Neuheisel ON: Part 3
From the press conference
On defensive lapses of concentration:
"When things aren't going well they become much bigger. There were lapses in concentration in the Tennessee win, in the Kansas State win. They just happened where they weren't as monumental or pivotal in these last three weeks."
On what ails the defense:
"It's not one thing. It's a combination of a lot of things. The big play was the haunting thing in this game. One of the big plays came when we missed an assignment and we didn't follow our guy in motion so we were a man short. One of them we kind of guessed on a route rather than played a route. One of them was a bad angle and a guy out of control in a run scheme where Best goes 93 yards. Those are the little things I'm talking about. Practice will be a giant array of those little things."
On what's gone wrong the past three games defensively:
"We talked about the Stanford game having more missed assignments than in any of the previous three games. We work hard to shore that up and I thought we played pretty darn good defense against Oregon. The Oregon was a four minute spell with a kick return and an interception return that gave them 14 points."
On the linebacker corps:
"Like probably all parts of our team, we can get better. We played with Reggie Carter this week who didn't get to practice we felt because of his leadership and experience he was the best option. I think Reggie's had better games. We can be better and we will be better."
Just finished reading all the bruin "supporters'" comments and this is my read on the ucla situation:
1. Did you see that recent publication nominating the Pac-10 as the best conference in the nation, with the Southeastern being second? There are a lot of tough teams out west here. Every game sans Washington State is no gimme.
2. The three game winning streak had bruin
"supporters" giddy with exalted, unrealistic
expectations. Now that they have lost 3 in a row I see nothing but "supporters" jumping off the bandwagon. As I often say, in sports there is a very short distance between being a hero and being a bum.
3. The going will not get any easier. Arizona is currently listed as the 3rd best team in the Pac-10 and it has been stated as an 8 point favorite in its game with ucla next Saturday. This is not a game ucla is likely to win.
4. Entitlement for a winning football team is no given. You don't think Washington or Arizona or Arizona State fans don't want to win ever so badly as SC or ucla? This is a tough arena, and there are no assurances. No wonder football coaches get paid so well to put up with their "supporters."
LAWYER JOHN (the real one)
BE REAL,
Now that's putting it into perspective! Hey kids, as a fan, I've got your "six" covered....Don't listen to all this, "The sky is falling" rhetoric. Just keep fighting, learning, and soaking in the experience...You ALL will get better! Play hard. Play for each other and enjoy the ride! Go BRUINS!!!
I find it curious RN blames the players on defense but hasn't noticed the incredibly passive schemes of his defensive coordinator, or the fact his defense routinely gets blown out in the first half until the DC makes adjustments.
I'm not sure its so much the players as it is a DC learning on the job. I have not been impressed with Bullough. He has a defense that should be as talented or more than last years, but has not been able to do anything but run a very conservative base package for the first 30 minutes of every game and watch his team get lit up.
CRN should remember Oregon was playing with a backup QB that hadn't started a game since 2007(?) CRN was lucky Masoli didn't play or the rushing numbers would have be far greater than they were.
Fluffer John, you are a REAL TOOL. You are a USC Footstool that everyone steps on due to your mindless dribble and double speak filled to the brim with hypocracy. The only thing you excel at is at being a fluffer.