Nice Move Sherlock!

by Paragon SC on Apr 17, 2008 6:07 AM PDT in USC Football

So everyone has jumped on the bandwagon to ridicule the ucla seniors who organized a "Ditch Day" during spring practice. Oh, its well deserved as we have had to listen to the nauseating claims by some in the bruin blogosphere about how relevant ucla football is and how it will be prominent again in the future. That may be but the fact is this is not the start that Rick Neuheisel wanted and it shows that some players just don't seem to get it.

Heck, they couldn't even get the tradition right. They went through the gate instead of "going over the wall" as the tradition has been. Former ucla head coach Bob Toledo suspended the tradition during his tenure ensuring that he got everything out his players. The tradition was re-instated by Karl Dorrell and we all know how that worked out...

Norm Chow's quote said it best:

"Traditions," first-year offensive coordinator Norm Chow mumbled as he was leaving the Acosta Center. "They have so many traditions around here, all those national championships."

Can you imagine the look of shock that was on Chow's face when this happened!

I guess some of the players didn't get the memo that these sorts of stunts are for those who have already won something and consistently get it done on the field. They clearly have either not heard or misunderstood Slick Rick's message. Actually you could really see some thing like this coming with ucla's clamoring to be like USC or to try and take some of the attention away from them. Well it might have worked this week but for all the wrong reasons. I guess the inmates really are running the asylum over there.

Man, that's just rich!

In trying to make their own identity they blatantly ignored and disrespected their coaches andthey made fools of themselves in front of prospective recruits and coaching pipelines.

The flight cost the Bruins a day of practice in their effort to rebound from a series of mediocre seasons.

Neuheisel apologized to an officiating crew that was assigned to work scrimmage portions of the practice.

Meanwhile, coaches from La Palma Kennedy High, who had come to Westwood to see practice, left shaking their heads.

"I guess that's why they're in the Lay's Potato Chips Bowl every year," said Chris Pascal, Kennedy's freshman coach.

Coaches from Encino Crespi High also left with a vivid impression.

"Let me put it this way, they wouldn't have done that at Fresno State," said Coach Jeremiah Ross, a former Fresno State player.

Pascal said he and other coaches had yet to receive an explanation or apology from UCLA as of Wednesday afternoon even though they were required to leave their e-mail addresses when they signed in before practice.

"They had recruits there, and can you imagine what they think after being driven there and being sent back onto the freeway at 5 p.m.?" Pascal said. "The four of us were standing there for a half-hour, someone could have said something. On the way home we thought about going over to USC because we knew they would be on the practice field."

Way to go slick!

The comments from the media and the bruin fans themselves have called these clowns out for putting a stupid tradition over trying to rebuild their football program. Of course just like I noted yesterday the one excuse being put forth is that this is a lingering effect of the Dorrell regime.

This picture says it all (from WeAreSC):

Your Caption Here!

FIGHT ON!

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Wow

Chow drops a bomb. Can't say I disagree with what he said. A lot of bruins agree with him as well. The practice is one thing. But the fact that there were coaches, recruits, and an officiating crew there that all showed up for nothing is much worse. This really embarrassed Neuheisel. I think you can bet that the ditch day will be retired after this.

Who knows, maybe the bruins will take a good look at this event and learn something positive from it. If they want to compete with us, they need that never say die, nothing to lose, chip on their shoulder attitude from two years ago. One thing is for sure, we aren't going to take them lightly with all the hype their staff is getting.

by frak on Apr 17, 2008 7:20 AM PDT reply actions

Oh, I have no doubt

that they will learn from this but it sure doesn't make them look good and it is a black eye on Slick Rick as it appears that he tried to discourage it.

by Paragon SC on Apr 17, 2008 7:32 AM PDT reply actions

I'd hate to mess with a MAD CHOW!

Those mfers! have a SERIOUS BITE!

by tapoutstylist on Apr 17, 2008 9:25 AM PDT reply actions

damning quote

That last quote from Chris Pascal is really painful. On the one hand, you could say that's ballsy coming from a high school coach, but the underlying point is still true.

Still, I think that like most "gotcha" moments, this one won't linger forever. The seniors are going to graduate / get jobs driving forklifts, and by next spring I suspect that Neuheisel, Chow, and Walker will have got the message through.

by DC Trojan on Apr 17, 2008 9:43 AM PDT reply actions

Lay's Potato Chips Bowl?

Which bowl is that? Is that the one that used to be the Toilet Bowl?

by frak on Apr 17, 2008 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions

As embarrassing as the incident itself is

I really don't care what the freshman coach from Kennedy High School thinks. In a situation like this, my guess is he was either trying to get his name in the news or was already a USC fan. And as a coach at a school that has had 2 D-1 players in the last 9 years, his opinion is about as important as that of a poster at WeAreSC.

For the coaches that weren't at the practice, how the team does in the fall will be much more important. If UCLA gets 8 wins, nobody will care about mistakes made in the spring. If UCLA gets 5 wins, they will have much more important things to worry about.

by SuperBruinMan on Apr 19, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, well...whatever

get 8 wins with that O line and we'll be impressed. But I'm thinking 5-7 or 6-6 at BEST.

its your turn in the barrel so of course we'll have some fun with it. imean come new coach, new offense and they plan a ditch day? sounds like they're serious to me.

you have some work to do based on what I have read from Chow and Neu so you have a long road to hoe.

As for the coach... well freshman coaches sometimes turn into Varsity coaches and sometimes they change schools too so why burn the bridge?

down play it now, sure but you never know....

by Paragon SC on Apr 19, 2008 6:13 PM PDT up reply actions

a narrow reading

The comments are emblematic of a perception problem. You can dismiss the messenger but that doesn't do anything about the message.

Besides, I wrote quite clearly that the odds of this fart in a teacup mattering for any length of time are very small indeed - something I'd assert even if it's a 5 win season for ucla next season.

by DC Trojan on Apr 21, 2008 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions