Bad Movies

by Nestor on Dec 28, 2006 5:17 AM PST in Football Comment 20 comments

It's the morning after and, to be honest, I am not even that upset. As a lot of us were saying over and over during the game (peppered throughout our game thread), we had seen this movie before.

We have seen the movie in which a better coach (in this case, an old washed up legend and his lame duck son-assistant) schools Dorrell.

We have seen the movie in which a poorly coached Dorrell team fails to make any half time adjustments (in this case, getting outscored 7-31 in the second half and, specifically, getting blitzed 0-21 in the second half).

And, we have seen the movie time and time again in which Dorrell chokes away opportunities presented after proverbially turning the corner. Plaschke of all people nails it following another classic Dorrell debacle (emphasis ours):

The Bruins had a chance to make a statement that would have resounded for the next eight months.

The Seminoles didn't much care either way.

Yet when it came down to sticking out their necks and extending their fingertips and stretching their nerve in hopes of grabbing the victory, the Bruins backed off, and the Seminoles didn't.

Dorrell played it safe. Bowden played it for everything it was worth.

The Bruins followed their young guy and stumbled. The Seminoles followed their old guy and soared. [...]

The story of the night has been the story of not only this season, but of Dorrell's entire four-year UCLA career.

When the opportunity for greatness knocks, often nobody seems home.

Lot of folks are writing about how the FSU team completely manhandled (b!tchslapped is probably the more apt word) Dorrell's troops in the second half. However, IMHO, Dorrell blew his opportunities in the second quarter ~~half~~. When he had his chances to go for the kill, he simply didn't.

Up 17-10 with a 4th and 1 near the other team's goal line, once again, KD blinked. In those situations, I still go by the axiom I have heard from coaches like Madden and Parcells over the years. If you don't have the guts to go for 1 yard in that type of situation, in which you have a chance to put a dagger into your opponent's heart, you don't deserve to win the game. Dorrell blinked yet again (like he has so many times over his mediocre tenure in Westwood) going for the safe 3.

What would have happened even if the Bruins didn't convert? They would have had FSU pinned deep near their goal line up 17-10. It didn't matter anyways, the 'Noles just drove 76 yards following that wimpy Dorrellian FG, and closed the gap to 20-13.

Oh, and the Bruins did get the ball back near mid field with 2 TOs and 18 seconds left on the game clock. But KD, of course, took the knee yet again.

I really thought the much hyped 'staredown' during the Southern Cal game, in which Dorrell showed some semblance of a pulse, was some kind of positive watershed moment in Dorrell's mediocre tenure in Westwood. I was wrong.

We are stuck with the same coach who doesn't have the guts and courage, who his apologists spin as someone who is somehow smart, and plays it safe to win.

Whatever.

The delusional supporters of this mediocre coach can do whatever they want to make themselves believe that the UCLA football program is headed in the right direction under this loser [that's what you call someone who is 1-3 in bowl games, has won less than 8 games 3 out of 4 years, and has zero championships to show for is (and there is a lot more to his atrocious record as chronicled in Bruins Nation for more than a year)].

But no one is really buying Dorrell's nonsense and the typical BS that comes out of his mouth following these classic Dorrellian losses. From the Press Enterprise's Gregg Patton:

"Critical mistakes," said Coach Karl Dorrell, who always seems to be jump-starting this program at the 3-yard line himself.

These start-over moments always begin with the requisite amount of optimism, even after a crummy defeat. Especially after a crummy defeat.

"We'll continue to grow this program," he said. "We'll be assertive. I'm encouraged by our effort. I don't have any questions about where we're headed."

The rest of the football world does, though.

Yeap, the rest of the football world, which is not living in denial unlike some of Dorrell's supporter, knows exactly where the Bruin football program is headed under Dorrell. Actually, we are already there. Dorrell has made UCLA football irrelevant yet again.

And the players can make all the excuses they want, and try to put a positive spin of how they let the game slip away, but, judging from this by Patton, looks like it's not just us who have gotten sick and tired of this act:

"Everyone came into the game with a good mind-set. We knew we could win. We just made too many mistakes."

Too much of this. Not enough of that. And it all feels like we've been here before.

