. Sometimes this was frustrating to witness.
Favoring the veterans that are not getting the job done over younger, more talented athletes? Where have we heard that before?
The inmates were running the asylum.
As the season came to an end, it appeared as if the players had lost respect for the coaching staff. There was an obvious rift between coaches and players. You know it was getting bad when some of the players began to question the plays being called on the field. I mean, come on; could you even imagine T.J. Houshmandzadeh pouting on the sidelines and/or yelling into the face of Mike Holmgren?
No presence on the sidelines.
Did you ever watch Mora wander around on the sidelines? He looked like a small child lost in public. With his arms folded, he quietly gazed into nowhere wondering why his team was down by two scores in the first quarter. The only time Mora ever showed any real emotion was when the referees made a questionable call – then the pouting began.
There certainly is a difference in the power dynamic between players and coaches in the NFL, but there is still a basic respect that players tend to have for the coaching staff. Having come from someone who closely follows the Seahawks, Mora lost that respect. And as for Mora's sideline presence, I am not convinced that Karl Dorrell 2.0 is the approach that the team needs on game day. Heck, the Seattle blogger's take on the firing makes Mora's time in Seattle look like a cross between Rick Neuheisel and Karl Dorrell. Not what the program needs to get over the state that those 2 coaches left the program in.
Head Coaches often have one signature moment that the football world (or beyond, if it is really memorable) knows them for. Dennis Green has 'they are who we thought they were', and Jim Mora Sr. has 'PLAYOFFS!...'. Jim Mora Jr's signature moment in the league comes from having thrown one of his players under the bus after a loss.
As a going away present, Seahawks coach Jim Mora threw him (Olindo Mare) under a bus during his post-game press conference. Then put in reverse. Then honked so everyone was paying attention.
..."We’re not going to fight our ass off, and have a field goal kicker go out there and miss two field goals and lose a game. It’s not going to happen."
Background: Seattle lost by 6 points to the Bears early in Mora's lone season coaching his hometown Seahawks. Mare was 4/6 in kicking field goals in a game where Mora's offense struggled whenever it reached the opponent's side of the 50. Blaming the kicker for not having sent the game to an overtime period for his offense to choke away is certainly easier than dressing down the QB to the press, criticizing the execution by his offensive line or even stating that the other team did a good job in neutralizing his team's game plan. Who is the first Bruin that he would choose to rip to TJ Simers in a postgame presser?
The Mare incident, as well as the points raised above are just some of several factors, not to mention his mediocre-at-best work product as a head coach, that has influenced the fans of numerous NFL teams to have despair when he was considered for assistant coaching positions in the last offseason. One of SBN's Phily-area bloggers shared these thoughts when the Eagles were considering Mora:
To quote my friend on Twitter whose a 49ers fan (Mora, Jr. was DC in San Fran): "Mora is a con artist. He was born on 3rd base and thought he hit a triple. Those defenses were constantly inconsistent." I have another friend who is a Seahawks fan (Mora, Jr. was HC in Seattle) and he could not stand him. In Seattle, Mora constantly blamed players and threw guys under the bus and never blamed himself for anything. After he was fired, he was doing an interview and whispered "Pete Carroll cheats" when talking about how he was fired and replaced by Carroll and how he (Mora) did things the right way and Carroll apparently does not in the eyes of Mora. But the point is he has never had great success and he is immature. His at-best mediocre coordinating does not compensate for his immature attitude, either. Mark my words, if we hire Mora, Jr., you’ll be real sorry.
The fact that he had Pete Carroll pegged shows that Mora Jr. has some ability to view reality, but that does not excuse the performance that got him fired from Atlanta after 3 seasons, and Seattle after only 1 year. Also keep in mind that the Seahawks fired Mora so that they could give his job to Pete Carroll. Don't think that the folks across town would not remind us of that fact at every opportunity.
In bowl news, Stewart Mandel published his ranking of this year's bowl games, from best matchups to worst. Good news, UCLA is not last. Bad news, the Kraft Bowl's UCLA/Illinois matchup is 3rd from last on his list, finishing just above SMU/Pitt in the BBCA Compass bowl, and the Beef O' Brady's bowl featuring FIU and Marshall.
33. Kraft Fight Hunger (Dec. 31): Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7). Two teams with interim coaches meet in a baseball stadium on New Year's Eve. One squad just lost six in a row, the other just lost 50-0 to its archrival. Is it 2012 yet?
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Great post.
It is my hope that pressure is being put on Morgan Center to not do this hire. Mora is not the coach for the Bruins in the current state they are in, much less any other college team. There are still very strong and willing coaching candidates available. As we try to pressure UCLA leadership away from Mora – these stronger coaching candidates should be promoted.
Mediocre is not how I would label it
I kee hearig how Chianti has been mediocre over and over and it bothers me. I don’t think you should describe DG’s stewardship of the department as mediocre. You are insulting all those AD’s who work hard to achieve enough to be in the center of the bell curve. If Donut Dan comes in toward the bottom, he doesn’t deserve to be called “Medicare”.
by cyberdbk on Dec 7, 2011 6:32 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Absolutely deflating if this hire goes through
Keep up the pressure!!!
Narrow Focus Is Killing Us
We can’t go back and do it right from the beginning of the season, from after the Arizona game, from the moment CRN was fired. But, at least we can try to get it right now.
And, we can’t go back and get Petersen, Golden, or Leach.
The problem with the current methodology is that we focus on one, and only one, candidate to the expense of many candidates who are better — physically chase after them (Sumlin) and when they don’t pan out lock in on another (Mora).
I get no sense that we have evaluated the wide range of second tier options OR the coordinators who might step up.
We should not have had to go to second tier or coordinators. We had first tier coaches available at least one of whom, Leach, proclaimed publicly he wanted to come here.
DESPERATE DAN is like the guy who can’t get a date and is calling every number in his book, one after the other, without regard for quality or fit.
