[Update x 2] Signs Point to Barkley Returning to Southern Cal
by Achilles on Dec 22, 2011 9:08 AM PST
Email
PrintLooks like Matt Barkley is going to pull a Matt Leinart and return for his "senior season" at Southern Cal. The Trojans have called a presser for this afternoon (1 pm PST) during which Barkley is going to return his decision. There is not a lot of suspense on Twitter around this.
Bruce Feldman has the reasons why Barkley may be coming back:
3 reasons why Barkley may stay: shot to win BCS after enduring sanctions; family's close (sister's a USC FR) & he loves being a college kid.
Matt Leinart chimes in through twitterati:
So does @MattBarkley stay or does he go?? In my opinion, I think he stays!! You heard it first here
If Barkley ends up more like Leinart than Sanchez that will not bode well for him in the NFL. If Barkley went to the pros this year he would have been a top-10 pick. If he comes back - and the chatter indicates that he is - he is potentially taking a huge risk and leaving millions on the table.
With Barkley as the QB, the Trojans will be the overwhelming favorites to win the Pac-12 South and also the conference. Trojans are also getting Tevin's older brother back for his senior season.
As for UCLA, we will still expect the Bruins to compete for the divisional title and beat SC at the Rose Bowl. We will never waver from our expectations of beating SC on our home turf.
UPDATE [N]: Pete Thamel of NYT has the scoop:
Barkley has told teammates he’s returning. Look for good news for USC fans at 4.
And Thamel also tweeted this note that people who are ready to raise the white flag should take note:
Can we hold off crowning USC national champs? They lose their LT, had a bad pass D and did get blown out at ASU. Depth issues, too.
The bold was mine for obvious reasons..
GO BRUINS.
UPDATE II (N): Barkley just made it official saying he is coming back. He also mentioned how the Trogans havve had to "fight on through all the negativity and unfairness brought upon our program."
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
55 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Barkley
with NFL rookie salary cap in effect – USC pays more
+1
Also, there’s no guarantee that his creepy former lover(?) head coach(?)Pete Carroll will draft him too. Maybe “Barks” didn’t want to look like Taylor Mays on draft day.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 22, 2011 10:01 PM PST up reply actions
He is coming back.
Don’t see him going to the NFL. This is typical $UC. They did a horrible job of promoting him this year, so this will be their first chance. They will pull out all the bells and whistles, it will be all over TV for the next few days that he is staying, and he will be the leader for the Heisman Trophy starting today. His family wants him to stay, they have money, and he has a sister who is a freshman. He stays.
Like written above though it could be a huge mistake for a few reasons. First, his stock has never been higher as he had a great end to the year. Unlike past years if chosen really high he has the chance to go to a historically good organization (Indy, Minn) if chosen in the first two or three picks….which could happen. Those organizations have been good winning organizations in the past who have only hit bottom recently, and both play in domes which will make it easier for him to succeed. The Vikes would end the Christian Ponder experiment quickly if they had a chance at Barkley.
But this will be the hype to end all hype at South Central today, but at the end of the day, we should still beat them at the Rose Bowl next year.
So Barks won't take a pay cut?
Well, at least my brother won’t have to worry about his Dolphins drafting him.
"The true athlete should have character, not be a character."- John Wooden
"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."- Michael Jordan
twitter:@GGolden87
by firstto100 on Dec 22, 2011 10:08 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Hope he stays
Wouldn’t want him to miss the @ss whoopin the trojies will get next year.
Go Bruins!
Hope he goes.
If he stays it’s gonna be more of the same next year. We can’t even get our players to practice let alone win a big game. Lets be realistic here, and move forward from there.
by Phoenixbruin84 on Dec 22, 2011 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Realistically
If Mora can light a fire under our players then we should win. No excuses, we have the talent to beat them.
Go Bruins!
Debatable
but I’d say OL, RB, LB’s, DB’s
They’ve got a huge advantage over our WR’s and QB’s.
Go Bruins!
BTW
Don’t confuse this teams performance (or lack thereof) as being an untalented team. They were poorly coached, ran horrible schemes, gave out PT to less talented players and had horrible playcalling. This team is built for a fast turnaround.
Go Bruins!
I agree our team is talented
But does 1 year of good coaching level the playing field with guys who have been coached well for 3 or 4 years like SC has? I sure hope it does and think it should be a quick turnaround but I’m not sure how much ground you can make up in a year
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 12:00 PM PST up reply actions
1 year of good coaching isn't even guaranteed
We still have no idea if Coach Mora will provide the turnaround that is so badly needed. All we can do is hope at this point.
