Weekly Answers, Pt. 7

1) When coaches (read: Neuheisel) recruit players, do they usually go after the player who best fits their current offensive (or defensive) system, or do they try to get the best players available and then base the system around them? - Warren
It's definitely a combination of both. You want players who fit your style, your personality, you program. At UCLA, because of the academic restrictions, it's not always easy. But generally, you go for the best player available who fits the system.

2) Embree - This guy didn't drop anything until this year. What's up with him? A good, reliable possession receiver is a big positive. Can he be that for the Bruins again? - localbruin
I think he can, I just think the passing game has been so off that everyone has looked terrible. He's never going to be a burner, and he knows that, but a solid four-five catches for 50-60 yards is not asking too much. At this point, though, given how the passing game has looked, that would be like the second coming of JJ Stokes.

3) Don't know much about soccer except that my 8 year old loves playing it and people here in Seattle are really into the Sounders. How good is UCLA's team and do you think it will ever command as much attention as even their baseball team? - BruinInSeattle
They are 9-3-1, and here's a link to the site: http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-soccer/ucla-m-soccer-body.html. No, college soccer won't get near the attention of college baseball, which doesn't get near the attention of college basketball, which doesn't get near the attention of college football.

4) How did you endear yourself to Bruinsnation, a blog that has no love of the "tradmed" as they put? - bruininseattle
We've definitely had our issues, but I believe in confronting the issues head on, so we opened a dialogue and have had consistent communication for a while now. While I don't have much experience with such sites - I've never been a college sports fanatic - I respect the time and effort they put into it. For them, I think they realize that I'm working my butt off and that I have a young, fresh perspective that isn't cynical and isn't biased, and I just try to report what I see. That, and I've paid them off in gold bullion.

5) What's your explanation for UCLA's inconsistent play? Given that WSU has turned into a semi-competitive team, I think the WSU win, as well as dominating wins over Houston and Texas were good performances. Is it match ups? The nature of college football today? Something else? - UCLAW
I don't really have an "explanation," and there is no excuse for 70-7 against a very good team and relatively better-than-average team. If they lose 70-7 to Oregon and Oregon State, I think you can give them a break. But 70-7 to Stanford and Cal is a joke. They know it. They don't have any brilliant reasoning either. It just didn't happen on those two particular Saturdays. Against K-State, I credit the loss to not using Franklin and starting a rusty Prince. You could say the inconsistency stems from the top, but I don't even think that's it. Really, it's a lot about the nature of college football today, as you said, and sometimes talent wins out and sometimes it doesn't. But for the millionth time, I think youth and inexperience have a lot to do with it.