Open forum

Which fans are bigger bandwagon/homers: Angel fans or USC fans?

When I think of great reciever plays last year.. Well I can't really think of any great plays by a USC reciever last year by V.Hazelton comes to mind so he probably had a couple good ones. What do you think? Which reciever performed the best last year and who do see standing out next year? (I'm not counting Fred Davis in the equation. He put the WRs to shame last year.)

Scott,

During the past few months, I have had quite a few people affiliated with USC, including some within the university itself, tell me that there was far more to Mark Sanchez's arrest for rape than was ever made public. Since they all seem to say the same thing and tell the same story, independent of each other, I have a question for you. Obviously you do not have to get specific, since I realize this is a public forum, so a simple yes or no will suffice -- are you aware that there was far more to Mark Sanchez's rape case than was ever reported by the media?

Kurt Streeter sucks! Why?

That guy can't write worth shit!

Kurt Streeter sucks! Why?

That guy can't write worth shit!

Scott, do you think Josh Pinkard will petition NCAA for a 6th year of eligibility and come back in 2009? Since he lost 2 seasons due to injury he can do that. What about Byers who is in a similar situation? I realize their decision will depend to what happens in 2008 (how well they play & their NFL prospects). But what is your prediction?

David U.:
You have two choices:
1. Accept the court findings
2. Or go to a bingo game and dive into a mud slinging contest.
Enough is enough and go have an SW pill with the flower child.

Why is Reggie Bush handling the Lloyd Lake civil case so poorly (i.e. not settling, guns at depositions, failing to appear)? Does he honestly believe that he is in the right (i.e. Lake is a shakedown artist and Bush is the victim)?

Hey Scott,
Do you think Garrett Green will be getting more playing time this year?

Why is Reggie Bush handling the Lloyd Lake civil case so poorly (i.e. not settling, guns at depositions, failing to appear)? Does he honestly believe that he is in the right (i.e. Lake is a shakedown artist and Bush is the victim)?

Why is Reggie Bush handling the Lloyd Lake civil case so poorly (i.e. not settling, guns at depositions, failing to appear)? Does he honestly believe that he is in the right (i.e. Lake is a shakedown artist and Bush is the victim)?

I can't find all of the combine stats for the USC players. I know that not all of them participated in all the drills, but can you give is a summary on how each one of them did in all the drills that they participated in? You already gave us their real heights as opposed to what was listed in the USC press releases. That was pretty interesting.

I can't find all of the combine stats for the USC players. I know that not all of them participated in all the drills, but can you give is a summary on how each one of them did in all the drills that they participated in? You already gave us their real heights as opposed to what was listed in the USC press releases. That was pretty interesting.

I have read where you and several other reporters have said that Mitch Mustain has a very accurate arm, but is that not more to do with the ability to read defenses rather than accuracy itself? After all, aren't all QBs at the Division I level fairly accurate if they are simply throwing to someone without a defensive line standing between them and attempting to run into them with the intention of sacking them? Booty had an accurate arm but occasionally had passes tipped, perhaps because he was not tall enough. Sanchez may have a strong arm but is notorious for not being able to read defenses in any way, so he has earned a reputation for being a "turnover machine." So does praise for Mustain's throwing accuracy have more to do with his ability to read defenses better than the average QB rather than a mere case of being able to throw to the intended receiver?

You indicated in your last set(s) of open forum answers that Jordan Campbell should be switching to defense. Considering Jody Adewale is graduating and Jordan is switching to defense, what scholarship players do we have at the fullback position to fill in if Stanley Havili goes down due to injury? Does PC envision switching someone from RB to FB since we have not recruited well for this position or should we expect a transfer from the JC ranks?

I realize this question may be a little left-field, but hey, it's an "open forum", right?

So, my wife was just watching the Rose Bowl DVD and observed that Pete Carroll seems to move down the sidelines with a kind of odd, kind of stiff, shuffling walk.

Her question, which I couldn't answer but figured you'd probably be able to put to rest: old football injury, completely imaginary on her part, or something else?

Hi Scott: I asked you this before, and you said it was perhaps a question you would put to the readers, but I'd like your opinion as to who you think the 11 starters will be on offense and defense this season for USC. Thanks for the forum, as always.

What have you heard about the rumors going around that if Tim Floyd does go to LSU, Mike Montgomery has been tapped as the next coach? I know he had a daughter on the USC volleyball team, but he is now well into his 60s, so is it likely that he would relocate his family to Southern California and start over again from scratch at a new school, especially since he was paid a severance package of around $5 million when he was fired by the Golden State Warriors?

Going into spring practice last year, talk of "the shotgun" being implemented into the system seemed to have been a hot topic and one that a lot of people(like myself) were anxious to see develop. However, as we all know, it never materialized. Do you see PC and Sark trying to install "the shotgun" again this year. If so, who do you think will have a better grasp of it at the QB position?

Ren Lopez: Per usual, the SC boys held out at the combine and are really relying on their Pro Day to unveil what they got physically. But I did read that a lot of the guys did well in the interview/testing process. Also, it was funny to hear how every Trojan when interviewed preached "competition".
Fight On!

In reviewing the new recruits, Coach Carroll indicated that it is to be determined as the whether offensive line recruits will play guard or tackle. What are the major factors/skills that
determine if a player plays at the guard or tackle positions?

Hi Scott,

I have a two-part question for you...but in light of the 'lack of big plays' we had last year, what would you mainly contribute to that result, and what do you think 'SC should do to alleviate the problem given the talent at WR and the differing strengths of the two man QB competition?

