The Philosophical Gamble That Could Define The Jim Mora Era Of UCLA Football

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Dec 26, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora walking the sideline during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Levi /

TL;DR

There are plenty of other arguments that we could flesh out in more detail, like the unlikelihood that a team famed for its lack of discipline can pull off a system designed around discipline and efficiency, and UCLA’s awful track record with position coaches, like Jeff Ulbrich, Chuck Bullough, and Jim Svoboda, who were promoted to coordinator spots.

But the overarching point is this (“oh, NOW you make it simple and straight-forward” — the brave readers who have gotten this far): based on close observation of this team, its strengths, and its weaknesses, it would be hard to argue that the short-term solution to UCLA’s philosophical imbalance (and its subsequent residual effect throughout the schemes and gameplans) is for UCLA to become even more conservative rather than more aggressive. But this is the road that Mora has chosen for his team.

Jim Mora is more invested in the success of this experiment than we as fans ever can be, so there has to be a degree of latitude granted to him to make the choices that he feels best suit his vision for his program. This piece is merely one fan’s expression of concern based on a bird’s-eye view of things.

We’ve talked in facts for the most part so far, but permit us some editorial commentary to conclude: from this nacho-eating fan’s perspective, it seems foolish to change to an offense that, if executed properly, takes the game out of Josh Rosen’s hands. After all, even Stanford with Andrew Luck still lost a couple dumb games each season because it was bit in the behind by its conservatism and refusal to let Luck be a true focal point rather than a facilitator.

Rosen is UCLA’s single best offensive asset and possesses every single tool imaginable, from a rocket arm with pinpoint accuracy to a supercomputer for a brain. Emphasize him rather than minimize him.

Next: UCLA Football Spring Practice Preview – Special Teams

It is this fan’s hope that Mora’s chosen path immediately reveals itself to be the right one, because for UCLA football, the time to win is now. UCLA will not have another Josh Rosen in its midst for a long time to come and if this philosophical shift does not reap immediate benefits, then UCLA will have wasted its ultimate trump card and its best chance at a national championship since Cade McNown‘s team in 1998. Who knows when the next chance and the next elite quarterback talent will come around in Westwood?