Dorrell continues to be in denial about lack of progress into his fourth year of the program, and continues to spew BS excuses. He was at it again yesterday during his weekly press conference when he was making excuses for his first year offensive coordinator who deservedly is under intense pressure for mind bogglingly stupid play calling in his last two games:
Svoboda has play-calling experience. He spent 10 seasons as offensive coordinator at Northwest Missouri State, which led Division II in scoring in 1998 and 2000.
And while Dorrell can overrule play calls, he said he does not like to because it could stunt the long-term growth of his coordinators.
"I did it more in the past, but they have to grow through this," Dorrell said. "I remember games as a coordinator, myself, where I was like, I wish I would have done that,' after the fact. That happens. It happens, but he'll learn from that. He'll get better. He's really bright. He's a smart guy, and he's learning. He's a hard-working guy and he's had success having this responsibility before."
Uh haven't we as a football program had enough "growing" experience during last three mediocre years under Dorrell? After his first mediocre season Dorrell fired his OC Steve Axeman. After last two years of atrocious defensive performances Dorrell then fired his DC Larry Kerr. At what point UCLA will say to Dorrell enough of this firing and hiring coordinators and time for himself to step up and take responsibility?And while Dorrell can overrule play calls, he said he does not like to because it could stunt the long-term growth of his coordinators.
"I did it more in the past, but they have to grow through this," Dorrell said. "I remember games as a coordinator, myself, where I was like, I wish I would have done that,' after the fact. That happens. It happens, but he'll learn from that. He'll get better. He's really bright. He's a smart guy, and he's learning. He's a hard-working guy and he's had success having this responsibility before."
Dorrell sounds even more clueless in the OC Register's UCLA report today. Here is Robert Kuwada on Dorrell's attempted explanation on what went wrong in Seattle:
"We're learning in that process, too," Dorrell said. "We're learning as we go. I mean, it always gets intensified when you don't win, and I understand that. There are a lot of things that need to be fixed, both from a staff standpoint and a player standpoint, that's got us in this position."
Dorrell defended what Svoboda might have been seeing from the box.
"When you go and replay the first half, we moved the ball pretty well," Dorrell said. "Then we get down there and then we have a couple of formation hiccups, we have guys running the wrong routes and things like that. Then, it looks bad. But up until it got to that point, it wasn't bad at all."
Again I am not sure what planet this guy lives in. We just had two formation "hiccups" in the first half? Bruins should have been up by 28-0 in the first half. And it didn't look it had to as much with formation screwups as it did with woeful playcalls which didn't include a throw into the end zone? I mean how difficult it is to call a freaking fade pattern into the end zone corner? Morons.
Dorrell defended what Svoboda might have been seeing from the box.
"When you go and replay the first half, we moved the ball pretty well," Dorrell said. "Then we get down there and then we have a couple of formation hiccups, we have guys running the wrong routes and things like that. Then, it looks bad. But up until it got to that point, it wasn't bad at all."
One guy who didn't buy any of Dorrell's growing excuses was T.J Simers, who lets the clueless he coach have it in today's LA Times:
[W]hen Bruins safety Chris Horton tells the media, "It happens to every team," no, it just happens to teams that aren't always ready to play.
And that's Karl Dorrell's fault, especially when you take into consideration the importance he placed on conference games this season.
I believed the man when he went giddy on me at Pac-10 media day before the start of the season, telling me the Bruins were going to shock and surprise everyone this season, never dreaming that he meant his team was going to go belly up when everyone least expected it.
He showed me the blue bracelet he was wearing, a reminder to himself and his team that their goal this season was to win the Pac-10 title, and so Saturday the Bruins go out in their first Pac-10 game of the season, against one of the worst teams in the Pac-10, and crumble.
It's inexcusable, and yet when a TV crew asked UCLA defensive lineman Bruce Davis, "What did you learn this past Saturday in Washington?" his telling answer was, "You learn not to take games lightly."
That would suggest the Bruins took Washington lightly, which speaks to not being prepared, and "ultimately it's on me," Dorrell said, and rather than start an argument, I didn't disagree.
"Don't give up on us," Dorrell said. "We still got a chance."
Maybe to finish 6-6.
There is not much you can really add to that.And that's Karl Dorrell's fault, especially when you take into consideration the importance he placed on conference games this season.
I believed the man when he went giddy on me at Pac-10 media day before the start of the season, telling me the Bruins were going to shock and surprise everyone this season, never dreaming that he meant his team was going to go belly up when everyone least expected it.
He showed me the blue bracelet he was wearing, a reminder to himself and his team that their goal this season was to win the Pac-10 title, and so Saturday the Bruins go out in their first Pac-10 game of the season, against one of the worst teams in the Pac-10, and crumble.
It's inexcusable, and yet when a TV crew asked UCLA defensive lineman Bruce Davis, "What did you learn this past Saturday in Washington?" his telling answer was, "You learn not to take games lightly."
That would suggest the Bruins took Washington lightly, which speaks to not being prepared, and "ultimately it's on me," Dorrell said, and rather than start an argument, I didn't disagree.
"Don't give up on us," Dorrell said. "We still got a chance."
Maybe to finish 6-6.
We will start talking about the Stanford game eventually. Although I am not sure exactly how much time we need to spend on a team that lost to Navy. Yes Stanford got BLOWN OUT by Navy, and lost to San Jose State. A well prepared UCLA scout team should be able to demolish Stanford by the second quarter at the Rose Bowl.
But there is the rub isn't it? After more than three years we are never sure whether a Karl Dorrell coached football team will show up well prepared on any given Saturday. We get to look forward to yet another week of growing experience. Hooray!
GO BRUINS.