Lean And Mean?
Some of the things Pete Carroll told me about the defense this week reminded back to the end of the 2001 season, when he marveled at national champ Miami's team speed and sought speed over size.
USC might return to that next year in some form with Frankie Telfort, who is 5-11, playing weakside linebacker and Malcolm Smith spending time at middle linebacker. Telfort is supposed to run a 4.4 in the 40 (hand-timed).
In its heyday, players like Matt Grootegoed and Lofa Tatupu excelled at linebacker despite being undersized.
And those defenses are still my favorite ones, even if last year's was the best. Hopefully we can get a Shaun Cody type on the DL.