Recruits visit
There were quite a few recruits in attendance for the first practice in full pads. The biggest delegation came from Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, tailback Marc Tyler, wide receiver Marshall Jones and linebacker Casey Matthews.
Clausen arrived with his family and spent time with the coaching staff in the football office. He is believed to favor Notre Dame. Matthews, the younger brother of USC linebacker Clay Matthews, is also being recruited by UCLA, Oregon, Tennessee and Georgia Tech.
Also in attendance was Long Beach Poly defensive lineman Kenny Rowe, the younger brother of defensive back Alfred Rowe, who signed with USC in February.
There were a couple injuries during practice. Clay Matthews suffered a concussion while tailback-wide receiver Whitney Lewis reinjured his sore shoulder and wore a sling afterward.
i dont think theres any chance Clausen ends up a Trojan and i dont mind a bit! Booty has 2 yrs left, Sanchez 4, Garrett Green just arrived and in another 2 or 3 years when its time to recruit another big time QB im sure there will be another 5 star all-world QB that PC will be able to sign...
I agree. We are loaded at QB. We are also loaded at LB. Why doesn't PC play an blitzing 3-4 D like the Steelers and the Patriots have been doing? WE have too many LBs not to use them.
In-order to play a 3-4 D, the determining factor is not the number of linebackers a team has, but is based on the type of defensive linemen a team has.
SC should not and cannot switch to a 3-4 D this season just b/c they have a lot of LB's. In-order to play a 3-4 D (like SC did back in the late 80's under Larry Smith) all three defensive linemen need to be at-least 285lbs, preferably the nose guard is 300+, and you need at-least three quality 285+ DL back-ups. Smaller defensive lineman will not work in a 3-4 D, no matter how many linebackers SC has. Carroll runs a 4-3 D and has recruited defensive lineman for that scheme. In a 4-3, all you need are two 285+ defensive linemen to fill the two DT spots (Ellis, Barrett, Spicer, Ashley, and hopefully Lewis). The ends are speed rush ends that weigh around 265+ but are quick (Jackson, Moore, and Schweiger). Since in a 4-3 D you play four defensive linemen instead of three, the scheme does not require any 300+ linemen (but one or two 300+ studs would be nice). Currently, SC does not have enough GOOD, big DTs to play a 3-4. Do not mention Moala b/c he is not that good as evident by the lack of playing time last season and him losing his spot this Spring to Barrett. With the DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Carroll has, SC cannot play a 3-4 D, no matter how many great linebackers the Trojans have at their disposal.
Please note, that I am not critizing Carroll's defensive philosophy. Last year's defense was an aberation that was a result of injuries (mainly in the defensive backfield) and defections, especially Manual Wright on the d-line. The 4-3 is an awesome D, and with addition of defensive linemen (Ashley and Lewis) and the maturation of other defensive linemen (Spicer and Barrett) the D-Line should back to its old, dominating ways............