Like I said above, it's not just us who are getting tired of the Dorrell movies. Maybe just may the conventional wisdom is catching up to something we already knew here on BN.

It gives us some hope going into next season. Now, more than ever, Dorrell is going to be under pressure to produce. If he doesn't win the Pac-10 and beat Southern Cal in 08, it will be time for Dan Gurrerro to pick another selection from the Netflix of the coaching pool.

There are lots of other good coaches out there who can surely come up with movies that are a lot more enjoyable.

After all, the popcorn sure is lot more tasty when we are watching Bruin hoops (and, again, stop embarrassing yourselves with the asinine take that UCLA is just a basketball school). There is a reason for that, ya know. It's not rocket science. It's coaching. We have a good one for UCLA basketball and a bad one for UCLA football.

We are tired of the bad one coming up with the same tired movies over and over again. That's all.

GO BRUINS.

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Great writeup Nestor

The euphoria of the win over USC never fully masked the reality below for me. Behind the curtain of the win was KD saying things like "we just wanted to keep it close" and playing for FGs late when a TD would have put the game out of reach. Let's face it, if EM hadn't come up with a legendary interception, USC may have scored a TD and beat us again due to KD's loser mentality.

When KD goes up against guys like PC and Bowden, his deficiencies are just that much more glaring. These guys play to win, and the players feed off it and they play to win. KD's guys get back on their heels when the going gets tough, because that's how KD coaches. A team is a reflection of the mentality of its head coach, and KD is not a "winner" that is a leader of men.

KD is a nice guy and seems relatively smart. He is not a leader of men. But for many lucky breaks along the way, you get the sense that KD was destined to be like Toby in The Office. A nice, quiet guy that does his job adequately and that nobody hardly ever notices.

I look forward to the day when Bruin Football is lead by a true leader, someone with a winner's mentality. That day can't come soon enough for me, and the wait for that day sure feels A LOT like the last few years of the Lavin era before that ship finally sunk.

by paulucla on Dec 28, 2006 6:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeap

KD may turn out to be good in something like being an office manager. You know the guy who can make sure meetings are running on time and who remembers everyone's B'Days.

As for coaching ... his record tell us all we need to know.

by Nestor on Dec 28, 2006 6:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Losing is bad enough

But when the team looks so completely confused, it's worse. The 2nd half was painful to watch, as once again, there were no halftime adjustments, boneheaded plays, and no guts.

I had thought that the W over usc might have given koach a pass for next year, but after the debacle last night, it is clear that he has no business running the football team.

By losing to a mediocre team, especially in the second half, shows he does not have the game day skills that are required to produce a team that can compete at the championship level.

I mean, come on! 4th and 1 - go for it! Throw that Hail Mary before halftime! Figure out how to stop the one guy (Booker) that they kept going to.

None of that happened, which we have all seen before, for 4 years now.

Bob O. (Signholder #3)

by TuneMan7 on Dec 28, 2006 7:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

what a pack of losers

And I blame the coaches...

"Hey, nobody can say we didn't beat USC, we beat one of the best teams in the country, nobody can take that away from us," Markey said.

Hey Markey, don't you realize the reason you're so excited that you beat USC is because they're great and you stink? That should be a nice win, not the only one you've ever had. And did you beat USC or did they beat themselves? You think you would beat them tomorrow?

UCLA football is a sad joke. Period. Dorrell simply can't do it, he has proven time and again that he's a giant wimp who's too afraid to play so he plays not to lose. It obvious every game when the 2nd half is a flat-line. His record is an "F". If Guerrero lets Dorrell start next season he's saying loud and clear that he doesn't care about the smell coming from Bruin Football.

And I think Plaschke was still soft.

by greatgymnasticsschool on Dec 28, 2006 7:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

And I wonder...

If new Chancellor Gene Block is happy being a loser football school? Maybe the final straw to make Guerrero act is having a new boss?

by greatgymnasticsschool on Dec 28, 2006 7:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

A nice thought

but Virginia's football program stinks, even compared to ours (they had a good run 15 years ago, otherwise used to the Meinekie car care bowl).

by bruinhoo on Dec 28, 2006 8:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not that upset with KD at all

I mean, of course I expected him to completely botch this game. Like I proclaimed before the SC game, I was not going to spend my hard-earned money going to this sham of a bowl regardless of the Dec. 2 outcome, and I'm really, really, really glad that I didn't because I knew this was going to be Notre Dame all over game.

