The Glorified Sub. at South Central

by Nestor on Dec 6, 2006 10:29 AM PST in Football

I am sure everyone here has their own memorable moments from last Saturday's game. I had a bunch of them. And one of my favorite was this:

Thanks again goes out to snipestreet dot com for that priceless screen cap.

Yes that's the deer-in-the-headlights-I-am-a-poser-headcoach look I used to see almost every Sunday when I lived in Bean town from 96 to 99. That's the look I used to see in the Globe and the Herald's sports sections on Mondays after the usual pathetic performances from a Pete Carroll "coached" Patriots.

You see most of the Southern Cal bandwagoning tools don't know this. Pom Pom was never exactly a great leader as a football coach. He was basically a reject, a toolshed NFL head coach, who was a pretty good defensive coordinator (I thought he did a good job with the Niners as a DC for year), but he was quiet possibly one of the worst head coaches ever to work in the NFL. Here is Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sportsguy calling, Pom Pom out as Steve Lavin of the NFL:

I STILL can't shake the feeling that Pete Carroll sucks as a coach. I know, I know ... he's great in college. It's indisputable. He gives his team a certain level of confidence that other teams just don't have, and they never stop pushing the envelope. Still, watching him stomp around on the sidelines as the game was seemingly slipping away, I was talking on the phone to my father, and Dad was giggling and saying, "Look at Pete, we've seen that deer-in-the-headlights routine before, haven't we?" And we both started laughing. Keep in mind, the guy has won like 28 straight games in college. Then, when Pete was "pretending" to call for the fake spike on the last play -- and the NBC announcers believed him, even though it seemed like his acting coach was Andrew Shue -- I just couldn't handle it. HOW IS THIS GUY A GREAT COLLEGE COACH???? What's happening here? He's the EXACT SAME GUY as he was in New England?

Simmons jotted down that bit while watching the Irish-Trojan game from 2005. Pom Pom won that day riding the talents of Ball Room dancer and Reggie "House" Bush. But Simmons was still on the money on Pom Pom being one of the worst coaches ever to work in the NFL.

Simply put Pom Pom's New England's teams were a joke. They were disorganized, undisciplined, and always played without much focus or interest. And keep in mind Pom Pom didn't take over exactly a mediocre NFL team. He took over a team, which Bill Parcells had built into a Super Bowl team, losing to Green Bay in the 1997 Super Bowl. Yet in 3 years Pom Pom drove that organization into a ditch (before being built up by Bellichik and Brady) which led to him getting fired for the second time in as many opportunities he got as an NFL head coach. In his first opportunity he got fired as the head coach of the New York Jets, just after one season.

Yes Carroll was nothing short of a joke as the New York Jets head coach, as his team imploded down the stretch losing 4 games in a row, after starting the season 6-5. From the Wiki:

Optimism was high for the 1994 season when the Jets started the season 6-5 and played Miami on November 27. The Jets won a number of dramatic games, including a thrilling home overtime win against the Denver Broncos. However, the season was defined by the game against the Dolphins, and specifically a play from Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. After the Jets had dominated the Dolphins for much of the afternoon, Marino fooled Jet defender Aaron Glenn into thinking that he would spike the ball to stop the clock, then threw the winning touchdown to Mark Ingram with less than a minute left for an improbable victory. The play came to be known as "The Fake Spike," and ultimately would prove an unrecoverable blow to the Jets' momentum. The Jets would lose their last four games, finishing the season 6-10, last place in the AFC East. Carroll was fired after only one season and replaced by former Philadelphia Eagles coach Rich Kotite.

I remember that play by Marino really well. Remember watching it from the pizza joint at Cooperage (if it is still there). But anyways Carroll turned out to be a joke and I think from there on he went on to be the DC for the Niners and did a decent job, which led him to getting a second chance in New England.

And once again I will let Bill Simmons tell you exactly how the Pats felt about Pom Pom, who Simmons tagged as "Coach Fredo" (emphasis mine):

Once upon a time, back when I was still living in Boston, Pete Carroll did a terrible job coaching the New England Patriots. Eventually, they fired him. But not before I gave him the nickname "Coach Fredo" on my old Web site.