The other problem is that he is showing himself to be who we all know him to be — and no right minded candidate of quality would want to work with him.
Those of you who said we should keep CRN until we get rid of DG may have been right. But, unfortunately, DG seems to have the picture of Block with the goat (that goat seems to really get around, and I hear it is quite attractive), and Block won’t fire him.
I intend to call Block’s office, again, to express my concern. I feel for the poor woman who answers. She is patient and polite, but clearly blitzed. Maybe we should send her some flowers.
sjh
Let's make a fund to send her a Xmas gift.
Honey works better than vinegar.
Less talk more action
Yes we may not receive the ideal hire on this go-around from our perspective, but how are we setting up the next potential move. Yeah it’s only been a couple of weeks since the light came on DG’s head regarding facility upgrades but the plan needs to be developed and communicated for the necessary improvrements as well. Talk and stagnation is breeding more and more disgust towards the program and obviously affects our ability to draw coaches and recruits. The sooner they develop and communicate their intentions the better off we will be in the eyes of coaches, recruits, and the entire football community. Get it freaking together over there.
Pete Carroll
Sucked as an NFL head coach and still sucks imo…..BUT he worked as an NCAA college football coach so i wont be so quick to judge.
by Brandon Christopher on Dec 7, 2011 7:23 AM PST reply actions
Seattle
With the talent he inherited Carroll has done fine so far up here. If he does not get a decent QB soon he will be doomed. He has transformed the defense into something I hope UCLA can find an attacking aggressive defense.
He has started to get a consistent running game and OL back in play, really it comes down to finding a competent passing game.
And as someone who saw first hand Mora before my comments mirrored what is in this post. The guy has almost no chance to succeed anywhere and should not be leading large groups of people.
Seahawcla
What are the impressions from Seahawks fans on SBN’s Seahawks blog on Mora? Do you follow the discussions there?
He is a non-issue lately
He set back our team, not as much as the GM Tim Ruskell who could go toe-to-toe with Guerrero for decision making.
When he was fired about 80% of the fan base thought it was correct even after one year. The minority just felt it was not fair to only have one year regardless of how awful he was.
Just wait, unless he changes his style you will think Dorrell was an innovator on offense and the defense will look exactly like Tresey and Bullough.
I'm trying to be objective
You say Mora set the Seahawks back, but he inherited a 4-12 team from Mike Holmgren and in his one year finished 5-11. Why do you feel like it set the team back when their record improved (albeit marginally)?
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 8:22 AM PST up reply actions
Remember
He joined the season before as a “DB Coach/Asst HC” The defense was his as he was heavily involved in game planning and play calling. The defense regressed under his two seasons here.
Ruskell slowly rotted the talent level through terrible drafts (take a look) but Mora was just awful at both positions and sped up the process of getting a total regime change into Seattle.
Thanks for the feedback
I don’t follow the Seahawks at all (well I did a little back in the Ground Chuck and Zorn-Largent days), so I have no sense of what they are as a team recently, but you say that the talent level Mora was working with was depleted, so could this not explain the team’s performance rather than be a more direct reflection of his coaching abilities?
I am just trying to be objective and not trying to defend Mora any more than he deserves. But sometimes digging a little deeper reveals important information.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 8:54 AM PST up reply actions
To a point
Expectations were low but the team internally was falling apart under his short time here.
It looked every bit as much of a failure to inspire and gameplan as much as the talent rotting.
His throwing his players under the bus every week certainly did not help. Under Carroll with even less talent we compete and look aggressive total culture change.
That said if Carroll cant land a QB soon he will get the boot in the next few years. Hawks cant get out of below average until they get a leader on offense.
OK thanks for the info
And good luck to your Seahawks. :)
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 9:37 AM PST up reply actions
I have a friend that hit the lottery for like $10M...
but I wouldn’t consider buying lottery tickets as an investment or retirement strategy.
by beanandcheeseburrito on Dec 7, 2011 7:44 AM PST up reply actions
I agree
If Mora was a good NFl coach he wouldnt be looking for NCAA job, some team would of had him. Sometimes NFL coaches need to go down one level to achieve success.
Its not like we have coached lining up to take the UCLA job. Pac 12 is tough….recruiting is tough. They will recruit against Oregon, USC, ASU, CAL, and Stanford. Coach with NFL ties will help tremendously. I will have to do some research on Moras tenure with the Falcons, but he even said that Vick was not an ideal QB. That is not the type of football he wanted to coach. Look at Vick now. Give the guy a chance he might surprise us.
the 5* freshman QB that we have is somewhat in that mould
at least in terms of running/athleticism. Considering that Brehaut and Prince will be Seniors and it is too late t oget a QB in this recruiting class, he would have to fit Hundley into his system for at least 1 year.
formerly bruinhoo
Agreed that NFL ties will help with recruiting
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 9:38 AM PST up reply actions
Completely untrue and unfounded
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Dec 7, 2011 9:54 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
umm ok
really…if a 17 yr old recruit meets a coach he saw on TV on Sunday that coached for team he wouldnt get excited?
why don't you read the article
before you post nonsense
?
how is this non sense…i asked a question. Sometimes you guys forget that we are all on the same team. There is no one lining up to take the UCLA job!
you're wrong
it’s just that Chianti Dan is completely bungling the search, not even calling guys like Mullen who have expressed interest
that i did not know
i have to read up on it …i have been to consume with the Jim Mora rumors. I did take a glance at Mullen.
Mullen would be a great fit. He would be #1 on my list. I like the east coast ties he has.
Come on man
this is such a ridiculous argument. Did any recruits see Chip Kelly, Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Rich Rodriguez, Les Miles, on TV on Sunday?
Did Bill Callahan, Dave Wannstedt, Mike Sherman, get an edge in recruiting because of the NFL? It’s a bogus argument. If we’re on the same team, stop presenting your opinion as fact.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
17 yr old recruits
care more about 7-toned, Nike jerseys and swag and going to fantastic bowl games than going to a school where the head coach was last seen, on TV, on a Sunday leading a 5-11 team with no direction. That’s just my opinion though.
