Q&A time

How is Dean seventh on the depth chart at RB, is that because of inability to block, is he in the dog house? He was so highly touted out of high school, do you think he will transfer after the spring?

Are the successes of Mbah a Moute, Westbrook, and Love a surprise to you?

There was talk of Derrick Coleman and Chase Moline being moved to FB. Is that not the plan? What does the depth chart at FB look like?

Can you comment on the intensity and pace of practice compared to last year and previous years?

This articles suggests that Pete Carroll is going to keep a number of recruits "silent" to avoid negative recruiting, will UCLA be doing the same?

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Be-very-very-quiet-Pete-Carroll-is-hunting-blu?urn=ncaaf,153540

Do you think Jrue Holiday should go pro, why or why not?

From what you have seen of Spring Practice so far, does it appear that the FB team is heads and shoulders above last year's team at this point?

Going to the Spring game at the Rose Bowl? If so, stop by the UBTA and say hello! We'll be tailgating in our usual location by about 3 p.m.

Every time a player goes down with an injury (as Christian Ramirez and others have this Spring) you get questions asking you to link it to either the strength and conditioning program or UCLA's deal with adidas. So which is it this time?

Having too much talent at a certain position is a nice problem to have, but there is obvious concern about unhappy players and defections. In your opinion, should we be concerned, especially at RB?

What are Aundre Dean's deficiencies that place him at the bottom of the running back depth chart? Does he continue to struggle with blocking, or are there additional issues?

I'm hoping Jrue Holiday stays another year just so people will stop bashing the poor kid. Do you feel that people have been too critical of him, especially when you consider his age, or is he deserving of this criticism given the year he had?

Why all the pulled hamstrings so early? Poor stretching, too fast-paced, or just your usual spring practice stuff?

with all of the depth at running back, do you see CRN and Chow platooning 3, 4, or 5 guys ala USC or sticking with one feature back and maybe two other guys that get carries?

Nick Crissman seems to be the odd man out in the quarterback race. Did he make progress last year in learning the plays while sitting out and how confident is he running the offense? Thanks for doing such a great job

Who would you say are the nastiest players on the football team? By nasty I mean; hardest hitting, most emotionally intense, and violent.

Lets presume Prince wins the starting job, would the coaches like to red shirt brehaut given Prince is relativley healthy throughout the season? i.e. Prince does not miss a start?

Which players currently seem to constitute the second team linebackers behind Bosworth, Aayers, and R. Carter?

I know you do not like to deal with blessings in disquise but, Ramirez missing last year almost seems like a good thing right? Would anybody have been able to be more effective than Bell or Coleman given the terrible offensive line? I mean, Ramirez would not have been able to give us another win right?

From what you have observed, do any of the offensive linemen appear to have the ability to perform at an above average level in the Pac 10?

Which players are competing for the starting safety spot opposite Rahim Moore, and who seems to currently have the lead?

When does the lease with UCLA and the Rose Bowl expire? And if they ever get the Irwindale stadium done, do you see UCLA expressing any interest in moving there?

How is Brehaut's development compared to Prince after his first week of training camp last year? How much more potential does Brehaut have than Prince, if any?

What do you think about Arizona hiring Sean Miller?

I have heard reports that Jrue is leaning towards going pro. What have you heard? And if he does declare, do you think he will hire an agent?

Why would Jrue go pro? Isn't he projected to be taken in the second round?

Why would Jrue go pro? Isn't he projected to be taken somewhere in the second round?

Do you think Presley coming in early is going to give him a big advantage over the other freshmen coming in at WR in the summer, considering Presley currently looks more like a WR than a TE?

Football: If you are able, can you explain being an intern vs being a grad assistant. Do either get paid? Does being a grad assistant mean you take graduate classes?

How much confidence do you have that the JC recruits will qualify at this point?

Can you tell through Spring practice if a team will be successful in the fall, barring injuries, or can you just tell if a team will be improved, if that?

Who in your eyes is the top Running Back that UCLA currently has?Who is the hardest working RB you have seen?

Are any of the following , Knox , Franklin , Dean , and R. Carter , doing any work as punt or kickoff returners ?

How is Carnell Lake fitting into his position coaching the cornerbacks?

