You mean they are just figuring it out?

What is so hard to see?

I have to admit this is a well reasoned post but I still have to laugh...Neuheisel has always been a mediocre coach.

The paradox of Rick Neuheisel at this point exists between his recruiting – where he appears to be going all out, fearing no other coach or school and is reeling in a lot of well-respected high school players – and his on field coaching – where he seems to be channeling his mentor Terry Donahue with a conservative, punt-from-the-35-on-fourth-and-short, let’s-take-the-field-goal, play-the-less-talented-upperclassmen-over-the-less-talented-younger-guys, forget-about-winning, we-just-want-to-keep-it-close approach to football.

[...]

There are three elements to coaching college football, basically. There’s the recruiting. On that front let’s be generous and stipulate that Neuheisel and his staff are doing a good job. Then there is the strategy. Strategy includes everything from calling the plays to deciding who gets to play. Here, I’m less than enamored with what RN and the coaches are doing, but then again, anytime a team is playing poorly the armchair coaches and Monday morning quarterbacks have issues.

The most difficult thing for me to assess is the "coaching up" part of coaching. I mean, it's somewhat easy for me to comment on play calling. It's easy to comment on strategy. I can comment on personnel decisions. I mean, I see what's happening and I have an opinion. What's really difficult for me to assess and comment on might be the most important thing of all: the concept of coaching the kids so they improve.

I am not really sure what is so hard for these guys to figure out. The numbers have shown that as players depart that were not Neuheisel's recruits his win loss record starts to sink.

Go back and look at the records...you can see it at BOTH UW and at CU.

I laughed at the amount of rationalization that a number of the UCLA faithful tried to put forth about Neuheisel's record both with his NCAA infractions and his coaching record.

Fine, if they want to rationalize that Dorrell left the cupboard bare when he was let go then I'll give it to them. But it's not like Neuheisel can't recruit, that has always been the one thing that many Bruins fans are quick to point out. Neuheisel is into his third recruiting class. The O-Line was supposed to be suspect but the "filthy five" as they like to call them are doing a somewhat decent job. Its the rest of the team that looks lost. I still remember that shill Rick Kimbrell saying that Norm Chow thought he got the better QB in Brehaut over Barkley...Really? Right, how is that working out for you.

Neuheisel got some players and made a splash with all the speeches and the infamous ad but the results so far just aren't there.

Neuheisel is more concerned about garnering attention for his program with all his antics (hey look at us for a change!!) than actually getting people to notice the team by the their play on the field. Unfortunately many are taking notice of the teams performance for all of the wrong reasons. Many people will say that UCLA looked great against Texas...OK, on that day they did, but Texas has shown us that they aren't all that this season and UCLA does seem to have the 'Horns number.

Neuhesiel got the coaches that he wanted, he made a circus side show out hiring of Chow and retaining Walker. Walker moved on to his own gig but Neuheisel didn't fill the void with his replacement...and the team isn't coached up. Bullock is now the convenient fall guy.

I get it, UCLA wants to be relevant in football...what school doesn't want to be? But the extent that many moved the goal posts with regards to Neuhiesel's record in order to make the hire palatable makes them all the more frustrated...they got what they wanted but I am not sure they are now happy with what they actually got.

The OP is one of the more rational and knowledgeable voices over there but his post shows me what we all knew was coming...Slick Rick will get some wins and recruit some players but in the end this is turning into a clown show of epic proportions...