Deep down, I always felt bad about it. Pete seemed like a good guy. Of course, that was the problem -- there wasn't anything coach-like about him. His teams consistently screwed up and did dumb things. His players consistently walked all over him and found trouble off the field. Even in his press conferences, beat writers found ways to undermine him and make him look bad. Poor Pete carried himself like a giddy substitute teacher for an inner-city high school, the high-energy dude who strolls in hoping to change everyone for the better and ends up getting duct-taped to his desk and covered with gobs of whiteout. That was Pete Carroll in New England.

That was from a LIVEBLOG following last year's Rose Bowl. You can read the whole entry by going here. Wonder if Simmons will follow up following Coach Fredo's latest debacle at the Rose Bowl.

Anyways thankfully after all these years the real Pete Carroll is getting exposed in Los Angeles, which of course is currently owned by the UCLA football program.

We have already shown how Pom Pom's "student athletes" have turned Southern Cal into Miami of the West. They have become a joke of a college program making a mockery of the concept of "student-athletes."

And now after departures of the Ball Room Dancer and Reggie - Free House - Bush Carroll once again is getting exposed as nothing short of a glorified substitute teacher, who can coach a little defense (although apparently he is not as good as our DeWayne Walker).

Pom Pom's offense is clearly missing Chow. They have been getting away most of the year overpowering lesser talented teams because they just come at you with 5 star recruits at every position. But when they get punched in the mouth, they get exposed as nothing short a Dorrell like offense which is boring and predictable. And I got news for those delusional Trojan fans. It ain't gonna be a quick fix by firing your OC. You still have Pom Pom in charge.

Meanwhile, rumors are heating up about Pom Pom looking for an escape route from South Central. Stories are brewing about how the academic types (yes there are some of those over at Southern Cal) who are getting sick and tired of Carroll's on campus goons.

Up until now Pom Pom has been thriving with unquestioned support from the Southern Cal boosters, who really care about nothing except for their semi-professional football program. But now that Pom Pom is on the verge of a different kind of "3-Pete" at the Rose Bowl, he may be losing the core of his support around Southern Cal.

Plus you still have the ongoing investigations around Bush. We haven't heard the final resolutions around those issues. So no wonder rumors are heating up Pom Pom leaving Southern Cal at the end of season or sometime soon.

So all this will set up for some interesting theater during this upcoming Rose Bowl. Watch for that deer-in-the-headlight look again coming from giddy substitute teacher leading his group of campus goons from Southern Cal.

GO BRUINS and GO BLUE.

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Comments

Pats fans

Every last Pats fan I know, including the ones that went to Fig Tech, absolutely hate the guy for what he did to New England. There is absolutely no way anyone in their right mind would ever hire this guy back for the NFL; however, good thing for the Humanitarian is that the NFL is rife with plenty of owners who AREN'T in their right mind, so maybe he's actually got a chance.

Personally, I still think the Raiders are the best fit, considering the type of (off-the-field) talent he seems to like. Plus, same fans. Yagzhemesh!

by stevenucla on Dec 6, 2006 10:21 AM PST 0 recs

Second that

My brother is a Pats fan, and spent much of high school pissed at Carroll.

Still, I have my doubts he's bolting anytime soon. He has such a gravy train in South Central, it isn't funny. Why would he want to leave that? Even if it is money, I'm sure he has so many more perks there than he could get anywhere in the NFL.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 12:24 PM PST up 0 recs

Why would Pom-Pom leave

He doesn't have to worry about that pesky "salary cap" while he's in South Central.

by Fox 71 on Dec 6, 2006 1:12 PM PST up 0 recs

Coop Pizza is gone...

...and has been replaced by a Taco Bell. =(

by JWongUCLA on Dec 6, 2006 11:32 AM PST 0 recs

What?

Taco Bell left my senior year (I think). It used to be by the pool.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 12:21 PM PST up 0 recs

Yeah, now they're inside The Cooperage.

by JWongUCLA on Dec 6, 2006 12:24 PM PST up 0 recs

it closed during in 2004

the Taco bell off Bruin Walk, Though the cooperage pizza place was still open then.

by bruinhoo on Dec 6, 2006 2:54 PM PST up 0 recs

Then I stand corrected

Maybe I stopped eating it senior year because I was so burned out at that point. :)

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 3:43 PM PST up 0 recs

That sucks....

that the Pizza place is gone. The Taco Bell was a staple of my diet my Freshman year. Those dining coupons got me 2 tacos supreme and a water cup. Probably cost me about 5 years of my life though.

by MOlson on Dec 6, 2006 12:25 PM PST up 0 recs

The new taco deal

is 1 dollar fish tacos at Rubio's on Tuesdays.