Do you foresee the Bruins receiving another verbal commitment for football (2010) any time soon ?

Do you feel that Akeem Ayers can be more of an impact player if he stayed at LB or bulked up and moved to DE?

Considering Tyler Hansbrough is a highly decorated college player, why is his draft status late first round? Is it the whole "NBA drafts on potential" bit and he's already plateaued and isn't expected to get better than his current skill set?

Is the AD still waiting to receive plans from NBBJ for the Pauley redo, or does UCLA already have plans in hand and are waiting for more funding before announcing anything publicly?

I read somewhere (Yahoo news?) that 4 out of the 5 most hated college basketball players are white (and I don't know anything about the accuracy of the poll used to determine this). Why, in your opinion, do white guys in college and pro hoops get such a hard time?

UCLA is not exactly known for its “flash” when it comes to its athletic and training facilities. What, then, would you say it is that recruits see when going to practices that makes them think “man, I want to be a Bruin” (other than good taste, that is)?

Brian how does a typical spring practice differ from a everyday training camp/regular season practice? Thanks for all the info. you provide!

Uko was quoted as saying the coaches told him to come to UCLA's camp and prove himself before an offer can be made, but shouldn't UCLA's apparent need for DT's force their hand first?

is John Young from Loyola being recruited as a TE or OT prospect?

Brian, whats your opinion on the pace of practice? Similar to last year, slower, faster?

What’s the probability that either Aboya or Shipp may get pick-up by an NBA or ABA team? Example: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute being drafted when no one expected that to happen. Besides, Mbah a Moute was primarily know for his defensive skills.

With depth at RB and WR which of the incoming freshmen may redshirt?

How aggressively is Coach Howland recruiting Xavier Thames (WSU verbal) or any other guard as a contingency plan in the event Holiday declares/stays in the draft? I'm assumming there is one scholarship available since UCLA passed on Sidney, even if Holiday stays.

There seems to be a lot of positive comments about Prince (strong arm, accuracy, understanding the offense, etc.). Is this the result of spring practice optimism, he looks good by comparison to the recent past, or he is really demonstrating high level potential?

With Floyd staying at SC, should Jamie Dixon tear up his SAG card and give up reviving his acting career?

If Branden Warner comes to UCLA, do you believe the D-tackle depth chart will look something like this?
DT: 1.Brian Price DT: 1. Branden Warner
2.Jess Ward 2. Jerzy Siewierski
3.David Carter 3. David Carter

Brian - I don't remember if it was you or someone else, but there's been reporting that the UCLA Training Facilities (I'm assuming weight room, etc.) are not up to par. Wasn't there an upgrade done recently? A new facility? The Acosta Training Center?

Do you think that Coach Embree's return has to do more with coaching near his son, or the rare opportunity to coach someone with as high a ceiling as Morrell Pressley? Or other? (LONG time reader, first time poster. Love the blog.)

You said on your blog a while back that a 3-4 defense doesn't work for college teams. What makes the 3-4 work up in Berkeley?

A number of schools continue to hold basketball practices up until April 15th. Does UCLA do this?

How did Christian Ramirez go from taking a year off and not playing to being the Number One running back? Is he the real deal?

Would Bobo be a decent football player if given a chance, and if he learns the sport? What position would he play?

Which walk-on in the past 10 years has received the most playing time and has made the most contribution in football and basketball? Have any in the history gone to the pro-level?

Based on potential, where do you see Damien Thigpen lining up in the RB depth chart? Will he red-shirt?

From what you have seen from Aaron Hester, does he have the skills to be a lockdown corner, as good as Verner? Also, what are your thoughts on Glenn Love, who is 6-4 and a big hitter? Any comparison in defensive impact as to Taylor Mays of SC?

Did you have a chance to eat at the Apple Pan yet?

Do you predict that next year's basketball team will have overall better chemistry since there will be less of a generation gap (most will be frosh and soph) and the sophomores will have played together and gelled over this past year?

is damien holmes blossoming at defensive end or do you think he is still a candidate to be moved to defensive tackle?

how are the punting/kicking units looking? same for punt return/kick return.

