UCLA Football: What is Wrong With Josh Rosen?

Three keys to building a successful QB:

1. Don’t put him in the position to fail
2. Don’t yell at him for things you haven’t taught
3. Don’t assume he has the passion for football that you have

It’s hard to say that Jim Mora hasn’t violated the three principles above. Rosen, having three offensive coordinators, is in a position to fail. Let’s think about this for a minute. That’s three voices, three sets of rules and three terminologies for a 20 year old kid to digest. As a player you learn drills, technique, footwork, reads and with every coach you learn it again but different.

If you’ve seen Mora coach, you know Rosen is getting yelled at for things that Jim Mora doesn’t even understand. Kennedy Polamalu was known as a yeller as well. A kid like Rosen needs a mentor, not a drill sergeant. That’s why the N-Zone guys got so much out of Rosen. They convince you to do it their way and then it works. It’s the offense version of Jim Jones or Richard Wayne Gary. N-Zone fans drink the Kool-aid and love it. Kennedy is now coaching running backs in Minnesota. Fisch is a great coach but it’s a short window to make Rosen great.

You can’t assume a twenty year old loves football the way you do as a grown man doing this for a career. Josh Rosen has explicitly said he wants to be a student AND an athlete and we fans know that’s not possible. He knows it’s not possible. Not many people understand Josh Rosen. It’s not that he doesn’t love football, he just has the awareness to know he doesn’t have the time to love it as much as his coaches who are paid a hell of a lot more than he is to love it.

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As I watch Josh Rosen get battered on my TV screen I feel for him. He’s on his third offensive coordinator under a terrible head coach that doesn’t understand him or offensive football. UCLA is a lost brand with a lame duck coach. Rosen will leave early and UCLA will be Chip Kelly‘s next job. I hope everyone is happy.