Needless to say, I eat too many fish tacos.

by Tydides on Dec 6, 2006 12:27 PM PST up 0 recs

Nothing wrong with fish tacos

I'm thinking about heading to Ackerman to buy a T-shirt and maybe some other goodies.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 12:28 PM PST up 0 recs

T-shirts

Here it is. Just click on this baby:

I think I will have to order it.

by bluestreet on Dec 6, 2006 12:31 PM PST up 0 recs

Oh, I know that

I work in Westwood, so I can save on the shipping by going to campus. Didn't get there today. Maybe tomorrow.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 1:36 PM PST up 0 recs

20% Faculty/Staff discount Dec 6-7

As an alum and currently on the UCLA staff, I will definitely be getting some BearWear today.

by JWongUCLA on Dec 6, 2006 12:32 PM PST up 0 recs

Yeah the Pizza oven broke down too many times

And by broke down I mean caught fire.

Also for those of you wanting to get those T-shirts, they are flying off the shelves. My suggestion, if you can't get to the store by tomorrow, would be to order them off the web. At least then you are guaranteed to get one. The store barely got them in today and couldn't even fold them up nicely before people tore through them.

by isodore on Dec 6, 2006 2:05 PM PST up 0 recs

Good to know

I'll make it a point to get there tomorrow. If not, the web is a go place to go.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 2:11 PM PST up 0 recs

Just so you know...

my friend at the store says they're out of the T-shirts right now, but that they will get their emergency reorder of all the Big game merchandise in the early afternoon. So if you are making the trip to the store, I would suggest getting there in the 2-3pm range so they have time to receive it and put it out and you don't have to sit around waiting.

by isodore on Dec 6, 2006 5:33 PM PST up 0 recs

Damn

I usually take lunch about 12:30. Maybe I will just order online.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 7, 2006 8:59 AM PST up 0 recs

Just for the record

I think my favorite image is Pom Pom shaking his head before going to shake Dorrell's hand. I could watch a loop of that every day.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 12:27 PM PST 0 recs

Something very disturbing

did anyone else notice how Chetey Petey put his fingers on Dorrell's face when they met to hand shake?

Just really weird. It came across as very condescending and fit the profile of this a**hole being a pompous, conceited, spoiled jerk.

by bluestreet on Dec 6, 2006 1:05 PM PST up 0 recs

I noticed that he patted him on the neck

I'll have to watch the video again, not that I have a problem with that.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 1:34 PM PST up 0 recs

You are probably right

It probably was on the neck. It looked very bizarre (kind of creepy) when I watched it.

by bluestreet on Dec 6, 2006 1:37 PM PST up 0 recs

I characterized it

As an adult resolving something with a child. Some here have said it was condesending. I just think it was odd.

by bruinbabe2000 on Dec 6, 2006 1:43 PM PST up 0 recs

It was a slap on the face

And very condescending. I wrote about that as well. It was a very classless move.

by insomniacslounge on Dec 6, 2006 3:55 PM PST up 0 recs

Even more classless by Petey

was the way he smugly imitated a boxer warming up his shoulders before the game even started. If he's such a fan of Wooden, then why is he so arrogant?

by bornagainbruin on Dec 6, 2006 7:40 PM PST up 0 recs

He still a great coach!

Yes I don't like the guy, but he is a hell of college football coach. Steve Spurrier couldn't coach in the NFL but he still is great College Football coach too.

For everything his team does off the field and the idiots that play football there, he at least has them prepared each game. So his teams show up and have a swagger about them.

Look in the last 5 years his record is 58-6 and 3 national championships. So he might be arrogant but so would a lot of people with that much success.

My point his he can coach period and his record speaks for itself. We might not like him as person or a humanitarian, but we need to respect what he does on the field! Facts are facts.

This is a great win for our program, but USC will be back again next year; and I hope we can become a national powerhouse like they are!

by abby8065 on Dec 6, 2006 12:34 PM PST 0 recs

I want UCLA to be a powerhouse

but I will not stand for us being a powerhouse by having bunch of thugs and goons posing as college students.

And it's easy to recruit at Southern Cal given uh ... well I will leave that up to what people talk about in background.

