Back To Football

by Nestor on Apr 18, 2008 4:04 AM PDT in Football

Chris Foster from the Times on how CRN and his coaches brought everyone’s focus back to football:

Whatever anger or unhappiness first-year Coach Rick Neuheisel had about the players leaving practice dissipated, though he made them climb the wall to leave practice Thursday -- something they did not do Tuesday.

"They did it right this time," Neuheisel said, as players -- and offensive line coach Bob Palcic -- scurried over the seven-foot wall.

The moment, which followed a Neuheisel meeting with the team Thursday morning, seemed to conclude the matter in a humorous way, with television cameras from a local sports channel watching. Neuheisel also said that apologies were sent out Thursday morning to the high school coaches and players who came to practice Tuesday.

"It probably wasn't the best decision to make, but we learned from it," senior quarterback Ben Olson said. "We did it as a team and we can't dwell on what happened."

A harsh workout as punishment was not part of the lesson, as the Bruins prepared for the second of three scrimmages.

"There was no shouting and hollering," defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said about the Thursday morning meeting. "He just said he was mad that we didn't go over the wall."

Harwell also said, "As a team we're going to make it up to the coaches. Whether it's watching film or being on the field without the coaches, we'll make it up. We can run a practice ourselves."

I am not going to do any more over the wall posts from my end. I am done. I think the seniors have gotten message that it was a dumb move on their part, which made our program look bad both at local and national level. However, there is no reason to keep beating them over it again and again. I like the fact that CRN didn’t over-react by dolling out suspensions or doing something drastic as pulling scholies (per the rumors we heard yesterday) and gave the appearance that he was reacting to public pressure.

If CRN and his staff came out with some suspensions and dramatically alter yesterday’s practice, it actually would have probably blown up this small story (which seems significant at a time when there is not much going in the sports world except for never ending NBA/NHL playoffs and baseball action that puts everyone to sleep) into an artificially "bitter" controversy.

By having the whole team actually jump over the wall this time including the coaches, it will get the players to buy into him even more. I am going to bet that if tradition is sustained it’s not going to take place during spring practices but some other time in the year when missing one practice will have no discernible impact.

Speaking of tradition CRN brough back more than hundred alums back to practice yesterday (from the LAT report linked above):

About 125 former UCLA players were in attendance at practice, along with former head coach Terry Donahue and his former offensive coordinator, Homer Smith. Donahue addressed the team after practice, which was followed by a barbecue at a booster's home.

Good to see Homer Smith back at Spaulding. For the youngsters who don’t know who remember who Coach Smith, consider him as first "genius" offensive coordinator to coach at Spaulding.

Anyway, going back to football, Dohn reports on how our receivers are finding the options in Chow’s offense to be simpler:

It used to be UCLA's receivers had two choices on a pass play - run the designed route, or a go-route. It was a source of frustration in a complex, confining system under former coach Karl Dorrell.

Now, when a receiver stands at the line of scrimmage, his job is the look at the defensive backs and one of the linebackers, then choose from a variety of route options off a simple read.

It is simplistic, UCLA's receivers say, but new offensive coordinator Norm Chow's offense provides plenty of freedom.

"The way the play is designed, it's easier to determine which route to do," Bruins receiver Terrence Austin said.

"How it was last year, it was like, `OK, I got two and that's it.' There could have been an alternative route, but it was just not designed in the play. The routes given now are more instinctual. You don't have to think about it. It's common sense."

UCLA fifth-year receiver Marcus Everett said there are at least two or three variations on routes for each play, with go-routes also in the equation.

"We have a couple of read routes where we can do one route, or if the defensive back plays a certain way, we can do another route," Everett said. "It gives a lot of leeway to the receivers. As long as the quarterback and the receivers are on the same page, it'll be a good thing."

Well speaking of QBs, coaches have some center-QB issues to work on (emphasis added):

UCLA Coach RIck Neuheisel said that the center-quarterback exchange was a major issue in practice on Thursday, with C Michah Reed and QB Ben Olson having some major problems. Olson saw a lot of first-team reps on Thursday and Neuheisel estimated there were at least six drops.

Neuheisel said part of the issue may be that Olson is left-handed and the ball must be delivered differently than for the right-handed Pat Cowan. It should also be noted that both QB's are 6-foot-5 and Reed is a somewhat stocky 6-foot-4. Neuheisel said that either the ball is being delivered short or the QB's dont have their hands deep enough under the center.

"It's absolutely driving me crazy and the only way I know how to do it is bombard it with attention," Neuheisel said. "So we have to go back to the drawing board. I think we can get there.

"The only thing I can think of is its a different top hand. We just have to make sure we get that problem solved."

Hmm … little details … driving CRN "crazy."

Anyone miss the days of a football coach "sleeping well"?

GO BRUINS.

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I'm a big fan of Robert Greene

I finished the art of seduction, 48 Laws of Power and am now going through the 33 strategies of War. I recommend all these books to anyone who has to deal with people. Which should be everyone.

One thing Greene harps on in War is how you can't view victories and defeats as static concepts. Plenty of victories lead to ruin and plenty of defeats serve as wake up calls. Also: image is everything. While the Ditch Day was dumb and a minor setback we should take Nestor's advice and not declare the 2008 football season over.

Consider William the Conqueor's Norman conquest of England in 1066. He gets off the ship that lands on British soil, loses his balance and does a FACEPLANT on the beach! With everyone watching and wondering all sorts of things, one of which no doubt was, "No WAY we successfully invade England with this oaf as leader," he grabbed two handfuls of sand and said, "This is the first of England we conquer!" to the rousing cheers of all who witnessed it.

Or something like that. I read it in a middle school history book and can find it NOWHERE on the internets. THE POINT IS he turned a complete and public embarrassment into something he controlled. CRN saying, "Do it right this time, go over the wall" turned a very public embarrassment into something he could control.

by Seanny Rotten on Apr 18, 2008 7:00 AM PDT reply actions

Agree

Coach Neuheisel made this event come out as well as it could have come out. I don't care if Seanny couldn't find the anecdote about William the Conqueror - we now have the story of Coach Neuheisel the Conqueror.

We'll be OK.

Now if we can just conquer that pesky center-QB exchange ....

by Fox 71 on Apr 18, 2008 8:41 AM PDT reply actions

Thoroughly and wholeheartedly disagree..

..WE ARE ABSOLUTELY DOOMED!

I mean we have do-nothing seniors who want to party and take a one-day vacation and couldn't give a fig for the future of football at this school. We have a basketball program that is dissolving before our very eyes: three of our super-stars have opted for big bucks rather than remaining in school to play for a banner. We have an athletic director who doesn't give a crap about the coaches he hires from the head FB and BB coach to the ladies' new BB coach. Our baseball team is crap.

Things will never be the same, our civilization is disintegrating, we'll never get any good recruits in any sport and will be condemned to an eternity of mediocrity and disappointment..

..not!

Sorry, for a moment there, I had a severe attack of MSM-bloviatitus. I'm much better now!

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 18, 2008 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Full Circle!

Leaving the practice over the wall is classic!

by bruinhopeful on Apr 18, 2008 8:42 AM PDT reply actions

Maybe theres a way we can reform the tradition

Maybe the last spring practice could end with the whole team climbing the wall, ready to take on the PAC-10 as a team. What do y'all think?

by FreewayBruin03 on Apr 18, 2008 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions

How's about..

..climbing the wall into the Rose Bowl before the kickoff versus Tennessee?

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 18, 2008 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Hmmmm

I'm so accustomed to the "Right Now" entrance that it might be hard to accept a change there.

by FreewayBruin03 on Apr 18, 2008 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions

This hurts...it really does

OK, so I need to grieve a little bit here. OK, maybe a lot of bit.

I grieve for the loss of wonderful kids who not only provided us with a season of thrills, but also were wonderful representatives of UCLA.

I grieve for the college experience that these kids will lose out on, lured as they are by NBA dollars.

I grieve for the loss of the next generation legacy-makers; the 4-year or 3-year stars of yesteryear UCLA that CBH surrounds his latest crop of kids with each season at the team's BBQ.

I really, really feel for the immense challenge that CBH takes on each and every season of living with uncertainty ("who's staying and who's going") and the insatiable demand of finding the next crop of kids that can come in immediately and play - and may in-turn be gone in a year.

I grieve for the overall state of college basketball that it has been turned into a feedlot for the NBA.

Somehow this all doesn't feel like progress, but it sure is painful.

by bruins2x on Apr 18, 2008 8:48 AM PDT reply actions

UCLA basketball

Along with Bruins2x... This reduces the expectation that fans and coaches can have of a program when you recruit the players who are difference makers then see them bolt for the $$. Maybe we do need to put banners up for the great achievements that the school and its coaching staff have accomplished..... Or at least until the NBA Players Union agrees to a two-three year minimum stay in college for players....
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Apr 18, 2008 8:54 AM PDT reply actions

don't hold your breath

remember the one and done rule is new. these are kids that would've jumped into the league out of high school. remember kevin love said in hs that if the rule didn't exist he would've gone straight into the nba. to think the nba will revisit this anytime soon is highly unlikely. this sort of talk of longing for the years when players stayed their full time is just like the talk of the times when there was no free agency in baseball and football

Across The Face

by rb bruin on Apr 18, 2008 12:08 PM PDT reply actions

Big Props To CRN

He certainly turned a sow's ear into a silk purse here.

Moving on now, seniors, moving on.

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Apr 18, 2008 1:45 PM PDT reply actions

Homer Smith

"Good to see Homer Smith back at Spaulding. For the youngsters who don't know who remember who Coach Smith, consider him as first 'genius' offensive coordinator to coach at Spaulding."

I vividly remember Coach Smith. When he left, our offense went into the toilet. I don't remember the exact dates or the players involved, just the flushing sound.

I don't know if "genius" is a strong enough word for Coach Smith. He was just better at coaching an offense than anyone else in the country, and his offenses were generally better than anyone else's defense. I would have called him an "Offensive Innovater" rather than an "Offensive Coordinator."

I have every reason to believe that Coach Chow will be on a par with Coach Smith. In fact, if he is basically half as good, we'll be OK.

by Fox 71 on Apr 18, 2008 7:17 PM PDT reply actions

Norm reminds me of Homer

in some ways. For example, Chow's approach that the QB is always right. Not true literally, perhaps, but exactly the attitude a team needs to have toward its leader.

Homer's writings and web site (link) is resplendent with just such home-spun wisdom.

Examples: Using Changes of Pace as a Weapon; Why Wait for Virtual Reality?; What the Offense Can Do Successfully Every Time; ...

by Bruinut on Apr 19, 2008 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions