USC Morning Buzz: Sore Feelings Over Clancy Pendergast

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We hear the departure of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is leading to some hard feelings within the team from players upset over the lack of respect for the performance of the defense this season.

From Day 1, Justin Wilcox was offered the defensive coordinator’s job as he interviewed for the Boise State job and then waited for USC to negotiate his $1 million buyout. Now there is some talk Oregon might be interested.

But if this drags on much longer could it result in a player turning pro early because they are upset and not meeting their future defensive coordinator?

103 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Sore Feelings Over Clancy Pendergast”

  1. As the Wolf of Wall Street, or any other ego maniacal boss might say– who cares what the employees or players want.

    • Exactly. Let the adults handle this children. Can’t blame the players for being salty.

  2. As can be seen from USC in 2011 and 2013, USC has had some magical teams despite the loss of scholarships. A big part of that magic has come from the players themselves despite some botched head coaching. Any new high school players wanting to come to USC can become a part of this magic. That is really exciting. An Adoree Jackson, Ju Ju Smith, Tony Brown, Toa Lobendahn, Viane Talavaivo, Chris Brown, or Damien Mama any many others seem to have some of the attributes to add to this magic. They “want” to come to USC and add to the magic. The coaches, whoever they end up being, will need to learn how to tap the internal magic of such players. The team has their own leaders it seems and are not X’s and O’s on a clipboard. As Cody Kessler and Hayes Pullard and others stated after the departure of Lane Kiffen, the players have to want to play for their coach. They wanted to play for Orgeron, Pendergast, Helton, Martin, and Robinson. Grafting new coaches onto the magical vine of the players will be critical but not necessarily fatal. This would be like foster children who are moved from one set of foster parents to another. What has been shown with such situations is that if you move the entire set of foster children, or an intact set of siblings from the same family, they will end up OK no matter who the foster parents are. They become resilient. So again, it is critical to keep the magical bond this team has. Which set of coaches can tap that magic is the question? The leadership is coming from the players, not merely the coaches. So recruit players who have the magical attributes we have seen and find coaches who can get out of their way and not destroy their magic seems to be the winning formula. Bringing Orgeron back would be helpful and something I would have done from hour one as a new coach. But once again, the magic is with the type of character of the players and their own internal leadership.

      • You stupid idiot, the 2013 season did not revolve around one single game. What a fool believes! Move on, we are are all laughing at you!

        FIGHT ON and TROLL ON!

        • FucIa’s seasons only revolve around the USC game. They know they’ll never win the Pac12 or play in a bowl game of worth. So they don’t understand that really, It only matters to USC during the one week that they play each other.

      • Let’s see:

        No Top 10 finish
        No Heisman
        No Outland
        No Butkus

        No COY
        No Southern Division
        No Pac 12 Title
        No BCS bowl

        Lott Trophy
        Sum Bowl

        IMPRESSIVE.

        • What’s a Sum Bowl? Joey, do you mean the Sun Bowl on 12/31/2013. Succ the FB team has retired for the season as the #2 team in LA. UCLA, on the other hand, will play to a national TV audience NY’s Eve. Even if you’re spinning signs that night, I bet you’ll be either listening to or watching the SUN Bowl. UCLA 35 – VA Tech 14. Happy Holidays, ho, ho, ho.

        • Let’s see:

          No top 10 finish
          No Heisman
          No Outland
          No Butkus

          No COY…4 chances
          No Southern Division
          No Pac 12 Title
          No BCS Bowl

          Loss to ND
          Loss to UCLA
          No Lott Trophy

          Big win in the Las Vegas Lubricant Bowl…much easier to lube a Trojan than to lube a Bulldog….

          And yet…one Trojan sunshine pumper refers to the season as “magical”

          • WE HAD A LOUSY TEAM.

            We didn’t pop off pre season that we’re winning everything with Barr, Hundley, Mora, team, etc etc. You all blew too hard. DISASTER OF A SEASON for the bRuins.

