Winds of change breeze into Westwood
One coach in, one coach out and one coach on its way.
Forget trying to learn plays, UCLA football players are just trying to remember the man in charge.
With interim head coach Mike Johnson leading his first Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl practice on Sunday without Rick Neuheisel - and with new head coach Jim L. Mora expected to arrive in town today - the Bruins heads' were spinning.
"I'm excited for like my fourth fresh start," junior tight end Joseph Fauria said. "I had a fresh start as a freshman, a transfer, then (offensive coordinator Norm) Chow left, and now a new coach. Four fresh starts. Pretty fun."
Fauria laughed, shrugged and shook his head - pretty much the consensus reaction from most of the Bruins who are just trying to keep up with all the change.
Step one, focus on the now, and that means preparation for their Dec. 31st bowl matchup with Illinois.
Sunday's practice was lively, with players back out for practice for the first time since November, following finals week. The Bruins focused extensively on fundamentals, with the next week of practice almost like a mini minicamp. Scout team players got extra scrimmage time, mostly freshmen on freshmen, a luxury not afforded when preparing for an immediate opponent.
The biggest difference, though, was not hearing the familiar voice of Neuheisel.
"He'd always come out and say, "Great day to be alive, great day to be a Bruin," junior quarterback Kevin Prince said. "He'd try to get everybody revved up. It's a different feel. It really is. It definitely feels like something's missing right now. You're used to something for four years, and you take that away, and it's odd."
Out with the old and in with the new, and in UCLA's case, that means Mora.
Mora called the Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons game for Fox on Sunday then planned to fly back to Washington before heading down to Los Angeles to begin assembling his staff and start recruiting.
A newcomer to the college game, Mora is also going to make his introduction to the Bruins for the first time, as many only know of him from his NFL head coaching gigs with the Falcons and Seahawks.
UCLA players seemed to trust the hire, though they appeared relieved that the coaching search finally ended.
"There's no reason to worry about it, but it's nice to have it done," Prince said. "It's better to have someone solidified then wait and see and have uncertainty surrounding the program. You don't want to miss out on good coaches. You saw all these good coaches going different places, and you're like, 'Well, when are we going to get somebody?'"
Just watch.
I think Jim Mora will be a great coach for UCLA.
First order of business for Coach Mora:
1. Create a coaching team of assistant coaches and other personnel.
2. Learn how to recruit with this team.
3. Hit the recruiting trail heavily.
4. Find and recruit a great quarterback.
No great quarterback = No championship, no Rose Bowl, no beating USC, no national ranking. No matter how good the other players are, you can't win without a great quarterback.
Hate to be a downer, BG, but I disagree...
http://coachesbythenumbers.com/ucla-goes-nfl-hires-jim-mora-jr/
That'll tell you all you need to know about this hire. UCLA is not going to get better until it has a college coach who knows how football works on this level, nor is that coach coming until you find an AD who knows what it takes to run a successful DI-A athletic program, and not a DI-AAA like at UC Irvine.
Yeah, the non-revenue sports are great (props to volleyball for taking down Penn State, btw), but those don't get funded unless you have successful revenue sports (read: basketball and FOOTBALL). Until UCLA figures out that they need to be relevant in football and actually do some research before they hire a coach, UCLA will continue to be mediocre in football and decline in the rest of their sports.
I just spoke with one of the returning UCLA starters last night. Most of the players are about as confident in the decision to hire Mora as the majority of fans/alumni are. Many aren't happy, but can't do much about it.
I suspect we'll see many transfers, and several recruits drop us from consideration.
Hey Anonymous-
That's funny because I tutor a few of the O-line players and they are all excited to have an nfl experienced coach coming in. University of South Central not welcome!
Freaking trolls posing as Bruin fans claiming to know unhappy players. Try raining on your own Bowl Game parade, oooops! Sorry, I forgot LMAO.
I also know and talk to players on the team, and they are excited and looking forward to the change, although they miss Rick.
I'm a student and work for the athletic department, specifically the football team. The vast majority of the guys are thrilled with the hire. Not just because of Coach Mora but because there is a feeling that he will keep the current coaches they love and bring in top flight coaches to fill in the other spots.
Oh look, anonymous Bruinsnation types trying to burn down the team that the claim to support. What a shock.
Oh, and if you need to find out the latest BN stupid without giving them a page click here it is; they insist that Mora shouldn't have been hired until after bowl season was over so we could evaluate every other bowl coach, BUT they are also furious that Mora finished his duties at NFL network by working for just one day before flying into UCLA.
It must be nice to be able to hold two such ridiculous and inconsistent views and still think you are representative of anything in the UCLA fanbase. Then again, their constant slagging of the team they claim to support is sort of a hallmark isn't it?