Brian, A year ago UCLA posted a highlite reel of the incoming football recruits after they signed. I have been waiting for the same. Can you ask if they have plans to do something similar this year?

Spring practice is what--about 3 weeks? What should UCLA realistically expect to accomplish?

Football has spring practice. Why isn't there any equivalent off-season team workout program for basketball?

I am I correct to assume that Neuheisal is a lot more active and visible around the campus that Dorrell was?

To you forecast UCLA finding a bonafide first string running back or using the proverbial running back by committee?

Could you please offer your opinion on the difference between football speed and flat-out speed? Also, which player on the team has the highest of each?

With what you know now, what will UCLA's football record (Pac-10 and overall) be next season, and will they go to a bowl game?

any way u can get video of practices? do they not allow it? maybe u can get exclusive permission of vid that they approve of. would be win-win-win all around.

Will Arizona return to prominence under Sean Miller, or are their glory days over (at least for the near future)?

Apart from Ramirez, do you think the staff is giving the other running backs a fair shotat playing time or to win the job as starting RB? Chow and RN are saying he is first string, but he has barely played in the practices.

Legalsean

This year is appears the Bruins will not have anyone drafted in the NFL, who do you see as potential NFL prospects on this team?

LS

What do you think the D-Tackle depth chart will look like once the season rolls around? Can you see Brian Price and possibly even Branden Warner as the starting two?

If Prince wins the starting job and Brehaut is #2, and Prince gets injured, will they really burn Brehaut's redshirt year, or play someone else?

"They [Villanova] were the fourth best team in the Big East, which makes them the best team in any other conference this season"
Not quite, huh?

Why don't the coaching staff promote competition as the determinant for gameday PT versus settling on a seasonal hierarchy for the RBs? Do coaches have fears of players defecting because not enough PT? Or is it more the fans indulging in their own fears?

How do the RBs feel about the competition? Good or Bad? I guess it plays on their mental toughness. Hope they know they should concentrate more on learning the offense and improving their skill set to get PT versus being distracted by believing they deserve PT.

Did Gary Beban talk to any of the players at practice? any coaches? or the media? What does he think of this team?

Recruits (football) often mention they received a UCLA offer after a coach watched their highlights tape. Is this the same tape and of same duration that is sometimes posted on the message boards under the recruit's profile?

Is it too optimistic to hope our o-line will be almost average in the pac-10 this year?

In your opinion, coming into spring practice, which finish do you think is most likely, based on what you know about this team, other Pac-10 teams, and UCLA's schedule (I'll ask again after spring practice)?
1) Sub-.500
2) Crappy bowl game (whatever they give to the 5th or 6th place team)
3) Decent bowl game (e.g. Sun Bowl/Holiday Bowl)
4) BCS Bowl

The NCAA announced they are merging the Mayo/Bush investigations. Do you feel they should have made more progress on these by now, or are their hands really tied on these things?

During the renovation of Pauley Pavilion, wich arena has the best chance of hosting the basketball games. (Honda Center, Staples, or Great Western Forum) or will they split between all three...

how do coaches prepare for ncaa tournaments for teams they have probably never faced before? does the bball staff record tapes of all the ncaa div 1 schools during the season? for example how would ucla go about scouting VCU this season? or for villanova, would coach howland go to good buddy jamie dixon to get inside scoops on villanova?

For the sake of this question, assume Holiday stays… The starting lineup could be Holiday, Anderson, Lee, Drago, and Gordon.
If Honeycutt can play similar minutes as Anderson did this past season, do you think this lineup is more advantageous: Holiday, Lee, Honeycutt, Drago, and Gordon?

Hey Brian, how do you pronounce your last name? Is it like “Don”?

What will it take for Roll to start at small forward next year moving Lee to the backcourt with either Anderson or Holiday?

Granted it depends on a lot of factors, but based on what you’ve seen of Forcier’s athletic ability what do you think are the chances that he sees playing time at receiver?

Do you know whether or not Coach Neuheisel has approached Jonathon Ogden to see his interest in being a graduate assistant on the staff and if so does he have room for him?

How does Frank Ganz and the UCLA staff determine which players will play on special teams specifically kick off's and kick returns? Is there something specific they are looking for?

