Blessing in Disguise

You know, looking back at our season, it may have been a good thing that we finished 4-8. How so? Well, it gave our program two very important things. The first was an extra month that the coaches could focus on recruiting because they didn't have to spend any time on Bowl preparation. The second was the way it fired up Norm Chow. Chow wasn't required to do much recruiting as a part of his contract, but he went out there and hit the pavement hard. Both of those things lead to a stellar recruiting class. I doubt UCLA would have recruited as well if we had finished with a 6 or 7 win season. Sometimes you need to hit bottom before you can get back up to the top.

Keep It Simple Stupid

Is it just me, or is it still kind of hard to believe that Norm Chow is really our offensive coordinator for next season? With spring practice approaching and word leaking out about the new play book, I have to say it is a pretty exciting time to be a UCLA football fan. I thought I would take a moment and talk about the thing that excites me the most about Chow and his offensive philosophy: Simplicity.

Much was made of how complicated Karl Dorrell's WCO was for our players to learn. Drew Olson struggled for 3 seasons before finally putting it all together his senior year. None of the other quarterbacks came even close to being productive passers in the WCO. It was said that Dorrell's offense wasn't suited for the college game; the players didn't have the time nor experience to learn it properly. If the results on the field are any indication then his critics were right.

So along comes Norm Chow and Rick Neuheisel. Both have had great success at the collegiate level. Chow in particular has achieved almost legendary status for developing great offenses and great quarterbacks. The hallmark of his offensive philosophy is that it is simple; so simple that the players can learn it in a couple of days. Here is a quote from Chow about his offense at USC:

Because of the nature of our business, we get to sit in an office and spend time drawing up plays on the chalkboard. A lot of plays may look good in a play book, but is it going to help our team?

With that in mind, at USC on the drop back passing game, we will only have nine passes. We call it our 60 Series. We have a pass for each of the 60 numbers. We may call the play 65 for example. This means the lineman know it is basic 60 cup protection. The 5 is the pass pattern for that play.

Everyone has to remember the individual pass routes that make up that pattern. We have nine basic pass patterns. We teach four in one day and five the next day at the start of camp. That is all we have. I feel very strongly about this. We are going to keep it as simple as possible so out kids can go out on the field confident that we are going to make the play and we are going to know what we are doing. The mistake that coaches make is to make it too complicated. It is a football game and not a physics class.

It sounds like, from what the Bruin players are saying, that Norm has kept that same philosophy in mind when developing the offense for UCLA.

In talking with UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow and several of the players, one thing I keep hearing is how much thinner the playbook will be. Compared to the old playbook, the new playbook will be more like a pamphlet, one player said. That should also factor into practices, with the theory being why practice 200 plays in a week when you only run 75 in a game. Simplicity is the key to the offense, Chow said.

Yes, putting it another way, let's execute a few plays very well instead of a lot of plays poorly. Coach Dorrell always complained that execution was the reason his teams lost. I'm guessing the huge play book was probably the major culprit in that. We have smart players, but the coaches were just asking them to learn too much in too short a time period. Because they couldn't master the volumes of plays in the WCO, the team would end up sticking with a few predictable plays (run it up the gut for 1-yard and a cloud of dust).

By adding complexity to the play book we, ironically, ended up being a predictable offense. Chow might actually make UCLA's offense less predictable by making it simpler. Instead of relying on a wide variety of plays, this offensive guru likes to use misdirection and multiple formations to hide his true intentions. The patterns and decisions are the same but the different looks leave the defense guessing.

Norm Chow says [his] offenses have around 12 basic pass plays and 5 basic run plays (with screens)--those plays are run from many formations, with plays tagged for a little versatility, so that the players know the offense by the second day of practice.

An added benefit of the simplified offense is how quickly the players learn the playbook. Our offense will have plenty of time during the spring and fall to work on other things besides tring to memorize a ton of plays. I remember when DeWayne Walker first started working with our defense. He spent a lot of time focusing on fundamentals; things like tackling, swarming to the ball, and being aggressive. I can see Chow and Neuheisel doing something similar with the offense. We need running backs who hit the hole quickly, offensive lineman who can protect the QB, and receivers who can get some separation. This is a unit that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Coach Neuheisel has already mentioned that the offense will have an emphasis on the run. In an interview with the LA Times, Norm commented on the importance of moving the ball on the ground:

We're going to run the ball. To win in this game, in any league, you have to run the ball. I don't think we're going to revolutionize football. We're going to continue to do things that [Neuheisel] and I know best.

With some young talent coming in at tailback, I think we could see a simplified offense that tries to maximize that talent. That's another great aspect of a small playbook. It can be adapted to the player's strengths instead of trying to adapt the players to the offense's strength. If we get two or three backs who step up this fall then lets use them. Screens, shuttle passes, and a steady dose of power running. If a quarterback steps up then let's throw, throw, throw. In either case, it sounds like our offense can be tailored to what works best and that's our best shot at winning.

(photo credit: CSTV)

Can I get an Amen?

Saw this on Dohn's blog:

In talking with UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow and several of the players, one thing I keep hearing is how much thinner the playbook will be. Compared to the old playbook, the new playbook will be more like a pamphlet, one player said.

