You can all relax now, Taylor Mays is off the board

by bluemax on Jan 13, 2009 11:26 AM PST Comment 22 comments

Thanks to the guys over at Conquest Chronicles for the heads up. I know there were some of you who wanted him and some who didn't.

USC coach Pete Carroll said Monday that All-American safety Taylor Mays, cornerback Josh Pinkard and tailback C.J. Gable would return next season.

All three were eligible for the NFL draft and considered turning pro following the Rose Bowl.

Mays, who is considered a top-20 pick, said after the Rose Bowl he was leaning toward going pro and was considered the most likely USC underclassman to depart.

"They are all returning," Carroll said.

In a sign that he would return, Mays just moved into an apartment with USC teammate Will Harris last weekend. Sources said he enjoyed college life and wanted to spend another year at USC before experiencing the demands of the NFL.

A place to bury strangers.

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Well, I personally would find it hard to turn down that kind of guaranteed money

but good for Mays. I know I enjoyed college and college athletics in general, so you can’t fault him for wanting to continue learning while being a God on the USC campus.
Mays doesn’t really seem like a Ruskell guy, so I was never really worried anyways.

BTW, with that Mississipi DE coming out, there seem to be several really good DEs that might slip to the 2nd or late 1st round that I would LOVE to have (though having already spend so many picks on our DEs the past few years along with having Kerney, I’m not sure drafting a DE would be smart, especially when we’ll be signing Peppers).

by LantermanC on Jan 13, 2009 11:48 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Peppers!

Drooool.

Though doesn’t it seem beneficial for Peppers to try to get Franchised so he can go into free agency in the uncapped year?

Anyway, a whole other conversation.

Does this mean Patrick Chung (sp?) becomes the new #1 Safety and so our selection in the position is likely to be someone lower then we hoped?

by Justise on Jan 13, 2009 12:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

William Moore begs to differ

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!! I DRINK IT UP!!

by abender20 on Jan 13, 2009 12:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This

by Fearless Frog on Jan 13, 2009 1:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Smart of Mays.

His draft stock will rise even further if he develops some ball skills next year.

by redwolf75 on Jan 13, 2009 12:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Or he will fall

because he gets exposed

YES YES YES YES YES

by Scruffy Lefty on Jan 13, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Quite possible

since I believe all three LBers are going to the draft, not sure if they’re all seniors.

by LantermanC on Jan 13, 2009 1:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Chris Gallippo can't be a senior already.

by Fearless Frog on Jan 13, 2009 1:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Gallipo isn't

but we lose our entire starting trio of Cushing, Maualuga and Maiva as well as Clay Matthew who played a combo of LB/DE.

That said we replace them with Gallippo, Malcom Smith and some combination of other 4 and 5 star recruits. A lot of responsibility will certainly be on Mays early on though.

You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.

by bluemax on Jan 13, 2009 2:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Its like Ohio State (or was it LSU) says

We don’t rebuild, we reload (shoot, maybe it was USC)…

by LantermanC on Jan 13, 2009 3:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That seems to be a popular quote

from USC fans.

You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.

by bluemax on Jan 13, 2009 6:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, I see.

I saw Gallippo destroy the Huskies and assumed he was starting.

by Fearless Frog on Jan 13, 2009 5:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Gallippo got significant playing time

because Rey was hurt and because it was the Huskies and there was no reason to over extend the starters.

You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.

by bluemax on Jan 13, 2009 6:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know how he can get "exposed," considering all along he's been hyped

without the production to back it. It’s his athleticism that’s wowed many, and it won’t go away barring catastrophic injury. If he doesn’t increase his production next year, he probably still goes around the same spot in the 1st and gets his degree to boot. But if he shows real progress, then his stock rises even more.

by redwolf75 on Jan 13, 2009 3:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Which for him is basically a win-win.

by Fearless Frog on Jan 13, 2009 5:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly.

by redwolf75 on Jan 13, 2009 9:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

with new LBs and supposedly a worse pass rush, other teams ‘might’ have a chance to throw deep on USC. One of the things people always cite is the number of long passes against USC (none over 40 yards I believe and only a few over 20 until the PSU game).

by LantermanC on Jan 13, 2009 6:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly what I'm getting at.

If teams start attacking him and he doesn’t make all the plays then its going to hurt his stock regardless of how “Athletic” he is.

NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!

by Scruffy Lefty on Jan 13, 2009 10:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure U$Cs LB and DL replacements will play fine, seeing

as they’re packed chock full of 4-5 star recruit depth.

by redwolf75 on Jan 14, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes true,

but their LBs are project to be drafted top 15, late 1st early 2nd, and 4th or 5th round? So even if they are 5 star recruits, they are unlikely to be quite as good.
If you look at their RBs, they were all 5 star recruits, Stafon Johnson, Gable, McKnight, someone else I’m forgetting, and they really haven’t done much in the past 2 years.

by LantermanC on Jan 14, 2009 12:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll call it right now.

Gallippo is the next Urlacher.

by Fearless Frog on Jan 14, 2009 12:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

well

they were all 5 star recruits, Stafon Johnson, Gable, McKnight, someone else I’m forgetting, and they really haven’t done much in the past 2 years

When you split up carries between 3 backs (and the combination of Marc Tyler and Broderick Green got another 68 carries combined), and stop playing your starters because you blow teams out, there are not an awful lot of carries to go around. Johnson had 138 this season, leading the team. Moreno had 250, McCoy had 308, and Shonn Greene had 307. The USC Trio all averaged over 5 yards a carry, and usually didn’t get the benefit of being the only hammer against a tired defense.

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!! I DRINK IT UP!!

by abender20 on Jan 14, 2009 1:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs