By Diamond Leung
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
dleung@media.ucla.edu
The critics agree:
“Bob Toledo … is on the hottest of hot seats,”
reads Sports Illustrated.
“What coach is sitting on the hottest seat? UCLA’s
Bob Toledo could use a bottle of seltzer water,” reads the
Sporting News.
Ever since the Bruin football head coach took his team to a 10-2
record, to the Rose Bowl and within reach of a national
championship three years ago, the expectations have risen.
And now, the Bruin faithful have reached their boiling point.
Since 1998, Toledo has gone a ho-hum 17-17, with his highest finish
in the Pac-10 being fifth. Last season’s flameout and failure
to go to a bowl game after starting the season 6-0 only fueled the
fire. A 27-0 loss to cross-town rival USC had fans seeing red.
Still, you won’t hear Toledo addressing his growing band
of bashers.
“I don’t worry about that stuff,” Toledo said.
“You have to go about your business, work hard and do what
you believe in. I’ve proven I’m a good football coach,
okay?”
With a new boss ““ athletic director Dan Guerrero ““
comes even more expectations, but if Toledo’s job is on the
line this year, Guerrero isn’t letting on.
“I’m hearing those (negative) things, and I
don’t know why that’s being said,” he said.
“I’m very impressed with both Bob and his coaching
staff. Our student-athletes are going to be ready. They’re
going to be prepared for every game, and that’s all you can
ask of a coach.”
Fans, apparently, want more than that. They want consistent
results. They want their team to beat USC for the first time in
four years. And they sure don’t want to see Toledo losing
control of his team off the field anymore after tailback DeShaun
Foster and quarterback Cory Paus were both suspended last year.
“The two problems that we had off the field affected this
team,” Toledo said.
“If there’s anything that I blame myself for is that
I could not get them to refocus on now. I’m the one
responsible, and I’m going to take the blame. Hey, I’ve
got big shoulders, all right?”
Already in the off-season, Toledo has flexed his muscles,
dismissing linebacker Audie Attar and safety Chad Rogers for
repeated violations of team rules.
Freshman defensive lineman C.J. Niusulu has a date in court to
face a felony assault charge and will be kicked off the team if
convicted.
Toledo’s 10-member players’ council will meet with
him on a weekly basis to discuss team issues. Peer pressure tactics
will be used to keep the team in line off the field.
“Ultimately, I’m the one who’s responsible,
but I told them, “˜If something’s going wrong, get it
stopped (yourselves),'” Toledo said.
“That’s a good plan for Coach Toledo,”
cornerback/councilman Ricky Manning Jr. said. “He hit it
right on the head when he said we have to police ourselves. We
listen to our peers before we listen to anybody. Me saying
something to a teammate means a lot more.”
But even if the Bruins stay trouble-free off the field,
according to most preseason publications, they will have plenty of
trouble on it. After losing stars Foster and linebacker Robert
Thomas to the National Football League, the Pac-10 members of the
media picked UCLA to finish in the bottom half of the
conference.
Toledo has said that his realistic goal for this season is to
simply have team unity and to win the upcoming game. It’s
also realistic for him to expect criticism from people who want
more than that.
They might even want a new coach.
“We’re going to go out and do the best we
can,” offensive tackle Mike Saffer said. “Hopefully by
the end of the season, all that will be forgotten.”
Otherwise, Toledo may be sweating out the season.