Highlights from our latest interviews.
QB MAX BROWNE
--on how he performed in Week 3
"Solid. It wasn’t the flashiest, (there weren’t) the big plays we had in Week 1 and 2, but still executing, leading the guys."
--whether it gets his blood flowing when Darnold has a good day
"I’d say so. That’s the beauty of being in a competition. He’s a great quarterback. I’d like to think I’m right there too."
--on how important it is to be the selected the starter at the end of the spring
"That would mean a lot. That’s real important, I’d say, to me. Just because of offseason leadership, making sure the team knows who their guy is, I think that’s big. I think that's what they want. But it's their decision. If the time is right, they’ll make it happen."
--on if he’s noticed the importance of being the starter in terms of leading the team during past offseasons
"That’s what they told me when they said I wasn’t going to get the job. That was their reasoning. Obviously, different staff. Some are similar faces but different staff. I think either way I’ll probably be the guy leading summer throwing and being the vocal guy, conditioning and getting guys going. That aspect won’t change."
--on whether it’s a friendly or cutthroat battle
"I’d say it’s a friendly battle. One thing that is different in the competition between me and Sam and previous competitions is Sam and I are pretty good friends. Not that Cody (Kessler) and I weren’t friends or anything but Sam and I hang outside of football, which is probably a little different to see from quarterbacks, especially ones that are competing. But the best guy’s going to play, and I think we both understand that."
--on what receiver has surprised him with how he’s progressed
"Daniel Imatorbhebhe, he’s making huge strides. Last year was getting used to the new offense and learning a lot real quick. Now there’s no mental mistakes. He’s going out there making plays and just being a football player."
--on what differences fans might see from the offense
"I hope we can drive the tempo with all the receivers we have and the depth at offensive line. Shoot, all the positions, we have depth. We should be able to tempo teams and make sure we’re winning the ballgame sin the third and fourth quarters and getting teams gassed so we can get them on their heels."
--on throwing more deep balls in practice
"I love it. That’s just like recess football, go deep. We’re trying to make sure it’s within the offense, but that’s what I love to do. That what gashes the defense. That’s the step I want to take, for sure. Statistically it’s probably a low percentage completion but hopefully we can raise that bar and make sure it’s part of our system."
QB SAM DARNOLD
--on how his friendship with Browne impacts the competition
"It’s really comforting, honestly I’ve had some competitions where it’s like, OK, this is awkward. You don’t really get along off the field either, and usually don’t get along off the field because of that. But me and Max are really good buddies and it makes it a lot easier."
--on dealing with so few first-team reps
"There always is that kind of thing. But you just got to take the mindset of, I’m just going to do the best I can every day. Whatever the coaches give me, I’m going to do whatever I can to do my best."
--on whether the large disparity puts more pressure on him to make plays
"I think there’s always pressure, whether I’m with the ones, twos or the threes, or with the service team last year. There’s always that pressure to do well."
--on whether he feels it’s still a close competition
"To my knowledge, yeah. I keep saying I’m doing the best I can and that’s all I can control."
--on whether he’s had a breakthrough in the last few practices
"I'm getting a lot more comfortable as the offense come along and the install stops and we start running the same plays over and over again."
--on why he should be the starting QB
"I’m not sure. It really comes down to who’s paying the best and it’s honestly a coach’s decision. I’m not here to make that decision. I’m just going to do the best I can very single day."
--on if he knew when he arrived at USC last summer that he belonged
"I definitely felt confident, Day 1, coming here. And I’ve always felt that way, When I was competing in high school, even. My sophomore year when I didn’t get that job, I was splaying wide receiver and linebacker and it bothered me every day, so I was just trying to be the best wide receiver and linebacker I could be and I think that drive has really pushed me through whatever completion I might go through in the future."
--on what area he’s grown the most in
"Staying poised. Coach Tyson’s been saying I’ve been doing a better job of staying poised in the pocket, not rushing through anything and not being so fast to run and throw the ball away."
--on how he would characterize the offense
"We’re trying to speed the tempo up so I’d say it’s a run-and-shoot. But it’s a run-heavy type offense too. We ant to be able to set the pass up with the run I think it’s definitely a run-first but also a run-and-shoot type of deal."
QBs COACH TYSON HELTON
--on Darnold’s command of the playbook
"I think he’s getting close. He needs more reps. When he’s in there he performs well. He finds guys. Even when he’s not quite sure, he finds them. We just got to get him to a point where he’s mastering his craft and he knows exactly where he’s going at all times. What I do like about him is even when he’s not quite sure, he has big vision, he can see the whole field, and he finds people and completes the ball."
--on how Browne has practiced the past few weeks
"I think he’s done a great job. He’s in control, he has a great presence about him, extremely smart, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s making plays. He’s that mature guy that you’re looking for to lead the group. And he’s making big plays. It's neat to see, you got two guys. You got the younger guy — I just throw to the open guy and I throw touchdowns, and you got he older guy that knows why he’s doing what he’s doing. They push each other and it makes us better as a team."
