Chow move tough to swallow

Norm Chow apparently will be coaching another USC nemesis. This time, it hits close to home.

After leaving Troy for Tennessee in 2005, Chow became a mentor to Vince Young. At least he was with USC alums Jeff Fisher (head coach), LenDale White (running back) and, eventually, Mike Williams (a wide receiver who is slowly morphing into a nose tackle).

The gunslinger guru is ultimately a hired gun. He'll saddle up next season at UCLA, again as an offensive coordinator.

Bruin Coach Rick Neuheisel wasn't able to steal linebacker coach (and UCLA alum) Ken Norton from the Trojans, but this one strikes a much deeper chord. Though USC is sure to maintain the party line ("we're taking it one game at a time" ... "they're a great team, he's a great coach"), the media will have a field day with the Carroll-Chow and Sarkisian-Chow "rivalry."

The Sarkisian angle is simple -- he worked under Chow for three years at USC, first as a graduate assistant and then two seasons as the quarterback coach. Now he's the Trojans offensive coordinator. The two will be compared, though they won't compete head-to-head.

The Carroll angle is a bit more complex. He aggressively pursued Chow as his first hire at USC, pushing the administration to free up enough money for the offensive mastermind. With Carroll as head coach, they partnered to win consecutive national championships -- Chow listed as offensive coordinator and Carroll listed as defensive coordinator. Nationally, both have been considered the best at their respective roles. Just a few years later, they will be pitted against each other with an intimate knowledge of how the other operates.

There's a temptation in Troy to get upset at UCLA for hiring from within the Trojan family, especially because Chow and Carroll reportedly didn't end on great terms. That's like mocking the Bruins for having gold as a team color. USC's no different. Besides having Norton on staff, the Trojans once tried to hire Knute Rockne away from Notre Dame. He respectfully declined, and famously suggested they go after Howard Jones.

It was just a few weeks ago that Chow was considered a candidate for UCLA's head coaching position. He won't exactly be taking a pay cut, thanks to his NFL severance. It really facilitated things when the Titans fired Chow. Had the timing been different, maybe he'd have wound up the head coach at Hawaii, which happens to be where he grew up.

At USC, Norm Chow was a man who enjoyed the simple pleasures (like watching Traveler gallop around the Coliseum), a man who was often portrayed as far more profound than eloquent, and a man who's brilliance transcended the complexity of his difficult profession. For Trojan fans, Yoda has joined the dark side.

Photo by Vince Compagnone / LAT

Comments

[Trojan to the Core]

The comparison between USC going after Rockne and Ken Norton versus this hire are night and day. First, Rockne had the class to stay with ND because that was who he was. Norton ASKED for a job at UCLA and was rebuffed.

Chow accepted to work in Baby Blue. He's a Judas, pure and simple.

[Trojan to the Core]

The comparison between USC going after Rockne and Ken Norton versus this hire are night and day. First, Rockne had the class to stay with ND because that was who he was. Norton ASKED for a job at UCLA and was rebuffed.

Chow accepted to work in Baby Blue. He's a Judas, pure and simple.

[char]

Whatever...UCLA still sucks.

[Gerrrg]

Always two there are, no more, no less. A Master and an Apprentice.

We shall see if the Apprentice has surpassed the Master.

[brewnz]

Quick correction, TTTC. Norton was offered the same job at UCLA that he received at USC, but turned it down because he was upset at Dorrell for not hiring him full-time as linebackers coach.

Similarly, Norm was upset at Carroll for forcing him out of the offensive coordinator role into an empty "assistant H.C." title. I think the two situations are very similar, except that NC took the job so that he can stay at home in L.A. (versus other opportunities elsewhere), so I guess it wasn't done out of scorn for Carroll. KN took his job out of scorn for Dorrell.

[james monroe]

Norm Chow aka "The Traitor" took the Bruins job as payback to Carroll. He didn't need the money as he was still going to receive money from his previous contract. At least Rockne had the 'class' to say no and stay true to Notre Dame.
Chow obviously has no class or loyalty. Shame on you! I can't wait to see SC spank you next season!

