Right...

So, the other day it was Plaschke channeling his inner bruin...

Today T.J. Simers comes to the defense of Pete Carroll...(not like he needs it)

Are there that many people who have fallen off the perspective cliff, or just the 20 or so who chose to send a Saturday letter to The Times' sports section grousing about the job Pete Carroll is doing?

What did they want to do, feel what it was like to write like Plaschke for a day?

Welcome to the world of the fan T.J....where you been? 

I like this take on Plaschke...though it kind of gives me the creeps...

It's kind of accepted around here Plaschke is going to flip out every so often, and especially about USC, writing excitedly about UCLA's chances of winning Saturday, still trying to make that 2001 "Westwood Ho" point, "this is a Bruin football town, and has been a Bruin football town, and will continue to be a Bruin football town."

I like the gratuitous shot at Plaschke for his "Westwood Ho!" piece, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

But you people, what is wrong with you? You've seen the incredible job Carroll has done in an age of college football parity, and you write ridiculous things like this: "Before trying to build 'A Better L.A.,' perhaps Pete Carroll should first figure out how to create a better USC football team."

Simers misses the point of the fans frustration...

Many of us have marveled at the job Pete Carroll has done during his tenure at USC. We still continue to support Pete Carroll and rational fans are willing to put up with a "down year". But it is clear to many of us that Pete Carroll's being involved with every aspect of the team this year has spread him way too thin. If you are going to hire untested assistants then expect a certain amount of criticism if the message is not getting to the players as has been rumored in the case of Rocky Seto.

This is happening because Pete Carroll is shepherding Jeremy Bates through the college game. The more time he spends with Bates the less time he is spending with Seto. And by the way...where is John Morton through all this?

I am not going to be one of those insufferable whiners that I see on WeAreSC who constantly complain that this started to happen back in 2005 after the loss to Texas. Yes, the losses to "lesser" teams the past few years can be frustrating but I also agree that finishing 2008 12-1 is great accomplishment.

And Simers nails it nicely here...

Carroll is one of the best things to happen here in nearly a decade, responsible for so many enjoyable Saturdays, and although the consummate competitor, he always has an eye on fun.

Very true, but as I have said before Pete Carroll has set the bar high with his success so in some sense he has become a victim of his own monster. It is not his fault...just reality. Pete Carroll's style is what makes him unique. It is not forced...it is not some circus side show of newspaper ads, blustering proclamations at the end of games or booster events or buzzing the crowd at local football games in a helicopter.

Pete Carroll went out and did his thing as he got successful people started taking a closer look and saw all the fun he was having doing it. Sure some of it was low brow humor but oh well...in for a dime, in for a dollar!

By his own admission in this piece, Simers has knack for trying to be funny in order to make others look like fools. So, when I read this I was skeptical at the out come...We have witnessed Simers harass Pete Carroll in the past over the supposed QB controversy as well as Simers' knocking around Slick Rick shows me he is an equal opportunity pot shot taker.

No surprise there.

I think that Simers is sincere in his criticism here of what some of the fans are saying. Pete Carroll should never get a free pass (no coach ever should) but he should get a long long "leash" to work with. He has built up more than enough equity in the program for years like this but he will face some criticism...some of it legitimate some not.

Welcome to the world of the fan T.J.!