Monday News & Notes

by Nestor on Dec 17, 2007 4:44 AM PST in Football

First let get to couple of football notes. The DyNoMite "coached" football team sounds like a Dorrell coached football team. Once again our players are talking about how they are taking their bowl game "seriously":

"It means a lot, we get to go out and finish with a win," senior cornerback Trey Brown said. "Any time you can go out and put the UCLA jersey on, represent this great university, you want to put on a great show. For the seniors to go out and finish with a win, means a lot."

And then?

"We all know it will be the last one, but it probably won't hit us really until after the game," Brown said of the seniors.[…]

Whether their performance this season could be diluted by indifference was a question that was put to interim Coach DeWayne Walker.

"That's a heck of a question," said Walker, who added that he thought the Bruins were eager to play this game.

Walker said that "the things we talk about behind closed doors and just the lessons we've learned" have the Bruins focused. That should be made easier with 25 seniors playing their last collegiate game.

"I was talking to the senior defensive backs and asked them, 'How do you guys feel about this being your last collegiate game?' " Walker said. "They all said they just want to go out a winner."

Aaaah. That makes us all feel so warm and fuzzy. Doesn’t it? The players on cue are spouting all the pro Walker TPs:

"If we didn't have a bowl to play in my senior year I'd be (ticked)," UCLA tailback Chris Markey said. "I'm excited because this is another chance to go out and play. I'm damn happy to be playing in a bowl game my senior year."

Senior receiver Brandon Breazell echoed Markey's stance, and said playing well for defensive coordinator and interim coach DeWayne Walker is important.

"You just saw me pull a guy to the side and talk to him," Breazell said. "I've never done that my whole career. D-Walk gets here and makes a big impact on this team. He makes me feel like I have to stand up more. He brings out the leaders in the team. He helps us focus and keep our eye on the prize."

Wow. I am so glad to hear they are keeping their eye on winning some stupid no-name bowl in Vegas. It is great they are getting excited about a game that will mean absolutely nothing to the history of this program. And it should mean absolutely nothing wrt to long term prospects of their "interim HC" in the program.

Regardless Walker continues to campaign hard, which I guess includes shameless pandering to recruits and their parents:

"I thought it went great,’’ Walker said. "I really thought that keeping this weekend on was very beneficial. Very beneficial. I had a chance to talk to the parents privately. I had a chance to talk to the players privately. I thought our hosts did a great job. I thought it was a big plus for us.’’
So, with the coaching situation unstable, what was the vibe among the players?
"They’re waiting to see what the powers that be, what they’re going to do,'' Walker said. "But as of today, they’re still with us.’’

You mean they are with "you" not "UCLA." Right DeWayne?

Elsewhere, there is nothing new on the coaching search front. I know some of you guys want us to lay off from Dan Guerrero right now. BruinsRule made this point in the comment thread of our last post:

Let the man do his job. If he thinks his job is to choose between the other Harbaugh and Skippy and that everyone will be fine with that, he's wrong, and we can take him on then. Otherwise, until he speaks about who we've hired or who the candidates are, I'm with Class of '66 in saying this whole critique is premature.

Well, those are good points. However, I will beg to differ. I have followed UCLA football too long at this point to know that we can’t just sit back and trust the bureaucrats of Morgan Center. Yes, I know DG scored with the hires of Howland and Savage. But he is on the spot in terms of his football hire. This is the hire that will effectively determine his legacy at UCLA. And we cannot just sit back, stay quiet, and not make him feel the pressure, where there so much direct and indirect campaigning going on by the pencil pushing losers in the athletic department, the access loving morons in the beat press and subscription based fan sites to maintain the status quo. Right now those guys are not sitting back. They are on a full scale lobbying mode to keep Walker or bring in the CHOKER. When that kind of effort is going on, we will simply not sit back and not put pressure on DG.

If you don’t want to join us in our effort to keep the pressure on DG, that’s fine. We didn’t wait for anyone to join us when we started speaking up on Karl Dorrell either. If we see or sense something that is disconcerting when it comes to UCLA athletics, we are not going to stay hush. So yeah, we are going to keep the pressure on DG, make sure that he understands that we fully expect him to live up to his words.

GO BRUINS.

