CLASS DISMISSED (PT. 2)

The Coliseum doesn’t deserve a show this good.

We never figured out what happened to the second half of yesterday’s article & photos, so here they are again

[The following is the re-creation from damaged memory of the last several paragraphs from last night’s article, plus the accompanying photos.  Why this stuff is not appearing on yesterday’s page is STILL a mystery to us.  It must be sabotage — like a trojan horse virus.]

On the subject of potential replacements for Karl Dorrell:

We like Steve Mariucci.  He is definitely a BIG NAME, with well-known NFL accomplishments.  His impact on Recruiting would be immediate, and positive.  He is also known as an Offensive Wizard, which is what the Bruins want, to complement DeWayne Walker, whom they’d like to stay as Defensive Coordinator.  Of course, Walker may leave to be the Head Coach of Washington State, but Mariucci would then probably fill the void with someone else with NFL credentials.  Our ISSUES with Mariucci are that 1) We don’t know how long he’ll stay around — He might be interested in getting back to the League, WHICH HE DID NOT EXACTLY CONQUER IN HIS LATEST EFFORT.  However, rumor has it that HE contacted UCLA, not the other way around, so maybe he really DOES want to settle down in Westwood;  2) How well will he be able to relate to and motivate College kids, after spending all this time with the Pro’s?  There is a different mentality in the Pro’s, and if Mooch can’t adjust, he won’t be able to control his players’ off-the-field behavior.  We DON’T want the new Coach to UNDO all the good that Karl Dorrell did in that area.

Speaking of which,  we are NOT big supporters of Rick Neuheisel.  We loved him as a Bruin QB, and thought he started out well as a Head Coach elsewhere.  But he didn’t seem to sustain his success, and his off-the-field issues, including GETTING BUSTED for gambling in an office pool, might not be worth it.  It is doubtful that he would keep the Program on the straight and narrow.  Also, and most importantly, he is currently the Offensive Coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, who, Monday Night’s game against the Patriots notwithstanding, have been horrible on Offense this year.  Neuheisel has a healthy Willis McGahee running behind a line anchored by Bruin Legend Jonathan Ogden, and he had Steve McNair at the helm (and now Kyle Boller), but still has floundered with a team that was 13-3 last season.

As for Mike Leach — Everyone loves watching a team that scores 60+ on a routine basis, and passes way, way more than they run.  But Leach’s teams parallel Dorrell’s in that they always seem to pull off some impressive upsets, but are nowhere to be found when the Crystal Football is being contested.

All that being said, any of the three would be fine with us.  At least they all have enough experience to handle the job.  We like Walker, but would just prefer someone who has done this before.  Also, we want Walker to stay as D.C. 

What we don’t want is someone who isn’t a marked improvement.  It would be cruel to Dorrell to fire him, and then replace him with another guy who has to learn on the job.  As for Norm Chow, we’d prefer someone with no sc ties.  We don’t even like that Walker worked for Pom Pom for a year.  Also, Chow’s lack of Recruiting ability and advanced age are negatives.  It WOULD be pretty cool to see Chow go up against and spank his hated ex-buddy Carroll, but maybe he can do it with a WAC school.  The fact that his Titans’ Offense isn’t exactly a juggernaut does NOT help Chow’s case in our eyes.

Now, if we remember correctly, we had some comments about this weekend’s NFL games…

Remember Reggie Bush’s infamous lost lateral that cost sc the National Championship against Texas?  Well, Bush re-lived the least-favorite moment of his career against Tampa Bay on Sunday.  With the game seemingly in hand, Bush tried a pitch to Wide Receiver Devery Henderson, but the ball was two yards behind him, and the Bucs recovered.  They then went on to score the game-winning TD, with 17 seconds left.  Bush also dropped a couple of screen passes in the loss that knocked the highly-touted Saints out of the Playoff picture.

If you “Google News” Reggie Bush right now, you’ll get a page full of articles calling him “Reggie BUST.”  In Houston, they are celebrating that they passed over Bush in the Draft, and in New Orleans, they are calling him a head case and too soft for the NFL.  Some “Savior of the City” he turned out to be.

Over in Pittsburgh, Cinci’s Cornhole Carson Palmer embarrassed himself again, throwing 27 incompletions in 44 attempts, most sailing yards over his Receivers’ heads.  Palmer looked like Booty last week, and like a nervous Leinart in that Bush Lateral game against Texas.  Like the Saints, the Bengals are a huge disappointment this season.

Yes, we noticed that ex-trojans Justin Fargas and Lofa Tatupu had great games this weekend, but Fargas is on the Raiders, so no one cares, and better Tatupu than Bush, Palmer, Leinart, White, Jarrett, Colbert, or Williams, all of whom are struggling.

Below are some game and pre-game photos from Saturday.  Is it too soon?  

Photo from the “Bruin Bash,” on a weekend where the Bruins really got bashed.

A friend just called the girl on the far right “An angel among angels,” and asked where she’s been hiding.

Hands to the Face?  They do it on every play.

Looks like a cheap-shot illegal block on the left.

