I'll agree that it'd be odd of him to leave USC, easily the premier coaching job in the nation - NFL or college - for the Cardinals. But assuming it did somehow happen, and also assuming Jeff Fisher is fired in Tennessee, would anyone else be excited to see Norm Chow head to Arizona with Pete? With Leinart already in place I think they could craft a pretty formidable offense around the talent in the desert. It'd be exciting to watch at least, whether it be successful or a trainwreck.
Hi Dazz,Expound more if you would on how it's
easily the premier pro or college job of any sport. It's way way up there no doubt. But
easily the best of any sport?
J
I think a lot of things factor into it. Right now Pete has his pick of the litter when it comes to recruits in all of California, which is one of the two or three most important recruiting states in the nation. UCLA and Cal are second on virtually everyones list and that really doesn't tell the whole story - Carroll can essentially send an email to a kid and have him committed within the first sentence based on what they have going right now, and its starting to extend beyond California. He's pulling kids in from Arizona, Oregon, and Washington that
should be locked up by other Pac-10 schools to go along with the rest of the national recruits USC grabs. They're as close a thing to a lock in Conference play that there is, and at most in any given year they'll lose two games. Compared with the Big Ten and SEC they're playing a cake in-conference schedule every year and are always going to be in contention to run the table. If you combine that with how voters view USC, even if they finished tied with two other teams in record to end the season they'd pull out the BCS Championship bid.
The only real reason I say it crosses over as the best job in all of football, NFL included, is because of the difference between NFL and collegiate coaching. I don't think it's even a question that being in college is significantly less stressful and an overall more enjoyable experience. Monetarily, Pete can be paid just as much if not more at USC than anywhere in the NFL, so financial security doesn't come into play. And as far as importance goes USC is basically LA's pro team. He has this city held hostage and the only way it can go wrong is if he lets it.
I'd say that right now, the best jobs in college football are USC, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, and with what Pete has going right now you can make an argument that USC is at the top of that list. And I also think, when push comes to shove, most coaches that have done both college and pro coaching would prefer college. Being a head coach in the NFL is an obsession, whereas being a head coach in college is an occupation. It's a lot of stress, a lot of headaches, and a lot of up and down years where you know that in the end you're probably going to be fired.
When I say easily, I think I have some rose-colored glasses from living in LA. I can't really compare how Charlie Weiss or Jim Tressel are treated where they are, but I definitely know that if all things are equal in terms of job security and strength the easy money for local as a living destination is USC.
Edit - I did make a huge mistake, I should have said easily the best football job in the country. There are college basketball spots that easily beat out almost any situation you can come up with in football, or at least equal it.
As far as Carrol is concerned. He should look at guys like Spurrior and Saban who went from top college programs to the NFL. It would be a challenging job to say the least.
