The developments I’ve gathered from those I knwo tonight say that Beloti has had more than one interview. If this story says he was interviewed today, that’s contradictory to the additional information I heard today.

In either event, if this is the case, I hope he’s nto parlaying this to be paid more money.

If he’s a true candidate, he will receive my full endorsement.

His salary is pretty low- about 1M. I’m surprised its not higher, since this isn’t the first time that other schools have gone after him.

The interesting thing is that there are some possible personal reasons as to why Bellotti might finally be amenable to leaving Oregon.

that is also in the arguments I’ve laid out, Dana. Apparently his wife was found having sex with the soccer coach. My friend is a professor at Oregon and informed me of this. Ernie Kent also ran around with a mistress and then is with her now, even though his wife still goes to games, etc. Ernie takes his gf to the games, too. It’s crazy.

Dana, I’ve detailed some reasons combating the sentiments of many who believe that Belotti would never come to UCLA. Tell me what you thikn of them.

Usually, I’d say Nike could come in and outspend UCLA to keep Bellotti. But, this time, it might be different…

Boise’s Peterson is the hottest up and coming coach in the country. He was the assistant coach at Oregon for six years, Oregon is his dream job. So, if Bellotti left, then the logical choice would be Peterson going to Oregon and perhaps Nike wouldn’t mind that at all…

dana, go to the other Belotti topic to see my arguments. The last one talks about why Nike wouldn’t outspend us.

Here are all of the points of why Bellotti would come to UCLA

Guys, some of you dont’ believe this rumor, but I’ve been speaking to some of my very close friends in Eugene and they communicated to me that this interest in Beloti has teeth. Apparently Beloti hasnt’ been as happy in Eugene as he once was. Tehre are alleged issues with his wife that haven’t worked out well.

now, as for the above line about why Beloti would want to come to L.A.? There are PLENTY OF REASONS!!

Okay, so Nike is there and they have great facilities, but even with those facilities, they’ve not been able to win. Here’s the TRUTH: Belotti can’t beat Pete Carroll from Oregon. Sure he had a chance this year, but he missed his chance. What prevented it from happening??? Recruiting!

Who the F-bomb are Oregon? They’re a team that puts out a top-10 team every 4 years or so. The last time they were this good was in 2001-2002 with Joey Harrington. This year was going to be another similar year, if not better, but that was only cuz USC was wrecked with Injury. Even after winning the conference this year, like 2001, he would have to rebuild it. Belotti has to rebuild the program every 3 years or so. They have good, strong teams, but it’s not enough to win, they haven’t won bowl games in a few years, and they finish the season off with a wimper. The main reason for this is usually injuries, like it was this year.

The truth is, not matter how much money Nike has, no matter how nice the facilities are, It’s still OREGON. They still have a limited recruited base. If they didnt, then they would recruit viable back ups. That’s where Belotti falls short. He needs his starters in there the whole season. Well, in modern football, that’s not feasible. You HAVE TO HAVE good recruits that were well rated. THis is what kept USC afloat this year, despite their injuries.

Money doesn’t repair this issue. Look, I can have Nike build me the best house in the world. It can be a 25 million dollar house, but if it’s in Compton, it’s still going to suck!!!!

Dennis Erickson has to be recognized in this discussion, too. With Erickson at ASU, he’s going to (already is) take recruits away from the L.A. area that would go to Oregon. This is a direct attack on Belotti’s turf.

If you ADD Rick Neuheisel, a guy Belotti HATES!! for various reasons, to the L.A. area recruiting, Oregon is your BIGGEST loser. Belotti is already on a cycle where he has to rebuild the program every three-to-four years, with Neuheisel, Erickson and Pete battling out the L.A. and California areas, Oregon’s recruiting pool just TAKES a hit.

So, in response to, why would Belotti come to UCLA? Well, cuz he doesn’t want to be cut out of the pie. He’s at an increasing competitive disadvantage if he doesn’t

Bluebruin (AKA Diego) @ 12:27 am:
alx, we’re talking about the title when I write that. You have to beat SC. Also, they beat SC based on injury, mostly. Sanchez was in there over Booty, and made too many mistakes.

The goal of every school in the pac-10 is to win the conference. To do that, you have to beat Pete. In the last six years, none have been able to do it.

Why didn’t Oregon do it this year? Injuries. They didn’t have talented enough back-ups that could sustain the level of play needed to win. Guess which team DID??? USC, the one that recruits like crazy; therefore, have viable back ups that can keep a high level. That’s the point, @ Oregon, you can recruit and build a good starting 22 (it will take three years to do it, but you can do it), but once the injuries hit, which they will hit everyone, you have to have good back ups. Oregon’s recruiting pool doesn’t allow it. If Rick comes to UCLA, that pool is going to shrink, regardless of Nike’s money.

Beloti, with all of the great faciilities and support, doesn’t have the resources to beat Pete.

UCLA does.

Bluebruin (AKA Diego) @ 1:12 am:
Shony, I agree with you there. The point is, there are a pleothora of reasons why Belotti would want to leave Oregon. Many of you are treating it like it’s silly to even consider his leaving Oregon, or question the existence of any reason for him to leave. That’s not accurate. When he was offered the USC job, the power of the conference resided in the pacific northwest (Oregon, Washington and Oregon state had great teams in the late 90s early 2000s). That has stopped being true, and with the UCLA job open, and the likelihood it can fall into Rick, the power of the conference, which has is currently polarized at USC, will be placed where it’s truly always been- in Southern Cali. There’s an honorable mention to ASU with ericson.

Ironically enough, in the early 2000s, two of the three coaches that are going to responsible for this complete shift of power are in these areas. Neuheisel was in Washington when the conference was powered in the Northwest and Ericson was at Oregon State. Now, Rick would be at UCLA and Ericson at ASU. That leaves Pete to round out the top three, with SUC being the top dog, unfortunately.

There’s no room for Oregon there. They missed their chance this year. Low recruiting didn’t give Belotti a chance to have viable back ups. Now, he has to do what he has to do all of the time. He has to rebuild this team next season, like he does every three years. He will suffer a mediocre season, followed by another one, then he’ll be more competitive, and then in the fourth year he’ll be good again. That’s been Oregon’s M.O.

If you have to rebuild, why not build at UCLA where you can have a more sustainable foundation; where there’s already a top-4 class for next year; where you can turn around and have another top tier class the following year; where it will be easier to keep things going. UCLA is going to pay you more than Oregon. Oregon is only paying a shade over one million. UCLA will pipe that up to about 1.5, with incentives that will put you closer to 1.75 and endorsement that could hit the two million. You’ll have what you need.

The reasons are there. Now, will he take the job?? well, if he has 72 hours to think about it, that means I have that much time to try to lay out these arguments, that he already knows deep inside to be true, at his feet.

Bluebruin (AKA Diego) @ 1:45 am:
And where’s all of this Nike Money right now, by the way?? I mean, he’s only making a shade over a million, which isn’t much more than KD was. He was pursued for the OSU job and the ND job. Prior to that, it was USC who was after him. Even with those very real probes into the Oregon program to pull Belotti out, he still ONLY earns just over a million. Where was Nike stepping up to keep him then?? They didn’t step in with money to do it.

Furthermore, let’s study the dollars to all of this. We know that DG is willing to, and knows that he has to, pay more. It’s been mentioned that UCLA could pay Two mill for a big name coach. We also know that UCLA has targeted Belotti for several years. He’s truly the guy that’s wanted. Even peter dalis had probes during the late Toledo years.

If UCLA makes the mad push with a 1.75 salary with endorsements and incentives that push him closer to 2, that will put Belotti in a high range.

Yes, it’s true that Nike can outspend us. Frankly, they can give the federal government a run for its money, but so what?? Business is still business, and ROI is the driving force to all of this. Nike would have to come in with something more like 2.25 or 2.5 Million, which they easily could. But now it’s a cost analysis. Why would Nike want to give Belotti 2.5 million per year and make him, what? the Fifth - sixth highest paid coach in the COUNTRY?!??!

HE’s just not worth that much! If you’re going to dish out 2.5 mill or 3, now you’re talking Les Miles, Pete Carroll, Nick Saban money. In fact, Pete is at 2.5, right? If your’e Nike, why would you throw that kind of money on a guy that can’t beat Pete carrol? Are you going to give him 2.5 million for NOT winning conference titles?

What the??!

That just doesn’t make any sense. If you’re going to pay 2.5, you can buy a better coach than Belotti. 2.5, with incentives that could drive his contract higher, would make Belotti one of the top-6 paid coaches.

That’s BAD BUSINESS! If there’s one thing Nike doesn’t do, it’s bad business

Diego-

I think for the most part, Bellotti wouldn’t come down to UCLA. He’s been offered more presitgious jobs before, and has always rejected them. But, he finally might be sick of all the scrutiny of being the HC of basically the only sports team in that area and might rather go to LA where all the media attention wouldn’t be focused in on him. There’s been media attention on his son getting 2 DUIs, his wife being drunk, his wife getting into a verbal disputes with local media, etc.. Although, I’m not sure if he’s still married or not.

Isn’t Belotti 5-3 against Carroll?

Mike Bellotti coaching record is 105-52. I believe I read he was 5-3 against USC.

Belloti could have had the Chargers job and was not even interested in an interview. He all of a sudden wants the UCLA job? I think not!

Diego, gives some good reasons for him to come here, but good reasons do not make the final decision. Besides DG won’t pony up the money and we all know that. The faculty will go nuts if we essentially double the football coach salary, especially considering whats going on with their own salaries and that of the adjunct staff.

DG wants the guy who will work for what he has to give and be happy with that.

As for marital bliss not being in the Bellotti household anymore, let’s put that rumor aside and give them some quiet time on that one. Don’t make that an issue. I am sure that if that did happen, the soccer coach would have been gone the minute the rumor hit the bathroom walls. Bellotti rules OU like a Mafia boss and the soccer coach’s body would have bee found floating in the surf off Astoria somewhere with a suicide note carved into his stomach.

Nothing will be announced until after the precious seniors and DW have their game in Las vegas anyway.

Javier,

What is Rick’s record against Bellotti?

Another Steve and Javier….

ahhh… since Pete has been at USC, how many conference titles has Oregon won in the last 6 years? How many times have they gone to the Rose Bowl as conference champions?

Exactly! He can’t beat USC for the title. I don’t mean beat the actual team. Come on guys… This is about winning titles, not beating a single team. The fact is, it’s a long jog to win the conference title. You have to beat Pete all the way through to win the race.

None have done it the last six years. USC continues to win teh conference and represent it in the major bowl game, whether it be the Rose or a BCS one.

Bluebruin…One of the reasons Bellotti won’t leave Oregon is BECAUSE its Oregon. Believe it or not, some guys don’t want to live in LA.

I lurk here quite a bit and wanted to answer the questions regarding Belotti’s record vs. Carroll and Neuheisel:

vs. Carroll 2-3
2001- 24-22 W
2002- 33-44 L
2003 & 2004 DNP
2005 13-45 L
2006 10-35 L
2007 24-17 W
Curiously, all those games except 2006 were in Eugene.

vs. Neuheisel 1-4
1995 Colorado 38, Oregon 6 (Cotton Bowl)
1998 Colorado 51, Oregon 43 (Aloha Bowl)
1999 Washington 34, Oregon 20
2000 Oregon 23, Washington 16 (UW’s only loss that year)
2001 DNP
2002 Washington 42, Oregon 14

I still think Neuheisel is a much better choice for UCLA than Bellotti. Frankly, I don’t think at this point in time you can say UCLA is a better job than Oregon. Recruits like things like state of the art locker rooms, incredible training facilities, indoor practice fields, and a real fan base in a always filled and very noisy stadium. UCLA will always get it’s share of blue chip athletes, but what have they done with them? Oregon is on TV much more often than UCLA, and is consistantly ranked much higher in the national polls. If Bellotti really does leave Eugne for UCLA it will be to run away from his embarrassing wifes behavior, and his sons recent DUI arrests. Personally, I think he is just trying to get more money from Phil Knight. Rick Neuheisel is still the best man for the UCLA job, even though it is clear that DG does not want to hire him.

BruinBuddy - Rick Neuheisel record against Mike Bellotti’s teams is 4-1 in favor of Rick.

Bluebruin (AKA Diego) - I am just stating facts that you were asking in your post. I personally prefer Ricl Neuheisel but I also acknowledge how good of a coach Bellotti is. I just want UCLA to hire a good coach to make the football team a creditable program again.

