BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Putting A Stake Through Dumb Commentary

There was some really dumb commentary from USC fans following the Holiday Bowl about Caleb Williams being overrated because Miller Moss had a good game against mighty Louisville.

I’m not a huge fan of PFF stats but quarterback ratings are pretty clear. Here’s something worth remembering with Williams, courtesy of PFF. Not that clear-headed observers needed confirmation that Williams was a generational talent.

  • It was a full house at McKale Center last night (of course), as Arizona defeated USC, 82-67.
  • The highlight for the crowd was the introduction of new football coach Brent Brennan.
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25 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Putting A Stake Through Dumb Commentary”

  1. Wolf, there is no such thing as “really dumb commentary” when it comes to sports’ matters because it is all ‘dumb stuff’ anyway as to who is better, who is worse and where will the team be next year.
    Sports were devised as a diversion to real life and to get in a workout, but instead it has unfortunately morphed into something larger than that

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  2. The only thing the University of Arizona has that I am envious of is its cheer of “UofA…UofA…UofA” whereas I have tried for years to get a Trojan crowd to start using our best potential cheer of “USC-USC-USC”
    similar to USA-USA, but to no avail, and instead we use the impotent
    “Go SC, Go SC”

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  3. Celeb was over-rated as was borne out in 2023 when he decided he was bigger than the team
    And I wonder what Tom Brady’s PFF rating would have been, or Joe Montana’s or Roger Staubach

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  5. I listen to the XM Radio Channel 88 morning show what Charlie Weis is on every day during my morning commute. Yesterday, he said every NFL GM he has talked to WITHOUT EXCEPTION, would take Caleb Williams #1.

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    1. Talent-wise Caleb is the best out there. But you’ve got to lay down some parameters with him and let him know that he can’t go outside those parameters. Get him to play within the system and you’re probably going to have a pretty good offense.

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      1. “Get him to play within the system.” I think that’s going to prove easier said than done, parcelman. [And I think his personality is going to eventually cause problems in the locker room as well].

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    2. I’m not sure I would if I were in a GM position because of Celeb’s ego and how he was the “boss” of Wiley. Only if I had a tough-minded coach would I take a chance with Celeb

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  6. There is a big difference between being a good player and making a big contribution to a team. Caleb Williams has unique talents, an incredible arm, incredible ability to move around and evade tackles. But that didnt make him an asset to the team.

    He isnt a great leader. He makes everyone around him feel inferior and doesnt inspire people to do their best. He is selfish to his own needs, for example, running around the pocket forever to find the perfect throw, instead of getting rid of the ball on time, which then made things worse for the o-line, both mentally and physically. He wouldnt stick with the running game when it would benefit the team. He acts like only he can bail out the team. CW is hot and cold and hot and cold.

    Caleb benefitted from having Riley as coach and some great wide receivers. His stats are also their stats.

    Miller Moss had a few rough patches in that Holiday Bowl game, but he always kept a level head and inspired his team to fight on. I’m not even sure if USC would have won that game with Caleb as QB, particularly if they started out slow. The whole vibe of the team would have been different. I dont think Caleb has even spent the time with his receivers to form a real on-field connection to make them the best they can be.

    The defense was the real problem for USC last year, but the offense will even look better this coming year, whether Miller is the QB or Maiava.

    The formula for USC winning this year is an offense that is just as productive as last year, maybe more, but alot more consistent and resilient to bounce back from problems combined with a defense that is tons better at fundamentals, limits big plays and gets alot more 3 and outs. Maybe even a defense that can stop the run. When I look around at the production lost at Michigan, UCLA going nowhere, Washington rebuilding, LSU losing both coordinators and maybe needing to rebuild, this year isnt looking as bad as it could be. We dont play Oregon or Ohio State in the regular season.

    The o-line is the biggest question on this team, yet I would argue that we are bringing back enough talent to be better than last year. Paige is going to be better than Monheim at left tackle, Monheim goes back to right guard or right tackle where he belongs and will excel. Noa and Pregnon compete for left guard. The two big questions are center and right tackle. Looks like they try to develop from within to fill those spots in Spring, but if that doesnt work they hit the portal. Right tackle was a problem all last year, so they will find a better solution there, or Monheim moves out to right tackle and Noa and Pregnon are guards. Big question is whether Zandemela can develop enough to be the center. We have more productive depth – Banuelos, Talale, Raymond, incoming freshmen, Quinones, Murphy that can all compete to start. Most important, the D-line will be much more physical, gap solid and better competition for the o-line.

    The narrative on USC is way out of line with the future. The three core problems – Grinch, Donte and Caleb are gone.

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    1. I agree. As good as CW is, I actually think that the offense will be better without him. There will be more rythm in the offense with Moss getting rid of the ball quickly and taking all the short stuff until the deep stuff opens up. They’ll be much less sacks. Moss has been sacked once in his college career. That’s because he gets rid of the ball quickly. In 2 1/2 years CW has be sacked 83 times. He hangs on to the ball forever. You wear out your offensive linemen that way and that affects your run game.

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    2. I think USC will surprise the hell outta people in 2024…but….losing an experienced center on an already questionable o-line is a big deal…

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      1. Dedich can be replaced. He was not, in my opinion, a great center. When he played guard in previous years, he was outstanding. He reminds me of Toa Lobadaun. I would have gone with Gino or maybe the walk-on.

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  8. How much longer is Enfield’s run going to last? On PMS Doug Gottlieb is stating the obvious i.e. use of Bronny James by USC. Enfield has not managed this well. Cohen didn’t hire him – the pressure has to be rising.

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