Answers, Part VIII
Here is the eighth set:
Coach Neuheisel has clearly been chewing out Craft in the middle of games and in front of the TV Audience. Is anybody asking him why he doesn't do this in private?
Because after Craft makes a bonehead decision, Neuheisel wants to let him know. What good does it do to wait until halftime or after the game so he can do it a locker room filled with teammates. Or, should he wait until the next day to discuss went what wrong.
With the young talent that UCLA has at RB on the roster this year and 2 guys that will be redshirt FR next year do you see any of them leaving because of playing time?
Well, I ran a story today in which Aundre Dean wouldn't comfirm he would be back next season. So, yes, I could see someone leaving.
coach neuheisel made comments about the team needing to get stronger after the loss at cal. just how strong/weak are these guys anyway? what do these guys bench press and what should the be benching?
The bench press numbers are not made available to the media, so I cannot tell you that. And how much a player should be able to lift depends on body type. A guy with longer arms will not be able to bench as much as someone with shorter arms but the same type of torso build. And how weak is UCLA? Just watch the offensive line this season, and see how many times a linemen gets pushed backward.
how disgraceful was it for Abdul Gaddy and his father to have the HEAD COACH of UCLA fly all the way up to Washington, only to commit to UW even before Howland's plane landed?
Well, it would be nice for you to get the facts straight before you rip the kid and his father. Gaddy committed to Washington AFTER the practice Howland went to see. And I find it not disgraceful at all. Maybe Gaddy told Howland not to bother coming up, but Howland did anyway. I don't know, but that is part of recruiting. Was it disgraceful a UCLA assistant called Gaddy to tell the family Lute Olson was retiring before word of the retirement became public?
I've heard over and over again how UCLA's academic standards for incoming recruits are tied with Stanford for the highest in the Pac-10. What exactly are those standards? (ie GPA, SAT) What are those of other top-tier schools?
I've never heard anyone say UCLA is tied with Stanford, and anyone who says that has no idea what they are talking about. Stanford is the toughest in the Pac-10, followed by UCLA. As for the standards, at UCLA is it based on a sliding scale, but that scale is higher than most other schools.
in spring and fall practices wasn't forcier considered the more conservative and less turn over prone but also less spectacular qb? with the style of our team and the importance on keeping it close and not turning it over wouldn't that be best? am i wrong about his turnover tendencies?
I think you have bad information. Forcier barely got a snap in spring ball because Patrick Cowan and Ben Olson were healthy, and neither went down until the very end.
LB Poly DE Iuta Tepa committed to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago but has apparently re-opened his recruitment due to offers from Oregon and UCLA. Does UCLA have a chance at him or is he leaning towards Oregon?
UCLA has a chance with him, but I don't know to what level. I can see him winding up at Oregon, but I wouldn't rule UCLA out.
With all of the young RB's UCLA has, is Hilliard being brought in as a RB or will he be moved to DB?
Right now it is as a running back, but plans sometimes chance. Don't forget, UCLA already has commitments from three defensive backs in this class, and has some nice young talent in the secondary already on the roster.
Dohn sounds angry today
dohn doesn't read his own blog. dohn himself reported that gaddy sr. said the decision to commit to wash. was made prior to howland's visit. so there!!! and on top of that, what's disgraceful about a ucla coach letting gaddy know that lute had screwed him again? Answer: nothing. get a clue, brian.
Please show me where I reported Gaddy committed before Howland made the trip up. I looked at what I wrote and here it is:
"Abdul Jr. told Washington coach Lorenzo Romar last night, a few hours after UCLA coach Ben Howland was at Bellarmine to watch Abdul Jr. practice."
I reread your post and it left it unclear when gaddy committed, BUT according to Aaron Beach of dawgman.com he posted on BRO that "[a]s I understand it, yes, the decision was made yesterday afternoon before CBH arrived." 10/29/08 1:58 pm So, given that your post only mentioned when the gaddys told romar and Abeach has tons of credibility on this point, I maintain that it was disgraceful to treat ucla's head coach this way and your answer betrays a simple lack of reporting on your part.
There's a difference between a family and a student/athlete making a decision vs. making an oral commitment.
If you still don't see what I'm getting at....Gaddy and his family may well have decided a day or two in advance of when they made the commitment public.
Also, do you know for sure that Mr. Beach knew of the decision but Howland didn't? Like Dohn said, how do you know Howland didn't insist upon coming up to Washington anyway, despite knowing Gaddy had made up his mind? Maybe Howland asked Gaddy to hold off of making an announcement for a day so he could pitch UCLA to him one last time?