Open Forum

When Mark Sanchez was arrested in 2006, Pete Carroll stated publicly, and reiterated on his Coach's Tour, that Sanchez would at least be punished for breaking the law for underage drinking and using fake identification, even suggesting that a suspension was in the works. Yet Sanchez was never punished, and even saw playing time at the Arkansas game.

So why did Carroll publicly state that Sanchez was going to be punished for breaking the law, but did not punish him in any way? Was Mitch Mustain's recruitment related in any way to this?

Scott:

Has Petros Papadakis ever told you whether he reads your blog or not? If so, how often does he read it and what does he think of it?

First of all, I want to thank you for having this forum, Scott. It's a great feature.

Now on to my question:

Is there any indication that Carroll will name the next starting quarterback after spring practice considering the two times he has named a new quarterback since becoming coach -- Leinart in 2003 and Booty in 2006 -- he waited until after fall camp? Is there any indication this practice will change this time around and he will name the new starting quarterback a few months earlier in the spring?

Scott: What are you thoughts on the rest of the Pac-10? Which teams are overrated/underrated?

Judging by the USC press release following Mitch Mustain's enrollment in May, as well as his entry in the upcoming 2007 football media guide, does it appear that the sports information office is really going out of its way by hyping Mustain's record as a starting quarterback? The official USC profile goes back to his junior high school days as a starting quarterback and I have never seen an official biography do that before, while constantly emphasizing his record as a starting quarterback throughout his life, with winning percentages included from when he was 12 years old. Is this in anticipation of a media blitz for when Mustain becomes the starting quarterback in 2008, and they are simply getting the hype started now?

Thanks in advance for all the hours you put into this blog, Scott. It truly is the best USC athletic resource on the web, and don't ever think people don't appreciate that.

Scott, when you see Peyton Manning throwing passes at USC practice, does that make the USC players look good - like they could be in the NFL pretty soon - or does it make them look worse, like they need more seasoning if they want to turn pro?

Also, is it unusual for an NFL quarterback to come to practice and throw passes? How did Booty take it? Did JDB look good in comparison to Peyton? Or were his passes pretty ordinary compared to a Super Bowl QB?

I could imagine there was quite a buzz around campus when it got out that Manning was nearby. Any good stories come out of the experience? At least ones you can tell us about?

Thanks - Keep up the good work on the USC beat ...

I'd like to know how TrojanCNTV knows that Sanchez was not punished at all. Care to speak to that CNTV?

1. Has Trey Henderson reported yet?

2. Did Jordan Campbell report yet?

CNTV, It's been mentioned multiple times in this blog that PC handles various team punishments privately. For example, with loss of privledges, tighter reigns,community or school service,counseling,or other private ways or probationary situations that keeps the kid out of the limelight. Thus, I'd also wonder know how it is that you were under the impression that Sanchez had received no punishments for his actions.

In a different query, I wonder why MS didn't at least appear, to at least gain some valuable experience by observing Peyton and JDB's workout since it was on campus.

Scott,

Our main problem last year was that we had no running game, due to injuries/inexperience. Everyone seems to have forgotten about this, and the fact that we weren't even trying to run the ball vs. Michigan in the second half, since McKnight, Green and Tyler commited.

You have also stated that the WR's look "good but not great" or something to that effect.

Do you see us having a good rushing game this year? How have the RB's looked so far? Obviously we have a good defense but we need to score some points to win. The defense can't carry the team the whole year--ND got eitehr 24 or 31 points against us last year, I can't remember which.

Scott - when USC hosts camps for high school students, such as the Rising Senior camp last week with 250 athletes (1) does USC pay for flights/lodging for those athletes? (2) do they count as official visits?

Scott - when USC hosts camps for high school students, such as the Rising Senior camp last week with 250 athletes (1) does USC pay for flights/lodging for those athletes? (2) do they count as official visits?

Scott - when USC hosts camps for high school students, such as the Rising Senior camp last week with 250 athletes (1) does USC pay for flights/lodging for those athletes? (2) do they count as official visits?

Why do some players who are on academic probation (such as Troy Van Blarcom) allowed to play, while others (such as Matt Spanos) ineligible to play? Why the discrepancy when they are both in the same boat? Van Blarcom was on academic probation after his very first semester, yet he was always eligible to play. How come Tim Floyd does not allow any players on the men's basketball team with academic problems to play, such as Gabe Pruitt this past year?

Scott-

Why do you feel that Sanchez simply has not developed since coming to USC and does not appear to have "the IT factor"? After seeing him in the spring scrimmage a few months ago, everything I had heard about his poor play in practice was evident to me in person. His throws were not accurate - always over or under thrown - he constantly fumbled and he was very slow. He simply does not appear to have "IT" to succeed at the college level and has shown no evidence to the contrary. Do the coaches feel that he has not been able to adapt from the high school game to the college game? Do they feel he is out of his league? Just why has he fallen farther behind Booty this past year and are the coaches concerned about Sanchez's play? Have they told him to get in better shape and lose some weight? Just why is he not progressing after two years in college?

SW, is the "O" line all set with the starters and solid #2 at each position? Do you think that PC has the special teams set in his mind (i.e. Punt Returner and Kick Off Returners, and are Buehler and Woidneck entrenched as the Kicker and Punter? Great job as always with the Forum. Fight On!

Other than Buehler, who else will be seeing time as a kicker? Is Buehler only going to be doing kick-offs or will he also do field goals this year as well?