Our DL should be good
I’d like to see Mora unleash Owa, Tepa, Graham, Willis, Marsh and co and drive the punk into the Rose Bowl turf wiping off that disgusting smirk once and for all.
by Nestor on Dec 22, 2011 11:54 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'm also hoping Mora can also get McCarthy to follow his dad
and become a Bruin. 6’4", 310 lbs at DT? Would sure be nice to have that guy stuffing the middle.
"The true athlete should have character, not be a character."- John Wooden
"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."- Michael Jordan
twitter:@GGolden87
They have better OL, LBs and DBs
RB is a push although I think Mcneal is better then a combination of Jetski, Malcolm, and James. They lose 1 player off the OL that allowed the fewest sacks in the country last year. They started 2 freshman LBs that led their team in tackles and will certainly get better. Robey is better then both of our CBs and TJ McDonald is much better then his little brother and Riley.
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 11:58 AM PST up reply actions
they lose their blindside tackle
while we regain our best OL in XSF. A good tackle on the QB’s blindside is HUGE in pass protection.
"The true athlete should have character, not be a character."- John Wooden
"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."- Michael Jordan
twitter:@GGolden87
Moreover ...
Their LBs and DB had a better season this year but we have just as much upside if not more in terms of pure talent. On paper we were supposed to have a better group this year but our coaches completely failed to develop and manage personnel. If Mora gets the job done those units should more than hold their own next season.
I think our units have great potential
And certainly have depth that they lack and will be lacking for a few years with their scholarship restrictions. But based on the product they had on the field last year, I see them with better LBs, and DBs then us next year but by a slim margin. If they have injuries then they’ll be in real trouble though
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 12:25 PM PST up reply actions
Right - you are thinking of matchups at this snap shot of time
I am thinking of projected matchups if we our talent develops after getting elite/NFL caliber coaching.
At the same time
SC is getting elite/NFL caliber coaching from Monte, Joe Barry, Sammy Knight etc..
So it should be expected for their players to get better as well. My only concern is that we’re going uphill trying to catch up on years of bad coaching. I think we will be level with them in the very near future, but I’m not sure if that’s after just 1 year of coaching
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 12:59 PM PST up reply actions
SC's defense wasn't elite
It looked elite against our hapless offense but in general their defense was mediocre to poor.
I don't think their D was elite
But they get elite coaching. Monte has gotten a better hold on the college game and is a great defensive mind. Joe Barry coached in the NFL, Sammy Knight played for 11 years, Orgeron has produced some great DL
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 1:08 PM PST up reply actions
Even then
we were able to move the ball just not finish with scores.
Go Bruins!
To be clear
I’m not saying they have an elite defense. just saying their defense should be improved from last year and if they are able to avoid the injury bug, could have a very good defense
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 3:46 PM PST up reply actions
Losing the blindside tackle is huge
I think our OL will be much improved and I think XSF helps tremendously. But we give up a lot of sacks for how rarely we threw the ball, and we don’t run the ball nearly as well as they do and we are losing our starting RT and C.
I’m not saying our OL will be bad but I think theirs will be better
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 12:08 PM PST up reply actions
I agree
I think they will also benefit from their inability to find a LG early last year. They had to do a lot of shuffling on the OL but in terms of starting units, I think SC will be better then us. I think our OL will be much improved and has the potential to be one of the best in the conference next year, but I think SC will have a better OL.
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 12:21 PM PST up reply actions
In terms OL - I agree with that
SC will have a better starting unit. We should have really good depth and the potential to develop into one of the best OL group out West.
Disagree
We have a lot of young talented OL and a returning all freshman pac-10 LT.
Judging by their starters this year and who might start based on who’s leaving…their starting OL could be
LT – Nathan Guertler, RS Soph
OG – John Martinez, RS JR
C – Khaled Holmes, SR
OG – Marcus Martin, Soph
RT – Kevin Graf, Jr
We’ll probably start
LT – X Man, Soph
OG – Wade Yandal, Soph
C – Jacob Brendel, Soph
OG – Greg Capella, Junior
RT – Baca, Senior
I’m not saying our OL is way better…but they’re very, very talented guys and I think they’ll have really come together by the end of next season.
Go Bruins!
XSF hasn't played in 2 years
I think he will be good but you don’t know exactly how he’ll come back. I agree we have young talent lineman but we’re starting a guy who hasn’t played at C, a guy who hasn’t played in 2 years at LT. With no true standouts at any OL position I think we’ll have a good unti but not elite
Their projected starters are better then ours in IMO. They’re OL are much more proven, and we’re much higher prospects out of high school if you want to talk about potential. We chased all of those players and lost out. With the exception of LT and Baca would figure in somewhere, I think every one of their lineman starts for us.
by themichael21 on Dec 22, 2011 3:43 PM PST up reply actions
Need guys to step up
Kody Innes, Connor Bradford, Brett Downey, and Jacob Brendel come to mind. But I really like our OL depth after next season…Wysocki, Oliver, and White hopefully develop.
