Q&A time, plus

65,000 for a pre-season game before school starts is exactly what we average. When we played Oklahoma in 2005 and had pre-season hype, there was 59,000 fans. 65,000 is actually not bad for this game, considering it's on national tv, school is not in session, its the last big travel holiday before school starts again, and we have absolutely no hype or expectations for the year.

Once the UCLA football program starts to win and create excitement we will start to see crowds above 80K on a regular basis. For example, usc's crowd for Pete Carrol's first year was 48,000 people. We will probably outdraw that number by 20,000 people. If you win, they will come....

Come on Dohn, it's a 5pm kickoff on a Monday. People with normal jobs can't get there in time, and even if they took off early, they'd miss the whole tailgating part of the game, which is a major turn off. 65,000 is more than I would expect under those circumstances. I only realized a few days ago that it was a Monday game, and I was shocked to see that it started at 5pm.

Mike, I beg to differ. No hype? Did you just get back in Los Angeles from the Olympics?

Dear mindshed: It's a 5 p.m. kickoff on a HOLIDAY. Never mind that it's a Monday, there are no excuses for Bruin faithful not to be there tailgating at noon to prepare for the opener. Your team needs you there, and it's against Tennessee! Come on down!

Brian, how would you describe the relationship between Jordan Farmar and Ben Howland when Jordan was a Bruin

nevermind, didn't know it was labor day either, hah. I'm completely out of it.

How do you see the Tenn. game unfolding? What do you think UCLA's plan of attack on off/def will be?

I heard rumors that some of the players didn't take to Jordan to well, which shocked me because i felt Jordan embodied what a leader is supposed to be. What was the relationship with Farmar and the other UCLA players?

Brian, what do the familes of recruits say when coaches talk about thier sons in media. What was the forceirs' reaction after hearing, from the coaching staff, that Chris is not picking up the offense?

Is Ben Howland a UCLA football fan? We know that Rick Neu loves college basketball, do you think we may see Howland at a football game anytime?

Rick Neu did not recruit with great consisentcy at CU or UW. Do you think this speaks to Rick as a recruiter? And do you think that Neu will ineviatable recruit better at UCLA simply because the talent pool available in California is superior?

Its apparent that Walker is going to get a college head coaching gig within the next few years, but are the rumors true that he could possibly leave for the NFL as a D-Coordinator?

I'm hoping the game will draw at least 70,000 but 65,000 still isn't too bad. There's no reason why any Bruin fan can't make this game. It's on a holiday and it kicks off at 5pm. Game ends no later than 9pm and you're in bed no later than midnight, if you don't want to lose sleep. I'm driving out from Arizona and taking Tuesday off. Neuheisel better make my trip worth my time. GO BRUINS!!!

For crying out loud, Brian. It's Labor Day. This is one reason why we cancelled our season seats - seats that we have had for over 30 years...

if the opportunity to cover Rutgers became available, would you leave your UCLA job?

Brian, ever consider departing from the Daily News and managing your own independent blog? You have the popularity to do it

When is the Daily News going to incorporate video into this blog? Is that something you have resisted? Just Curious.

1) Who would you say is the most athletic player on our offense? defense?

2) Are there ANY offensive linemen who you could see starting on another top program, or are they ALL terrible?

3) Does your wife ever come to any games? Does she even like sports?

4) What time will you be arriving at the Rose Bowl on Monday? Are you excited?

5) Have you ever met Geoff Strand? How does that guy make a living?

Excuse me! If this game were a week from this Saturday, it would draw 80,000. But, come on! It's Labor Day weekend. It's a Monday night game. People have to get up the next morning and battle the traffic to work. If there are 65,000 in the Rose Bowl on Monday, that'll be a terrific turnout.

Why do journalists always have to create controversy?

Hey Brian, love the blog, ever consider having a discussion section where guests such as myself can put a topic up, and well others can respond and give opinions about?

Without getting too specific, whats you salary like? Do you get bonuses if the site reaches so many hits?

If Aundre Dean was so buried on the depth chart during camp, how come he is the only one of four freshman not being redshirted this season?

I wouldn't say the media is creating the controversy. It's the Dan Guerrero's of the world who are incessantly trying to make the athletic department better by beating other schools (like USC) at their own game.

Doesn't work.

As of 8/15 there were only 46,000 season tickets sold. The Rose Bowl's current capacity is 91,000. Expecting 45,000 walk-ups is a little ambitious.

