Where does Price rank right now with the other DT's we have? Based on his first few days of practice, does he rank behind only Brown and Harwell?

What do you think is the W/L record that will lead to KD's dismissal? Does the team look prepared to rebound this week vs Udub?

What is the vibe in Morgan Center regarding KD & the program? Is it finally time to end the KD era?

If both are healthy, who do you think should start.. Cowan or Olson?

Brian, rough game last Saturday to say the least. A few questions here:

1. Did you or Jill detect the players weren't really focused or intense during practice last week? I've read that KD and the coaches were trying to get the players in tune for Utah, but the players weren't really buying in to any challenge Utah could bring. Does that sound about right?

2. How recovered is Cowan if he has to start on Saturday? One of his biggest assets is his mobility, but if he's not completely mended, does that make Bethel a plausible alternative?

3. From your viewpoint, what has been the biggest problem confronting the offensive line? At least a portion of Olson's problems (and the running game for that matter) appears to be attributed to the line's poor play.

4. Is it me or have we really missed Justin Hickman wrecking houses in the middle this year? His efforts seemed to open up blitzing opportunities for Davis and others all last year. Do you see Price filling in a similar role?

5. Would Coach Dorrell ever consider abandoning the west coast offense and going to a spread or pro-style attack? If he went to the spread, Chris Forcier appears tailor-made for such an offense.

Thanks as always for your thoughts and this addictive blog!

I know we're holding back on offering guys for the 2008 recruiting class, but what's the latest with the 2009 class? There are some great QB's in Cali for 2009 and I'm pretty impressed with Brehaut (Los Osos HS), Nunes (Upland HS), Bridgeford (Mission Viejo HS)and Forcier (Scripps HS). Of course the big fish would have to be Barkley (Mater Dei HS), but I seriously think he's SC's. What's the talk? Are we looking at one or two of these up close, or are we waiting for the season to transpire? What are our chances with Barkley?

Thanks for the great job, Brian. Question re: ucla basketball. How will ucla deal with being so thin at guard, having essentially no back-up at PG and two untested off-guards in westbrook and roll. More troubling, how will they prevent oj mayo from getting 50 against them? Box and 1? Thanks.

Why in the world was our starting offense still on the field when the game was so clearly out of hand.

Olson and the OL had clearly broken down and were vulnerable, and it looks like leaving them in may have cost us both players for this Saturday's game (as well as Everett perhaps? Not sure when is injury occured). That last hit Olson took was awful to watch, might be what caused his concussion(?) and was totally unnecessary.

When will Dorrell be forced to explain the logic behind this? Still slinging around passes down 30+ with under 5 minutes to go??

How much of an impact do you think Pitre's absence is concerning our pass blocking?

Do you think the west coast offense can succeed on a year to year basis in college? I don't because it is a complex offense and the limited practice time in college make it tough to master. Is there any hope for any team to make it work yearin and year out?

How has Osaar Rasshan looked in practice? How good are his chances of making a significant impact on this weekend's game? Thanks.

Brian, with the growing concern in the general population about health privacy, do you foresee any changes to the way injuries are reported in the sports world? Within sports reporting, we have experienced a detailed level of exposure for quite some time now, yet there has been a movement towards changes outside of sports, and it seems reasonable for players to want to limit their exposure when it comes to disclosing such things as head injuries, for example. Since UCLA is on the forefront of many academic and social issues, not to mention being the first to 100 championships, could it be that they are also becoming aware and proactive about a looming issue in sports health privacy?

Thanks again Brian for all your hard work.

I was wondering if any of the coaches have provided any information regarding the following:

If Utah's game plan was to cover Ben's first passing option, was this recognized immediately? If so, was Ben instructed to look off his first option and focus on his second and third options?

Also, as a follow up to my previous question regarding timing patterns, why is there a trust issue at this point in the season? Shouldn't spring and fall practices be used to build trust so that the QB & WR are on the same page once the season starts?

Finally, have the coaches indicated why they continue to play players that are unproductive in a particular game? I would think if a WR is dropping passes, they should give the other WRs a chance to make some plays, considering we have some depth there.

How aware/concerned does Dorrell seem to be about his rapidly warming hot seat?

Brian,
1.If Dorrell is let go at the end of the season, how much will that impact the recruits that have signed?

2. Do you think Dorrell will ever realize that his offense is made to fail with the players we currently have? Do you think he would ever change things up, or is he going to stick with this even if he gets fired?

