Kelly was winning with the zone read and three-star recruits at Oregon. The difference between his tenure at Oregon and at UCLA is three-fold.
1- The zone read was a new offense that defenses had a tough time adjusting to-- plus the hurry up factor disrupted defenses. Now that most teams understand how to defend the zone read and focus on the mesh point, it's easier to blow up.
2- Kelly still had blue chip QBs with tremendous speed running that zone read. DTR is speedy and deceptive, but he's not a blue chipper.
3- Oregon had tremendous fan support. (It helps when your team is winning a lot!) UCLA football does not have tremendous alumni/student support. You will notice that support for Oregon football has waned over the past three years--- they aren't winning like they used to win.
UCLA needs to stop getting cute and run the Pro offense. Stanford did it with great success. So did Washington and USC. They all got away from that and look what has happened: USC still does well enough because it gets those blue chippers, but the other teams have struggled. I loved seeing TE Asiasi get play time this year. He should have received more. (ND is one of the few powerhouse programs who love to use the TE).
The best cure for UCLA woes is to get a blue chip QB. He can bail you out if the running game doesn't pan out and he can save the day if you need quick strikes. USC QB Kedon Slovis was not a blue chip QB per his recruiting ratings, but he really was. The Trojans' recruiters saw what he was doing and signed him.
Find and fight for a great QB. Once UCLA does that, the blue chip receivers will want to come play as well.
I believe Jarmond needs to put HIS stamp on this program sooner rather than later. If Kelly beats Stanford convincingly. Like, puts the hurt on them then maybe. But Jarmond may have put all kinds of stipulations on Kelly in their private meetings and whether Kelly is on track with those I expect, will decide Kelly's future. Hard to believe however, that Jarmond didn't make beating SC a condition for this year...
I would normally agree with you but this is a pandemic year and the norms are out the window. Frankly, ANY coach who gets fired in 2020 is premature unless he has been a detriment to the program for at least three years. And in a pandemic, it's hard to judge just how good UCLA would have been taking everything into consideration. All of the other teams would have been better too so was UCLA mostly affected by the pandemic or just bad coaching? We just don't know because I thought UCLA has improved greatly. The Bruins SHOULD beat Stanford--- the Cardinal don't look too much above mediocre.
Kelly's buyout is $9 million right now. I would definitely give him a 4th year but only because of the pandemic. The schools have lost a tremendous amount of revenue because of the pandemic and shelling out $9 million with no real short list (that we know of) out there seems like a bad idea.
Utah State fired Gary Andersen after 3 games. They obviously take winning more seriously than UCLA. Blowing an 18 point 2nd half lead and losing to your inner city rival is almost grounds to get canned. His 10-20 record isn't helping his case.
Chip makes almost $4 million a year, his recruiting is not good, his game management is not good, and his record is not good. He's cost the university too much money for putting up lousy results.....$5.5 million a year on nutrition, and we're losing! Chip is a big reason why the Athletic Department has in the hole. Some want to give Chip more time.....I don't see the point. Year 3 is supposed to be when a program takes off after hiring a new coach. We're average. I don't see it getting much better than 6-7 wins next year with a full season.
10-20 at UCLA for Chip Kelly. That's what $4 million a year in salary and $5.5 million in catering services has gotten us. I didn't realize losing games they should have won counts as improvement.
OK, so I didn't really address the keys you were focusing on. Kelly can be an arrogant coach. I think he sometimes questions why you question his playcalling. For the most part, he's predictable. I knew he was going to go for it on 4th-and-1 both times, and I knew it was probably not going to work out for him. He was making the right call but not having felton in there was a big oooops.
As far as the TOs, that's puzzling. Would an extra 40 seconds have helped? Maybe. We will never know which is probably frustrating as hell. It's the unknowns, woulda-coulda-shoulda and maybes with Kelly that causes angst. If my coach had used ALL of the TOs to get the calls right and on time, yeah, maybe I would take the L better.
USC fans feel your frustration. They are not happy with Helton. This win bought him another season FOR SURE IF he wins the conference. If he doesn't, and they can snag a certain coach, I think he's out. If they can't snag said coach, Helton stays but the search is on behind the scenes.
It comes down to coaching. Two off sides - that give SC a first down/touchdown and utter confusion on the 4th and 1. Couple this with decommits, changes need to be made.
