Q&A time

How do you assess Rahim Moore's performance in his first college game?

Any updates on the progress of Ben Olson? I know you mentioned he was still in a boot but throwing around. How's the rehab coming along?

Without offering any inside information from watching practice, can you tell us one player or one position that YOU expect to be a focus for UCLA's offense in the BYU gameplan?

What is your perspective on the recent FB commit WR Maravy? Any inicite on his potential? Also, do you think he ends up playing WR or CB?

Hi Brian. When can the basketball team start to practice officially? Do you think that the bigger stronger James Keefe can be a reliable 3rd option, maybe 8 pts. and 6 boards a game this year?

What tidbits can you offer on FB recruiting? Anything that you see on the horizon as it relates to a commit or two? Throw us recruting junkies a bone, will ya?

If Football starts really picking up and the revenue/profitability goes up, do you see Athletics investing any of that money in adding Olympic Sports to drive up the NCAA title count? If so, which sport(s) do you think they'd add first?

That free parking at Parsons and $2 bus ride to the Rose Bowl were handled poorly on Tennessee game. The lines were way longer than usual and we got grouchy Bruins fans waited on the heat for the line to move (average wait 30 mins). Any chance they'll change on how they'll handle on our next home game?

Which Pac 10 stadium, Rose Bowl included, is the best?

I see Coach Neu is getting an early start on the 2010 class, is this him adjusting to today's early recruiting?

How much work do you see Aundre Dean getting against BYU? Do you foresee the Bruins being able to have success rushing the ball against them?

Is Tevaga outperforming competition at the guard spot in pracitce?

Brian, great job on the blog. Questions:

(1) Strangely quiet on the Renardo Sidney front...is he still a target of UCLA?
(2) What's new with the recruitment of Gaddy and Snaer?
(3) Are we just being played by Martinez, Teo and Sua Filio or is there a legitimate shot to land them?
(4) I keep hearing Randall Carroll is soft to USC, but is he still interested in us or is he looking out of state?
(5) Do you envision Brehaut starting as a true freshman given the lack of QB talent, and does Craft have equal talent to Brehaut?
(6) What's the biggest difference about covering UCLA football in 2008 as opposed to past years?
(7) Given what Fresno did to Rutgers (sorry!), do we stand a legitimate shot against them?
(8) Do you see Neuheisel and Chow landing that true impact player from out-of-state to open up recruiting nationally?

Brian how did Neuheisal pull off getting some of the band there against Tenn before school starts??
They're usually a no show early in the season.

GO BRUINS!! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

The PA system at our opening game in the Rose Bowl was so poor until we can hardly hear anything. Are they going to address this issue?

I didn't see DeShaun Foster or Dennis Keyes on the list of players on current NFL rosters. Any updates on them?

Much has been made of the affects of a defense being on the field too long (i.e. getting worn down, tiring). How come that same philosophy doesn't apply to an offense being on the field too long? Won't they be just as tired?

What's Justin Medlock up to these days? Is he still in the league?

What price did your tech person pay for letting the cat out of the bag two or three weeks ago when he/she revealed set number 10 answers (or was is 11, 12, 13, etc.?) right after set five's answers?

The great Arsene Wenger of Arsenal FC is famous for forbidding his players from eating chocolate bars. His rationale was that it made no sense to ruin a player's preparation for a game by cramming junk into his system, likening it to pumping low-grade fuel into a car. Knowing how detail-oriented Ben Howland is, does our coach closely monitor what his players eat during the season? UCLA dorm food can be a loaded gun at times.

You gave a rather long list of recruits at the Tennessee game. Some were local and others visiting.

What type of exposure did both types have that day, pre and post game (locker room, sideline, one-on-one or group conversations with Neu and/or coaches, meals, etc.)

Thanks much in advance.

A good amount of visiting recruits are rather large, do the NCAA rules say that they have to fly coach?

What uniform number will incoming freshman Malcolm Lee wear? I think you had posted the numbers of the other four frosh save for Lee...thanks!

I wanted to hear your opinion on Karl Dorrell. Aside from the performance on the field, do you think he was what UCLA wanted in terms of teaching and graduating kids? Also do you think he would still be around if he had better coordinators like Walker and Craft throughtout the entire duration of his time at UCLA?

Since the coaches were out to recruit last week, are they expecting to be leading or getting a verbal soon from any of the recruits?

What do you think are the keys to the BYU game? what needs to happen on offense and defense for UCLA to pull another one out?