Let's just say if Dorrell had Southern Cal re$ource$ he'd be able to waltz in with top-5 classes too.

by bluestreet on Dec 6, 2006 12:37 PM PST up 0 recs

harumph

Well put. I completely agree.

by insomniacslounge on Dec 6, 2006 3:57 PM PST up 0 recs

True

True about the thugs and goons at Southern Cal,
but you still have to coach and run plays for these thugs, and they have to be prepared to play on Game Day.

I am just saying Carroll Can Coach. You can have all the talent but not still win. We use to have Steve Lavin, he recruited well, but couldn't coach to save his life.

by abby8065 on Dec 6, 2006 12:53 PM PST 0 recs

Pom Pom can coach defense

but as far as coaching offense or teaching young kids how to become mature, responsible, grown ups ... not so much.

I don't want anyone like Pom Pom's character ever to wear UCLA blue and gold. He is a disgrace.

by Nestor on Dec 6, 2006 12:55 PM PST up 0 recs

Pete Carroll's expression

I kinda want to use his =( face as an avatar or buddy icon now.

by JWongUCLA on Dec 6, 2006 1:40 PM PST 0 recs

that's a mouse pad

if I ever saw one

by bruin95 on Dec 6, 2006 4:46 PM PST 0 recs

That t-shirt is pathetic.

This "season" is 7-5 and a f'ing Emerald Bowl. WHY IS EVERYONE HAPPY WITH THAT? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?

And I gotta be honest, you talk about whining SC fans, how on earth can you bash Carroll as a coach? I can see making fun of his looks as he's going down in flames and certainly enjoying beating him, but face it, he's built one of the best dynasties in the history of college football. Period. LOOK IN THE MIRROR, at UCLA we're ecstatic just to get a win off off the guy and his off year is a Pac-10 Championship. (remember how that was our goal until like the third week of the season?)

Accept reality and then maybe we can start beating him more and maybe pick up our first national championship EVER! (and don't give me that '54 UPI crap unless you were there).

by badfootballschool on Dec 6, 2006 4:56 PM PST 0 recs

bfs

I don't think anyone here on BN needs lectures on holding the program accountable for higher standards.

The Southern Cal game win was a big deal. It was a huge boost for all of us.

It's ok to enjoy it.

Those t-shirts are kind of funny. I will buy it because I can give couple of Trojan fans I know a hard time with it.

And yeah I am not gratified with this over all season and if we don't finish the job against FSU we are going to come down hard on KD.

But for now it's ok to enjoy this week.

And in terms of the main point of this post I don't think Pom Pom is a good coach. And I go way far back on following his careers then most Trojan supporrters or lot of Bruin supporters here, folks from LA who didn't follow him closely before SuC settled on him few years ago.

So please don't come here lecturing me or anyone else about "reality."

by Nestor on Dec 6, 2006 6:03 PM PST up 0 recs

The T-Shirt is terrific!!!!

The T-Shirt is terrific, and it is this year's Christmas present for a lot of my family and other Bruins who I know will appreciate it. The game was an unforgetable day and experience for me at every single level -- as a sporting event, as a rivalry event, as human drama, as a character play, as a contest between individuals, as a contest of teams, as a challenge of wills, etc etc, etc. There were also moments in it that I will always be able to remember as clearly as I saw them there: the team huddle, the tipped and caught ball, etc etc. Thank you Nestor and crew for the photos, charts, graphs, and for keeping the celebration going. Keep the spirit up, and let's move forward!!!! Go Bruins!!!

by converso on Dec 6, 2006 5:58 PM PST 0 recs

That's not what the shirt says.

It says you're happy with mediocrity as long as you can spoil the year for a good team.

by badfootballschool on Dec 6, 2006 6:01 PM PST 0 recs

Your view is not my view.....

You can view the world as you choose to view it, and if the message you wish to see is one of mediocrity, I wish you well. Your view is not my view. Just as your screen name may well convey your view of the Bruins today on December 6 (badfootballschool), that would not be my view today on December 6.... There is no reason for you to correct me -- we simply see the world through a different lens. Neither of us is "right" -- it is all opinion.... and my opinion is not yours. But God bless you and your right to speak as you wish.

by converso on Dec 6, 2006 6:43 PM PST up 0 recs

Who cares about what he did at the Pats?