          • Cite one source where UCLA was popping off. Nobody was blowing but Joe. Try selling the season of disaster all you want. Bruins didn’t go through 2 QB’s and 3 coaches…fire a guy at the airport…have another guy quit before the bowl game. It was a credit to the kids that they hung in there…I will definitely give you that. But our season was no disaster.

            And the guy who claims yours was “magical” needs a reality check.

            Also, given your history as the top team in the league, do you really believe you have hired the best coach? Time will tell, but I think your hiring of Sark is about as inspiring as our hiring of Alford for BB.

          • Typical bRuin. Pops off. Can’t back it up. Back peddles.

            This is why the bRuins will always be second rate.

          • Nice try..but no back pedal here. You are the champ…popping off one minute..saying your lousy the next…then popping off…lousy the next. Back and forth between Joe B and NOBS… a little schizo.

          • If you are going to post, post the TRUTH. I always said SC was so so or lousy. You powder blue pom pom rah rahs have been popping off all year. Your team was a DISASTER.

          • I was talking about what I have said…not other Bruins. If you can find me popping off about a great season or predicting a great season…then I will eat proverbial crow.

            I will make you a deal. Prior to the first game next season, I will make my preseason predictions for the Bruins and you make yours for the Trojans. Can be done here or on Wang’s blog or both. Then, you can call me on backpedalling or vice-versa.

          • Gladly. Right after Spring Practice and maybe Fall Camp. Have to see who’s coming in that can play. You can be sure I won’t be pumping our team to be the NC, Heisman, Butkus, COY, etc etc etc

          • So sorry, Joe, but that was you popping off, not bruin fans. All we knew is that we’d beat SC, and we did. BOOM! Pop that.

          • Happy New Year…Fight On. Actually SC has never won a Lott…one advantage we have.. Kind of ironic.

            The recruiting battles should be intense. We finally have a staff that will get after it after 15 years of absolute garbage.

        • I noticed there was NO Pusc Player of the Game…for the UCLA game? “Who goofed, I gotta know!”
          fit Un knuckleheads!

      • If UCLA ever had to deal with the sanctions USC did, their program would be in turmoil for decades. Shouldn’t you guys be focusing on replacing Hundley and finding a solid RB? Remember: Hundley was the leading rusher before Jack was discovered. Jack isn’t the answer. How about you run over to Wang and make sure Woulard has been fixing his release?

        • There is a reason or perhaps several reasons we haven’t had to deal with sanctions like that. Perhaps our boosters are just too cheap…but that’s off topic.

          If Pendergast won’t recruit, he doesn’t belong on the staff. Case closed. Neither USC or UCLA can afford to ease up on recruiting. It is the lifeblood of the team. It is why SC tried to lure/steal Klemm from UCLA. And with Lupoi being radioactive at this time, Sark lost his #1 guy in recruiting. He can’t afford to have a DC that won’t recruit.

          • I knew I could count on you, JB. Just laid those crumbs out there for you like Hansel & Gretel.

            To go back to earlier jousts..and Marv Goux…pretty much every team had someone selling players tickets for them in those days…including UCLA. Just enjoyed giving you a little grief. Since it is the holiday season, will give you that….and the SC tickets sold for more! Does that just make your day?

            Now…go roll over some other honey for New Year’s Eve! Nellie Bellie is dead…unless you are into necrophilia!

          • Big difference boyo – USC got sanctioned by the NCAA in 1982 because of Goux sales of tickets for the athletes. Goux was specifically banned from the team and left for the Rams with John Robinson – but hey once again no problemo for the bel-airians – nah never.

            Bluntly UCLA is like the democratic party – doesn’t mater what they do they never take the hit, never have never shall – after all they’re looking out for the ‘hoi polloi’ – ‘the ‘Peoples University”.

          • Same talking points – five years into the househand’s ineptness but yeah you’re right it sure does beat what happened for eight years before that.

