The first two answers will be to questions that interested me and after that, I tried to answer close to the order they were posed. Actually I'm curious if people are able to follow along clearly each week to the answers.

Someone asked if I speak to Pete Carroll often, one-on-one, in private and if he is the same person as his public persona. I would say I speak to him almost every day and he is very accessible. I prefer speaking to him one-on-one. Many times, I might just talk to him when he's about to leave campus or if I bump into him.
It's always hilarious when someone posts on the Internet that Carroll and I do not get along, he doesn't like me, etc. Even Ryan Kalil mentioned the other day on 570-AM that Carroll and I enjoy a good relationship.
We've had many conversations over the years that would be really interesting that maybe this blog can become an outlet to share some time.
The great thing about Carroll is he does not change in private from his public image. He often shows incredible patience in meeting with fans and signing autographs and he doesn't act differently in private. It's part of the magic of his personality. I remember Ed Orgeron telling me Carroll never lost his temper in private meetings when I asked if he ever let his guard down, because he seems to always act the same no matter where he is.

Someone asked what defensive line position is called ``three technique.'' That is the defensive tackle position opposite nose guard Sedrick Ellis. Fili Moala currently starts at the ``three technique'' spot.
Here's all the techniques by the numbers: 1 technique is outside the center, 2 is head up with the guard and 3 is outside the guard. 4 is over the tackle and 5 is outside the tackle. 6 is over the tight end or where he should be and 7 is between the tackle and tight end.
Aren't you glad you know now?

Jamere Holland's had two hamstring injuries, two collarbone injuries and a groin injury in the past 12 months.

I don't know if I'm an expert but I will answer any questions I can on the history of USC football from earlier eras.

USC spoke to Oklahoma and Miami among the high-profile teams that turned the Trojans down for proposed games. USC even offered to play a one-year series (no home-and-home) and got turned down by Oklahoma.

If I had to pick one running back for the next 2-3 years to be a star, I would select Joe McKnight (big surprise!) mainly because no one else seems capable of being one and I'm not convinced the other freshmen will meet that standard either.

Brian Cushing is almost fully recovered from his knee surgery.

One thing about special teams is one person is not solely responsible. Duties are spread among several coaches, so there is no scapegoat. And USC actually isn't bad at everything (C.J. Gable was one of the top kick returners in the country last year). But it is true that kick coverage teams often seem to be weaker than expected with so many top recruiting classes. But there's the other rub. Try to convince some of the most highly recruited athletes in the country to be happy going all out on kickoff team. And not every starter is willing to be like Oscar Lua, who started games and also played on kickoff team. I know of several players who pretty refused to return kickoffs and punts over the years.

I am unaware of Pete Carroll traveling to Arkansas to meet with Mitch Mustain. If he did, I'm sure it would have generated 101 comments on this blog.

I haven't ruled out that Pete Carroll will stay at USC for the next 5-7 years. But I haven't ruled out he would leave. The reason is that Carroll himself doesn't know his future. He might want to retire in a few seasons. Even he's said he can't predict the future. Whether he would go to the NFL is debatable. But a big reason is because his reputation in the NFL is nowhere near as high as among USC fans and no team is interested in giving him total control of a team, like he enjoys at USC.

There's been a fear/jealousy of USC for a few years although I think it's also true that in the Pac-10, teams are far less intimidated now than they were in the Reggie Bush-Matt Leinart era. Ask Oregon State. College athletes have short memories, so I don't know how much ``fear'' there is anymore. But it does make a season for a school to beat USC. So actually, you could argue that teams play better against USC than they would against run-of-the-mill competition.

If I ranked the linebackers, I'd say Maualuga has the most ability, Cushing is the most untapped player and Rivers the most finished product. Cushing is by far the most intriguing because he did not play linebacker last season and there are a lot of people who want to see if he can be as dominating as he should be. He didn't even get much chance as a freshman to show his potential because he was hurt half the season. Maualuga needs to demonstrate he has the discipline and game sense to match his athletic ability. That's a big challenge for him.

UCLA not having a week off might hurt but it didn't seem to help before last season. And the Bruins do have a bye before the previous game with Oregon. Last year, Charlie Weis used a similar bye to work on a lot of USC stuff instead. What's more interesting to me is that USC will get two extra days off by moving it's Arizona State to Thanksgiving.

Like I said before, Taylor Mays is interested in playing a little offense, but with Josh Pinkard still coming off an injury and Mays so important to the defense, it probably won't happen early in the season.

I believe Stafon Johnson will have a difficult time moving up the depth chart with so many backs on the team. It would be nice to see what he can do in the Idaho game, since it's almost like a scrimmage. I also believe Patrick Turner will have a bigger season than Fred Davis (numbers wise) because this offense is so geared toward the wide receivers.

I don't think other recruits will worry about the reaction in Louisiana to Joe McKnight. Just like other recruits didn't seem to care that USC already had seven tailbacks (or linebackers, etc.) and still picked the Trojans.

I usually do some free-lance for magazines like Lindy's and the Rose Bowl besides this blog and the Daily News.

Mike Morgan remains thin, especially since he hurt his back lifting weights, which limited his work out time.

I haven't heard what Mitch Mustain's new number will be. He appears set to wear No. 16 in two years if he wants it.

I'm actually pretty ignorant on the Scout.com turmoil. I'm too busy worrying about important things, like Mitch Mustain's number.