Sorry if you took it as a lecture, I certainly didn't mean it to be. I just get frustrated by the selective nature of the support / bashing that seems to be prevalent amongst UCLA fans and leads to low expectations. (IE: Carrol is a bad coach, just forget the last 4 years... or the discussion turns to thugs but fails to mention beating up helpless laptop users at Denny's)

Making a shirt about a specific win short of a national championship (or maybe BCS bowl) is lame. Act like you've been there before or if you haven't, that you expect to be.

Yes, it was a huge win. Yes we should BUILD on it, not treat it as the pinnacle.

by badfootballschool on Dec 6, 2006 6:21 PM PST 0 recs

Whoa

No one here thinks of the WIN as a pinnacle, just as a nice Christmas treat. We're just trying to enjoy the week, and trust me, we'll be back to holding KD and Co. accountable soon enough.

And yes, Pom Pom sucks. I watched enough NFL back then to know that.

by stevenucla on Dec 6, 2006 7:24 PM PST up 0 recs

Dude

Don't buy the shirt, okay? We get it. No it's not the national championship, PAC 10 championship, etc., but no matter how you spin it, it WAS A SIGNIFICANT WIN! I don't think I have to elaborate why, and it seems that you have been following the Bruins for at least as long as I have, so you should be feeling good about this win like the rest of us. The shirt celebrates the win, not the season. I'll take 2!

by godblesstyus95 on Dec 6, 2006 7:41 PM PST up 0 recs

Blinded by hatred.

Nestor won't admit it, but if Carroll was the coach at any other school, he would be showing Carroll the respect he deserves. He would be wondering why UCLA can't get a coach like that. Carroll and the SC football program deserve a ton of respect for what they have accomplished.

That shirt acknowledges just how good the SC football program has been. If they were not any good and Carroll was just another coach, we would not have a t-shirt celebrating that lone victory.

You can hate your enemy for what he represents. That doesn't mean that you're obligated to disregard his accomplishments. One can acknowledge an enemy's skill on the field of battle while seeing that enemy as the devil himself. I hate Carroll and the Trojans as much as the next Bruin, but I will not lie to myself about what they have done.

You're right. Even here on Bruins Nation, where the fans expect more from the program, UCLA fans stick their noses in the air and pretend to be above it all. We have our own problems with team behavior. Medlock? Ward? Hale? The drinking that went on before the Las Vegas Bowl? Should we just pretend like those things never happened? Sure, SC has had more trouble with behavior, but we're not innocent. The behavior of the players at SC is the only thing UCLA fans have been able to talk about because they certainly have not been able to say anything about the product on the field.

Winning is everything. You know what Carroll did after that game ended? He went immediately right back to his office and he watched tape to try to figure out what went wrong. He is obsessed with victory. He wants more titles and more wins. That is ambition. I respect that. We need that type of fire. We need that type of desire. We need that type of intensity. We displayed something like that last Saturday for the first time in a long time. We must continue to have that.

by Bruin Roar on Dec 6, 2006 8:05 PM PST up 0 recs

Inability to seperate

Are you kidding me? Winning and championships do not excuse behavioral problems. You talk about Carroll getting the "respect he deserves". What he deserves is credit for the winning, and he deserves blame for losing control of his program. Carroll is a college coach, and is therefore held to a different standard than NFL coaches. If he were an NFL coach, then yes, as you say, "winning is everything".

He has an obligation and a duty to do what he can to develop these people as human beings as well as football players. As the rap sheet as well as the antics of his former players clearly show: he has miserably failed in this regard.

Your assertion that we pretend to be above it all is also way off base. Here at BN we were vocal in our demand that Hale and Ward be dealt with appropriately for their actions. You can look it up, it's all there. I can find a lot of things about KD to criticize, but discipline is not one of them. What happened to those guys that were drinking before the LV bowl? Did they play in the game? Did Medlock play in the Sun Bowl after his arrest? The difference as far as disciplinary action is night and day, and KD teaches his players to be accountable for their actions. Stop pretending like it isn't important.

It sounds like the only blind hatred here is by you, on KD. I prefer to stay objective, and discuss his failures on the field as well as his successes off of it. Off the field incidents embarrass the university far more than the score of any football game could ever do.

I hope I never see the day where we sell our soul as an educational institution for some wins in football. It is not worth it. Please gain some perspective.

by Tydides on Dec 6, 2006 9:36 PM PST up 0 recs

Re: Inability to seperate

Unless the NCAA chooses to lower the boom on SC for "Bushgate", few if any people outside of the UCLA fan base will remember Carroll as someone who lost control of his program. Where is this great embarrassment you speak of? All I see is the media giving Carroll and the program tons of credit for being so dominant. And I see the University of Southern California gaining in academic prestige while all of this goes on. Nobody out there cares. It's nice to have good kids and discipline, but at the end of the day, it's about who won and who lost. Yes, winning is everything.

