NBCSports.com contributor Updated: 10:00 p.m. ET Nov. 3, 2005 getCSS("3027626") "John Wooden is commonly referred to as the "Wizard of Westwood," so USC coach Pete Carroll should now be called the "Wizard of Watts." Most fans that call my radio show from the Deep South have no respect for the Pac-10 Conference and believe Southern California would lose several games Let me remind every fan that doesn't stay up past 10 p.m. on the East coast that if USC had a chance to play Florida this season they would win by 40 points. If they had to go to Alabama and play the Crimson Tide, they would be up by 30 at the half. Imagine the beating that Tennessee would take if the Trojans hosted the Volunteers at the Coliseum. You get my point. We are witnessing a college dynasty and should applaud Carroll and his staff for looking more like an NFL team than a squad that practices on campus. Reggie Bush is the best college running back since Marshall Faulk, and LenDale White looks like he can run with as much power as Jerome Bettis did at Notre Dame. if they played in the SEC." What is up with the media these days? USC is good, no doubt, but this type of reporting is nauseating. Any of these reporters ever get called out? I recall similar love fest with Oklahoma in 03....suggesting then that they were perhaps the best team EVER! I would certainly like to see some competition among reporters or a reporter's critic organization whose sole job would be to criticize some of the outlandish comments that are made by reporters.
Whether Pac 10 deserves respect is questionable, but USC is very, very good & what Carroll has done there so far is up there with the greatest coaches in history. This guy fails to mention all of USC's close games against inferior pac 10 competition. Yes, if USC played the way USC is capable of playing they would beat Bama by 30, but USC hasn't shown they can play that way consistently. That's where Pac 10 bashing comes in, because if they had to play teams like that regularly they wouldn't always be able to come back.
The media is always compairing those who have had recent success to those who have already had great success Ex: Lebron James to Michael Jordan, Ben Rothlisburger to Marino, the list can go on its just an easy way to generate a story. It puts alot of added pressure on those athletes just to perform to the medias expectations anything less is looked upon as a failure! Many of these pressured athletes are forgotten left in the shadows of those misleading expectations. Not only the media but the fans do the same thing!
IMO, this USC team is one of the best ever (yes EVER). I respect what they have done and I don't find that he made any outlandish comments in that read. JMO
'01 Miami vs. '05 USC? That Miami team was as good as I've seen, if any defense could stop USC it has to be theirs. I'd take Miami in a tight game.
As I said in the original post, there is no doubt that USC is a good team, even a great team and if I were a USC fan I would be lovin it.....but the comparison to an NFL team (ok, perhaps to the Saints that would be a fair comparison) is a little over the top. Same with suggesting that in 03 Oklahoma was the beat team ever. I consider these comments outlandish, just as I do the suggestion that USC was the co-champion with LSU in 03. Yet, USC is going for its 3rd national championship in a row! So I guess that USC will have three of these after this season..... :crystal: :crystal: :crystal: JMO. By the way, how does one get a red dot? I have posted total of 8 times and do not recall ever saying anything worthy of bad rep. Never mind, it is back to green.
Here's my question to you, if it was LSU that was blowing teams off the field that year, would you have found it outlandish if "they" made comments about LSU being possibly the best ever?(probably not) IMO the way OU was pasting teams that year, it would be hard not to speak of that team as one of the best. Of course we now know they weren't because of the two final losses, but you have to admit they were quit impressive for most of the year.
who thinks some members of the media would BLOW THEIR BRAINS OUT if USC lost the rest of their games... hahaha
