Dorrell Is Ready for First Looks

Karl Dorrell prefers a live performance to film.

Whether that means he would rather see “Enchanted April” on Broadway than “Tears of the Sun” at the cineplex is unclear, but the first-year UCLA football coach prefers to watch Bruin players on the field.

He has not watched any game film from last season, so UCLA players who wanted a clean slate after Bob Toledo was fired as coach in December are getting their wish.

“To be a fair evaluator, I can’t let [film] taint my thoughts,” Dorrell said. “I have to give everybody a chance.”

Dorrell and his staff have supervised conditioning workouts since December and will see the players in pads for the first time today, the first day of spring practice.

The conditioning was rigorous, setting a no-nonsense tone.

“I thought the players responded great,” he said. “To some it was a shock treatment, but I think that’s what was needed for us to get started and set the tone.”

Dorrell’s offense could resemble that of the Denver Broncos, where he served as an assistant the last three years. The defense could resemble the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with its emphasis on speed.

“Do we have Simeon Rice? No. There are certain type of issues that NFL teams have that we don’t,” Dorrell said. “But overall, I think we have pretty good team speed on defense.”

UCLA returns 14 starters from last season’s 8-5 team, seven on each side of the ball.

The defensive line is experienced, outside linebackers Brandon Chillar and Spencer Havner are proven and Matt Ware, Ben Emanuel and Jarrod Page return as starters in the secondary.

Rodney Leisle, the standout defensive tackle who missed much of last season because of a foot injury, is healthy. He had surgery on a wrist in January but will practice today.

“Guys who are returning starters have some sort of an edge,” Dorrell said. “But everybody is going to have to prove their ability on the field.”

On offense, the most intense competition will be at quarterback, where Drew Olson and Matt Moore split time after senior Cory Paus was injured in the seventh game.

John Sciarra, who like Olson and Moore will be a sophomore, will also compete. “It’s an exciting time,” Dorrell said. “All three of them think they have a chance to be the guy. We’ll see how they handle the pressure.”

Other positions also are up for grabs, and minor position changes were made on the depth chart.

Running back Jason Harrison and linebacker Kirby Joseph are coming off knee surgery and will not participate this spring. Receiver Ryan Smith and tackle Alex Potasi are recovering from surgery but should have limited participation.

Returning starters on offense include tailback Tyler Ebell, who rushed for 997 yards as a freshman, receivers Craig Bragg and Tab Perry, guards Steve Vieira and Eyoseph Efseaff and center Mike McCloskey.

But more important than where somebody plays or whether he started last season is how well he plays beginning today. Dorrell conveyed that message during individual meetings.

“We are going to do everything full speed, every repetition in practice,” he said. “That’s the type of mentality I became accustomed to at the last place I worked and I want to bring that here.”