just wondering, is there anything KD could do next year that would make you support his being retained as Head Coach?

He could demonstrate strong leadership qualities, including, but not limited to, taking personal responsibility for results or lack thereof, daring to be different during the course of the game and be an intelligent risk taker, speak up and act animated on the sidelines as best he can, demonstrate effective game planning and time management. If he showed the world some or all of the forgoing, I guarantee you that Dump Dorrell would disappear, he would attract a better class of recruits (not that the current batch is unworthy), and give the team a best chance of being successful in reaching a BCS berth. UCLA can be that kind of program, but with a coach that acts more like I allude to above.
Bill

I agree with Bill Southbay. So far, Coach Dorrell has shown ZERO leadership abilities. But his objective numbers are all that needs to be looked at. He has a 29-21 record, and would be flat .500 but for his 10-2 season that featured so many miracle comebacks that we’ve lost count. He has won exactly one big game.

Trade, we’re all on the same team here. We all want a UCLA team that we can be proud of, and which we expect to compete for championships. In other words, we would like a football team to perform like our basketball team. There are gifted athletes on each, so why is the basketball team ranked number 2, and why has the football team achieved a 29-21 record? The difference is the coach. Ben can. Karl can’t. In my opinion, we are doomed to mediocrity as long as we have a leader like Coach Dorrell, who simply does not know how to do what Coach Howland does with apparent ease.

trade …. ABSOLUTELY …

obviously, you would want to know what it would take for us to support KD staying on as coach. Let’s see. 17 returning Senior starters!! 20 returning Seniors in total. Losing only 3 starters total. Toughest games, minus SUC, are all at home. If Karl Dorrell cannot win a Pac-10 championship with THAT lineup and schedule, how can anyone argue that he ever will?!! Remember, that is what he was brought here to do. If he can’t win in ‘07 do you think he will in ‘08 with nearly the entire starting lineup gone?? We know what the excuses will be for another 6+ loss season in ‘08!

‘07 is a championship run season set up for even just a decent coach. Karl would have to go undefeated during the regular season for us at DD to support his staying on. Nothing less than that, because he is NEVER going to have it better.

But we don’t expect Karl Dorrell to suddenly become a good coach. After 4 years his coaching abilities are what they are. This was a job-in-training for him. He has been and still is in over his head … even one of his biggest supporters JA Adande of the LA Times said that after the USC win (safely thinking of course that Dorrell finally “turned the corner”). Course, Dorrell turned the corner 360 degrees and laid another egg in the nut bowl. Karl should have taken a lesser profile program and learned the right way, and built his resume. He thinks he “deserved” one of the highest profile coaching jobs in college football … WITH NO EXPERIENCE. He said he was “the best man for the job.” He overreached just like he is trying to do with the NFL.

We deserve better, the players deserve better.

I take back my previous comment in reply to “tradegreen”. Based on the analysis of last minute recruiting activities in today’s LAT, there is nothing KD can do next year to gain my support!! The gist of the article today is that at UCLA when a recruit says they are going somewhere else, they might receive a phone call or two from Bruin recruiters. At SC, there is another level of passion that ensues. Cars are sent, etc. This exemplifies the two HC’s. I now remember vividly UCLA in the waning moments of the garbage bowl and when losing other games, KD goes straight to the running plays to get it over with. On the SC sideline, I am sure they are thinking of never quitting, how to pull it off, etc.
Now, the gene pool has spoken. KD’s behavior speaks so loud, I really can’t hear what he is saying.
Bill

I agree that I am not impressed with Dorrell thus far, but he is the coach next year, so I will support him until the end of the next season and then make a decision. Here is what I would need to see in 2007 in order to support his retention:

1) A ten win regular season, with the two losses not being the result of bad coaching, and the ten wins not being a fluke.

2) A decisive win in the bowl game.

3) Early committments from some five star talent and a top 5 recruiting class looking likely.

4) An offense that is creative and risk taking.

5) Continued good academic and character performance from our players.

If CKD does those, Im sold.

Remember we are 5 years into the program, and his behavior and performance is on the record. If we buy into the notion that KD stays at UCLA until he wants to leave for a better job in the NFL, etc. then we have to hope for the best. If you compare the recruiting successes vs. OU/CAL/SC, it is mediocre. With a proven and winning coach at ASU, there will be more pressure. If they do what you are asking in your latest post, then I might buy into your feelings. I just want the kids who come to UCLA to be big men on campus as football players to get an education and an outstanding memory bank of winning football.
Bill