Thanks!!

I read an article stating that Coach Carroll recently walked into the weight room of a Arizona high school. He sure gets around! Now, I assume that Coach Carroll's valuable time, privacy and security is not violated by having to wait around and fight airports. Do I assume correctly that he travels by private jet?

Where does Mike Garret rank amongst other ADs? With football over the past couple years, the new Coliseum deal, Galen Center, etc, it seems like he's doing a good job, but I get the sense he doesn't get a lot of credit. Is the assumption that he got really lucky with Carroll and everything else followed after that, so its all just a matter of luck?

I read an article stating that Coach Carroll recently walked into the weight room of a Arizona high school. He sure gets around! Now, I assume that Coach Carroll's valuable time, privacy and security is not violated by having to wait around and fight airports. Do I assume correctly that he travels by private jet?

How, or what, does the football coaching staff do during the off-season to "keep fresh and update" the offensive and defensive schemes? Study other programs, do it themselves, or nothing?

Ren López, TroJay21:
I am pretty sure that if you go to nfl.com you get ALL the combine info you want. Sed Ellis from I what I heard when I tuned in to the NFLN CH did NOT fare as well as expected.

I've heard in the past that schools have successfully sued Agents that have broken NCAA rules and interfered with players who are on scholarship (since the scholarship is in fact a legal contract). Can you confirm this? If Lake conspired with RB or his parents to break USC's rules (and those imposed on RB by the NCAA through USC's giving him a scholarship), could SC sue Lake for any monetary loss due to NCAA sanctions that directly cost SC money (ie, TV or post season bowl ban)? Wouldn't this go a long way to sending a message to Agents?

HI SCOTT-------Will Jordan Cameron be attending SC on a scholarship, or as a walk-on? Thanx.

Re Kurt Streeter mentioned above, while I don't always agree with him [especially on his Joe McKnight column], there is no doubt he is a very talented writer.

Hi, Scott!

I must admit that because of my work schedule I haven't been able to follow the basketball season as much as I would have liked. And I'm confused.

Here we are struggling just to make it into March Madness. But yet you and others still expect to see several underclassmen turn pro after the season and supposedly we have all this rock star talent on the team.

Can you provide a Cliffs Notes summary of what's going on with the basketball team? I'd expect this kind of celebration for players on a championship team, but how can we have both a mediocre team and stellar team members?

Hey JD Star:

Here is a fairly in-depth article on the issue:
http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_8288.shtml

USC sued an agent in 1995, and he eventually paid $50,000. Here is an article I found announcing the lawsuit:

USC FILED A LAWSUIT OCT. 6, 1995, AGAINST ROBERT TROY CARON, who operated as the Pro Manage sports agency, charging that Caron induced student athletes
to violate NCAA regulations. The university charges that Caron surreptitiously provided
benefits – including airline tickets, rent, phone cards and other payments – in efforts to gain future representation arrangements for three USC
football players: Shawn Walters, Israel Ifeanyi and Errick Herrin. Caron funneled the illegal payments through recruiters, who posed as friends of the students without disclosing their relationship with Pro Manage.

Under NCAA rules, a college athlete can lose his or her eligibility if found to have accepted cash or other favors from a sports agent. When USC learned of the violations, it suspended the student athletes
from competition. “The university has a contractual
relationship with student athletes which requires
them to abide by NCAA regulations,” said university counsel Robert Lane.

“California state law forbids interference with
such contractual relationships. The university has suffered financial loss as well as damage to its reputation and its ability to recruit future thletes. More important, the students stand to lose access to the education that their scholarships provided.”

Lane contends that Pro Manage also engaged in unfair
business practices by failing to register with the state as an accredited agent. The suit, filed in California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles, seeks to enjoin the agent from further solicitations
of USC athletes and also seeks to recover compensation for financial damages, in an amount
to be determined during the trial. The court issued a restraining order against Robert Caron shortly after the lawsuit was filed. USC will be represented in the suit by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher of Los Angeles.

“We believe this is the first lawsuit undertaken by a university to protect its student athletes from the deceptive and illegal advances of sports agents,” said Scott A. Edelman, who will handle the case for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

How big of a threat will University of Virgina pose to USC in the big season opener on the road? Al Groh is a good coach but the Cavs will be without their returning starting QB(Sewell) and now they lost their best defensive player, DE (Fitzgerald.)
(Academic Issues)Looks like the Trojans and their new QB are catching a huge break before hosting tOSU. This sets up as an easier game than other Southern roadies in the past like Auburn, Ark, and VT.

If they actually wanted to, is it too late for the Reggie Bush camp to settle with Lloyd Lake?

Scott,

Besides the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10 has zero ties to any bowl on Jan. 1st, is there a reason behind this and can we expect the Pac-10 to appear in any January 1st Bowl game in the near future... I'm sick of having to watch the Big 10 in 3 different bowl games on Jan. 1st, lets see a Pac-10 SEC matchup.

Scott,

Besides the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10 has zero ties to any bowl on Jan. 1st, is there a reason behind this and can we expect the Pac-10 to appear in any January 1st Bowl game in the near future... I'm sick of having to watch the Big 10 in 3 different bowl games on Jan. 1st, lets see a Pac-10 SEC matchup.

Why does the ucla blog get good football AND basketball coverage and SC fans are subjected to occassional football insight mixed with a lot of sniping, personal agenda items and weak attempts at open mic night material?