Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…
1) Great job so far John. Appreciate the hard work. Now for my question. I realize Randal Carroll was a freshman last year, however in every UCLA football game I watched I noticed they did not have Carroll or Austin(arguably the two fastest players on the team) on the field or in formations together most of the time. Was this due to inexperience or not knowing the playbook? Seems to me if they really wanted to stretch the field they would have done this more. Also, with Oregon clearly not the front runner for the Pac 10 title anymore without Masoli. Do you think the Bruins have a shot to win the Pac 10? Thanks and godbless. – ucla34
Carroll admittedly didn’t have a firm grasp of the offense, and has implied his biggest goal this offseason was to master the playbook. I think Carroll can develop into something special, but I still don’t know why he wasn’t redshirted. I think a Pac-10 title is a stretch, but they’ll be improved.
2) Will Stover have any impact next season coming off his red-shirt? What are his strengths? – Frank Bonaccorso
I think Stover is still a couple years away. He needs to get stronger and quicker, and while the little I did see of him lends to optimism, he’s not there yet.
3) Does CBH now regret not talking Chase Stanback into staying at UCLA??? – 909Bruin
I’m sure he tried, but it’s not like Stanback has become Carmelo Anthony.
4) Considering my humble analysis Jon, do you think the success of the 95 Championship caused fans to quickly call for Lavin’s head while Howland’s success following Lavins’s horrible final season has given him a Dragovician long leash? Or, am I way off base and the two bear no comparison? – BigDBruin
Basically, to even question Howland’s leash at this point is ludicrous. It’s been bad year.
5) Aside from the Drew Gordon issues earlier in the season, were there other attitude/chemistry issues with this team or was it more of a overall talent issue? – BruinBall
It was a combination of both. Chemistry issues don’t always mean players shoving each other and getting in each other’s face. Chemistry issues are revealed when a guy doesn’t make the extra pass, when a guy doesn’t hold his screen long enough, when a guy doesn’t help on defense. The team needs a lot of work.