USC football: Taylor Mays, All-American optimist

November 24th, 2009, 3:24 pm · 2 Comments · posted by Michael Lev, staff writer

The USC defense gave up more than 700 rushing yards against Oregon and Stanford, yet some of its members would have you believe the problems are easily fixable.

Taylor Mays is one such advocate.

When asked if he has seen progress in the run defense over the past several practices, this is what the senior safety said:

“Yeah. It’s a one-error problem. One person does something wrong, and that’s normally where we mess things up. If we all do our assigned job, then we’ll be all right.”

If it’s really that simple, why couldn’t it be fixed during the Oregon and Stanford games?

But I digress. More pertinent this week heading into the UCLA game is the Trojans’ state of mind. Is USC in a good place mentally?

“I think we’re fine,” Mays said. “We’ve just got to take it day by day and make the most of every day. If we add all that up at the end of the week, then we’ll be where we need to be.”

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Greg says:

November 24, 2009 at 4:29 pm

While recognizing that Mays is not the team spokesperson, we can take little comfort but gain much insight from his remarks. A “one error problem,” really? Something tells me little has changed in the increasingly delusional culture in Heritage Hall. I may be wrong but I’m guessing many fans wouldn’t mind hearing something along the following lines from Mays, PC, and/or anyone on the team:

“We know that we haven’t been showing much heart, pride, discipline, or sacrifice in nearly a month and we know that has caused much disappointment about the season and the legacy built over the last seven years and history of this program, generally. While I can’t guarantee that we will solve all of our problems within the next week, I can tell you to a man, we are committed to recognizing our deficiencies and correcting them where we can, beginning now. We are committed to doing the fundamentals exceedingly well and that includes tackling, not committing penalties, and giving 100% of our effort until the very end of each and every game. For my part, I commit to maintaining my assignments, making sure tackles, and looking for positive attention for my team and not just myself. With the talent and coaching on this team, we are confident that it will not be long before we are once again regarded as the gold standard of college football dominance.”

This is not exact, but a mindset similar to this would really go along way in assuring the alumni, fans, and supporters that the SC’s “commitment to excellence” is still the creed and not just a phony jingle.

Thanks,
Greg

darkdiggler says:

November 25, 2009 at 11:50 am

hey greg i understand wanting more from the trojans, i most certainly do too. but it seems like the statement you WANT is almost apologetic, and while the play of the last month has most certainly been sorry, technically they don’t owe us anything. neither does pete, bc although his 4 mil a year demands a darn good job, he definitely has already earned it. remember, we as fans are spectators. we’re only one part of the puzzle. the increased over scrutinized media coverage in the past 5 years has taken a lot of excitement and surprise and anticipiation out of the game, while it provides something for us to read and think about each day at work or what not, on game day it leaves a lot left to be desired. we still have 2 more games to play and a lot can happen, which all will decide where we end up for bowl season, who knows, if we actually perform we will end up in the holiday bowl, which would be lucky considering the way we’ve been losing games. im not saying to stop wanting more, just to be realistic and know that if taylor mays or another player were to apologize in that manner he’d be speaking for the whole team and one player can’t really do that. one person shouldnt be responsible for a whole organizational mistake in football, esp at a silly press conference. at the end of the day its just a game, lives and families are not lost in college football

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