[Gerrrg]

brewnz,

some clearing up of events.

a. Norton asked UCLA for a job, they said TBNT. It was after he had been coaching at USC, Dorrell then asked if he'd like to come over to UCLA in the same position, and Norton said no. Pete gave Norton a chance as a graduate assistant whereas UCLA didn't.

b. Look at Pete's position about coaching, and you can see that he has never been planning to leave USC, but that he's always known that he can't keep good assistant coaches at USC forever. Don't forget, he did hire back Sark and Holt, and that says a lot about what his assistants think about Pete. All I'm waiting for now, is Orgeron to come back.

c. Norm spoke about taking a year off like Pete did. Well, if Norm was somehow pissed off at Pete, why would he reference Pete's year off between coaching jobs? If you read up about Norm, he's got the attitude that if you work hard, people will reward you. He's been up for a lot of HC positions over the years, but as another website has said, he's not so good with fire and brimstone, so he wouldn't be expected to be able to recruit well.

d. Forced out of USC? Pete gives every one of his assistants the positive plug so that they can move on into better and greater opportunities. Maybe Chow was forced out, but I don't see how an opportunity to be earning half-a-million more dollars could be seen as a force-out. I mean, that's way overblown in the media. Hey, please show me the door if I get offered a 100% increase in salary, and I'm too stupid to take it,..okay?

[Trojan to the Core]

Brewnz, you'd have to know as little as you do to be able to see any similarities.

[Bill Baldwin, Jr.]

You're right on the mark Gerrrg- When I heard the story after the fact about Ken Norton,Jr. , an NFL Pro Bowl linebacker and All American at UCLA asking Karl Dorrell for a job on his staff as a graduate assistant -- and that Norton was told in effect to "buzz off", I was amazed at the stupidity of UCLA's new head coach and the lack of respect and recognition of talent shown by UCLA towards one of it's own.Well, I wasn't so shocked, since we're talking about UCLA.

. Fortunately for us, Ken Norton,Jr. next called Pete Carroll and Pete jumped at the chance to have the UCLA great join the USC coaching staff. Obviously,had the UCLA offer this time been a step up from Norton's current job as Linebackers coach and head of recruiting, he would have returned to his alma mater, and I certainly would not have said anything but Thank you and best of luck.

As for Norm Chow --- he's a gun for hire, but he got his nose bent out of shape for some reason at USC: you notice he's never gotten a head coaching job,even though he's interviewed for many. He's a very good assistant coach. He also CHOSE to spend 20-something years in the town of Provo, Utah. If you've ever spent time in Provo, you know I'm not exaggerating when I say in Provo we are talking dull with a capitol ZZZZZZZZZ: Compared to Provo, Pasadena is Berlin in the 1920's.

Frankly, if Chow is such an offensive genius, how come he got canned in Tennessee with one of the real studs at QB in Vince Young? Other than the head coach, I don't think Chow will find any guys of the Vince Young, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinatt level at Bruinvillle.

Final add - Norm Chow's "genius" status: Powder blue and gold: Westwood: accepting an assistant job at the school which just turned you down as head coach; 20 years in Provo and he let them put him "on the day shift"(Bob Dylan's 115th Dream): He's now a UCLA Bruin-- by choice.

[Sam S]

We're screwed. Sarks is terrible, we will NEVER win a championship with him in charge. NEVER. Dr. Chow should be mad at Pete after the Stanford coaching job incident. Dr. Chow deserves a head coaching job beyond anybody else around. His hire at the Ruins will let him beat us in Pasadena this year.

Fight On

[Gerrrg]

Sark is not terrible at all. We're just used to seeing the offense click when Matt was operating it with all pistons firing in syncopation. Don't forget that Booty had a lot of his passes deflected by the receivers into defensive hands, and dropped balls.

Take those dropped balls away, and a lot of those 3-and-done series would have been longer drives. Well, that and if the offensive line hadn't been a patchwork. Which of course means only good things for this coming Fall - lots of experience.