How Crazy was the Rose Bowl!

[against_odds21]

Damn what a game to watch! I didn't have a favorite. I just wanted to see a good game and that it was. Imo bad calls and coaching lost it for USC. That T/O before the two point conversion? Did the older announcer get on anyone elses nerves?

 

[Texan]

WOW. What a game... Three big screw ups for USC did'em in: the two 4th down conversion attempts that got stuffed and the Reggie Bush attempted lateral. USC was a little cocky, like they didn't think anybody could stop them, but they got stopped... Even though I'm from Texas, I'm not a big Texas fan-- I didn't go there, but I was pulling for them on that last drive.

WOW.

 

[Texan]

Oh, and Vince picked a good night to have probably the best game of his career. He should leave now... no way to follow up this game.

How'd you like that statement by Leinart after the game, "I still think we're a better team, they just made some plays..."?

 

[BiggerThanBefor]

I hate usc and i'm stoked the streak is over

 

[TimBo755]

I just won a 10 dollar bet, so i'm quite pleased right about now.

 

[against_odds21]

Oh, and Vince picked a good night to have probably the best game of his career. He should leave now... no way to follow up this game.

How'd you like that statement by Leinart after the game, "I still think we're a better team, they just made some plays..."?

Yea I caught that. He went on in the after game press conference. Kinda soar about the lost and I wouldn't say I blame him.

 

[penguinsfan]

USC was a little cocky, like they didn't think anybody could stop them, but they got stopped...

USC came into South Bend earlier this year to play my beloved Irish with a cocky attitude and they got outplayed in that game. Bush carried that game with a few key plays, but the Irish controlled the tempo in all aspects, except for leaving too much time on the clock in the final seconds. USC simply won that game on an officiating error, when the clock should have run out. Not to take anything away from their talent, and it would not have been any matter of great controversy had they won the Rose Bowl, but it was only by extraordinary luck that they played for the National Championship, as the streak should have rightfully ended in October.

USC has the hottest program in NCAA football right now, as it seems everyone wants to play for USC. They are a dynasty, but truly are too cocky. As good as they are, they are far from unbeatable. That PAC-10 they play in has become watered-down to little more than a glorified Big East. Something tells me that USC's lack of humility will bite them in the ass again in the near future.

Something also tells me Matt Leinert may also be the next Ken Dorsey or Danny Wuerffel---great in college, with little achievement in the NFL. The verdict is still out on that, but he seems like he gets rattled and confused at times. I also only got to see USC in a couple of games this year, but I have to wonder how many of Leinert's yards were inflated by screens passes to Bush.

One thing I will say---I believe Bush is the real deal and has it all.

 

[drew21]

Bush is the real deal and so is lendel white. Did you see those guys just running and stiff arming texas lbs and dbs to the ground. Usc played a little uninspired and texas capitalized.

 

[Texan]

USC came into South Bend earlier this year to play my beloved Irish with a cocky attitude and they got outplayed in that game.

True; that was one of the best games I've ever watched. I don't really like USC or ND that much, but man what a game. And yeah, USC should have lost that game.

Something also tells me Matt Leinert may also be the next Ken Dorsey or Danny Wuerffel---great in college, with little achievement in the NFL. The verdict is still out on that, but he seems like he gets rattled and confused at times. I also only got to see USC in a couple of games this year, but I have to wonder how many of Leinert's yards were inflated by screens passes to Bush.

One thing I will say---I believe Bush is the real deal and has it all.

I think you have good points here. Leinert is no lock to be the next Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer for sure, and then you add on top of that the fact that he's a lefty and it gets even more iffy. The tendenies of lefty QBs are different from those of a righty (rolling out of the pocket throwing to the left as oppsed to the right, etc.), and most linemen have been guarding righty QBs their whole lives. I think it adds an extra wrinkle to desinging superior offenses. There haven't been many succesful lefty QBs... Boomer and Brunell are about the best I can think of off the top of my head, and they aren't/weren't great. I think it makes a world of difference where he goes and what coach he plays for. He's going to have to find a team that can design their entire offensive scheme based on a lefty QB, but then if he gets hurt and a righty takes over, or if he leaves...

