A hustling Jacksonville news crew laid in wait this morning for Jack Del Rio, former "Gunsmoke" character and prospective head coach at USC, who proceeded to dodge and weave around their questions with professional aplomb:

Commendable patience aside, Del Rio didn’t exactly enlighten anyone by announcing that he was continuing to perform his current job, or that news is "manufactured," which is not the same as "untrue." On that note, the clip is more notable at this point for what Del Rio didn’t say: "I will not be at USC," or "I will be in Jacksonville next year." In fact, to the latter question, his answer was, "Let it all play out." Let what play out, Jack? What are you hiding? Where were you on the night of Oct. 31? Did you shoot Buck McGraw?

Still, Del Rio’s USC candidacy does seem to be fading quickly, despite the contract allegedly sent his way on Monday night. In Jacksonville, they still seem certain Del Rio isn’t going anywhere, according to three sources within the organization who say owner Wayne Weaver doesn’t intend to fire his coach during today’s meetings. If Del Rio resigns, he loses out on a $15 million buyout. It may not be very wise to take coaches at their word when it comes to rumored job openings, but if dollar signs make any better tea leaves, that’s a lot of very specific reasons to leave that contract sitting on the table.

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Hat tip: Sports by Brooks.