Spaulding Roundup: Brehaut Looks "Sharp" In Return, Barr Experimentation & Other Notes

by Nestor on Aug 19, 2011 6:32 AM PDT in Football

So Richard Brehaut returned to practice yesterday and reportedly he picked up right where he left off. He took reps with both the first and second teams, and looked "sharp" while Kevin Prince didn't practice as much "nursing a blister." There was also an interesting experimentation at the RB spot .Per Coach Rick Neuheisel (video after the fold) he gave some of the first teamers time off because he wanted to keep them fresh for Saturday's scrimmage so that they can get in some "hard reps." With let's get to the notes.

From Jon Gold at Inside UCLA:

* Rick Neuheisel wanted to give the first team a bit of a break today, so most of the late-practice team drills were second- and third-team guys.

* Richard Brehaut returned to practice and was again sharp with his arm, shaking off any rust on his first throw of team drills, a 40-yard touchdown to Randall Carroll. Brehaut had a beautiful pass to Anthony Barr over the middle that elicited a "Hell yeah, 12," from a teammate.

* Kevin Prince is nursing a blister on his throwing hand and didn't see too much time, and he was a mixed bag, hitting some and missing some in team drills.

* Chris Ward was working primarily with the twos again, with Albert Cid and Greg Capella seeing most of the first-team action at the guard spots.

Few other noteworthy items courtesy of Peter Yoon of ESPNLA:

Kicker Kip Smith looked great in an early drill, nailing four out of four attempts and making solid kicks on all four. Later, however, things didn't go as well when put into a pseudo-live situation. He made two out of five with players yelling and screaming behind him, coach Rick Neuheisel blowing a whistle and special teams coach Angus McClure squirting water in Smith's direction. On the last one, Neuheisel laid down on the ground right in front of Smith, who pushed the attempt to the right.

Linebacker Sean Westgate sat out because of illness but is expected to be back for the scrimmage. Eric Kendricks filled in on the first team.

Defensive back Jamie Graham returned to the sidelines only one day after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He was on crutches and in good spirits and said the surgery went well and that he would be back "sooner than everyone thinks."

Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt is fully recovered from a concussion and was practicing without the red no-contact jersey he had been wearing the last two days.

Oh, Peter also had a note about Sean "P.Diddy" Combs returning to practice again with less fan fare and an entourage. Mr. Combs has been checking out our campus with his son Justin Combs, who is a top flight cornerback recruit and interested in being a Bruin. We wish him luck no matter wherever he ends up.

Going back to football there was an interesting experiment going on at Spaulding yesterday. More on that and other notes after the jump.

Coach Neuheisel gave Anthony Barr some reps at the RB spot yesterday. Again here is Yoon:

"I feel like I've developed so much as an F-back that I don't really see running back as my primary position," he said. "But it's nothing that I'm opposed to."

Coach Rick Neuheisel said he asks all players what they think their best position is and Barr has told him running back, so he figured he would give him a shot. He expects to give Barr a few carries during the scrimmage Saturday night.

"We want to explore all options," Neuheisel said. "I want to give him some snaps, see what we got."

Barr's size isn't an issue as far as Neuheisel is concerned.

"He has great vision," Neuheisel said. "But he has to keep his pads low. Marcus Allen was that kind of back and ended up finding a way to make it work. I think there's a place for great players and we want to know what we have in that running back that he was in high school."

Barr reportedly carried the ball 3 times and gained about 8 yards. Not too bad I guess. I am really excited to see what kids like Barr, Damien Thigpen (when he is healthy again) and Jordon James can do at the F sport. The key for Mike Johnson is going to be is to get these athletes the ball in open spaces and create mismatches with their size (especially in Barr's case), speed (Thigpen and James) and overall athleticism.

Perhaps things are finally clicking with both of our QBs in terms of getting our offense in sync and we will see effective utilization of this spot and consequently these athletes on Saturdays. I am hopeful but we will have to see how it all plays out. Speaking of QBs, Brett Hundley is almost ready and itching to get back in practice action. Hundley as usual is oozing with confidence:

"I guess with the knee I had to miss two weeks which is a lot when you are competing for the starting job, but hopefully I can take what I've learned and put it on the field and make stuff happen," he said. "The goal is to win the starting job and the way I look at it, if I come out showing that I can run the ball, pass the ball and do everything I need to do as a quarterback in this offense and get things on the right track, then I can still win the starting job."

Hundley has been at every practice going through mental reps, he has been in the film sessions and has been studying the playbook in an effort to keep mentally sharp so he hopes he can quickly shake off any physical rust and make a quick impression.

