MIKE GARRETT OUT AT USC, TROJANS TO RETURN REGGIE'S HEISMAN TROPHY & OTHER TUESDAY NOTES
The board of regents at Southern Cal have finally made the right move, asking for Mike Garrett's resignation as athletic director. I said last month Garrett had to go, he was becoming an embarrassment to the university. After the NCAA handed down their rather severe sanctions against both the football & mens' basketball programs, Garrett's completely out of touch arrogance made the school look ridiculous. The L.A.Times is reporting Pat Haden will replace Garrett as A.D. on August 3rd. Haden, a QB for the Trojans from 1972-74, was also a Rhodes Scholar. Haden has been a color commentator recently for NBC Sports, pairing with Tom Hammond covering Notre Dame games. This is an excellent choice, Haden has stayed involved with USC as a member of the board of regents for some 19-years, plus it gets him out of the broadcast booth, where I believe he never belonged. If you can't say something nice..............
Don't look for Reggie Bush on the Trojan sideline in the future with Marcus Allen & Ronnie Lott. Southern Cal also announced they were removing all traces of the Reggie Bush/O.J. Mayo(B'ball player) era including a replica of Bush's Heisman Trophy. They will return the trophy to the Heisman Trust soon. All photos, jerseys & newspaper clippings regarding this pair are to be removed from all university property. School officials also stated the athletic department's compliance office was being beefed up with additional personnel & new directives. I told you last week of the compliance offices' new direction & their zero tolerance policy. All of these moves were needed without question, but is it too little, too late? The correction in policies & attitudes was way overdue, the delay on Garrett's firing was especially distressing to most of the Trojan Nation. Once again I say "when you're in a hole, stop digging." Allowing Garrett to continually berate the non-Trojan world with his arrogance was in a word, stupid. Is Lane Kiffin the guy to rebuild Trojan Nation? I question his ability as a coach, his stability as the head of a major college football program & his rather liberal "interpretation" of both NCAA & university rules. I think the Trojans are headed for tough times. Meanwhile Reggie Bush & Pete Carroll skate away with millions in NFL cash. To witness this happening to one of the most storied football programs in NCAA history, is a very sad thing for college football fans.
Yesterday, NFL films boss Steve Sabol was the guest columnist, subbing for the still vacationing Peter King. His version of King's Monday Morning Quarterback was pretty good. He listed some of his favorite players of all-time like "Nicest Person" which was Bart Starr & "Best Player not in the Hall of Fame" which he named Packer legend Jerry Kramer. But his "Best defensive player" & "Best running back" might upset Brian Urlacher. Sabol named Dick Butkus & Gale Sayers(rightfully so) for these categories. Neither won a playoff game, Urlacher's gauge for greatness, so I guess he'll chime in like he did in April when he dissed Sayers. Come to think of it, how is it Steve Sabol & his father Ed(founder of NFL Films) are not in the Hall of Fame? If the Hall can recognize Chris Berman for God's sake, how can you bypass the Sabols? There's one I don't understand.
Miami defensive end Phillip Merling has been charged with felony battery on a pregnant woman for whacking on his girlfriend recently. Merling was already on shaky ground with Dolphin brass for not producing squat on the field since he was drafted at the top of the 2nd round in the 2008 draft. A 305-pound defensive lineman smacking the mother of his 2-year old child while she is pregnant is about as repugnant as it gets. I don't see a diversion program, like I spoke of last week, in Merling's future.
NFL training camps are close to opening. The Browns begin Friday, followed by New England & Dallas on Sunday. St. Louis opens camp next Wednesday & Kansas City follows the next day, July 29th. We will be in Chiefs' camp 4 days to give you extended coverage of everything going on up at Missouri Western University in mid-August.
Atlanta's number one draft pick from a year ago, defensive tackle Peria Jerry, suffered a torn ACL in week three of his rookie season. Now, a full 8 months after the injury, Jerry is still limping around, unable to take part in any team activities. The word out of Falcon headquarters is Jerry continues to rehab from the knee surgery but the fact he is still walking with a noticeable limp is not encouraging for Atlanta fans. Jerry was selected to beef up the Falcons' defensive interior & if he can't go full speed come September, it will be a blow to their defense.
I took some flak from some of you when I stated my preferences before the NFL Draft & even more after the draft concluded. I wanted OT Russell Okung & the Chiefs selected Tennessee safety Eric Berry. Many people, myself included, regard safeties a risk that high(Chiefs picked fifth) in the draft. People compared Berry to Baltimore's Ed Reed, I was told by several of you "when you can get an impact safety like Berry, you take them." I countered with the low-risk offensive tackle choice but got slammed for my opinion. Today Jamison Hensley writing in the Baltimore Sun reported that the Ravens might be without Reed for the first six games of the season. He hasn't responded well to hip surgery & might be put on the PUP/Inactive list to start camp. Being on the PUP(physically unable to perform) list makes you ineligible to be on the active roster for the first six games of the regular season. Yesterday Michael Lombardi, of The NFL Network, reported Indy safety Bob Sanders, who has played in only 8 games over the past two seasons combined, might miss more time this year with lingering effects from a ruptured biceps tendon. Lombardi even speculated Sanders might not ever play again. The Steelers defense really went in the tank without their leader, safety Troy Polamalu, who injured his knee in the first game of the season last year. Polamalu is cautiously optimistic he'll be at full speed come September. I think most football fans would put these three safeties at the top of their position right now league-wide. The point I was trying to convey last April was that safety is a brutal position to play, like running back, it's athletes who are considerably smaller than the people they collide with, down after down after down. Their bodies take a terrific beating & many of them breakdown early in their careers. Berry hasn't even signed his rookie contract & already I see writers both locally & nationally saying "Berry must stay healthy for the Chiefs to show any defensive improvement." That's a tall order for a 5' 11" 210-pound player who hits like a wrecking ball. I hope Berry becomes an NFL Hall of Fame-type player, he has that type of potential. He would add a lot to a very shaky Chiefs' defense & could be a cornerstone for years to come, but he has to stay healthy.
