Current DC at UCLA since 2006 1998-2000 New England Pats DB Coach 2001 USC DB Coach 2002-2003 New York Giants DB Coach 2004-2005 Washington Redskins DB Coach 2002 Giants = 9th in pass defense 2003 Giants = 25th in pass defense 2004 Skins = 5th in pass defense 2005 Skins = 10th in pass defense Learned under Carroll at New England and USC. UCLA/2006 = 35th ranked in nation (87th vs pass) UCLA/2007 = 29th ranked in nation (70th vs pass) UCLA/2008 = 35th ranked in nation (2nd vs pass) I would admit this would be a disappointment if this is the best we could do.
He got alot of run when UCLA beat USC in '06 but I think it was more of a case of those good DE. I think he is a good up and comer, but I am not sure the LSU fans have enough respect for defense in the PAC 10 except for USC.
If you read this, plus some of the other comments out there, he does not seem so bad IMO. He was mentioned on Tiger Gumbo. Maybe Miles is waiting til after Saturday's game to announce? http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/walker_dewayne00.html
The past few years, the offenses in the PAC-1 have been pretty worthless. Total offenses: Wazzu (118th) Washington (116th) Arizona State (100th) UCLA (111th) Oregon is still a good offensive team, and USC is very well-balanced. The rest are average at best. (Edit: Oregon State had a decent year offensively, too) Guess which three teams USC shut out this year? :lol:
Los Angeles Times is saying that Walker’s name “has come up” at LSU: Walker's name also has come up in connection with coordinator openings at Louisiana State -- he worked with LSU Coach Les Miles at Oklahoma State -- and in the NFL. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire10-2008dec10,0,803585.story LSU blog "And The Valley Shook" also mentioned Walker as a DC candidate today: http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2008/12/11/689370/the-coaching-search Randy Rosetta of the Advocate also mentioned Walker as a DC candidate today: http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/35847344.html?index=14&c=y
Here's a similar take from ESPN's Ted Miller: UCLA linebacker Bruce Davis, then a junior, wanted to tell Walker he was a linebacker, not a defensive end. "Coach Walker laid down the law," Davis recalled. "He said, 'I don't care what you want to play. This is what you're going to play. Just go do it.' He told me how he wanted it and how it was going to be. It was kind of intimidating at the time but I'm glad he did it. It's made me and everybody else better." ... The complete transformation of UCLA's defense in one year under Walker was stunning. What once was soft became sound. ... The next-to-worst run defense in the country (233 yards per game, 5.4 yards per carry in 2005), became the nation's ninth-best unit in 2006 (91.1, 2.8). Where teams hung 34.2 points per game on the 2005 Bruins, they managed just 19.9 in 2006. Davis? He and fellow end Justin Hickman split 25 sacks evenly between them. ... He favors man coverage more than most Pac-10 coaches, but that's not what he talks about when asked about his philosophies and schemes. "We hit two things real hard: production and accountability," Walker said. Walker may be honest to a fault. When asked about specific breakdowns last season, he didn't hesitate to name names. He's certainly not afraid of calling out players who miss tackles or are out of position. "Some guys might think they want more of a players' coach, but he's turned this team around," Davis said. "He turned my career around. I could have been one of those guys who was hyped in high school but didn't pan out." http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2827975
What LSU needs is someone that has a clue of how to scheme and coach defense in the SEC. A fiery in your face coach sounds great and aggressive but it doesn't mean he knows jack. I'm still very unconvinced that this guy knows much about being a DC, however I'm open minded and eager to hear why he is supposed to be so good. Just come with something better than "he's hard edged" ans "aggressive". I'm not impressed with his D at UCLA against weak azz competition.
