Super Bowl Sunday Musings
by Paragon SC
on Feb 3, 2008 12:00 PM PST
in Quick Hits
Just a few thoughts on this Super Bowl Sunday
USC over ASU
Briefly, I missed the 2nd half of last nights win over ASU. A long morning with my accountant coupled with those Saturday errands that always seem to pile up wore me out after what I thought would be a light work week, so I fell asleep with remote in hand and laptop on my chest. Needless to say I am happy that SC won but without actually seeing the game it would be pointless to do a game write-up. Moving on...
Trojans in the Super Bowl
Even though I live in the NYC area I don't root for the local teams, except the Jets because that's my wife's team, so I am fairly ambivalent about tonight's game. Frak wrote up a great diary that probably expresses how we all feel about success and those who would criticize success. I really only care to see former SC players do well. It would be great for Junior Seau and Matt Cassell to get a ring, but it would also be neat to see Steve Smith get one as well. If New England pulls it off you have to tip your cap for that incredible accomplishment. I will watch some of it but I'm not really interested, but I wish any former SC players luck.
Neuheisel's Comments
I saw in a couple places where it was rumored or speculated that Slick Rick may have made an unsavory comment about USC during halftime of ucla's win over Arizona last night. I usually don't pay too much attention to that sort of thing but when I saw a few of the regulars over on BN asking about it I knew something must have been said. RN can say what he wants; I realize that as an alumnus RN may get caught up in the rivalry and spout off but I'm not sure that, if true, he should making statements that might not only embarrass his program but also might be tough to back up next season. I am also not sure what this big obsession with USC has to do with what he needs to fix at ucla. Call me crazy but I was always taught that its ok to mindful and wary of your rival but to worry about their every move is counterproductive and it could cause to make a mistake somewhere down the road. Surely he has more important things to worry about than us.
Chow=Championship?
Also at last night's ucla/Arizona game Norm Chow made a comment during that halftime "pep rally" that "we're going to bring you a championship." OK I get it, what else was he going to say? But lets get the team together and the playbook set before we start making those types of promises. IF ucla doesn't win a championship does that mean that Chow is a bad OC? Of course not but it sure will look funny if it doesn't happen. A lot has been made of Chow and how SC hasn't won an MNC since he left and that's true but it wasn't all because of Norm Chow so he needs to put up or shut up now.
Recruiting
With National Signing day just around the corner the rumors are flying and the speculation is beginning about just how well SC and Pete Carroll will do this year in recruiting. I am really not that worried about it as SC always seems to pull in a great class and PC always finds a way to pull a rabbit or two out of his hat. Yes, some of the other programs may have "better classes" base on what recruiting rag or site you read but for my money it is not always about quantity but more about quality. The big question to me is did SC fill all of its needs with this class. To me that's the sign of a good recruiting class. Simply having big numbers with a lot of stars behind those names is more about flash and not necessarily about substance. SC continues to be at or near the top of the CFB mountain because of their consistency, so until all the signatures are in I don't place much stock in all the hype and speculation once the class is assembled then I will start to speculate on just how good the class is.
Feel free to discuss as you wish, enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday.
FIGHT ON!
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Saw the video of Neuheisel
Its going to be an interesting season next year for Los Angeles, thats for sure.
by frak on Feb 3, 2008 10:53 PM PST 0 recs
What Neuheisel said...
They didn't show the clip on ESPN during the game, but afterwards the sideline reporter interviewed him. During the interview she implied (for some reason) that he had called USC asses (as Tim Floyd did wrt UCLA). He didn't deny it, and since nobody had seen the actual comment it was hard to know what had happened. At this point the only question is what the hell that woman was thinking.
by SuperBruinMan on Feb 4, 2008 12:06 AM PST 0 recs
Well..
The guy is clearly a loose canon though, I can understand his being fired up, after all its his alma mater too but he is clearly going to try and push the envelope and that will end up biting him in the end.
I understand that he can't ignore us but it looks like he is focusing on USC way too much. To emulate is fine, but this borders on obsession.
by Paragon SC on
Feb 4, 2008 9:40 AM PST
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I saw video footage. . .
Coaches Neuheisel, Chow, and Walker were total gentleman in the whole "rah-rah" moment in question. Nothing mean-spirited, nor foul-mouthed. They actually all looked quite happy and anxious. Was surprised that I didn't even hear anything immature from the crowd at Pauley. That's a first!
All in all, it will be an interesting 7 or 8 months leading up to the CFB season. Especially here in LA.
(for the record: Neuheisel DID say, "and were gonna kick those guys butts across town" [crowd roars YAYYYYYY!] Then Coach Chow speaks. Coach Walker spoke a little before the Neuheisel comment. that's all)
by tapoutstylist on
Feb 4, 2008 10:42 AM PST
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If this is the biggest thing thus far...
Fundamentally, it only matters when the two teams meet. We'll see what happens then; Neuheisel can talk all he wants in the meantime.
by DC Trojan on Feb 4, 2008 7:35 AM PST 0 recs
Loved Your Comment...
by bcsbusters on
Feb 4, 2008 9:40 AM PST
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Not Too Sure How Much Success He'll Have Year 1
That being said, if he does implement a system that our current crop can't handle, I'm not expecting much next year.
