Happy Birthday, Jackie Robinson.

Scott Robinson

Lost in the craze of National Signing Day, today marks what would have been Mr. Jackie Robinson's 93rd birthday.  As a tribute to the man who changed the face of baseball and beyond, I felt a quick nod was necessary to the #28 before he became known as the infamous #42.  Nestor, of BruinsNation.com, put up a nice piece earlier today (inspiring my post, with Robinson's #28 uniform number showcased):

Happy Birthday, Mr. Robinson

An oldie, but goodie, the following biopic might provide some insight as to how he actually came to be known as the Jackie Robinson we understand and cherish today.  Before transferring into UCLA from Pasadena Junior College, Robinson went to school at Pasadena's Muir High.  

For all those who didn't realize, Robinson lettered in four sports for UCLA: Track & Field, Football, Basketball and, of course, Baseball.  In the following film, he actually plays himself:
 
 
The Jackie Robinson Story - Jewel Pictures - Brought to you by drelbcom

Night folks!


Follow @uclasportsblog, here or on BruinsBall.com for all of tomorrow's Signing Day madness!

UCLA Football: Kenny Walker Commits to the Bruins

Scott Robinson

ESPN's Greg Biggins is reporting CA 2012 target WR Kenny Walker (6'0 / 175) will commit to the Bruins tomorrow on National Signing Day.  Here are some of Walker's highlights:



Kennedy High Eagles #10 Kenny Walker - Courtesy tunemaster15

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UCLA Football: Simon Goines Commits to the Bruins

Scott Robinson

UCLA picked up it's 26th commitment today in Keller, TX OL Simon Goines
(6'8 / 295).  Here is some video of him with Central High School (TX):


Simon Goines #79 Junior Highlights - Courtesy deaconscg



 Simon Goines #79 Highlights - 247sports.com

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UCLA Football: Devin Fuller Commits to the Bruins

Scott Robinson

According to multiple media outlets, UCLA has picked up another gem of a recruit today.  Old Tappan, NJ ATH/QB Devin Fuller (6'0 / 185) committed to the Bruins:



Devin Fuller 2011 Senior Highlights Trailer - www.varsityhighlights.tv

Devin Fuller Full Season Highlights 2010 - www.varsityhighlights.tv

UCLA Football: Devin Fuller Live Feed

Devin Fuller Announcement Feed (Live):



Live broadcasting by Ustream

Position	Name	Meas.	Scout	Rivals	Announcement
QB	Devin Fuller	6’0 / 185	4 *	4 *	5 PM ET 1/29

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UCLA Football: Recruiting Round-up for Signing Day

Image courtesy of UCLA

Scott Robinson

Starting today, the dominoes of the 2012 class will begin to topple. Always stocked full of juicy rumors and supposed "insider information," Signing Day is usually an event of utter chaos. As I write this now, coaches across the country are scrambling for any amount of face-time and last-ditch recruiting pitches are being pulled out as the last stop.

Until a signature’s inked and the paperwork is received February 1st, all recruits are fair game. Now, despite a 6-8 season paired with a new coaching regime, UCLA appears poised to sign another Top-25 class.

Here’s a quick run-down of media sources, the prospects expected to sign and those students who are still in play come this Wednesday's Signing Day:

TV Programming: Specials on ESPN, ESPNU & Fox (Various markets)
Online: foxsportswest.com, foxsportsarizona.com, espnu.com, espn.com, scout.com & rivals.com  
Twitter: @brandonhuffman, @sb_joedavidson, @gregbiggins, @bruinblitzcom, @adamgorney & @jhopkins247

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UCLA Football: Coach Jim L. Mora is Scheming

Image courtesy of 49ers.com

Scott Robinson

Undoubtedly, if you’re a football fan you’ll be glued to the good ole’ tube today as the NFL Playoffs run their course. In what will be a couple classic Offensive vs. Defensive match-ups, the two of the more dominant defensive teams featured in the playoffs will run the same base: a 3-4 scheme. The San Francisco 49ers (3rd Overall Defense) face the New York Giants (8th Overall Offense) while the Baltimore Ravens (4th Overall Defense) will take on the New England Patriots (2nd Overall Offense). New UCLA Football Coach, Jim L. Mora, while busy closing out 2012’s recruiting class, would probably like to catch a minute or two of his old team, the 49ers. With the Bruins jumping on the 3-4 band-wagon, watching the 49ers (or Ravens) could help imbibe the traits required to run such a scheme.

