FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Maybe More Tackling Is Not Great Idea

I don’t want to say USC is soft but the Trojans had a “situational scrimmage” Saturday and three members of the secondary (Greg Johnson, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Talanoa Hufanga) are out the following Tuesday practice?

Maybe Clay Helton has a point when he limits hitting.

Freshman linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu, who redshirted last season because of a foot injury, has missed four straight practices with an undisclosed injury.

It’s hard to even remember if tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe (hip/groin) is on the team anymore but he has not been practicing this spring. Freshman tight end Jude Wolfe was also out Tuesday.

Remember when USC played Utah last season and had about 15 players get hurt in that game?

So far, the culture change that Helton and Lynn Swann promised does not apply to staying healthy.

  • If one practice made a spring, JT Daniels might not actually start at quarterback. Daniels threw an interception Tuesday and Jack Sears had a better practice. A few more of those and Clay Helton won’t want to discuss the quarterback situation.
  • And now for some coachspeak from offensive coordinator Graham Harrell on freshman QB Kedon Slovis.

“When he’s in there he just does everything right,” Harrell said. “He’s good with his feet, he has a really nice natural motion, the ball jumps out of his hand and he’s picked the offense up.”

In that case, why not start him?

Oh wait, he’s not the Golden Child.

46 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Maybe More Tackling Is Not Great Idea”

  1. “I don’t want to say USC is soft…” Yes you did. It is what you live for, what you wake up in the morning purposed to do. You love being negative about USC whether they deserve it or not. Usually when someone is that way it indicates self loathing or an inferiority complex. You tear others down so that you can feel better about your self. Am I getting Warm?

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  2. There you go, good job. I knew that you would change gears on QB play in the spring once JT had a difficult practice. So far from you all we have heard is how you can’t get excited about QB’s in the spring, how they play doesn’t mean anything…blah, blah, blah.

    Ooh JT throws a pick, time to write about how spring matters.

    Clearly you don’t go to the practices, or you would have known what most others have said about yesterday. He threw one pick but was good other than that. Also, he is now leading a player lead film study that was his idea and initiated by him. So much for your “the players don’t like or follow him” theory.

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    1. It’s J. T.’s team and, by all accounts, he’s looked sharp (and quick) in practice. An interception is no big deal if he learns from it (apparently he was getting blitzed and made a bad decision). It happens. He’ll continue to grow into the position. It’s great, though, that we have such talented back ups in the event J. T. has to miss a game along the way……
      #…AndThat’sJustWhatHarrellIsThinkingWhenHeSeesSlovis….

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  4. They are soft!!!!! I said it for you SCooter. The problem is that they did not hit last year in practice so, essentially they only hit 12 times. Playing football, you have to hit every day. Take the day off from hitting the day before the game and the day after the game, but Tuesday through Thursday, you hit like there is not tomorrow. Helton, Pendergast, and Harrell need to be on the same page regarding this.

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    1. Hey PT….it has come to my attention that you were a Loyola kid. I knew it. Loyola kids are smarter than Mater Dei kids. How do I know this? Who’s smarter, Pasadena Trojan or Pudly76? Answer: Pasadena Trojan from Loyola….lol lol lol 😆….but Pudly76 is a good video boy…..

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      2. McGhghy Stephan,

        Yes, I am the class of 1975 from Loyola High. To this day, I still feel like I was the luckiest young man in the world to be able to attend the greatest high school of all time, by far and by none. No brag, just fact. LOL. They picked up Drew Casani who was CIF Player of the year in 1990 as the head coach. The new dline coach for Loyola is Elic Mahone, who played as a defensive tackle back in 1990 and then played for the Washington Redskins. There are teachers still there teaching now when I was there.

        In my books, Pudly76 is a good guy and pretty sharp as well.

        Thank you McGhghy.

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    2. Hey Pasadena, I put a link here for the ncaa regulations regarding contact during practice. If you scroll down spring will be after post season:

      http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/year-round-football-practice-contact-recommendations

      I had this discussion with Dan Weber a couple weeks ago before their spring break. Seems according to the guidelines they’re allowed 2 practices per week where they have full contact. They have been on schedule to have that if they continue their Thursday-Saturday full pads format. Then it becomes a question of how long they spend drilling rather than just tackling.

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      2. Hey Pudly76! Maybe, you can find us the video of the moment the associate athletic director and the water polo coach entered the federal court in Boston a few days ago??? The reporter was shouting questions and the answer was, no comment. Then, as they were entering the door, the same reporter, desperate for some response, called out in a Hail Mary fashion, “Do you feel any remorse?” Silence proceeded for a few seconds, searching through the crowd, you’ll hear a much delayed response THAT DOESN’T SOUND ANYTHING LIKE REMORSE, but the answer was finally called out, “yes”…..Trojan fans can hear the callousness in the response for themselves…

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      3. I’m sure you can find as easily as I. But what’s the point? Employees that came from other educational backgrounds were involved in criminal activities. They aren’t Trojans. They aren’t any different than so many other criminals except they found a niche that hadn’t heretofore been exploited.
        It isn’t much different than Jo at an Pollard or Eric Snowden spying for a foreign government. Should there have been better oversight? Sure. Could it have been predicted? I’m not so sure.

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      4. Attitude and entitlement is an attitude that leads to tragedy. Lynn Swann seems to epitomize this. I believe he needs to be removed immediately for cause.

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      9. Good grief, isn’t oversight right up there in an athletic director’s responsibility? Lynn Swann receives an “F”….He has cost USC more than he is producing!

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      10. Please, isn’t oversight up there in every industry? How could the CIA or NSA allow someone to walk out with secrets. How does a bank/securities firm allow someone to walk out with money? Who’d have predicted that Heinel would become a criminal by her previous actions. You? Ha, this is as stupid an argument as I’ve heard anywhere. Checks come about after the fact in almost all cases of fraud and deceit. The FDA was formed to regulate the drug industry AFTER Chinese drugs were imported in antifreeze containers, not before. You protest too much.
        There are many other reasonable criteria for criticism of Lynn doing his job. But his not predicting that Vavic and Heinel would turn criminal, is not one.

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      11. How about checking your rosters? Then verifying their scholarships? It’s not rocket science…..there’s no Eric Snowden deep state plausibility here. Just good ole’ fashioned, roll your sleeves up, and direct….

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      13. Lynn Swann has proven that he can’t protect USC from liabilities, which is another dereliction of duty…

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      15. Their “Turning point” is not the end all. These subordinates have continued for what? Two years or so? Lynn Swann was hired in mid April 2016….. you mean to tell me that he’s not responsible for uncovering and correcting these types of issues, that leave USC wide open to a multitude of damages? What’s he been doing? Why is USC paying him to lead, when he has shown here, he can’t? Ever thought about how many ethical and procedural flowery speeches he has given during his journey? What is all that, just talk?

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      16. You and I will never see eye to eye on this. Your agenda just doesn’t ring true. Swann isn’t the accountant or controller that reviews and/or audits accounts. No AD is. If you want Swann fires there are many arguments you can make that would be much harder for me to debate but this is not one. Jmo

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      17. Correction: it’s been nearly 3 years! Swann hired nearly 3 years ago now. That’s plenty of time to dig in.

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      18. Then, make your case against Swann as you brag. If you’re really true to your school, you would to protect it. Otherwise, clam up about being a concerned Trojan, because right now, by your own understanding, you’re not even in the ballpark…

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      19. Oh I see. You’re the one who decides how and when and if someone loves their school and has it’s best interest at heart.
        You’re a fool. You don’t get to tell me the right way to support the school or the team, nor are you qualified to criticize anyone’s religious beliefs. Like many who have ALL the answers, when you don’t you try and limit the only “right” way as yours. For you the only free speech is when it aligns with your limited vision.