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Comments

DG

Has got to be feeling the pressure now that Michigan has hit a home run. Before the new hires bowl game, no less. Can you see him stepping up to the podium to announce Harbaugh's little brother is our man? i still can't see how that guy got on our list. You don't make final lists in this business; you identify the target, make your play and get your man. You don't telegraph every move in the press. I am very underwhelmed with how this looks in the open. I can only hope that these still waters are concealing something. Everytime I hear Bob Fields name I get anxious. DG better know that this is on him. If he fails here we will be on him non-stop.

by BruinAl on Dec 17, 2007 5:59 AM PST reply actions

agree with all points

UCLA is the last big school with a vacancy... if Dan Guerrero goes up to the podium and announces Chow, or Choker, or Harbaugh, the laughing will be heard from coast to coast. It will be especially loud in South Central LA, Eugene Oregon and Tempe Arizona.

by njbruin on Dec 17, 2007 6:37 AM PST up reply actions

Like they said..

..ADs don't get a third chance to pick a head football coach.

by whp68 on Dec 17, 2007 6:26 AM PST reply actions

Yep. We have to show there is another side.

The various factions lobbying for what we at Bruin Nation think are atrocious candidates are hardly keeping quiet. DG is certainly hearing from them. So he needs to know there are risks and costs involved in accommodating them

by Chandler on Dec 17, 2007 6:35 AM PST reply actions

100% in agreement

keep the comments and pressure up.. i have followed ucla since i started as a freshman in 1981, and i know that whatever factors there are, they make us tend towards mistakes, towards mediocre, status quo, "safe", politically correct, "academic" hires....

dg needs to know it's time for ucla football to step up and get a real, solid, experienced coach... we are ucla.. we are not a training ground for new coaches....

i expect an "out of the blue", "where did that come from" home run hire, a la michigan.... anything less, and yes, we should pour the pressure onto dg... he is the ad.... it's his call now as to what ucla football will be.. if we alumni are not happy, we should definitely voice that... we students and alumni are ucla, not just the administrators

go bruins

by nycbruin on Dec 17, 2007 6:45 AM PST reply actions

Yeap.

as with everything in life, it takes all types to get it right. N and some others here have definitely taken the HARD LINE (aka, "Don't Believe the Hype), while other camps have spoken convincingly about taking the high, "have faith" road---

Still others like myself (maybe), can't help but see a picture resolving: We're doing our best to take up up a position in the middle, look at all sides (right, left and external) and try to prepare for what's next.

What we're seeing what has obviously become a process that is -- at best -- estranged from the norm. That, in the absence of decent, public information (and in the presence of so many "leaks"), the pattern, overly-cautious, egg-shell establishment at Morgan Center seems ready to strike again with another timid and mis-guided hire.

We'll wait like the rest, but in the event we ARE eventually disappointed we will ALL be glad our hard-liners' bows were drawn and ready rain down their arrows.

If we do get that "surprise", why then at least we can say we were prepared for the worst.

GO BRUIN BLUE.

by theREAL_LOGAN5 on Dec 17, 2007 10:29 AM PST up reply actions

Wristbands?

I assume that the football team will be getting new wristbands, to reflect the state of the program where the chance "to go out a winner" will take place on a Saturday evening before Christmas, instead of on January 1.

I wish nothing but the best for the 25 seniors in their future endeavors. I do wonder, however, how many of them expected to lose at least 6 games 3 out of their 4 seasons or at least 6 games 4 out of their 5 seasons (for the redshirts)while at UCLA.

It is perplexing why DG would even think of keeping holdovers from this coaching staff with this track record. As you rightfully point out, DG's stated goals don't mesh with a team which has had the following dubious defensive distinctions the last two seasons-

gave up 29 points in loss to Washington in 2006, 3rd highest point total by Washington that season
gave up 30 points in loss to Oregon in 2006, which matched Oregon's average per game that season (in other words, an average performance by the defense)
gave up 37 points at home in loss to Wash St in 2006, 2nd highest point total by Wash St that season
gave up 27 points in loss to Wash St in 2007, including 214 yds gained by running back who gained less than 700 yds all season
gave up 38 points in loss to Cal in 2006, 5 more than Cal season average
gave up 44 points in complete rollover to Florida State in 2006 Emerald Bowl
gave up 44 points (not a typo) in loss to Utah this season, 18 more than Utah season average
gave up 34 points and 469 total yds in loss to Arizona this season, 6 more points and 84 more yards than Arizona season average
gave up 437 yds in loss to USC this season, 63 more than Stanford gave up, 161 more than Arizona gave up, and 69 more than Cal gave up this season