          • What do you deem his skill set is aside from being a political activist – aka househand – it’s what he is someone who lies around and would never deign to actually do any hard physical work.

            Clown sure can play golf – man he is good at that – and that is truly telling!

          • USC will recruit just fine without Lupoi. Always have, always will, regardless of coaching. Just ask the NFL, where USC leads big in Hall-of-Famers, first round picks and overall picks. Recruiting comes easy for the Trojans.

          • The point made was about Wilcox over Pendergast if Pendergast wouldn’t recruit. Orgeron was a great recruiter but he is gone. Lupoi not coming. Sark needs someone who will coach and recruit. Carroll put together a staff that recruited. The SC name alone is not enough to dominate recruiting anymore. Too much competition up and down the league.

          • The SC name alone will always be enough to bring in enough quality players to win big. Of course you don’t believe that. You’re a Bruin. The NCAA probation is almost over. We survived it and I predict our 2015 class will be like the ones we usually put together under Carroll, who used USC’s name more than an his often sub-par staff to recruit well. We’ll do fine without Lupoi (damaged goods) and Orgeron (long gone). I’d say the exact same thing about other teams in our class: Texas, ND, ALA, OHIO ST. KIds want to play at these schools, regardless of increased competition anywhere. The talent will start to roll in again at USC in big numbers, as ALWAYS. You’re a Bruin, so naturally you don’t believe. I get that. The only question here involves Sark and if he is capable of coaching a national championship club. If he’s not, it won’t be because he won’t have the goods on the field.

          • Bruins understand a lot of things when it comes to recruiting…and believing that a school recruits itself is a touch too presumptuous. I don’t think we are far apart in our opinions as I think a decent coach at SC should be able to attract top talent based upon its history and tradition. However, history and tradition alone will not make it happen. I cite UCLA basketball as an example.

            One reason Haden fired Kiffin was that the recruits were fleeing in droves. Until Brian Kelly, ND was not much better than mediocre. Same with Alabama for a number of years. The right hire at the right school made all the difference. MIchigan has had several mediocre years. SC was fairly mediocre until Pete.

            Sark will recruit well in the first few years…but he will need to win. I think we agree on that. He is facing a tougher conference than Pete had to face. Mora’s staff will certainly compete harder for recruits than Karl Dorrell. Oregon recruits well as does Stanford. This is a much stronger conference top to bottom than when Pete came to SC. We will see what happens. IMO you just hired your version of Steve Alford…and he isn’t exactly what Bruins wanted. Time will tell with both hires.

          • Bruins may understand a lot of things about recruiting, as you say. But you don’t understand what it’s like to recruit to a school like USC. I know a lot more about USC than you ever will and that’s no presumption. Sark will recruit fine. He’s personable and from L.A. No brainer. He won’t hire a bunch of recruiting knuckleheads. USC won’t have the NCAA hammer on its neck much longer either. The NCAA hurt us much more than Kiffin ever did, even though all Trojans are glad he’s gone. You try losing 30 rides. See how you do. Should be an interesting rivalry now that the Trojans will be back to full speed in 2-3 years. Talent won’t be our problem. Coaching could well be.

          • Recruiting to SC for football similar to recruiting to UCLA for BB. And you will get talent but the difference between the talent you get and others will not be as pronounced as in the past IMO. The coaching will be key. Sark should be better at SC than at UW. How much better remains to be seen.

          • Don’t live in the past, Jack. With 19 recruits, about what Carroll recruited annually, the question be asked is whether USC will be in the top 25 in recruiting.

            USC needs strong recruiters. You implied this yourself, regarding why the Wilcox hire makes sense.

        • Yawn. Just another tiresome Lose On verbal rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

        • Actually Jack is the answer. But with Barr leaving, the defense would be crippled with barr graduating and Jack switching full time to offense.

          Anyway, if Mora uses him right, Jack will be in the Heisman conversation.

