Answers, Part X

any clue if Norm will be moving the pocket around to protect Craft vs. Tenn?

Yes, I do have a clue about it, but again, it is game-planning stuff, so I cannot get into it.

Do you think UCLA's d-line can hold their own against the hungry hippos on Tenn's o-line?
I think the defensive line is the least of the worries. I think with Brigham Harwell and Brian Price in the middle, if UCLA's defensive line doesn't hold its own, it will be a long, long day for the Bruins.

who do you think the basketball team will sign for this year? any thoughts on who will commit for next year?
Well, Reeves Nelson and Brandon Lane already committed, so I expect them to sign in November. I also think Anthony Stover and Tyler Honeycutt wind up at UCLA.
As for the 2010 class, \guard Kendall Williams already committed, so look for him to sign in November 2009.

Based on what the basketball team has looked so far, do you think we will win the pac10 title this year without an established post player? which seed do you or the coaches expect the team to have by end of the year for the ncaa tournament?
I think UCLA will win the Pac-10 in hoops because I don't believe the conference will be very strong this season. Arizona State figures to be the biggest competition, but UCLA has three players - Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya - who have plenty experience winning conference titles.
As for seeds for the NCAA, who knows, but winning the Pac-10 title usually means no worse than a No. 3 seed. But knowing Ben Howland like I do, he's worried about the first exhibition game, so talking about NCAA seeds with him is ludicrous.

Does the basketball or the football team have events in which the general public could meet the players and get signatures etc?
The football team signs autographs after the spring game and after the training camp scrimmage. I know of no event for the basketball players, other than to hang around Pauley Pavilion after a game. They seem to sign a lot of autographs then.

would you ever consider holding these Q&A sessions twice a week during the football season? It seems like the interest level is very strong and it may ease your workload to spread it out over more than one day a week.
I thought of it, but right now it wouldn't fit into the schedule. Friday's are the day with the least amount of work, which is why I thought Friday was the best day for me to do the answers. Plus, I worry about repeating too many of the questions. As it is, I feel like some of the questions repeat itself on a weekly basis.

You have said something to the extent of 2010 is the year RN is expected to contend. With that, how important is this year's recruiting class? Especially OL & DL because of the time it takes to develop such positions?
This recruiting class is huge when considering the 2010 season, and beginning Monday Neuheisel will call a myriad of recruits to begin making his pitch. And getting linemen is big in any recruiting class, and UCLA needs depth on both sides of the line.

It has been consistently reported that the first team offensive line has struggled when facing either the first or second team defensive lines. Has the first team offensive line at least been able to dominate the scout team defensive line this past week?
It hasn't been great, to be honest. But the scout team is more about looks along the line of scrimmage than it is flat out competing against one another.