As for Reggie, I agree-- he truly seems to be the real deal. I almost got the feeling though that he was going at about 85% in the Rose Bowl. I don't know if he's one of those players that makes it look that way, or if he felt that's all USC had to give to win, or if was afraid of becoming the next Willis McGahee (who I really like and admire as a player).

Good stuff Penguins, and I hope you are doing well; i haven't posted directly to you in a long time. You're still tops around here in my book.

 

[millionman]

Texan you can't forget Steve Young or Kenny Stabler. Both are lefties and are in the Hall of Fame.

 

[penguinsfan]

Bush is the real deal and so is lendel white. Did you see those guys just running and stiff arming texas lbs and dbs to the ground. Usc played a little uninspired and texas capitalized.

Yes, White looks like he is destined for greatness too. Has some good power behind his game.

 

[penguinsfan]

Oh yeah, Steve Young is clearly the best southpaw of all time.

 

[penguinsfan]

I think you have good points here. Leinert is no lock to be the next Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer for sure, and then you add on top of that the fact that he's a lefty and it gets even more iffy. The tendenies of lefty QBs are different from those of a righty (rolling out of the pocket throwing to the left as oppsed to the right, etc.), and most linemen have been guarding righty QBs their whole lives. I think it adds an extra wrinkle to desinging superior offenses. There haven't been many succesful lefty QBs... Boomer and Brunell are about the best I can think of off the top of my head, and they aren't/weren't great. I think it makes a world of difference where he goes and what coach he plays for. He's going to have to find a team that can design their entire offensive scheme based on a lefty QB, but then if he gets hurt and a righty takes over, or if he leaves...

Those all some good points too. Hey, I could be wrong. I was wrong on Carson Palmer, and it has nothing to do with being a USC hater at all, but that one was because the guy wasn't that good until his senior year. Yet, Palmer is the man.

I just think Leinert got the hype largely because of USC's streak, which was largely because of Bush. I think Young and Bush were very deserving Heismann finalists, but I think it was a joke that the award ceremony only had those three guys appearing as finalists. I think Michael Robinson and Brady Quinn should have at least made their appearance, though obviously Bush was set to run away with it. Hell, Quinn had more impressive stats than Leinert, IMO. Leinert had a little higher completion percentage than Quinn, but Quinn had more yards and Quinn built his stats with long, deep, downfield passing. Quinn will probably be back next year, and will probably be the top NFL prospect for QB, unless he really has a bad year. But if he was coming out this year, I think one would be crazy to pick Leinert over Quinn. Of course, there are a couple of great QBs from the MAC, from what I understand, and those guys have had NFL success in recent years, but they're still a gamble.

 

[Texan]

Texan you can't forget Steve Young or Kenny Stabler. Both are lefties and are in the Hall of Fame.

True. I don't think Young was as good as Stabler, personally. Young played in a productive West Coast system until the NFL defenses got better at defending against it. Plus I'm a Cowboys fan; therefore, I hate the 49ers, especially the '94 team.

 

[millionman]

Texan don't hate, congratulate!!! LOL, sorry I can't stand Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells is just a cranky ol' SOB. I like to think of him as the cantankerous old mule. Personally, I think the best QB of all time bar none is more than likely Johnny Unitas or Bart Starr.

Leinart has had a mountain of talent around him since he's been at USC. In fact I would go as far to say that Palmer got screwed because he was on the way out when most of these guys came in. I really think that Palmer did more with less talent than Lienart and still won games for SC. I also think that playing in the pass happy, heaven forbid anyone ever plays defense PAC-10 is a huge hit against his abilities. The only team I see changing the defensive trend in the Pac-10 is Arizona, and that's because Mike Stoops is the head coach and one of the best defensive coordinators in the country.

Think about this for a second as well. That offensive line is awesome. There strong guard is 365. That whole starting O-line will be drafted in the next year or so. That won't be the case for Mr. Lienart next year for whatever NFL team he plays for. If he pulls the same shit that Eli Manning pulled then I'll go on a tirade about him being a pussy primadonna assfaced monkey. I think I may have just had that tirade, but I promise the next one will be better.

