Or, Like shooting fish in a barrell, pick your analogy. This one is easy.

So, while USC is being hammered at every corner of the sports world I found this little gem  that had me chuckling.

Speaking at a Gators booster event in Miami -- less than a week after one of his players was kicked off the team after being charged with allegedly using the credit card of a woman killed in an accident -- Meyer said restrictions on contact with recruits hinder his ability to measure their character.

''The NCAA is pulling us off the recruiting process,'' he said, in comments reported by South Florida media outlets. "I'm not allowed to go out [to visit players] anymore. I'm not allowed to text message. I'm trying to find out as best I can. You just keep re-evaluating.

"If you just look around and see some of the things that are going on, it's amazing. It's concerning. It's alarming," Meyer said. "So we take a great deal of time and effort in trying to educate guys, work with them and recruit character. Are we perfect? Absolutely not."

Thats Rich!

Whatever you say Urby.

MaconDawg over at DawgSports is all over it.

But Urb is all wet on this latest justification for player misconduct. Why? Because Hornsby signed with Florida in 2006, when head coaches were allowed to be on the road. In fact, head coaches were only kept on campus this year after other coaches began following Meyer's lead by recruiting on the road extensively. Meyer was previously the unchallenged king of the head coach visit. And this was also of course before the text message ban. Hornsby signed with UF at the height of Meyer's finger-flapping recruiting heyday.

So, Jamar Hornsby may or may not be a scoundrel or a criminal or any number of other things. I don't know the guy. I do know that college kids do stupid things, some of which are criminal and many of which are morally questionable.

But I also know this: Urban Meyer had every modern tool available at his disposal to evaluate the young man's character. Perhaps he was wrong. If so I don't fault him for that. If you're going to be too damned something (and we all are, what with being human and all) , being too damned trusting of your fellow man is not a bad option. But don't blame the NCAA for your poor judgment or poor team discipline after the fact.

Talk about ballsy. How dumb is the UF fan base if they buy into this. Does he honestly think we're all blind walking around without a cane?

What’s the big deal here?

Maybe I am showing my age but in reading some of thoughts over on Wolf’s blog about the Brennan Carroll video it becomes apparent to me that there are more than just Rick Neuheisel who don’t like this video and I have no idea why.

Q: Was the walk-on football tape that prominently featured Carroll's son sponsored by USC and, if so, why...when it reflects so poorly on the walk-on process at USC?

A: Because there is no editor or safety net to judge the content that gets thrown up on the petecarroll.com website. Everything is viewed as a self-promotion aimed at recruits, parents and lastly, fans. A lot of the content can be interesting but sometimes you need an editor to step in and say, ``this is not worthy of the program.'' And let me add it's not just Rick Neuheisel doing the criticizing. People I respect at USC also criticized it this week not to mention quite a few coaches at other schools across the country.

Q: Can you go back to your sources and get a little more context for "Walk-ongate"? Frankly, I'm puzzled. I've watched the video now probably three or four times and I'm not seeing it. What exactly is Neuheisel telling recruits about SC based on the tape that he thinks will be effective in swaying them to UCLA (or at least away from USC)? He can't possibly think they'll choose UCLA because a USC coach drops a few F-bombs on the practice field. And what do your sources indicate the recruits' response to the video has been? Are they swayed at all? Or do they think Neuheisel's a fool for even bringing it up?

A: Let's say this. A former USC player from the 90's told me today he finally watched the video and was pretty disappointed. And that's also the reaction I'm getting from people who coach for a living. Not fans. Not students. But coaches. Neuheisel is pushing it because college coaches are always looking for ammunition. It's not going to change a recruit's mind. It's more a question about what good was ultimately served by placing this video on the Internet?

I am simply uninterested in having the school police Petecarroll.com to see what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Pete Carroll’s record stands for itself and in my opinion that record affords him luxuries that other coaches don’t have.

Frankly this is minor; sure, some of the clowns from across town will be up in arms as their delicate sensibilities are bruised. The fact is, if I’m a rival coach I would use the Reggie Bush angle or the NFL angle to recruit against Pete Carroll. This just shows how desperate Slick Rick is to try and gain any advantage he can as he tries to put the pieces back together in Westwood.

