A: Very little. This team is young but the leadership is not bad. Chris Galippo is a good leader and the secondary has leadership from Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas. Jeff Byers is a good leader offensively. The leadership wasn't great in the Matt Leinart era, but the players were so talented it did not matter.
]]>A: He is able to audibilize. The problem is he still tries to force throws because he thinks his arm can do just about anything and sometimes he looks to the other side of the field and quickly throws without checking to see if the receiver is open. These are things that can easily be corrected. But I think the offense would have been better served to have him rollout more like in the San Jose State game, which reduces the risk for mistakes.
Q: scinsc5 said:
Can you estimate how many players on USC have insurance to protect against injury and lost future NFL money?
A: As far as I know, 3 players have policies including Taylor Mays, who obviously has a lot to protect with his expected high selection in the NFL draft. Not everyone does it. Winston Justice did not buy it his junior year despite being projected as a first-round pick before the season. Mark Sanchez had it last year. So did Brian Cushing.
]]>A: Despite the fact these two losses hit USC all of a sudden, these things usually are a long time in the making. I think some recruiting losses played a role, which contributed to a lack of depth defensively. Then you lose players like Frankie Telfort unexpectedly. And look at the losses in the front seven last year (Fili Moala, Kyle Moore, Clay Matthews, Rey Maualuga, Kaluka Maiava, Brian Cushing). And the coaching, i.e. playcalling, is not winning any awards this season.
Q: Trojans Rule said:
Have Bates/Morton been a liability for us this season, and how about Seto up in the press box---what does he really do, or rather what does PC allow him to do?
A: John Morton is not calling plays so I tend to miminize his role in the problems. He points things out in the pressbox but does not have a say in playcalling. Rocky Seto does game-planning but is not calling defensive plays or deciding when to make adjustments. That role belongs to Pete Carroll.
Q: Harry Bawles said:
HI WOLFIE:
So is Charlie Weis, at a record of 6-4, with 2 games left and a possible bowl bid, gone for sure now at ND you think? Thanx in advance as always.
A: I'd say he is long gone if I were a better man. They cannot afford him any longer at Notre Dame. If Brian Kelly is the replacement, Pete Carroll won't like preparing for that offense.
]]>A: It started when Harbaugh said Carroll would be leaving for the NFL anyways in his first season. Then Harbaugh had the temerity to upset USC in 2007. Then they had the timeout-calling standoff in the final seconds of the 2008 game, when Carroll put Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing back in the game with a 28-point lead.
The dislike stems from the fact they are similar personalities. Very competitive.
The only relationship that rivals it is Carroll and Rick Neuheisel. So next week will be fun too.
Q: TROJANS32 said:
In view of what KEVIN THOMAS said about the defense, do you think there is dissension there, and, in view of what JOE McKNIGHT said about the offense, do you think there is dissension there? If so, do you think anything can be done about it this season? Thanx.
A: There is always some dissension when you lose. It's not that bad compared to some other USC teams I've covered, however, and this is a team that is not high on the ego meter (relatively speaking). But this is the gut check time. The season goals are in a shambles, so it will be interesting to see if USC plays with high intensity and does not crack under adversity in the next two games.
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