Answers, part II
Here is the second set:
How many non-committed recruits are expected for the USC game?
Too early to tell, but I think anything short of 50 would be disappointing. And when I say 50, I'm not talking about the 2009 class only.
I read where Patrick Hall and Pressley were somewhat interested...is there any truth to that?
I'm hearing there is slight interest, but I think it is more contingent on what happens at USC, and if the coaching staff has a big change or not. I'm also hearing UCLA will go hard after a few of USC's committed guys once the season ends.
Do you think UCLA is too agresssive in their non-conference scheduling? Has CRN said as much?
Yes, I think UCLA plays too many dangerous games. No way UCLA should go to BYU for anything less than a 2-for-1 agreement, rather than a straight home-and-home. If BYU doesn't want it, too bad. And in a round-about way, Neuheisel has made it known the non-conference schedule this season was not to his liking, but the problem is UCLA's schedule is done years in advance.
Since craft seems to do better with a hurry up offense, why don't the Bruins simply go with the hurry up?
Because one of the main reasons he does better in the hurry-up is defenses are playing a soft two-deep zone, which means the safeties are off the line of scrimmage and the linebackers are playing back to allow underneath passes to trade yards for time used on the clock. Defenses won't play that way the whole game.
Since you're in NYC: Peter Luger (Brooklyn)or Sparks Steakhouse? or are you going across the bridge & tunnel for some NJ home cooking?
Home cookin' and by that I mean the grease trucks at Rutgers (yes, already been there) and the Stewart's root beer stand near my mom's house (on the agenda). It also means Taylor Ham, but look it up if you have no idea what that means.
I realize this is speculative, but if WWalker gets a much deserved head coaching gig would Greg Robinson late of Syracuse and def coord at Texas before that, be on CRN's radar for the def coordinator job?
I have no idea who WWalker is, but if you mean DeWayne Walker, UCLA's defensive coordinator, I can answer that. No, I don't see Greg Robinson being involved. Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I don't see it.
How much time do the football players have off (from football) before preparing for the 2009 season?
That remains to be seen. I was hearing talk of weight training starting immediately after the season rather than waiting until early January, but I don't think a decision has been made yet.
UCLA seems to be hitting the JC ranks hard. Because, as you said, many JC players are marginally talented, how much of this can be attributed to a desire for an infusion of physically mature athletes vs. a shallow pool of high school talent willing/able to come to UCLA?
While the high school talent pool is shallow in the West when it come to linemen, it has more to do with UCLA needing a few guys that can play early, and are physically ready to play early. It takes a special kid to play big minutes as a freshman on the line of scrimmage.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Taylor Ham is a type of sausage-like pork product made from coarsely ground pork shoulder, developed by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey late in the 19th century. It is often called pork roll due to the "roll" or tube-like sack in which it is traditionally packaged. In Trenton, Taylor Ham and its competitors were commonly referred to as "prepared ham".
The product is generally eaten sliced and grilled, like Canadian bacon, but is also known to be fried. A common practice is to slice four cuts from the outer edges inwards about 3/4 inch to an inch towards the center, evenly spaced around the circumference. These cuts prevent the pork roll from curling up in the middle, which causes it to cook unevenly. With these cuts, the cooked slices have become known by many different names such as fireman's badges (due to the similarity to the Maltese cross), pac-man meat, and notch meat.
Baba Booey to you all!
That sounds delicious, Fa Fa Flo Hi!
I'd rather have a hot dog wrapped in bacon
Ugh. I hope you all enjoy your heart attacks...
The best is putting two slices of Taylor Ham with two slices of cheese on a roll with potatoes and a fried egg for breakfast. A Kenilworth Diner classic.