Slick Rick back in the game -- new UCLA coach

I'm surprised there have not been any posts about March Madness office pools, yet?

 

If I am a UCLA guy, the biggest problem I have with the Neuheisel hire is that his teams at Colorado and UW both eventually suffered from the same affliction -- great skill guys, terrible on the lines. Both teams were eroding badly when he left. I don't think he will run afoul of the NCAA again; he's smart enough that he'll probably have a compliance guy by his side like another assistant coach. He'll make a call before he takes a piss. As slimy as he is, he's probably got it figured out by now meaning this could be one helluva hire for UCLA. It's gutsy as all hell and certainly makes the Pac-10 more interesting. Then again, replacing Dorrell with a doorstop would have made the conference more interesting.

 

My guess is that an NFL check helped pay a few bills...

 

I'm the original Slick Rick, bitches!

 

yeah, well that really fucking cleared it up. thanks.

 

This is dead-on nails, especially the last part.

The best thing Slick Rick brings to Westwood -- aside from an offense that won't be as predictable as the second ring on a phone or as sputtering as a Bush presser -- is the ability to actually recruit with a semblance of passion.

Of his many foibles, that was Dorrell's biggest: the willingness to cede recruiting superiority in Southern California to not only USC, but whatever other big-name school decided to drop on by. There was no reason a school like UCLA -- admission standards and all -- should get outrecruited so egregiously in its own backyard.

It wasn't merely an inability to outrecruit your rival and others, but a throw-up-your-hands-and-surrender like the French Army in 1940. As a UCLA fan, that was the hardest thing to stomach -- even harder than watching losses to such powers as Utah, Notre Dame and Arizona.

Like SoCalDude said, all things considered, this was probably the best hire.

 

What the hell ever happened to Mike Leach going to LA?

Did they ever offer it to him?

 

He's slimy, but he never deserved to be fired from UW, at least not for the NCAA pool...

What's interesting is that he's replacing his former offensive coordinator...

 

I was going to post one, but I got lazy and forgot. Something like:

Hey, in our UCLA coaching office pool, I had Neuheisel!

 

UCLA wants somebody who conducts himself like Dorrell - clean program, show class - but wins like Wooden. The problem with UCLA football is that it is a basketball school, and the football program is number two on campus and number two in the city. Given all the insitutional pride about being the first college to get to 100 overall NCAA championships, you can't help but wonder how unimportant they view football.

 

He was heavily considered by the UCLA athletic department, but in the end he wanted too much money (I believe he wanted more than 2.5 million.)

 

Is the $4.5 million settlement Rick received after his ouster just from the remainder of his UW contract or a separate lawsuit?

I'm trying to determine my favorite back-handed compliment to Neuheisel and UCLA following the hiring, I guess I'll go will Mark May who said UCLA will either be on probation in two years or the cleanest program in the country because the NCAA will be all over Neuheisel and he is one coach who other coaches don't have a problem dropping a dime on. He will make the Pac10 more interesting but if I'm UCLA I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for all of those "millions" Rick promised to raise for the Pauly Pavilion rehab. I'd be surprised if he recruits one player who he sees graduate from UCLA, one way or the other.