Quote:
Originally Posted by itvnetop
You can say all you want about SEC dominance, but if you compare the two conferences, Pac-10 definitely has a decided edge in the offensive schemes over the SEC. SEC has great defense (in addition to excellent fans and atmosphere), but their offenses are not as sophisticated as those in the Pac's.
Regardless of perceived conference strengths and weaknesses, let's not forget that Leinart played plenty on the big stage outside the Pac. When Matty stated this, I'm sure he didn't mean just conference play. Leinart's very first start in college was against Auburn in Auburn. Um, I think the score in his very first game (in a vaunted SEC stadium, btw) was 23-0 SC. Oh yeah, Reggie Bush and Lendale White were also freshmen who had never played a college snap until that game (both only combined for 15 rushing yards that evening). Let's not even mention Leinart's performances in the Rose Bowl against Michigan that season, Virginia Tech in the Kickoff Classic (in a hostile FedEx Field), and Oklahoma and Texas in two Natty's. I'd say he's performed on a big stage, outside of the Pac-10. Give the man some credit please!
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Offensive schemes mean nothing when the players that run them are crap. And make no misake, when Leinart was at USC, that's exactly what the rest of the PAC-10 was -- CRAP.
Playing on the "big stage" is fanspeak. Nothing else. No matter what the audience is like, for every football player in each of their own atmospheres it's the same -- they feel like the world is watching. And for every Notre Dame, Auburn, and UCLA that they played, there were 10 or 20 Stanfords, U. of Arizonas, and Hawaii. Pointing this out doesn't take anything away from Leinart's abilities, just that the comparisons to him and Campbell are more even than you and Matty think.
And just to echo the point (since no one responded the first time), either Campbell is ready to play or he's not. If you trust in Gibbs with his decisions regarding Brunell, then you have to trust in his infinite wisdom that for some reason, Campbell isn't what they thought he was -- and that's why he's not leading this offense right now.