I was 17, 7 years ago…
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:31 AM PST up reply actions
Shaking their thingamabobbers
listening to that hip rap, saggy pants and rock and roll! In all seriousness though, the Morgan Center problem is pervasive. From the jerseys, to the head coaching candidates, we, Bruins are long overdue for a wholesale regime change. Never thought I’d see the day Oregon would beat UCLA on national TV and look good doing it (jerseys). Darn quarter stripes!!!!!!
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:35 AM PST up reply actions
I'm not sure what is "untrue and unfounded" about my statement
We are all presenting opinions here since Mora has never been a HC in college.
It is my opinion that his NFL experience and ties will have a positive impact on recruiting. If you disagree, that is fine, but there is nothing “untrue and unfounded” about my opinion especially when it stands to reason that a person with 20+ years of NFL experience WILL be able to use that as a positive factor in recruiting.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 11:08 AM PST up reply actions
No this is not a court of law
So there is not any more “burden of proof” on me than it is on you when you simply claim my statement is “unfounded and untrue.”
In fact I have stated that his 20+ years of NFL experience and resulting people network is reason to believe this will have a positive impact on his ability to recruit. This includes close ties he has with, for example, the head coach at a high school football factory in Bellevue that produces blue chip players. I think most reasonable people will therefore agree with the notion that his previous NFL experience and ties will help his ability to recruit. If you do not agree with this, I would like to hear your reason(s) why.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 12:48 PM PST up reply actions
Did you not see tasser's response to you above?
Show me how your unfounded speculation is better than his observation and then we’ll talk.
I'm not sure how your last comment adds to the discussion
As far as I can see, Tasser simply stated that my opinion was “unfounded and untrue.” Well that’s his opinion, and if you want to play that game I can just say both of your rebuttals are “baseless.” And then we go ’round and ’round and it gets us nowhere.
I repeat, I have stated Mora has 20+ years of NFL experience that among other things serves as cachet with potential recruits and their families that he can leverage. (E.g., he can say to recruits “I know what it takes to make it in the NFL, and I will you give you the instruction and opportunity to showcase your skills so you get there.” etc.) He has also built up a network of football relationships that includes one with the coach of a prominent high school. Do you think he would have such contacts if he had no football (NFL or otherwise) experience? I am not the expert on all things Jim Mora but it does not take an expert to conclude that his extensive NFL experience can be a huge plus when it comes to recruiting. If you disagree, please state your reason(s) instead of relying on cute phrases such as “unfounded speculation.”
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 1:35 PM PST up reply actions
You wanted a response
You were given one that you chose to ignore earlier. And no, your opinions are not equivalent, because his response shows that NFL coaches do not outrecruit college coaches. Meanwhile, your only rebuttal is that you THINK but actually have no idea if Mora’s shoddy NFL ties will have any recruiting cache.
No I have not chosen to ignore anything
I do not know which response you are referring to. Please paste it or link it.
Since Mora has not been a HC in college, anybody’s opinion on what may happen with his recruiting is speculation—yours, mine, Tasser’s, whoever. But on the face of it, “NFL coaches do not outrecruit college coaches” is far too general of a blanket statement that does not account for individual differences such as amount of experience and how recent, where these coaches are coaching, what standards are used to assess recruiting performance, etc.
You may think his NFL ties are “shoddy” but that is your opinion and has no more credibility than anybody else’s especially since you are not substantiating that claim but merely throwing around adjectives at your leisure. I am willing to surmise that a person who has been able to be employed in the NFL for 20+ years including two head coaching gigs has built solid relationships that can be used to his advantage in recruiting and other aspects of being a college HC.
BTW I will add again (from a separate post) that Troy Aikman supports Mora and I trust his opinion on matters related to football more than yours or anyone else on this forum.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 2:27 PM PST up reply actions
I'm not going to do your work for you.
It’s like a dozen replies up. You have eyes. And actually, no it’s not too general, because all the college only coaches tasser names clearly recruit better than the NFL reject list he also produced. That’s called evidence, and because he has some, his opinion is more valid han yours, which is based on speculation. What you need to do is show a similar list of NFL rejects – I’m sorry – people with NFL experience that recruit on par with a Meyer, Miles, or Rich Rod. And let me cut you off before you say Cheatey Petey, because we all know how he got his recruits.
If your premise is true, that NFL experience truly helps out in recruiting, then you should have no problem producing a few names of former NFL coaches that go toe to toe in recruiting circles with the best college coaches. Go.
From Wikipedia
-Callahan’s 2005 recruiting class was rated as top-five by Rivals 7 and ESPN analyst Tom Lemming said they were “No. 1, without a doubt.”
-Wannstedt’s recruiting prowess led Scout.com analysts to rate the Panthers’ class of 2006 the eleventh best in the country. Wannstedt followed his touted 2006 class by bringing in the #8 recruiting class in 2007. The class included blue-chip players such as RB LeSean McCoy, QB Pat Bostick, and OG Chris Jacobson.
These recruiting classes occurred in the 2nd and 2nd-3rd years respectively for Callahan and Wannstedt, or in other words after their first full year of college coaching when they were able to hit the recruiting trail. My premise is that NFL experience helps in recruiting, and I would say that the above absolutely supports my premise. And what makes you think any non-NFL coach we bring in is going to recruit “on par with a Meyer, Miles, or Rich Rod?” Maybe it’s time you took a look in the mirror of reality instead of trying to quash intelligent discussion.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
A few things
1. I’m glad that you finally provided evidence for your claim. That’s what this is about. If you wanted to make your case, you have to do better than “I think” here on BN. Far from "quash"ing intelligent discussion, it is only now beginning because you were finally forced to back up what you say. Frankly, I didn’t think you had it in you after doing the “Aikman says this so herpaderp I believe him”. I am impressed.
