Carroll's Farewell: Did Pete Orchestrate USC's New Staff on the Way Out?

In what may have been Pete Carroll's greatest act as a Trojan, there are whispers that Coach C may have set the wheels in motion for USC's "dream team" of coaches that was assembled, seemingly overnight.

Over the weekend, as Trojan Nation reeled in the aftermath of Pete Carroll's escape to Seattle, it may be coming to light that the Seahawks were not the only team that had Carroll's attention.

Also on his mind was the team in his rear-view mirror.

In what now appears to be an unbelievable coup by USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, the Trojans had a dream team of coaches seemingly drop into their laps.

Those around USC who know Garrett are stunned, and for good reason. This result seems to be well outside his capabilities, especially in such a short timeframe.

So, maybe Garrett isn't the architect here?

Maybe it was Pete Carroll who got the wheels in motion on this. Pete has close ties to all of the "big four" who USC managed to hire in just hours on Tuesday evening.

Pete learned at the feet of defensive genius Monte Kiffin. The elder Kiffin is an undisputed member of the Mount Rushmore of defensive coordinators in football history, and is widely respected at all levels of football.

Pete has always talked to him on a regular basis, and I would be certain he has talked to him in the last 48 hours. Maybe a few times.

Lane Kiffin owes most of his current fame to Carroll and Norm Chow. Lane was on the sideline for USC's heyday in the middle of the last decade. He saw firsthand how good superstar coordinators can make a head coach look.

To "lure" him back to USC was not hard, I am sure.

Ed Orgeron is probably the single greatest recruiter in NCAA history. His departure from USC was a bad idea from the beginning, and most have said he has been looking for a way back to Los Angeles ever since. In fact, he could very easily have been back at USC next year even if Carroll had stayed.

One call from Pete about a reunion in the Coliseum would have gotten Eddie O's attention instantly.

Now to the strangest acquisition, Norm Chow.

It is a widely-known fact that Carroll ran Chow off after the 2004 season because there was strife between the two, mainly from the fact that Chow's offense overshadowed Carroll's defense in the 55-19 BCS national championship game blowout of Oklahoma.

Chow went to the NFL's Tennessee Titans, and the USC offense steadily declined each year after his departure. Carroll did not win a national championship without Chow, but his old playbook got USC on the cusp of three more national championships, and also got Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian major college jobs.

Would Pete call Chow? And if he did, would Chow even take his call?

Chow was entrenched at crosstown-rival UCLA. He was, however, on a quick hot seat, because UCLA's offense has been abysmal the last two years. He had already worn out his welcome there and I think Carroll knew it.

There were reports over the weekend that Carroll was talking to Chow. However, the reports said he was talking to Chow about going to Seattle with him.

For those of us close to the Trojans, this was an instant red flag.

No way Carroll would want Chow on his staff. No way Chow would accept even if Carroll asked. Add in the fact that Carroll seems to have an inexplicable, platonic man-crush on his current offensive coordinator, Jeremy Bates, and the calls to Chow smelled fishy from the get-go.

Now, we may be able to ascertain what they were about.

The calls may have been about coming back to USC. Coming back to USC so that Pete would not be leaving the cupboard bare when he goes back to the NFL.

Could many of the delays over the weekend in Carroll's hiring have been because of Carroll's behind-the-scenes work on building a staff to take over for his departure?

It's certainly possible.

But everyone knows that Garrett dislikes Carroll and would not ever allow Carroll to have a say in his replacement. There were also many stories of Garrett and Lane Kiffin not getting along. But, at the same time, a series of "negatives" from the first four or five guys on his coaches list might make an AD on his way out forget some grudges real quick.

There is also a lot of talk that Garrett may have had little to do with these hirings, but they were brought about by others behind the scenes. This would only reinforce the Carroll theory.

As a real Trojan, I will admit that my love for Carroll has been slowly eroding since he ran Chow off five-plus years ago. In fact, I was so frustrated by his bailing on USC for the Seahawks that I was actually closing in on hating him.

But now I will say that if Coach Pete was man enough to swallow several heaps of pride over the last few days, all for the benefit of USC, then I will revere him forever.

If the staff that has been assembled now accomplishes even part of what Carroll and his staffs did in their nine years, then it will reflect horribly on Pete, possibly showing that the talent was in his assistants, and not in him.

This is what makes his act so extraordinary. To "take care" of the program he is leaving behind, especially in a way that is potentially self-damaging, is the act of a true Trojan.

Coach Carroll's famous slogan during his tenure at USC was "Win Forever," and in his final minutes at USC, he may have done everything he could to assure that.