          • One player is not the answer. This has been a problem for UCLA in the past. They were too reliant on QB play and they did it again this year. Think about it: Hundley was their leading rusher before Jack so they were one injury away from a bad O-line and a green QB.

            With Barr gone, they need Jack to have full reps on the defensive side. Sure, they can use him for a few offensive plays – but that exposes him to fatigue, mistakes, and injury.

            The fact that Mora was asking players about their past positions is telling you that there is a talent gap – one that is going to be harder to fill as USC will be off sanctions and can offer players time on the field. UCLA needs to ensure Hundley returns (he likely will), development of Woulard continues, and they pick up a marquee RB. Hundley’s numbers have already dropped off and Jack’s will too if defenses start scheming them better so UCLA needs more developed talent.

        • Hey knucklehead….So now you’re convinced hundley is leaving? Weren’t you the fool that was “WARNING” all UCLA Fans that Jim Mora was headed to Washington….or that he’s gonna leave for the Texas job? Must be nice to be a torgan since NOBODY EVER Chases after their coaches!
          fit Un!

          • Learn to read: I never said Hundley was leaving. Ever. Nor did I say Mora was leaving.

            Are we having comprehension issues again?

            Flagged.

      • The only trick worth mentioning here is how how the little blue gutties can’t ever seem to win even a simple conference championship. True magic for the little gutties is just beating USC. Two in a row and they think they are top of the heap. Little gutty goals are always magically low.

        • No, Jacky B, UCLA is the #1 football team in LA. The city Champs: 35 – 14. Succ is the LA city #2 chumps. Squeal on porky.

          • Put a baby blue sign up on your dilapidated 80 yd HS practice field – City Champs, Finally! Gulp, Gulp, Gulp.

          • wow just brought you team down to the H.S level..maybe you can arrange a winner takes all with Crenshaw…. you never her us say we’re the city champs…. lmao !!!! nine win mora nine win mora.

  3. Justin Wilcox must bE the flavor of the month , because I don’t understand how he is a better coordinator then Clancey Pendergrast . Pendergrast has NFL experience and much more knowledge .

    • Exactly! There is more to this story than we know. This blog in called “Inside USC” so where is all the inside info?

    • That was the exact same argument made about Monte Kiffin. And he worked out JUST GREAT.

      Oh yeah, wait . . . .

          • I hope that someone will gently put me out to pasture when i can no longer keep up. Monte needs to retire and have his Michael Corleone take over the family business.

    • I’m right there with you, but if it is true that CP doesn’t recruit then that’s a big knock on him.

    • Sarkisian wants to run a 3-4 defense. Wilcox is apparently known for turning around defenses, though I don’t know how much evidence there is for that. I recall Tennessee actually dipping in rankings the year he arrived, though they rebounded the year after. There has been improvement, though I don’t think Wilcox can take the defense where Clancy could. Clancy is from the NFL and doesn’t understand recruiting nor does it sound like he was interested in learning.

      I think what it comes down to is that Sark is familiar with Wilcox and Wilcox is known to recruit well.

    • Fred, see Jack B.

      CP won’t recruit. That’s a problem without Ed O and Lupoi. I see no evidence that Wilcox will be a disaster, do you? Therefore, longer term, you have to prefer Wilcox, even if the D ends up 15% worse off in 2014 and 2015.

      Brilliant overall strategy by Haden? Hardly (you know we agree). Appropriate current tactics re DC? Probably.

    • Totally agree. Can’t understand what is going on here – paying a million for a guy who had a lousy defense versus Pendegast.

  4. Ah, what great lessons the legendary Coach O instiiled with young men. If you don’t get your way, pout, then if that doesn’t work, quit in a hissy fit.

    Players are going to have to man-up. Things in life don’t always go your way. A coach in over his head and who you didn’t like playing for is fired. When new people come in, they are going to bring in their own team. Happens in business, happens in politics, happens in life.

    Deal with it.

    Football players, enabled by whiney alumni and fans, really are living up to the University of Spoiled Children stereotype.

