Pete Carroll is a Golden God...

...as long as he remains where he is.

ESPN is reporting that Carroll has expressed itnerest in the open head coach position with the Atlanta Falcons. Granted, there is a story like this nearly every offseason. Carroll is one of the top (if not THE top) Division I-A college football coach in the nation. His .844 winning percentage is the highest among all active college coaches in the nation with at least five seasons of coaching experience. He swiftly and surely turned the Trojans' football program around into one of the Top 5 teams in the nation with a wink and a smile.

SMASH! (Again.)

All previous rumors have come to naught. If there ever were official offers, he turned them down. Carroll always says he's very happy where he is. upposedly, nothing short of full creative control over an NFL team would even possibly sway him to leave. However, that's exactly what the Falcons are (reportedly) offering him.

Carroll got burned in the NFL with the Jets and the Patriots and their fans haven't forgotten his "failings" (I can't enter into a conversation with my Boston friends that has the words "Pete Carroll" in it without them going off on a tangent about him...and don't even get me started on Bill Simmons). As the title of this blog states, as a college coach he is a golden god. Seemingly uncriticizable, untouchable, the greatest of the great. I have no trouble believing that Pete Carroll could ask for the moon and Mike Garrett would be on the phone 2.4 seconds later trying to figure out how to get it for him.

Oh, Petey. We love you so (Never ever ever gonna let you go).

I'm not quite sure why this story makes me uneasy. Like I said, he's been courted by the NFL before and has always stayed firmly rooted at USC. But that was before we stumbled this season. Before the rumblings of a crumbling dynasty started. Before Carroll (I keep having to stop myself from calling him "Petey" like many other Trojans I know do, he's that much "our guy") righted the ship by season's end, made Illinois look silly and had those critics eating their words. I don't know why I'm worried. I don't really think he'll leave.

I don't think he'll leave...until he does. If it happens, remind me to find a place to hide until the Trojan fury dies down. It won't be pretty. We don't let of our golden gods without a fight.