Answer Monday! Part 4
Does anyone know of another team in the country that stations its offensive and defensive coordinators on the sideline during games?
Q: Scott, not a question because I've already asked mine two questions above, but I wanted to mention to you that on ANSWER TUESDAY FOOTBALL FORUM DATED 11/18 AT 11:02 AM, somehow the answers failed to come thru on your blog--hoping you can repeat them again, as there were some good questions missed-thanks.
A: We had problems with our servers last week and I don't remember skipping any questions. If anyone knows of missed questions, feel free to post them in the Weekend Forum and I will be happy to answer them.
Q: Has Matt Barkley's stock dropped in the coaches eyes at all this year? I know he probably won't even compete for the starting job until 2011 or so but Petros described him yesterday as "6'1 230 and a little chubby"......kind of sounds like Petros come to think of it.
A: I've asked around about his stock and the bottom line is any school would still take him. It's probably to his benefit in an odd way that he threw so many interceptions because it will lower the hype at USC a bit. I wouldn't say he's chubby but he is big. Someone at USC always tells me Barkley will be a tight end because of his size.
Q: In a recent interview Pete Carroll stated that if he had played Clay Matthews the entire Oregon State game instead of rotating in Everson Griffen the team would have won.
While that statement is arguable it does lead some credence to the theory that flashy recruits may be taking playing time from more deserving (and maybe even better) players. Are there any current lower-profile players that you believe deserve more time on the field?
A: There really are not a lot of low-profile players at USC. Kaluka Maiava is one who deserved more playing time prior to this season. I think Jordan Cameron is someone who could fill a role next season. Malcolm Smith could probably play more but he is behind Maiava. A guy who disappeared this year is Brandon Carswell, who was more noticeable last season on the scout team.
Q: I wanted to ask you a few related questions about the timeout called at the end of the Stanford game. You wrote that Carroll said it was because USC only had 10 players when Stanford lined-up for the FG. Gary Klein of the LA times wrote that it was because USC had too many players lined-up. ("Carroll said he called a timeout with three seconds left because the Trojans had too many players on the field when Stanford lined up for a field goal. The Cardinal then executed a pass play for a touchdown.") http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-uscfyi17-2008nov17,0,6090424.story
You since posted that there was 11 players on the field, according the film. This raises a few related questions: Were you and Klein in the same room when Carroll explained the timeout? If so, did you or Klein misintrepret what he said? If not, did Carroll tell you one thing, and Klein another? Do you think Carroll is "spinning" the real reason why he called timeout? Do you think Carroll called timeout to "ice" Stanford's kicker, and thereby play games with Harbaugh for sending out the FG unit? If you don't buy Carroll's explanation (regardless of whehter he said it was too little or too many players on the field), then why do you think he called timeout? I realize that these questions make a mountain out of a mole hill, but it is odd that two reporters heard two different (but related) excuses for the timeout...which then does not "add up" when the actual film is reviewed.
A: This is a logical question. I actually heard Carroll's initial excuse (listed above: too many players) but I knew this was false, so I ignored it. The next day, Carroll told me the 10-men excuse. I was not sure about the veracity of this claim, but I quoted him for a possible explanation. I didn't have time until the weekend to actually review the film. The bottom line is he was upset at Harbaugh for calling the timeout with eight seconds left and wanted to get back at him by calling his own timeout. He's been sparring with Harbaugh since he got hired at Stanford and no matter what his says in public, there is a heated rivalry between the two.
This post should be entitled “everything I know about college football" by Scott Wolf
Thanks for the answers Wolf.
I had never heard of Barkley being considered as a tight end, interesting.
When I posted my first comment there were no Q/A's in this post. ;)
AND the Fat Booster
Gilbert,
Barkley is not, in fact, being considered as a tight end. Scott was just unsuccessfully trying to be funny.
The reason he looks big is because the kid is a gym rat. Hopefully he can continue to grow without limiting his mobility. He does have a big frame, so the potential is there.
One successful guy who seems to be playing with a little extra weight is Chase Daniel. Dude's got chins, but that doesn't seem to be holding him back.
Damnit, I hate being the guy who doesn't catch sarcasm.
I can't name a team that has both coordinators on the field like USC does, but there are plenty of teams that have at least one guy down on the field. Both of these guys are much more on field guys. Sarkisian has never coached a game from a booth, neither has Holt. There is a lot of stuff that people in the booth can't see that people on the field can. It isn't about just what can be seen, but what can be felt, heard, or even smelled. Now, USC's coordinators also have an "eye in the sky" breaking down that information that can only be seen from above.
I honestly don't think that those guys being on the field has been to the detriment of the team.