It was just a matter of time. LA Times has huge puff piece on Karl Dorrell this morning which does nothing to address his record on the field after his arrival in Westwood, and instead focuses on his style as a head coach:
"If UCLA was winning national championships, people would look at Karl Dorrell as this extremely disciplined, poised coach," says Michael Young, a supporter and former college teammate. "But when you're not winning, it looks like you don't care."
A major college coach who doesn't care? Dorrell shakes his head at that one.
People close to him insist there is a side of his personality -- intense, competitive, even loud -- that reveals itself mostly in private. Players point to their Thursday night meetings, such as the one before the Cal game, as an example.
"He talks when he needs to," center Robert Chai says. "He gets worked up and you can see the fire in his eyes."
That, apparently, is the paradox of the man. What you see and what you don't.
Uh whatever. The article which calls Karl "the thinker" is filled with testimonials from his former team-mates and even his wife (kind of like how Laura Bush has been trotted up at various rallies during last few weeks) talks about how Dorrell is intense and focused on practice. Yet nowhere it addresses the central problem of this program, which is eerily similar to another program (in our this year's schedule) was experiencing few years ago (emphasis mine):
A major college coach who doesn't care? Dorrell shakes his head at that one.
People close to him insist there is a side of his personality -- intense, competitive, even loud -- that reveals itself mostly in private. Players point to their Thursday night meetings, such as the one before the Cal game, as an example.
"He talks when he needs to," center Robert Chai says. "He gets worked up and you can see the fire in his eyes."
That, apparently, is the paradox of the man. What you see and what you don't.
White (ND Athletic Director -Ed.) praised Willingham's handling of the team, especially the Irish's strong academic record.
"From Sunday through Friday our football program has exceeded all expectations, in every way," he said. "But on Saturday, we struggled. We've been up and down and sideways a little bit."
In other words it is nice Dorrell has brought back discipline and focus back into practice from Sunday through Friday, but nothing has been really working for UCLA under KD on Saturdays."From Sunday through Friday our football program has exceeded all expectations, in every way," he said. "But on Saturday, we struggled. We've been up and down and sideways a little bit."
The puff piece which is basically a rewrite of Plaschke's idiotic M&M article from last season, does nothing to address the concern of overwhelming majority of UCLA alums, students, and season ticket holders, who are sick and tired of Dorrell leading like a clueless head coach on Saturdays, with his idiotic clock management, mind-boggling conservative game management with no signs of in game adjustments, and embarrassing and disgraceful losses to opponents with inferior talent, who we have no business losing to.
The puff piece does nothing to address the concern how Dorrell hasn't done much to close the talent gap in recruiting with Southern California and, under him, UCLA has fallen behind Cal.
The article indirectly implies how UCLA fans are being unreasonable with a head coach by expecting him to win national championships every year. Nowhere in the article it mentions how under Dorrell, there hasn't been any improvement in UCLA's on field performance compared to Bob Toledo. Dorrell is still winless against Southern California, and winless against teams with over .500 records on the road. Nowhere in the article mentions how UCLA fans are just hungry for a football team which can revive the football traditions this program has built up over the years based on Rose Bowl victories, conference championships, regular top-15 finishes, and even a national championship.
The article doesn't mention how UCLA fans are sick and tired of Dorrell producing underachieving football teams year after year which has come nowhere close to matching his own expectations. And it doesn't mention how at this point everyone has tuned out the sorry, tired, and stale spin of a "growing" and young football team coming out of Dorrell and his minions after every humiliating and disappointing losses every year.
In other words just like many other profile pieces in the LA Times the article is all style over substance and has absolutely nothing do with the heart of matter of what is wrong with Bruin football.
It's an embarrassment and no wonder this once respected newspaper has lost all its marbles. It has become a sad and sorry joke - just like Karl Dorrell.
GO BRUINS.