Regarding Bellotti…I agree with Colin Cowherd who said this morning that in Oregon Bellotti is a GREAT coach…everywhere else he is just a GOOD coach.

- 5-17 after November in recent history…sounds like Dorrell
- great offense with no defense…sounds like Toledo
- 5-6 in recent history vs. their rival Oregon State.

I hire people all the time and we have a saying I would rather hire someone run to a job then hiring someone running away from a job….for some reason Bellotti seems to be running away from Oregon…

I still say BRING BACK RICK!!!!

I know a lot of us love the idea of a big name…but

Be careful about Bellotti….his Duck teams have tended to fade late in the year (The Dixon injury was horrible but cmon now, in the games since theyhaven’t competed much).
He brings a lot of personal baggage, something short of domestic tranquility.

I was stunned to see how little they are paying him at Oregon, given the status of the program.

If they hire him, I hope that I’m wrong but I have the feeling this is a spent bullet…

And if they hire him..a lot of the Duck fans will be happy

Doug - Good point.

Regarding Golden…friends in Philly say he has done wonders with what he has to work with at Temple. He will definitely go somewhere else. They say he is a tireless recruiter and gets the most out of his players. They say they would be shocked if UCLA and DG had the balls to hired a guy like Golden, but he is a good coach.

Golden is probably a good coach but their are other coaches that have more experience and are better suited at UCLA.

That was just an FYI on Golden…I will stick with what I have been saying for 6 months now…

BRING BACK RICK!!!

I hear you what you are saying!

If Rick is 4-1 against Bellotti is that telling us something, like he has his number.

Many great offensive coaches are more than capable of assisting their defnsive coaches on a game plan against rivals. I can’t prove this but I would venture to say that Rick may have had some words of advice to his defensive coaches in a game plan against Bellotti, and likely vice versa.

Stack Rick up against any coach on the DG’s list and Rick is the best choice.

Wait and see after the Las Vegas game and then DG will make his announcement.

About to Puke @ 8:06 am:
Bluebruin…One of the reasons Bellotti won’t leave Oregon is BECAUSE its Oregon. Believe it or not, some guys don’t want to live in LA.

I know this, and I can write just as much, if not more reasons why Bellotti would stay in Oregon. The pont is, there were a number of people who immediately dismissed Bellotti’s name as an irresponsible rumor, as a far-fetched Idea, or as something that wasn’t founded on logic. The repetitive question was, Why would he leave Oregon?

That’s what I did, I outlined a list of reasons why he woudl leave Oregon. There are strong, well founded reasons for him to leave. They’re all logical and they’re all very realistic; thereofre, to say it’s too crazy of an idea is wrong.

Look, guys, as much as the faciilities help, the Nike name, etc., the bottom line is that Oregon is still HIGHLY limited. Part of the reason why Oregon tends to fade at year’s end is because it’s Oregon. They’re limited! They’re limited in recruits; they’re limited in attention; they’re limited in specific resources that are needed to boost a program.

Bellotti has taken just about all he can from the program, which has been great, mind you. In 2001, with the new BCS formulas, Oregon would’ve played for the National Title. Remember, they were snubbed that year, in favor of a Nebraska team that didn’t win its conference.

This year, it can be largely accepted, that they would’ve played for the national title again. That’s 6 years between title game appearances. That’s outstanding.

That’s my point, though. His teams fade in the end, usually, because he has to rebuild all of the time. Withall of the Nike attention and facilities, he still isn’t a major recruiting hot zone. Oregon’s recruiting destiny isn’t in its own hands. It is ENTIRELY dependent on what the Southern Powers of UCLA, USC are doing.

At UCLA, he can recruit better, simply because he’s in the L.A. area, which is currently owned by Pete and Ericson has established a claim. If Bellotti lets RN go to UCLA, he’s out! HE’s not going to recruit as many of the players he’s used during his tenure to put the ducks at the cusp of two national titles.

USC, UCLA? Those teams are in control of their recruiting zones much more so than Oregon. If both programs are good, the sate of CAlifornia is going to filter through those two schools, then ASU will pick some up with Ericson and then Oregon will have the rest. Of course, this isn’t across the board. It’s not to say that this will happen EVERY TIME. Oregon will secure a copule of top guys, but those will be fewer than before.

