[fullmetal]

Max Bergen was Skov\'s replacement, right?  That photo from the first link shows him taking down Prince...not bad.

[fullmetal]

Max Bergen was Skov\'s replacement, right?  That photo from the first link shows him taking down Prince...not bad.

[Redrum]

Brehaut:   Brehaut and Nunes were in a sort of SoCal recruiting derby along with (USC\'s) Matt Barkley.  Barkley committed early to USC.  UCLA struck next,  offerring Brehaut over Nunes.  (Nunes committed to Tennessee, then decommitted and came to Stanford.)  Point being that it\'s not like Neuheisel and Chow are saddled with somebody else\'s mistakes.  Both Prince and Brehaut were their choices.  It\'s poor form for Chow to be badmouthing Brehaut\'s tendencies now.  It\'s early and teachers can fail as badly as students can.  And there is still no knowing whether between Brehaut and Nunes there is a clearly superior alternative.  Maybe there never will be.

UCLA\'s \'passive" defense:   Funny, from the assessment,  you\'d think all Stanford did was get off the bus and suit up.  Everything else was in the Bruins control.  It\'s not a competition, it\'s a pre-programmed exercise.  If UCLA\'s defense seemed passive,  it couldn\'t possibly be that Stanford\'s offense was dictating what the defense could do.   If their pass rush wasn\'t getting home, it must have been that their DLine was passive.  The fact that the conference\'s best OLine last year is mostly intact and starting to play together have no bearing on the situation.  If a play gained rushing yardage,  it couldn\'t have been the designed blocking matchups.  Must have been the linebackers feeling mellow.  And so on and so on.

I agree they handed us an advantage by not running more.  Franklin and The Traitor Malcolm Jones {think The Outlaw Josey Wales) both were racking up impressive averages.  They were derailed by penalties,  the whim to have the gimpy-armed QB pass, and by a few timely stops by us.  But, if they really were 6-7 yards per carry backs that the stats say they are,  then UCLA could have gone all Toby Gerhart on us and maybe changed the game.

[Redrum]

Brehaut:   Brehaut and Nunes were in a sort of SoCal recruiting derby along with (USC\'s) Matt Barkley.  Barkley committed early to USC.  UCLA struck next,  offerring Brehaut over Nunes.  (Nunes committed to Tennessee, then decommitted and came to Stanford.)  Point being that it\'s not like Neuheisel and Chow are saddled with somebody else\'s mistakes.  Both Prince and Brehaut were their choices.  It\'s poor form for Chow to be badmouthing Brehaut\'s tendencies now.  It\'s early and teachers can fail as badly as students can.  And there is still no knowing whether between Brehaut and Nunes there is a clearly superior alternative.  Maybe there never will be.

UCLA\'s \'passive" defense:   Funny, from the assessment,  you\'d think all Stanford did was get off the bus and suit up.  Everything else was in the Bruins control.  It\'s not a competition, it\'s a pre-programmed exercise.  If UCLA\'s defense seemed passive,  it couldn\'t possibly be that Stanford\'s offense was dictating what the defense could do.   If their pass rush wasn\'t getting home, it must have been that their DLine was passive.  The fact that the conference\'s best OLine last year is mostly intact and starting to play together have no bearing on the situation.  If a play gained rushing yardage,  it couldn\'t have been the designed blocking matchups.  Must have been the linebackers feeling mellow.  And so on and so on.

I agree they handed us an advantage by not running more.  Franklin and The Traitor Malcolm Jones {think The Outlaw Josey Wales) both were racking up impressive averages.  They were derailed by penalties,  the whim to have the gimpy-armed QB pass, and by a few timely stops by us.  But, if they really were 6-7 yards per carry backs that the stats say they are,  then UCLA could have gone all Toby Gerhart on us and maybe changed the game.

[fyao]

I hope malcolm jones is happy with his choice now!

[fyao]

I hope malcolm jones is happy with his choice now!

[Pastor]

and the Admiral!