Not exactly an overwhelming "body of work" by our esteemed DC

by islandbruin on Dec 17, 2007 6:45 AM PST reply actions

Context for the Reference to My Posts

Just to make clear -- I am in favor of vigilence and speaking out about the "candidates", and have done so.

I will not accept any hire that does not meet DG's espoused standards.

Here's where I step off the angst train. I do not trust any of the rumors as to who has been interviewed, who's on the "finals" list, and when it will be presented to Block.

So, I will not harshly criticize DG for things that Dohn tells me are going on. I'll not let Dohn, or any of the other tools tell me what DG is thinking.

I do not like that the search has been so hidden, but I understand that some prefer that technique in hiring.

DG has more at stake in this hire than anyone else. If he fails, it is a signature failure. He will not be able to raise money. He will come under instant attack. And, his job will not be worth doing. I will be in the attack and I will withhold money.

In my mind there is a line I won't cross -- and I do not fault anyone who draws the line in a different place. I will go after the DW's, Chow's and Harbaugh's -- just to let DG know what I expect in a coach.

I will challenge Dohn, the other mediocratists, and the low standard spinners.

But, I won't go after DG until HE says or does something with which I disagree. And, I will require direct evidence, not rumor or PR spin before faulting DG.

Yes, I, too, feel angst when I hear some of these rumors. And, I worry what is going on in DG's head.

But, frankly, I don't want to walk around angry for the next few weeks only to have us make a great hire and then look back and realize that I have ruined a week or two for no reason.

If DG screws up, I'll have a lot of time for anger and anxiety.

Finally, perhaps it's because I'm a geezer, but I've learned long ago to accept the things I cannot change. I cannot change this search PROCESS. If I could, I would. But I can't. So, I won't stew over it.

I have the greatest respect for those who choose to draw the line elsewhere.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Dec 17, 2007 7:22 AM PST reply actions

all good points.

by rfirpo on Dec 17, 2007 7:52 AM PST up reply actions

I will not blame our players for

getting excited about a bowl game. I hope they all finish their careers on a high note, and wish them luck.

by rfirpo on Dec 17, 2007 7:54 AM PST reply actions

I'm with Firpo as to one more game

There probably aren't too many guys (any guys?) from this graduating group who will ever put pads on again after this game. It's their last game ever. I don't blame them for wanting to talk about it, etc. It's not a crap bowl game to them - it's the last football game they'll ever play.

by Fox 71 on Dec 17, 2007 8:03 AM PST up reply actions

What he said...

I know how much I miss getting together with my old UCLA friends for a game of intramural football (talk about meaningless), so while the Las Vegas Bowl is irrelevant and a disappointment to fans (to be honest, I'll probably have most of my attention on the Cowboys/Panthers game at that time) by no means will I begrudge the current Bruins an opportunity to live in the moment and enjoy their last game together wearing the blue and gold.

by insomniacslounge on Dec 17, 2007 11:06 AM PST up reply actions

More Country Western Wisdom

"Don't all the girls look prettier at closing time?"

Yes, I am a shallow man -- I find my inspiration in the words of country music. So, here's what I'm thinking:

In another thread, some are lamenting that all of the other schools, save UCLA and SMU, have hired replacement coaches. Those who lament, see all the opportunities we've lost.

I see it differently. I think we look pretty damn good now that it's closing time.

I don't buy into the argument that we were butt ugly to start with. I actually think this is a great job.

But, I like where we stand now, with the bartenders yelling "Last Call".

There are a lot of really good coaches still on the market and not many openings. On our "A" list, Johnson is gone. I would have loved Rodgriguez, but I'm not sure he was ever on anyone's list.

So, for coaches who want to step us, there's us and SMU. No offense to SMU, but I think we're a lot better looking.