As a relatively casual UCLA fan (compared to most on this site) I don’t understand the reluctance about Mike Belotti. I think that many here are picking at nits and lice instead of looking at the big picture.

How competitive was Oregon before Belotti? He has been much more successful than any Bruin coach in recent memory, and in Los Angeles his ability to recruit stars should only improve. And because of his recent college experience, I would strongly prefer him to RN.

OK, I have to get back to work…

I heard Colin this morning, but Colin has always shown skewed Logic. Not only that, Colin doesn’t entertain counter-view points. He said he would prefer RN because he’s more exciting and would be a better story, but he never said Bellotti wasn’t as good.

Yes, Bellotti isn’t a great coach. I never said he was. The point is, he’s at a place where he took the very best he could’ve out of its facilities and out of its players. So much so, that he put them at the point of playing for the national title, twice! Dennis Erickson did the same thing at Oregon State, but he had to leave, because he knew he couldn’t keep that going. BEllotti can’t keep that level of success going without the recruits.

Keep this in mind: Has Oregon EVER had a National, top-5 recruiting class? With all of those facilities and NIke support, they’ve not had a top-5 class in the nation, but guess who has without having a viable coach or a committment from the administration- UCLA. UCLA had top classes under Toledo and it has another one coming next year.

Mediocre coaches look for places where they can go from mediocre to good. Good coaches look for places where they can go from good to very good. Very good will look to graduate to a place where they can be GREAT!

Bellotti would be going from good to very good, if he comes to UCLA. Very good = playing for a national title

I am writing this morning from my home on the Oregon coast. The Eugene paper has the Bellotti story on the front page. Lots of interesting comments from various people connected with the UO athletic department.
But, bottom line, I think most of you guys have it right. Neuheisel is every bit the coach Mike Bellotti is. His teams have defeated Bellotti’s teams as well as Dennis Erickson’s teams. The guy can coach. Bellotti will not want to see Rick back in the Pac-10, believe me. Neither will Carroll.

ATP-

What’s the talk like in Oregon?

ATP - we should be debating MB vs RN over a round of golf and a scotch at Bandon Dunes.

Happy Ho Ho Ho!!

Doug…That is a nice course. Sand Pines at Florence is nice, too. Nothing like trying to straighten out a drive when the wind is blowing. Happy, happy to you, too!

Say what you will, the record speaks for itself. Mike Bellotti is clearly a superior choice to Neuheisel. Hands down. No scandals, great record, contending for national championships, all at a school with no national prominence.

Not to say Neuheisel can’t do a great job at UCLA. Either MB or RN would be tremendous upgrades. But MB is clearly the superior choice.

Let’s hope DG is wrapping up our “gift” soon

Let’s hope it’s not a White Elephant gift, JRBruin

What of our “bowl” game tomorrow?? LOL!!! WE’re gonna be stomped !

Down to highly inaccurate and trainwreck of a passer, Osaar. Let’s see if KD was the door stop for this kid. Obviously the guy is one of the worst passers I’ve seen. If Osaar is used in a more running capacity tomorrow, we’ll know for sure that KD was the stubborn force at UCLA.

IF Osaar is used in a passing capacity in the erroneous manner he was used for the Oregon game, we’ll know that Norvell and DW are totally clueless!!!

haha True!

The slant in Oregon is that Bellotti has entertained offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Arizona State and SC in years past, but turned them all down. The writers are saying Bellotti probably won’t go anywhere but he would be crazy not to listen to what UCLA has to say. He is under contract until 2012 and he earns around 1.3 million a year.
They are saying Neuheisel would bring a lot of excitement to UCLA but his “baggage” comes with him. Some people are saying, “Let Bellotti go to UCLA. If he goes, Jeff Tedford or Chris Peterson will come to Oregon.” No logical reason to expect that has any validity, but that’s what they’re saying.
My take is that Bellotti is talking with UCLA but would be crazy to leave. He makes 1.3 million a year in an area where the median income is $40K. He is a big fish in a little pond up here.