With all due respect to the unnamed former player from the 90’s maybe if the coaching staff back then had a little more energy and dropped a few more F-bombs SC wouldn’t have been off the map in regards to football. Wolf is right in saying that there isn’t a single player that wouldn’t choose SC over this and if a player did then he never would have made it at SC and we are better of without said player.

As for weather or not there is any good being served by letting this video out I guess it depends on where you stand. I just don’t see it as a big deal. I mean if it properly motivates players to perform than the mission was accomplished right? Those who do think its bad have never seen this:

That is an absolute realistic performance of boot camp and having lived through it myself I can tell you that it will properly motivate someone to get it right the first time and keep doing it right as the consequences are far too dire.

People need to stop being so sensitive and let the chips fall where they may. You do what works until it doesn't work any more. That is exactly what this is. SC's image is fine and I hardly doubt that this will hurt it.

What's the big debate about already...

Things to do in Baltimore when you're...

That's where Neuheisel is going to get burned. When the old regime left and the new one arrived I got a kick out of how they all thought across town that they were finally going to compete with USC. Of course the question was how AND when. Neuheisel needs to do it his own way and stop worrying about Pete Carroll. Pete Carroll didn't sell anything other than a vision and what it would take to the vision through. That vision has now become a reality.

The so-called template that the above article referred to isn't something that can be copied out of a book, it comes from a life's work of a philosophy forged by dedication, vision and execution. you can't copy it you have to live it. There is also a huge flaw in his thought process...Pete Carroll didn't have to go up against himself; Neuheisel has to go up against Pete Carroll. Even with having Walker and Chow at his side (and I think they will be gone within two years) Neuheisel still has to put HIS mark on that program and with how they currently look it is going to take some time to see the fruits of his labors.

His recently named starting QB is done for the year with a torn ACL, and there may be some controversy there. His back up has a history as being as fragile as hell and his JUCO transfer needs to adjust to being under center after operating out of the shotgun the couple of years. Couple that with an offensive line that is basically put together with spit and toilet paper and it isn't very pretty. Things are so desperate now that Neuheisel has asked 2009 commit Kevin Prince to enroll in school early.

Wow...just WOW!

This kid is recovering with an injured knee himself and they are trying to get him into school early. Talk about throwing the kid to the wolves, and they still have no O line to protect him. Sure at some point ucla will be relevant again, they can't afford not to, but this obsession with USC and how we do it leaves me scratching my head. Do your own thing at your own pace and stop worrying about someone else.

This could get a lot more ugly before its over.

I'll make this short.

With SC having a total of 10 players drafted in this weekends NFL draft there seemed to be a cloud hanging over this incredible accomplishment. The 10 players taken were the most in this years draft from any team and the 7 players taken in the first rounds were a record for the school. The ramifications of this accomplishment will hopefully resonate in the years to come as an example as to why players need to stay in school in order to maximize their NFL potential and the necessity to not get into trouble as character matters.

That being said...

The constant whining I have read from Scott Wolf to numerous message board posters about how SC could have so many outstanding players taken in the draft and yet still lose against lowly Stanford is tiresome and hardly constructive.

What's done is done. Get over it!

Yes, it was disappointing in that had we won tat game we go to the BCS title game. Just like 13-9 the year before the opportunity was there and we fell short. The reasons at this point are immaterial and hopefully the team and coaches have learned their lesson.

This program has accomplished far too much in the Pete Carroll Era to continue to live in the past over lost opportunities. I am looking forward because I simply can't change the past. Should we fire Pete Carroll because of Stanford, 13-9 or even the loss to Texas?  Hardly, I will take being close any day instead the garbage we see across town. All three of those losses crushed me but we need to move forward because USC continues be a major force in college football. It won't always be this way so I plan to enjoy it while it lasts. Those who continue to complain about the past should do the same.

End of rant...

With USC having 7 players taken in the first two rounds of the 2008 NFL draft a strong message was sent that by staying in school you increase your future draft stock. Now I'm not naïve not every player will benefit from the full 4 years and some players are just too good not to leave early but for the majority of college players its pretty clear that by staying the positives will out weigh the negatives.

