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SoCal's Post Mortem

Adam Rank — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:10:00 EST

Filed under: Chargers, Raiders, UCLA Football, USC Football, Pac 10, Los Angeles, Angels, Anaheim, San Diego, USC, UCLA

An eight foot birdie putt stopped just short of the hole Friday morning, giving a momentary pain we all have felt, but also foreshadowed a rough sports weekend that was ahead. Honestly, when missing a birdie putt is the highlight of your sports weekend, then you know it was a rough one.

This weekend was so bad, it beat the previous worst sports weekend in SoCal history which occurred in June, 1981 when the Red Sox eliminated the Angels in the ALCS, the Rams moved to St. Louis, Magic Johnson contracted HIV, Steve Garvey went to the Padres and A.C. Slater lost in a wrestling match to that dude from Valley High.

Alright, maybe all of those things didn't happen in the same weekend (or at all). And in this internet age, we are so quick to proclaim anything as the best or worst weekend ever (blame Dan Shanoff). But make no mistake, this weekend, like, totally sucked, dude.
The Angels, USC and UCLA football teams and the Chargers all combined to make this a painful weekend. And you might ask yourself, "Hey, didn't the Chargers win this weekend?" Well, that's true. But wins will only keep Norv Turner around long enough to ruin the Chargers franchise which he is doing a pretty good job of right now. Five more wins should clinch the AFC West. If you don't think so, take a look at who is in first place in the division. That's right, it's the Raiders. That's the state of the NFL right now. But Norv will continue to do just enough to keep his job, because even the Chargers can't fire a second coach who led his team to the playoffs, right?

If the NFL isn't bad enough, trying being a Southern Californian who doubles as a Pac-10 apologist. The local talk shows spent most of the week joking about how both USC and UCLA were on a bye week, considering the dismal state of its respective opponents, Stanford and Notre Dame. Nobody was laughing at the end of Saturday night.

Except for those who root against SoCal. You know, the guys who were secretly giddy when Matt Leinart was knocked out of the Cardinals victory over the St. Louis Football Team.

Losing to Pac-10 teams happens. And this blows Loss Miles theory that the Pac-10 is week when Stanford can knock off the No. 2 team in the country. An argument that doesn't hold much weight when UCLA loses to freaking Notre Dame. Yes the same Notre Dame that was blown out by Division I-AA power, Michigan. The same Notre Dame who would probably have lost to Mater Dei.

If there's anything worse than an SEC leading the polls, it's Cal being No. 2. Seriously, Pac-10 pride aside, but couldn't ASU, Oregon or somebody else take the flag for being USC's understudy? Does it really have to be the team from Frisco? Not only did Cal move up, but Boston College jumped up, too. Not that the front-running Red Sox fans at Angels Stadium needed anymore ammunition.

Losing is one thing, but being treated like a female dog is quite another. The Angels won three division titles during my childhood and college life. Now they have won three since 2004, but they all feel hollow. The Angels didn't just lose, they were destroyed. The worst is that those cheating Sox (and let's be honest, everybody in Boston cheats, via videotape, bloody socks, or unethical trades) purposely hit Vlade for the second time this season. And the Angels won't retaliate. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez should be eating out of a feeding tube, but instead Jered Weaver is lobbing gopher balls to let them go back-to-back. Only two guys in that whole lineup can hurt you, and the Angels let them. Say what you want about the lack of a bat protecting Vlade, but the Angels not protecting him is much, much worse.

And speaking of Weaver, they selected him with the 12th overall selection a few years back. The guy they passed over? Local product Phil Hughes who pretty much saved the Yankees season on Sunday. Traitor.

This might not have been the worst sports weekend in SoCal history, but if you don't mind, my head is going to be buried until UCLA goes and loses in the Final Four again.

SoCal's Post Mortem originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Les Miles Opens Mouth, Crazy Talk Billows Forth

Brian Grummell — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:18:00 EST

Filed under: Chiefs, LSU Football, USC Football, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC, The Word

What is it about the SEC that compels folks to regularly combine a fetid brew of boastfulness with ignorance? The latest example Via The Wizard of Odds provides all kinds of quotable outward contempt from LSU coach Les Miles towards count 'em 1)USC, 2)the Pac-10 and 3)the Big 12/everyone else. The following comments were made during an interview with New Orleans radio station WWL as reported by Carl DuBois of The Advocate.

Let's go through this piece-by-piece, shall we? Analysis after the jump.