The talk in Eugene is mixed. Some people would like to see the change, and others think Bellotti is wonderful. I don’t really see it happening, I still think he is looking for a pay raise, and he will probably get it. It’s time for us to hire Neuheisel.

I have no reason to say anything negative about Mike Bellotti. I have a personal friend on his staff who says Bellotti is a straight-up guy. Please believe me when I tell you this. If Mike Bellotti comes to UCLA he will not accomplish as much as Rick Neuheisel will.
You will be disappointed if you expect miracles.
Remember too, when Neuheisel coached at Washington and Bellotti was at Oregon, it was Neuheisel who was more highly thought of. Bellotti was just the coach Oregon had to settle for when Rich Brooks left. Yes, Bellotti has had some good teams, but none that were any more highly ranked than Neuheisel’s. In fact, when Neuheisel’s teams beat Michigan, Miami, SC, Okalahoma and Nebraska, everyone expected them to win. When Neuheisel’s teams beat Michigan and Oklahoma they were considered huge upsets.

Excuse me, I meant to say….when BELLOTTI’S teams beat Michigan and Oklahoma they were considered huge upsets.

Ossar has an awkward release, I place the blame on the coaching staff for not correcting that, but he does seem to have the arm strength. Because he lacks pt the game is to fast for him. Thompson actually has the physical tools. when he was thrown into the fire at the Notre Dame game he had the dear in the headlights look hence he overthrew Dominque Johnson streaking down the sideline on their first position in the 3rd quarter, and he lost a fumble that resulted in 7 points for ND. At least there is next season I’m hoping the MB will be on the sidelines when that happens.

Puke–if somebody else had said it I would have probably disregarded it, but as yours is one of the opinions on this blog I can take seriously, I am curious why you think Bellotti will not be as successful as Neuheisel.

Also to everyone that seems to be upset about a decision not having been made yet, couldn’t you see the writing on the wall that the announcement would not be made until after the bowl game for many obvious reasons?

If we get Beliotti we also get Chip Kelly who I think is pretty awesome. He made Dixon into a great QB and their offense was pretty creative. No doubt they would have gotten to the NC game if DD doesn’t get hurt. The only downside…Nick Aliotti is the D Coordinator. Yes, he ran that great UCLA defense that couldn’t make one stop against Miami in ‘98. He’s still pretty awful. The guy just can’t coach defense. I wouldn’t trust that guy to run a concession stand at the Rose Bowl. Overall…Belotti would be MUCH better than Neuweisel. www.nixneuheisel.com

And Big Dave, didn’t the defence (allegedly) throw that game against Miami in ‘98–not sure you can blame Aliotti for that.

Many people think we are going to suck next year because we are losing so many seniors. I DO NOT agree. I think there is decent talent here — maybe not championship talent, but good talent. Why do I say this? Cause whether it’s Bellotti or Neuheisel, THIS TEAM WILL BE FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND AND BETTER COACHED!!!!! Ya know, Bob Toledo DID NOT leave the cupboard bare in 2002….KD and his staff were mediocre. Do you think Paul Hackett left the cupboard bare at USC. No, Pete Carroll and Norm Chow knew what the hell they were doing. Carson Palmer went from 29 TD’s and 29 INT’s to a Heisman…..when we get out of this god-forsaken WC offense, maybe we can FINALLY SEE what kind of talent Olson and Cowan and Ossar have! I think Khalil Bell can be a stud and there are some decent young receivers.

Lifelong Bruin fan….Oh, definitely, as far as making an announcement goes, it will come on Sunday or Monday. It would be very bad form to make an announcement, if it is anyone other than Walker, prior to the game. Like it or not, Walker is the head coach of the UCLA football team for this bowl game. If Guerrero announces another coach prior to the game, the game might as well be cancelled. Football is all about emotion. Take the air out of the balloon prior to the game? No way.

Thanks for your kind words. I have been around football all my life and I apologize if I sometimes come off as a know-it-all. I guess playing football and then 35 years of talking football with well known coaches and players and relatives who have been coaches and players has left an impression.