--on the outside belief that USC won't start a redshirt freshman in the opener against Alabama
"I would say don’t put anything past anybody, that the best player plays. If you’ve got a quarterback that can make plays, then you got to play him, whether he’s a redshirt freshman, true freshman, no matter what year he is, you play him."
--on how he would label this offense
"We’re built on a pro-style system. We’re a no-huddle format. if you want to call it a hybrid, a lot of people want to talk abut having a spread system, but it's really built off of a pro-style system, no huddle format with tempo mixed in. Football has evolved where you got to do a little bit of everything just to break tendencies, find the weaknesses in the defense. We start from a pro mindset and then we flex out from there."
--on whether he and Browne are on the same page given new wrinkles in the offense
"We’re getting close. We’re speaking the same language. It’s great to have a guy in the room that you can have a conversation with, where you’re actually talking back and forth and you’re asking his opinion and how he feels about things. You can’t do that with a lot of quarterbacks because they don’t know, they don’t know why they’re doing it. But Max knows why he’s doing things. So you can have that conversation, get his opinion, see what he likes. And even when he does something that you don’t agree with, you say, hey why did you do that, and he can communicate to you why he did. We’re really close to getting right on the same page."
--on whether 15 practices is enough to judge the quarterbacks
"Yeah, for us it is enough. They’re going to carry it though the summer, and then the two-a-days and all those things. I got the easy job, I don’t pick the quarterback, I just coach him. That’s the head ball coach’s decision, that’s what he gets paid all the money for."
--on whether the staff talks about the pecking order
"We do. We talk about it. We don’t ever say, Hey, we think this is the guy. We really don’t know. We’re really happy to have two quarterbacks that we know can win football games. Not a lot of football teams have the ability to do that. Either one of those guys, Max, Sam, can win football games. And they can do it in their own way. Right now those conversations are just on, how do we make those guys better? Then you talk about, if Sam is playing, what are you going to call here? But if Max is playing, what are you going to call here? You start to have those conversations, so when the time comes you’re ready and you know what to call."
--on how different the offense will be depending on the quarterback
"It wouldn’t change drastically. But you would lean on the strengths of each guy. Sam is an athletic guy, he can move around, so you can do some things with him. But at the end of the day we’re going to be about 90 percent of what we are anyway with either one of those guys."
QB MAX BROWNE
--on how he performed in Week 3
"Solid. It wasn’t the flashiest, (there weren’t) the big plays we had in Week 1 and 2, but still executing, leading the guys."
--whether it gets his blood flowing when Darnold has a good day
"I’d say so. That’s the beauty of being in a competition. He’s a great quarterback. I’d like to think I’m right there too."
--on how important it is to be the selected the starter at the end of the spring
"That would mean a lot. That’s real important, I’d say, to me. Just because of offseason leadership, making sure the team knows who their guy is, I think that’s big. I think that's what they want. But it's their decision. If the time is right, they’ll make it happen."
--on if he’s noticed the importance of being the starter in terms of leading the team during past offseasons
"That’s what they told me when they said I wasn’t going to get the job. That was their reasoning. Obviously, different staff. Some are similar faces but different staff. I think either way I’ll probably be the guy leading summer throwing and being the vocal guy, conditioning and getting guys going. That aspect won’t change."
--on whether it’s a friendly or cutthroat battle
"I’d say it’s a friendly battle. One thing that is different in the competition between me and Sam and previous competitions is Sam and I are pretty good friends. Not that Cody (Kessler) and I weren’t friends or anything but Sam and I hang outside of football, which is probably a little different to see from quarterbacks, especially ones that are competing. But the best guy’s going to play, and I think we both understand that."
--on what receiver has surprised him with how he’s progressed
"Daniel Imatorbhebhe, he’s making huge strides. Last year was getting used to the new offense and learning a lot real quick. Now there’s no mental mistakes. He’s going out there making plays and just being a football player."
--on what differences fans might see from the offense
"I hope we can drive the tempo with all the receivers we have and the depth at offensive line. Shoot, all the positions, we have depth. We should be able to tempo teams and make sure we’re winning the ballgame sin the third and fourth quarters and getting teams gassed so we can get them on their heels."
--on throwing more deep balls in practice
"I love it. That’s just like recess football, go deep. We’re trying to make sure it’s within the offense, but that’s what I love to do. That what gashes the defense. That’s the step I want to take, for sure. Statistically it’s probably a low percentage completion but hopefully we can raise that bar and make sure it’s part of our system."
QB SAM DARNOLD
--on how his friendship with Browne impacts the competition
"It’s really comforting, honestly I’ve had some competitions where it’s like, OK, this is awkward. You don’t really get along off the field either, and usually don’t get along off the field because of that. But me and Max are really good buddies and it makes it a lot easier."