This girl was singing in a band in the parking lot before the sc game (but she thought she was at Carnegie Hall)

This one’s for Ranelar

 

Comments

9 responses to “CLASS DISMISSED (PT. 2)”

  1. USCUX Avatar
    USCUX

    You prefer Mariucci. Here is why I don’t. He had a 6 & 6 record in his one year as Cal head coach. He had a .513 winning percentage in the pros. I think he worked for 7 or 8 college & pro teams in a total of about 27 years, meaning he doesn’t usually stick around long. He was fired by all 3 teams where he was a head coach. He loves the West Coast offense. Next on your list is Rick Leach. I think his contract calls for him to get about $2.1 million in 2009. UCLA would never be prepared to pay that much. You don’t like Neuheisel because his teams didn’t win as many games near the end of his tenure. I think he won 10 games twice at Colorado. UCLA has done that twice in the history of the school. Who knows what his teams may have done the next few years, because he left (wasn’t fired) & took the job at Washington, where he won 11 games, including a Rose Bowl in his second season. UCLA has never won 11 games. How long has it been since we won a Rose Bowl? He was fired by Barbara Hedges, an ex trOJan, who had given him permission & said it was OK to participate in a basketball pool. The NCAA cleared him & he won a wrongful termination suit. He had stated a few years ago that he would take a pay cut from what he earned at Washingon to be UCLA’s head coach. If you’re concerned that somehow he would get the program into trouble, a clause could be in his contract that if the football program is placed on probation while he is the coach, his salary will be cut in half. Finally, he is a Bruin.

  2. t-h Avatar

    No big arguments here. We don’t really feel that strongly about any of the candidates. We wouldn’t PROTEST if Rick N. got the job. And don’t get us wrong about office pools. We love office pools, and think that only nerds and freaks avoid them. Our issue is with Neuheisel not understanding the situation, and allowing something so innocuous to become such a big issue. He should have been able to skirt the controversy without getting fired and going to court, Of course if you are insinuating that Hedges played a major, conspiratorial role in this whole affair, then that’s a whole other issue about which we are not informed, and we cannot argue it. By the way, it would NOT SURPRISE us at all, that some ex-trojan staged a vendetta against a Rose Bowl MVP Bruin.

    As far as Mariucci, our infatuation with him is mostly due to his celebrity, and the ability that he would have to re-invent UCLA as a Powerhouse, through aggressive recruiting and aggressive hiring of other NFL-tested Coaches. Just think of how much more ESPN exposure the Program would get, the very second that Mooch was hired. — It would be 100 times bigger of a National story than if Neuheisel were the choice. It would be a good thing to steal some of Pom Pom’s Media thunder.

    But like we have said, we like that Rick is a Bruin, and would support him completely, from day one, if he is the one.

  3. bruce wagner Avatar
    bruce wagner

    Why Mariucci would be bad: Again a West Coast Offense guy. Way TOO complex for the college game, given the limited access that the coaches have with the players.

    Why Neuheisel would be bad: Has a history of taking over programs and leaving them in worse shape. His recruiting has been dominated by signings of offensive skill position, but lacking quality/depth in linemen and defensive players. Perhaps the retainment of DW and ES could help with the recruitment. I guess my biggest complaint with Rick is that Rick seems to take care of Rick first and everyone else second.

    Why Chow would be bad: No HC experience. Too many other programs have passed on him. Why? Who knows, but at his age, lack of HC experience and quiet demeanor I don’t seem him as a Bruins saviour.

    Why DW would be bad: No HC experience. Keep him and pay him more. Promote him to Assistant Head Coach. Pay his staff more. But don’t make him HC yet.

    Why Chris Peterson would be good: Proven innovater. Proven winner. HC experience. Young. Enthusiastic. Don’t get bogged down on his statement that he’s not interested. Show him that UCLA IS INTERESTED IN HIM.

    Why Mike Leach would be good, but not as good as CP: All the things above but just a little less so.

  4. t-h Avatar

    Bruce —

    Not that there’s anything wrong with your comments, but everyone should know that you are an evil trOJan, with an evil agenda, so nothing you say should be taken at face value. When you say someone would be “good,” what the f*ck does that mean? Good for WHO? Good for you, or good for UCLA? The two are opposites. Why you continue to sound off here is a mystery. Why we placate you by posting it is an even bigger mystery. And by the way, thanks for the correction (which has been repaired). That mistake should show you what era WE are from. We kept calling Lamar Odom “Rodney” Odom, and he’s lucky we didn’t call him “Blue Moon” Odom. And why didn’t you point out that we spelled D.J. “Augustin” wrong, too?

  5. bruce wagner Avatar
    bruce wagner

    Love YOU Too!!!

  6. Vu Avatar
    Vu

    Okay, for the people that don’t know the Norm Chow/BYU history… It would help explain why he has never been a head coach for so many years.

    He was the offensive coordinator for LaVell Edwards. Coach Edwards was supposed to retire numerous times, with Norm taking the reins once that occurred. Coach Edwards was the Brett Favre of coaching and took over 10 years past when he said he’d retire.

    Well, time kept ticking, Edwards kept working… Mr. Chow was a very loyal person. New admin came in, Edwards finally retired. And the new admin went outside to hire fresh blood.

    enough was enough, Mr. Chow became a OC on the hire… got past by one job after another.

    If Mr. Edwards had left BYU like he originally said he would, Mr. Chow would probably still be coaching at BYU today for the past 15 years.

  7. Vu Avatar
    Vu

    And he has made QB’s play to the max of their abilities.

    He made Ty Detmer look like a god on the way to winning a national championship. He made Philip Rivers looking spectacular. He turned Carson Palmer from a college bust to a quality NFL QB. He worked magic for Leinart on the way to a national championship. He even made an inaccurate college QB, Vince Young, into a player (still a work in progress).

    Everywhere Norm Chow has been, they’ve won and they’ve produced offensive magic…

    However, that said, I think it’s too late to try him. Life is about being in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, time wasn’t kind with Mr. Chow.

    The saving grace for him is… People don’t stay and coach for 30 years. If a coach is great, chances are he’s gone in 5 years. If he’s a bust, chances are he’s gone in 5 years. So with Mr. Chow, you’re guaranteed that he’ll coach to his retirement, maybe 10 years. So for 10 years, you’ll have magic.

  8. I think you are absolutely on track here!

  9. Thanks for creating this blog. I thought it was a very interesting read. It is so interesting reading other peoples personal take on a subject….