Are You Disappointed?

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You usually only hear from dissatisfied people on any topic so it is not surprising there was a backlash when Pat Haden announced Lane Kiffin would be back in 2013.

But this is consistent with Haden’s management style. He kept basketball coach Kevin O’Neill after a 6-26 season and fired only one coach (Chad Kreuter) in three years.

So do you see a logic behind this philosophy or are you just upset Kiffin is returning?

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  • http://www.facebook.com/Michaelpaul.wong Michael Paul Wong

    Kiffin had a good year last year, working his way to a preseason #1 pick and top 5 recruiting under a bowl ban and recruiting sanctions. This year there have been glimpses of greatness with more ground lost than gained. Assuming that he makes tangible moves to change the things that have consistently not made progress I don’t think I’m ready YET to roll the dice with a new coach.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Michaelpaul.wong Michael Paul Wong

    Kiffin had a good year last year, working his way to a preseason #1 pick and top 5 recruiting under a bowl ban and recruiting sanctions. This year there have been glimpses of greatness with more ground lost than gained. Assuming that he makes tangible moves to change the things that have consistently not made progress I don’t think I’m ready YET to roll the dice with a new coach.

    • Trojanpete

      Michael does bring up a good point. Before Kiffin is fired, we need to think about who would come in to take his spot. Who is available who also energizes the fan base? Nobody really comes to mind right now. When you also consider the fact that we will be going with a new QB next year and even fewer scholarships, I can see a scenario where Kiffin comes back but as long as he sends Daddy to the pasture and turns over play calling to somebody else. In the long run, however, I still do not see Kiffin winning championships or Rose Bowls.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Doverz/1423558008 Ben Doverz

        Then why keep him ? I saw the McKay teams, the Robo 1 teams and I drank my way through Tollner, Smith, Robo2 and Hackett. PC didn’t energize the fan base, he was slammed in the media and by fans left and right when he was hired, and then he got it rolling and the bandwagon fans came out in droves. There is a coach out there who would show a pulse, who would run a different defense ever now and then, who would not call a bubble screen to start every game, but is Haden the man to find him ?

      • Adam

        Gruden!

      • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

        Are you 2-posters kidding me… are you both for real? With the talent this program has coming back and could bring in next year, and who can gameplan & make halftime adjustments, game-manage & knows how to teach tackling… would drool over the opportunity. And the money they could make! Look at what Jim Mora did with a bunch of 3-star players in just 1-year.

        • tacotuesday

          they weren’t really 3 stars – neuheisal had a bunch of highly ranked recruit classes, remember?

        • Trojanpete

          Let me clarify–I’m sure there are a lot of guys who want this job. The question is are there guys who are of the right caliber for USC to hire who also want the job? If so, Haden would need to talk to them and get them on board before firing Kiffin. In other words, the only worse than bringing back Kiffin is firing Kiffin and hiring another crappy because we’ll be stuck with him for another 3-4 years. I’ve not had much faith in Haden in the first place so I could see him hiring a “nice guy” like a Steve Mariucci who I guarantee would be worse than Kiffin. There are a lot of people throwing Jack Del Rio and Jeff Fisher’s names around. Fisher is a definite no and Del Rio didn’t seem to be too enthusiastic about the job a few years ago. I doubt Gruden would take this job as I think he wants a system that already runs the spread (think Oregon if Kelly jumps ship) and that’s if he throws the lucrative broadcasting career aside.

          I personally think the reason why Haden won’t fire Kiffin is because he views Kiffin as his personal project and if Kiffin works out, then guess who looks like the genius? And if he fails (as he has), the perception will be that Haden inherited a bad coach and at worst, he held on to him too long.

        • tacotuesday

          But yeah, Kiffin sucked it up. I would argue Kiffin needs an real coordinator calling plays, and Monte needs to quit. Orgeron needs to absolutely do a better job, because the push our dline has gotten in every game is embarrassing.

          Also the performance of our new coaches (lb, db, wr) is underwhelming.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jason.stewart.50702769 Jason Stewart

    Haden doesn’t like being the bad guy…Kiffen could learn his job…but at $4M/yr it seems to be an expensively painful process. I would let Kiffin go this year and last year, I would have pulled the cord on O’Neill. SC FB has four seasons, regular season, WestwoodHigh, ND, and bowl. Kiffin has the rare opportunity to go 0-4. He’ll be in the tradition of Paul Hackett.

    • Isaiahdolan

      I agree.

  • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

    Does anyone think Kiffin is going to hire a Offensive coordinator and/or playcaller who isn’t going to kiss his ass in what he wants done & used? Seriously? Any headcoach who has “this much team talent” and turns it into a middle conference dweller, doesn’t belong in division-one football! Haden with this descision, is throwing millions of alumni-University money away! The only way I support this decision is if there is an understanding Kiffin gutts-out his coaching staff (with the exception of Orgeron) and Kiffin stays away from the playcalling completely.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Doverz/1423558008 Ben Doverz

      Good luck with Kiffin doing anything to his staff aside from dumping the idiot special teams coach. But, no one good wants to work for Kiffin, NO ONE.

  • trojan92

    One thing to keep in mind is that Pat Haden is not a career AD. He’s just keeping the seat warm until the sanctions pass as a favor to Nikias. If his plan is to only remain in the job for another couple of years max, then why would he change coaches? After he leaves, his replacement can hire a new coach and not be saddled with a legacy hire.