Can any of you bozos stop commenting about what other website do?
@anon
I'd love to stop talking about BN, but the problem is that they are actively undermining the UCLA football program. They are a prominent fansite who get mainstream media attention. The problem is that the media isn't aware of their restrictive moderation and groupthink. The media isn't aware that they are willing to harm UCLA football to achieve other objectives, such as the firing of our AD. Their stance is so extreme that even in cases where I agree with them I find their tone disturbing.
So yes, I'm talking about another website. But only because they are setting my house on fire, sure the flames haven't reached me yet, but I'll do my utmost to prevent it. The word needs to be spread and they need to be discredited as the charlatans they are. We have a recruiting class that to work on, having our "fan sites" trying to sink the team with horrible tone and sometimes misleading stories (see the "DG denied food and heat to players during bowl prep" story today for example) doesn't help us one bit. If things go poorly afterwards, they will cynically blame everybody who tried to help the team, instead of facing the fact that they are a negative force when it comes to UCLA athletics.
Fauria is going to do whatever it takes to boost his draft stock in this next game. Then he's done.
This interview is an interesting window into Mora. Seems to me like a good guy and a great hire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJdLCj7QcGo
I agree with spreading the word the Bruinsnation is a site who have a group of people that seek to undermine UCLA's athletic programs. They are a poison that has been unleashed onto UCLA.
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Jim Mora is the best available coach for UCLA. For good or bad. As such, I am highly supportive of him and what he is trying to accomplish.
What is great is that he has years of NFL experience.
This allows him to:
1. Recognize NFL talent when recruiting players.
2. Force players to take responsibility for their actions.
3. Discipline the players who misbehave.
4. Drop players who are not performing.
5. Make decisive decisions.
These were all missing in the previous three coaches.
In addition, he has a great personality for a college coach.
Despite what people believe about his NFL coaching accomplishments or lack thereof, NFL coaching success does not necessarily translate to college coaching success - and vice versa. A great example is that Pete Carroll did not have NFL coaching success before coaching USC nor after leaving USC.
However, I think that NFL experience is highly important to be a great college coach in this modern era.
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In any case, a more important accomplishment for UCLA is to find a star quarterback.
Without a star quarterback, any talk about UCLA winning is nonsense - no matter who the coach is.
No college team wins at a national level nor goes to a major bowl without a star quarterback.
Terry Donahue, UCLA Football's John Wooden, said so. And I believe him.
Look at all the top BCS teams. They all have top quarterbacks.
Look at what happened to the Florida Gators since losing Tim Tebow - now they're 6 and 6.
Look at USC and all of their Heisman-winning and Heisman candidate quarterbacks.
Look at Stanford and Andrew Luck.
No college team wins without a star quarterback. Period.
The most important task of any UCLA Football coach is to recruit a star quarterback.
We have not had a star quarterback since Terry Donahue's time.
Bob Toledo, Karl Dorrell, and Rick Neuheisel of all failed to recruit star quarterbacks. This has lead to their failure to take UCLA to winning seasons. This lead to their firings.
Thus, I hope Jim Mora can find a star quarterback. Every other discussion about his coaching ability is pointless without doing this.
We simply won't win without a star quarterback.
There is a reason you bring a new coach in. It gives the whole program a breath of fresh air. The new optomism needs to translate into wins by year two. (See Kansas). ucla needs to bring in players that can start in 2013. Unfortunately the coaching "search" has put a bad light on the football program and the state of the facilities. How may times is the 80 yard field or lack of goal posts going to be mentioned by other teams?
We don't need that star quarterback, just an effective one that can make plays when needed. Yes, having an Andrew Luck type would even be better, but not necessary. Look at LSU or Alabama. Neither of those teams have an outstanding QB. Not even close. They win with the best defenses in the country. The QB positions for them are horrible to say the least. I didnt care for the Mora hire at first, but now I understand this man brings a big defensive background to this Bruin team. I'm excited.
Would love to see a WCO with Darius Bell in the role of Michael Vick @ ATL & Jordan James in the role of Roger Craig @ SF....Defensivley I'd love to see the Tampa 2 with the athlete Anthony Barr @ MLB, hes got the size & speed of Taylor Mays & the ability to drop back as a 3rd Safety.
@Bruin Gold
I wish I could share your optimism. The whole fiasco has made me so pessimistic -- you fire a coach so you can get a jump start into the coaching search and what happens? You look at the same list you had four years ago and don't even look at other candidates like Mike Leach? Larry Fedora? Hugh Freeze? Gary Patterson? Then you hire a guy who was a terrible coach in the NFL and has virtually no experience at the collegiate level?
