Cruisin' For a Bruin

Yesterday came word that former UCLA Bruin standouts Ricky Manning Jr., of the Chicago Bear Mannings, Maurice Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Tyler Ebell (UTEP) were arrested after they were involved in the mauling of an unidentified man at a restaurant near the UCLA campus. Like the situations at crosstown rival USC, these latest arrests open a window to the football culture at UCLA and a true example of the main teachings of the athletic staff, that of sheer and unadulterated STUPIDITY.

Getting it cracking when you are in school is one thing. Sure, we like to make fun of people and demonize student-athletes when they have a few too many, get in a car and go try to assault a co-ed or something. Immature young men pumped full of testostrone, mixed with piss and vinegar, and a sprinkling of sub-conscience anxieties and minor homoerotic feelings will do stupid things. This one however takes the cake.

Now this isn't as bad as Ray Carruth whacking his pregnant girlfriend and hiding in the trunk of a car, far from it. From the reports it seems that the victim will make a full recovery, that is the good part. The bad part is that now we get to see the inner workings of a bunch a mediocre football players and get to hear about how they were all catered to at the college level despite them having any "real" talent. Sure, Mo' Drew can run the rock with the best of them in the Pac 10, however his slip in the draft to the second round was explained be many NFL scouts as a referendum on his bad attitude. Besides the fact that he is not an every down type of back, Mo' Drew was drafted by Jacksonville, who still have a pretty good Fred Taylor and who have said will use Drew as a Dave Meggett style back.

Ricky Manning had a good year when the Carolina Panthers went to the Super Bowl in 2004, however his penchant for getting torched in the secondary lead to Carolina cutting the ties. I guess it also doesn't help your cause when a guy like Joe Jurevicius can have a career day against you in the NFC Championship game. Ebell, well, there isn't much to say about a guy who couldn't hack it in a Karl Dorrell offense and decided that he could have a better career running it for UTEP. WAC football, it's FANtastic.

In the end, you have to sit down and question what these three braintrusts were doing slinging it in Westwood. I am sure that Manning could have found a dice game somewhere in Chicago to keep him out of trouble. Besides, don't you think that a guy in a new defense would want to take some time learn said defense? Drew was recently drafted in the second round after many thought he was first round talent. You would also think that he would be out with his new club training and getting in shape to illustrate to the rest of the league that he is worth first round money. Ebell, well again, I am sure that UTEP education isn't his top priority. All three were rolling together looking for trouble, in Westwood of all places? Westwood doesn't even have that many good places to eat unless you are looking to get your noodles on or want to sling it at Chili's. Why couldn't they be getting into brawls at say, Morton's or Lawry's, or hell, even Pacific Dining Car? They were so stupid, they got themselves in trouble at freaking South Street, talk about being BOOTLEG.

All kidding aside, these guys show why UCLA football is a mid-major club stuck in a premier conference. They have not produced one decent skill player since DaShaun Foster, and even his is questionable as an injury plagued back, and need I bring up Freddie Mitchell? To top things off, UCLA had their star lineback Spencer Havner go undrafted and forced to sign a free agent contract. This not only reflects badly on Karl Dorrell and Bob Toledo, but this also reflects badly on athletic director Dan Guerrero and the rest of the program. By hiring guys on the cheap and not getting the discipline driven coaches to lead this group of soft players, the Bruins show that their is a lack of committment to the alumni and fans. It also shows that some of the most basic of concepts, keep your nose out of f'n trouble, is not taught within the progam. USC can get away with it because they have two straight National Championships and Heisman Trophy winners. All UCLA has is the legend of my guy Ted Nwoke, the nigerian nightmare and personal aquintance of Madgaffer, and old ass Morrison who thinks he is the Pac 10 president. Get a life, brother.