I think Bellotti would probably be successful at UCLA. However, he really doesn’t have the “fire in his guts” that Neuheisel does. By comparison, Neuheisel is driven. My opinion on who would be more successful is based on which coach I feel would be more apt to compete favorably with Carroll for athletes in the LA area. Both are detail guys who prepare their teams well, but I have actually heard Bellotti complain about having to recruit against Neuheisel and that impressed me. When it comes to X’s and O’s, there really isn’t much difference between all the coaches in the Pac-10, or in the country, for that matter. It’s all about motivation, recruiting, and preparation.

Amen to About to Puke’s comments @ 12:49pm! Well said!

X’s and O’s don’t really matter? Thank Christ you’re not the AD.

Regarding salaries for Assistants — See where Nebraska is paying its’ OC $225K, most others $190K and first year coaches $120K. At Tennessee,OC David Cutcliffe was being paid $340,000 before he went to Duke and Jimbo Fisher, FSU’s OC and Coach “in waiting” gets $420K. I believe Walker got boost to $250K last year. By the way, Michigan DC Ron English was fired by Rodriquez today….. believe he is African American and the Detroit paper said he has “strong West Coast ties and is a Dominant recruiter.”

I don’t think the D threw the game. It was awful all year. McNown bailed them out all year. How funny that our D was SOO bad that people thought we threw it.

Puke–it’s clear from your comments that there is a lot of knowledge behind them and so what you have to say carries weight. I’ve been a serious sports fan for 35 years. I know basketball well from having played competitively, while football I only know as a spectator as I’ve never played it on an organized level.

Your comments about Bellotti and Neuheisel are interesting. I guess though it’s all academic now as the Daily News is reporting that Bellotti has turned down UCLA. It looks like the “dream” of Bellotti coming is now over and the reality will be Neuheisel (hopefully). I know you’ve stated that you don’t think it will be Neuheisel but I hope you weren’t serious and just saying that to keep from being disappointed.

I’m just not really sold on Rick N. as of now.

Ry Bruin….you should probably take a course in reading comprehension. I didn’t say X’s and O’s don’t matter. If you will have someone read what I said again, you may get it.

As I said yesterday, Bellotti is not coming to UCLA. If you had a chance to read the Eugene paper today, you would notice that there are Bellotti detractors in the area. This, after the guy averages 8 wins a year and takes them to 11 straight bowl games. This, even though Bellotti has won more games at Oregon than any other coach. Bellotti, a coach many UCLA followers were excited about when the news of his contact with UCLA broke, is not even appreciated in Eugene, Oregon. The lesson appears to be….there is NO coach who will satisfy everyone.
As far as this search goes, some guys love Leach. Some guys love Mariucci. Some loved Chow. Why? None of them can match Neuheisel as far as accomplishments as a head coach at the college level. So be it. Take your pick and hope Guerrero thinks like you do. However, it appears the people he is listening to are the former players, coaches and fans that want Neuheisel. However, I would be willing to bet if Bellotti showed a lot of interest, he would have been hired. After all, his contract buy-out is a paltry $25,000. If he wanted the UCLA job, it was his.

Lifelong Bruin Fan, when I made the comment about thinking Neuheisel would not be hired, the water was a bit murkier. Things have cleared up substantially since that time. I believe the choice will come down to Neuheisel and Mendenhall. The people I respect in college football who know what is in UCLA’s best interests are feeling pretty good about things because they now believe it will be Neuheisel.

ATP: good afternoon. Keep up the good work. Just curious, your real initials don’t happen to be DM, do they?

Ry Bruin…In case you aren’t aware, many college teams run the exact same plays. The only thing different is terminology. The X’s and O’s part of football is not a secret. All head coaches know how to design an offense and script plays. In fact, some coaches see plays that other teams run and incorporate them into their own offense if they like them. They just call them something different.

A coach at Outer Podunk U. puts X’s and O’s up on his board to diagram the same plays Notre Dame and LSU run. There is very little difference in how a coach at a Div III school and a coach at a Div I school positions X’s and O’s. The difference comes in preparation, tempo, execution and quality of athletes.

