Open Forum

Any news on the all-home-unis front for the USC/UCLA game?

Will Patrick Turner be drafted by the NFL? If so, what round do you predict? 4th? 5th? UFA?

PC during media day made reference to Joe McKnight adding 20 pounds, to become stronger TB. Does Sark and PC's game plan call for more of Joe at the TB spot, or does Sark and PC envision Joe more of a Percy Harvin type of offensive weapon? Do you think that we will see during the season Joe at a wing/slot line up, with either Stafon or C.J. on the field at the same time? Fight On!

Scott, are you familiar with this new A-11 offense?

http://a11offense.com

"The base offense is one in which a center and two tight ends surround the football, three receivers are split right, three more split left and two quarterbacks stand behind in a shotgun, one of whom has to be at least 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage... Yes, per the rules of the game, only five players are eligible to catch a pass during a particular play and seven players have to set up on the line of scrimmage. But in the minds of Bryan and Humphries [Piedmont (Calif.) High School football coaches], you can develop an infinite number of plays with an infinite number of formations."

Might be an interesting way to use both Mark and Mitch in at the same time.

There's also a story about it on rivals;

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=825031

SW, aren't you happy the football season is about to start? Because I know i am and honestly i am tired of people asking questions about some cheerleaders. Aren't you tired of answering questions about the song girls?

Considering the estimate for the Media Messiah's crowd was 200,000, it probably means there were only 50,000.

Scott,
In watching the replay of the Idaho game last year, a penalty was called on Idaho for having only 6 players on the line of scrimmage. Would you briefly explain the rule that was violated?

A blogger mentioned the A-11 offense, which in effect means every one of the 11 offensive players is technically eligible for a forward pass, which seems extreme and not doable, I do not completely understand the idea.

But I love this concept because the little guys i.e Stanford and Washington State can use it to compete with the better-talented SC and ASU teams.

The concept is that a team uses 2 fulltime quarterbacks in the backfield. That unto itself is revolutionary, and I like it. Add to that that there would be a total of eleven, that is 11, eligible receivers is beyond comprehension for the prehistoric game we have grown up with. I love it.

I recall in junior high school a team that was not more talented than mine utilizing a change of pace, hide the ball method that resulted in us being totally confused, and netting a 47-7 loss. We did finally catch on, and in the playoffs with them lost only 14-7.

But the point is that there are different ways to attack a football defense which have not been fully devoloped. I think we will see incredible changes over the next 10-years, and especially in the era where the top-20 in college football can only be challenged by spreading the field and thus negating the advantage of superior individual talent.

200,000 ain't bad, considering they gave a free concert with Germany's two most popular music acts right before the Brain Dead Messiah spoke. At least he didn't say he was a jelly donut like Kennedy did. Is the Wolf now Osama's new PR man for the Daily News??

Can Jill Painter be the new USC beat reporter and blogger?

On Tuesday, some rather less than wholesome private pictures of a current USC Song Girl hit the internet and this was picked up by dozens of other "men's interest" blogs in the days following, making it a national issue. So do you have any information on the reaction of those in charge of the Song Girls regarding this latest controversy? Compared to Song Girlgate, this latest controversy is far more damaging, so have the staff of the athletic department, who have tried to control the public image of the Song Girls these past few months, attempted to do anything about the pictures? Is the Song Girl in question being punished or reprimanded?

http://www.bustedcoverage.com/?p=6021

Isn't the real reason Lil' Romeo and his father, Master P, insisted that he got a basketball scholarship to USC, as opposed to being a walk on, the fact that he could have only gotten into USC under athletic department admissions but not through the regular admission office process?

More guilty of nepotism - Saddam Hussein or Lori Nelson?

Is it likely that the reason the Oregon game at the Coliseum was one of the slowest selling tickets due to the fact that unless people knew that they would get a good view of the great Oregon cheerleaders, they wouldn't bother buying tickets?

When you were watching the Flag Girls perform in the early to mid-1980s, did you ever go "Hmmm, I sure hope that in 20 years time, one of those girls will end up being the advisor to the Song Girls and gets to pick which girls can and cannot be on the squad"?

How come when you were being interviewed on that Miami sports radio show, you did not mention Song Girlgate to the people of Florida? I would think that a city which includes South Beach, a haven for top models, would be interested in something like Song Girlgate.

The fact that there are few remaining seats for ANY USC home game at the Coliseum in 2008 is noteworthy. Especially taking into account the added seating capacity. Is it possible that Mark Sanchez being named the projected starter has fueled Hispanic demand for tickets? Kind of like a small scale Fernandomania from the 1980's. I know that LA backs a winner, but why is this team selling more tickets faster than the Leinart-Bush teams did? Do you expect USC to capitalize on Hispanic interest with specialized merchandising/promotions and food/beverage offerings?

Did anyone from Media Day talk to you about Song Girlgate? Any negative reactions from anyone from the athletic dept on that day?

