Here’s the initial answers minus the Fat Booster, who we already discussed.
Q: You have already discussed Mitch Mustain’s chemistry with Damian Williams and Brandon Carswell, so how has he done with the other receivers?
A: It’s fine. How come no one asks what Mark Sanchez’s chemistry is? Or Aaron Corp? Or what John David Booty’s was?
Q: How good of a shot does USC have at getting Julio Jones?… because I don’t even think USC was on his radar until PC went to visit.
A: I’d say he’s a long shot right now but maybe we’ll have a February surprise.
Q: From what you’ve seen, do you think Chris Galippo has the potential to be a standout on USC’s defense much like how Sedrick Ellis’ name was always brought up on tv by the commentators?
A: His back injury limited things significantly this year and he was still learning the position before he got hurt. He needs another year as Rey Maualuga’s understudy. No one was talking Ellis as a true freshman anyways, so players can surprise you. Galippo looked like he will be a very solid player, but his back injury means he needs time to recover and get back into shape.
Q: What do you think about what Pete Arbogast has posted on his blog about the Norm/Pete feud. He won’t mention you by name but he is clearly talking about what you have posted here.
A: I’ll respond with another anecdote. After I wrote the Chow-Carroll story, a guy who worked in the football program approached me and said, “You know what, we’ve all noticed the problems they had for weeks, there was a lot of tension here, I didn’t know if you knew what was going on too until I read your story.” All I can do is be honest with the readers about what was going on. And like I said before, Pete Carroll and Norm Chow never disputed what I wrote.
Q: What are skill sets for the weak-side linebacker versus the strong-side linebacker positions?
A: The weakside LB is usually faster and maybe a little smaller because he is on the side of the field opposite the tight end. He might be more athletic although at USC the differences are less than many teams because of the players. Keith Rivers and Matt Grootegoed were weakside linebackers. The strongside is bigger and strong, presumably, because he is more often facing a tight end, trying to stop the run and needs to shed blocks. Brian Cushing is the strongside LB.
Q: SW, what’s your take on Matt Barkely annoucning that he’s coming in 09? What does this do to the QB situation in the future?
A: There’s a rumor USC had Barkley commit last week to offset the Norm Chow lovefest. His commitment sets up some real interesting QB competitions down the road, especially when he is a redshirt freshman. Aaron Corp will be a redshirt junior and Mitch Mustain a redshirt senior. You’d have to think Mustain or Corp would start, but if Barkley’s as good as people say, he just might sneak in there.
Q: Do you see Alex Parsons and/or Michael Reardon moving back to the defensive side of the ball in the spring?
A: Actually, I do. There’s going to be a glut of linemen with the freshman coming in and I think Reardon is the more likely candidate to move because he is more athletic.
Q: What in the world is behind the reluctance to change schemes or add to them? (e.g., basically no shotgun – even if behind with seconds left, soft zone – even if the other team is picking it apart) It seems that only a strong personality like Orgeron could make small modifications to the given schemes, but there is no one on staff with that force any more.
A: Hail Caesar! Pete Carroll’s not a big shotgun fan, so it really was more something in case John David Booty got a lot of passes tipped last season. The defensive coverages are exactly what Pete Carroll wants. He hates giving up deep passes, so he schemes against that at all cost. It’s really not likely to change in the present atmosphere.
Q: Do you think Chelsea can catch Man U or Arsenal?
A: Yes, I do. It’s a three-team race and Chelsea hosts Man Utd and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, so there’s points for the taking. I just heard Avram Grant has the same record as Jose Mourinho after the same number of games, so what’s the difference?
By the way, didn’t someone try to correct me in August when I said Arsenal would challenge for the title by mistakenly suggesting Liverpool would be the better candidate?
Q:I think Kaluka Maivia is vastly underrated. It seemed like he made plays every single time he got the opportunity to play. I’m going to miss Keith Rivers but I think Maivia will be just as good and productive as Rivers was. Kaluka is on top of my underrated list. Who’s on yours?
A: I don’t think there will be a dropoff at weakside linebacker based on Maiava’s play in the last three games. I’ve previously mentioned him on my underrated list along with Clay Matthews. Another guy who didn’t get a lot of credit last season was Butch Lewis. Remember how the coaches always mentioned Charles Brown in training camp? But Lewis started in place of Sam Baker and played pretty good. Christian Tupou is another and if you’re looking two years down, Marshall Jones will be a factor.
Q: What % of the football would be admitted to USC if they were not football players?
A: The average SAT score at USC was about 1,460 (on the old 1,600 scale) and the GPA’s hover around 4.0. But I also know plenty of regular students who did not meet these requirements and are attending USC, so it’s not an iron-clad standard. Really, you can’t say how many would not get in. Most wouldn’t, just like most regular students who apply do not get accepted. I think it’s far more relevant to compare graduation rates of athletes against those of regular students.
Q: Any word from the coaches if they plan on using Clay Matthews more next year? I know he was limited by injuries this past season, but he looked very fast, especially off the end in blitzing situations.
A: The coaches always talk about playing Clay Matthews more. But he will be behind Brian Cushing next season, so his role might be determined by whether Cushing is injured. So maybe he will play a lot.
Q: Now that it seems confirmed by many that Coach Carroll will be at USC for awhile, will you try and develop a better relationship? More personal and less combative?
A: Here’s a foolish question. Pete Carroll and I do not have any problems with each other, as much as some fans wish otherwise.