Brian,

Have you had a chance to watch any of the basketball players recently? How do they look? Do you think Holiday and Collison can be a good backcourt in terms of style of play and chemistry?

Are there anyone on offense and defense that are emerging as leader and impact players that the coaches were not expecting when the camp started?

Did you have a chance to talk to Gaddy on how his visit went?

When you mentioned that the football team needs an overall talent upgrade, did you mean the level of talent that the current freshman class is on?

Even if the current level of talent is low, wouldnt the coaches be able to make them seem like better players if they are considered one of the better coaches in the game? In other words, even with current level of talent, shouldnt the team be competitive in a year or two?

Are there any proteges of Chow and Walker among the current coaches who could take over when either/both of them leave to keep up the high level of coaching?

Is there official recruiting material that the football and basketball teams send out to recruits? What are the contents? Does it have video/dvds?

1) Do you go to the Bruin Bash at away games?

2) I read your article re: Dominique Johnson. Does he just not run hard on every play? Is he lazy? Why is everyone always commenting on his "effort?"

3) Who always gives the best effort on the team? Day in and day out?

3) Do the players on the team know you by name? Or are you just another media dude? Do you know if any of the players read this blog?

4) Paul Simon or James Taylor?

Do you think the bball team will the PAC10 and make another deep run in the tournament without an established big man? Will we have even adequate big men this year for defense and rebounding?

Is there any way to get someone to approve the comments on the posts? I'm tired of opening posts and seeing 20 responses between VB and other posters attacking each other. It really detracts from the blog IMO.

What would you be doing if you weren't in journalism?

Price, Harwell meet Hall
Mormon running for his life
Joe Smith won't save you

accurate depiction of Saturday in lilly land???

Regarding basketball, with the issues going on at Arizona and coaching change at Stanford, do you think UCLA will dominate PAC10 from this point on like Memphis dominating Conference USA?

how many scholarships are awarded to each sports at ucla?

Where was Datone Jones against UT? You said he was going to be the first sub at DE but I didn't see him all night.

Why is Anthony Dye not playing corner? There is more depth at safety and norris isn't exactly a great corner.

What's the status of Aaron Hester? Redshirt or no?

Do you think the offensive line will be able to perform better in the running game this Saturday?

Is Moutra going to get more reps this week than he did against UT?

Where is your favorite place to eat in Westwood?

do you think we will have any trouble bringing down byu's backs? if i remember right, they are huge tackle breaking machines

is rahim moore more of a center field, ball hawk kind of safety or a keyes/horton blow you up kind of safety? a mix?

three or four years down the line when people talk about CRN having only his kids in the program, will you consider this freshman class his kids? sure he kept em together, but he didnt really recruit them.

i dont know if you've seen him this year but as a voting member of the media i'd hope you have. i think cal's jahvid best is a top 5 national running back, would you agree?

i recently decided that with the right personnel (jones-drew, best, mcknight, bush) the college punt return is the most exciting play in sports. can you think of a better one?

oh and btw GREAT CALL on embree. i was the only one in my part of the student section who knew who he was, thanks to you. you make us look like geniuses!

Brian,

Given your desire, love affair, and preference for DeWayne Walker to be the head coach, as you expressed during the search period in December, how much better do you think UCLA Football would be today with him at the helm compared to where Coach Neuheisel has the team/program today? (And "projecting into the future?")

Aundre Dean is a game breaker...how much action do you expect from him on saturday?
Who is the best receiving RB that we have? Why didn't we throw any RB screens or RB swing routes against tenn?

Will we see some on saturday?

Theriot to me seemed underutilized against UT as an offensive weapon - I know his first priority is blocking, but is it fair to say we might expect more touches for Theriot on average in the upcoming games?

Do you have a routine pre or post-game meal? What keeps up your energy and motivation for games?

You've stated many times that you report on fact as opposed to rumor or speculation. As a way to make Q&A shorter, can we eliminate questions that are purely speculative in nature (ie: What shooting guards will we sign in the class of 2023; Who will replace Coach Walker; How many games will we win in 2011)?

From what you have seen from Brian Price, where do you predict he will go in the NFL draft when he eventually leaves?

Do you have an idea as to which of the regional big time high schools have been pro-UCLA for sending their recruits to UCLA? Are there definite tendencies for certain schools to send their kids to UCLA as opposed to USC per se?

How does Andy Keane look during practice at DT? Has he shown the talent to be a possible starter in two years or do you see him as a career backup at DT?