Les Miles, whose team is a popular pick to play in this season's BCS title game opposite USC, is calling into question the strength of the Pacific 10 Conference, suggesting the Trojans should be a cinch to make it to the Jan. 7 game in New Orleans because of a suspect league schedule.

"I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel," Miles said. "They're going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford - some real juggernauts - and they're going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they'll end up in the title [game].

"I would like that path for us. I think the SEC provides much stiffer competition."

You could have said the same thing last year about USC and yet they lost TWICE in the supposedly weak Pac-10. That same two-time Pac-10 loser also won on the road against the eventual SEC runner-up Arkansas Razorbacks. The score of that game was 50-14, by-the-way.

How about 2005, when USC crushed Arkansas 70-17? They had far more competition that year against Fresno State and Arizona State than Arkansas.

Or look at 2004, when USC won by 11 on the road against Virginia Tech in the opener and stomped Oklahoma in the championship game 55-19. Their toughest games that season were in fact against Pac-10 foes like Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA.

Finally, how about 2003 when USC lost in triple overtime before a frothing Cal crowd and nearly lost the next week on the road against Arizona State before getting its act together and later demolishing a fine Michigan squad in the Rose Bowl. One of the Trojans' easiest games that year was on the road against the SEC's Auburn Tigers, a 23-0 victory. That's more than can be said for Miles whose road record against the Tigers is 0-1 after last year's dreadful 7-3 defeat. For many years now the pattern for USC under Pete Carroll has been to crush out-of-conference foes but struggle in about half of their Pac-10 games. The same thing is likely to happen this year as USC's efforts at going undefeated will be challenged a handful of times within conference play.

It is in fact the Pac-10 which provides the most consistent competition for its members and for USC. In the past 16 years, four teams have gone undefeated in SEC play. In that same time period, only two Pac-10 teams have survived conference play unbeaten. Think about that for a moment: over the past 16 years, the likelihood of a team going undefeated through SEC play is greater than the likelihood of a team going undefeated in Pac-10 play. That pours just a little bit of water on the SEC hype, doesn't it?

Pac-10 teams might not always be as talented, but thanks to the available talent, quality coaching and ability to scheme on both sides of the ball, the Pac-10 is incredibly difficult to survive without recording a few losses. The league might not be as deep as the SEC, but it may just be even more competitive.

Put simply, Miles' argument is both bogus and ignorant.

Miles does acknowledge that he'd like to play USC in this year's title game. But then, the game would be a virtual home game for his Tigers, playing in the Sugar Bowl. Tough talk, eh, coach? Somehow I doubt he'd be as comfortable asking for a piece of USC if the hypothetical title game matchup were in Pasadena.

Anyway, the tough talk didn't end with USC or the Pac-10. The remainder of the rant was more or less "ur conference is teh suck, we r hawt, tackle football, boom. w00t."

"The Big 12 is a conference that might have two really pretty good teams, maybe four. I think the Pac-10 may have one or two really good ones. The ACC certainly, arguably, has some quality teams.

"I don't think there's any conference out there that has as many quality teams as ours."

Ohhh kayyy coach. When do we get to kiss the ring?

My FanHouse colleague Brian Cook Is certain to be scratching his head at all of this. SEC fans are quick to forget that the Big Ten handed two favored SEC teams losses in bowl games last year. Traditional SEC power Alabama also lost, falling to Miles' former bosses at Oklahoma State. Bowl games tend to be a bit flukey, but the bigger picture here is that the SEC's dominance isn't as clear-cut as told by its backers.

Look, I like the SEC, the league has really grown on me. However, this kind of talk is insane. It's unsolicited, it demeans other conferences (whose members sometimes you know, BEAT SEC teams, not that anyone wants to talk about that) and isn't all that intelligent to begin with. It is talk that needs to be challenged.

After reading this, the fact that Les Miles has a vote in the coaches poll ... is frightening. The article suggests that he takes that task seriously, but his views and demeanor arguably show an inability to provide a fair vote on non-SEC teams. Is this a good thing?

Les Miles Opens Mouth, Crazy Talk Billows Forth originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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College Eye: What the Bills Can Expect From Marshawn Lynch

Brian Grummell — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:54:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Draft, Colorado Football, Pac 10, NFL Prospects, California

Lynch was one of college football's elite tailbacks the last three years, averaging 6.1, 6.4 and 8.8 yards a carry. He's also a strange dude and it is unknown how money, fame and his sometimes shy, sometimes outgoing personality will handle the new surroundings. What is known is that his selection by the Bills is considered a reach. Bill fans will rightly point out that last year's reach - Ohio State safety Donte Whitner - has acquitted himself quite nicely in the NFL.