Brian,

Since our coaches and players must watch other games (and teams like Florida, Louisville, Texas Tech, Hawaii, etc. who typicall run up 400+ yards of offense on a BAD day), without naming names, do you personally believe there are members of the coaching staff and at least some players (if not many) who don't believe in the UCLA's version of the WCO and that its complications make it doomed to fail at the college level?

Any word on recruits' reaction to that debacle on Saturday?

Brian,

As always, thank you for your hard work on the blog. A couple of quickies for you:

1. Where is Alexi Lanis fitting into the OL rotation now that Tevaga is out? In other words, how many plays do you think he'll get against Washington?

2. Alteraun Verner has now been burned badly in each of the last two games for a long TD. Is he still starting over Van because of Van's ankle injury or is Verner now the starter regardless?

Will Pat Cowan be biased and throw to his brother Joe Cowan most of the time?

Will Pat Cowan be biased and throw to his brother Joe Cowan most of the time?

How has Savage looked on the o-line thus far? Also, what is up with Tony Lee? Finally, Aaron Meyer is in his 4th year in the program and he has been relegated to street clothes for away games as I witnessed for the Utah contest. I think most would agree that's pathetic on so many levels including the coach's evaluation of talent and Meyer's own progression as a scholarship player.

How is Brett Locket doing? Haven't seen an injury update on him in a while.

Will Ryan Graves ever see significant playing time at WR?

How would you assess the oline under Coach Connelly? Do you think the oline play has gotten worse since Tom Cable left?

Is it standard procedure to cover the Rose Bowl field during a rain storm prior to game days? Will the field be covered this week at all?

What is Mike Leach's home phone number?

Is UCLA going after any men's basketball prospects to complete their 2008 recruiting class other than J'Mison Morgan?

Are you seeing any difference in UCLA recruiting under Ben Howland with Kerry Keating gone and Scott Duncan on-board? If so, what would those differences be?

Utah was probably an aberration. Just being silly, but if UCLA played Utah 12 straight weeks this season, what would you think the breakdown of wins and losses would be? I would say the Bruins would win 8 or 9 out of 12 based on talent, and based on how much more motivated the team would be the next time around.

Should UCLA decide to fire Karl Dorrell, what do you think about hiring Carol Burnett as head coach? Don't laugh. Here are her qualifications, based upon what UCLA has considered important and looked for in previous searches:

1. UCLA alum.

2. Nice person.

3. Well-liked.

4. Great public speaker and media savvy.

Sure, she has no head coaching experience, but neither did Dorrell (or Larry Farmer, or Steve Lavin or Terry Donahue). Obviously, experience is not a prerequisite for head coaching positions at UCLA.

Do you think this suggestion might fly with the administration? What do we have to lose? Could we be much worse than we are? If our football program is going to be a joke, at least it will be a funny one.

Brian,

Considering all of the injured removed from the lineup, with all the seniors on this team could it be possible the Bruins are extremely thin in depth, or is it that the remaining Bruins are just that bad? Even with bad coaching the players must at the least try to perform their duties. Utah did it with six starters out.

Why do I have this gut feeling it's not about motivation, it's about talent and coaching? Not enough pep talks in the world can overcome a lack of talent and bad coaching.

Should we expect another throttling this week against UW.

In an interview, the Blade made a reference to players partying during the week. Have you heard anything about this and if so, what role do you think it played in the blowout loss?

In an interview, the Blade made a reference to players partying during the week. Have you heard anything about this and if so, what role do you think it played in the blowout loss?

I know the fan base is outraged and the media seems to think KD is on the hot seat, but I'm not convinced based on how supportive Guerrero has been throughout KD's mediocre seasons. Barring a total collapse, do you get the sense that KD is in really in trouble with another mediocre 7-6, 8-5 season? (I feel as though the school will put up with mediocrity as long as KD graduates players and keeps them out of trouble - plus, they're not willing to pay what it takes to get a quality coach)

Hey Brian - please confirm this for us:

Friends tell me that if a reporter goes digging for a story about UCLA, and does not go through the UCLA Sports Information office, then that reporter likely will be blackballed, making it virtually impossible for him to cover his beat, and to compete with other newspapers.

Also, do reporters who cover the Bruins feel that their hands are tied when they try to uncover the facts or hidden details? Are they afraid the SID will "burn" him in the future?

I've heard that this and other reasons are why most reporters ask to be taken off the UCLA beat after a couple of years. I imagine your frustration level with the way you are treated as a reporter must be difficult to deal with. Since you went to Rutgers and undoubtedly covered college football there, how would you compare your UCLA experience to the manner in which you were treated in college?