I didn't understand why Jess Ward moved from DT to OG to be buried on the depth chart. It seems like there are several younger players showing more promise at OG, while depth at DT disappears next year. Isn't he more valuable at DT?

I am looking forward to the BYU Game, but what disturbed me about the Tenn Game was how small our CBs(5'8" and 5' 9") are out side of Alterraun Verner(5'11"). Does UCLA cover BYU's Best Receiver, Dennis Pitta, with a CB, Safety or a LB??

There have been blog trolls, especially one in particular, that have really drained out the fun in reading and posting comments, a big part of this blog. Is there anything you can do about that?

quick Futbol question...will it take an exorcism of sorts to remove the stain of Man U from the Premiership? Seems that your Reds and everyone else will need that kind of Divine Intervention

I don't think we had any trick plays during the Tennessee game. Do you think we'll see one or two in a game soon?

Brian, how much weight do you place on the polls when assessing a team? I know you think it's a joke to have polls early in the season but what about after a month? Do you put more weight on the coaches' poll or the AP?

Brian, how do you feel about interested parties pumping you for info through these Q&As (parents, coaches, recruits or even the athletes themselves)?

why is it an issue that paulsen may need to seek a medical redshirt? he still has his redshirt available so he should be able to redshirt regardless, right?

are David Wallskids and Kaveh Nohos on ucla's radar?

if Moore and Dye are sticking at safety, and Hester so far is gonna redshirt, who is the 4th CB used after Verner, Norris, and Viney? Is Meadows in that rotation at all?

Have you noticed any closer-than-usual scrutiny by the UCLA-powers-that-be when it comes to Rick Neuheisel? With an many millions of dollars invested in him and the football program, it seems they would want to monitor his behavior and activities to ward off any illegal betting pools or whatever so there's no NCAA problems or potential public embarrassment. Also, he seemed to have pretty severe discipline problems with his players at Washington, but things have been all smooth so far here. Have you asked him about that aspect of his coaching - does he keep his players on a shorter leash now?

Brian,

I would like to know what the recruits think about Coach RN on the helicopter to see recruits....showboating??

Do you think its a one time thing to show the media that UCLA is back? If the goal was to get media exposure it was very, very successful

Keys to a Bruin victory against BYU?

The new strength coach and the stretching exercises implemented during camp doesn't appeared to have done much to slow the incidence of injury. Your thoughts?

why do you think Dragovic is sticking with UCLA? Not that i'm sorry to hear it, but it seems strange that someone who could make a lot of money overseas would forgo that for minimal playing time.

wasn't there something about dominique johnson having to sit out a few games because of a mishap with a redshirt year? what happened to that?

Do you think that if Walker leaves that Norton will be goven the first shot at D-Coordinator? If not, who's name have you heard mentioned?

In football they say the most improvement is usually between the first and second week. What your opinion on this weeks game, will we see much improvement?

Hope you can answer this before Saturday's game, but do you think John Hale will be able to keep up with BYU TE Dennis Pitta, or will they go with a faster Akeem Ayers?

Why would the coaching staff choose to start Moline in the backfield when he is probably the slowest "skill" guy on the team?

Do you see UCLA starting the season 4-0 if the Bruins beat the Cougars?

Brian:
Great job with the blog and your reporting.
A lot has been made about BYU being a BCS buster and their large, i.e. mature, lines. However, these men are also hindered by their two year missions which stunts their development since they cannot work-out or engage in much physical activity (see how those two years of inactivity impacted Ben Olsen PLUS most are married with kids and familial commitments). Do you believe that BYU's lines will, especially their O-line, will dominate UCLA's?

Or, do you see a slugfest and UCLA's younger athletes who have not been impacted by years of inactivity hold their own with UCLA winning on special teams?

Neuheisel won at Colorado and Washington, but mostly with the another coaches' recruits. Despite his personality, his recruiting classes left a lot to be desired on the roster. Why should one believe he will recruit better at UCLA?

If the NCAA was to slam SUC in both the mayo and bush cases and they ended up on probation, would they be the first school to be on probation for FB and BB simultaneously??

Since you attend the practices, do you have a sense as to who that is not a main contributor now will be an impact by end of the season?

Did you cover UConn basketball the year they lost to UCLA during the Bruins 95 Championship Tournament run?

How come Dorrell was able to bring a highly rated class last year but it seems like Neuheisel is struggling to get commitments from top recruits? Even though Walker was retained, did the new coaching staff "lose" the relationships with current recruits? Or was it a fluke that Dorrell was able to bring in a top 10 caliber class last year?