A view on his chances from a guy who watched him play three years ...

PROS: Lynch makes things happen. He has a good combination of shake, speed and bulk to turn things loose inside or outside. He is adept at finding the end zone and can score from inside the red zone. Lynch doesn't have many bad games and can be counted on to give you something you can work with almost every time out.

CONS: Cal's coaches never entrusted Lynch to fully carry the load for them which raises some red flags. His ability to handle an NFL workload (20+ carries for several games) is an unknown and he can get dinged with minor injuries that sometimes pile up. However, he's also a tough runner and tends to shake off a lot of the bumps and bruises. Weather. Lynch is an Oakland kid who stuck with the school almost in his backyard. May take some time to become a November/December player especially in Buffalo.

OVERALL: Lynch might not quite live up to expectation as a first round back if only because he's never shouldered a top back's burden before. Who knows, maybe he surprises and shows he's up to the task but at present it's a complete unknown. What he will do is provide a lot of excitement for the Bills' running offense because he can give a team at least 10-15 carries a game running inside most of the time and give you something. He also has the athleticism and herky-jerk/shake running style to create in space. Lynch should have a solid NFL career as either a moderate-use primary back or a standout complementary runner. As a bonus he has value as a receiver and returnman that the Bills may be able to exploit.

Previously at FanHouse:
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Marshawn Lynch

College Eye: What the Bills Can Expect From Marshawn Lynch originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 May 2007 19:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stanford Hires Former Raiders Coach

Adam Rank — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Raiders, NFC West, Pac 10

No, it wasn't Jon Gruden.

Stanford hired Jim Harbaugh to be its next coach, but be forewarned Cardinal fan, this guy comes with a warning label. Harbaugh was an assistant coach for the Raiders in 2002-03. And if there is one family tree in which you don't want to be plucking fruit from, it is the Raiders.

Forget about the success he has had with the University of San Diego (not San Diego State), anybody with a coaching tie to the Raiders is as tainted as lettuce from Taco Bell. So good luck with all of that.

Hey, maybe if Harbaugh does good enough, he can join the Raiders in a couple of years. He couldn't do much worse than Art Shell.

Stanford Hires Former Raiders Coach originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early Money's On Duck Receivers to Torch BYU's Corners in Vegas

RJ Schaer — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:56:00 EST

Filed under: Buccaneers, Oregon Football, Pac 10, Bowl Games

As usual, injuries play a big role in how these games go late in the year. But it looks like BYU's secondary's all going to be standing on the sidelines on December 21st and you know Gary Crowton's already noticed. A separated shoulder, ligament damage to a toe to one guy, and a broken leg to another last Saturday, and just like that, Oregon's got Jaison Williams matched up with BYU's fourth best cornerback. It means Jordan Kent at 6' 5" gets whoever else they decide to put out there as meat. And it means when they go to the third and fourth receivers, Colvin, Strong, Finley and Paysinger will have mismatches as well.

Of course, knowing Oregon's play-calling in the last month, I'm sure they'll try mostly double, triple, reverse, pitch, option screen plays to 'fool' the BYU defense. Fearing their talent just can't match up with players a half foot shorter and slower. 'Let's trick'em. Let's out-scheme'em. Let's use tomfoolery.' here's an idea for the Duck coaches, throw the stinkin' ball to the guys who can make plays and let'em make plays. Hand...yes....hand the stinkin' ball to Stewart and Johnson, and...let'em make plays. Enough with the razzle dazzle shamazzle. Let guys make plays. Especially if the D is all banged up for BYU.

Please don't remind me again how another Oregon team in their last NCAA tourney appearance (also against a Mountain West School, Utah) got the other team's center fouled out, and proceeded to shoot 3's until they were finished in the tournament because they were to ignorant to throw the ball inside.

If BYU's corners are as inexperienced as it appears. Attack them early, often, all day, and until you get on the bus to go back to the hotel.

Of course, it's not like the Ducks are coming in totally healthy either. They may not have their best defender, linebacker Blair Phillips and that'd be absolutely huge in allowing them to play straight up against the run and get pressure on John Beck. Fortunately for Oregon, the Ducks have had so many injured on defense they've played the second stringers for most the year. The good news there is, those guys have all seen a ton of action. Thurmond, Byrd, Ageyman, Dickson, etc.