Reggie Bush is a good tailback, but I'm not sure how he'll do in the NFL next year. Lendale White will be fine, as he's a big physical back. The thing about the NFL is that even the bad teams hit hard, and have guys that run sub 4.4 forties. You have to wonder about Bush's durability and whether or not he'll make it long term. Of course the same things were said about Warrick Dunn when he came out of FSU in 95, and he's an all pro nearly every year with only about 1/2 the carries of other backs. Time will tell though.

 

[sikdogg]

One of the best football games i've ever seen... Props to the longhorns but they didn't win because of how they played (although they played dam good) but because of bad moves on SC's part. I almost blame Bush for their loss... that pitch he made that lost them the ball was a biggie and what about wasting their last timeout in the 4th Q, i could go on but whatever...

I think the Bush can do well in the NFL, he's alot like Marcus Allen. He was also small for a tailback but that didn't matter. I agree that Palmer did more with less, but not alot less... he had Mike Williams. Nuff said...

 

[millionman]

Lienart had Mike Williams and would have had him last year had it not been for the NCAA ruling against him. I could give you that SC beat themselves, but that's not what happened. Texas had two huge stops on fourth and short, one when they needed it most. SC had pretty much had their way with the Texas front four most of the game, and especially in the second half. White had killed them running right at the teeth of the Defense. That stop was a huge swing, and it was Texas' Defense rising up when it had to, not a mistake on SC's part. Pete Carroll knew if they gave Texas the ball back that they were very likely to score, as their defense hadn't stopped them at all. I say they didn't stop them because that play where Young threw back to Thomas was a bad play call on the part of the offensive coordinator. It was just too cute of a play when Young had been hitting Thomas over the middle, and running all over the SC D up to that point. Run something that has been shown to work, not some cute throw back to the TE for less than the first down with two men covering you.

Bush's decision was a bad one, but it didn't cost SC that much as they still got up by 12 in the 4th quarter. SC LOST the game fair and square. The Defense had to step up but couldn't do it. That's the difference. Texas' Defense had to step up and did. SC couldn't muster a stop against Vince Young, throwing or running.

 

[Texan]

I think the Bush can do well in the NFL, he's alot like Marcus Allen. He was also small for a tailback but that didn't matter. I agree that Palmer did more with less, but not alot less... he had Mike Williams. Nuff said...

Bush isn't that small. I looked up his stats and he's listed at 6' even, 200 lbs. I firmly believe that an RB over 6' is at a disadvantage in the NFL because he is more visible to the defense. Bush looks smaller than he is because he does a hell of a job of running low to the ground and he has agility close to that of Barry Sanders. Just for reference, Warrick Dunn is 5'9", 180, and Tony Dorsett was 5'11, 192.

The top 5 NFL rushers of all time:
Emmitt Smith 5'9", 200 lbs.
Walter Payton 5'10", 200 lbs.
Barry Sanders 5'8", 203 lbs.
Curtis Martin 5'11", 210 lbs.
Jerome Bettis 5'11", 255 lbs

Then you start mixing in some bigger backs with Eric Dickerson (6'2") 6th, Dorsett is 7th, and so on Anyway, not trying to argue, just pointing out that Bush's size is actually pretty good. We'll just have to see how durable he is and how muck heart he has.

 

[penguinsfan]

Good stuff Penguins, and I hope you are doing well; i haven't posted directly to you in a long time. You're still tops around here in my book.

Thanks Texan. I meant to respond to your kind words yesterday. Hope all is good for you these days.

 

[penguinsfan]

Bush has unbelieveable speed and some nice cuts. That being said, he'll have to have some tackle breaking ability to make it in the NFL. Anyone does. He looked to have it in college, but we'll have to see what he can bring against pro-level talent next year.

Funny, I had no idea Emmett Smith was so short.

 

[Texan]

Funny, I had no idea Emmett Smith was so short.

Being a Dallas fan all my lifeand watching him for his whole career, I knew he was short, but before I looked up those stats, I really thought Walter Payton was 6'1" or 6'2".