2. It is true that there are no guarantees a college only coach would recruit “on par” with those guys. Fortunately my objections to hiring an NFL reject aren’t based on recruiting but are instead based mostly on MexiBruin’s excellent analysis of why NFL coaches fail in college. I bring up tassers point for a couple of reasons. The first is that it was an example of evidence where you lacked it. The second reason leads me to #3.
3. I don’t think the evidence you provided is sufficent to make your point. Nebraska’s recruiting rankings under Callahan were as follows: 5, 20, 13 on Rivals. That’s definitely better than they did before he came along, and is probably a good example of your point even if I’m considering the natural bump Nebraska should get from its own natural advantages (tradition, program cache). Under Wannstedt, Pitt was 21, 26, 28, 47, 33. That does not bode well for your point even if I concede that Pitt should be lower due to lack of natural advantages.
There are plenty of other reasons to not hire an NFL reject, many of which are laid out in MexiBruin’s post. A 50/50 shot at good recruiting doesn’t convince me that recruiting isn’t one of those reasons. However, as I said above, I’m glad you finally took the time to back up your assertions. Had you started off with that, we probably could have avoided this whole situation.
Also a few things
First of all, there is a lot of BS here that doesn’t get scrutinized just because it falls in line with “the consensus.” Intelligently presented ideas or opinions—even if they run counter to “accepted” thought or are without a large body of evidence but based on reason—should not be dismissed summarily (nor rudely). Group-think can be dangerous and is the enemy of intelligent discussion.
I understand that there have been NFL coaches who have come to the college game and not been successful. However the number making the switch in this direction (as head coach) is relatively smaller than in the other direction, so in my opinion it is tough to definitively gauge their future success based on past examples. But it stands to reason—and I believe the info I presented bears this out—that an NFL coach can successfully leverage his past experience and ties to improve recruiting in his new program. Of course to sustain this will require on-field success at the college level, but it’s better to have a head start and use that NFL cachet than not be able to do it all. That was the gist of my entire point.
As I said in another post, Mora is not my first choice (or second or third for that matter). But I do believe he does bring positives to the table and that he should be given a fair shake. If he is as hardworking and competitive as reported, and he is staffed with top flight assistants, I do believe he can be successful at UCLA. This is the end result I am hoping for and I am sure it is yours too.
That said, I also hope UCLA conducts a thorough search and continues to pursue other qualified candidates such as Mullen. But let’s not be so quick to dismiss Mora by just casting him as a “retread” especially without, for example, trying to understand why someone like Aikman would support him.
BTW I am sure you have read it but if you haven’t, Chris Dufresne’s article on UCLA is both revealing and telling about the current state of our program (which equates to our attractiveness to top tier coaches). I don’t subscribe to Dufresne as an oracle on college football, but he’s covered it enough to provide an informed opinion.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1207-dufresne-ucla-coach-20111207,0,842687.column
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 5:25 PM PST up reply actions
Actually
You don’t see justification for a lot of statements because we’ve had the discussion already. We discuss plenty of things around here and ideas move quickly. Once we sort the good from the bad we have neither the time nor the patience to do it over again. Since your perspective is but a week old, I don’t expect you to understand that, but it’s presumptuous for you to come in and accuse others of group think when you have no perspective on how a consensus came to be in the first place.
The way things are going, this trend will only continue, and we invite you to partake in future discussions, but only if you bring relevant facts to the table.
As to this discussion, Mora is out. We’ve gone over why already, and even if his recruiting was as good as the best case scenario you put forth, it still wouldn’t come close to being good enough. We have no interest in Arguments from Authority like you’re trying to trot out with Aikman. That is a non-starter as well.
I guess that begs the question
of whether this is a forum for intelligent discussion or one masquerading as such but actually merely furthering the agenda of a few people.
And to your point about “accusing” this forum of group-think, in fact it is the closest I have observed of it in any forum I have visited on the Internet, and I am not being presumptuous. Actually I do see how “consensus” is reached by you and others trying to “shout down” people who would “dare” suggest ideas that don’t match your own. Not very democratic or tolerant, I would say.
Remember, even when presented with the same set of information, each person may arrive at different conclusions than your own and yet they are still perfectly valid. The question is whether you want to encourage intelligent discussion or stifle it. I’ve seen examples of the latter on various levels of human organization (nations, tribes, groups, etc.) and it isn’t pretty. This forum is no exception.
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” No more significant words were ever spoken.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 6:43 PM PST up reply actions
Well whether you would recognize intelligent discussion
Notwithstanding, it is what it is. If you want to bury your head in the sand and let your ignorance define you, then that’s your business.
However, if you want to participate here, bring your facts and leave your strawmen and misconceptions at home. Thanks.
It took you a dozen replies
before you gave any semblance of evidence for your assertion. Do not come here accusing us of group think and “shouting down” people, when all we ask is that you provide some support for things you say. It is what makes this place different from message boards and other mindless sites. Look at every post put up by the frontpagers, they are littered with links and facts, because we don’t just talk out of our behinds.
And finally, do not complain about the content here. You are a guest. This is not a newspaper site, no one here gets paid for this.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
this is false
and I have a Wall Street Journal article to prove it.
LOL
“he might surprise us”!
So, there’s a chance that he’ll do better than we expect? Wow…setting up some high standards there.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
lol
what coaches are lining up to take this job? No one here has a crystal ball and can predict what coach does what.
Remember Michigan..Rich Rod they thought they had their guy and was a bust! Weis at ND!
Looking at Moras stats when he was with the Falcons they were an average team. Not great and not horrible. If we are referring to stats.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/atl/2005.htm
I'm going to tell you
for the last effing time.
