Spaulding Roundup: Practice Dates, UCLA Pro Day, Price Profile & Other Football Notes

We have less than 7 days left till the football team is back out on Spaulding. CRN fired off the following tweet yesterday:

One week until Bruin Football is back out on Spaulding Field. Looking forward to seeing how much our guys have improved during the offseason.

UCLA re-released it's spring practice schedule yesterday which is available on the official site. UCLA also posted information concerning other athletics events and baseball games going on at the same time. I'd recommend reading through A's post to check out which days work really well as football/baseball doubleheaders.

The spring practice schedule also included information on UCLA's annual "Pro-Day" which is open to press and public:

UCLA will hold its annual Pro Day for seniors to work out for pro scouts from various NFL teams on Tuesday, March 30.

At 12 noon, the seniors will be on the floor of Pauley Pavilion for lifting and jumping tests. Following those activities, the action will move to Spaulding Field for various speed and agility tests.

Pro Day is open to media and the public. Fans are requested to watch from the stands in Pauley Pavilion and from the bleachers on Spaulding Field.

I am guessing Brian Price will not be partaking in this event since he isn't a senior. However, he is not having any trouble generating interesting. The Sporting News recently posted its profile on Price. Russ Lande, who wrote the capsule played up Price's pass rushing skills and initial quickness:

Pass rush: Is an elite interior pass rusher because of his rare athleticism. Uses speed to shoot gaps to make sacks or run the quarterback into a teammate. Shows the strength to press the pocket, and uses hands well to shed blocks. Doesn't bat down many passes or fill throwing lanes. Must improve secondary pass-rush moves. Grade: 8.5

Initial quickness: Has an explosive first move at the snap to blow up plays in the backfield. Maintains good speed to chase down ballcarriers all over the field. Grade: 8.5

You can read rest of the capsule here. Russ notes that Brian has number of areas to improve on which includes improving on his "pursuit" skills and "run/pass recognition." As for the guys who are returning next week more after the flip.

The OC Register is running a series of posts zeroing in all positions.  Their features on QBs talked about the need for Kevin Prince to work on consistency:

Consistency. Prince has proven he can lead the team and keep UCLA competitive. By the end of the season he had shown he can put the Bruins on his back for two-quarter stretches. The Bruins have never asked Prince to win a game by himself but they'll need him to put full games together. The defense is rebuilding given all the turnover and will take a step back in 2010. This puts an even bigger microscope on Prince's efficiency and decision-making. The biggest momentum killer is turnovers, which UCLA was plagued by once again at the quarterback position. The Bruins also had too many drives stall in the red zone and result in field goals. If the defense is likely to give up more points this fall, UCLA cannot afford for its offense to as well.

We should add that Kevin also needs to work on his sliding skills and get it through his head that he should be wearing his mouthpiece all the time.

Speaking of our QBs, the OC Register writer Adam Maya - who has been exposed at times for his Trogan colors -  also wrote up a snark filled capsule on Richard Brehaut:

Brehaut has a ways to go in terms of his confidence, poise, leadership, command of the offense and decision making. But you wonder how much of that can be chalked up to a lack of experience. At least Neuheisel certainly does.

The biggest thing Brehaut has going for him is he still is an unknown. For a school that hasn't had consistently good quarterback play since Cade McNown in the mid-90s, that untapped potential makes Brehaut wildly attractive.

We seem to have a good idea of what Prince can (and can't) do. Sure, he beat out Brehaut last spring and fall, but those were the first two camps of Brehaut's college career. The playing field will be much more level this third time around. Of course, if Brehaut loses again to Prince, still only a redshirt sophomore, there's always the chance he might transfer.

Couple of things here. Somehow Maya forgot to mention the great season Drew Olson had in his senior year and how he also had a pretty decent junior season as well. So it's little more than an over sight on his part when he writes UCLA hasn't had any "consistently good quarterback play since Cade McNown." It is simply inaccurate. Drew Olson was pretty damn good.

Secondly, note how he immediately concern trolls about transfer without noting the stronger possibility that if Prince holds on to his starting position, Brehaut would be just has well served by red-shirting in either his sophomore or junior season. The ideal scenario for UCLA would be for Prince to have a healthy and efficient sophomore campaign, during which Bruins can use Nick Crissman (who according to Mike Lynn has had a strong off-season) for mop duties. Bruins did that specifically during blowout win over Washington State this past season.

If Crissman or Clayton Tunney can emerge as serviceable backup options for that kind role, CRN and Norm Chow would be able to red shirt Brehaut and get him ready when Price graduates from the program. Of course Maya being the Trogan (Clown?) that he is, immediately jumped to the transfer scenario. Whatever. Guess we will continue to highlight his reasonable observations whenever possible while pushing back on his ketchup and mustard instincts (when they become apparent).

In any event we will try to go through the depth chart with our own thoughts heading into opening of spring camp. If I don't get to them before camp opens, I will try to put them together as we go through camp or right after it. We have time and are not going anywhere soon. Of course if the eager beavers can't wait, they are more than welcome to write up their own thoughts about various position battles in the Fan Posts. Hoping this will be the most fun spring camp to date with lots of pictures, fanposts from BNers are who are flooding Spaulding this spring.

GO BRUINS.