Sorry, but I just don't see more than a mediocre coach and another 3/4 years of terrible play. As much as I'd like to believe Mora will be UCLA's version of Pete Carroll, I'm not holding my breath. Petey at least had years of collegiate experience before he got to the NFL.
Hate to say it, but the one thing I will say BN got right is that Guerrero has no idea what he's doing from the football end. Should he be fired? No. But somebody needs to help him with the football department.
Neuheisel for assistant AD, anyone?
BRUIN GOLD
I agree, Neuheisel for assistant AD
GO BRUINS.
@LBF
That's actually me. I only say that because that's the second time someone else has been acknowledged for something I've written
I want credit for what I write, dammit! ;P
I agree QB is the main issue. You need a good one to win. But it seems like people are forgetting about Hundley. Supposedly, we'll have a great one. I'm intrigued by Mora's experience with Vick.
I'm also unsure about how much of a lock Mike Leach is. He had absolutely no defense on any of his Texas Tech teams. Also, as a self-admitted weirdo, how well do you think he can recruit in LA? Picture him in the home of a kid in Central Los Angeles, trying to convince a player and his parents that he can provide the culture that recruit is looking for, all under the shadow of allegedly locking kids in a closet. Whether the allegations are valid or not, it's a real image issue that must be addressed.
Rich Rod was successful in the Big Least, then got run out of Michigan - not sold on him. Fedora made a splash mostly over the game against Houston - I'm sure he's a decent coach, but hardly a lock. Gary Patterson ain't leaving TCU for UCLA given the current statuses of the programs.
Mora's a gamble, sure, but so is everyone else. It'll be nice to have a defensive focus for once. And I think for a high school kid looking to go pro, Mora brings more to the table than Leach, Fedora, or Rich Rod IMO.
Alright baby blue powder puff girls. Looks like you got a new chance. Is it finally now time to tell me my name?
Bwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaa ha ha ha! The next Pete Carroll? Dream on...
I don't know a ton about Mora but I do know one thing about college football, "Nobody knows anything."
For every slam dunk hire that turned out to be a slam dunk success there's several dozen that "just didn't work out" and several more out of nowhere coaches that become the next Urban Meyer/Jim Tressel. How excited were Michigan fans when RichRod arrived? How unexcited were UCLA fans about Brady Hoke's name when it was brought up a few years before he left? When Gene Chizick was hired at Auburn the fans went CRAZY with rage. Most were screaming that the AD was a moron for not hiring Turner Gill...who just got fired...
At this point, everyone needs to just calm the F down and see what happens. The guys hired. Lets hope for the best.
@The Blur: I thought I was the only one around here who didn't have a mancrush on Mike Leach. The fact that he could only procure employment in far flung locales such as Pullman and Lubbock speaks for itself.
I also agree that Hundley has every chance to be the upper tier QB that the program needs.
I like what I've heard from Mora so far...positive tones but not so over the top optimistic. His defensive background is huge IMO...and as far as OC goes, I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to keeping Mike Johnson if he recruits as well as I've read, genuinely wants to stay, and is allowed to implement his own system out of the shackles of the pistol.
It must be understood that Bruinsnation does not represent the university, fans, or alumni. It is damaging to UCLA, and shouldn't be tolerated. The word needs to get out about this.
New Partners is responsible for the current smear campaign and slandering of UCLA by allowing their employee, Murshed Zaheed (aka "Nestor,) to run Bruinsnation using company resources (paid time and most likely equipment.) Bruinsnation also consistently denigrates media outlets such as the Daily News and LA Times, and insults UCLA alumni and media personnel including Jon Gold.
"I think UCLA is truly a sleeping giant, and I realize that an opportunity like this, of this magnitude, doesn't present itself more than once in a coaching career. When the job was offered, I jumped at the chance to be a Bruin. Our objectives are going to be simple, and that's to make Bruin fans proud of their football team."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT6KiQO3C8Q
The Scorpions are playing in Westwood?!!
Sorry for the following dose of reality, but read:
Coaches By The Numbers
http://coachesbythenumbers.com/ucla-goes-nfl-hires-jim-mora-jr/
CBS Sports
http://twitter.com/#%21/BryanDFischer/status/145555567593783296
New York Times
http://www.presnapread.com/guerrero-led-u-c-l-a-is-taking-on-water/#more-31052
Stewart Mandel
http://twitter.com/#%21/slmandel/status/145554657052344320
Rivals (Yahoo)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/UCLA-goes-outside-the-family-but-not-outside-th?urn=ncaaf-wp11329
Beyond U Sports
http://www.beyondusports.com/ucla-hiring-jim-mora-jr-big-mistake/
TJ Simers
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers-jim-mora-20111211,0,3520498.column