If you are willing to settle for a coach because no one is “lining up to take the job”, take your crap elsewhere. I am sick and tired of this defeatist cheese eating surrender monkey attitude.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Sorry for the harsh comments
but this is the kind of attitude that provides justification for Chianti Dan to go screw things up by picking the lowest common denominator. No more.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
no worries
WE all know UCLA is better than this and deserves better…but its not a good time for the program right now.
sigh
some people just need to get over themselves…the program as busted at the seems. hiring a coach is not going to be easy. Its true that everyone needs to go including DG. FYI i coached h.s. football and from experience im telling you what my players that recruited looked for. It is my OPINION from experience. If you want to degrade that..its all good.
I am not degrading your opinion
I would just value it a lot more if you presented it as such rather than as a fact. If you had said what you just said in previous comments, this conversation would have gone much differently.
Again, apologies for my tone…Chianti Dan is driving me to insanity.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Mullen
I was looking at Mullens record when he started at MSU… 2009 5-7 2010 9-4 (good year) 2011 6-6
He can develop players but why does want out of MSU? THat would bemy question. Recruiting will be harder in the Pac12 than the SEC.
100% wrong
MSU’s campus is essentially a backwater wasteland. Mississippi doesn’t have many top tier recruits and the SEC West is a murderers’ row, much easier to recruit in Southern California
lol
ok i guess the records are wrong..LOL. this is getting to be funny now
I see parallels to Chizik
who won a National Title last year (w/ a lot of help from Cam Newton). Chizik was awful at Iowa State and Auburn fans were thinking what the hell? when he was hired, but Iowa State w/ Chizik’s recruits, is looking decent and Chizik has a title now…
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 12:01 PM PST up reply actions
what records?
It’s a well known fact, recruiting to Mississippi State is the hardest job in the SEC. Think about it, they’re going up against Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss…bigger programs with much nicer college towns.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Dec 7, 2011 12:40 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
You mean well
DG’s incompetence is just making us turn Bruins against each other…and we still don’t even have a HC yet. What a cluster. All of the other schools have made splash hires and at least ASU’s president had the courtesy to say we’re looking. Block/Guerrero where you at??
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:37 AM PST up reply actions
We need to knock it off
with the hit or miss or “what if” head coaches. Fact of the matter, is that we took a huge gamble hiring a guy with no prior HC experience, on any level. Big whiff. Then we took a huge gamble hiring a guy who gave great post-game speeches but was also a huge risk. Another big whiff. NCAA recruits these days would rather play for a W or at least look good playing in some high tech, 7-toned Nike jersey, rather than playing for some guy they saw on TV once.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:17 AM PST up reply actions
Brandon, please think just a bit.
He sucked before and after $c. He succeeded at $c. He cheated at $c*. There is a correlation between blatant, hard core, death sentence cheating and short term success.
So please don’t use Cheatie Petie as an example of a hack NFL coach who succeeds in college.
In keeping with this special day...
“The only thing we have to fear…is Guerrero himself.”
Question...
How would folks feel about Gus Malzahn? I know Auburn wasn’t as dynamic without Cam Newton, but with Hundley, he’d have another mobile QB to work with.
Lawrence Ross
I'd choose him
waaay before I’d think about possibly considering Mora. It would be pretty interesting to see what he could do with Hundley.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
Overrated
He’s been a very mediocre OC without Cam Newton. And his wife is crazy. She’d embarrass the university with a crazy comment at least once a month.
Disagree
He has done well everywhere he has been, with all of the losses Auburn had this year they still were a solid team stuck in the loaded SEC West. The offense regressed but it did not turn into a pumpkin. His scheme works if looking at his multiple stops.
His wife is crazy, though
Unfortunately the video has been taken down to prove it.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 7, 2011 8:54 AM PST up reply actions
I don't know that Auburn was solid
They were dominated by every good team they played-LSU, Alabama, UGA, Arkansas, Clemson. Their big win was against S. Carolina, but they are somewhat overrated as well. I think Malzahn is as big of a risk as Mora. I wouldn’t necessarily want either guy.
Look at previous stops as well
Yes his wife is crazy…
Look at his work at Arkansas and Tulsa he has a track record of success.
I don't care if his wife is crazy.
Maybe we need a crazy wife to say crazy things to Chianti Dan’s wife. that might be what we need to get him the heck out of Morgan Center.
by Fox 71 on Dec 7, 2011 9:33 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Malzahn has been anything BUT mediocre w/o Cam
Malzahn was hired from a HS to be the Arkansas OC/WR Coach for the 2006 season. He was named OC of the Year by Rivals, and his O was 20th overall in Total O (they were 76th the year before)
After one year, he moved on to Tulsa as his prodigies (Mustain and D. Williams) transferred to USC. In his two years at Tulsa, his O’s were ranked #1 in Total Offense BOTH YEARS. The year before he got there they were 30th, and the year after he left they were 54th.
In 2009, Malzahn was hired at Auburn, taking over an O that was 105th in Total Offense the year before. In Malzahns first year (and Cam was not yet there…) they finished 16th in Total Offense.
Then he got Cam.
Malzahn is also known for his No Huddle/fast-paced O, kinda like that guy up in Oregon who has been tearing it up.
Why are we not looking into this guy?
Bigger Questions
Does Dan know who he is? Does Dan know where Auburn is? These are questions we must ask first. Also, why is Dan so clueless?
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:32 AM PST up reply actions
No idea...
I’ve written emails to Dan about this, and made a phone call. Not sure what else can be done, but it’s wild to me that this guy isn’t a major candidate for our job now that we’ve missed on Petersen.
I'm with you on this one
I’ve written Dan plenty of e-mails, written the Chancellor, cc’ed Dan on them. I think they go straight to the spam folder…
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 11:59 AM PST up reply actions
I think it needs to be said again...