We must hold ourselves to a higher standard, but don't pretend that the rest of the world cares. I don't hear Bob Costas or Bryant Gumble commenting on the behavioral problems at SC. Outside of our true blue and gold world, Carroll is not looked at in such a negative light. Nobody outside of the UCLA fan base seems to think of him as "Cheatey Petey."

I have not argued that behavior is unimportant or that Dorrell is worse than Carroll when it comes to discipline. Behavior most certainly is important and Dorrell has been better about disciplining his players. My point is that we are not perfect and that we have focused on behavioral problems at SC because our own program has been so mediocre. Would we care as much about their lack of control if we had a winning program that consistently competed with them? I doubt it.

For now, we can pound our chests about how great we are at disciplining our players. I'd like a winning football program to go along with the discipline. We can have both.

And please drop the "we here at BN were saying this" talk. I've been reading this blog since it first started as "Fire Karl Dorrell.com." I've been reading this thing on an almost daily basis since it started. I'm no outsider, my fellow Bruin.

by Bruin Roar on Dec 6, 2006 11:54 PM PST up 0 recs

If you have been here since the beginning

then you should already know about that which I speak of. The point is that discipline and off the field issues SHOULD be a minor issue, and at UCLA they largely are in comparison to our on the field issues because KD deals with these things and holds his players accountable for their actions.

We focus on the scandals at SUC not just because we are their rivals, but because it's right in front of our faces. You say we would not focus on their unlawful behavior if they were not successful. I disagree. Do we not still remember who Todd Marijuanavich is? The fact that their embarrassing off the field issues keeps pace with their success on the field is a story.

I'm not suggesting that we pound our chests just because we discipline our players, but it is a pronounced difference from what happens across town, when a guy who assaults another student is not punished, but is rather awarded a start in his next game. I know I don't have to repeat this laundry list for you, since you've been here since the beginning.

I know in the high of what has taken place recently there are some concerns that we have stopped putting the pressure on KD for his on the field performance, but that is something that you shouldn't really worry about here. I know I'm certainly not convinced of KD's coaching abilities yet, but I will not be ashamed to admit that I want to be convinced. I think it is clear that the upcoming bowl game is another "must win" for KD if he ever wants to convince us that he is not the football Steve Lavin. If we come out of that game with a loss, his seat should feel awfully toasty, and I'll be one of the ones piling the logs on.

You say we can have a winning football program and the discipline. That we can have both. I couldn't agree more. However, I will not sit back and admire the job Carroll has done, because he has failed where I believe it counts. The win column is important, but equally important is developing your players into respectable human beings.

by Tydides on Dec 7, 2006 12:52 AM PST up 0 recs

Oh, and just a side note

I wasn't meaning to make you sound like an outsider earlier. I think we agree about a vast majority of the points concerning the direction of the football program. So again, no disrespect intended.

by Tydides on Dec 7, 2006 1:10 AM PST up 0 recs

No problem. :)

by Bruin Roar on Dec 7, 2006 3:46 PM PST up 0 recs

Uh no

you clear have no idea WTF are you talking about.

even if Pom Pom was coaching at Michigan I would still think he is a clown.

by Nestor on Dec 7, 2006 4:51 AM PST up 0 recs

Then why does it say the season?

Sorry, couldn't help but ask.

by badfootballschool on Dec 6, 2006 7:44 PM PST 0 recs

One could argue that...

the season means the Holiday season. After all the shirt came in along with the one that says "Yes Bruins, There is a Santa Claus." I'm just sayin'...

This site of all places should not be getting lectured for accepting mediocrity. This place comes down harder on KD than just about everybody else. We all should be happy that the team played to its potential against SC. We can also celebrate winning the Big game for the first time since the ninties. And we all are a little pissed inside that we had to endure so much mediocrity before we could see this win. KD doesn't have a pass. He has earned a chance to redeem himself. If he shows he has 'turned the corner' against FSU and beyond by moving past mediocrity then we will more be accepting. Otherwise we will be back to the petitions and so forth. Simply put, we are not the Bruin Blue board.

by isodore on Dec 6, 2006 8:26 PM PST 0 recs

I thought about that

But if it were a reference to the holiday season the shirt would have to have some holiday image to make that clear, right?