Moreover, UCLA will always be at a disadvantage on the "numbers game" of attendance because of some obvious factors: 1) The stadium is not on campus. 2) UCLA's fall quarter starts after the season is complete. 3) Football is not the most influential sport at the school.

What's dumb is that people like Guerrero continually try to pass off season ticket numbers as if they were market share for a public utility. It makes sense to do this if you really see yourself in competition with other major football programs, especially the Trojans.

Except that's the foolish assumption. Both schools have different sets of undergraduate alumni that don't overlap. (These people being the most likely to buy tickets as alumni.) That UCLA Alumni overall are not as connected to the school as USC Alumni encompasses more than just the athletic department. If Guerrero and company think hyping attendance numbers will "solve" that problem....good luck.

Given that OL guard Scott Glicksberg has reportedly been troubled with a balky shoulder and OL center Micah Reed has several starts at guard, do you have any thoughts (besides "it's Palcic's call") as to why Jake Dean has not been getting reps at center with the 1's while moving Reed back to the guard position? It would seem to strengthen both spots.

Since it's a non-conference home game, is there a limit to the number of players who can be in uniform for the Tennessee game? Also, how many game tickets are each scholarship player entitled?

Have you had an opportunity to go to UCLA's men's gym and observe the incoming freshmen in the heralded pickup games? If yes, how do they look?

The key is that only 7,000 tickets have been sold to Tennessee fans. Normally you'd expect 20,000, like prior games with Alabama, etc. Scheduling the game on Labor Day cut down the Tennessee crowd significantly as there's no way their fans could get back in time for the work week. Also since school doesn't start for a while, the student turnout will be sparse.

With the OL being such an area of concern, I have been thinking about the best starting group based on pure atheticism/talent, not knowledge of assignments, experience, etc. Who would be your top 5? Mine would be Kia, Tevaga, Reed, Savage and Chandler. Does this line have the ability to be good next year if they get reps/experience together this year?

What are Crafts relative strengths and weaknesses? Are there enough strengths for Chow build a gameplan around?

Neuheisel's first game
Crushes rednecks by twenty
what are the chances??

Arizona just picked up a commitment from a point guard and a lightly-recruited power forward. I believe they may now be one over their scholarship allotment for the class of 2009, which presumably shouldn't be a problem when Budinger leaves early. Question is, what is up with Gaddy? Does this mean they gave up on him? Have UCLA's chances gone up significantly?

Does anyone know what time the gates will open on monday for tailgating?

Will Memphis be allowed to continue recruiting Abdul Gaddy?

The rankings of Howland's current commits (Nelson/Lane/Williams) have all dropped quite significantly recently. Taken in aggregate, it seems interesting. Is Howland just a contrarian recruiter, or are these players not developing the way he projected, or something else?

The opener will not finish until after 11pm Tennessee time. Do you think this will have any effect on the Vols' performance, or do college teams have well established ways of dealing with time changes? Also, do you think the new NCAA play-clock rules will significantly shorten the duration of games, or alter the total number of plays per game?

Does the coaching staff think Holiday is one-and-done? Do you?

Up until just recently Aboya wasn't sure about his basketball future. Did he continue to work out with the team, play in pick-up games, work on his offense, etc during his uncertainty period? The Bruins needs his size up front, offensively, will he contribute more than a couple of put back dunks this season?

How is Roll progressing? Will he be ready by the start of the season?

You mentioned on Tuesday's practice that after Nick Crissman injured his shoulder, our graduate assistant was throwing passes for the scout team. What happened to walk-on QBs, Tyles Tuiasosopo or Jacob Crook (from last year)? Why aren't they run the scout team?

I heard that Tennessee's offense contains elements of the spread offense. How equipped do you think Walker's defense will be in handling it?

Do you think Norm Chow will ever consider using the spread offense due to its overall success in recent years? And do you think we will have the talent in the coming years to run it should he choose to do so?

Brian do you know if we are changing our pre-game music format? Is there a possibility that we might go with something like Metallica, G&R, etc..

I've read in the OC Register recently that CRN is coming across as less optimistic as the season approaches. What's your take on that? Do you see him "less on fire" and has that had any effect on team morale in your opinion?

Brian would trying to take control of the LA college football market be akin to trying to hold on to Asia in Risk? Great goal, but extremely hard to do?

Also, like all Bruin fans did, I screamed "Yahtzee!" at the hiring of Norm Chow. Do you maybe think his miracle worker rep may take a beating this year with UCLA's young, unproven and (apparently) not as talent-laden squad?

what's the percentage chance that Ben Olson STARTS another game for UCLA?