In a room with execs from the major sports (nba,nfl & mlb), college sports admins, sports lawyers and agent; you will almost never get concensus on anything… the exception to the rule is EVERYONE is astonished at the mismanagement @ UCLA.
the most made statement, “if what was going on at UCLA was going on at their (fill in their alma mater), they’d be chased out of town with pitchforks.”
by beanandcheeseburrito on Dec 7, 2011 7:55 AM PST reply actions
Here's a tidbit for you
and it took someone from the LAT to point it out: In the past 50 years, the only person to be hired as head coach of UCLA football or basketball who wasn’t previously associated with the school is Ben Howland. Think about that…over 50 years. That is some seriously entrenched culture.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
howland had no previous connection to UCLA
But Guerrero did interview him while Howland was still at NAU, though obviously he didn’t hire him then. But at least there was the “previous relationship” that maybe made the sell even easier.
by palafox on Dec 7, 2011 8:26 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Location, talent pool, brand, history, great past winners and stars...
Make UCLA the BOMB! Leach said we were the biggest underachievers of college FB. And Dan didn’t hire him cuz his boss is his buddy.
Ridiculous
Can’t comprehend how Dan Guerrero still has a job! This is ludicrous and wron
by Trojanswearskirts on Dec 7, 2011 8:06 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Hope
I’m still holding on to some hope that it’s been quiet on the “BREAKING NEWS” front on Mora. I’m hoping our efforts are at least making a dent into this possible hire. Any word if Mullen is going to Penn State? Briles staying at Baylor? Strong? Malzahn?
The silence is worrisome...
…as in Mora hasn’t turned UCLA down, and maybe now all Dan is doing is ironing out the details. Otherwise, we’d be hearing more chatter about other possible hires. This is looking more and more like an epic fail in the making. But if Mora does get hired and fail miserably, at least we can assume that Guererro would get canned. Not that I am begging for another downer football season, but geez, our 1-6 hoops team (can’t count Chaminade or CSSB, both Div. 2 and one was exhibition) was supposed to be what I was looking forward to after all of the disappointing football games. I can wait a year if we could then look forward to a new AD and two new FB and basketball coaches.
Uh...Mora is not going to turn the job down
It’s more a matter of whether the job has officially been offered to him.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Why is Neuheisel being replaced by someone who isn't top tier?
Why replace Neuheisel at all if people like Mora are the only options? Guerrero should just give him his job back.
Malzahn
Malzahn is reported to be one of the top candidates for Kansas. Yes, Kansas. I’m pretty sure if we offered him the job, UCLA would be WAY more tempting than Kansas.
Even before this
Kansas was paying more for its football coach than UCLA was. That’s right, Kansas, the ultimate basketball school, was paying over $2m per year for its coach.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Mora is not my first choice
But I am beginning to warm up to him. I like his no-nonsense manner, and it’s been reported he is hyper-competitive and hardworking. You can tell he will demand toughness and discipline from our squad, and those as much as anything are our most sorely lacking qualities. I envision him building a tough defense that shuts other teams down.
His NFL experience WILL be a positive factor in recruiting players, and he apparently has a tight relationship with the coach at the high school football factory in Bellevue that produces blue chip players.
The key will be to provide him with the opportunity to land top flight assistants that he wants without being restricted by money. And of course upgrading our facilities so that we are working with a level playing field (or should I say longer practice field).
Let’s also not forget that Aikman has apparently signed off on him, and he knows more football than all of us here combined. There is no coach that would bring guaranteed success, not even Petersen, so my perspective is to look at this possible hire objectively rather than be quick to judge and put down.
If we could go back in a time machine and hire Leach, I would do that, but it’s not going to happen. I would love to see us interview Mullen too. But I think Mora could be a very successful coach. And I like the fact that he WANTS the job rather than us having to convince someone how wonderful it is at UCLA. (Let’s not forget that from a national perspective, the coaching gig at UCLA is ranked behind A&M, UNC, ASU (ASU!!!!), and Illinois. I’m not happy with this but that is the reality. Also reference the quotes from Barry Switzer in Chris Dufresne’s recent article.)
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 8:46 AM PST reply actions
Money
We finally have the money to grab a top tier coach and we should be interviewing other people besides Mora. If Options A-Z didn’t pan out, then sure, give Mora a shot. But we haven’t reached out to a majority of coaches out there that have alot more posivies than Mora.
I agree we should be reaching out to others
But the fact is, none of us really know who we have reached out to. It’s possible that we have called a number of candidates who have already turned us down, who knows? If we have been rejected, DG is certainly not going to make this public.
All I am saying is that since Mora’s name is out there, let’s try to look at his possible hiring objectively, rather than let the disappointment of not getting Petersen or Leach (oh wait we didn’t pursue him) cloud our judgment.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 8:59 AM PST up reply actions
The Stockholm Syndrome is a live and well in the Bruins Nation.
I cannot believe that anyone in their right mind thinks Mora has the qualifications to be UCLA’s head coach.
You guys are killing me, seriously. You look at everything but his results and his qualificaitons. His coaching record is horrible. And he has zero college experience.
Nestor explained that there is a long post with positive qualifications for another candidate (undoubtedly someone we will never get.) Why don’t you who favor Mora give the same sort of list of his qualifications. Go ahead. It certainly won’t take too much time. Please explain how well he did with Vick, who has the same attributes as our QB of the future. Also, please explain how his West Coast Offense is going to work in the college game. Or do you guys not remember CTS.
Are you all sipping Dan’s Chianti with him?
by Fox 71 on Dec 7, 2011 9:40 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Completely falling for the Chianti Dan trap
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Thank you!!!
I’m stunned that there is a single true Bruin fan that could even consider this guy! He is by far the worst “candidate” that’s even been mentioned. I’d rather tear off my left foot than hire Dewayne Walker as our head coach… and I’d STILL rather have him than Mora!
No Mora!
I just called a Trogan troll on another board
for pointing out Mora’s record, ties to Donahue and suggesting that he’s not the next Pete Carroll. When will the madness end?