I don't know if this was a clever strategy by DG, an end play, but it make work to our benefit.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Dec 17, 2007 8:13 AM PST reply actions

works the other way, too

closing time and all the pretty ones have left with someone else...only ones left are the dogs...and among these rejects, RN sure looks gorgeous...

by bluegold on Dec 17, 2007 8:28 AM PST up reply actions

Stupid no-name bowl game

You're right-Brandon Breazell and Chris Markey shouldn't give a shit. They should just roll over and give up just because they didn't get into the bowl game they wanted. In fact, they should be bitching about it to the media instead of being optimistic.
I understand the point that you are making Nestor. And I understand that you wish that our football team was better. But you're not on the team. So have some respect for these players; this is their LIFE. You don't see me degrading your professional career. Well, this is theirs. It's so easy to attack football players for so many things. But talking shit because they're excited about their last game??? Honestly... I can't respect that..

by jatteratious on Dec 17, 2007 9:59 AM PST reply actions

You don't get it

It's not the players Nestor is criticizing, it's more the reporters. Of course the game is important to the players, and we love them for putting pads on and representing UCLA. But this storyline applies EVERY YEAR! Every year, there are seniors, every year there are players who will never put pads on again. So, instead of regurgitating this garbage about how the players are excited and how they want to play hard, we would like to see something a little more meaningful and in-depth from the reporters.

For US, this game does not mean anything in the big picture. We're playing in a no-name bowl against a team we have beaten earlier in the season. If we win, it shows nothing. If we lose, it shows we have regressed. Exactly what do we gain from this as fans, as UCLA? Sure, it would be nice to go out on a winning note, but really, how does that take away from the awfulness of the last few years? So please, when players are quoted as saying "this is big, we gotta win", take it for its face value...what else are they supposed to say? People shouldn't pay for newspapers to read this garbage.

by tasser10 on Dec 17, 2007 11:41 AM PST up reply actions

not to mention

The fact that every week these clueless reporters listened to what the players said and how this is the week things are coming together and how they want to win one for coach and how they are still in it so they aren't gonna give up. Yet every week they pretty much stunk up the field and played sloppy, listless, mistake-filled football.

Of course, that's not on the players. Its on the lousy coach and that is why he got canned. But last I checked Walker was the lousy coach's assistant and top coordinator. So why is it going to be any different? Why is that not being mentioned or asked?

I know all players say the same exact shit before and after every game. College players have learned this very well. But why keep printing them? Why give these words so much more weight than they deserve?

by njbruin on Dec 17, 2007 12:36 PM PST up reply actions

the players

are told what to say by the coaches and the fine admin in the morgan center. if they say something outside the box they usually get a talk from one of the coaches, and are also chastised by everyone here on BN (Bruce Davis and Trey Brown).

by hbruin84 on Dec 17, 2007 5:18 PM PST up reply actions

If you say something stupid

you'll be called out on it. The players, being human, occasionally say something stupid so they're subject to getting called out.

And now your statement, hbruin. What is your inside info that makes you think that "the players are told what to say by the coaches and the fine admin in the morgan center [sic]" I will grant you that the players are often told to say nothing to anyone, but I have neither heard nor seen evidence that any player is told what to day.

Similarly, I have neither heard nor seen evidence that if a player says "something ouside the box they usually get a talk from one of the coaches...." What's your evidence of this?

And the charge that everyone on the BN chastises players for what they say is clearly erroneous. In fact, it is absurd. One quick example - Baron Davis said something way outside the box - he said that his team was the only one to get to the Sweet Sixteen without a coach. That's a little outside the box. I defy you to find one letter of one syllable of one word that was critical of Davis for voicing that truth.

If this is just an opinion, then you're obviously entitled to it. But label it as such. You do not further the advance of civilization by putting your opinions in the form of factual averments.

by Fox 71 on Dec 17, 2007 7:31 PM PST up reply actions

my inside info...

I was involved in the ucla football program for a couple of years. Saw it and heard it happen first hand.

My comment about being chastised had more to do with this years football players. But your right it was a little absurd, but so is telling players that the game that they have taken the past two weeks preparing for, the game they put there bodies on the line for, doesn't matter. But that is my opinion, and I am labeling it as that.

by hbruin84 on Dec 18, 2007 7:43 AM PST up reply actions

Who is telling players?