Thought I’d give your a take from the Bay Area. I asked my son, prep sports editor of the Oakland Tribune what he’s heard in the Bay area. Here’s his take:

I keep hearing neuheisel, too, but i haven’t been following it very closely.
considering the alternatives (dewayne walker?), i think he’s about the best hire they could make. he always had good offenses in college and he’s a recruiter/promoter like carroll, and everybody seems to believe that’s what UCLA needs.
all these other openings usually start with an alum only there’s no obvious guy with Bruin ties or anything like that except slick rick. i mean what are they going to do, hire mike leach from texas tech and just throw the ball all over the place? great, so they go 8-4 or 9-3 every year. whoopie. dorrell could have done that. not saying he wins the national title, but at least neuheisel would give the program a shot in the arm.
the biggest thing in my opinion is to rebuild those SoCal recruiting ties that were lost w/toledo. dorrell started to repair it, but SC gets so many kids from out of state now that if UCLA got more of those local kids SC was missing out on plus a few of their own, they’d be in business. plus, there’s a junior QB at Mater Dei that everybody thinks is the next Golden Boy and.i’m sure the powers that be are pissed there’s no mention of UCLA in the recruiting buzz. i know there’s people who are pissed that clausen went to notre dame and didn’t stay local, even though he sorta sucked this year.

Adrenaline gone, back to uninspiring choices… ATP, I am well aware that teams largely use the same plays, but to say that dimishes the necessity of really knowing X and Os in any way is ridiculous. What offense do you infuse them into? How do adjust against different defenses? How do you alter your plays as your personnel changes? … and on and on.

American writers largely use the same words in the Engish language–it’s how they use them that makes the difference–not just how well they do hyping themselves up on book tours.

I almost don’t care anymore. I’m deflated that Bellotti is out. Neuheisel or Golden… flip a coin. I’ll just be stuck rooting for whoever it is for the next 4-5 years before I see you all on dumpslickrick.com or getridofgolden.com

P.S. I hope I never see DeWayne Walker on a UCLA sideline again.

It strikes me that it has come down to Neuheisel unless the Bruins are impressive vs BYU. And sorry, I don’t think it will happen. I am not going to Vegas…..froze there three years ago and I even went on Christmas Day to see win over New Mexico. We sold 500 tickets in 2002 and I sat with the wives and kids of the “soon to be fired” assistant coaches. Expect we’ll see the defense play well, but get overwhelmed by the “3 and out” O…..maybe Matt Slater will run three KO’s back for TD’s. I would expect an announcement Monday.
Must say one thing: The Golden-Block Virginia factor sticks in my craw a bit…hmmm.

Bruce - I want Rick Back, but to your point I talked to buddies in Philly who follow things closely back there and said do not diminish or be surprised by the Block-Golden connection……

If golden is hired, we’ll know that DG was never in control and that the administration INSISTS on keeping football down.

Peterson and Bellotti turned us down. Apparently coaching UCLA football is not something top tier coaches want to do.

If the anministration wanted to keep Football down, then they should have just kept KD for another 10 yrs.

Tom..

You know it’s all about the $$$$. There were enough alumni who were shutting their wallets until KD was dumped. Money talks and BS walks.
When I was on the faculty of, dare I say U$C, the President of the University gave us a lecture of how that institution was financed. It was amazing how influential the alumni with open checks books can be.
At the time John Robinson had a few down years and he was almost ousted because the alumni contributions we way down.
UCLA, being a state funded school, get a major portion of their funds from the state but there are a lot of buildings on that campus that have contributor’s names all over them.
I don’t know if Herb Alpert is a football fan but for the chunk of change he just donated to the music school, somebody would listen to his choice for coach.
If you’re not in that league but still contribute heavily what do you get for your money, a seat on the 50 yrd line. The administration would like to keep that rooting section happy with their choice of coach.

I am sure DG will wait until after the Las Vegas game to announce who the new coach will be.

If they win in Vegas the Walkeristas will be out in force screaming for him to be the HC. If we lose, which I think is quite possible, the naming of RN as head coach will be much easier for the PC Guererro.

If I was Walker I wouldn’t bet the ranch of either replacement QB. I would send for some water from Lourdes and make Olson drink from it. My daughter thinks McLeod is cute nd wants everyone to get off his back. I told her if he could QB a bit better it would be him dating Jessica Simpson, not Tony Romo.

I think we all just have to wait for Monday to hear DG announce RN is the new head coach. Wouldn’t it be fitting for RN to turn DG down after he gets the offer to embarrass him.

Everyone drive safely this weekend.