SI's Mandel grades coaching hires: UCLA gets a D
With all the positive vibes swirling around all week with recruiting and coaching personnel, I found this bummer today from Stewart Mandel.
However, it is nothing BN doesn't already know. Basically, the guy who 'straps-on' too much 'chianti' was rejected time-and-again and settled for an NFL retread. Whatever. So far, CJM has done everything that he can do up to this point RIGHT. So here's hoping he will continue with all this momentum. Of course, CJM will ultimately be 'graded' after we see the team on Saturdays.
4 months ago
UCLA_beer&mathematics
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Mandel's grade is not surprising at all
I think it is justified. The burden is on Mora to prove him wrong with on field results next year. So far Mora is off to a fantastic start but that doesn’t mitigate the issues we saw with the hiring process. After all the good vibes if we end up with another thumping by the Trojans and a mediocre season, none of this will matter.
well said
my thoughts exactly.
I just wanted to put up my first fanpost hehe
by UCLA_beer&mathematics on Jan 18, 2012 2:47 PM PST reply actions
oops
meant as a reply to Nestor’s comment
by UCLA_beer&mathematics on Jan 18, 2012 2:47 PM PST up reply actions
And we appreciate it
Keep it coming.
by Nestor on Jan 18, 2012 3:23 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
At least we're not last!
But seriously, Mandel isn’t wrong…yet. For all the excitement, this is figuratively week 2 in the quarter system for Mora. He’s done well on his homeworks and aced a quiz. Midterms are coming though. We’ll know more after that.
arg!
i need to stop doing this!
by UCLA_beer&mathematics on Jan 18, 2012 2:49 PM PST up reply actions
My only problem....
Is that he doesn’t mention Alosi, Klemm, or Mazzone underneath. Klemm has proven his worth IMO.
by Waitingfornumber12 on Jan 18, 2012 2:49 PM PST reply actions
I'm sure he hasn't done extensive HW
Mandel’s comments are sooooo last month
by UCLA_beer&mathematics on Jan 18, 2012 2:51 PM PST up reply actions
To be fair
Can we really expect him to keep up with all the programs at such a detailed level?
by UCLA_beer&mathematics on Jan 18, 2012 2:51 PM PST up reply actions
Only if a major media outlet pays him to do so.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
He's only commenting on the hire
which is, the process and the selection of the Head Coach. He’s not grading the staff or the recruiting that the hired coach is putting together. So I totally agree with him, and a lot of us would actually have given the process and the selection an F. It is not the final grade, it is the first of many grades to come.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Oh, but look who got an A+
Maybe Mora is still our coach in every alternate universe, but we, and by we I mean Strap-on Chianti, didn’t even call that guy. How is that not gross negligence?
Anyone know the spring practice schedule? (I can't wait!)
by GauchoBruinTriton on Jan 18, 2012 3:00 PM PST reply actions
Mandel supports his hypothsis on Mora's "D"
partly with the observation that “Other” pro coaches have not faired so well at the Collegiate level. It has been pointed out by others that by and large most of the “Pro” coaches whose record isn’t so great in the arena of collegiate play were and are OFFENSIVE minded! MORA like Carroll is defensive!
UCLA does have Mazzone to run the “O”! Generally considered a good fit for College. So on the offensive side no “Pro” connection.
It may not mean much…but I thought it was an Interesting thing to be considered!
by GogetemBruins on Jan 18, 2012 4:17 PM PST up reply actions
Wow. All the names WE discussed and lobbied for
got As and a B+
Charlie Brown got a rock and Donut Dan got us a D.
Don’t get me wrong. I think Jim Mora Jr has shown he knows more about running a football program in 30 days than either Guerror or Neuheisel has shown in 3+ years. But, until we see some dividends on signing day followed by much improved play next fall; this grade is spot on.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Absolutely.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
+1 it is grading the process and is generous
The way the "search"was run was a total failure from all perspectives. This not on mora it’s on strap on.
I’m pleased with this grade. It shows that we are not a group of negative nabobs. I hope Block sees that DG continues to make us look bad.