Character had a lot to do with those players taken in the first round. Character matters and regardless of what his detractors have said Pete Carroll has recruited and developed players that stay focused. It hasn't been perfect but he has done a pretty good job in that area. Think the positives out weigh the negatives? The numbers don't lie:

Kind of hard to argue with that, I realize that is not for everyone but for the most part staying all four years at program like USC will increase your marketability and draft stock when you go to the next level. There simply isn't a better example in college football as to why you should stay in school. Imagine if White, Jarrett, Matua, Bing or Justice stayed the extra year. Imagine the possibilities for these guys at the next level with that extra year. Imagine what could have been for SC had they stayed.

Pete Carroll envisioned this type draft success when he took the program over in 2001 but the key to that success was to have the players stay the full four years.

You bet it was great day for USC. This is one of the best recruiting tools the program could have had at their disposal. When you come to SC you can count on a number of things, the opportunity to compete, play in a sophisticated pro-style offense and if you stay all 4 years the very distinct possibility of being drafted high in the NFL. Of course there are no guarantees but I think Pete Carroll's record speaks for itself.

Of course there were the nay sayers that I got a kick out reading. Some of the USC detractors out there like Florio over at Pro Football Talk made me chuckle:

Really??

Clearly this guy didn't do his homework, as Patterson is one of the top DT's in the League. Cody has done OK playing in Detroit but then again its Detroit and its not like Matt Millen is doing a stellar job up there (drafting 3 WR in 3 consecutive years). Also, looking at that list you can see that most of players listed didn't stay through their senior years reinforcing what Pete Carroll has been about staying all four years.

What about Ryan Kalil? What about Steve Smith? I'm sure there are others I am missing (Udeze?). By not mentioning those two guys as players who have either performed (Smith in last years play-offs) or put themselves in a position to be leaders early (Kalil who will probably start this season) it exposes Florio as a detractor and not to be taken seriously. He is entitled to his opinion but without a more balanced look at what the program has accomplished in the Pete Carroll era he loses all credibility and its just noise.

If he wants to use the SoCal lifestyle reference he might want to look in the general direction of Westwood where the players bail on practice as they are installing a new offence. New coach or not, it seems like those guys deserve a lot more scrutiny than SC...at least SC has won something.

Others were those who wanted to chide SC that with all this talent how did we lose to Stanford? You're kidding me right? Time to get over it people, a new season is upon us and we can't go back and change the past. Yes it was disappointing, yes it pissed a lot of us off and I could see where some would say we underachieved but it is what it is and its waaaaay in the past so its time to let it go.

Yesterday sent a very strong message about staying in school. It also sent a message that USC is the place to be if you want a shot at the NFL.

Something tells me that message was received loud and clear!

How will SC fare today?

After a stunning 7 players taken on the first day (rounds 1 & 2) we hope to see some similar returns in the final 5 rounds.

I won't be on as much as I was yesterday but I will check in and there is a lot to talk about in regards to day #1 so I want to work on a few things for the next day or two.

So the draft is about to resume check in as you are able!

UPDATE I Finaly.....There Goes Booty! To Minnesota. Not surprised he fell this far. He needs to play in WCO and he really isn’t starter material so he is being looked at as a back-up. Hey, he got picked and that is all that matters, now he needs to make his own luck to be successful in the league.

UPDATE II Big CW goes to Jacksonville. That should be interesting as he will back-up Jones-Drew

FIGHT ON!

I will be on sporadically today but I will obviously keep my eye on where our guys will get drafted.

This is a different class than in years past. This is a quiet yet confident group, they don't draw a lot of attention to themselves yet once they get on the field they are absolutely fierce competitors. For the most part the top four USC players taken (Ellis, Jackson, Rivers and Davis) should be pretty productive with their respective teams.

Others like Rachal, Baker, Radovich, Spanos, Booty and Washington should all get opportunities to earn a spot on their respective teams. I think Baker and Rachal could be sleeper picks that are undervalued, but who really knows?

As, always leave comments, suggestions or rants here I will pop on if something really crazy happens.