[Pastor]

and the Admiral!

[Farm93]

The articles are UCLA-centric, but for the most part they reflect the will of their readership. Honestly, in most parts of the country it would be at least that bad.

As Stanford fans, we generally do not get that level of love from the media.  This perhaps helps to explain why few on our boards have the optimism found elsewhere.  For example, our good friend Wilner, from the SJMN, has yet to rank Stanford in his AP top 25, even though Stanford is #19.  So we simply don\'t get the love found elsewhere.

And funny thing, 1-11 for UCLA is not far from the truth.  If they were to play any team remaining on their schedule now, they would be an underdog in that game.  The only exception will be when they play WSU.  So yeah, 1-11 could happen.  I don\'t think that means Stanford\'s win does not count, rather I think it says that UCLA schedule is that tough.  1-11 to 3-9 type seasons seem to be the proper realm.  Would anyone really pick UCLA to finish higher than 8th in the conference at this point?

[Farm93]

The articles are UCLA-centric, but for the most part they reflect the will of their readership. Honestly, in most parts of the country it would be at least that bad.

As Stanford fans, we generally do not get that level of love from the media.  This perhaps helps to explain why few on our boards have the optimism found elsewhere.  For example, our good friend Wilner, from the SJMN, has yet to rank Stanford in his AP top 25, even though Stanford is #19.  So we simply don\'t get the love found elsewhere.

And funny thing, 1-11 for UCLA is not far from the truth.  If they were to play any team remaining on their schedule now, they would be an underdog in that game.  The only exception will be when they play WSU.  So yeah, 1-11 could happen.  I don\'t think that means Stanford\'s win does not count, rather I think it says that UCLA schedule is that tough.  1-11 to 3-9 type seasons seem to be the proper realm.  Would anyone really pick UCLA to finish higher than 8th in the conference at this point?

[Class_of_75]

Look at the two writers who gave James Madison votes in this week\'s poll:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/ne...legefbpoll

[Class_of_75]

Look at the two writers who gave James Madison votes in this week\'s poll:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/ne...legefbpoll

[dabigv13]

I noticed that as well, and was not surprised. Contrarian jackasses.

[dabigv13]

I noticed that as well, and was not surprised. Contrarian jackasses.

[fullmetal]

and the Admiral!

Zing.

[fullmetal]

and the Admiral!

Zing.

[fyao]

and the Admiral!

Given that we have a guy who has to play both ways because we are so thin at ilb, the admiral, if he is any good, would have gotten early playing time here.  But given that he was such a jerk about his decision, maybe it is best that he isn\'t here.

[fyao]

and the Admiral!

Given that we have a guy who has to play both ways because we are so thin at ilb, the admiral, if he is any good, would have gotten early playing time here.  But given that he was such a jerk about his decision, maybe it is best that he isn\'t here.

[washingtonismoney]

Ugh, that was a tough decision. The little-remembered decision that also cost us was Luke Kuechly\'s--he had some absurd number of tackles last year as a true freshman (Wikipedia claims 142).

[washingtonismoney]

Ugh, that was a tough decision. The little-remembered decision that also cost us was Luke Kuechly\'s--he had some absurd number of tackles last year as a true freshman (Wikipedia claims 142).

[Redrum]

IIRC,  of the two, Malcolm Jones was the one who kept asssuring coaches he was sticking with his commitment,  right  up to LOI day when he switched.  Definitely a case of Neuheisel whispering incessantly in his ear.

Zumwalt made his switch a little earlier.  Some of the backchannel buzz, and a newspaper story gave a somewhat different narrative about one of Zumwalt\'s best friends having profound health problems but  recovering and opting for UCLA.  There was talk at the time that the friendship played a big role in Zumwalt\'s decision.  No idea if the link to the decommit/switch was real or  extrapolated from some otherwise true facts.

[Redrum]

IIRC,  of the two, Malcolm Jones was the one who kept asssuring coaches he was sticking with his commitment,  right  up to LOI day when he switched.  Definitely a case of Neuheisel whispering incessantly in his ear.

