NCAA Football New Orleans

It's not a big secret that the Texans were looking for a running back in the draft. They acquired West Virginia standout Steve Slaton in the third round as a change of pace back.

While discussing the NFL trend toward having at least one receiving-type playmaking RB, Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan gave Reggie Bush a left handed compliment in the process (video above):

"I think Steve Slaton pretty much fits any offense to tell you the truth. The reason I think that is because he's a good runner, and a good enough runner can fit into any scheme. What we like most about Slaton, is I think he's got a chance to be a special-type player. You look at guys around the league like Kevin Faulk, a guy like Reggie Bush; guys who come in and fill a specific role on third downs.
...
I think when a guy is 197 pounds and if you look at the history throughout the NFL there are not too many guys that are first and second down player for long periods of time. When you look at a guy that people are projecting as a third down type guy or a change of pace guy I believe a lot of teams have more important needs that go early in the draft. One exception is Reggie Bush; he is the highest guy that I've seen go that is a third down type player. The third round is when these guys start popping out."

That's about as direct as the Texans have come to talking about why they didn't pick The! Best! Running Back! Evaaaar! that a lot of people thought was a no brainer pick in the 2006 draft.

Stop crying, Colonel Reb. A day after we all discovered former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione thinks he might be out of options, there's good news for a coach who got the gate after the last college football season. Ed Orgeron, the famously incomprehensible former coach at Ole Miss, has been hired to coach the New Orleans Saints' defensive line.

Orgeron may have washed out in Oxford, but don't forget, he built Southern Cal's tremendous d-lines in the early part of this decade. A coach might fail as a head coach but still prove to be a tremendously useful assistant. It's a good move for the Saints, since Coach O is a son of Louisiana and probably was courted by more prestigious teams.

The only down side is that, as a d-line coach for the Saints, Orgeron won't be giving many press conferences, meaning that someday we'll have to explain the Coach O song to people who have never heard the man speak. Oh, cruel fate, why dost thou mock us so?

USC coach Pete Carroll is sometimes in a world of his own, doing that whole recruiting and building a football team thing. So forgive him if he miraculously missed out on last week's mud slinging at USC, the Pac-10 and most of college football by LSU coach Les Miles.

When finally briefed of the quotes by Los Angeles Daily News reporter Scott Wolf, Carroll is quoted thusly:

He's really taking a shot at all the other schools we play. Maybe the comments should come from the coaches at the other schools, including Charlie (Weis) at Notre Dame. He didn't slam us. He slammed all the other schools we play.

See what he did? He didn't make it personal, and took the debate off USC's porch-step. People can say a lot of things good and bad about Pete Carroll, but few coaches are more savvy at handling the media and controversies.

UCLA's prospects of making a BCS Bowl Game, or rather, the Bruins' lack of prospects, is making it hard for head coach Karl Dorrell to keep his coaches around.

Speaking to reporter/blogger Brian Dohn, the recently-departed receivers coach D.J. McCarthy said, "If and when we make it to a BCS bowl, I'll have a chance to double my UCLA salary... That's why coach (Karl) Dorrell has lost a lot of good coaches."

Ouch.

We live in Los Angeles and can attest to how difficult it would be to raise a wife and three children on $130 large...and it's almost certain McCarthy will be getting more with the Tigers.

Whilst the eyes of the Sons of Westwood have been squarely on Pauley Pavillion the last few months, UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell has used the lack of scrutiny to make over his offensive coaching staff.

Yesterday, wide receivers coach D.J. McCarthy announced that he'd be taking the same job at the Louisiana State University. McCarthy joins offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda and offensive line coach Jim Svoboda in leaving Westwood during the off-season.

Should Dorrell hope to keep the position within the Bruin family, word is that he may turn to former high school assistant coach Eric Scott who was a part-time intern with UCLA last season.

You know how I know college football rocks? Sports Illustrated sends bikini models to the USC and Grambling State campuses to take photos of their lovely models hanging out with the pair of awesome college football bands.

Pictures: USC II Pictures: Grambling State

Mind you these aren't just any bands, they're USC's famed Trojan Marching Band and the Grambling State Marching Band. Models Julie Henderson (right) and Jessica White acquitted themselves quite nicely while hanging out to the background of drums, trumpets, horns and whatever else could be played. SI's Arash Markazi, a USC alum, was there for the Los Angeles shoot and relayed this predictable instrument bit:

Soon after, Jessica came out in a similarly skimpy USC bikini and lay down on the turf with the band around her as she placed one foot seductively on top of a trombone and gently held a flute above her. "Most of the flute players are girls so I guess this is one of the advantages of being a guy flute player," said junior flutist Conner Imes. "I can always say a supermodel held my flute."

The girls later created a bit of a stir with the USC football team, nearly cripping a backup quarterback in the process.

I [Markazi] taught them the importance of the victory sign when we returned to USC the next day. As I told Julie that throwing up the victory sign and saying "Fight On!" would elicit the same response back from anyone on campus she was excited to test the theory. So with nothing but a stringy cardinal and gold bikini on that was almost coming apart at the seems, she ran outside as the USC football team was returning from practice.

As players and coaches passed by she began showing them the victory sign and saying "Fight On!" to each one. While some players were too dumbfounded to know what to do when they saw her -- freshman quarterback Garrett Green walked into a golf cart while looking in her direction -- others were curious about what was going on. "What's happening here?" asked quarterback John David Booty as he smiled at the sight of Julie showing him the victory sign. "Don't worry about it," said Julie. "I'm part of the welcoming committee."

And you wonder why Joe McKnight ends up in Los Angeles instead of Baton Rouge? Just sayin'.

I'd show you some pictures on here but they're the property of Sports Illustrated so bang the links or buy a copy of this week's Swimsuit edition to get your fill of Bikinis Meets Band Nerds IV or whatever SI's calling this.