FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Beware Spring Hype

When spring practices start Tuesday, here’s a caveat for those who like to follow the breathless reports/hype.

Just remember the media are only allowed to watch stretching and individual drills. That means not seeing anyone — perhaps most importantly the inexperienced offensive linemen — in actual 11-on-11 competition.

So when you read that a lineman has vastly improved (and you will), it is based on what? A coach? A player? Nothing first-hand. Least of all to be trusted, of course, is Lincoln Riley.

Here are some gems from last spring:

  • Riley on cornerback Ceyair Wright: “He’s been one of the, to me, breakout players.”
  • Riley on Korey Foreman: “He has improved and is such a better player right now than he was 12 months ago. It’s not even close. It is not even close.”
  • He also said last spring that Tackett Curtis was the best incoming freshman linebacker in the nation.

One year later, Foreman is at Fresno State; Curtis is at Wisconsin and Wright’s status is up in the air.

  • USC has several spring practices scheduled for 5:30 a.m. Ah wonderful, ah wonderful, ah wonderful.
  • When USC releases its spring roster today, will Wright be on it?
  • USC women’s basketball will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Galen Center. The game will be on ESPN.

34 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Beware Spring Hype”

  1. The hype machine starts this week and ends in November.

    I recall reading LAT during August and the euphoria has always been off the charts.

    i am tired of hearing this can be a special team or this player is hoing to be special.

    It has not ended well except for the Rose Bowl victories or the great PC years, otherwise too much hype.

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. What was it about the Notre Dame game that rubbed you the wrong way? Caleb’s sloppy throws leading to interceptions? The O-Line not even brushing up against Irish defensive ends as they raced toward our QB? Corners so far out of position that the announcers kept saying “that must have been a miscommunication”?

        #Or,Maybe,TheFinalScore?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. And right when it seemed like we might be coming back, the Special Teams failure. Lincoln Riley assured us we didn’t need a Special Teams coach…Kenny sez we should trust his judgement!

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  2. Thank you, Scotty, for squaring us away concerning the spring practice hype. Of course, we would never trust what the head coach Riley has to say, we will only trust you since you are the supreme genius when it comes to USC spring football or USC football in general. Have you been speaking to any anonymous coaches from the conference lately that you can fill us in on what they think about USC? Of course, no one can ever be trusted if they have made a prediction about a player that did not come to fruition. In Wolfie alone we trust. as always, we wait for you to fill us in on what reality is. Thanks Scotty!

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    2. Holy shit Kenny Boy, did you get kicked out of every bathhouse in SF ? Palm Springs ?

      I know school is out this week, so no trolling the playgrounds looking for um, well, you know.

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. Hey Commieboy

        Wooden never said that. You’re making things up as you go along. But then again, isn’t that par for the course for most commieboys? Smear tactics……wasn’t that one of Saul Alinski’s key principles?

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  3. The tipoff about the hype of defensive players should have been who it was coming from, Riley, he has no clue about that side of the ball on his own team.

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    1. karma —you are so fricking off base…. if Riley knows SO little about defense how could he conceive putting Alex Grinch and Donte Williams together…?

      #IPutItToYou:CouldAnyoneElseHaveConceivedSuchAPairing?

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  4. People like to tout Enfield’s overall record but here’s the real meat of this clown’s tenure at USC

    He’s 105 – 100 in Pac 12 games, not exactly a tough basketball conference. Can’t wait to see his record in a real basketball conference.

    Has NEVER won a PAC 12 title. Do you see him winning a BIG 10 title ?

    2013-14. Lost first round of PAC 12 tournament. No NCAA bid

    2014-15 Lost in 2nd rd of PAC 12, No NCAA bid

    2015-16 Lost in quarters of PAC 12. Lost 1st rd of NCAA

    2016-17 Lost in quarters of PAC 12, Lost in second round of NCAA

    2017-18 Lost in championship game of PAC 12, Lost in second rd of NIT

    2018-19 Lost in quarters on PAC 12, No NCAA bid.

    2019-2020 COVID

    2020-21 His glory year… Lost in semi’s of PAC 12, Lost in Elite 8 of NCAA

    2021-22 Lost in semi’s of PAC 12, Lost to lower seed in 1st rd of NCAA

    2022-23 Lost in quarters of PAC 12, lost in 1st rd on NCAA

    2023-24 Lost in quarters of PAC 12, No NCAA bid

    This complete failure is under contract through 2027-28.

    THANKS HADEN !!!!!    THANKS BOHN !!!!!!!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

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    2. Carol’s reply to karma: A lot of times people who don’t win easy Pac 12 Titles do really well under more difficult circumstances… [I’m applying my knowledge of infinitesimal sophistry again]…..

