Dan Patrick raised a great point during yours truly’s moments-ago visit to his weekday radio show.

Are the Falcons doing USC coach Pete Carroll a disservice by putting his name into the mix for the vacant head-coaching job in Atlanta.

The answer?  Hell, yes.  Carroll is in the home stretch of recruiting, with national letter of intent day coming up in early February.  The last thing he needs is ammunition for rival schools to try to get the kids who are leaning Trojan to reconsider.

So if he’s staying at Southern Cal, Carroll needs to say so quickly, and clearly.  Otherwise, the rumors will continue to spread, and the recruits could end up scattering. 

Finally, don’t rule out the possibility that former Falcons G.M. Rich McKay deliberately leaked the information about Carroll to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com because McKay knows that Carroll would want full control — and might want McKay (who’ll still be team president) gone.  With an unwanted headache foisted onto his plate, Carroll might be pissed at the Falcons, and thus less likely to take the job.