But I'm really f'ing mad at all the Dorrell apologists that continue to pollute the UCLA fan base and allow this kind of bullshit to continue. Please go away.

by stevenucla on Dec 28, 2006 7:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeap

Some of those losers are at it spinning hard on the message boards.

by bluestreet on Dec 28, 2006 7:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If you want a pick me up

check out the other Bruin sites. It appears that Bruin FB is going to be HUGE in 2007, BCS here we come!!! KD is going to put it all together in 07(after a huge top 5 recruiting class this year of course)!!
But be warned if you check those sites, all the FB naysayers are going to have to turn in their Bruin paraphenilia to the Salvation Army because we non-believers are not TRUE fans and don't deserve to be included in the euphoria of 2007!
IMHO, this season was a loser the minute the clock went to zeros in the UWash game. That game summed up the Dorrell era for me.
To top this year off, in a brutal ironic twist, the $C win (which was f*&king awesome and gave us much to rejoice) was the sole reason we get Dorrell back for at least another year of this garbage. How is that for a kick in the pills?

by sjcmcm41 on Dec 28, 2006 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dorrell is not the answer

They just shoot themselves in the foot.

He does not go for 4th and 2 when Markey is getting huge chunks of yards
Sits on it on the 40 with 2 Time Outs? Does he get extra point for taking them inot the locker room.
Why run Pitre on 3rd and 1 when Markey was blowing people away.
Why even take the chance putting Snead in motion when he is barely a TE, just run it down their throats.
Where was the safety help on the big play Van fell down?
Where was the blitzing since Davis and Hickman could not get there.

God that was very frustrating last night

by dvond on Dec 28, 2006 7:44 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I have never

seen an illegal procedure penalty on a 4th and inches run up the middle, until last night.

CLassic Dorrellian football!

by godblesstyus95 on Dec 28, 2006 9:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I am tired

This season was very taxing for me, emotionally. It is becoming incredibly hard to remain a UCLA football fan. On any given week, we are given either a dose of hope and optimism, or a syringe full of frustration and anger. I fear I may become schizophrenic if I continue to get involved in this swamp of mediocrity.

Nothing short of a Pac-10 championship will be acceptable for me next year. I will never stop being a UCLA fan, it is impossible. But I will stop caring about football if we are not given the opportunity to have a good team. KD has cleaned up the program. Now let someone come in and win.

by tasser10 on Dec 28, 2006 8:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Emotional roller coasters

Guess those Lavin (and Toledo) years prepared us for something. I think we will weather this.

We will get a good coach eventually just like we did in hoops. It will take time. Thank God there is somewhere we can voice our frustrations, vent, analyze, look at the big picture, and hold incompetent coaches acccountable.

by bluestreet on Dec 28, 2006 8:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Enough is Enough

I, too, was at the game last night. I'm too angry to write much -- other than to say that the "vow of positivity" I took after the SoCal game is now in the dumpster. No, the sc win did not turn around the season. And, no, the win did not change my view that we need to get a new coaching staff. I just thought it right to shut up for a while, to be positive and to try to "will" this team to a bowl game victory.

I think that all of us who sat back and became one game converts to positivism have a right to revert to rationalism.

This coaching staff must go -- now.

I will not concede next year.

For all of you who gloated after the SoCal game, defended KD and challenged the Bruins Nation fans and writers -- are you surprised by yesterday? Obviously, we are not. We saw this coming -- before the game, and then saw everything wrong with this coaching staff during the game.

Everyone has already written about the big things we did wrong, the fact that we were outcoached and outplayed by a mediocre team -- maybe when I calm down I'll write some observations on those points.

But there is one thing that no one else has written about that also had an impact on the game: We couldn't even put on the right shoes.

During the first half, we had critical slips and falls. I can think of a couple of plays where the ball carrier, with a long, clear path ahead of him, went to cut only to have the turf give out under his feet. And, we missed some tackles for the same reason. The fans around me in the alumni section were all saying the same thing: "We have on the wrong cleats."

