Bruin247 Board

If I was an effeminate man I would put an "unsmiley" face after that title. However I'm neither effeminate nor a 13 year old girl, so no "unsmiley" or "smiley" faces.

Side Note: It's not that I'm one of those "alpha" male dick types, the kind that have Affliction or Metal Mulisha T-shirts and can't wait for the next MMA bout, it's just that I think that guys who participate in the whole LOL or :) thing ultimately emasculate themselves, and I wish to keep my reproductive organs the right size, and on my person at all times, thank you.

BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND!!!:
Can we get a damn quarterback for Christ's sake?

Check out this article below, it's a Q&A with Terry Donahue, the most legendary UCLA football coach we've had (we also had Dick Vermeil but he won more in the Pro's).

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/04/sports/la-sp-pugmire-qa-20111205

Coach Donahue is EXACTLY right-on, basically saying that UCLA's mediocrity since 1999 is a byproduct of not having a dominant quarterback.

Sure there was the year we went 10-2, I think it was 2005. Drew Olson was at the helm, and we had Maurice Jones-Drew, Marcedes Lewis, and so many other players who went on to the NFL. However, since the years of Cade McNown, over a decade ago, we've been cursed with mediocrity, and the reason...we haven't had a dominator at quarterback.

Here's a fun little story that is both frustrating and...even more frustrating now that I think about it.

During the 98 season, the Bruins opened up 10 and 0, they were on a tear and had won 20 games straight since the previous year, the longest streak in the nation. Recruits were hard pressed to turn the school down...what could be better? a top 25 academic school with a powerful diploma, and athletically a school that has produced...well there's actually too many names of sports stars to write about, but just as an example, I believe that UCLA Track and Field actually has more olympic medals than most other countries in the world combined (go to uclabruins.com, they have the exact facts).

So back to the story, Cade McNown, who was up for the Heisman, was carrying us down the path of domination, albeit we had a young defense, so some of those games were tough wins. So the recruits were lining up. For the Quarterback situation we had Cory Paus, who was redshirting, and then the two recruits who had their eyes on UCLA were Kyle Boller and JP Losman.

More to the story...

JP Losman committed to UCLA early, he finished Venice High (I believe that was his HS) early. JP committing to UCLA was not the best thing for Kyle Boller, and rightfully so, as a player you want the chance to play as much as possible and build your skills for years. So BECAUSE JP Losman committed to UCLA, Boller, who wanted to go to UCLA because he was a fan of UCLA, and his best friend Jerry Owens (UCLA Receiver) committed to UCLA, instead, chose to go to Cal. So we lost Boller, and, no matter what he's done or has not done in the pros, was a first round pick in the NFL.

HOW WE LOST LOSMAN:
JP Losman ended high school early and reported to UCLA spring practice, where he was number two behind Cory Paus, who already had a year of redshirting under his belt. JP finished spring ball, and evidently he thought he wasn't going to have a chance at starting in his first year, so he transferred to Tulane, where he had a good career...and ended up a first round pick in the NFL draft, regardless of what his career has or has not done in the Pros.

IN SUMMARY:
We've had tons of talent over the years, defensive and offensive players who have had dominant college careers and are still making their marks in the NFL now. However, football is a game of execution, talent, and luck, and a good quarterback can do SOOOO much for a program, they guarantee a few wins each year alone just by being good. And that...in a short, sad, frustrating synopsis...that is why UCLA has been struggling with mediocrity for so many years, we're always just a quarterback away. We'll be back, though, someday soon.