I saw some interesting comments by Lawrence Jackson today in the Daily News.
But Jackson conceded he could see why fans might be upset.
"They think we don't get disappointed?" he said. "If I was a fan I'd expect the team to be great, too."
USC is just a point from being undefeated, but that loss is one for the ages because Stanford was a 41-point underdog. And nearly as unheard of for this program, the loss was bookended by a sloppy three-point win over Washington and an unimpressive seven-point victory over Arizona.
You guys think Arizona is bad because of their record (2-5), but if you go through their roster, they are a pretty good team," Jackson said. "We expected a tough game."
Really?? Give me a break just wait until you get to the pros. It's unrelenting.
So I guess I have been wasting my time writing this blog. Taking time away from my family and friends throughout the year, even letting this site cut into my work schedule at times because I want to do the best I can to get the word out. I should just quit because I don't know what I'm talking about??
Yeah, right....
I completely disagree!
No one is expecting 13-0 every season. I'm happy with a Rose Bowl appearance every 3-4 out of 5 years because it denotes our command of the Pac-10. I am also happy if we are in the hunt for an MNC at the same time. So, while I NEVER like to lose I understand that you can't win them all. Of course we don't know every single detail that goes on in Heritage Hall, which is why we question what we are seeing. I won't blame the players for the preseason hype and I guess you really can't blame the coaches. But seeing that Jackson has brought up the issue of talent, what I will question is with the talent level that we supposedly have, how is it that player development is not where it once was? Like was discussed earlier in regards to the offensive line. How come Turner can't seem to hang on the to the ball? How is it that Stanley Havili, as valuable and productive as he is at the FB position, still misreads routes or drops simple dump passes that kill productive drives?
I'm not one to question or criticize the practice standards that the coaching staff sets forth, but everyone must have been scratching their heads at Rey Maualuga's hit on Turner in practice that, in my opinion, he has still yet to recover from, at least mentally. Again, Jackson is right, we don't all know what is going on but he is mistaken if he thinks that what we do see we won't comment on.
Pete Carroll and the players have pretty much had a free pass at some of things that have gone in the past. If they are winning most people will not worry about the other stuff that goes on. Yes, the fact is that SC is only ONE point from being undefeated but that is deceptive, as the wins against Idaho and Washington were anything but pretty, they didn't have to be. But at the same token we could all see the warning signs that SC might not be all that they were hyped up to be. The Hype might not be SC's fault but the performance is. I realize that we have a ton of injuries and that plays a big part in what we are seeing but then all the talk that SC's 2nd or 3rd stringers would start at other major D-1 programs is bunk. They may have the talent but the development of that talent is now in question and the results on the filed have now exposed it.
No one is a bigger fan and homer than I am for USC but for Jackson to say that I don't know what's going on behind the scenes is one thing but when all the evidence to the contrary is showing us that SC is struggling and it points at either player performance which is tied to player development what do you expect me to do, bury my head in the sand?
I love this team and I will support it through thick and thin but the player's relationship with the fans is symbiotic. It isn't always perfect but we are stuck with each other.