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UCLA’s Bob Chesney getting his team ready for prime time in April
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- UCLA’s Bob Chesney getting his team ready for prime time in April
Apparently no detail is too small for Bob Chesney .
Among other things, the new UCLA football coach teaches his team how to handle TV timeouts.
Seriously.
At some point during spring practices, coaches briefly congregate to discuss adjustments they need to make.
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Maybe it's a blocking scheme gone wrong. Or a defensive back that needs to be aligned in a different spot.
Apparently no detail is too small for Bob Chesney. Jan Kim Lim/UCLA athletics
Once they figure out what needs to change, the coaches pass along that information to the players and practice resumes.
It's exactly the sort of thing that happens during a TV timeout in season.
"That's what game day feels like," Chesney said after practice Tuesday. "So that's why we need to make today and every practice also feel like that."
Here are five observations from UCLA 's third spring practice, which featured an energetic vibe:
Call him Mr. Hands-On
Unlike some coaches who like to observe while twirling their whistle, Chesney gets actively involved in practice reps.
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On Tuesday, he stood next to one defensive back pushing his arms into another before disengaging to chase a fumble.
"Give resistance!" Chesney ordered. "Give resistance!"
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is fully settled in entering his second season as a Bruin. Jan Kim Lim/UCLA athletics
As a defensive back dove onto the fumble, Chesney went down on one knee and placed both hands on him, simulating contact from an opponent.
Why is it important for Chesney to get involved at such a granular level?
"I am spread pretty thin amongst everybody," he said, "so I think it's important when I show up, it's impactful moments, it's not necessarily the quantity of them but the quality of them."
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One, two, three, four – pressure
It was quite the sight – the entire team lined up 15 yards away from punt returner Mikey Matthews.
On command, they raced toward him on a simulated fair catch drill as an assistant coach squirted water into the air over Matthews' head.
Once they figure out what needs to change, the coaches pass along that information to the players and practice resumes. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Chesney said it was all part of figuring out who could handle what in April, not September.
"I don't want to wait till a game to find out if it'll be good in pressure situations," Chesney said. "I'd rather find out right now, you know, in Practice 3, and just continue to elevate it week in and week out. I think that's probably the focal point of this entire program is that you pay attention to no virtue that has not been tested in fire, and I want to make sure that we test everything that we can out here in fire."
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Finally, some stability
After missing all of last spring and part of summer following his turbulent transfer from Tennessee , quarterback Nico Iamaleava is fully settled in entering his second season as a Bruin.
"A lot of our conversations are about that, like, 'Hey, this is different this time around,' " Chesney said. "We did a leadership vote, it was undeniable he was the No. 1 vote on this entire team to be a leader on this team.
"I just wanted to share that with him, make sure he didn't have to wonder, 'Do these guys respect me?' They do. Not only by the position you play, but by the way you play it and by the way you handle it off the field. So he's been great with it and that's just the beginning stages of a lot of that."
"That's what game day feels like," Chesney said after practice Tuesday. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Iamaleava was locked in for most of the portion of practice open to reporters Tuesday, zipping a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Brian Rowe and showing a softer touch on a short completion to wide receiver Semaj Morgan .
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Competition reigns
Chesney sprinkles one-on-one competitions throughout practice as a means to lock in on accountability.
It carries over to the team periods as well.
After one failed pass play, defensive back Cole Martin let Iamaleava know which side of the ball was winning.
"I said it ain't gonna be open, Nico!" Martin bellowed. "Stop looking over here!"
Mixing it up
UCLA's first three spring practices have all been vastly different – by design.
"I don't want it to ever just be, 'This is what we do and this is how we do it' every single day," Chesney said. "I don't want it to be monotonous, I want it to be that they have a lot of different things that they have to adapt to and overcome and then get out there and perform."
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After one more practice in shoulder pads and shorts Thursday, the team will break out full pads for the first time Saturday.
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