Unlike past years, I'm not advocating firing Kelly. Why? I don't think it's realistic at this point in time due to his buyout and the fact that the Athletic Department is deep in debt. So, I don't think Jarmond fires Kelly at this point. I think Kelly has assured himself of another year -- if he wants one.
I fully agree. It’s why I don’t waste any emotion on pondering him getting fired. It’s not happening. If DTR progresses further and we can minimize the sideline mistakes, next year could be better. It was encouraging to not see DTR running straight backwards or just dropping the ball for no apparent reason. I would be surprised if Kelly left before the end of his contract. I have to think that the big donors aren’t in the mood to pony up more funds for football. Perhaps our magic shoes will do the trick.
Jarmond is in a pretty safe place on this one. Because Dan and Gene dragged the search out for months beyond when it should have been settled, AD Jarmond took the reins in the middle of a pandemic and a month before football should have started. Given the chaos involved in all parts of everything, it's a fairly reasonable position for him to say that he hasn't really been able to fully evaluate Kelly this year, point to the crimson stained balance sheets, and kick the can down the road for another season.
Ugh. That was one of the more disappointing losses I’ve seen since becoming a ucla fan. I like chip but can understand arguments for and against keeping him.
If we keep him I would like to see the following.
1. Hire a special teams coach who spends the majority of their time on special teams. We have lost to many games because of special teams.
2. Bring in a coach with a history of landing big time recruits.
If we move on I would like to see the following.
1. Hire an up and coming head coach from a mid major. I like Lance Leopoldo from Buffalo. 5 years ago they were a division 1 double A school and now they are the best team in MAC.
However, if We beat Stanford and win a bowl game we should definitely keep Chip. I am excited to see how the players respond to such a heartbreaking loss.
I was thinking the same about how the players will come back next week. It would be so easy to see the game as a post season exhibition and be totally flat, as opposed to getting fired up for a chance to secure a bowl game (which is, of course, a post-season exhibition).
I am also interested to see how I respond after such a heart breaking loss. I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Maybe I'll be ready by Saturday.
gbruin, last night I was pretty much in agony and disbelief. My Battered Bruin Syndrome wasn't good. I will watch the game against Stanford, it better not be a crap show.
Simply put, the fact that we effectively controlled the game a majority of the night made this so much more disappointing. We were the under dogs, yet I think most of us had a 'good feeling' about this game. Then to see it get ripped out from under us...f@ck!
Not calling a time out and putting in Felton or Brown cost us the game. And that boys & girls is entirely on Chip.
I'm still too gut-punch sick to discuss this much. But here goes...
I'd love to move on from Kelly. Recruiting right now is horrible and he's already dug us a hole for the next couple years. His in-game decisions (time outs, personnel, play calls in short yardage, etc) hurt us, the lack of adjustments at halftime killed us (and almost burned us last week v ASU), and don't forget he not only retained Jerry Azzinaro after last season, he gave him a fucking raise. And then our defense gave up 33 points in a half and we lost to clown college in our most important game of the season.
But cutting Kelly would cost a ton of money we don't have while we're still paying Mora and that pos Alford (thanks for that, DG), never mind the issue of what coach is available that would be a real upgrade. Weighing all factors, I just don't know if it's the best financial decision right now.
You could literally change 1 play v CU, 1 play v Oregon, and 1 play v *$c and we'd be 6-0. We were close, but close doesn't count. Yes, we're improved from last year, but I think it's attributable to better play from DTR and some general improvement in the D, likely thanks to Norwood. But in the end we beat 3 average/bad teams and we lost to 3 decent/good teams. We're middle of the road mediocre. And I'm tired of it.
I wrote at the start of the season that Kelly needed to go 4 and 2.
He Kelly needed also to win the sc game.
So in my opinion, Kelly needs to go.
Kelly was winning with the zone read and three-star recruits at Oregon. The difference between his tenure at Oregon and at UCLA is three-fold.
1- The zone read was a new offense that defenses had a tough time adjusting to-- plus the hurry up factor disrupted defenses. Now that most teams understand how to defend the zone read and focus on the mesh point, it's easier to blow up.
2- Kelly still had blue chip QBs with tremendous speed running that zone read. DTR is speedy and deceptive, but he's not a blue chipper.
3- Oregon had tremendous fan support. (It helps when your team is winning a lot!) UCLA football does not have tremendous alumni/student support. You will notice that support for Oregon football has waned over the past three years--- they aren't winning like they used to win.