Has UCLA sought "stimulus" funding from either the state funds given by the federal governemt or the federal government directly for the Pauley rebuild?

Any reflective thoughts regarding Nick Adenhart?

JHoliday waiting til June? Generally, can't be too critical, but don't you think if he has to wait until June to decide to go pro, he's not ready to make the jump? I'm sure Howland's helping him alot, but what's JH doing to help Howland waiting that long? Selfish???

I heard from a fairly reliable source that a famous trojan/49er/father of a past UCLA player, was spoken to a few months ago about a coaching position at UCLA. Did you hear anything about this, or is this banter?

Why would we wait until we know whether Jrue is leaving to decide to go after another guard, when we tried to get Gaddy before we knew whether Jrue was leaving? Would we have just told Jrue to go if we had gotten Gaddy?

It is being reported that Jrue Holiday will stay in the draft if he receives a guarantee of being a lottery pick. Is there any truth to this report and do you think he will receive such a guarantee?

Mr. Dohn, since you know much more than you report in the Daily News, can you give us your opinion about Bergman, and how this, if any, impacts Pauley?

Hey Brian, love the blog and all that you do us. Is it a good or a bad thing that we don't have that many early commits?

Re: Hey Brian, love that blog and all that you do for us. Is it a good or bad thing that we don't have many early commits?

Could you see Xavier Henry to UCLA? If not who might we replace Jrue "Bust" Holiday with?

There is no way of releasing Jrue from his scholarship so both parties can move on before June?

We can agree that we had a pretty slow football team last season right? Now that all of those guys are gaining more weight/muscle, can you see our team speed decreasing further than it already is?

Have you noticed any difference in the defense tactics or preparation with the new coordinator & some new assistants?

Is the fullback spot really a fight between Coleman or Moline or is there another option?

Thanks for the great work,

Steve

Hi Brian. Great work here. Now that Holiday may be leaving, what are Coach Howland's options in the back court? Thanks

How does Carnell Lake like his return to Ucla Football? How are the players responding to him? Has he hit the recruiting trail yet? Does Coach Lake keep in touch with the Trojan Ken Norton, Jr?

Why do I have a sinking feeling that UCLA is going to dump $200 million into the Pauley "renovation" and the "new" Pauley is going to be just as crummy and decrepit?

So Prince has arm soreness after just a few days of spring practice...should we be worried that this becomes a nagging and recurring ailment?

What does your gut tell you about where Holiday will be playing next year...NBA or UCLA?

The NCAA has now packaged its USC investigation into the old "lack of institutional control" charge...Since your close to things, what is your opinion on the overall "cleanliness" of the UCLA athletic department--particular FB and BB?

What is YOUR personal opinion: tear down Pauley and start from scratch with a new arena...or continue with the renovation facelift project?

Which of the following: Kentucky's Daniel Orton, Memphis' Nolan Dennis + Xavier Henry, Washington State's Xavier Thames does UCLA have best chance at getting (if they're all available and JH decides early to bolt)? Which fit in best in UCLA's system?

Are any of the men's basketball practices open to public? Are there any disadvantages of this, such as exposing plays?

Last week you said Howland may have closed practices so there are no witnesses to whatever's going on between coach and players. You've been around a lot of coaches. How do you best get your guys to perform? Screaming obscenities and riding them or being more of the warm and fuzzy type?

Brian, 3 Q's... With your expertise, how many games will the football team win next year?
When exactly will this recession end? And what day and hour will I die? Thanks

I finally graduated from UCLA 3 weeks ago. It took me 4 years and 2 quarters, though it was in electrical engineering. I am so impressed with Alfred Aboya. He is the ideal NCAA student-athlete. Do you know if UCLA or the NCAA will use his story as an example in any way? he should be in those ncaa student-athlete commercials.

there are a number of players I would like to hear about in regards to progress.
D.Holmes,J.Edison,J.Johnson,A.Moutra,P.Larimore,
C.Harkey,N.Chandler,D.Carter, and A.Dean

In basketball Howland is not getting players to stay that extra year. Do you think he is recruiting the wrong guys (extra year wise)or just can't sell it (i.e. think any would have stayed if they went to NC or FL)?

can Liverpool outscore Chelsea by 3 goals??