• Anonymous

    I’ve never been one to trash on Ms. Painter. I just read her shtick on the Daily News. What a load of crap. Truly a pathetic piece of journalism crafted to pander to CRN haters (one I am part of). Her article is rank with misstatements, ad holmium attacks, and, simply put, cowardice.

    First, get your facts straight. She proclaims that CRN never “recruited a high-profile QB.” That is simply untrue. She claims that CRN has left the program “in shambles”? Huh? Sure 6-6 is nothing to be proud of. But, shambles? We are playing for the Pac-12 Championship this Friday. Plus, who were our losses to? – - Houston (#6 undefeated at 12-0), Texas (#22), Stanford (#4 at 11-1), USC (#9 – AP at 10-2). The two scars on our record are Utah and Arizona, two teams that played their best football against us. Are we really surprised that we had so many blowouts with this schedule? The most absurd part of her article is that she claims CRN left the program in worse shape than which he got it. Under almost no metric is that correct. CRN was a terrible coach, but the guy could sure recruit.

    Second, what is up hating on CRN all of a sudden? Where was this vitriol before? Oh wait, you didn’t want to burn a bridge so you didn’t dare say what you did before. Now that he is on his way out, lets slam him.

    Finally, if one looks at UCLA’s schedule next year, and the talent on the books. With a mediocre coach out record could be quite good. Especially if Hundley turns out to be awesome and some of our nasty receivers coming into their own. On the line, we should look fairly decent. Again Jill—not shambles.
    I always supported Ms. Painter’s coverage of UCLA sports when she fills in for Jon. Granted her analysis was always minimal and generally thrown together haphazardly. I still appreciated her effort. Now–you lost me. Everything you write will be subject to a squinted eye and a lingering thought, “what’s your angle now?”

  • mindshed

    +1 on the “Where the heck that that come from, Jill?”

    I want a new coach, but man did you take a 180 from mostly neutral (maybe an internet quip here and there) to unexpectedly bitter and snarky. Like anonymous said, Rick recruited talent, but was a bad coach. I think his replacement will be stepping into a better personnel situation that Rick did after Dorrell.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for bringing the truth Jill!! Some people can’t handle the truth.

  • NJ Trojan

    For 50 years from 1949 through 1998, UCLA went 25-22-3 against USC; UCLA went 218-100-11 in the Pac-12, winning or sharing the conference title 14 out of 50 times; and the Bruins were a perennial top-25 program with USC, Washington, and Arizona State. That should be the standard in Westwood: top-25 rankings, a conference title every four to five years, and a winning record against USC. Oh, and I’m sure the Bruins would like to see another national championship, even if they have to split it with the Buckeyes.

    Following Donahue’s retirement, Bob Toledo appeared to have UCLA on the brink of a second national championship in 1998, but the wheels came off at the end of the season, the Bruins began losing against USC again, and UCLA has been mired in mediocrity ever since.

    Unfortunately for the Bruins, Sanders was struck by a heart attack before the 1958 season and UCLA struggled under his replacement for seven years. In 1965, UCLA hired one of Sanders’s former assistants at Vanderbilt and UCLA away from Oregon State, Tommy Prothro. Prothro went 41-18-3 overall, 22-10-2 in the Pac-8, and 3-3 against USC. After Prothro left to coach the Los Angeles Rams in 1971, three consecutive head coaches kept it rolling at UCLA. The first was Pepper Rogers, another coach from the south who led UCLA to a 19-2 overall record and a 12-7-1 Pac-8 record, but he went 0-2-1 against USC. The second was Dick Vermeil, a California man who led UCLA to a 15-5-3 overall record, an 11-3-1 Pac-8 record, and a 1-1 record against USC. The third was Terry Donahue, a former UCLA player and assistant. Donahue coached the Bruins for 20 years, from 1976 through 1995. Donahue’s Bruins went 144-81-8 overall, 92-61-5 in the Pac-10, and 10-9-1 against USC, including the first six games of an eight game winning streak against the Trojans.

    UCLA joined the forerunner of the Pac-12 for the 1928 season early in William Spaulding’s career. While the Bruins under Spaulding saw overall success, Spaulding’s Bruins went 33-34-6 in the PCC. The next two coaches failed to compile winning records in the conference as well. Then in 1949, UCLA hired Red Sanders away from Vanderbilt. Sanders went 66-19-1 overall, 47-11-1 in the PCC, and 6-3 against USC.

    Sanders coached UCLA to their only national championship in 1954. Actually, Ohio State split the 1954 national championship with UCLA. The two teams should have met in the Rose Bowl but a “no-repeat” clause forced the Bruins to stay home and watch Pac-8 runner-up USC play the Buckeyes instead. Ohio State and UCLA did play two common opponents that year: Cal and USC. Ohio State’s combined score against those two teams was 41-20, while UCLA’s was 61-6.