UCLA needs to stop getting cute and run the Pro offense. Stanford did it with great success. So did Washington and USC. They all got away from that and look what has happened: USC still does well enough because it gets those blue chippers, but the other teams have struggled. I loved seeing TE Asiasi get play time this year. He should have received more. (ND is one of the few powerhouse programs who love to use the TE).
The best cure for UCLA woes is to get a blue chip QB. He can bail you out if the running game doesn't pan out and he can save the day if you need quick strikes. USC QB Kedon Slovis was not a blue chip QB per his recruiting ratings, but he really was. The Trojans' recruiters saw what he was doing and signed him.
Find and fight for a great QB. Once UCLA does that, the blue chip receivers will want to come play as well.
Chip had 4 and 5 star recruits at Oregon tho.
But NOT a lot--usually skill players like RB and QB. Certainly not linemen etc...
I believe Jarmond needs to put HIS stamp on this program sooner rather than later. If Kelly beats Stanford convincingly. Like, puts the hurt on them then maybe. But Jarmond may have put all kinds of stipulations on Kelly in their private meetings and whether Kelly is on track with those I expect, will decide Kelly's future. Hard to believe however, that Jarmond didn't make beating SC a condition for this year...
I would normally agree with you but this is a pandemic year and the norms are out the window. Frankly, ANY coach who gets fired in 2020 is premature unless he has been a detriment to the program for at least three years. And in a pandemic, it's hard to judge just how good UCLA would have been taking everything into consideration. All of the other teams would have been better too so was UCLA mostly affected by the pandemic or just bad coaching? We just don't know because I thought UCLA has improved greatly. The Bruins SHOULD beat Stanford--- the Cardinal don't look too much above mediocre.
Kelly's buyout is $9 million right now. I would definitely give him a 4th year but only because of the pandemic. The schools have lost a tremendous amount of revenue because of the pandemic and shelling out $9 million with no real short list (that we know of) out there seems like a bad idea.
Utah State fired Gary Andersen after 3 games. They obviously take winning more seriously than UCLA. Blowing an 18 point 2nd half lead and losing to your inner city rival is almost grounds to get canned. His 10-20 record isn't helping his case.
He was making $900,000 a year and had a couple of years left on his contract. His termination was cheap compared to what Kelly's would be, no?
Chip makes almost $4 million a year, his recruiting is not good, his game management is not good, and his record is not good. He's cost the university too much money for putting up lousy results.....$5.5 million a year on nutrition, and we're losing! Chip is a big reason why the Athletic Department has in the hole. Some want to give Chip more time.....I don't see the point. Year 3 is supposed to be when a program takes off after hiring a new coach. We're average. I don't see it getting much better than 6-7 wins next year with a full season.
U of Pay fired Sumlin yesterday. He was 9-20 there. Do the Kitty Cats take winning more seriously than us?
Come on it is not the same situation. Arizona lost 12 straight and ASU beat them by 60. UCLA has shown improvement this year.
10-20 at UCLA for Chip Kelly. That's what $4 million a year in salary and $5.5 million in catering services has gotten us. I didn't realize losing games they should have won counts as improvement.
OK, so I didn't really address the keys you were focusing on. Kelly can be an arrogant coach. I think he sometimes questions why you question his playcalling. For the most part, he's predictable. I knew he was going to go for it on 4th-and-1 both times, and I knew it was probably not going to work out for him. He was making the right call but not having felton in there was a big oooops.
As far as the TOs, that's puzzling. Would an extra 40 seconds have helped? Maybe. We will never know which is probably frustrating as hell. It's the unknowns, woulda-coulda-shoulda and maybes with Kelly that causes angst. If my coach had used ALL of the TOs to get the calls right and on time, yeah, maybe I would take the L better.
USC fans feel your frustration. They are not happy with Helton. This win bought him another season FOR SURE IF he wins the conference. If he doesn't, and they can snag a certain coach, I think he's out. If they can't snag said coach, Helton stays but the search is on behind the scenes.
It comes down to coaching. Two off sides - that give SC a first down/touchdown and utter confusion on the 4th and 1. Couple this with decommits, changes need to be made.
Who are your top 3 coaches to go after? Don't say Urban. He already said no to USC and Texas so UCLA has no shot.
Gus Malzahn is available.
No way.
Chip is a clown. I wish the Athletic Department wasn't in the hole for $35 million so they could fire that idiot.