So why will UCLA be rolling out a 3-4 defense now? Combing through their defensive coaching hires, it’s clear 3-4 is the direction UCLA will be headed. Hints start with Lou Spanos, whose previous stints include acting as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Defensive Quality Control” coach (1995-2009) as well as linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins (2009-2011). Of course, the Steelers have been known for their defense for some time—Particularly the fashion of 3-4 which has led them to the Super Bowl on numerous occasions. For the Redskins, Spanos instilled the 3-4 in 2010 and developed this year’s league-leading tackler, London Fletcher. Add to that new UCLA Linebackers coach, Jeff Ulbrich (linebacker for the 49ers from 2000-2009 with extensive 3-4 experience). Clearly, Coach Mora believes the 3-4 is the right change of pace to upgrade last year’s struggling defense.

In what would now be “buy” years based on Easterbrook’s cyclical observations, the 3-4 appears to have been around for ages:

Twenty years ago, the 3-4 was the most common NFL defense -- Super Bowl XXV between the Giants and Bills matched two 3-4 defenses. Roughly by the year 2000, NFL offenses had figured out how to counter the 3-4, and defensive coordinators began to rediscover the 4-3. The disruptive, Super Bowl-winning Baltimore and City of Tampa defenses of this phase were conservative 4-3 schemes. Through the middle 2000s, the 4-3 was the "It Girl" defense. Then coaches and quarterbacks got a good handle on the 4-3, and defenses started reverting to the 3-4. Within a few years, the 3-4 will be understood again and teams will switch to the 4-3 as the hot defense.

So, according to Easterbrook, this generation’s crop of quarterbacks (i.e. Joe Flacco and Alex Smith) should be reading up on yesteryear’s Troy Aikman, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. In order to really comprehend the defense, perhaps a look at successful quarterbacks who have faced the 3-4 might yield a clue or two for its weaknesses.

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UCLA Basketball: De'End Parker Transferring

Image courtesy of San Francisco City College

Scott Robinson

Junior transfer De’End Parker (6’6 / 215) is reportedly transferring back closer to his mom in Northern California. Parker’s mother, Carmen Johnson, underwent heart surgery earlier this past year reports the LA Times. As per UCLA Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Ben Howland: "She needs someone to help take care of her so I’m hoping we can get that worked out.” Parker is expected to transfer to a Bay Area school allowing him to help his mother in her recovery.

Parker, who spent his undergraduate years at San Francisco City College, is not of the best health himself; De’End suffered a knee injury only two games into this season. With any luck, Parker will receive a medical or “adversity” scholarship insuring two full seasons of eligibility remaining.  

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UCLA Football: Room for Improvement

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Scott Robinson

On the eve of the National Title Game between Alabama and LSU, two SEC powerhouses are set to face-off for their second match of the year. Parallel that to Westwood's turmoil and it makes it difficult not to cringe when thinking about the current state of UCLA football. A decade ago, busting out the UCLA sweatshirt or cap was one adorned with confidence. It was, without question, a respected and known program. Whereas today, wearing a Bruin emblem now sparks questions like: “Tough year, eh?” or “I liked Neuheisel, too bad he couldn’t pull it out.” It gets even tougher when running into a Trojan or Duck [I]jack[/I]—et: “At least it wasn’t a blow-out for the PAC-12 Championship.” And now, a new coach is scrambling to return the respectability attached to the trademarks of Westwood.

Numbers Don’t Lie

When looking forward to the inaugural season under Coach Jim L. Mora, there are a few major areas of improvement that can easily be gleaned when comparing UCLA to the truly competitive in college football.

And the 2011 stat sheets sure are incriminating:

[Offensive Categories]

87th in Scoring Offense

37th in Rushing Offense

81st in Passing Offense

72nd in Total Offense

[Defensive Categories]

92nd in Scoring Defense

95th in Rushing Defense

65th in Passing Defense

88th in Total Defense

Of course one stat is entirely avoidable with just a little focus: penalties. UCLA ranked 12th in most penalty yards for the 2011 season; that’s up from 35th in 2010 and 45th in 2009. Not exactly the kind of trajectory a team should be proud of.

Perhaps the most telling indictment against the Bruin program is the average attendance for 2011’s six home games at the Rose Bowl: 56,644. The capacity at the Pasadena venue is 92,542. Across town, Southern California’s Memorial Coliseum averaged 74,806 (with a capacity of 93,607). A half-filled stadium does not seem to be an atmosphere conducive to a top-of-the-line program. Looking to one like Oregon, we see their numbers aren’t particularly shattering. UCLA actually was only behind U of O in attendance by a few thousand patrons per game (at 59,344). However, their capacity is listed as 54,000—meaning some are lucky to stand while watching the Ducks. It must be nice to have a packed house.

It would have been one thing if UCLA was truly dominant in one given category—I don’t know, Rushing. But 72nd in Total Offense and 88th in Total Defense is deplorable. Let’s hope UCLA gets their full Mora’s worth with that $12 Million they coughed up.

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