Aaron Meyer was quite productive in the lone game he played in, certainly more productive than Robert Chai ever was. So what happened since then?

who is faster, T Austin or J Franklin?

Any chance of reviewing your posts before they are put up on the web? As the father of a fellow Rutgers alum, all of the mistakes can be embarrassing.

When do you expect preparation for the Southern Cal game to begin? The week leading up to the game, or well before that, since it's the most important conference game?

Are there any circumstances under which you would write a book related to UCLA athletics?

What, if any, sanctions to you expect Southern Cal to receive from the NCAA with respect to the OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush scandals?

Better bet for PAC-10 basketball POY, Collison or Holiday?

How does it benefit a coach or his program to be open and accessible to the media (i.e. Neuheisel), as opposed to being relatively closed and not very accessible or helpful (i.e. Howland)? Can you make a case that being an open and accommodating coach is a win/win for his program and for reporters?

Brian - fantastic job as always, and one more question before I leave you alone. I think you know who I'm referring to, but in general, don't you think that when an alum of a university becomes that school's beat reporter for a newspaper, that it at least creates the appearance of a bias?

Is there any sense that Forcier might transfer if Prince passes him?

Only 65k for a game against Tennessee...sounds pretty Sorry! to me...what do you think are some of the reason for such low ticket sales? When Bama, Michigan, and Ohio State came in September, Ucla had well over 80k for those games.

Can you tell us why Ben Bruneau left the team? Is he still in school? Is there a chance he will return? Thanks.

1. Do you wear your crocs with socks?
2. Is Forcier's regression eventually going to lead him to the RN and NC doghouse and off the team?
3. Is Forcier's regression simply his inability to commit to the playbook or that he just can't grasp it since he apparently relied on his athleticism in high school?
4. As always, great job with the blog. Last question, who were your inspirations, i.e. Jim Murray, Alan Malamud, Studs Terkel.

Whats the latest on the basketball recruiting? who do you see signing soon? Do you think stephenson was better suited to be a trojan then a bruin?

Brian , when is Ben Olson scheduled to return ? If and when he does come back , does he really expect to play , especially if Kevin Craft is doing a better than serviceable job ?

When is Mike Harris expected to be released to practice without restriction? Do you expect he will be able to challenge for a starting position at offensive tackle within the next few weeks?

Did you ever hear back from Donovan Edwards?

Is Darius Savage still having difficulty picking up assignments? Do you expect him to supplant Tevaga or Glicksburg within a few weeks? Does the coaching staff still consider him to be a very talented prospect?

I would like to know the reaction to the Monopoly ad from the staff?? Was there any negative feedback?? Positive feedback What did Chow and Walker say?? And did RN approve of the ad before it went in??

What attributes does Kevin Prince possess which have caused him to surge ahead of fellow freshman Nick Crissman on the depth chart? Is he simply a more talented quarterback?

is Tevaga ready to be a Pac 10 lineman?

Is Datone Jones going to be in the gameplan monday night vs UT?

Did Jonathan Franklin even get a look at returning kicks or punts during camp? He was reported by more than one sources towards having a good camp and showing great speed/quickness. Why isn't he in the rotation?

Where is Savage in the starting lineup? He is by far the most physically impressive lineman and UCLA could use his ability vs a SEC d-line.

With Kevin Prince now the third string or possibly even the second string QB, what is the rule in regards to him red shirting this year? Must he not play a single down or can he play some and still red shirt?

Brian: With the move of our defensive strength being in the middle this year, our achilles heel for others teams to target would be our very young/inexperienced secondary. Have you seen any signs of Walker manipulating formations to get enough heat on opposing QB's this year and could Ayers be our "sleeper" in rising to be that guy?

Among the three first time starters on the offensive line (Ekbatani, Tevaga and Glicksberg),which one is the most polished and ready to play? Which one is the least polished?

If Craft struggles greatly in the first couple of games, would you be surprised to see him supplanted by Kevin Prince in the starting lineup?

What has RN said he will do differently then he did during his previous tenures at Washington & Colorado. And where does he rank in your mind as a Coach compared to the other college teams you have come in contact with during the season? Does he command the same presence as Howland?

Brian,
seen as we havent gotten a commitment from a recruit in basketball or football in months, who do you think will be the next commit in basketball and in football?