Zumwalt made his switch a little earlier.  Some of the backchannel buzz, and a newspaper story gave a somewhat different narrative about one of Zumwalt\'s best friends having profound health problems but  recovering and opting for UCLA.  There was talk at the time that the friendship played a big role in Zumwalt\'s decision.  No idea if the link to the decommit/switch was real or  extrapolated from some otherwise true facts.

[ealtice]

IIRC,  of the two, Malcolm Jones was the one who kept asssuring coaches he was sticking with his commitment,  right  up to LOI day when he switched.  Definitely a case of Neuheisel whispering incessantly in his ear.

Zumwalt made his switch a little earlier.  

Actually, I think it was the opposite, wasn\'t it?  Rivals shows Jones giving a verbal commitment to UCLA on 10/8, and Zumwalt on signing day.  

[ealtice]

IIRC,  of the two, Malcolm Jones was the one who kept asssuring coaches he was sticking with his commitment,  right  up to LOI day when he switched.  Definitely a case of Neuheisel whispering incessantly in his ear.

Zumwalt made his switch a little earlier.  

Actually, I think it was the opposite, wasn\'t it?  Rivals shows Jones giving a verbal commitment to UCLA on 10/8, and Zumwalt on signing day.  

[fullmetal]

Stewie Mandel says this:

• Three years in and Rick Neuheisel\'s UCLA offense is still downright atrocious. Impressive-looking Stanford came to the Rose Bowl on Saturday and blanked the Bruins, 35-0. Neuheisel\'s and coordinator Norm Chow\'s great experiment, the Pistol offense, has yet to render returns, due in no small part to another rash of injuries and attrition along the offensive line. And things may soon get worse. UCLA\'s (0-2) next two opponents are No. 23 Houston and No. 4 Texas.D

But also:

• Of all the coaches believed to be on the "hot seat," my money\'s on Minnesota\'s Tim Brewster  to earn the season\'s first pink slip (we\'ll say late October). Saturday\'s embarrassing 42-39 loss to South Dakota State comes three years after the Gophers fell to North Dakota State in Brewster\'s first season, a pretty telling sign that the program has swung firmly back in the wrong direction. What a waste of that beautiful new stadium. Paging Mr. Leach on Line 2?

So Neuheisel isn\'t quite on the hottest seat yet.  But the emperor has no clothes.

Link here.

[fullmetal]

Stewie Mandel says this:

• Three years in and Rick Neuheisel\'s UCLA offense is still downright atrocious. Impressive-looking Stanford came to the Rose Bowl on Saturday and blanked the Bruins, 35-0. Neuheisel\'s and coordinator Norm Chow\'s great experiment, the Pistol offense, has yet to render returns, due in no small part to another rash of injuries and attrition along the offensive line. And things may soon get worse. UCLA\'s (0-2) next two opponents are No. 23 Houston and No. 4 Texas.D

But also:

• Of all the coaches believed to be on the "hot seat," my money\'s on Minnesota\'s Tim Brewster  to earn the season\'s first pink slip (we\'ll say late October). Saturday\'s embarrassing 42-39 loss to South Dakota State comes three years after the Gophers fell to North Dakota State in Brewster\'s first season, a pretty telling sign that the program has swung firmly back in the wrong direction. What a waste of that beautiful new stadium. Paging Mr. Leach on Line 2?

So Neuheisel isn\'t quite on the hottest seat yet.  But the emperor has no clothes.

Link here.

[Pastor]

Norm has to feel the tongues of flame licking his behind (sorry for that image ;)) as Rick will throw him under the bus first.  The pistol looks, at this point, like a squirt gun.

[Pastor]

Norm has to feel the tongues of flame licking his behind (sorry for that image ;)) as Rick will throw him under the bus first.  The pistol looks, at this point, like a squirt gun.

[Redrum]

Jones did defect to UCLA first, Zumwalt last.   Defective Memory Syndrome.  But, I steadfastly maintain that 17% of what I posted was somewhat true.

