Georgia On Carroll’s Mind
By Gabriel Baumgaertner
Whatever sweetness remained from USC’s thrashing of Illinois on New Year’s Day quickly soured this afternoon when sources announced that head coach Pete Carroll has arranged a meeting with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank concerning the Falcons vacant head coaching position. Carroll has rebuffed several NFL offers during his tenure at USC, but is reportedly showing active interest in the Falcons, a job recently vacated by now Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, who abruptly abandoned the team with three games left in the season. The Washington Redskins are another team rumored to be after Carroll, who recently lost coach Joe Gibbs to retirement (again). Carroll has repeatedly stated that he will not leave USC for the pros, but another BCS victory this year and two national championships during his stint in the Land of Troy make one wonder if he wants another shot at the NFL.
Carroll was a head coach for three seasons in the NFL, one with the New York Jets and two with the New England Patriots, compiling a 23-28 record. College coaches thrust directly into NFL head coaching positions has an alarming failure rate, as the likes of Dennis Erickson, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and Petrino have had tremendous success at the collegiate level, but were rumored to be overwhelmed when given the responsibilities of an NFL team. Many wonder why Blank is looking to another college head coach to fill his coaching vacancy after being completely burned by Petrino, who had had no NFL experience whatsoever, but there appears to be less of a risk with Carroll, who was a not only a head coach for three seasons, but also an assistant for twelve. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was criticized early in the year for inferring that Carroll would make the jump after this season, but it appears that the provocative Harbaugh may have seen what others did not.
Carroll has become an L.A. icon not merely because of his astonishing winning percentages, but because of popularity with his players and the community. “He’s a really likeable guy, not a typical old coach that just sits back and draw’s up x’s and o’s” says Redshirt Freshman Daniel Harper “At practice he’s out there running around with us and doing drills, personally it’s hard for me to imagine playing for someone else at this point.” Carroll has also gained popularity with the opening of his practices to the public, a rarity among major college football teams like USC. In doing so, he has drawn fans from all over Los Angeles, most notably from the inner city. Carroll’s presence will be missed not only on the football field, but within the local community as well.
If Carroll in fact leaves for an NFL position, he will certainly be remembered for resurrecting a lifeless program and bringing glory back to the program that has turned out more Heisman Trophy Winners than any school in history. However, it will seem forever premature to USC fans and players because of the success, charisma and overall fun that he has brought to USC. With Rick Neuheisel recently being hired at UCLA, it may turn out that the “perfect” Southern California football program may be on a hunt very soon.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Gabe,
Thanks for the read. Interesting perspective, you don’t generally hear about Pete’s impact on the City section community, he’s certainly developed into a legend in a greater capacity than just strictly on the field.
I don’t think Pete was ever really interested in the Atlanta job, or any NFL job for that matter that doesn’t give him complete player personnel control and a percentage of the team, rumored to be 10% which is roughly $50 million right off the bat. Pete knows his value and is aware he can basically name his price with any NFL owner because of his ideal situation at USC. He and his wife are building a house in Manhattan Beach, they’re extremely tied to the area, Pete himself would admit he wouldn’t leave USC unless the perfect NFL opportunity arises. To be honest, I’m not sure if that’ll ever come. We’re already 4 years into these rumors and he’s now turned down flirtations from the Chargers, Cowboys, Cardinals, Dolphins, Raiders, Falcons, and 49ers.
Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I’ve met Pete on occasion and he’s a different cat. Dude’s a perfectionist and even more obvious, a total control freak, which is why he works so well in college and specifically with recruiting.
From reading your previous entries, I’m gonna have to assume you side with the Golden Bears. If so, congrats on landing Covaughn Deboskie, not like you needed another tailback, but he’s a good kid and will fit really well in Berkeley. Hope to see Kevin and Jahvid starting next year, you guys are my darkhorse to win the Pac next year.
- Bryan