Answer Tuesday (Football Forum)

The topic of Steve Sarkisian staying through the Rose Bowl seems to be burning up the forum.

Q: Has PC made a huge mistake in letting Sark stay through the Rose Bowl? There is a reason that many employers show employees the door right after a resignation. Now, Sark is creating distractions and raiding the staff from the inside. Is PC regretting this? Is PC displaying any signs of aggravation?

A: PC show signs of aggravation? C’mon now. Raiding the staff is just another form of competition in the view of PC? And I think he enjoys having Sarkisian around, much like Nick Holt and Ed Orgeron before. I don’t think the players pay attention to any of this stuff. But I wouldn’t mind seeing John Morton calling plays for a game to see what he can do, even if Carroll plans to have Carl Smith do it next year.

Q: Do you believe, as do I, that PC should cast Sark off immediately and move forward starting with these preparations and execution of the Rose Bowl event. I cannot surmise a more disjointed distraction than having Sark “make time” for this Rose Bowl, which could not possibly occupy his full thoughts and efforts. If it’s Morton, then let it be Morton. PC is going to dictate the play calling for the most part anyway so shouldn’t SC just go with Morton and get Sark the hell outta there?
PS…I very much enjoyed reading the text of those live chats. As hard as I sometimes come off to you, you do deserve props for that. Thanks, it’s innovative and was tremendously interesting and informative.

A: I think it’s a mixed bag. If USC’s offense struggles in the Rose Bowl, then this is going to be the ready-made excuse for what caused it. Even though I don’t think the players care, it might be a distraction more from a coaching standpoint. There’s a lot of stuff going with guys weighing offers or wanting offers, etc. This is not really affecting most of the full-time coaches, except maybe Rocky Seto. So well shall see. I know one thing. If USC were playing Florida or Oklahoma, I’d probably feel a lot more strongly about its possible negative impact.