And, fine, even though I've been getting my hopes up after single wins or okay seasons for close to three decades, I'll try not to be so bitter going into the Emerald bowl. I truly hope this is a watershed moment, but when you've been fooled 50 times, who is that shame on then?

by badfootballschool on Dec 7, 2006 8:52 AM PST up 0 recs

I disagree with this post

I really think we sound stupid if we call PC a sub and look at how crappy he was in the NFL. Who cares when he brought USC 1.5 championships and has created a talent black hole that sucks up every 5-star recruit north of Tiajuana? It sounds desperate.

by BruinFan1 on Dec 7, 2006 1:49 AM PST 0 recs

As do I

I am perhaps more disgruntled with PC's lack of control over his players than I would have been if I weren't a bruin, but there is no denying his prowess in bringing wins to his program.
Yes, he has some massive disciplinary problems that will probably come flying out of the closet in the future. But as far as the W-L column is concerned, he's the king of the Pac-10 AND pretty much all of college football.
Several years ago I was hoping that all of his success would be a fluke but he has proved otherwise that he does know how to win.

PC may be a winner on the field, but what happens off of the field will probably hold greater repercussions in the long term. Now his 3pete or whatever he claims to have is a lame egg laid by the media... He has only won one. But regardless, he's been up top for a long time - enough to prove that he's not a fluke.

by crazybunz on Dec 7, 2006 7:15 AM PST 0 recs

BUT

that doesn't mean I wasn't happy with him falling apart during our game. I'll admit, I laughed and giggled like a schoolgirl. And to clarify, I'm not saying get Petey off the hook with his off-the-field issues, but attacking his ability to win (in college anyways) doesn't hold too well.

by crazybunz on Dec 7, 2006 7:18 AM PST up 0 recs

I think you all miss the point

Look, this discussion is getting tired. I think some people here are missing the point of all these posts, which is that Bruins Nation is just simply tired of all the MSM ("mainstream media" for those who are missing the point) not doing their jobs properly and just getting down on their knees to rehash the same crap every other reporter does.

Basically, BN's main purpose is trying to present an alternate view to the current MSM view that Pete Carroll (and I'll use his acutal name here) is somehow the greatest football coach in the past 25 years, and that his shit doesn't stink, which anyone who doesn't blindly drink the kool-aid knows isn't true. We're just presenting an alternate view to hold the MSM to task, to get them to see that, "Hey, maybe we should be a bit more objective in our reporting."

by stevenucla on Dec 7, 2006 7:38 AM PST 0 recs

I agree it's getting tired

But I'm glad to confirm people see things similarly in regards to expectations, however forgotten they are (rightfully I reluctantly admit) for this week.

As for discipline and control problems, all major schools have these issues, it's unavoidable with groups of kids as large as a football team that fights, DUI's, etc are going to happen. Dorrell has done a great job with this and as is often said here, the problem isn't with KD as a man or a coach but what happens on Saturdays...

But... if KD had any players as good as Reggie Bush, he would have Bushgate like problems... Not to defend Pete because yes, he's a tool, but the agents are a major problem that the NFL should do something about because the NCAA can't handle it.

by badfootballschool on Dec 7, 2006 8:48 AM PST 0 recs

Expectations

Most people are with you, but like I've said for myself earlier, I'm giving KD a pass for the week, just so I can enjoy the win. I'm fairly certain that once the week is over, and our team starts getting ready for FSU, we're going to get right back and start pointing out the issues. I personally have a list of issues I want to bring up about the game, as I'm sure many people here do, but I think most people are just trying to enjoy the WIN for at least a few days.

As for Bush-gate-like problems, I don't accept that in order to get good talent, you HAVE to take the bad with the good. I point to our Ben-ball team, with nary a squeak about off-court issues. Shoot, even Southern Cal's team, which is even barely worthy of mention in any serious college BB discussion, has A LOT more problems off court than our FB team.

I know that it's easier to handle 15 players than 80+ on a team, but at the same time, I still think that many of the off-field/off-court problems that PC and Floyd have arent't related to agents, but rather that they knew what they were getting when they initially recruited these problem players and yet they still choose to look the other way.

by stevenucla on Dec 7, 2006 9:04 AM PST up 0 recs