"The main thing I've got to do is make sure I know my stuff," he said. "I've learned a lot over camp so I've got to put it on the field." [...]

"I came here to be the starting quarterback," Hundley said. "If I don't, then I'll start thinking about the other situations that can be. I haven't really gotten into much yet but as we get toward the season we'll figure it out."

I think this will all work out all right. The key thing IMO is still to ensure Hundley is eased back into practice. If he doesn't get the starting spot, whether or not he is integrated into game plan should depend on how Bruins are performing on the field. If our offense is clicking on all cylinders, I would prefer he opts for red-shirt and then starting bringing him in next year with special packages in our playbook. But I guess we will have to see how it goes for us in first few games.

It's been good to read about Brehaut's progress this camp. Peter Yoon had more on Bre's return to practice yesterday. By all accounts it appears Brehaut has had a great camp, making all those who were concern trolling about him playing baseball this summer, look downright foolish. Meanwhile, Prince has come on last few days and seems to have responded to the clear challenge from Brehaut this camp. So the scrimmage on Saturday should be really interesting and who knows could be a factor for one of the QBs to create some separation and make a case for the No. 1 spot.

Anyway, here is Coach Neuheisel's debrief after practice:

Bruins have a live practice this am at 9 PST. They will then have a walk-through this afternoon before tomorrow's scrimmage at Drake. Of course, if you are heading out there tomorrow, please take your cameras. Come back share what you got, along with your notes here in the comment threads and in FanPost/FanShot sections. You know the drill.

GO BRUINS.

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Comments

Nice post. I think we're going to have a good year.

Reading this, it feels like we are getting better in a lot of the areas we needed to get better in. And, whatever happened before , I really don’t think Neuheisel has forgotten how to coach.

by Seth Chandler on Aug 19, 2011 7:36 AM PDT reply actions

I also think this year ...

pans out well.

Btw…did anyone see the shoulders on Glenn Love as he was taking an Icebath on spaulding field after practice yesterday??? Dudes shoulders makes Dwight Howards look like pimples!!!

Jon Gold had ot on DN website.

by GogetemBruins on Aug 19, 2011 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

CRN Looks More Confident

I know that Bones would frown on this type of observation, but it seems like CRN has been more confident and comfortable in the taped interviews, lately.

Good salesman that he is, he’s really not good at hiding the pain and frustration of our sloppy play or poor practices. The worst — when he came over to speak to the remaining crowd after the sc game. He was beat.

He’s approaching these interviews a bit differently than he did in the spring and earlier in the fall practice period and I think it’s because he’s seeing the progress he knows we need to have a successful season.

Also, a positive sign that there seems to have been absolutely no mention of going “over the wall”. Looks like the team and coaches are locked in on the mission.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Aug 19, 2011 7:43 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

I have been concerned with the psychology of our team (and coaches) for a while. Last season Coach Rick’s passion bucket had a hole in it (There’s a story there – one we’ll probably never know). Anyway, morale starts at the top and a lot of last years’ “attention-deficit” was due to low morale in the coaching staff. I like CRN’s new attitude – and all the coaches’ attitude: it is contagious. I’ve caught a few practices and the new attitude is clear. Can’t wait till Saturday.

BTW: BN’ers should realize that due to the quality and attention of our ‘core writers’ this site has a very high profile – it gets quoted by the Tra-Med. That is great but it means even inarticulate criticisms may be read by coaches and players – guys who’re working their asses off for the Blue & the Gold. Next time you want to trash talk about how badly someone sucks ask yourself if you’d say it to his face… if you were both alone on Spaulding field late at night. I’m not saying that we ignore our weaknesses (Kip Smith is painfully aware of what he is fighting) – but let’s keep it constructive. Right now, the team needs to know that we’re behind them 100% – anything less than that is ‘giving aid and comfort to our enemies – Troy’ ;)

by KnudsenRockne on Aug 19, 2011 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Well

For us on the frontpage we have always focused on substance. Remember – we are not here just to be fanboys. We are jotting things down the way we see it, read it, watch on Saturdays and share informative takes. On the frontpage and even in fanpost/comment threads … we don’t allow personal attacks on the players who have been working their tails off.

There are instances – for example Jerime and Dragovic – when players deserve due criticism. Folks will not hold back. But the MO of this community is always have been – shower with praise when due, offer frank observations when they are merited.

With football — if anything we have brought an even keeled approach. When a kid like Brehaut was getting ridiculously attacked on other sites for playing baseball – it was this community that stepped up and provided perspective (Brehaut himself acknowledged it by retweeting our posts).

