FORECAST FOR SEATTLE? CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEAT-HEADS

Pete the Cheat Beats the Heat:  Carroll’s a Skater (with the Traitor and the Bater), as the Instigator/Investigator-Evader says “Later, Educator” to usc

Ding, dong, the Cheat is Gone… and just when it was getting interesting.

Apparently, Pete Carroll has tendered his RESIGNATION as usc football’s Head Coach.  And he’s reportedly taking two of his bootlicks with him:  Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates, and Assistant Roach in Charge of Linebackers Ken Norton jr.  All three of them are expected to be announced as Seattle Seahawks Coaches on Monday.

Supposedly, Carroll TEXTED IN his own pink slip, and has been in discussion with Seattle for two weeks;  When the University failed to back Carroll up on the Joe McKnight Rover-gate SCandal, and Joe wasn’t allowed to play in the big Emerald Bowl, Pete decided he couldn’t work for an organization that doesn’t have his back.

But the Seattle organization is already screwing him, before they even sign him.  Carroll has always said that he wants to be completely in charge of his NFL Program, as President/GM as well as Coach, and that’s why he blew off all the previous overtures (from Atlanta, San Francisco, and Miami [??]).  So when the Seattle rumors started up, Carroll was thought to be getting the whole enchilada, seeing as both spots were available.  But now it turns out that Seattle is going to hire a separate person as GM, who will be in charge of Player Personnel.  Carroll will be in charge of the 53 guys that the GM gives him, period.

So why did Carroll break down and accept a position that is not even close to what he wanted?  Could it be…SANCTIONS?  The rumor that I reported reluctantly the other day has now been “confirmed” by the major media:  The NCAA has REJECTED usc’s offer of a self-imposed penalty on the Football Team, because it was TOO lenient.

Apparently, the NCAA has just interviewed Reggie Bush (who also has a deposition coming up as soon as the Football season is over), and is FINALLY getting ready to come down on usc like a sack of hammers.  The new rumor, from the same source as the last rumor, says that the trojans were still on NCAA probation when the Bush payoffs took place, so they are being considered repeat offenders.  Supposedly, the last repeat offender of this nature was SMU, whose Football Program was not just banned from TV, but banned from playing Home Games at all, so they cancelled the whole season.  (“The Death Penalty.”)  It took them YEARS to rebound from the blow.

Could you imagine if usc just DIDN’T FIELD A FOOTBALL TEAM for a year or two?  Due just to Carroll leaving, their verballed recruits are reconsidering.  If there is a Bowl Ban, or a Death Sentence, the top prospects would turn and run faster than Damian Williams racing Joe McKnight to the Draft.

With Carroll taking Bates, that ends the thoughts of him trying to steal Norm Chow back, away from UCLA.  However, now Chow is being discussed as a replacement for Bates, back at usc.  And the flip side to that speculation is that DeWayne Walker could also return to sc as Head Coach, and take over the Defense.  I could see Walker wanting to get out of New Mexico, but I would lose all respect for Chow if he DOUBLE-CROSSED Rivalry Lines, just for a lateral move.

The trojans need to come up with someone quick, as Recruiting will suffer greatly if they don’t.  But their FIRST THREE choices have already turned them down:  Oregon State’s Mike Riley just re-signed with the Beavers to stay in Corvallis, the Titans’ Jeff Fisher is not interested, and Washington’s Steve Sarkissian has no intention of leaving Seattle to make the reverse trip that Carroll is making.

That leaves Jack Del Rio in the driver’s seat, especially since he’s in the HOT seat at Jacksonville.  Del Rio HAS shown sc interest, so it could be a perfect match.  Del Rio is young — he can wait out a Death Penalty.  And he probably won’t want Chow, after seeing him struggle in the Pro’s and then struggle for two years at UCLA.  Del Rio is expected to be bringing one of his sc honks, Kennedy Pola, so he might also bring someone to replace Bates.  Bruin fans should be SAD to see Bates go, as the trojan Offense was bland and very stoppable last year.  Actually, it’s been that way ever since Chow left, which makes me think that next year Chow will have a breakout year as head of the Bruin Offense — He just needed a little more talent and time.  But if he leaves, it would not be panic time either, as no matter what, the offense will improve this year, just based on talent alone.

Bruin fans can be much happier about Norton leaving than about Bates leaving.  The 3-time Super Bowl Champ was a renowned Recruiter, whose talent for Recruiting will now just go to waste, as he paces the NFL sidelines trying to get credit for a Defense that Carroll will want to call his own.  At least Norton won’t be in inner-city homes, bad-mouthing the school he once called home.

There is one new candidate for the sc head job who conceivably should be able to get usc back into Dorsey High etc. and that is Herm Edwards.  Herman seems like a good man, with serious Pro Bloodlines, and more Integrity than sc will be able to stand.  But if they give him a shot, it would be historic, in a good way:  He would be sc’s first African-American Football Head Coach, and that would be the ONE thing that A.D. Mike Garrett could do before he is ousted, of which he could actually be proud.  And personally, I don’t think Edwards was ever that great of a Coach between the lines (despite his expertise and playing ability), so I think he would be a great hire for usc.

If they do hire someone with Integrity, push will eventually come to shove, when the rich and powerful Alumni start forcing their money on Recruits, and breaking every rule there is, while the Coach is forced to sit there and (not) watch.  Carroll wasn’t the FIRST sc Football Coach to cheat blatantly — he was just really good at it… until he got caught… and caught again,,, and caught again…  But it’s not the end of an era, it’s just THE END OF AN ERROR… because he got caught.  It won’t be long before the new boss, same as the old boss, is up to all the usc dirty tricks that MAKE them who they are.