Their OL has lost a lot
2 1st round tackles this year and last and was never that deep to begin with. QB, OL, and pass rushers are huge. They lose a pass rusher and a safety too.
I don't want to be a Pollyanna but facts are facts.
We got crushed primarily because we left 21 easy, I mean easy, points on the field in the first half against their “great” defense. Then we flat out quit, which is unforgivable and why we should not even be in a toilet bowl.
Yet if we had any decent coaching, or a decent QB playing at a consistent D1 level, we score those points and are in the game at the half, down, maybe, a touchdown.
Of course, bull**** walks, and that’s all we’ve got until the proverbial next year. But we have talent all over the field, and too often on the bench watching favored, spoiled, undisciplined, entitled veterans stinking up the field.
Mora is right. We are a sleeping giant. Whether or not he is the guy remains to be seen, but so far his attitude, tone and statements are 100% what this soft, lazy, underachieving program needs. The need for a culture change has never been more obvious.
If Mora coaches this team up, and Hundley lives up to some of the hype,I see no reason why we can’t beat them next year in the Rose Bowl. Winning is a habit, a byproduct of discipline, hard work and talent. I welcome golden boy back. No excuses for the Trogan fans when we smack them next year.
Little OT, but...
@NCPANOW: UCLA AD Dan Guererro wants SA stipends = full cost of attendance, not just $2k increase & TV $ may lead to 4th Division bit.ly/sEnLqu
"The true athlete should have character, not be a character."- John Wooden
"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."- Michael Jordan
twitter:@GGolden87
and the fighting through "negativity and unfairness"
gonna love when we plaster his face in the Rose Bowl turf next year.
"The true athlete should have character, not be a character."- John Wooden
"Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation."- Michael Jordan
twitter:@GGolden87
What the hell is he talking about?
unfairness brought upon our program.
It’s unfair for those who have no food on the table.
It's that sad trojie party line.
The players here today should not be punished for the actions of the players of the past. They completely ignore how complicit the admin was and how willing to turn a blind eye.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
THE DECISION PART 2
Keeping my talents in South Central.
As an egotistical and entitled schmuck of a trogan
I despise Matt Barkley.
But in terms of doing what’s strategically best for him and his family, he made the logically correct move. His family is perfectly dandy when it comes to finances, so there’s no monetary rush. His team performed well down the stretch and will be eligible for post-season play. He returns to a well-paid offense that’s loaded up the wazzu with 5-star WRs and RBs. If he had come out, he would have been behind Luck and RG3 in a very talented QB draft, meaning he may very well have slipped out of the top 10. He will be the automatic front-runner for the Heisman next year, which means that the hype will drive his draft stock upward. Finally, and most importantly, I believe it when he says that he loves his community college.
Cheat Carroll’s boy toy made the right move. Good for him. I hope he loses every game he ever plays in, at this level and in the pros.
WOW
Ok, first off, SC fans seem to think that Barkley is the second coming of Christ for staying at USC…using words like “saint” and “class act.” I mean, really? The guy has a rich family, he doesnt need the money, and he wants to stay and party, try to win a Heisman, & a championship. Which of those reasons makes him classy and selfless? SC fans’ absolute blindness to the douchebaggery of this guy absolutely STUPEFIES me. If I have one more SC fan friend mention on Facebook how they just cemented next year’s National Championship, I will kill something! Since when do they start giving out championships a year early and without any games actually won? The way the media and SC fans suck this guy’s d**k is infuriating! Yes, he is good, but there was a reason he wasn’t asked to the Heisman ceremony. OH, and maybe they should let the SEC know that they’ve already won next year’s National Championship, because the SEC likes to win LOTS of games and they tend to fancy that BCS championship game for themselves. But alas, I need to calm down, stupidity and entitlement are nothing new when deal with SUC fans.
by UCLAshley on Dec 22, 2011 8:00 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
First of all, Barkley is no Tebow
Second of all, I can personally guarantee that U$C will not be playing in a BCS bowl game next year. Let the bandwagoners jump up and down and squeal. They know nothing of football. We may not beat them next year but at least 2 teams will.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 22, 2011 10:03 PM PST up reply actions
Sickened
LA Times has a front-page picture and the first 3 pages of the u$ports section gushing over the punk.
by Markpav44 on Dec 23, 2011 6:41 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bruins Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
