Ed. Note - Lets use our heads people. Pete Carroll gave us a ton of good memories and made USC football relevant again. We are all smart enough to know this is a business and this was always a possibility. There no easy or good way to through a divorce, literally and figuratively, and that is what this is. There is no need to bash Pete Carroll. We should thank him and wish him luck. Please think before you comment...Paragon
With Pete Carroll's departure to the Seattle Seahawks and Mike Riley staying in Corvallis the search is on to find USC's next head coach.
Right now just who is on that list is up in the air but I do know that Mike Garrett will not be involved in the overall process. We have heard the names of Jack Del Rio, Jeff Fisher and even Herm Edwards. Fisher has declined the invite and to many of us Edwards is not qualified because his lack of experience in the college game. USC needs to get this right so I really don't care about this years recruiting class. This hire will affect us for years to come so one class of recruits is not going make the world go off its axis.
There really isn't a whole lot more to report since I logged off last night around midnight. There is a lot of speculation about a lot of things so I am laying low on things until the picture becomes more. I am not sure just what else there is to report. Pete Carroll is gone and so to me the reasons that he left really are not important at this point.
Hopefully the higher ups at SC (boosters and admin alike) will expand their list and reach out to Chris Petersen, Gary Patterson and even Jim Harbaugh. Like I said this is a business so no name is off the list until a potential candidate publicly says NO!
There is a lot of chatter about how this all went down and how it was handled by Pete Carroll.
Again, think before you post...
If you have something that is factual then post it up. Speculation at this time will just rile everyone up so don't post it if you cannot back it up. You know what I am talking about.
As I noted last night the lack of communication between players & recruits and Pete Carroll & the staff should not surprise anyone...especially when we are talking about a coach leaving for the NFL. Mike Garrett could have stepped up and made sure that both players and recruits were informed as best as they could be but that is not Garrett's style. I am not sure what people expect Pete Carroll to say..."Hey guys I might be leaving for the NFL so you're on your own!" The fact is this is always how this goes down. Brian Kelly's departure to Norter Dame wasn't any different.
Most important this is not Podunk St. This is USC and USC is an elite program that will always get more scrutiny and attention than most other programs. Because of Pete Carroll's insane level of success at USC that attention is magnified. Throw in the NCAA controversy and you magnify it a little more.
You get where I am going...
I understand that peoples level of frustration increases when you hear that Pete is raiding the program by taking Bates, Norton, Morton and possibly Ruel. Again, that is the nature of the business. It is what it is so we just need ride it out.
USC is bigger than all of this. It is bigger than one person or staff no matter how successful this run has been. That is why SC needs to get this right and take its time in getting the right coach who will assemble the right staff. I understand that this is a painful situation but this has been brewing for a while. With so many people second guessing and criticizing Pete Carroll and his decisions this past season this is probably for the best. He wasn't going to change and too many people wasted their time in pining for the past in regards to missed opportunities like losing Norm Chow or not having Bush in the game on 4th and 2, etc. etc. It is unfair to Pete Carroll to boil down his tenure at USC because of a few small issues on the greater landscape. We should celebrate his accomplishments and be happy for what we had, because as we all now know NOTHING lasts forever.
That doesn't mean I am disappointed, but I know exactly what Pete Carroll is thinking having been through something similar three years ago albeit on a much smaller scale. He has an itch that he wants to scratch so let him scratch it. You would want the same opportunity afforded to you.
So lets celebrate the past while looking forward to the future...everything happens for a reason so lets find out just what that reason is.
More is sure to come out about the events that led up to this and that will give us a much clearer picture.
I refuse to badmouth Carroll I said before he owes us nothing and I stand by it. He gave more than anyone could have imagined. When you reach the highest of highs you are sure to experience the lowest of lows...that is where we are today. If you want to to see people throw themselves off of cliffs or see them slit their wrists then head over to the message boards for that drivel. I won't do that here...it is not the end of the world.
As for the haters...well, I would expect to get a barrage from all sides, that's fine but I can only control what happens here so venture out there at your own risk. There will be a lot of nasty things being said, just remember who you are dealing with...
I will have more later as it comes up. I have an average day so I hope to be able to be on line monitoring things. As always if you see something post it up!