Singing the Praises of Carroll

Jeff D'Alessio, NFL correspondents - SportingNews.com

If NFL players had it to do over again, many would play for USC's coach

Top high school football recruits aren't the only ones lining up to play for Pete Carroll at USC. Sporting News asked 43 NFL players which college coach they'd most like to play for -- other than the one they did -- and more than a quarter picked the former Jets and Patriots coach.

PETE CARROLL, USC (12 votes)
Broncos CB Champ Bailey says: "I don't like coaches that are uptight all the time."
Bengals SS Roy Williams says: "Man, they get to have fun. It looks like it's a big ol' party on the football field."
Vikings DE Jared Allen says: "I keep it on the West Coast because I'm a West Coast type of guy. That'd be pretty cool. He seems like he has fun. It seems like he really enjoys coaching, and his players enjoy playing for him, with practical jokes and stuff like that. It seems like our personalities would mesh well together."
Bills FS Donte Whitner says: "It seems like the guys that come under him are ready to play in the National Football League. He runs everything. He gives his guys a lot of freedom, just as pro coaches do, so when you make that transition to the next level you are prepared and you know what to do with the free time that you have. (Ohio State's Jim) Tressel is the same way."

URBAN MEYER, Florida (8 votes)
Bengals QB Carson Palmer says: "If I went there, they'd have to change a little bit because I'm not going to be able to do the things (Tim) Tebow can do."
Jets FS Kerry Rhodes says: "He's such a fiery guy and such a competitor. You like to play for those types of guys. He kind of reminds me of (Arkansas' Bobby) Petrino, the way they both seem to demand a lot of you, but at the end of the day, they want what's best for you and the team."
49ers LB Patrick Willis says: "Those Florida teams are mostly known for offense. That's OK -- we could change that."
Titans TE Alge Crumpler says: "Tim Tebow has a strong affection for his coach, and you don't see a lot of that. They seem to be very, very close, and I think that says a lot."

MIKE LEACH, Texas Tech (3 votes)
Buccaneers QB Byron Leftwich says: "I believe I'd break every college football record on the planet if I played for that guy. When I was in college, we threw it, but we handed it off also. Those jokers throw it every play."
RANDY SHANNON, Miami (3 votes)
Lions RB Kevin Smith says: "He's got those boys from the University of Miami poppin'. They're playing at a high level, and it looks like they're having fun. He's got that program turned around -- you can see it. They've got their swagger back."

FRANK BEAMER, Virginia Tech (2 votes)
Panthers LT Jordan Gross says: "A lot of times, you get out of college and guys will have some contempt toward their old coaches, especially if they rule you with an iron fist. But the guys here say he's great to play for -- on and off the field."

LANE KIFFIN, Tennessee (2 votes)
Broncos WR Brandon Stokley says: "I just like his attitude. He knew he had to stir things up to kind of bring that attention back to Tennessee, and that's what he did: He put his neck out there."

JOE PATERNO, Penn State (2 votes)
Chiefs DE Glenn Dorsey says: "He has the history, and he has the knowledge of the game. He's been in the game so long, and they've got the tradition thing going on. I think it would be cool to play for him. I'll probably get in trouble for leaving the SEC."

NICK SABAN, Alabama (2 votes)
Titans LB Keith Bulluck says: "I like how he has a no-nonsense attitude, and that is the kind of attitude you have to have in college. I know a lot of players who used to play for him back at Michigan State, and they appreciated the way he was."

STEVE SPURRIER, South Carolina (2 votes)
Redskins WR Santana Moss says: "Spurrier, but when he was with Florida. That's where I wanted to go anyway, to be in that passing attack and see what I would have done with all that wide-open offense. His offense seems like the receiver is always open. Football isn't that hard. The way I ran the ball in college, how I made things happen out of three and four grabs, there's no telling what I could have done with 10 balls a game over there."

ALSO RECEIVING VOTES
Bobby Bowden, Florida State
Dennis Erickson, Arizona State
Chip Kelly, Oregon
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Jeff Tedford, California
Ron Zook, Illinois

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