That should also factor into practices, with the theory being why practice 200 plays in a week when you only run 75 in a game.

Simplicity is the key to the offense, Chow said.

Can I get an amen? Isn't this what we, as fans, were clamoring for during the Dorrell years? Lets run a few plays well instead of a lot of plays poorly. It's so head smakingly obvious it blows your mind.

How You Like Me Chow!

Think about this for a minute. Rick Neuheisel, in his first few weeks as head coach, just convinced two other coaches ( who were up for the exact same job ) to come work for him. That's some serious mojo. With Norm Chow officially on board, as of this weekend, Neuheisel has radically transformed the UCLA coaching staff from a game day liability into probably the best staff in the conference.

One of the best things about this staff of Neuheisel, Walker and Chow is that they are determined to best USC. If you could channel the collective hatred of the Ketchup n' Mustard and form it into some type of primordial ooze then out of that soup would emerge these three coaches. They want to compete with Carrol and company. They want to take back this city. It's emotional for them, it's a challenge, and I think it is also personal. In the Monday press conference, Rick had this to say about the Trojans:

"Our goal is for us to get where they are," Neuheisel said about USC during a teleconference to introduce Chow. "We want to be one of the elite college football programs."

Man... Norm frickin' Chow. Even as a die-hard Neuheisel supporter, I didn't think that was possible. As of last week I was writing stuff like this:

Speaking of Chow, I don't think he is coming to UCLA. At least not this year.

Believe me when I say that I'm much better at my day job then I am at predicting the outcome of coaching hires at UCLA. What a coup for Rick. I'm sure some of it was blind luck with Tennessee firing Norm. But hey, better to be lucky then good. In the news conference it was mentioned that Chow originally said no, on a few occasions, to offers from Neuheisel. Rick is persistent in his recruiting and it looks like that dogged determination has paid off in this coaching hire as well.

Ben Olson must be doing back flips right now. With his football career stuck in second gear and only one more season to prove his worth, he must have been praying hard for some quality coaches to show up at his door. I don't think he could have asked for a better duo in Neuheisel and Chow. Rick has played in the NFL as a quarterback and was recently coaching a Heisman winning signal caller at Baltimore. Chow has worked with a bevy of talented players: Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Ty Detmer, Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Philip Rivers. He was given credit for almost single handily turning around Carson Palmer's career and three of those guys went on to win the Heisman.

It is that kind of resume that will draw great offensive players to Westwood. You know every quarterback currently at UCLA is going nuts right now. You have to imagine that a lot of other kids, who aren't in college yet, are going to seriously take a look at UCLA... some probably for the first ime. What offensive recruit wouldn't want to play for Norm Chow? What defensive recruit wouldn't want to play for DeWayne Walker? Throw Neuheisel into the mix and the Bruins should be stocking talent for years to come.

Here is a quote from Ben via Rich Perelman's blog:

"I always wanted to play for Coach Chow and things didn’t quite work out at USC. I looked at USC twice -– when I came out of high school and then when I got back from my mission. I always wanted to play for Coach Chow, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from the best and I’m going to make the most of the opportunity and work my hardest to do what he asks me to do.

"I can’t remember when I was this excited about football."

You and every other Bruin fan, Ben. It's exciting times in Westwood.

The exact details of the contract are still in the works. I'm hoping Chow sticks around for at least two years. We absolutely need some continuity on this staff. In just a few years, I'm sure Chow could get this offense back to the top of the conference rankings.

(photo credit: Getty Images)

Swing and a Miss

Nigel Burton, who was rumored to be in consideration for the secondary coach position at UCLA, has taken the defensive coordinator spot at Nevada. Ryan Mallett also officially enrolled at Arkansas, confirming the news that was leaked out last week. Brian Dohn is also reporting that Norm Chow is still interested in coaching at the professional level. Definitely a lot of heat being generated in Westwood these days... but not a whole lot of light.

Titans Fire Chow!

Holy Guacamole! Does this mean that UCLA is in the running for Chow's services? Brian Dohn reported that Neuheisel had not even spoken with Chow as of yesterday, but he wont name an OC until he does. This might be the point were opportunity meets preparation. Bring it home Rick!

Can a Bruin realistically Dream????

Ciao to Chow

Chow is out. So, that leaves Neuheisel and Golden as the only two guys to get second interviews for sure. Maybe Walker will get one after the Vegas Bowl? In that three man race, I have to pick Neuheisel by a large margin. If Rick comes, I think Walker will stick around, so we get the best of both worlds.

I fully expect a Neuheisel hire early next week. I'm excited about it and getting more excited every day. This recent article about Neuheisel's feelings about the college game and his time at Washington tell me a lot. I really think he deserves a second chance and all the fuss about his NCAA violations is over blown. I'll have more on that later.

Chow Interview Confirmation

Rumors have been flying around all week that Norm Chow would be considered for the head coaching position. Some were even speculating that he had already interviewed and others saying he was on campus to accept an offer. All of that was pure internet-driven rumors but it looks like UCLA and the search firm have now officially made contact with Chow.

The LA Times is stating that Chow is expected to interview sometime this week. From what I'm reading it looks like Norm is probably the leading candidate so far, though I'm sure UCLA has its eye on some other candidates.