Kennedy Polamalu states Josh Rosen will control UCLA offense

Offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu didn’t shy away from saying it.

In his first media availability of the spring, Polamalu stated that he wouldn’t be the man in charge of the UCLA offense. He said that responsibility is reserved for rising sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen.

“Our quarterback has the final say,” Polamalu said. “He’s got it. Our quarterback has all the control.”

Polamalu said the last time he saw a quarterback have this much control over the offense was back in the late 2000s, when he was coaching for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. The Titans’ quarterback at the time was Kerry Collins, a two-time Pro Bowler.

“Collins had a lot of command in terms of cadence, in terms of making sure that we’re in the right set,” Polamalu said. “And I always felt that wherever I went (to coach), I took from that.”

Outside of saying that Rosen will be in the driver’s seat, Polamalu talked about some of the new wrinkles in his offensive scheme. There will be a heavy emphasis on winning the line of scrimmage, Polamalu said, with a tight end being used at least 90 percent of the time.

“We’re going to widen the edge, we’re going to win at the point, and we’re going to get some mismatches,” Polamalu said.

Polamalu added that there will be some concepts from ex-offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone that will carry over. It will be a balanced offense, from run to pass, and from shotgun to under-center snaps.

“We’re going to have a balanced offense, and to win the Pac-12 I really believe you need to have a balanced offense,” Polamalu said. “And that will open up, and will stretch the field vertically.”

Stretching the field vertically is something that rising redshirt junior receiver Darren Andrews said UCLA would start doing more of this year. Last year, many of Andrews’ receptions were made on screen passes behind the line of scrimmage.

“It’s great. I love (Polamalu) as an offensive coordinator,” Andrews said last week. “They’re trying to go deep. So I don’t think there will be a lot of screens. Maybe here or there, but it’s not going to be like last year.”

Injury notes

Rosen sat out of Saturday’s practice with a minor hip injury, said coach Jim Mora. Mora said that the injury is nothing serious, and that he’ll be back on the field for practice on Monday.

Incoming freshman linebackers Mique Juarez and Breland Brandt have both sat out of the past week of practices with head/neck injuries. While Juarez was back to running a bit on the sidelines on Saturday, Mora doesn’t think he or Brandt will return to full contact this spring.

“I would be very hesitant to put Mique or Breland back in practice this next week,” Mora said. “I just don’t think the benefits are worth the risks.”