    Pout on!

    • Part of Dealing with it is maybe deciding to leave, and sometimes leaving is the manly thing to do. If the players decide to stay, yeah they have to live with it and not pout.
      For us alumni, there is no quitting…we just have to man up and deal with the string of seven win seasons coming up.

      • Agrees. I think everyone understands that they have to deal with it, but we saw the last few seasons when players had to deal with it, right? They weren’t too happy. It’s not easy having a coach who isn’t in tune with emotions and a fan base deriding players.

      • Yes, leaving when things do not go your way is the manly thing to do.

        Players should leave if it is their best professional interest. Have I graduated, or am I very close? Where will I be drafted. Who else at my posiiton is coming out.

        Dion Bailey isn’t going to improve his draft stock by playing next year. After his Vegas Bowl game, his stock might be at the highest. Why stay? He has started over 30 games, he has enough wear and tear on his body. Should he stay and get injured, or have scouts pick apart your game like they did with Barkley. He made the correct choice.

        Uko? If he is only projected as a third or fourth round pick, then he should stay, but if he leaves in a hissy fit, well then, okay. He is also someone who made contact with an official during a game, so he probbaly isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

        • George, I think your response is hyperbolic, and not focused on the individual player. WE don’t KNOW what’s best for him, and we are not disinterested enough to be good judges.

          I believed strongly that Robey should have stayed. Wrong again, Ben!

          You write with certainty that one more year in a new system with new coaches is likely to elevate Uko’s draft position. Why are you so certain?

          Almost every circumstance has consequences. There is a consequence to two changes in DC during a player’s career, and the departure of the player’s paternalistic position coach.

          Whiny crybabies? Maybe…maybe not.
          robey

          I

      • This is where USC misses Garrett. Not because he would have hired Orgeron, because Garrett would not have hired Orgeron. But because this is a situation that Garrett would have nipped the Orgeron Quitting Drama in the bud, first by not letting Orgeron make his infamous speech to the players, and next calling out players for being whiny babies.

    • Before everyone gets too fired up please keep in mind the source of this statement. Scottie has no idea what the team is thinking – another manufactured story by Scottie to ruffle feathers. Nobody at USC talks to him.

  5. Don’t let the inmates run the asylum. Just get the new coach in and if the players don’t like him, get new players. Pendergast wouldn’t recruit, a major liability. Wilcox will be fine, maybe great. Time will tell, but the real problem comes if Wilcox goes to ORE. Then it’s back to begging coach O. Time to move on here.

    • Jack, you nailed another issue perfectly!

      Your end conclusion is the point: myopia is almost never a successful strategy.

      I do quibble about your metaphor of “inmates.” How about “short-timers?” In addition, I think begging is fine, if it’s part of the broader, long-term need.

  6. they played their hearts out for Coach O. he was ripped away from them.

    then they played their hearts out for Coach Clancy. he was ripped away from them.

    these poor kids just want to know they matter. thie pain is obvious! they wore wrist bands for Coach Oh like he DIED or something!!

    but they don’t matter. what matters is who Hadden can stand to be around so he’s not lonely at fund raisers!!!
    now they feel like kids stuck with a evil step-mom and evil step-dad!!!

    these are still KIDS and they want someone who LOVES them like Coach Oh did, not some shady carpetbaggers!!

    my Prediction: Sadnessssssssssss!!

    • It must be killing you to be reduced to putting up these impotent posts that will be allowed by the moderator

      • Jezro, don’t be SO JEALOUS!!

        i am an unstoppable force!! and there’s NOTHING you can do to stop me!!

        besides when you are as super intelligent and witty as i obviously am, you don’t need to rely on vulgarities like your fellow Dummies!! my game is far more cerebral and a thousand time more savage and more terrifying!!

  7. My source says that Orgeron is definitely interested in the job, but he is still butt hurt about the way things went down. Who wouldn’t be though? Haden muffed this up.

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