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:39 AM PST up reply actions
Too much time spent here arguing the negative, we need to focus on motivating the positive
Meaning – Guerrero is clearly over his head, this coaching search has continued the perception (if not deepened it) that UCLA athletics is a backwater joke, and potential good HC hires are gone or going. BN wants Guerrero gone. This is appropriate, and known. Discussing it is cathartic, and serves a purpose to harden this group’s resolve, but doesn’t harness the power of this group to achieve a positive result. I’d like to see BN use its knowledge of college football and awareness of talent (something the Morgan Center seems to be oblivious to), build a consensus around the good hires that are still out there, and use the collective weight of this site’s membership to argue FOR those names to the PTB. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I manage a very large group of people, and when one of my staff argues a negative without offering a positive (a solution), I might admire the effort, but I regard it as next to useless. Effective people point out the problem and offer a solution. Yes, Dan Guerrero should be fired and it makes sense to point that out to Block. But I think it could be very powerful if this group built consensus around some alternatives to Mora (if in fact the group feels he’s not the guy) and offers up that recommendation with data to support it to the PTB. For people making decisions, it’s easy to ignore negativity, much tougher to ignore well reasoned and factually supported positivity.
+1
Great post, I totally agree.
Bottom line: we need to harness our power and channel it positively, rather than focus on the negative.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 9:01 AM PST up reply actions
We don't offer recommendations
We vet candidates whose names come up and have already done that for other names that have popped up. There’s a great post on Dan Mullen, for example. It’s very positive and proactive.
Again, we go by the criteria that we have talked about, not by the names.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I'm not lecturing you Nestor
I’m offering a point of view, and making a positive suggestion – and was in fact complimenting the power of the site you’ve created. If you perceive that as lecturing, I’ll stop posting for awhile and leave you to your misson. for all the positive, impressive things about this site, the tendency to demean those who dissent is off-putting to me.
by mwright84 on Dec 7, 2011 9:18 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
You are telling us what to write and blog mwright84
Instead of offering suggestions, why don’t you just take the proactive measure and organize the message you want Bruins to organize around. The tools are here. Write your thoughts and put in a fanpost. If it is compelling and well constructed people will give it a serious look. However, telling us what to write or what we should be focusing on is kind of demeaning, given we are not getting paid to offer up thoughts you’d like to read.
I think we need a frickin banner or something
Something to the effect of “Do Not Whine About Tone/Content. If there’s something you want to see, WRITE IT YOURSELF.”
by Tydides on Dec 7, 2011 11:05 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
excellent idea
you should definitely post that banner. you guys do a great job, for the most part. enjoy your website.
It's not demeaning
It’s frustration. After all the work that is put in here, which I might add, is done for free while we have real jobs, to have people come and offer opinions that have not based on facts or have been discussed and dismissed several times is maddening. A lot of people just join and post comments without having spent the time to go through the posts. It’s disrespectful to all the work that is done here.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Mora wants the job...
…but that doesn’t mean that he feels the way we all do about UCLA. Just knowing that his “dream job” is Washington, that doesn’t sit right with me. If he goes to UCLA, and Sark gets canned, he’ll skip out. I would prefer someone who wants to be at UCLA and holds it in the high regard that any good Bruin would. Mora wanting the job is the only real positive I see on his resume. And the rumor about Aikman signing off – how is that verifiable? If Troy really has OK’d Mora, that would be enough for me to say OK, no more than a 2 year deal so as not to hamstring the successor AD (please!). But not until other coaches have been interviewed and we can’t get a Mullen, etc. What’s the rush on Mora, doesn’t seem like there are other schools beating down his door.
Aikman was on Petros last night
Someone on this board said Aikman was saying positive things about Mora.
I’m not sure I agree with you that Mora will necessarily leave UCLA for Washington if that position were to open up…maybe, maybe not. The prerequisite for this though would be his success at UCLA, so even if he were to skip out, it would mean we are in a (much) better place than we are today and in a better position to land a top flight coach at that time.
In any case that is all conjecture.
by Lifelong Bruin Fan on Dec 7, 2011 9:06 AM PST up reply actions
yup
I heard it also…look at Moras teams stats
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/atl/2005.htm
They were ok.
New AD
How about Terry Donahue? The fact that we’re in the current predicament without a new football coach tells you all you need to know about Chianti Dan. Incompetent and in way over his head.
If Terry Donahue becomes the next AD
I think there will be overcrowding at hospitals from Bruins with massive head trauma. It would be good for the economy as masons would be hired en masse to repair hundreds of brick walls.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
And then looms around to pour gas in the fire
Why do coaches w/ ties to Donahue keep popping out of the woodwork? I feel like Shawn Kemp, Travis Henry or Antonio Cromartie…learning about new illegitimate kids that I didn’t account for.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
but seriously, why not cut out the middle man?
if we’re going to hire Mora based on him knowing Donahue, why pay Guerrero to do the job?
Any idea who Donahue knows who coaches basketball?
TD
Some of us went to UCLA when bowls were a given, beating SC was likely, etc. and Donahue was the coach. So there is some nostalgia there. But TD didn’t cut it as a Niner exec. and there’s no reason to think he’d make a good AD. I like the memories I have from my 5 years when we went to Rose Bowls, Fiesta, etc. and won them ALL under TD. But even I would say TD is not AD material, no way.
Hope4, I was there with you during the TD era
And while TD did the things you list, I can remember how frustrated so many of were with his vanilla style – so cautious. I remember guys going nuts in the stands begging him to go for it on 4th down situations. So predictable, so maddening. While he produced some positve things, I think a lot of guys thought we could be so much more. Agree: TD as AD, no way.
On AD material, I’d really like to see BN coalesce around some candidates to push for in a very public way. Although I’d prefer a football background (Aikman is very unlikely), I think Kiki Vandeweghe should be high on the list to replace DG. But there are others. I really like the BN site and think these guys have done great things, but it seems there is power here in this group that needs to be channeled to make public statements outside of web postings.
Maybe later
I think RN would like to stick with coaching right now. I’m not convinced he’d be the best AD at this moment.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Wrong position, wrong time
I can see him at AD just as long as he retires the phrase, punting is winning
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:28 AM PST up reply actions
Yes i agree
That would be awesome. He has the passion for UCLA in general.