USC's offered more scholarships than it has because every school does it. As Norm Chow used to tell Pete Carroll, ``I've never seen a school run out of scholarships yet'' when Carroll used to get nervous as signing date approached. There are always emergency solutions. Many schools tell a recruit to grey-shirt, which means enroll int he spring semester, if they need a scholarship on signing date.
Since everything comes back to Mitch Mustain, USC seemed to find a scholarship for him, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Besides, you can always steal one from a walk-on.
Haven't heard of an offer for Jonathan Baldwin.

The ``Notra Dame'' pronunciation was popularized by Beano Cook and I believe it's often used by other analysts in an attempt to be humorous. USC does not like Southern Cal because it feels like it is a jargon version of the university's name.
The problem is for many on the East Coast, USC might be South Carolina and ``Southern Cal'' is the way they identify the West Coast USC. What's ironic is the bookstore usually sells a few items with Southern Cal on the front, just to retain the rights to the phrase.

It's way too early to rank the QBs, but Mark Sanchez has the strongest arm, John David Booty is the most accurate and I believe Mitch Mustain might have as good vision as any of the QBs. Aaron Corp can't be judged yet because he hasn't practiced at college speed, let alone USC college speed, which is even harder. But everyone on the coaching staff believes his potential is limitless.

Lodrick Stewart is projected as a possible second-round draft choice.

I don't think Petros Papadakis is planning to go solo on his radio show but it's a wacky business. I'll discuss my next scheduled appearance with him next week.

Who will be most improved? Again, let's wait till training camp to see. David Ausberry, Vidal Hazelton and Travon Patterson are candidates because they either redshirted or played sparingly last year. And they will get chances this year.

Players like defensive end Everette Thompson, offensive lineman Max Tuiati-Mariner and tight end Kavario Middleton either require more evaluation or maybe USC doesn't feel right offering until it knows who else it will get at that position.

Terrell Pryor and Will Hill are being recruited by USC but it's still early so there's no rush to try and force a commitment.

Khaled Holmes has USC as his top choice but he's going to take his time before committing. No harm taking trips and waiting before making a decision.

I've heard for awhile that Orange Lutheran tight end Blake Ayles would come to USC. I know the Trojans are aggressively recruiting him. He's also a close friend of Khaled Holmes, so I could see them picking the same school.

It has been suggested that Jamere Holland but I think he will go at least one year playing football to see if he can handle it. I wouldn't expect to see sprinter Bryshon Nellum in a USC football uniform however. He's had such a good senior year in track that Nike and Adidas are considering offering him a pro deal straight out of high school.

No word on Jim Harbaugh's source. However, coaches are among the biggest gossips around, so it wouldn't surprise if Harbaugh talked to a (current or former assistant) and speculated about Carroll's future. It happens all the time and it doesn't surprise me if someone thinks Carroll might leave. The only one who really ever knows of course, is Carroll. Maybe the reward for Harbaugh's comments is placing the USC-Stanford game on Versus.

If Mitch Mustain does not beat out Mark Sanchez, his only real option would be transfer to a lower division. But he wouldn't do it until after the season, so there would not be some snap decision if he gets beaten out, because maybe he would get a chance if Sanchez struggled.

I said the WR corps is ``good but not great'' because no one was awe-inspiring in spring practice. It's a nice group, but no superstars, unlike recent years. Vidal Hazelton will probably start over Travon Patterson because of his size advantage.

There's been no talk about moving CJ Gable, Stafon Johnson or Garrett Green to safety but it's too early.Gable is currently a co-No. 1 at TB, Johnson might transfer and Green wants to play QB.

I could go back-and-forth on the Mays-Pinkard debate. Pinkard really was the most versatile-athletic player before he got hurt and I've always said Mays was the gem of last year's class. It all depends on Pinkard's recovery from injury. As I've said, if I were king (or USC head coach), I would start Pinkard at CB.

Mark Sanchez said his back felt pretty good in spring practice and I saw him the other day and he didn't complain about any recurring problems.

Notre Dame lost too many players to be considered a top 25 team, however their schedule might allow them to sneak into the rankings.

Several people misinterpeted my answer last week when I said Lawrence Jackson was the second-best reserve interior lineman. He played tackle in certain situations last year and will do so again this year. So that makes him better than almost anyone on the roster at tackle.

David Buehler will be the kicker in all situations and he has a strong enough leg to kick from more than 50 yards, no matter how much Pete Carroll hates kicking on fourth down.

The reason USC usually has six home games is because the Trojans strive for a balanced schedule. And if you play marquee teams (Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State), you play home-and-home. So that prevents loading up on too many home games.

Everson Griffen and Broderick Green should arrive by the end of the month.

Every pre-season magazine has it's pros and cons. I recommend Lindy's because I wrote for it. But actually, I recommend getting several of them. Blue Ribbon does a fairly comprehensive magazine for fans who want info on every team.

The Billy Donovan decision is probably more interesting to Tim Floyd than Pete Carroll. Floyd's said repeatedly USC will be his last job and he knows what it's like to struggle in the NBA. Carroll knows all the pros and cons about the NFL vs. college.

Re: the awful Pac-10 TV deal, there's been threats by some in USC's administration over the years to pull out of the Pac-10, but it was usually a heat of the moment comment because outside of football, the Trojans need the Pac-10 for all the other sports that most of you don't care about.

Kiffin took the Raiders job because he knew he would never get offered another NFL job and will make a few million, get fired and have ``Raiders head coach'' on his resume for his next job.

Well, that's it for this week. If I missed any questions, feel free to submit it again, unless it's about Stafon Johnson or Mitch Mustain.