[Redrum]

Jones did defect to UCLA first, Zumwalt last.   Defective Memory Syndrome.  But, I steadfastly maintain that 17% of what I posted was somewhat true.

[washingtonismoney]

Everyone\'s blaming the pistol offense, but it\'s doing exactly what was promised: UCLA\'s rushing game is much better than it was last year. The pistol never promised to make Prince a good passing quarterback and lo and behold it hasn\'t. You can\'t expect an offense to turn a bad quarterback good, but crises have a way of obscuring facts and throwing out logic.

[washingtonismoney]

Everyone\'s blaming the pistol offense, but it\'s doing exactly what was promised: UCLA\'s rushing game is much better than it was last year. The pistol never promised to make Prince a good passing quarterback and lo and behold it hasn\'t. You can\'t expect an offense to turn a bad quarterback good, but crises have a way of obscuring facts and throwing out logic.

[Pastor]

I would argue that the pistol, or any offensive scheme, has to work for the players you have, not the ones that you would like to have.  So yes, logical or not by your standards, I think the pistol is a problem for the very simple reason that it did not work against what could hardly be described as a defensive powerhouse.

I find no logic in a plan that is nice in concept but not possible in execution with the given personnel.  The pistol is shooting blanks.

[Pastor]

I would argue that the pistol, or any offensive scheme, has to work for the players you have, not the ones that you would like to have.  So yes, logical or not by your standards, I think the pistol is a problem for the very simple reason that it did not work against what could hardly be described as a defensive powerhouse.

I find no logic in a plan that is nice in concept but not possible in execution with the given personnel.  The pistol is shooting blanks.

[washingtonismoney]

But it\'s not! They ran the ball very well. It\'s not the scheme\'s fault that Neuheisel/Chow decided to throw too often. It\'s certainly not a fault inherent to the scheme that Kevin Prince is a bad quarterback. I don\'t think there\'s a scheme in the football world that can make Prince into a good one, actually.

I\'d say the problem is more the playcalling than the scheme itself. If they called fewer passes in our territory and instead had a touch of Harbaughian running ruthlessness, the game might well have been a close one.

[washingtonismoney]

But it\'s not! They ran the ball very well. It\'s not the scheme\'s fault that Neuheisel/Chow decided to throw too often. It\'s certainly not a fault inherent to the scheme that Kevin Prince is a bad quarterback. I don\'t think there\'s a scheme in the football world that can make Prince into a good one, actually.

I\'d say the problem is more the playcalling than the scheme itself. If they called fewer passes in our territory and instead had a touch of Harbaughian running ruthlessness, the game might well have been a close one.

[fullmetal]

But even while the Bruins have struggled, top recruits have kept rolling in to Westwood. After signing a highly regarded class last spring, UCLA secured an early commitment last week from Brett Hundley, a quarterback from the Phoenix suburbs generally considered the top high school passer in the West.

The article is titled "Neuheisel concerned after UCLA\'s 0-2 start," and the link is here.

[fullmetal]

But even while the Bruins have struggled, top recruits have kept rolling in to Westwood. After signing a highly regarded class last spring, UCLA secured an early commitment last week from Brett Hundley, a quarterback from the Phoenix suburbs generally considered the top high school passer in the West.

The article is titled "Neuheisel concerned after UCLA\'s 0-2 start," and the link is here.

[readarmy1976]

I cringe every time I hear "pistol offense". The word pistol hasn\'t been intimidating in 1951. Today, people say "handgun". Nobody says "pistol". It just sounds so lame. Like, "we\'re installing a new tooth-pick offense". Couldn\'t they call it something cool?

[readarmy1976]

I cringe every time I hear "pistol offense". The word pistol hasn\'t been intimidating in 1951. Today, people say "handgun". Nobody says "pistol". It just sounds so lame. Like, "we\'re installing a new tooth-pick offense". Couldn\'t they call it something cool?