What type of a recruiting class for football do you think UCLA will bring in by end of the season? Will it be sufficient to improve the talent pool for the program to be competitive in Pac-10? Thanks

Do you think Howland will have a better shot at winning the title compared to last year anytime soon? With impact players inside and also on the perimeter, I think the team was as favored as any other team going into the tournament.

What kind of stuff are thrown at a high school kid during recruiting - jersey number? locker spot? playing time? starting position? game tickets? etc?

Does the fact that UCLA currently is not leading for any top rated O-linemen and even lost out on a commit to Cal provide indication of the staff's recruiting ability?

Why have we not made a better run at guys like Vontaze Burfict and Cliff Harris? Is Rolando Jefferson a name you hear discussed as a potential WR target?

Mr. Dohn, do you feel that UCLA has a prayer at moving BYU's big hogs up front with our undersized, patchwork OL?

Do you believe in karma? Do you think Mr. Olsen may be suffering some sort of retribution at spurning BYU when he came back from his mission?

Do you feel it is an unfair advantage for BYU to have so many players 2-3 years older on their team?

What kind of DE do you think Alfred Aboya would make?

What's your gut - does Olson or Paulsen see the field the rest of the year?

Brian, do you know if Karl Dorrell spent much time in meetings with Coach Neuheisel to assist in the head coaching transition? Do you know if KD supported CRN's candidacy for the job?

Not sure you were covering UCLA then, but in retrospect who would you have hired (among likely candidates) instead of Karl Dorrell, if anyone?

Is socal a better recruiting base for football or basketball?

Do you think it is a big deal that UCLA practices in Westwood near the Ocean and has home games at the Rose Bowl which can be very hot in Sept and Oct day games? Do you think or can you ask RN if UCLA should practice more often in Pasadena or even in the Valley to get use to the heat?

How long do you think Ben Holland will be the coach of UCLA? Is there any chance he would leave for the NBA or if Duke or NC ever opened up?

After reading your story about the tightened security against potential spying on FB practice from the parking lot, I became curious about what some of the other interesting differences were in the way Coach Neuheisel handles things vs. our previous coach. Anything you could tell us? Thanks.

Which Pac-10 school provides reporters with the best free food at games? Do all of them provide free food?

Do you think UCLA would be worthy of a top 25 ranking if we beat BYU?

What's your prediction for the Southern Cal - Ohio State game?

Why isn't Brett Downey on the depth chart for BYU?

Brain, who would you say are the three fastest football bruins

Is Howland the most competitive coach you have been around?

When you predicted the last game, you said that Tennessee would win in a close game. I wonder what made you think the game would be close. Was it something about Tennessee or something about UCLA which made you predict a close game?

Between Craft and Prince, which one is the strongest and most accurate passer?

How has Mike Harris looked since he returned to practice? Do you see him working his way into the starting lineup within the next few games absent any injury to a current starter?

Brian:

What's your biggest key for success against BYU on Saturday? I would go with go with our defensive interior & defenders "flying to the ball" limiting the BYU running game and forcing Hall to the air, hopefully leading to a field position battle.

Brian:

Naturally, Palcic and our O-Line are getting a big push on development with regard to run blocking. Within Chow's offensive framework, isn't our focus on the quick passing game going to be just as important in keeping defenses off balance leading to running opportunities?

Brian:

With Forbath's strong & dependable right leg, see some big decisions for CRN down the road with regard to flow of the game. What's your opinion as to CRN's propensity to "go for it" on 4th down behind a creative Norm Chow play call versus taking a shot with a long Forbath field goal and playing field position with our "D"?

Can you provide an insight related to the recent commits such as Lane, Reeves, Williams and Lamb? Since none of these guys are considered to be top of their class, were they top priorities of UCLA due to the style of ball they play or was UCLA forced to "settle" on these guys? Even with the recent success, does UCLA still have trouble attracting top shelf talent year in and year out?

What style of play will the basketball team play this season? Will it be Collison and Holiday show with the rest as supporting players?

Does the coaching staff feel that Jess Ward has the potential to become an effective offensive lineman, or was he simply switched to the offense because no one else was available? How has he looked practicing with the second team offensive line?

Is Nate Chandler ready to challenge for a starting position at offensive tackle, or does he need another year to get bigger and stronger and learn the position?

Brian, Back in july you said i could resubmit this question to
you and you would get an answer for me.