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      22. The fact I won’t play your little game isn’t proof of anything except I won’t play your game. Again your agenda supersedes you and I’m not a guy who like you will call for anyone’s job. You do well enough on your own.
        I only spoke to the Heinel and Vavic incidents and no more. And on this you don’t even have the facts correct. There were no scholarships involved, no matter how much you want it to be that way.

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      24. Hey Pusley, I had a discussion with Dan Weber yesterday.

        He mentioned he would greatly appreciate it if you’d stop using his name to validate your dumb, asinine bozo FB comments. Weber claims you haven’t a clue about Clown U FB, and he doesn’t care for a whiny, sniveling, crybaby, pussies like yourself.

        Oh, and Pusley, Weber wants you to continue to stay at least 200 yards from wherever he’s standing. Don’t make him call the cops again, because he will press charges for stalking the next time.

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      25. Ah owns my little pet. So nice you have a break this early in the shift. Can’t wait for your next half truth or lie.
        Did you see the ruin get called out during the game last night for cheating? What was in his bat that caused the umps to inspect his bat and remove it from play?

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      26. Pudly76,

        The ncaa says it recommends. It does not say that they must or shall. Even still it says that they can have three days of contact. That is the Tuesday through Thursday situation during the fall.

        Totally different from the old days where you did not hit, then that meant you were running, and running, and running. I thought we were track stars on how much running we did. Thank you Pudly76.

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  5. USC has practiced touch football since the sanctions. So of course kids are going to get nagging boo-boos when they are asked to hit. They need to learn how to train in order to stay healthy, and that hasn’t existed in a decade. It ain’t gonna happen overnight.

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  6. USC Morning Buzz: Maybe More Tackling Is Not Great Idea

    Those snowflakes can’t practice one week without getting hurt. Maybe football isn’t for them. These past two generation of kids are extremely fragile.

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  7. OK think…how does a boxer train? or a wrestler; some one who is going to be involved in a lot of physical contact. A collision puts different strains on ligaments and tendons than weight lifting or running. A boxer MUST prepare for a boxing match with someone of his size and strength to weather the blows that will be delivered…same in football. If your body is not prepared you will get injured. SO, pick a sport that practices in shorts or suffer injuries when playing real football vs those that prepare properly in practices in full pads at full speed real blocking and tackling.

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    1. You couldn’t be more right, Tim. It is insane for boxers not to spar before a fight. Not only are you not prepared for physical contact but, when stuff you think is gonna work doesn’t work, you’re surprised and confused. Lots of contact before a fight helps get you ready for what to do NEXT if the left hook isn’t working. You could see all last year that our receivers were confused when corners were roughing them up (with, of course no calls from the Pac 12 refs). Our guys need to know that football is about more than throw and catch —-it’s about physicality. And you get ready for physical games by physical practices. Coach Whittingham actually went out on a limb and said he KNEW Utah would beat USC last year because Utah was ready to play “more physical football.” USC needs to remember those words when they meet Utah in the coliseum this year. If we lose, we lose —-but let’s be ready to show them some fight this time (and, my bet is if we do —we WON’T lose).

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    2. Maybe they don’t tackle right to begin with, there is a right and wrong way to do it, but look at this idiot head coach and his pathetic staff, think correct anything is being taught ?

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    3. If SC or for that matter any major practices hard, as in game nasty, three days of week then most probably there will be a very banged up & sore team mid season. Sunday is like you were in a severe auto accident. Sometimes not able to get up. Monday-Thursday isn’t much better. Alabama might be able to do it because they have 4* playing backup. Their second level practices hard & if the #1 isn’t ready for the next game #2 steps in. Nobody in the PAC-12 can do it right now.

      Re: employees…the way ATF & DOJ deal with rogue fools is they appeal to that good ole human factor of greed. Constant probing if they feel you are not absolutely sure between RIGHT & WRONG. Well everybody at all D1 schools is going to be on super good behaviour for the next year or two.
      If I am offered a restricted device from a stranger then odds are that stranger is setting me up.

      Humans riding dirty always take the money.

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