At the same time, like all here, I’m cheering Mora on
His success will not validate the process. It will show that he was able to overcome the biggest hurdle on his path — the ad.
sjh
Feel free to "D"mote MORA...
if you like. Everything has has DONE so far is so FAR from a “D” that like Tidides says Chianti…sure…give em a “D”.
Just can’t do it arbitrairily for Mora!
I don't disagree with Mandel's grade
It was a solid D hire. The guy’s record was under .500, and he has zero college experience. All the assistant’s he’s hired don’t mean doodly squat at this point, because we haven’t played any games yet. If you think back on a few years, we all felt this euphoria when Coach Neuheisel got hired. He said all the right things, and had great recruiting classes, but couldn’t develop players or manage games. As it turns out, we should have realized that hriing Coach Neuheisel was nothing better than a C or a C-minus hire. Coach Neuheisel quickly turned it into an F.
I've been meaning to ask, but haven't seen the proper subject thread, so...
Weren’t Neu’s early recruiting classes kinda weighted to heavily in too few positions? Didn’t he lack big names for either line? I don’t know, just kinda fishin here.
Coach Neuheisel's classes were in the top something (top 10? top 25) nationally
I don’t think anyone looked at the positions, just where we lined up nationally, and we were strong. The problem, as we all know now, is that we could have gotten the entire NFL Hall of Fame in our recruiting classes and our coaches wouldn’t have been able to do anything with them.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the X man, but who else?
Hey, how ’bout that for the OL nickname…the X-Men.
OK, nevermind.
Well reasoned and very articulate as usual 71...
I see what you’re saying! Too many opinions can be extraoplated by such simple observations such as “under 500” and “No college experience” however based on whats happened so far Mora deserves a more passing grade.
Article is premature in my view and way too subjective. A more compelling story is what’s happened since his hire. Hopefully “What’s happened” will more accurately reflect what’s going to happen come winter workouts.
by GogetemBruins on Jan 18, 2012 7:21 PM PST up reply actions
I can see a couple
Please clarify.
by Trueblue'09 on Jan 18, 2012 7:14 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
D?
I’m betting on a B or B+ in November! We’ll see!
Go Bruins!
He's got Sumlin way too high
That’s a D+ at best. Sumlin was the guy I was most fearing that Chainti would hire. Overrated, overpriced, and only being considered because he was one of the few names Chianti had heard of. The guy is nothing without Case Keenum. We destroyed his team the year before, and anyone not from TAMU who saw his disorganized, penalty-ridden unimaginative mess of a team get blown out by underdog Southern Miss is breathing a sigh of relief at having dodged that hiring bullet.
yes, I was never impressed with Sumlin
by Nestor on Jan 19, 2012 5:00 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
We dodged a bullet with Sumlin
I actually like Sherman as a coach but can understand why aTm got rid of him; they really demand results in a way that we don’t.
But, I’m not sure Sumlin will deliver — especially in a tough new conference.
Please, Mora prove that even a blind squirrel can sometimes find an acorn.
sjh
Regardless of how well Mora ends up doing,
I think the grade is fair. The entire process for his hiring was a joke and even if Mora lights it up, that still doesn’t justify the process, as far as I’m concerned. It would just mean Guerrero got lucky.
by SonOfWestwood93 on Jan 19, 2012 7:03 AM PST reply actions
How Would Block Respond If ...
a major journal evaluated the search for a dean in any major department and rated it a “D”?
If the search person or committee didn’t call the best candidates and was not able to close the deal with those he called?
Without regard for Mora who we all hope will prove to be a great hire, this reflects poorly on UCLA and the way we do things.
Ms. Turtletaub, are you still here? Can you understand that there are probably more people who read Mandel than read medical journals? That our national reputation is affected by everything we do, including sports?
Mandel is an outside observer. It’s clear that Block does not care what loyal alums think. But, how much more battering can we take in the outside world?
Since the hire, we have an AD strapping it on instead of trying to figure out what’s wrong with Spaulding.
This would not be tolerated in any other department in the university.
sjh
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