Need we say more?
Ok, maybe just a little more. Like plane crashes, the loss to Texas had a multitude of causes; Reggie’s lateral, the Tings, Frostee Rucker, Sark/Kiff/Pete leaving Reggie on the sideline while sending LenDale up the middle, and even Vince Young; add some atrocious officiating and all of a sudden you need the NTSB to sort it all out.
I’m not worried about this years defense.

As to what Doc is saying I understand ups and downs but until PC leaves I don’t see a drop off. Pete is so different from other coaches in his age group, he really understands the young athlete and people in general. I wish this guy was running our country and I truly hate politicians so he has really made me a believer.

Things that other coaches do that is not PC:
1) like chastise his players on National TV—-always treat people like you want to be treat (IE. ask Kevin Craft what he really feels about SLICK). PC would wait to talk to player at half and after game, and would be positive about it.
2) Developing players to the next level: People really think that Chow actually made Palmer & Lienart Heisman Trophey winners, PC had more to do with it than people see especially columists.
3) Like analyzing recruits he doesn’t look at stars just how the player fits his system and sometimes he makes mistakes but at 3-5% that is nothing, How many coaches will tell a prospect that he will not play his position on and we are going to make you an NFL player on defense (Randle Carroll) most will over recruit and push old players out.
4) He cares about all people in general is truly a nice person.

Oh and I forgot he pays all players btw 40 & 200,000 (usc tuition) with a chance to make millions.
Just like the other day when I talked to a couple of grad students while we were watching practice from track stadium. One kid who played football at sbjc and transfered to BYU and made squad but mainly practice player. This guy said HS players who say I will not play at USC and go elsewhere don’t see it (PC & USC it doesn’t get any better than that) that it is the top of the mountain at SC.

regress to what? Drop off seems fairly inevitable but the question is how much it is.

He’s cobbled together the obvious variables that exist in which any top contender in the Pac 10 can wrestle the the conference title away from the mighty USC Trojans football team. His given isn’t exactly a knock on the Trojans themselves, it’s a scenario that finds (above all other previous seasons) the Trojans a bit vulnerable to be attacked offensively- in hopes of keeping a replaced and re-loeaded inexperienced (to some extent) front line and LB corps, and pressured defensively- in hopes of rattling our green QB’s and platooning rotation of RB’s.

It must be stated: Much has been made of the fact that USC has just three starters returning from last year’s record-setting defense. But that stat is highly deceptive. Five key players in various position battles have at least three starts each, making the defense surprisingly experienced considering the oft-used and misleading — though technically correct — “three returning starters” stat that’s repeated in newspaper articles and on TV. The three official returning starters on defense are safeties Taylor Mays and Josh Pinkard and defensive lineman Christian Tupou, but five more players add some lesser-known experience to the defense. Safety Will Harris and defensive end Everson Griffen have five previous starts each, cornerback Kevin Thomas has four, cornerback Shareece Wright has three and defensive tackle Averell Spicer has three previous starts. So, along with Mays and Pinkard, Harris, Thomas and Wright make a fully experienced defensive backfield, and Griffen and Spicer join Tupou to form a veteran frontline. Even linebacker Michael Morgan has one previous start, meaning the defense is definitely not as depleted as the media is making it seem.

I think we’re alright on defense, or more accurately- I think our replaced and re-loaded defense will be better than good, and I have a sense that the make-up of this new season’s defense will be up to the task of shutting each and everyone of our Pac 10 rivals down without any let-up on the conferences very best, but more importantly- they won’t let the conferences doormats upset them on any given Saturday (or Thursday, whatever the case might be).

However, on offense? Depending on how Coach Bates schemes for us (he is the new kid on the block. will he become a new nihja from the school that produces them?), and who’s behind center- I think we have the capacity and firepower to out-score our conference opponents, maybe not at will like our ’05 team did- but in bunches and with certain consistency.

So, this out to Cal, and Duckville, and Beaver-country: put up and close the deal this year will ya? Trust me fellas, this will be about the only time in the near future where the stars aren’t aligned quite right for we Trojans to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-repeat. It’s there for the taking, so (in the words of ParagonSC), “Shut up, and play!”