Pete Carroll Will Keep the USC Coaching Door Open, Calls For a Rebirth

This almost sounds like the 2001 season at USC where disgruntled fans were heaping criticism on the new head coach.

The only difference is that after seven consecutive Pac-10 Championships and two national championships, no one is calling for Pete Carroll’s firing.

However, some fans are hoping Pete will give a few of his unpopular assistants the boot.

Not likely.  

If anything, Carroll will hold the door open for those assistants with other offers.

“There will be a lot of movement as always,” Carroll was quoted as saying in the Daily News blog, Inside USC.  “We have a lot of really talented guys, it's all what comes our way, who comes after our guys, we'll have to wait to see.”

So that more or less opens the door for assistants like Jeremy Bates, who may receive consideration to replace Ron Turner, the offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears.  

Bates coached Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler when the two were with the Denver Broncos.  Or Bates may wind up going with former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan should he return to the NFL.

In any case, Carroll’s statement seemed to indicate that USC would not hold assistants to their contracts if they choose to move on.

But if disgruntled fans are hoping for wholesale changes in the coaching staff, they can forget it.

Talking about his staff, Carroll is further quoted as saying, “We're going to fight this thing out together. If that's what you're asking, whether I'm going to make staff changes, we're going to fight this thing out and make it work.''

In a way this may be Carroll’s response to the criticism that has been heaped on his staff, as well as himself.  

One editorial called Carroll stubborn for playing Joe McKnight over Allen Bradford. Another accused him of sacrificing the 2009 season in order to give Matt Barkley the experience and the opportunity to lead the team in 2010.

Stubborn?  Maybe.  I would like to think that Pete Carroll is determined.  He may fail, but he will fail doing it his way.

And then again, he may succeed once more doing it his way.  And that’s what this week and the preparations for the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 26 are all about—succeeding.

Carroll is not waiting until January. 

In a meeting with his players reported on the USC Trojans blog, he talked about restarting and rebirth. "How far can we take this? Ain't nothing to hold us back but us," Carroll said. "I want to restart this thing now."

He began by moving up the practice schedule from next Monday to this Saturday and Sunday.

"We have to capture where we are and take it to the top," Carroll told his players. "Our mentality needs to shift to capture this thing. Our gears have to shift.

"I'm not waiting until after the bowl. I want it starting now."

Instead of an ending to a mediocre season, the Emerald Bowl represents a new beginning for the Trojans.

"I can only think of one way to go about this (the Emerald Bowl).  Let's go for it, all out," Carroll told his squad. "Let's make this everything we can make it. Let's max it out.”

He acknowledged that it would not be easy.  "The challenge is there; we've got a hill to climb. But we can rise to the opportunity."

Carroll also spoke of recreating and reestablishing their previous success.  

“Our attitude needs to be about recreating ourselves. We need to reestablish it and earn it. It's exciting in a way because we have a new challenge now. We've had a different challenge in the past, we've talked differently, now we have to go back to where we were Orange Bowl time, first time around.''

Some may consider Carroll stubborn, but no one can deny his determination or his competitiveness.  

“I issued a very strong challenge to the young guys and the older guys to embrace this challenge, we need to find it again,” Carroll said.  “That's what we're after. Saturday and Sunday will be like spring football, I don't want to wait.''

And Carroll didn’t wait.  He and his coaches had their bags packed and took off on the recruiting trail for the rest of the week. 

Good fishing, fellas!