Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…
1) D-1 college Offensive Linemen have gotten a lot bigger since I was in college back in the 80’s and 90’s. What is a “good” weight for an incoming freshman who is 17-19 versus a quality Pac-10 linemen who been in the weight room a few years? Does it matter if they are tackles, guards or centers? – bruinball
It really depends on the offensive scheme. For a zone-blocking rushing attack, you want lither, more laterally quick linemen, typically in the 270-280 range. For typical power-I formations, 290-300 is about right. For an incoming freshman who hopes to play that year, I would say 280 is the target, with the hope of packing on another 5-10 pounds through the season.
2) Timing is everything! I think any UCLA Final Four team from 2006,2007, or 2008 would easily win this year’s Final Four given the competition. What do you think? – Blue Bruin
Agreed.
3) What do you like about Keenan Graham? – Anonymous
He is extremely quick for a defensive end, and from the few opportunities I had to watch him in high school when I worked at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, I saw a great burst and a willingness to initiate contact. A lot of high school defensive ends will use the swim move every time because it creates a cushion and lets them rely on pure speed. The good ones, though, and particularly the ones who advance to the high D-1 level, won’t shy away from bull-rushing or ripping, which are both more physical. Graham was that kind of player.
4) What position competition are you looking forward to seeing the most in spring? – Anonymous
In terms of competition, I think cornerback will be interesting to watch. Curious to see how Nate Chandler looks at defensive tackle. Obviously Prince has some questions to answer. Should be interesting.
5) Explain “thecoolsub” – Anonymous
Before I got the job covering UCLA, I was considering a career change into teaching, and it’s something I’d like to do some day at the college level. While freelancing for the Daily News last year, I was also substitute teaching, and a friend of mine called me the cool sub, after a Family Guy episode in which Brian the Dog becomes a teacher. I created the twitter account as a personal account, and just recently started doing work stuff on it, as well. So, twitter.com/thecoolsub