What qualifications does he have for this job?????????????
Did you watch him try to run a large organization for the last 4 years and fail?
Would he be worse than Chianti? No.
Would he make “a terrific AD”? Not on the evidence of his most recent performances.
More evidence that we're the nation's most respected sports program
From Tyler Lockman’s column reporting on ASU’s search on FS Arizona last night:
According to multiple reports, Love’s targets in New York included Sumlin, Southern Mississippi coach Larry Fedora and Baylor coach Art Briles. But she’s not alone, and the outlook will get scrambled rapidly as soon as one domino falls. Illinois and Texas A&M are hot on Sumlin’s trail, North Carolina supposedly is after Fedora, unless A&M gets there first, and who knows what UCLA is up to.
Bruins Nation Wish List
Question to the front pagers…. why not make a wish list? I know it’s been said that BN will not say, "We want 1. Dan Mullen 2. Chris Petersen …etc., but why not make a cheat sheet for Chianti Dipped Donut? If people who do not come to BN regularly logon once every couple weeks, they’ll see a 10 different posts with 10 different opionions. Of course if they took the time to read the entire site, they can find some kind of BN pulse.
But can’t we make it easier and just put a list of acceptable candidates in no particular order up on the Front Page or on the right side bar and just leave it there with links to the supporting front page post?
Our dummy program needs some additional dummification to undummify our dummy program.
It defeats the purpose
of having healthy discussions. People should feel encouraged to write posts supporting a candidate as long as he fits the criteria that we have set out and as long as they provide some supporting material beyond “omg he’s a good motivator!”.
We haven’t gotten around to making up a list of criteria for AD, but please feel free to start the discussion in a fanpost. We can build on it as a community then put it up on the front page.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Agreed but...
I don’t like how we have to be reactionary to the rumors we hear – especially on candidates we don’t approve of. Of course we do need to react (see Seto) but perhaps just a section on the site dedicated to the HC search?
Don’t have a definitive answer but perhaps if it’s spelled our more plainly and in sight, Chianti will see the light.
I just don’t see where he’s getting his ideas from and it’s so frustrating for us to have to campaign against his mistakes as opposed to somehow leading him in the right direction in the first place.
Thanks for the reply.
Chianti Dan operates in a bubble
with his entourage of yes-men like Mike Harlan, because he’s too arrogant and insecure to take advice from anyone outside his inner circle. It’s others who read this and put the pressure on him, and I think they’re on the same page as we are.
There’s no way to have “sections” on the site.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:22 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Links for you....
Here is the list I made when we first started the search, strange how we have only chased one name on it but others are snatching these candidates up left and right.
15 Candidates to consider for HC Vacancy
Here is the criteria front page post which I loved and all of my names should have matched up with.
Could the criteria get bumped up again to remind those that are joining the discussion what we should be doing?
I was thinking of showing my list again and looking at all the names crossed off as a reminder of our current mess we appear to be in.
by Seahawcla on Dec 7, 2011 9:36 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Nice List
It’s things like this that make me think it may benefit the site to have an entire section dedicated to the football search (if technically possible of course).
People see these lists and say, “Nice, well done”. Then weeks pass and it gets lost in the shuffle of “Mora’s no good” and “No retreads” and “What the heck is up with Reeves Nelson” posts. Of course those are all necessary but I just wish Chianti can take notice and make the immediate necessary decisions of getting our next coach. I’m sick of leftovers.
not convinced this is real info
I’m probably just being foolish, but I don’t think Dan is as stupid as you all paint him to be. Mora is a moronic choice given the amount of money we are prepared to put up. I haven’t seen any credible news linking him to the position and as expected, we’ve heard nothing from Morgan Center. Yesterday, a fan post about how terrible Mora is pointed out that he keeps getting linked to various openings and then not hired – “probably the work of his agent trying to generate hype” as the post pointed out. What makes us think this situation is any different? Mora’s agent/crew are trying to make it seem like he’s a lock to get this job to generate interest from other places – same as before. This is similar to DWalker’s hype machine after CTS was fired. Again, maybe my head is in the sand on this, but I’d be shocked if we announced Mora as the new HC. He doesn’t even meet Guerror’s own qualifications for the job as he put forth at the presser.
Butch Jones
•Cincinnati coach Butch Jones turned down opportunities to interview at North Carolina, Illinois and UCLA, the Cincinnati Enqurier reports.
Jim Mora, Jr. does not meet the expectations...
to be the next UCLA Football head coach. Moving on…
by bruindodger on Dec 7, 2011 9:58 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Lots of husky fans wanted Mora after Ty
I wasn’t one of them. The funny thing is in one breath they would talk about how he sucked as a pro coach, but then rave about his potential as a college coach. Never made sense to me. Petey was used as an example of a NFL retread that could take a program to prominence. I think the fact that he said UW was his dream job swayed a lot of people.(How does that sit with Bruin faithful?) Personally I think the guy is an arrogant a*hole. My opinion is clouded by the fact that a good high school buddy of mine was a walkon @UW the same time as JMJR. They were plenty of players who didn’t like him because he thought he was hot sh*t because of his dad.
I’m sure the same husky fans who wanted him will look at the hire with envy, but I hope you guys don’t do it. Listen to the guy call a game,,,he just sounds like a jerk!!!
by seattleboy on Dec 7, 2011 10:17 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
To all the soon to be graduating seniors....
Just a tip…..try and get a job at UCLA….apparently you can run things into the ground, and no one will fire you. Pretty good job security.
No Accountability
and your boss will let you go on a Mediterreanean trip on the taxpayer’s dime. Dan is pathetic.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 10:27 AM PST up reply actions
LSU DC
What about him? He just was named top assistant. We could use SEC defense.
Chavis?
YES, another good candidate. LSU’s D is bad, and by bad I mean wickedly good.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 7, 2011 11:59 AM PST up reply actions
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