Anthony Lynn will probably be available!
I don't want someone who will get the same or worse results as Chip.
"But, with Kelly and his wife Jill selling their Encino home to Mookie Betts, does Kelly want to stay? We’ll have to wait and see."
He's just putting in time until he gets his gourmet catering service biz off the ground, Joe.
That’s the only way UCLA gets a new coach. Kelly leaves. And if he does, please forget Harbaugh. Meyer isn’t coming. So, name your coach!
Unlike past years, I'm not advocating firing Kelly. Why? I don't think it's realistic at this point in time due to his buyout and the fact that the Athletic Department is deep in debt. So, I don't think Jarmond fires Kelly at this point. I think Kelly has assured himself of another year -- if he wants one.
I fully agree. It’s why I don’t waste any emotion on pondering him getting fired. It’s not happening. If DTR progresses further and we can minimize the sideline mistakes, next year could be better. It was encouraging to not see DTR running straight backwards or just dropping the ball for no apparent reason. I would be surprised if Kelly left before the end of his contract. I have to think that the big donors aren’t in the mood to pony up more funds for football. Perhaps our magic shoes will do the trick.
Jarmond is in a pretty safe place on this one. Because Dan and Gene dragged the search out for months beyond when it should have been settled, AD Jarmond took the reins in the middle of a pandemic and a month before football should have started. Given the chaos involved in all parts of everything, it's a fairly reasonable position for him to say that he hasn't really been able to fully evaluate Kelly this year, point to the crimson stained balance sheets, and kick the can down the road for another season.
LOL
Ugh. That was one of the more disappointing losses I’ve seen since becoming a ucla fan. I like chip but can understand arguments for and against keeping him.
If we keep him I would like to see the following.
1. Hire a special teams coach who spends the majority of their time on special teams. We have lost to many games because of special teams.
2. Bring in a coach with a history of landing big time recruits.
If we move on I would like to see the following.
1. Hire an up and coming head coach from a mid major. I like Lance Leopoldo from Buffalo. 5 years ago they were a division 1 double A school and now they are the best team in MAC.
However, if We beat Stanford and win a bowl game we should definitely keep Chip. I am excited to see how the players respond to such a heartbreaking loss.
I was thinking the same about how the players will come back next week. It would be so easy to see the game as a post season exhibition and be totally flat, as opposed to getting fired up for a chance to secure a bowl game (which is, of course, a post-season exhibition).
I am also interested to see how I respond after such a heart breaking loss. I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Maybe I'll be ready by Saturday.
gbruin, last night I was pretty much in agony and disbelief. My Battered Bruin Syndrome wasn't good. I will watch the game against Stanford, it better not be a crap show.
Yeah, that was a real gut punch, followed by a below-the-gut punch.
Nevertheless, I'll be there with you and all our fellow TMB gang next week. #BBSBrotherhood
Lol
If Chip returns next season, it has to be put up or shut up time for him.
Simply put, the fact that we effectively controlled the game a majority of the night made this so much more disappointing. We were the under dogs, yet I think most of us had a 'good feeling' about this game. Then to see it get ripped out from under us...f@ck!
Not calling a time out and putting in Felton or Brown cost us the game. And that boys & girls is entirely on Chip.
Yup. Chip made a mental error on that sequence.
I'm still too gut-punch sick to discuss this much. But here goes...
I'd love to move on from Kelly. Recruiting right now is horrible and he's already dug us a hole for the next couple years. His in-game decisions (time outs, personnel, play calls in short yardage, etc) hurt us, the lack of adjustments at halftime killed us (and almost burned us last week v ASU), and don't forget he not only retained Jerry Azzinaro after last season, he gave him a fucking raise. And then our defense gave up 33 points in a half and we lost to clown college in our most important game of the season.
But cutting Kelly would cost a ton of money we don't have while we're still paying Mora and that pos Alford (thanks for that, DG), never mind the issue of what coach is available that would be a real upgrade. Weighing all factors, I just don't know if it's the best financial decision right now.
You could literally change 1 play v CU, 1 play v Oregon, and 1 play v *$c and we'd be 6-0. We were close, but close doesn't count. Yes, we're improved from last year, but I think it's attributable to better play from DTR and some general improvement in the D, likely thanks to Norwood. But in the end we beat 3 average/bad teams and we lost to 3 decent/good teams. We're middle of the road mediocre. And I'm tired of it.