We have said for over a year that this new hire for Dan Guerrero will shape his legacy and make certain once and for all what UCLA thinks of it's football program. Today, Brian Dohn wrote on his blog that his sources are confirming that Dan Guerrero believes the same:
I am told Guerrero believes this could be a career-shaping hire, and he is feeling the pressure of it.
Great! That is good news. Dohn is also read more
Hopefully last post on football while we are in the middle of our true basketball season. Another article of note regarding our ‘08 commits, noting that all the commits, in their own words, are solid. It’s a love-fest written by a UCLA fansite representative for rivals.com. As we have noted before, give credit where credit is due. If these commits do sign a year from now, great. We do have a ton more scholies to give out, and a lot can happen in such a long period, so the story of ‘08 is not anywhere near complete … but great so far.
The article does point out three important things: read more
Just days ago everyone was hyping the 08 class with the 8 early commits, praising Dorrell, Walker and even EScott for their recruiting bonanza. So much can happen in a year as we have seen many times. Yet, in only a couple of days we get our first de-commit in safety EJ Woods of Crespi, as reported by Scout.com (membership required). Brian Dohn of the LA Daily News, who has pushed the great recruiting agenda a little too enthusiastically, has more on the de-commit which he is saying is actually NOT a de-commit but a “re-opening” of his commitment. What is a journalist doing mincing words for the subjects of his articles?? Whatever … Dohn is getting away from objectivity a little bit here. Woods is now talking to Miami and Ohio State, and lets not forget he is a teenager. What exactly about that sounds like a commitment?
Now if Woods picks up his grades to qualify academically for UCLA, Dohn quotes Woods as saying he will enroll here. Yeah, and Dohn will put up his lunch money on that happening. Hey, we don’t know what the kid is thinking any more than Dohn, but we sure as heck know that a teenager of the 08 class talking to other schools in March 07 certainly isn’t a commit. It’s also only 1 of 8, and since that big commit announcement there have been a few more commits, but it shows how precarious this 08 stuff is. Nevertheless, the coaching staff has to be out there getting commitments … we have to reload in a big way in 08. There has to be progress there in a significant way to deal with the mass 07 exodus, but to get all hyped up about 08 commits is a bit far-fetched.
Recruiting is a largely thankless process … there should be no praise until recruits sign, yet there can be hell to pay if there are no commits. But getting paid a million dollars a year to do it should lighten the worry some.
Dorrell is working on the 2008 recruiting class with some success, getting 8 commits early on. He has a large class to fill given the fact that we will be losing so many seniors next year so he is up against it. We will give him credit for doing his job. Recruiting has been a problem for Dorrell in our opinion. However, he has had the talent to win. The main issue for us has always been results … and coaching. It will be a long long time before UCLA football will ever have the perfect storm that is brewing next season. Dorrell MUST win. No amount of 2008 commits will help him if he doesn’t.
According To Brian Dohn of LA Daily News, DC Walker and new WR coach Eric Scott were big reasons for the haul: read more
The long wait is over, Dallas has a new coach. Wade Phillips hasn’t exactly lit it up in the NFL, barely building a .500 resume in 3 seasons with Buffalo and 2 in Denver, with short fill-ins in Atlanta and New Orleans. He is 0-3 in the playoffs as well. Not exactly the resume one would expect the next head coach of the Cowboys to have, but he is from Texas and he has spent 30 years in the NFL, and he is Dallas’ new head coach. The Cowboys normally go for coaches with no NFL head coaching experience and do quite well (Landry, Johnson, Switzer). It’s a head scratcher that owner Jerry Jones goes with a proven mediocre coach.
Dorrell missed a golden opportunity with read more
‘08 is shaping up to be an awful year. We lose 17 starters at least, possibly more, to graduation. We play Cal, Oregon and ASU on the road. We play Tennessee in a first of a home and away series in our second game. We play at BYU after TN. And now, instead of patsy San Diego St., who canceled our game in San Diego to ease up their schedule, we take on always dangerous Fresno St. at home to start the season. Despite the fact that we have 7 home games, we could easily lose more than we win. We certainly can start the season 0-3.
If we finally get rid of Dorrell after the ‘07 season, we at DD can handle a losing season in ‘08, because it would be very difficult for any new coach to take a team with next to no experience and make them winners with that schedule. If somehow Dorrell inexplicably remains for ‘08, it will be his last salvo … thankfully. So we say Thank You Fresno St. for making your team available!
OL coach Jim Colletto is apparently close to signing with the Detroit Lions, according to Brian Dohn, LA Daily News. We have known this for some time, but now it seems from Dorrell’s comments on the matter that Colletto may even have an offer, although there are no reports in Detroit that any offer has been made.
“He’s really torn,’’ UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. “He has an opportunity, and he obviously has an attraction of coaching in the NFL, but he had a great attraction about doing what he did here at UCLA last year. He’s mulling it over.’’ read more
With the Svoboda firing, Karl Dorrell said that when it comes to the offense he is “open to ideas.” He might be taking over offensive duties himself OR he might hire someone. And if he hires a new OC, his 4th in 5 years, Dorrell said he may hire someone without a background in the much criticized West Coast Offense. What this tells us is this: Dorrell is feeling the heat! Dan Guerrero MUST have told KD that he has to do something about the offense. How else can one explain that Dorrell is prepared to ABANDON the only offense he knows?!! Not a good sign for KD at all. Great for UCLA fans though. The end of the Dorrell era is near!! read more
Sports Illustrated is reporting that Karl Dorrell’s name has come up in the Atlanta Falcons coaching search!! Quick, Karl, get that suit you wore to your interview with Carny pressed!! You can have our frequent flier miles!! Here is the SI rumor: read more
The petition to Dump Karl Dorrell will be sent to Dan Guerrero next Monday, January 8. We will send it with the many signatures we have. We are closing in on 1,000 so let’s make one last push to get it signed by every Bruin we can. It’s important to send the message regardless of what the chances are of Dorrell being fired. Dan Guerrero needs to know that a large number of Bruin faithful believe strongly that our football program is in the wrong hands. It’s significant that nearly 1,000 students, alums, boosters, donors, and fans have signed their names to this effort.
Next year, after 5 long years, DG will have to measure the progress of this program under Karl Dorrell given the goals he set out when he hired KD. If KD does not win the Pac-10 championship with the nearly the entire starting team returning and the easier schedule we have next year, he never will. And if Dorrell doesn’t win the conference championship next year, read more