Oregon's got a lot of issues to deal with in preparing for BYU's team. Fortunately, BYU's got this to deal with on the other side. Can they find some guys to match up with Oregon's receivers? I don't know.

Early Money's On Duck Receivers to Torch BYU's Corners in Vegas originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jim Rome: 'USC Could Probably Beat Cardinals Straight Up'

Dan — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: AZ Cardinals, NFC West, USC Football, Pac 10

Talk about a slap in the face! Yesterday during an episode of "Rome is Burning" the possibility of Pete Carroll going to Arizona next season came up. After flat out saying that is impossible because "it's Arizona," Jim Rome said that the Carroll led USC Trojans could [right now] probably beat the Cardinals straight up.

Sadly I would not dispute that. As a matter of fact if I was to bet on that game I would probably bet on USC. All that said it's really sad that it has come to these kinds of comparisons. It's sad that the media believes the Cardinals are so bad that the #2 college team could beat them.

I'll tell you what though, that's certainly a game I would pay to watch. I imagine that USC would walk away with a 27-13 win in Southern California and a 24-17 win in Arizona.

I wonder what chances Rome thinks the Lions would have against Ohio State. Now in the words of Mr. Rome - "I am out."

Jim Rome: 'USC Could Probably Beat Cardinals Straight Up' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lachey Leads All-Star Lineup for USC-Notre Dame

Scott Olin Schmidt — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 12:48:00 EST

Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Notre Dame Football, USC Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Gossip

With his ex-wife now dating the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback and his former "roommate" throwing passes for the Arizona Cardinals, former boy-bander Nick Lachey is remaining loyal to the USC Trojans, leading a long list of celebrities who will be at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Saturday when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town.

Lachey will be joined on the sidelines by Sacramento Kings scion Joe Maloof (who also attended last week's game against Cal), reality television star Donald Trump, Britney Spears' father Jamie and the legendary Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell, who will no doubt remind the players on both teams that, "if you ain't first, you're last!"

Lachey Leads All-Star Lineup for USC-Notre Dame originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 24 Nov 2006 12:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chow Could Replace Koetter at Arizona State

Scott Olin Schmidt — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:46:00 EST

Filed under: Titans, NFL Gossip, USC Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Coaching, Arizona State Football

Former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow may return to the Pac Ten after all. Spurned by the Stanford Cardinal, who chose Walt Harris over Chow (who said everyone was smart in Palo Alto?), Chow left the Trojans for an assistant coaching position for the Tennessee Titans, despite his head-coaching aspirations.

Expected to be the fourth-best team in the Pac Ten this year, the Arizona State Sun Devils must beat rival Arizona just to qualify for a Bowl Game. Sun Devils Head coach Dirk Koetter has been on the hot-seat since losing institutional control early in the season and the wheels have come off the Sun Devil bandwagon since they played USC close in early October.

Now, rumor has it that despite his contract extensions, Koetter may be on his way out and that Norm Chow, who worked with ASU athletic director Lisa Love when they were at USC, is in line for the top job at Arizona State.

Chow Could Replace Koetter at Arizona State originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commit Wednesday: Eselu Goes Global With His Duck Announcement

RJ Schaer — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:35:00 EST

Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Oregon Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Recruiting

Last week it was Mark Asper, in previous weeks it's been Charlie Carmichael, Edward Pleasant and Anthony Gildon. All Duck verbal commits who picked a Wednesday to make the announcement this year. Today, it was a huge tight end with enormous upside who his coach describes as just a great person. Savai'i Eselu who committed to the Ducks.

He announced it by posting it on Scout.com's sister company myspace.com. Eselu is 6' 4", 245lbs. and an absolutely terrific athlete. Here's the announcement on the myspace.com site. He's being recruited as a tight end but has the athleticism to play early on special teams or to even play defensive end if that's where he ultimately fits in. But for now, he's a tight end or in Oregon's offense, an H-Back. He's gotta be happy with the way Oregon's using Dante Rosario a lot more this year and how much more diverse the offense seems to be in terms of getting the ball to players at that spot. With Rosario leaving after this year and Dan Kause only one year away from graduation, Oregon's got a big need at that spot this year.

Savai'i Eselu is the 37th ranked tight end nationally by Scout.com and also had offers from Arizona, San Diego State, Colorado, BYU and Utah. Rivals.com ranked him as the 23rd best tight end and the 4th best player in the state of Hawaii this year.

Commit Wednesday: Eselu Goes Global With His Duck Announcement originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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