Scott,
We always appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions and keep us close to the program. Here are my questions:
1. What are the dates for upcoming SC activiites/practices?
2. Considering that we have a defense that should easily be considered a top 5 in the nation, do you think the first few games will be more conservative in terms of offensive play calling? My thoughts are that the receivers (other than PT) are somewhat green, and the running backs have not proven to be game breakers who take the game in their hands. It might take a few games to sort out who will lead the running game. Once we do, I expect it to get increasingly better and we should be hard to stop towards the end of the season.
I appreciate your feedback, and don't worry about the irrelevant MS/MM posts, it keeps people busy during this down time :)

Scott,
One more question:
You mentioned in this blog that during the Rising Stars camp one player did not perform as expected. We were wondering who that player may be...
Also, do you have any news about any of the top prospects leaning towards SC after the RS camp?
Thanks a bunch.

Scott,

What's your real intent with this new Q&A feature?

Is this just an off-season tease like 7-on-7 drills?

I ask this because I love the feature but I can't imagine you really have much new to say about the team every week during the off season.

During the season however I really hope you plan on continuing this when we really need it. How you'll fit it in then is your decision.

May I suggest that you consider doing this every two weeks in the off-season so you don't get the same Mustain v Sanchez questions over and over and we can actually have something new to ask.

Just looking out.

Scott, I know this is a really off the wall question, so I won't mind if you don't answer it. This week I watched the DVD's of the Trojan victory over Oklahoma a few years ago and last year's victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Have you any idea why the quality of these DVD's is so poor? Last year's Rose Bowl was televised in high definition so I expected it to be of good quality but it wasnt'. Thanks for this forum.

Scott,
Why is there such a constant problem recruiting or filling the fullback position?

Scott,
Why is there such a constant problem recruiting or filling the fullback position?

Scott, what do you know about Idaho? Do they have a solid coaching staff? What kind of offense and defense do they run?

Thanks

Is David Buehler's leg accurate enough for FG & XP duties?

Scott why do people have double or even triple comments of the exact same thing.

If Mitch Mustain was a tree, what kind of tree would he be? ;-)

In all seriousness, if Booty went down for a few games with an injury (God forbid!), how do you think Sanchez would respond? Would the coaching staff limit the playbook if that situation occurred, or would they still call the same plays?

Do you think Demar Derozan will end up at USC?

Since there was no retirement ceremony for Reggie Bush's jersey in 2006, even though there were ceremonies in the past for both Palmer and Leinart, will there be any ceremony at the Coliseum for Bush this year? Or will there continue to be no acknowledgment of Bush in any way by the athletic department?

Scott: Just for ol' times sake:
Will Steve Sarkisian emulate Norm Chow's offense? :)

In the likelihood that Mustain starts at quarterback next year, any chance that Sanchez will not transfer and just sit on the pine at USC for the remainder of his eligibility?

Scott: Seriously...I've missed something. Why would Taylor Mays play offense regularly, or even occasionally? He's great at what he does defensively. What have I missed?

Please explain:
"Permalink" and "trackback". Thanks.

Has Gallippo joined the team yet?

Scott

you wrote:

Of all the players, Matt Leinart was the most transparent

care to elaborate?

Scott,
What times are the practices generally held? And are they open to the public?

If Lod does not get drafted, where will he play?

Why does USC not play their black offensive lineman (except Chilo)?

Scott, Who are the current silent commits for SC football?

Wolfie; Great job last week as always and you have my sincere thanks and appreciation for what you are doing for me and for us.

My questions this week may be a little touchy for you to answer, and if that is the case, a simple "no comment" will suffice.

You have stated many times that Norm left because of a deteriorating relationship with Pete. Virtually everyone seems to feel that Pete was jealous of the attention that Norm was getting, and decided to push him out. I happen to think that other factors were at work, so I'll put it to you just as straight as I can: What do you think, in order of importance, were the main reasons that caused the deteriorating relationship?
and 2. While Norm was no longer to be the offensive co-ordinator, was his new position to be that of asst. head coach such that he would still have full responsibility for all offensive play-calling? Thanx again as always, Scott, and if those questions are too hot-or you just don't want to go there, as I said above, a simple "no comment" is well understood by me.

Scott:

Like so many we appreciate your knowledge and wisdom. Could you possibly notify us via the blog when you are going to be doing future radio appearances either locally or nationally?

Thanks!

What if you just ignored a question you have already been asked about Sanchez, Chow, Mustain, etc and only address the new questions that would great!

What is Depth Chart on?
1. TE's
2. Left OLB's
3. MLB's
4. Right OLB's

Scott, just out of curiosity - how are the freshmen coming along so far? I know it's extremely early to gauge their status, but compared to past years how would you rate this class as getting acquainted with the everyday swing of things?

Hi Scott:

I know summer workouts are somewhat informal, but which players have caught your eye thus far in a way that might shake-up the depth chart as we head into fall?

Second, what were your overall impressions of last weekend's "Rising Stars" camp? Did any particular players surprise (ala Vaughn Telemaque) or disappoint (ala Daniel Campbell) the coaching staff in either helping or hurting their chances of procuring a scholarship offer?

Thanks.

Is there going to be a DVD covering the 2006 season? They have released DVDs for 2002 thru 2005 seasons but I haven't seen one yet for 2006 season.

What is your prediction for the Nebraska game? Keller was pretty good against SC in 2005, though they did intercept him a few times.