Thanks for answering this question ... I know it is a difficult one, but I'm sure you can find a way to answer it without any backlash from the folks in Westwood.

Brian,

Is it possible the Bruins can get even worst by our OCT 6 match up?

Salivating,

CW

Is our defense for real? Last week I asked this before the game and you said maybe we had one of the top 2/3 defenses in the conference. Did the Utah game change your opinion or do you see it as a bit on on early season OOC "fluke" that the "D" melted down like that? So, we still top 2/3 in your opinion regarding our D or do you need to see that Washington game first to be double-sure? I think we have a top 3 defense and I think it will show against Washington and at Corvallis next week.

Why do you think DeWayne Walker continues to have trouble with spread or non-pro-style offenses? Is it lack of experience w/ them when he was in the NFL, do they just expose current Bruin weaknesses even more (lack of pass rush), or something else?

Now that you have seen both BYU and Utah, would you like to see these two rivals join the Pac-10?

How much control does Dorrell, the head coach by name, really have overseeing the offense and defense? When I observe other coaches on the sideline, I get the impression that these guys not only know the ins-and-outs of the plays, but also control the tactics and direct thier staff. I may be completely wrong, but I guess I expect the head coach to direct his staff, i.e., lead all aspects of the offense and defense.
With Dorrell, I get the feeling he doesn't delve deep into the tactics behind the O and D simply becuase he probably doesn't have the depth of knowledge necessary to participate in this level. What's your opinion?

As compared to Pete Carrol, how would you rate Karl Dorrell as a coach? Ignoring his cleanup of the program, how does he rate in terms of in-game adjustments, playcalling, offensive/defense gameplanning, motivation and enthusiasm?

Watching the top programs in the country, it seems like every TOP team in the country (i.e. LSU, Florida, USC) has a fiery coach who gets the most out of his players, even when playing 1-A bottom dwelling schools. How much does the coach's personality rub off on the character of the team? It seems that a quiet coach will lead to an uninspired team.

What are the UCLA beat writers' views of what happened last weekend and what is happening with this football program?

Matt Stevens (former Bruin QB, does color during the game) said in an interview this week that Karl confided in him during the summer that he was having trouble getting this group of players work hard. How does this team's work ethic in practice compare to what you have seen when covering other programs? Do you see Karl doing anything at practice to motivate his players to work harder? How does the tempo of the practices compare to what you have seen elsewhere (a lot is made of how much USC's 'Competition Tuesdays' keeps people working hard to maintain their positions)?

Purely hypothetically, which football coach(es) would best fit the UCLA mold for continued success on and off the field, and could sucessfully compete against that coach from across town, Pete Carroll?

What are you thoughts on Dorrell's statements (such as "It wasn't anything about preparation," Dorrell said when we got together Tuesday. "I told our players this team was going to be dangerous and desperate. What's disappointing, our players got caught up with the fact 'we're UCLA and we're ranked No. 11.'" as quoted by TJ Simers at the LA Times)

versus what Pete Carroll says, as reported by Scott Wolf ("Pete Carroll said Nebraska's success passing the ball, at least early, was his fault.
"The reason that happened was I didn't adjust fast enough," he said.)

What are your thoughts on shouldering the blame for breakdowns?

What should UCLA try to exploit against Washington?
Thanks for your time!

Lets talk about basketball. How have the workouts been going and could you tell us how each of the players has looked so far.

brian, have you heard of HIPAA? Did you like Quincy as a kid? Is Jill Painter qualified to dx head trauma? Your blog is the best Bruin FB forum on the internets...

brian, if price is the best DT UCLA has, why is he only expected to play 20 plays? seems like a dubious decision re: PT allocation....or is something else going on?

brian, do you ever re-watch a game on tape/dvr to get a better feel for what happened? coaches do it...

brian, do you ever re-watch a game on tape/dvr to get a better feel for what happened? coaches do it...

brian, what do you think of Olson's decision-making and sense of timing? the versus broadcasters (ex-nfl player?) made it seem like he thinks too slowly to be effective at the cfb level....

With Tevaga, Olson, Everett, Whittington, Dragovic, Pitre, and Harwell what can we expect as a team in the UW game?

How has Pat Cowan performed in practice? Has his accuracy as a passer improved? Who tends to make better in-play decisions when the football is in their hand, Pat or Ben?