No one here is telling players anything. To the players, every damn game should matter, whether it's your last, first, or against lame opponents. They have a scholarship to go to school and play football for UCLA. If they are not doing either of those the very best they can, then they should give it back to someone more deserving and more grateful.

To the fans, and perhaps specifically to us here, the bowl game means next to nothing. A win would be just that, just one more victory in a lame bowl game against an opponent we should beat handily. We will cheer, we want our team to win and our players to do well, but in the context of this season, this game is just about meaningless. And for it to be dubbed as an "interview" for DW is just ludicrous, and for the players to say that they will play hard THIS game is ridiculous and insulting. The motivation should be there before EVERY game.

by tasser10 on Dec 18, 2007 9:48 AM PST up reply actions

We Are Also Part of the Problem

T10, your last sentence sums it all up. Reporters are doing their job in reporting what the players are saying. No one is forcing anyone to read or listen to the hyperbole put out by UCLA's AID or the MSM. Evidently this crap sells papers or the editors would not let it get published.

by Bruin77 on Dec 17, 2007 1:39 PM PST up reply actions

Peanuts

Bruin fans are collectively Charlie Brown. We want our team to win, but our team doesn't win.

The players, the coaches and the MSM are collectively Lucy. Every year, Lucy the player says the same things. Every year, the Lucy the coach says the same things. Every year, Lucy the MSM says the same things. Lucy says "I'll hold the ball, Charlie Brown. You run up and kick it. And when you kick it, we will have a great team, win the Pac-10, beat justsc, and go to the NC game."

Every year, we run up to kick the ball, Lucy moves it, we miss the ball and we fall on our back.

Dan Guerrero might pull another Lucy, but if we let him get away with it, then we deserve to be Charlie Brown.

by Fox 71 on Dec 17, 2007 4:14 PM PST up reply actions

Don't Read Criticism of Reporters Here ....

Rather, I read Nestor's disdain of players he deems complicit in Coach Walker's alleged scheme to usurp the head coaching position. The implication is that these players are now somehow motivated to put out the maximum effort in a "meaningless" game, whereas they seemed much less motivated when it mattered more during the regular season.

IMHO, this criticism is harsh and almost certainly unfair. These young men, through no fault of their own, have not necessarily enjoyed the benefit of the best coaching, yet remain willing to risk their health and well-being for school honor, team pride, and a coaching staff to which they remain loyal. Regardless of Coach Walker's possible ulterior motives, I see the players' motives as admirable and the criticism unwarranted.

by snorkeldorf on Dec 17, 2007 5:08 PM PST up reply actions

The underlying comment

is a criticism of the reporters. It is not directly stated because it has become obvious to everyone here. The reporter is the one asking the questions, and the canned answers are nothing unexpected. Seriously, almost any other player in the country would make the exact same comment in the same situation. It is up to the reporter to ask insightful questions, not "hey, so how do you feel about this game?". That's useless.

The players' motives are admirable? Why? Are these motives different than before every other game? If they are, I call bullshit. That motivation should be there before every single game, and if it isn't you can bet your bottom dollar that we will call out the players on it.

by tasser10 on Dec 18, 2007 9:53 AM PST up reply actions

Just one example of what I think Ty is saying

Is there any doubt that the entire team went into the tank at the end of the Utah game? And the WSU game. I understand the lack of effort. I am not saying that if I had been playing I would have been any different. But it's a fact that they were just going through the motions (as were the coaches.)

It's hard to give 100% on every play. But if you're going to be a big time athlete or a big time coach, you have to do it. I do the most non-athletic thing possible - I perform in opera productions. But whether I'm in the front row doing a solo, or in the back row in the chorus, I try to give my absolute best every time I'm on stage because people have paid to get in the theater and they deserve my best. I think it's the same with the players and coaches. If they can't give it their best for themselves and their teammates, they certainly owe it to people who have bought a ticket.

If the guys are saying that they will call on inner resources, etc., which they didn't use against Utah or Wazzou, then Ty wants to know and I want to know why. Why didn't we as fans get to see these inner resources before now?

by Fox 71 on Dec 18, 2007 11:47 AM PST up reply actions