Of course, this is all hearsay.
by BruinFan1 on Feb 4, 2008 8:27 AM PST 0 recs
Wow! He said that?
Excuse fodder in case the 2008 version of bruins suck left nut? A reality that falls on the fault of the previous staff? (and I thought that with DeWayne's 2+ years, he'd recruit better? thought he was "all that" on the recruiting front? which way is up?, down?, or sideways? in this whole hard-chargin' UCLA-public relations machine? can't make up MY mind)
No worries. Frak is right. If ya'll ain't part of the BCS mix in 2009, then there are a few square pegs not quite fitting in the circle of bliss in Westwood. And it CAN'T be all the recruits' fault. Is all.
by tapoutstylist on
Feb 4, 2008 9:35 AM PST
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I'm Not Worried
From what I hear, Neu thinks our guys are just way too undersized or lack the talent for what he wants to implement. That doesn't necessarily mean that our guys suck - it mostly means that our guys may not be able to adapt to Neu's system. That's why I'm hearing that Craft was recruited to start (and that Cowan may not see another snap).
If any of this has validity to it (I neither have information that proves or disproves it at this moment nor care to attain any), I'd expect Neu to try and snag some more JC recruits since they're bigger and more experience.
I do know one thing from the guy I talked to and I tend to believe this based on Neu's actions - he wants to compete right now and has no intentions on rebuilding.
We'll see. I can't say that I don't like is aggressiveness though.
by BruinFan1 on
Feb 4, 2008 10:47 AM PST
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Agreed and understood
Sometimes "reputations supercede realities", and I think it's safe to say that until Neuheisel delivers- it's still a Trojan world in the PAC 10. (An Oregon, or a CalBear team notwithstanding) So, with some of over here at CC, we have long memories regarding Coach Neuheisel's braggadocio and slippery past. We all want a clean rivalry. Nothing short of respect and honor is expected. But that's an ideal that might be hard to come by so long as Westwood continues to belittle our accomplishments as a team and the integrity of our beloved Coach Carroll. It seems to be an historical inferiority complex as it applies to our football program. Innuendo and rumor run rampant in disparaging and scandalizing our program. It has hardly ever ceased, including pre-Carroll times.
Forgive us if we throw a few potshots towards Taxpayer U. (oops. see?) We'll try to keep a level head about your newfound bliss in Neuheisel and Chow, so long as you guys agree to tone it down with regards to us. (Cheaty-Petey HAS TO GO. Thugs. Criminals. NCAA-Mafiosi. All that must stop. Otherwise?????)
Thanks for clarification. I'm sure we'll all have OUR OPINIONS regarding recruits, Neuheisel, and Chow mid-way through next CFB season.
Like CC has editorialized: put up or shut up. will give you guys 2 years.
by tapoutstylist on
Feb 4, 2008 11:29 AM PST
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With regards to RECRUITING
"The so-called recruiting gurus miss more than 50% of the time.
Last season, Rivals had only 11 of the top 25 teams averaging a recruiting class of 25th or better from 2003 to 2007. Scout didn't do any better, also missing on 14 teams.
A year earlier, Rivals had 13 of the top 25 finishers with a top 25 class from 2002 to 2006. Scout had one fewer at 12."
Paragon editorializes correctly: it's not QUANTITY it's QUALITY. And it's not who the recruits are, it's what teams do with them and how they contribute that matters most.
For what it's worth, Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin of Florida came to CFB and HAVE DELIVERED in a big way. Sanchez/Mustain and Joe McKnight/Vidal Hazleton. . . .you're time is NOW.
There's more.
Florida State pulled in three top-five classes in the past four years, according to Rivals. The Seminoles barely sneaked into a bowl in 2006 and couldn't finish better than fourth in the ACC's Atlantic Division in 2007.
Miami has recruited 14th or better each of the past five years, according to Scout, yet the Hurricanes went 7-6 in 2006 and couldn't even crack .500 last season, finishing 5-7.
In 2003, Oklahoma was regarded to have one of the top recruiting classes in the land. Those projections couldn't have been more inaccurate. In fact, the class can be regarded as one of the worst of Bob Stoops' tenure.
by tapoutstylist on Feb 5, 2008 9:26 AM PST 0 recs
(slight correction)
WTF !! I gotta lay off the java. I'm all discombobulated this AM.
by tapoutstylist on
Feb 5, 2008 9:34 AM PST
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rankings are crap
by frak on Feb 5, 2008 11:08 AM PST 0 recs
Not all crap
there is simply no way to judge personality and the mental outlook required that makes great players coming out of high school. IIRC, Reggie Bush was a 4-star, not a 5-star, and while he was a good recruit, was not the star of his class at USC. Mike Williams was a 3 or 4-star I think, and how did he turn out for USC? By the same token, some of the current USC players (such as Whitney Lewis, Patrick Turner, etc.) have performed OK, but not at the level of expectations raised by their rankings. Again, for most of these guys their high school competition is physically incapable of matching up, but in D-1 that physical mismatch significantly erodes and it requires coaching and a particularl type of internal drive by the player to improve. A lot of kids lack that desire and a lot of schools (such as UCLA under Dorrell) lack the coaching.
by ucladj89 on
Feb 5, 2008 12:26 PM PST
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