I wish all of our guys well.

UPDATE I: The Patriots trade their #7 pick to the Saints and Sedrick Ellis goes to New Orleans. He will be reunited with Coach O! Good move by the Saints.

UPDATE II With the 9th pick Rivers goes to the Bengals! That’s a solid pick for them as well. So far not bad for the SC defense. All Things Trojan has the video of Rivers getting selected by Cincy!

UPDATE III The Redskins trade their pick, #21, to Atlanta and they take Sam Baker! WOW! That’s a great surprise! That’s is AWESOME.

UPDATE IV LoJack to the Seahawks! Back with Lofa…that’s FOUR IN THE FIRST ROUND BABY!!!!

UPDATE V Chilo goes to the 49er’s with the 39th pick. Looks like his gamble paid off that’s 5 players taken from SC so far on the first day

UPDATE VI Big Freddie Davis goes to the Redskins with the 48th pick. A Great day for SC so far. With Brohm and Henne dropping Mortensen said that helps Booty. We’ll see. Tell me Pete Carroll isn’t happy with how this draft is turning out.

UPDATE VII CB Terrell Thomas goes to the New York Giants. That’s 7 players in the first 2 rounds. What…A…Day!!

So, today's the day to see who gets drafted when and where?

This year's draft is different than the last 2 years, this is a group that is more under the radar than the stars of two years ago and of the early entrants from last year (OG Chilo Rachal is this years only early entrance). The draft for the most part is always a crapshoot, teams say one thing then do another. They use disinformation as well as the CIA does so one the first 4 picks are done that's when the chess match really begins. Of course there are no guarantees as to how a player will perform in the NFL in relationship to where he was drafted. So, in the end it's anyone's guess.

This year could be different than what we have seen the pat two years with SC having possibly 4 very productive players in taken in the first round.

I've made no secret that once a player leaves SC I don't really follow their career. I wish them luck and hope they do well but for the most part I check out former USC players usually with nothing more than a passing glance. Of course there are exceptions; with Steve Smith literally playing right down the street from where I live it was fun, but also painful, to talk about his USC accomplishments as I live with a rabid NY J-E-T-S fan, to my crazy NY Giants fan neighbors.

Of we wish all of USC players in the draft go as high as possible and that they get the chance to chase their dream in the NFL. As with any other draft it will be interesting to see just where everyone ends up. The NFL scouts can be a fickle bunch and what they said yesterday is not necessarily relevant today.

Good Luck Guys!

FIGHT ON!

Both the LA Times and the Daily News have stories up this morning about a possible NCAA violation that USC is looking into in regards to some T-shirts being sold at last weekends Trojan Huddle.

From The LA Times:

Can you say "non-issue"! I am not going to get all worked up over this. So some guy tried to capitalize on Sanchez's name and make a few bucks. I say welcome to America! That this is an even issue is puzzling to me. An outside vendor tries to make a buck by using Sanchez's in an unauthorized way and it's a potential violation? If anything the school could go after the vendor for some form of copyright infringement but an NCAA violation?? Must be a slow news day.

I mean its not like Sanchez had a contract with a guy to make a few bucks. Hey here's an idea let USC take 100% control of The Coliseum that way they can be in total control of who comes and goes from the facility. /sarcasm

Jeez, I can hear it already from the clowns across town about how its another example of USC cheating and that it's a lack of institutional control, blah, blah, blah. They're just jealous because they don't have any star playerss that their fans can identify with. Heck, they can't even keep their QB's healthy from non-contact injuries...go figure.

Better luck next year guys.

There is an interesting, albeit brief, take on John David Booty and how he being viewed by the experts in the NFL.

From Brian Grummell at the Fan House:

Both takes are correct depending on the day that you watch him. Booty will probably have end up as a back-up somewhere in the NFL, make a few bucks for a few years and then move on. He will have the memories of a great career at SC.

More interesting is how some of the experts can't decide what their take is so god only knows what they are really thinking.

Anyway, just thought I would throw it out while we go through a slow news cycle during this time of year. I will have an NFL Draft open thread up on Saturday to keep an eye on where our players end up in the draft.