Embree still at returner
Despite the presence of former All-Big-12 honorable mention kick returner Josh Smith, UCLA will continue to go with junior Taylor Embree as punt returner for the foreseeable future.
Embree is the more sure-handed of the two, and while he doesn't offer the speed that Smith possesses, he is a capable runner. Embree had a 31-yard punt return in UCLA's 31-13 win over Houston last Saturday.
"We had a couple of different plans against Houston with their punt formation, that wide punt formation," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We were going to come after them a little bit. It's not that we've lost confidence in Josh, it's just that Taylor does a good job back there. Taylor is the better receiver of punts, but certainly Josh gives us some explosiveness with his legs."
For those who wanted Josh Smith over Taylor Embree as a punt returner, please remember the great Bill Walsh, who once said that, "When calculating all the yards through the season without ANY PUNT RETURNER, you still come out ahead." Yes, Josh Smith has better wheels than Taylor Embree, but he drops more balls when attempting to catch the punt, leading to a more disaster situation. Considering our anemic offense and young team, we can not afford more mistake and play catch up. This is not too conservative, but rather a smart way to increase the chance to win some games. I believe Mr. Bill Walsh knows a little bit about football and winning.
Josh Smith...what a waste of scholarship for a rapper!
This is the damn problem! CRN takes few risk and when you have talnt you have to take the risk. That 31 yarder by Embree was a TD by Smith.
We dont throw to Smith either, or Marbray or Carroll deep. This is symptomatic of that thought process and the approach to the first 2 games of the season. As well as our unwillingness to use Coleman as a FB because he is not a tailback. And yes I relate this decision to the ones I listed above, as long as we play scared and afriad to make mistakes we will struggle offensively and stress out our defense.