We always have best interest of UCLA in mind but at the same time we are going to be honest wrt to how we feel about things. This will not change.

by Nestor on Aug 19, 2011 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Agreed.

In fact, Nestor, I had you in mind when I was thinking about ‘keeping it constructive’ – if a player isn’t doing his part call him out on it (if he cannot take open and honest assessment of his performance he doesn’t have the temperament to compete).

by KnudsenRockne on Aug 19, 2011 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Love it!

The distraction drills against the kicker! LOVE IT!

by freesia39 on Aug 19, 2011 8:23 AM PDT reply actions

Best distraction drill ever:

Here’s the clip!

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Aug 19, 2011 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm loving that Bre is looking great

but I don’t think that all of the talk about him playing baseball this summer was concern trolling. Playing a college sport is a major commitment, and its wonderful that he has other interests. Its also wonderful that he has committed himself to potentially win the starting job. But his competition isn’t with Prince. Its not even with the rest of the NCAA. Its with himself. And you can’t deny that the more time you spend on one thing, the better you get. Other interests are great, but if you take the Brehaut that played baseball this summer and the fictional Brehaut that didn’t but spent part of that time (of course, all of the time that was spent playing baseball isn’t going to now be spent on football, but a good part of it would), don’t you think the full time Brehaut would have been better?

formerly Westwood78

by PhoenixBruin on Aug 19, 2011 9:42 AM PDT reply actions

I've never spoken with Brehaut so I cannot vouch for him but ...

for me, when I’m up against a particularly difficult problem to solve, often stepping back from it and doing something else for a while makes a huge difference. I can attack the problem with fresh perspective and usually make headway. I’ve worked with people who do not ‘get’ that approach. Some got really upset that I wouldn’t just keep banging my head against the wall until it caved in. I could never explain it to them: I wasn’t ‘quitting’ I was regrouping to attack the problem from a different angle.

Now, maybe Bre is like me – or maybe he’s a goof off. I don’t know – but if I’m going to speculate out of ignorance, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

by KnudsenRockne on Aug 19, 2011 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions

Uhm no

Brehaut participated in all offseason football workouts and did everything he was asked to do. He was clearly prepared and ready to go. So yeah it was concern trolling.

by Nestor on Aug 19, 2011 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions

I was more concerned he'd get hurt

Catcher is a painful position.

by freesia39 on Aug 19, 2011 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions

That's a fair point

by Nestor on Aug 19, 2011 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions

That is true

it is terrible on the knees.

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Aug 19, 2011 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Furthermore

Sometimes, playing another sport helps you enjoy yours a little more. I know that when I was rowing, I’d often go play pickup games at the Wooden Center, simply because it was more fun (rowing was…a lot of work). I’m not saying that was necessarily the case for Brehaut, but clearly he is good enough to play baseball for UCLA, which is not a little sister of the poor when it comes to baseball. He owes it to himself to see how far he can go in that sport.

I’ll just let Coach speak for me on this one:

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Aug 19, 2011 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

I Get all of that

But playing another Varsity sport isnn’t merely stepping away. You step away to go to a party. You step away from studying to go hang with friends, or as you said, play pick-up basketball. He decided to go to enroll in Law School when his Med school courses were already hard enough. And yes, he did everything that was asked of him. But all of us know that in sports as well as in business or medicine or law or education, etc. you have to do more than what is asked. And I would assume that he did that too. But committing yourself to a fulltime activity such as baseball has to take away from that. Unless we are saying that he is as good as he can be and has no room for improvement.

formerly Westwood78

by PhoenixBruin on Aug 19, 2011 12:26 PM PDT reply actions

He may not be quite at the level

of a Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson (ok…who is?), but if Nelson Rosario and Randall Carroll can be on the track team, Brehaut can be on the baseball team.

Not to mention that the MD/JD program does exist and plenty of students go that route and can handle it.

IMHO it would be a little selfish to ask Brehaut to focus only on football. It’s his life.

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Aug 19, 2011 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions

2 things

I’m not quite sure that Nelson Rosario & Randall Carroll are the best examples of that. They too might be helped by focusing on football. And with the MD/JD program, they are not doing both simultaneously. And you’re right, it is his life. He can do whatever he wants. But that goes for all of the players that we talk about here. And by all accounts (we haven’t seen it in a game yet), it looks like he’s making it work. In his Junior year, he has definely made improvements. I would still say that full time focus lends itself to even more improvement.

formerly Westwood78

by PhoenixBruin on Aug 19, 2011 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions