Posts tagged Brian Cushing at FanHouse

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

3 ... 2... 1 ... Splat, in a straw cowboy hat. Not sure whether this was a puke-and-rally scene or if Ohio State's star cornerback (formerly pictured at right -- we're working to add the picture again) executed the El Foldo maneuver and called it a night.

Background: Playboy invites players named on its preseason college football All American team to hang out, bond, and, well, party together before the season.

They take group pictures for the magazine, but otherwise have a lot of free time on their hands. Sometimes that free time is spent wearing silly straw cowboy hats. Sometimes it's spent with women you won't be taking home to mother.

... And sometimes its spent refunding your lunch and all the good stuff that had you so cheerful earlier in the evening. Dagnabbit (sorry, straw hat talking there).

More documented fun at the link. Hint: USC's linebackers dwarf James Laurinaitis.

Update: Looks like the thread was pulled with all the images from the event. Hmm. Most of the pictures in the now-escaped thread showed several Ohio State and USC players hanging out together, partying, with women, etc. Standard stuff. And of course the former picture of Jenkins above losing his lunch. You'll have to take our word for it. It was funny. Bent over puke on the sidwalk funny. Darn lawyers.

Ohio State fans hoping that the USC Trojan defense might be soft over the middle when the Buckeyes visit the Coliseum on September 13, 2008 will not like this news--standout linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga will return for their senior seasons.

The two juniors, who have yet to win a National Title at USC say thay were influenced by senior Keith Rivers in making their decision to stick around for one more year.

Rivers explains to the Los Angeles Times, ""Most of the people I've talked to in the league say college is more fun. After practice, I'll go, 'Hey Rey, let's hang out.' In the league guys are married or getting cut left and right. . . . You can't really beat the camaraderie of being a young adult."

Of course some Trojans who have stayed in school are still fighting the evils of family life--like former Leinart Lady Brynn Cameron who is balancing motherhood and USC basketball.

When USC linebacker Brian Cushing suffered an ankle sprain in the Trojans' season opener against Idaho, the junior was hopeful that he would make it back on the field within two weeks at Nebraska. He noted that there's a difference between simply walking and coming out and playing on the field, but managed to get a few plays in Lincoln.

The 2007 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP re-injured his ankle against Washington State, putting him back on the bench for most of last week's game. Now, Cushing seems to believe that his injury is worse than expected, and there are fears he may have cracked a bone in his ankle, leading one local paper to report that he could be out up to three weeks--returning only for USC's October 20th match-up in South Bend.

In Cushing's absence, Senior Linebacker Keith Rivers has been moved to the Strong Side position and backup Kaluka Maiava has been elevated to the first team.

Coming up with a list of the best players in the Pac Ten conference is no easy task. It would be very easy just to go down the roster of the University of Southern California and pick at random and you'd probably come up with five players that are arguably among the best at their position. We tried to resist the urge...but came up short. Enjoy the list.

1. John David Booty, QB, Southern California

If the Heisman Trophy is going to return to the West Coast this year, it will be going to Trojan quarterback John David Booty. In his first year as a starter for the Men of Troy, Booty only led his team to a Pac Ten title and a win in the Rose Bowl. Not shabby, but not quite what Trojan fans have come to expect. If Booty hopes to finish his career with as few losses as his predecessor, he'll have to run the table and he just may. Booty is not without his shortcomings, however. His mechanics mean that the Trojan signal caller has a low trajectory when he releases the ball--which can lead to some inopportune tipped balls in key situations, especially with a short field. What's more, Booty lost his two favorite targets--receivers Dwayne Jarrett and State Smith--to the NFL, meaning he'll have to earn every plaudit laid upon him in the 2007 season.

2. DeSean Jackson, WR, California

Expectations are high for the University of California's DeSean Jackson. Rivals.com and The Sporting News have him ranked as the nation's leading receiver and Rivals says he is the best special teams player in all the land. Jackson is on several watch lists for post-season honors, including the Belitnikoff and Randy Moss Awards--and something in the air in Berkeley has his name being touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Last year, Jackson averaged 18 yards a catch on 59 receptions and was the lone bright spot in the Bears' loss to Arizona, with a career-long 62-yard touchdown catch and a 95-yard punt return en route to 285 all-purpose yards. Nearly one out of ever five times the ball is punted to Jackson, he returns it for a touchdown--making him a dual threat for the Golden Bears.

So it's the weekend after you and your friends have just been busted for a racist internet prank. What are you going to do? Well if you're USC linebacker Brian Cushing, your plans apparently involve heading out on the town before blowing off to Jersey for Spring Break.

Internet blogger Scott Wolf reports that while the Rose Bowl defensive MVP was out on the town recently he crossed paths with none other than UCLA offensive lineman Shannon Tevaga.

No reports were filed with the West Hollywood Sheriff--or LAPD for that matter--as the encounter was actually quite amicable from what we hear. Wolfe tells us that, "the Bruins talked about their respect for Cushing, because he did not talk trash during the game."

All of which makes us thank our maker that spring practice is about to begin and we'll start getting real football stories to cover!

We'd say we saw something like this coming back in December when we warned USC players to quit screwing around on the internets and start focusing on beating UCLA. All over the papers this morning is the story of the Facebook foibles of a handful of USC football players.

According to the Los Angeles Times, an inappropriate nickname for a Special Teams unit got its members in hot water when backup linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. turned it into a Facebook group called "White Nation" which included teammates Dallas Sartz, David Buehler and Brian Cushing.

Matthews, reached Thursday, said he used "poor judgment" in posting the page and that he "can totally see how it could be taken out of context."

He called it "a joke within the team" that should never have been made public because "it's misconstrued." The junior linebacker said he rooms with an African American, is "not a racist" and regrets posting anything about "White Nation" on the Web.

It is certainly not the first thing that has been posted on the internet with regrets.