To tackle or not to tackle - that is the question

Whether 'tis nobler in the body to suffer
The strains and bruises of full-contact practice,
Or to take caution against a sea of troubles
And, by no contact, end them. To hit, to tackle
No more...

Yes, that's right. I just pulled out the Shakespeare.

All because Sheriff- I mean, Coach Lane Kiffin has once again laid down the law after defensive tackle Nick Perry suffered a high ankle sprain during a goal line drill Wednesday.

No more tackling.

Which begs the question that I'm sure Shakespeare himself would have posed had be lived in this day and age:

To tackle or not the tackle?

Pete Carroll was a big proponent of full-contact drills. To be sure, there are plenty of good reasons to support going all out all of the time. It builds toughness and instills the idea of intensity at all times.

It definitely served the Carroll era teams well...To a point.

What those teams, especially in the later years, gained in intensity, they often lost in devastating injuries.

In years past the team was able to overcome those injuries. But those teams did not have to deal with scholarship limits and such major depth problems.

Which is why, even if it goes against my natural philosophy, this appears to be another genius football move by Kiffin.

And who doesn't love the classic Kiffin snark in this quote:

"We do one drill live and this happens," Kiffin said. "We can't afford to do it. We won't do any live tackling in live drills besides preseason games 2 and 3. We won't do it in practice ever again until about four years from now."

Rule #46: Take everything you hear with a grain of salt

Hold your horses.

My last post seems to have been founded on a very big misunderstanding. USC AD Pat Haden has clarified his comments in a recent USA Today article with regards to Reggie Bush:

“Never did he say I’m sorry or I apologize,” Haden said. “Never did he say, 'I lied to the NCAA or I took stuff.' ”...

...“I would say it was conversation of him being contrite, but not an apology,” Haden said.

Haden said that he checked with USC’s compliance department before taking the call from Bush, who plays for the New Orleans Saints. Haden said he mostly listened during the call.

“When we say we have to disassociate ourselves, I didn’t know if I could talk to him or even listen to him,” Haden said. “It was basically just a conversation about him feeling bad about what he put the university through.”

Well that's...disappointing.

But what does it mean?

First, USA Today writers need to invest in a dictionary. 

According to Merriam-Webster.com, the definition of contrite is "feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming."

On the other hand, an apology is defined as "an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret."

Close in meaning, but not interchangeable. Come on USA Today, get your head in the game! ...

Alright, I admit. I might have fallen for it too. With all the talk about Bush acknowledging that he made "a series of mistakes" it certainly sounded like he admitted error.

So let's just call this as a teachable moment and from now on very closely parse the exact meaning of everything Pat Haden, the Rhode Scholar, says.

Second, what exactly was involved in the "series of mistakes" Haden mentioned? Did Reggie admit to making mistakes in handling the Lake accusations? Or dealing with the NCAA? Or was that Haden misunderstanding Bush this time?

Third, is it possible that Bush did indeed apologize, i.e. give "an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret," but did so with an expectation of privacy that Haden didn't understand? It would explain why Haden is now backtracking.

Or maybe that's just wishful thinking from someone who so desperately wants to think the best of Reggie Bush...

Reggie the Contrite?

UPDATE: Haden changes tune.

The phrase "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa" is a favorite of mine.

Maybe it is a product of my obsession with Latin, maybe it is my Catholic upbringing shining though but the phrase has always seemed more meaningful than a simple "I'm sorry."

It comes from the Roman Catholic prayer for confession of sinfulness and literally means "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

And it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw news of Reggie Bush's apparent apology to USC AD Pat Haden:

"He's really contrite," Haden said of the 2005 Heisman winner. "He knows he made a series of mistakes. It wasn't just one mistake. It was a series of mistakes.

"He told me, 'If I could turn the clock back, I would. If I could give the Heisman Trophy back, I would.' "

Bush will likely never be able to completely repair the damage he has done to USC but his mea culpa (albeit one relayed second hand) is a very positive first step. 

And it is not because he said sorry. Or said he would give his Heisman back. It is because he admitted fault. At least by Haden's assessment, he confessed that his mistakes caused this mess.

The gesture was small and much more is needed.  But for now I'll take it. Because every reconciliation has to start somewhere.

Just call him Sheriff Kiffin

Pete Carroll may have had big balls, but Lane Kiffin is a hard ass. And I love it.

One of the biggest criticisms many had for the final year of the Carroll era was an apparent lack of discipline.

I think it's safe to say we will not be dealing with a similar problem as the Kiffin era begins.

Freshmen phenom Dillon Baxter now knows that better than anyone.

After two days of sideline punishment, Baxter was officially suspended for USC's season opener against Hawaii on Sept. 2 for violating team rules.

Presumably the suspension stems from an incident early Tuesday morning when the young running back allegedly  broke curfew and reeked of a "controlled substance."

Kiffin had this to say:

"I think this is an extremely strong message and a very severe punishment for a player that may potentially be the most-skilled player on our whole roster," Kiffin said. "Hopefully that message not only helps him but helps our team and especially our freshman class."

The punishment is harsh for certain, but it sets a much needed standard for how Trojan players are expected to behave under this new regime. It started with more disciplined practices and laps or other punitive exercises for screwing up on the field. It has now extended to off-field behavior.

No player is safe from that standard. Not even the best young player on the team.

Interestingly enough, it was new AD Pat Haden's response to the situation the shed the most light on the suspension:

"Dillon's a high-profile athlete, like we've had some other ones around here, and he wasn't doing things he was supposed to be doing, Haden said. "And so when I say Lane gets it, I think he does.

"We can't just allow this kind of behavior, particularly for a freshman when they're just getting started, so I think he's done absolutely the right thing."

"Dillon's a high-profile athlete." Did you hear that Paul Dee?

Hopefully Baxter, and every other "high-profile" athlete at USC, heard it loud and clear because the spotlights are on and the microscopes are out. They may call him the next Reggie Bush on the field, but they will not tolerate Reggie Bush-like trouble off of it.

Sorry for the absence

Due to work (of the non-paying sort), vacation, and Blogger being ridiculous and not allowing me to sign into my account, I've been neglecting this blog. I'll probably continue to post irregularly for now, but as we get closer to football season things should pick up again.

Fight On!

FINAL THOUGHT: Brett Favre is supposedly retired...again. Chances of him playing this season regardless - 75%