Could you ask Norm Chow what he feels Vince Youngs true potential is at the pro level?

If you could get something that would be great, you and Jill P. rock!!!

Is there a feeling that Brehaut will be able to win the job once Craft graduates? Is there any chance he supplants Craft next year?

What do the coaches feel the upside is of Prince and Crissman? Do you think it's north or south of, say, former QB Drew Olson?

During the ESPN broadcast of the TN game, the announcers said R. Neuheisel and D. Walker claim that the Bosworth brothers will play in the NFL. Do you agree?

What do you think Craft's true height/weight is. No way is he 6'5".

Who's the toughest kid on the team?

What are the chances R. Carter moves back to WLB next year? He looks small inside.

The brace on Raymond Carter's knee: is this something he's going to have to wear for his entire career or just this year?

Will Aundre Dean get a carry vs. BYU?

When is Derrick Coleman coming back and do you see him being a factor this year at RB? Aren't the coaches pretty high on him?

Is Craft a natural leader/well-liked like Cowan, or more like Ben Olson?

Just in terms of spinning the rock, who is the most naturally gifted QB on our roster?

Was there a fear for a while there that Crissman's injury was career-threatening? If it had been, would UCLA have gone after another QB recruit this year?

Of our underclassmen, which do you think have a good chance to develop into all-conference-level players? Other than Price.

What happened to Jess Ward? We haven't heard anything about him since his shift to the OL. Don't you think we'll have to switch him back to DT next year?

Is the staff very worried about the DT position beyond this year? Do they plan on moving D. Holmes to DT?

Who appear to be some of the best scout team players?

Amidst the successes of the blocked punt and Forbath's FG kicking, did the coaches not realize how poor the kickoff and punt teams were in terms of return yardage allowed? Will they put more starters out there on these units?

Is Austin firmly entrenched as the kickoff returner or are they going to give some other guys a shot at it?

Do you see anybody beating out Michael Norris at CB this year?

Rank these teams from best to worst: Tennessee, BYU, Arizona, Fresno St.

How are the Dorrell era holdovers adapting to RN?

How does Darius Savage fare 1 on 1 vs. B. Price in practice?

Don't you think the injuries to veterans like Bell, Olson, Cowan, Paulsen, Ketchum, and Everett are ironically going to pay huge dividends for UCLA in the coming years?

Is the light coming on for Darius Savage? Do you think it might still come on this year for Mike Harris? And how is Brandon Bennett doing?

Do you think the odds of Sheller coming back next year are better than 50/50?

What is the status on Maiava's injury? Are the coaches high on him?

If Moore wins the starting FS job, will Ware be the nickel back or will it be Viney? Are the coaches pleased with Viney at this point?

who has the stongest arm on the roster, of the healthy QB's?

How big a boost to the D is the return of Bret Lockett?

Palcic vs. Dorrell's OL coaches: big difference?

After the UW/BYU controversy, did the coaches give any special instruction to the team re: avoiding these types of penalties?

What kind of crew will be officiating our game with BYU? And what's your take on the unsportsmanlike conduct call against UW last week?

Do you think Prince has the makings of a star QB or is he just the best horse in a glue factory?

do we beat Tennessee with Cowan as the starter? with olson?

who is the one player we can least afford to lose on offense? on defense?

I understand that run blocking wasnt super but given the progress from the first day of camp, do you think the current Oline will be at least average by the time next year rolls around?

What is your opinion on the basketball program that Calhoun runs at UConn?

Do you think this current true freshman class will end up living up to its billing or do you think it will ultimately be a disappointment?

Are there any potential big-time playmakers/gamebreakers on this offensive roster? Present or future. Franklin, Rosario, Moutra, anyone?

After seeing how bad Rutgers was tonight vs. UNC, don't you think Fresno St. is a bit of a fraud? How do you like our chances in this game?

do you still think Rutgers would beat UCLA?

do you still think Rutgers would beat UCLA?

do you still think Rutgers would beat UCLA?

I know the O-line wasn't creating any holes, but both Moline and Carter seemed painfully slow nevertheless against Tennessee, and utterly incapable of rounding a corner or exploiting what momentary space there was. What specifically is keeping Aundre Dean from getting hand-offs while Bell sits out?

1) what are dorrell's feelings about everything? with all the bashing, does he agree with any of it? can you call him and ask?

2) your pic is so mean looking and bad-vibed, can u change it with a smiley one? =)

which team will be a national contender first, UCLA football or SUC basketball? Which will be better over the next 10 years?