  • ucla-of-the-rockies

    @anon620: Yeah, she’s so into the truth that she couldn’t stand her fingers on fire to report that Sheldon Price had knee surgery, when in reality it was A-Barr.

  • FrozenBruinAK

    I can’t take anything Jill says seriously after the “Please don’t go Pete, the best football team money can buy is the standard that all of college football should be held up to” article.

  • theuclan

    Jill is a joke! I never read this when she fills in for Jon.

  • The Monopoly Is Over Here
  • Hot Bruin

    Sorry guys, I have to side with Jill on his one. (Rare for me) CRN DID leave the program in a shambles. At least when Dorrell left we were not a national laughing stock as we are now. Rick has turned a once proud UCLA football program into a national embarrassment. I would be laughing too if it wasn’t so sad to see our once great and proud reputation and national respect shattered by incompetents like CRN and Guerrero. I lived through the glory days of the 80′s and I was there to watch QB Rick beat Illinois in the Rose Bowl. I liked Rick but his undisciplined teams, his outlandish statements, and his stupid decisions (i.e. white doughboy uniforms)were too much to stomach. I laughed when Guerro said “it’s obvious a change needs to be made.” Really Danny boy? It’s obvious to you now?? Wow it’s no wonder you’re the AD and fully deserving of that pay raise you gave yourself while revenues were taking a nose dive. A change needed be made 2 years ago when it was clear to everyone but you that Rick was not going to get the job done. Good luck Rick in all your future endeavors and take that lackluster, overpaid, indecisive, loser Guerrero with you.

  • Lifelong Bruin Fan

    So what do Bruin supporters think of Vinny’s article pumping up Mike Leach? I’d be thrilled with Petersen but Leach seems like he would be great at UCLA too (and much more attainable than Petersen).

    I had not followed the controversy surrounding Leach so I did a little research and found this article from last year detailing his firing.

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/540633-the-mike-leach-firing-testimonies-and-videos-that-show-leachs-innocence

    At least based on this article, it looks to me like Leach got the short end of the stick.

  • http://www.yahoo.com BruinRob

    Ms. Painter, you are full of crap!!

    First, RN left a program in shambles? last I checked UCLA is playing for a berth in a BCS Bowl on Friday night?

    Second, when RN took over the program from Dorell, he inherited nothing but walk-on OLinemen, he had to convert Tight Ends and DTs to the OLine, and that has been a work in progress every year, finally we have some depth there, especially with Xavier Sua Filo returning next year.

    Whoever the next coach is, he will inherit a good core of talented athletes what if used in the right offensive or defensive schemes they will be everything they were supposed to be when they committed to be Bruins.

    The biggest obstacle for RN has been UCLA’s brass’ inability to pay good money for top notch assistants to compliment Neuhiesel, and unless they open up the checkbook this problem will continue to be a thorn on the Bruins’ side.

    So Ms. Painter, stick to what you know, and apparently reporting on football is not your forte.

  • dodgerfan

    Taking emotion out of it. And, not focusing on that Rick was a great UCLA Bruin. A Rose Bowl winning QB.

    In reality you can argue he is the worst or at least one of the worst UCLA coaches ever.

    He’s a big boy. He can handle criticism. If you are a head coach and you didn’t have success. You are open to huge criticism. Just like if you are a head coach that wins you often get too much credit. It goes both ways.

    The players should realize their inconsistent play this year. Along with their extremely poor play last year basically played the biggest role in getting Neu fired.

    He didn’t always get them prepared either physically or mentally. But, the players have to show more pride and tenacity as well.

    Again, when you fail as a coach. You are open to almost any type of criticism. It comes with the job. Just like the accolades and praise when you win.

  • Anonymous

    ” UCLA is playing for a berth in a BCS Bowl ” – to the UTTER EMBARRASSMENT of the PAC-12.

  • spedjones

    I really don’t know you look at 50-0 and say the program’s not in shambles. Must be the Glendale CC transfers among us.

  • Lifelong Bruin Fan

    The more I read about Leach, the more I am impressed with him. (Warning: the following article is looong but a great read.)

    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/magazine/04coach.html?pagewanted=print

    Does anybody have anything (intelligent) to say pro or con about Leach?

  • The Blur

    Ms Painter is a Colorado grad. Looks like she’s got a bone to pick. I’m sure this article would go over great in Boulder, but she should know her audience. Neuheisel is a fairly beloved Bruin regardless of his coaching misfortunes. Kicking him while he’s down is in poor taste.