Upstairs, Downstairs

It is time to revisit the issue of whether USC would be better off with an offensive coordinator calling plays from the pressbox with Lane Kiffin managing the game from the sidelines.
So few programs have the head coach call plays these days and USC’s most successful period occured when Norm Chow was upstairs and Pete Carroll downstairs with the right to change plays.
Even Kiffin admitted a couple weeks ago that it is a “burden” to call plays and be the head coach at the same time. I can’t imagine USC would be worse off with an arrangement that included a coordinator calling plays while Kiffin directed from the sideline.

8 thoughts on “Upstairs, Downstairs

  1. I’m for it.
    What do you know about a rumor I heard that when Garrett hired Kiffin, Lane was to bring in Chow once the ucla contract expired? That was a condition to hire Kifgin. Then when Chow was available, Kiffen decided he wanted to call plays and be the OC.

  2. Please…this is a no brainer. If it was “the” thing to do then all head coaches would be doing it. I am a long time fan through good and bad times but this program staring reduced scholarships in the face needs a full time head coach not what we have now.
    LK’s ego needs to be shredded like his defense was last Saturday night. Hire an OC and LK needs to get out of the way.

  3. What is Kiffin going to do when Barkley gets hurt or moves on to the NFL next year? He will fall flat on his face. He is Charlie Wiess all over again!

  4. chrisuscfan

    RE: Pete Carroll was also our defensive coordinator

    Was he? why did the defense fall off after Coach O left? I can’t remberm anybody, scoring 30 pts, definately not 40 and are you out of your mind 50 pts on the Coach O teams. And why does someone take the DL Coach and make them the HC. Pete Carol defensive coordinator, in name only when Coach O was there. Now Coach O is the defensive coordinator in name only. Go figure.

  5. Jay

    Chris is correct. PC was the DC during the Chow years. In fact, PC “gave up” his DC money to get Chow here. I will agree that once Coach O left the defense did go down, but I also contribute that to opposing teams having more tape of SC’s offense to disect.

    Coach O was gone when we had the 2008 defense. That was a stingy defense.

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