Answer Thursday! (Part 3)
Remember practice reports are filed first on twitter.com/InsideUSC.
Q: JAG said:
On your weekly report card, the coaching grade is usually somewhere between C+ and F. Do you think USC's current coaching staff is merely average, or simply performing below their potential? Which Pac-10 coaching staffs (besides OSU's) are better? I'm mostly asking about game preparation and management, not recruiting.
A: Besides Mike Riley and his staff, Oregon under Mike Bellotti traditionally was among the best. Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti is one of the best and is getting a lot out of a defense hit by injuries this season. Stanford also does a nice job. Remember, wins and losses are not always the best indicator when you have limited talent. Or less talent than teams like USC and Alabama. I think Oregon (under Bellotti) and Oregon State are the best staffs.
Q: mb74heisman said:
What is going on with the secondary?
A: They have faced pro-style offenses and future pro QBs, so they will naturally give up plays. BUT, the other problem is the soft coverage mentality that USC's employed for many years. That also leads to lots of yards for offenses that know what they are doing.
Q: Pop Goes The Weasel said:
Scott, could you mention the names of the corners and safeties that you thought played well [if anyone], and hopefully related enough, do you think Josh is playing as well as he did before he got hurt? Thank you.
A: I don't really know if Josh Pinkard is playing as well as before he got hurt. He was the best athlete on the defense before he got hurt in my opinion. And it's hard to come back 100 percent from two knee injuries. He had a good season last year so you could argue the injuries were not an issue.
But this year he is defending some tough receivers. Golden Tate was one of the best USC's faced in recent memory. So you are going to lose some battles there. I think the secondary's been under siege the past couple games, which is not necessarily bad because in a lot of games they were not asked to do much. These past two games are examples I think when USC misses Shareece Wright.
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