TheShiver’s Cory Hedgepeth isn’t happy with Pete Carroll, although it’s possible the LA traffic got to him a little more than usual. All the same, he gives us his opinion on the Pete Carroll outburst, looks into ways USC could work the system and tries to answer the burning question from Carroll’s press conference: Which Matt?
When Mark Sanchez declared for the NFL draft, most journalists seemed none-to surprised. When Pete Carroll went into a fit of passive rage over his Quarterback’s decision (yes, I realize I coupled two contradicting terms, but they work, so move on) the media seemed a bit surprised as well. But they shouldn’t be. This is Pete Carrol, remember? In the words of the great rapping philosopher, Kanye West, Pete, “how could you be so heartless?”
Carroll begins his press conference theatrics by stating that Sanchez is “going against the grain.” However, its completely unclear to me which direction Pete Carroll’s magic grain flows. Until now, I always thought the NFL draft decision process was relatively simple (see below for example).
Please check YES to any of the following statements that apply:
1-I play Quarterback, Running back or wide receiver for a big-time Divisional 1 school.
2-I won a BCS bowl game.
3-I think my mom living in a huge “rented” home is cool, but I prefer millions of dollars, supermodels and Nike ads.
4-I look like Adrien Grenier from Entourage.
5-I want to party with Pacman Jones at the Spearment Rhino in Las Vegas.
If you checked YES to all of the following, you are now ready to be drafted by the NFL. If you only checked YES to #5, you are still eligible to be drafted by the Raiders or Cowboys.
See, that really wasn’t so difficult. Lets examine some more of Carroll’s vociferation.
“The NFL has a real clear thought that they want you to stay in school as long as you can, they want you to finish your education.”
If the NFL wanted players to stay in college, why on earth would they draft them? And if the NFL were so feverishly concerned with its players representing a more educated personage, how on earth would JaMarcus Russell have been selected? Ok, the Raiders drafted him, so clearly my latter point has a few holes, but you get the idea. No offense Raiders fans, but JarMacus Russell is a graveyard for vocabulary.
Carroll goes on to compare Sanchez’s playing time to “Matt’s” playing time. This is where I get confused, is he speaking of Matt Cassel, the starting Quarterback for the 11-5 Patriots? The same one that ran one of the NFL’s most reputably complex offenses, became an AFC top Quarterback and played all but 0 games for USC during his tenure? Or does he speak of Matt Leinart and his three years of experience at USC which led to him getting replaced by a near 40 year old? For the record, I love Leinhart, I have met him on a few occasions. But the example sticks.
This recent Carroll outburst shouldn’t come as a surprise. He has historically condemned the BCS, however, the media and public have always supported him as some kind of a martyr for a cause. Lets face it, we all want a playoff system, and Carroll has been the perfect representative for that change (at least until Obama came forward). Why is Carroll the perfect representative for the cause? Because it appears on the outside that USC benefits from the current BCS setup. It appears to the public that Carroll is just looking out for the good of the game, just like he is just looking out for the well being of his Quarterback.
Not so fast.
If the BCS really negotiated a playoff system, do you honestly think that Carroll wouldn’t benefit over everyone else? What if the playoff system centered around divisions? The SEC and the Big 12’s best teams would always be on the brink of elimination while Carroll would always be a shoe-in to advance to a relatively high-level. But hey, that’s just opinion.
I have a suggestion for Carroll that would solve his woes with the NCAA. Why not lobby to move your Trojans to the AFC West. Lets be honest, they’d win the division next year, you would have your playoff and you could exercise your option to only draft players with degrees.
Cory Hedgepeth is a writer out of Huntington Beach, Ca. He can be reached via email at coryhedgepeth@gmail.com or add him on Facebook.
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