How did this happen?
In his December 27 weather report, Dohn wrote:

"One other tid-bit; UCLA was going to use the walk-through to decide what size cleat to wear, but now will have to wait until arriving today before making a final determination."

We fucked up that decision, too. We had critical slips and falls throughout the first half that cost us big gains and defensive stops. We can't even pick the right cleats to use on an obviously very soft field.

And, it appears we didn't adjust during the first half.

A little detail? Success is in the details.

This staff has mismanaged this program at all levels -- save one -- I will give it credit for "cleaning up the program". We should thank them for that and show them the door.

This staff has not "earned" the right to come back next year and we should not concede it. It's time for the petitions, the letters to the AD, for withholding funds -- it's time for a full court press.

Enough is Enough

sjh

by Class of 66 on Dec 28, 2006 8:45 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

66

Great post.

Put this up in the diary. This deserves to stand out on its own. And if you can find the link to that Dohn quote one of us will help you embed it in your posts.

So please put this up in the diaries.

Yeah I don't think UCLA will fire KD ... but this kind of commentary needs to stand out on its own.

Thanks so much. Keep it coming.

GO BRUINS.

by Nestor on Dec 28, 2006 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly right 66

Who really was surprised by yesterday? That's the problem.

by greatgymnasticsschool on Dec 28, 2006 9:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

What a joke!

All I can say is 'what a joke!' I won't quite say I was on the 'save the Dorrell' bandwagon after the $C win, but who didn't want to believe in KD as coach of the Bruins after that HUGE upset??

I realized coming into the FSU bowl game that this would be an important victory, IF we got it. And now that the game has come and gone, I realize that it was an even bigger game than we imagined. Had we beaten FSU last night, KD would have more or less earned the right to coach another season, that being said, his victory over SUC pretty much renewed his stay for another year. And now we're stuck with what will undoubtedly be another year of mediocrity.

I hope to god Dorrell comes back with an entirely NEW OUTLOOK in September. He has to know his job is on the line. We have no business losing virtually any games next year, given our veterans on the roster, Dorrell's FOUR years at the helm, the parity in the Pac-10 (which the Bruins SHOULD beat soundly every year, but they often don't). If the Bruins lose more than let's say two games next year, he should be fired. It's basically time.

Not only was he outcoached last night, he basically didn't breathe any fire into that team. We should have been up 24-10 at the half, and then scored methodically on them about two-three times in the second half perhaps giving up ONE TD in the process. Had they played the way they did against SUC, the final score should have gone something like 38-17 or something. Instead we got flattened in the 4th quarter. Simply outrun and outplayed and outmuscled.

One doesn't ever see $C crumble in a game like this, let alone the Floridas, Miamis, Ohio States or Michigans of our time. Let's face it folks, we are a a perennial second-tier school.

This has to stop now.

Cowan for the most part played good enough to win (save for the last five minutes). The running game and OL was basically solid. Receivers were usually open (though Cowan DID miss a few times)... the D was ok for the most part, except for two-three big plays and of course those horrible special teams... ST's basically are responsible for about 14-17 points.

FSU didn't outplay us, we gave it away. Once again, typical of the KD era... demote Dorrell to Off. Coord. and hire new blood:

Rick Neuheisel!!! Where are you?

WS Montano
class of 1994

by wsmontano1994 on Dec 28, 2006 9:56 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Bruin Elder...

Some of us believe you may have a unique connection to the football program, and you have often provided thoughtful comments about the program. What are your thoughts on the coaching staff post emerald bowl?

(not to flame, just curious)

by uclaw1 on Dec 28, 2006 10:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Coaches coach...but Players play...

...and FSU's players put it on that ass in the second half. End of story.

Believe me, a wet fart could outcoach FSU's offensive staff, but when the players decide they want to play, they are a lot better than whatever UCLA can put on the field.

by nafselon on Dec 28, 2006 12:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

And that is EXACTLY why...

KD should have closed the door on them early, when he had a chance to demoralize them by scoring touchdowns instead of settling for FGs. Players can decide to play all they want. Poor play calls and poorly designed plays suck the motivation out of any player.

by tasser10 on Dec 28, 2006 1:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs