When Lincoln Riley said he will be more involved in the defense, maybe he didn’t really mean it.
“He’s covering for his defensive coordinator,” a Pac-12 coach said. “I doubt he’s not really going to have much say but this way he is protecting his guy.”
It makes sense because I’ve heard since the Cotton Bowl that Riley and Grinch are telling people outside the program the defense simply needs better players.
That means they believe in the scheme/philosophy but feel the players need to be better. Every coach thinks this, by the way. But players don’t always play the way you want, so that’s where teaching and development fit in.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
ugh,i new it awl a long,he iz reely jussed tryin to loose and he aint cair no moar,smdh
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Your sources are always unnamed. I don’t think you have sources. I’m calling BS.
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USC had terrible special teams. Why doesn’t Riley hire a special teams coach?
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Slow news day Scottie?
If anybody caught the Polynesian Bowl a couple of nights ago (for top HS players, hey Tebow, I know you were there), Zachariah Branch looked great, including a 34 yard catch and run TD pass. 10.3 100 meters, he is quicker and faster than Addison. Top ranked receiver in this year’s class.
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I hope that Branch takes root in the SC offense, the kid has slick moves as well
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67— you want glass half full? you want slow news? Here goes!
#IDon’tLikeWayBranchSlowsDownAtTenYardLineOnWayToT.D.
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Michael, that is “conservation of energy”.
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He’s a democrat?
#Well,You’veJustWonMyFriendGabbyOver
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🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
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The final 10 is when the parachute gets released……
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Addison was good (not great) last year and will likely to be a descent pro. When looking at HS tape on a WR or RB keep in mind that when they run sideways they are going to get caught much of the time at the next level. Same as college players going to the NFL. As for Branch I would have to believe he will be exceptional at the next level. He clearly has game speed like very few.
Looking forward to watching him in Cardinal and Gold!
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A mini Tyreke!…… He looks faster in person…..I’ve lived it, watching him play in person numerous times over his 4 years at Gorman
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Oh yeah so some unnamed Pac12 coach is offering insight and that’s proof of the need to accept what’s said? Good luck with believing that.
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As you know Scott does not need much substance or substantiation of ideas to devote an entire segment to them
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Well, I believe it….!
#IBelieveWhatANYPac12CoachHasToSay[EvenFiredOnes]
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Yeah. They all think alike.
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…except when it comes to ordering takeout…..
#People’sExhibitNextInOrder:PhotoOfLincolnRiley&ChipKelly
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If the players are not buying into the defensive scheme then it’s time to get a new scheme or new D-Coordinator. The main reason I wanted Grinch fired is that it was plainly obvious that the players have mailed it in on Grinch and his scheme.
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I’ve listened to Grinch give interviews. He’s smart….he’s articulate…. and he cares…..BUT…it’s obvious his players [the average ones AND the superior ones] don’t play hard for him. I can’t even guess why —but it’s a fact.
No one on defense was playing their heart out in the Cotton Bowl expect for Tuli. Not Figueroa, not Gentry, not Lee, not even Shaw.
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Leadership requires much more than brains and articulation. You have to be able to INSPIRE and make the team BELIEVE in themselves. They have to believe they make a difference and that difference will reward them in achieving their future goals. Look at the great coaches of today and the past. It’s clear their team believes in them and know there is a reward for all their hard work. Pete’s energy and passion was incredible. I went to many fund raisers and he always worked the room and I always increased my donation. He did that with his team.
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Agreed, Carra. There does seem to be a bit of a drop off between Pete and Grinch, inspiration-wise.
#IGuessMaybeIt’sNotSuchAMysteryWhyHisPlayersDon’tGive100%
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Exactly right……..If the mental aspect is not 100% committed then the physical output is less than 100%. …..Judging by the Cotton Bowl efforts, guys were going through the motion lacking intensity…..I guess you could blame it on the residual effects of the Utah loss…..LOL!
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When teams perform poorly the finger-pointing starts at the top with coaching, whether that’s the true root of the problems…..I have never seen shit flow upward…..so it starts on the top
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Returning from vacation, I have caught up on the posts from the past week. Although often tempted to comment, I have contented myself with reading the insightful, and sometime silly, comments of the regulars.
MG in a recent post gave tribute to a classmate of ours: Joel Rosenzweig. I didn’t comment previously when he did so, but want to do so now. Joel could be intense at times and always dedicated to his craft. I remember him proudly engaged in the rehearsals of Tommy in Bovard Auditorium. However, Most important, MG and my campus political opponent, was a good person ready to listen to and help anyone. It is good remembering you Joel.
And to answer the question asked by another poster, yes he was Barney’s younger brother.
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100% !
My favorite Joel memory is when we were speaking to the Pan Hellenic Council [seeking their endorsement for Student Body President]. I was mostly going extemporaneous but I had a couple notes I referred to on the subject of rising tuition. Joel noticed this —and grand performer he was — began his speech with two sheets of paper in hand. After 15 seconds he announced –“I don’t need notes to speak to you —I wanna speak from the heart”….and, here, he dramatically tore the sheets in half and dropped them to the floor.
Afterwards he walked over to me, patted me on the shoulder and said, “How’d ya like that, Mike?”
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Wow, Vince I comes back from a major medical crisis and scores 12 points to help USC beat ASU on the road and crickets from Wolf.
Seriously, it is a great news/human interest story this weekend as we deal with another ahole mass shooter. We need positive stuff.
Scott- Your Friday nostalgia is good but you are pretty much average on everything else.
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Scott uses the rest of the week as a set up for Friday….
#Scott:”Saturday-ThursdayAreOfOnlyPreparatoryEfficacy”
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Hold your horses, Scott Wolf is not attempting to disprove any of Albert Einstein’s theories here, he is as has been said before,
a facilitator, one who comes up with SC-related ideas and constantly throws them out there all over his Blog to see which ones stick
As I have complained before to Mr. Wolf’s deaf ears, limiting the topics to 1 or 2 per day instead of his usual 3-4 would improve the quality of his posts and allow some good posters’ insights to linger for contemplation for a while before Scott changes the subject too quickly once again
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Whose side are you on? Scott’s? Or the world’s?
#”IKnowNotWhatCourseOthersMayTake…
#…ButAsForMyself,GiveMeScott”
—With Apologies to Patrick Henry
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— Both
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CIN 7
BUF 0
11:30 1st qtr
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Wolf: “That means they believe in the scheme/philosophy but feel the players need to be better. Every coach thinks this, by the way. But players don’t always play the way you want, so that’s where teaching and development fit in.”
wolf, let’s break down your comment. Here’s a real simple question, would Riley have the same success this past season or going forward with, let’s just say, UNLV’s roster? Even a half-wit like slo troll knows that answer.
You can have the best coaching staff money can buy, but you must start with a solid foundation, the player. All the coaching and development go out the window if the player isn’t making the play at the given moment.
Poor angles and missed tackles are poor performance issues reflected in the player’s ability or lack of ability……nice try!
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I don’t think that they will 11 games next year. The schedule is much harder. To me, this whole thing is like saying if we get better players we’ll win a championship under Clay Helton so let’s hang on the CH and try to get him some better players. If the recruits don’t think that Grinch is a good DC, they won’t come to SC and it will be hard to get those better players.
If LR’s real goals are to win a national championship, he will eventually fire Grinch. If that happens, then I would say that he made a mistake waiting. I still haven’t ruled out the prospect that it is Folt and Bohn who don’t want to fire him until he has less on his contract for them to pay.
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The players aren’t doing what they are coached to do then bench them. That’s why Shane is at USC. He can get away with being mediocre at USC. Grinch has one game to prove he’s not a liability and then ten more after that. Riley will be walking out of USC and into a pro job if the Trojans don’t make the playoffs.
No excuses, win it all or get the hell out of LA.
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I’d like to see SC get JaKobe Lane. The crystal ball says that he is going to Oregon 100%. But if he is that sold on Oregon why hasn’t he decommitted from SC and signed with Oregon. I think this guy is a steal….a real sleeper.
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I think Lane is waiting to see if we bring in another receiver or even if another SC receiver leaves. This guy is a stud. I would do everything I can to bring him in
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All I can say if Grinch’s defense doesn’t improve a h__l of a lot it’s make Riley look bad . Grinch has one good year and the rest are just so so.
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Either your source is confused or you misquoted him and added a “not” in there. Because with the not, the sentence seems to contradict itself.
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The players, The fans, The World is Not buying into a Defense coached by Alex Grinch. Who by the way was the sole reason Oklahoma lost some shootouts. Let me guess. Their defense needed better players too. Lol
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