      #…JustLikeIDidWhenRiotersWereBurningL.A.Down…

      #…AndICalledIt”ThePathOfRighteousness”….

      #…[EducatorsLikeMeUnderstandThingsAren’tWhatTheySeem]

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      2. Educators like me? Most Educators today don’t have any common sense at all. When you are teaching the kids that a man can have a baby and there are not 2 genders but 50-100 and you can be a boy today and a girl tomorrow, I wouldn’t exactly call you a junior Einstein. And then there are the products of your teaching(the students). They are all out in the street protesting in favor of a bunch of murderers(Hamas).

        Liked by 2 people

    3. well figures don’t lie, but liars figure…how many 20 win seasons compared to other SC coaches? SC has rarely been a real winner at basketball, just on occasions they do well…just a fact. He has done a well above average job at SC…period

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    1. No, P. T. Riley lets a select few ‘special’ reporters observe warm up drills! On their podcasts they say smart things like, “well, admittedly you can’t tell EVERYTHING from warm ups….BUT…. it was clear the team is coming together and the players are jacked up…. all good signs!”

      #”Actually,It’sProbablyNotEvenHelpfulToSeeMoreThanWarmUps!”

      #[InJournalismIt’sCalled’TheHealthyCeilingToInformationDoctrine’]

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Don’t worry PT, the ” fan boys ” will report all kinds of wonderful things, even at 5:30 am. Things like ” These 5:30am practices are just Riley getting his team sued to the Midwest and east coast time changes. ” or ” The OL is really looking good, in the dark. ” or ” The early practices allow the players to focus more on their studies during the day. “

        Liked by 2 people

      3. I’m pretty sure I see a UFO in the top left hand corner…

        #…I’veBeenWatchingALotOf”UFOCoverups”OnFuboTV….

        #80yrOldChic:”I’mNotLettingThemExperimentOnMyGenitals!”

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Budda,

    Without actually being able to see a practice or the reporters to see a practice, I will look upon SC as a team from last year, and that is a weak offensive line and the defense will suck. However, the saving grace might be Moss Miller with him playing within the system. Not until i see them beat Michigan decisevely will I believe SC is lousy. 

    I love SC football to death. I grew up with the teams that other teams feared SC and if teams thought they could beat SC, then SC would lay the wood on them. Miss those days. Sc reminds me of someone who you knew who was a hero and could do anything and thought they would never become weak and now they are on their death bed wheezing for a grasp of air. I had wanted to attend and play ball for SC but it did not work out. However, I am a SC fan through and through and it kills me when SC loses. Pisses me off. 

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Welcome to America as East German police state, where CDC reports of covid vaccines causing myocarditis are 100% redacted and USC football practices are conducted in utter secrecy. Linoln Riley’s paranoid ways sure translated into gridiron success last year. I miss the days of open practices under McKay, Robinson and Pete, where SC was so good they feared no team and dared them to stop them.

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      1. I agree with you in principle. But I’m not sure I would compare USC football practice to the Stasi. That might be a bit of a stretch

        Liked by 2 people

      2. It seems like all information is being controlled. Senile Joe’s press secretary just refused to answer whether the Regime and Big Tech are colluding to censor speech they don’t like. Lincoln Riley could get behind that and censor this site.

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      3. It’s worse!

        #MuchWorse!

        #[WhyWon’tAnyoneBelieveMe]?!

        Seriously, it is weird that Riley literally disappeared for the better part of a week in the middle of the season ….and stopped talking to his “favorite QB of all time” by the time the Holiday Bowl rolled around…. and didn’t know whether one of his defensive “stars’ was playing for Hollywood or USC….

        #..AndHad”NoOpinion”WhenTheA.D.WhoHiredHimGotFired…

        Liked by 1 person

      5. It really is amazing all the stuff that Joe has done to trample on the Constitution as his side continues to claim that Trump winning would be the “end of democracy”.

        Liked by 3 people

      6. you sound like a fucking babbling buffoon….pathetic!. please tell me exactly what Biden has done to “trample” the Constitution. I want to hear it from you…..not your little pussy boy grabbbyy jumping in…..you post the details…..OR STFU!

        So it’s ok for trump to say “democracy will not exsist” if he’s not reelected but if Dems said it it’s a lie…..right……

        there you have it folks the fucking dumbest troll on the internet

        PS……let’s meet up…..bring grabbbyy and karma ……you three all need a good ass whipping

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  7. well, at least the reporting on no one ever watches an SC practice is 100 correct…the rest is not important or subjective through the lens of what wolfie wants to see…

    BUT at least he always comments on every thing negative or spins it that way, so there is info …be discerning.

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