I heard tennessee fans travel well.
how many Tennessee fans will be at the game ?

whats the latest on usc commits morell presley and randall caroll? do you think they will end up switching and going to ucla?

who do you think will make up UCLA's starting 5 this year in basketball?

hey brian,
what are ucla's chances for michael snaer and avery bradley? i hear that bradley looks to be a lean to texas but i see he doesnt have an offer from them. Any updates from either of them?

If Norm actually calls plays that have Kevin Craft throwing to the Tight end more, callings screens to the WR's and RB's and swing passes/ dump offs to the RB's don't you think we'll be 100% better on offfense than late year?

If Coach Jay would've called his games better, we would've won about 3 more games last season.

What kind of play caller will Chow be on 3rd&1, 4th&1? Smash mouth...Chain the train up the gut or Play actions w/ fade routes for incomplete passes like the last couple of seasons?

Are we going to be Dorrell conservative vs. Tenn or are we going to see aggressive play calling from Chow?

Do you think screens and using the RB and TE more will help Craft ot early on?

Brian,

I have a couple of question I hope you can answer:

Will we see Chane the Train on 3rd&2, 3rd&1 4th&1 or are we going to try to be fancy with play actions and dump offs to the FB's or fade routes and fail like the last few seasons?

Are we going to call plays conservative against Tenn?

Is our game plan under Rick punt a lot to win the field position battle and make less mistakes to win or is he about getting on the scoreboard early and playing to win and not playing to keep it close like Dorrell did?

Brian if we had to replace Theriot would it be Umodu or Molne?

B to the D,
any clue if Norm will be moving the pocket around to protect Craft vs. Tenn?
Do you think UCLA's d-line can hold their own against the hungry hippos on Tenn's o-line?
Much profs for your coverage!

Thx.

Brian, who do you think the basketball team will sign for this year? any thoughts on who will commit for next year?

Brian,

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?

Does the basketball or the football team have events in which the general public could meet the players and get signatures etc?

Brian, 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.

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?

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?

Brian, have you considered setting a limit on questions you are going to answer during Q&A's? With over 100 questions to answer in the course of one day, you have already extended into the following day.

Has Stepheson made official his decision to transfer to USC? If so, any thoughts on what caused him to chose the Trojans over UCLA?

If your son was a star high school small forward, what 5 college programs would you encourage him to consider (assuming being close to home wasn't a factor)? What if he was a star HS linebacker? Would UCLA make either list?

How many rushing yards to do you expect the Bruins to rush for on Monday? It seems like running the ball down their throats is the best option considering the Vols run D is suspect.

What is the health of UT QB Jonathan Crompton? Is he for sure starting the game Monday night? I also remember hearing they had a few others not playing in the game for various reasons...are any of these players starters?

Last week we learned that you talk with all the players and see many of them 5-6 days a week. What nicknames do they have for you?

I noticed that freshmen walkon offensive linemen Brett Downey and Austin Hill were listed on the depth chart for the opening game. However, Connor Bradford, a freshman offensive lineman who holds a scholarship, did not make the depth chart. Does this mean that the two freshmen walkons are actually ahead of Bradford at this stage?

i'm not quite sure how the postseason award process works, do you HAVE to be on the watchlist in the preseason to qualify, or is that more of a nod to last year's accomplishments?

i hate to speculate, but who do you see playing SF once josh shipp has left the program? if it is somebody not yet in the program, i don't expect you to give a name as they could easily not commit or decommit.

who do we have a better shot at avery bradley or abdul gaddy?Are their chances we get both?

who do you think will be ucla's top recruit in football for the class of 09. are guys like Teo and Kennard still possibilities?

Who has a greater chance of starting a game this season, Prince or Olson?

Brian, will Pac Ten offenses be yelling at DeWayne Walker "you sunk my battleship!"? How good do you think his D is going to be now that you've seen the secondary in action? (Barring a major rash of unforeseen injuries of course!)

Why is Woods redshirting? He's extremely athletic and also has great size. He's definitely a better athlete than Ware, and probably Lockett as well. The only reason I could think of is he needs a better understanding of the defense??

What happened to Aaron Hester?? I remember you said you thought he could take over for Norris by Ocotober, and now it was reported he's behind Viney and Meadows??? What went down there??

How much do you expect Moutra and Rosario to play against UT? DO you think they'll get more snaps than Embree or about the same?

Is Terrence Austin finally ready to live up to his potential against UT and the rest of the year?

What is the inside joke betweeen the team and having fish for their pre-game meal?

i think its pretty obvious that rahim moore will make the most impact out of all the freshmen but after him what freshman do you see making the most impact on offense and on defense?