Finally finishing up last week’s forum!
Q: Ryan said:
Scott,
Is there any chance Kiffin will use George Farmer in a similar way that Oregon uses DeAnthony Thomas? Or Will Kiffin just use him in a traditional role (Running Back, Wide Receiver)?
A: I think he will want to use him in a unique way. Perhaps as a slot back. But at the least a role similar to De’Anthony Thomas would be good. But before that happens, people inside the program say he needs to improve his work ethic before he can become a significant contributor.
Q: Sam Gilbert said:
Would USC really allow anyone else to transfer to Notre Dame, it seemed like Carslile was an exception die to his family situation?
A: There were special circumstances. Carlisle was a great student and team player and his family was in Indiana. Of course, going to Purdue would have placed him directly with his family. Maybe Lane Kiffin doesn’t feel Notre Dame is much of a threat after last year’s victory. But USC now finds itself in the possibly extraordinary position of having two players (Carlisle, Armond Armstead) and a former commitment (Arik Armstead) at Notre Dame. I doubt Pete Carroll would have allowed Carlisle to go to Notre Dame.
Q: Son of CharIie Bucket said:
wolfman, although the trOXans are seemingly overwhelming favorites to make the BCS title game next season, when comparing Southern Cal to other top teams, i fear the trOXans might be too reliant on one player.
compare to Stanford which always established the run first, and Alabama who did the same. LSU certainly was a multi-faceted team as was OR and so on.
however, whereas the above teams could overcome a bad game by their QB, i feel the trOXans are overly reliant on the Pious Passer to carry them every game, especially since he still has not demonstrated the ability to recover from a bad start. is this a valid concern or am i worrying over nothing?
A: USC will have a lot of skill players next season but I do believe there is a little too much hype on one player returning (which I will expand on later today). There are some depth issues too at tailback and wide receiver.
Q: Pop Goes The Weasel said:
Scott, my question about Amir [about 6 above] was already answered on Wed., so can I change it to Shaw? How much do you think he will help us–think he’ll start someday?
A: I won’t be surprised if he a is starting in 2013 with Gerald Bowman. He’s a perfectly placed redshirt for the future and showed some flashes at Florida that he could be an impact player.
Q: Sam GiIbert said:
Wolfie, do you think the so-named “pious passer” has learned his lesson about trash talking? It seemed out of character for him when he did that several times last season, and ultimately, it hurt us because he wasn’t always able to back it up. (e.g. Vontaze Burfict) Was he (te)bowing to peer pressure on the trash talk, or did the “devil make him do it”?
A: Hmmm. You would need to ask Flip Wilson if the devil made him do it.
Q: Ibc trojan said:
Scott, why don’t the “recent comments” show up in the left side column anymore? I have my i-Phone set up to alert me when there are new Charlie Bucket posts, but now I don’t get them. Is this being remedied?
A: I’m sure that is a grave loss to you. In all seriousness, there’s been a problem on most browsers too (including mine) that made the twitter feed and other side features disappear. Our tech people are looking into it. Thanks.
I just don’t see WR having “depth issues” because Prater and probably Butler are gone. Woods, Lee, and Farmer are going to make it tough for anyone else to get much playing time, but Flournay and Blackwell should get some opportunity to play.
T. Conquest, what you write makes reasonable sense to me. On the other hand, we are not privy to how Flournoy and Blackwell look in practice, or whether Scott is correct that Farmer has not worked as hard as he should have worked, and may not be an adequate replacement for the two very effective starters. So maybe there are depth issues at WR that aren’t apparent at first glance.
Conquest and Ben, what worries me is how Woods got so beat up last season making 10-15 catches a game with many at the line of scrimmage or over the middle, meaning he was guaranteed to get popped. He also got hit a lot blocking. We really need to recruit a 3rd receiver that can step up immediately if Lee or Woods go down or are at half speed due to wear and tear.
I’m not a tech guy but I figure the sheer amount of posts by Bucket and his characters is what caused the system to crash.
Sam Gi-capital i-bert uses the “pious passer” expression. Isn’t that a bucket comment?
hah! i see once again the wolfman and me are in complete harmony!! my brilliant post even inspired an entire independent post to expand on my keen insight!!
wolfman: we are like peas and carrots again!! lets not ever let the Nabobs, Dummies and Bullies get between us ever again!!
ibc: so flattered you look forward to my posts so!!
Gllbert: i see PapaSam used quotations, so i’m pretty sure he was intentionally mocking my catchphrase…
Bucket,
You’re the only one who ever has and ever will use that name, Looks like you made an obvious mistake there pal. Oops.