Don't look for Reggie Bush on the Trojan sideline in the future with Marcus Allen & Ronnie Lott. Southern Cal also announced they were removing all traces of the Reggie Bush/O.J. Mayo(B'ball player) era including a replica of Bush's Heisman Trophy. They will return the trophy to the Heisman Trust soon. All photos, jerseys & newspaper clippings regarding this pair are to be removed from all university property. School officials also stated the athletic department's compliance office was being beefed up with additional personnel & new directives. I told you last week of the compliance offices' new direction & their zero tolerance policy. All of these moves were needed without question, but is it too little, too late? The correction in policies & attitudes was way overdue, the delay on Garrett's firing was especially distressing to most of the Trojan Nation. Once again I say "when you're in a hole, stop digging." Allowing Garrett to continually berate the non-Trojan world with his arrogance was in a word, stupid. Is Lane Kiffin the guy to rebuild Trojan Nation? I question his ability as a coach, his stability as the head of a major college football program & his rather liberal "interpretation" of both NCAA & university rules. I think the Trojans are headed for tough times. Meanwhile Reggie Bush & Pete Carroll skate away with millions in NFL cash. To witness this happening to one of the most storied football programs in NCAA history, is a very sad thing for college football fans.
Yesterday, NFL films boss Steve Sabol was the guest columnist, subbing for the still vacationing Peter King. His version of King's Monday Morning Quarterback was pretty good. He listed some of his favorite players of all-time like "Nicest Person" which was Bart Starr & "Best Player not in the Hall of Fame" which he named Packer legend Jerry Kramer. But his "Best defensive player" & "Best running back" might upset Brian Urlacher. Sabol named Dick Butkus & Gale Sayers(rightfully so) for these categories. Neither won a playoff game, Urlacher's gauge for greatness, so I guess he'll chime in like he did in April when he dissed Sayers. Come to think of it, how is it Steve Sabol & his father Ed(founder of NFL Films) are not in the Hall of Fame? If the Hall can recognize Chris Berman for God's sake, how can you bypass the Sabols? There's one I don't understand.
Miami defensive end Phillip Merling has been charged with felony battery on a pregnant woman for whacking on his girlfriend recently. Merling was already on shaky ground with Dolphin brass for not producing squat on the field since he was drafted at the top of the 2nd round in the 2008 draft. A 305-pound defensive lineman smacking the mother of his 2-year old child while she is pregnant is about as repugnant as it gets. I don't see a diversion program, like I spoke of last week, in Merling's future.
NFL training camps are close to opening. The Browns begin Friday, followed by New England & Dallas on Sunday. St. Louis opens camp next Wednesday & Kansas City follows the next day, July 29th. We will be in Chiefs' camp 4 days to give you extended coverage of everything going on up at Missouri Western University in mid-August.
Atlanta's number one draft pick from a year ago, defensive tackle Peria Jerry, suffered a torn ACL in week three of his rookie season. Now, a full 8 months after the injury, Jerry is still limping around, unable to take part in any team activities. The word out of Falcon headquarters is Jerry continues to rehab from the knee surgery but the fact he is still walking with a noticeable limp is not encouraging for Atlanta fans. Jerry was selected to beef up the Falcons' defensive interior & if he can't go full speed come September, it will be a blow to their defense.
I took some flak from some of you when I stated my preferences before the NFL Draft & even more after the draft concluded. I wanted OT Russell Okung & the Chiefs selected Tennessee safety Eric Berry. Many people, myself included, regard safeties a risk that high(Chiefs picked fifth) in the draft. People compared Berry to Baltimore's Ed Reed, I was told by several of you "when you can get an impact safety like Berry, you take them." I countered with the low-risk offensive tackle choice but got slammed for my opinion. Today Jamison Hensley writing in the Baltimore Sun reported that the Ravens might be without Reed for the first six games of the season. He hasn't responded well to hip surgery & might be put on the PUP/Inactive list to start camp. Being on the PUP(physically unable to perform) list makes you ineligible to be on the active roster for the first six games of the regular season. Yesterday Michael Lombardi, of The NFL Network, reported Indy safety Bob Sanders, who has played in only 8 games over the past two seasons combined, might miss more time this year with lingering effects from a ruptured biceps tendon. Lombardi even speculated Sanders might not ever play again. The Steelers defense really went in the tank without their leader, safety Troy Polamalu, who injured his knee in the first game of the season last year. Polamalu is cautiously optimistic he'll be at full speed come September. I think most football fans would put these three safeties at the top of their position right now league-wide. The point I was trying to convey last April was that safety is a brutal position to play, like running back, it's athletes who are considerably smaller than the people they collide with, down after down after down. Their bodies take a terrific beating & many of them breakdown early in their careers. Berry hasn't even signed his rookie contract & already I see writers both locally & nationally saying "Berry must stay healthy for the Chiefs to show any defensive improvement." That's a tall order for a 5' 11" 210-pound player who hits like a wrecking ball. I hope Berry becomes an NFL Hall of Fame-type player, he has that type of potential. He would add a lot to a very shaky Chiefs' defense & could be a cornerstone for years to come, but he has to stay healthy.
Comments