--on dealing with so few first-team reps
"There always is that kind of thing. But you just got to take the mindset of, I’m just going to do the best I can every day. Whatever the coaches give me, I’m going to do whatever I can to do my best."
--on whether the large disparity puts more pressure on him to make plays
"I think there’s always pressure, whether I’m with the ones, twos or the threes, or with the service team last year. There’s always that pressure to do well."
--on whether he feels it’s still a close competition
"To my knowledge, yeah. I keep saying I’m doing the best I can and that’s all I can control."
--on whether he’s had a breakthrough in the last few practices
"I'm getting a lot more comfortable as the offense come along and the install stops and we start running the same plays over and over again."
--on why he should be the starting QB
"I’m not sure. It really comes down to who’s paying the best and it’s honestly a coach’s decision. I’m not here to make that decision. I’m just going to do the best I can very single day."
--on if he knew when he arrived at USC last summer that he belonged
"I definitely felt confident, Day 1, coming here. And I’ve always felt that way, When I was competing in high school, even. My sophomore year when I didn’t get that job, I was splaying wide receiver and linebacker and it bothered me every day, so I was just trying to be the best wide receiver and linebacker I could be and I think that drive has really pushed me through whatever completion I might go through in the future."
--on what area he’s grown the most in
"Staying poised. Coach Tyson’s been saying I’ve been doing a better job of staying poised in the pocket, not rushing through anything and not being so fast to run and throw the ball away."
--on how he would characterize the offense
"We’re trying to speed the tempo up so I’d say it’s a run-and-shoot. But it’s a run-heavy type offense too. We ant to be able to set the pass up with the run I think it’s definitely a run-first but also a run-and-shoot type of deal."
QBs COACH TYSON HELTON
--on Darnold’s command of the playbook
"I think he’s getting close. He needs more reps. When he’s in there he performs well. He finds guys. Even when he’s not quite sure, he finds them. We just got to get him to a point where he’s mastering his craft and he knows exactly where he’s going at all times. What I do like about him is even when he’s not quite sure, he has big vision, he can see the whole field, and he finds people and completes the ball."
--on how Browne has practiced the past few weeks
"I think he’s done a great job. He’s in control, he has a great presence about him, extremely smart, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s making plays. He’s that mature guy that you’re looking for to lead the group. And he’s making big plays. It's neat to see, you got two guys. You got the younger guy — I just throw to the open guy and I throw touchdowns, and you got he older guy that knows why he’s doing what he’s doing. They push each other and it makes us better as a team."
--on the outside belief that USC won't start a redshirt freshman in the opener against Alabama
"I would say don’t put anything past anybody, that the best player plays. If you’ve got a quarterback that can make plays, then you got to play him, whether he’s a redshirt freshman, true freshman, no matter what year he is, you play him."
--on how he would label this offense
"We’re built on a pro-style system. We’re a no-huddle format. if you want to call it a hybrid, a lot of people want to talk abut having a spread system, but it's really built off of a pro-style system, no huddle format with tempo mixed in. Football has evolved where you got to do a little bit of everything just to break tendencies, find the weaknesses in the defense. We start from a pro mindset and then we flex out from there."
--on whether he and Browne are on the same page given new wrinkles in the offense
"We’re getting close. We’re speaking the same language. It’s great to have a guy in the room that you can have a conversation with, where you’re actually talking back and forth and you’re asking his opinion and how he feels about things. You can’t do that with a lot of quarterbacks because they don’t know, they don’t know why they’re doing it. But Max knows why he’s doing things. So you can have that conversation, get his opinion, see what he likes. And even when he does something that you don’t agree with, you say, hey why did you do that, and he can communicate to you why he did. We’re really close to getting right on the same page."
--on whether 15 practices is enough to judge the quarterbacks
"Yeah, for us it is enough. They’re going to carry it though the summer, and then the two-a-days and all those things. I got the easy job, I don’t pick the quarterback, I just coach him. That’s the head ball coach’s decision, that’s what he gets paid all the money for."
--on whether the staff talks about the pecking order
"We do. We talk about it. We don’t ever say, Hey, we think this is the guy. We really don’t know. We’re really happy to have two quarterbacks that we know can win football games. Not a lot of football teams have the ability to do that. Either one of those guys, Max, Sam, can win football games. And they can do it in their own way. Right now those conversations are just on, how do we make those guys better? Then you talk about, if Sam is playing, what are you going to call here? But if Max is playing, what are you going to call here? You start to have those conversations, so when the time comes you’re ready and you know what to call."
--on how different the offense will be depending on the quarterback
"It wouldn’t change drastically. But you would lean on the strengths of each guy. Sam is an athletic guy, he can move around, so you can do some things with him. But at the end of the day we’re going to be about 90 percent of what we are anyway with either one of those guys."