Justine Gilman - http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/whats_happening/spotlight/justine_gilman.html

Lori Nelson - http://sait.usc.edu/recsports/spirit/song/about/history.html

Scott, deeper research on Gilman and Nelson is making me question their culpability in SG-gate. Gilman, an 18 year SC employee with a stellar background. Nelson was a former SG and replaced legendary Lindley as a co-coach in 1986. So, both were there during the glory years of the SGs, and know "The Look" well. Is it possible we have wrongly used the coaches as the scapegoats, but others are really to blame? What is the primarly cause for the decline in the SG program in your opinion:

A) Coach Nelson and Coordinator Gilman
B) Student Affairs suits under Michael Jackson, who must have implemented new rules of operation for the SGs, including an elimination of "The Look" as a criteria, as well as a lack of resources for the SGs - poor marketing/weak website, no academic credits, minimal tuition credits, no athletic support (tutor or facilities), no comp game tickets, no permanent IM-Director in place, etc.
C) Selection Committee who is covert and incompetent with a secretive process and selection criteria
D) Other

Those wacky Germans have a tendancy to show up en masse for dynamic speakers with horrible ideas.

On to the question: Is Pete Carroll considering naming any other family members or relatives as coaches?

Scott,

When do you begin writing your daily USC report in the DT where we get to find about all the suspensions due to character and academic issues and all the injuries the most overratted coach in football, Chris Carlise, was supposed to prevent?

Which is the most embarrassing recent Song Girl scandal:

A) January 2006 incident where the daughter of the coach was caught on camera cheering for Texas.
B) December 2006 incident where a member of the squad was caught on camera cheering for UCLA.
C) January 2007 incident where a member of the squad (same one in B above) was caught on camera flashing her rear end with a massive "wedgie."
D) March 2008 to present: Song Girlgate.
E) July 2008 incident where the Facebook account of a member of the squad was hacked and private pictures -- which included body piercings and surgically enhanced breasts -- were posted all over the internet.

Are you completely surprised that former USC basketball coach Dave Miller has never been hired by another college basketball program in the country since "leaving" USC in 2001? Isn't it utterly surprising that he went from being a coach on an NCAA Elite Eight team to doing basketball camps for children and no college will hire him?

With another week having passed, where do we currently stand on the "Bring Back Tricia Pillsbury to USC" issue?

You never answered my question from the previous forum,

If you could have your all star team of USC Song Girls over history who would you select? Please have names, years of Song Girl tenure.

If you can't answer the question, its okay. Here's my question for this forum.

Does USC need students like Jenn Sterger and people like her to boost the team and make people forget the Song Girls like she did for Florida State?

Scott, what are your expectations for the Pac 10 conference in football this year when you exclude USC. Do you think that overall the conference will be weaker, stronger or about the same?

What happened in the Song Girl which TrojanAnnenberg2001 talks about:

July 2008 incident where the Facebook account of a member of the squad was hacked and private pictures -- which included body piercings and surgically enhanced breasts -- were posted all over the internet.

Does Anyone know?

Here's my open forum question:

What is the chances Roland Johnson plays a Percy Harvin role for USC?

TrojanChamp:

The pictures are all over the internet, including some Trojan blogs. From what I can tell, she either closed her Facebook account yesterday or restricted any public access to it after the pictures became public.

From what I hear, she claims to be a very devout Christian girl who is not concerned with image yet she clearly has major breast implants (to put it mildly). The day after those private pictures hit the internet, she got named Sports Illustrated's Cheerleader of the Week.

It's been quite an interesting week for her, that's for sure.

TrojaninDC,
thanks for the information
can you please send me a link to where I can learn more about this topic and whose the girl?

More difficult to remove from power - Saddam Hussein or the two women in charge of the Song Girls?

How come several other sites are incorrectly writing Song Girlgate either as three words (Song Girl Gate) or hyphenating it (Song Girl-gate)? Why don't they know how to write this national story correctly? It was never Water Gate or Water-gate. It was Watergate. Just how difficult is it to get Song Girlgate written correctly?

Scott, not sure you have the ability to check this out or not, but someone I know who has family associated with the Song Girls, and who is thrilled with what you're doing here, tells me that the tall blonde who was caught cheering for Texas (Nelson?) was actually allowed to remain on the squad after she graduated from USC, thereby breaking an established rule which all other Song Girls had to abide by, due to the fact that she was the coach's daughter. Not that I care that much, but that seems like a blatant slap in the face to some of the girls who were eligible to try out for the squad but didn't make it due to one less spot being open.

Free Lendale, you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. I read on a forum an interview she did and she did say she graduated early because she wanted to pursue her modeling career. And obviously, being a part of the Song Girls provides a lot of exposure and free publicity. It's unfair for deserving girls to be passed over due to the lack of connections they have.

Free Lendale:

It is even more sordid than that. Her daughter's high school friend joined the squad as a senior, became the captain within a few months over girls who had been on the squad for much longer, then was allowed to stay on the squad as a fifth year senior, despite the fact that went against the Song Girls' own policies.

The issues with the coach's daughter are accurate. She was also made a captain within a few months over girls who were entering their third year on the squad.

There are so many more stories of nepotism I can tell you regarding the coach of the Song Girls, your jaw would drop.

Scott,

I think you should arrange for Lindsey on 29th Street to post her stories here. Sounds like she has first hand knowledge of what occurs behind the scenes and could take this Song Girlgate to another level. C'mon, Scott, you could blow this thing wide open.

Also, doesn't Lindsey always seem to be a hot girl's name?

FL

Lindsey on 29th, thank you for posting! Please proceed to drop our jaws!?!? Will you share some stories? Even one per week would be great. Thanks for any contribution to this scandal.

Who would you consider the top five head coaches in college football today?

Would any of them make your all-time list?