    • http://twitter.com/FatBooster Joe Blow

      Please leave now PH. You are killing SC Athletics.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dino-Marconi/571306734 Dino Marconi

      I’ve also heard from some wealthy alumni that Haden loves the job, and won’t leave on his own anytime soon.

  • Golden Trojan

    If Haden leaves in 3 years and waits for his replacement to pull the trigger, it’s gonna be a long 3 years. Haden may have tested the waters and conclude this year is too soon to fire Kiffin. He may be able to get a better hire next year with just 1 year left on scholie limit. Optimistically, Kiffin is the 3rd best coach in the South Div, 5th best in Pac 12, and 50-50 against Notre Dame. He can’t be here for the long term. He is a Coordinator type coach just like his dad, which ain’t bad, find your niche and stay there, quit trying to be more than you are.

  • old_trojan_93

    Disappointed? No.

    Livid? Yes!

  • tqt888

    I thought Haden was supposed to be the reasonable one. Kiffin’s time is done at USC. Everyone knows that except the only one who matters. C’mon Haden

  • http://twitter.com/TotalBS1 Total BS

    What the heck do you think NOBS has been talking about for 3 years???? Name one sport that has exceeded it’s epectations since Patty Boy took over. Say what you want about Garrett, but at least he was a winner. There is no fear in SC athletics. It’s all about looking good, saying the right things, and kissing @$$. It’s going to be a long time before it gets better for SC Athletics. Live with it.

    • http://twitter.com/TotalBS1 Total BS

      BTW, bRuin fans are right: our balls have been cut OFF.

    • Isaiahdolan

      He just wants to be known as an honest guy who is “doing it right”, and who cares about winning.

      • http://twitter.com/TotalBS1 Total BS

        Then go to Fucla or Long Beach State.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BoscoH Brad Hutchings

    I think Haden needs to work with Kiffin on appearance issues, and needs to maintain that they are important. Caesar didn’t have appearance problems because he generally has a contagious, fun attitude that sets the right tone on its own. Kiffin, not so much.

    We need some young blood organizing the defense. Coming into Tennessee and USC, Monte was seen as the wise man that would keep things from getting out of hand, an unquestioned asset. He’s a liability now. Funny how things change so fast. CLFK probably needs to give up the play card, or move it so that upstairs offers 3 options and he picks one. Calling plays and managing a game are too much work for one guy.

    But the biggest problem this team has is the schollie limit. It introduces the economics of college baseball into the equation. Who the hell can afford to walk on at USC? Even among really good, non-scholarship athletes, who can justify putting in the time away from the classroom when their parents are paying what they’re paying or they’re accumulating ridiculous debt? Practice injuries would kill us, and at the same time, it’s hard to get the numbers we need for full contact practices. It catches up with us when we get out-physicalled on the field on Saturdays.

  • Gilligan

    I think Kiffin should hire Coach Mason from Stanford. Not sure how much Stanford is paying its assistants but this coach kept every team in check (except Arizona) and if they only had a little more offense they would be in the national title hunt.

    I am not sure if Coach O is right man to take over Coach M.Kiffin’s duties. Coach O is a great recruiter and defensive line coach.

    I am very surprised that the linebacking corp has take a big step back, not sure if it was the change in LB coaches and I am shocked Coach Sanders hasn’t been able to develop another CB besides Robey based on his track record.

    Coach L. Kiffin really needs an OC to actually call plays and one person to consider would be Coach Tedford. I know that he might not be the most popular choice but he was a great Offensive Coordinator. I think his major drawback was calling the plays instead of focusing on the entire team ala Lane Kiffin.

    Wishing our team the best of luck against ND and I will be rooting hard for them to smash ND’s title run.

  • rusoviet

    All of the opinions go sideways if Troy upsets Notre Dame this Saturday. I know 42 years is a reach but 1970 was just as disastrous – four conference loses – the final one to UCLA and their 2nd greatest coach Tommy Prothro (Red Sanders the best) routing Troy 20 – 45 and then ‘de Irish and their exquisite fraud Joe Theismann (whose name was pronounced ‘thaysman’ before he and his acolyte frauds at So. Bend chose to do his (Thaysmann’s) bidding.I was there, the 28th November 1970, in the rain under a tarpaulin with four friends as Coach John McKay with Jimmy Jones – John Vella – Sam Dickerson – Bobby Chandler – Clarence Davis smashed the Irish and sent them out into the night as howling banshees USC 38 Notre Dame 28.

    Look for the same and then watch that back end of a horse Holtz to explain ‘what happened’?

    • Golden Trojan

      The 70′s was an historic legendary time for Trojan Fans. The comeback on Notre Dame sealed me as a fan way before I became an alum. This ain’t the 70s and Kiffin ain’t no J McKay.

  • Isaiahdolan

    If they hire a great defensive coordinator I’m okay with him staying.

    • UCLA Owns the Rose Bowl

      All your friends in Westwood agree.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1808191841 Craig Elliott

    How much time does it take to evaluate the performance of a coach? Kiffin has proven over time that he doesn’t have the emotional maturity required to be a head coach anywhere, much less at USC. Jim Mora turned around his under-achieving team in one season. I remember watching John Robinson suceed right away. Kiffin may be a great head coach one day, but not now. Did you hear his interview with Dan Patrick today? Kiffin couldn’t offer any explainations about his team’s lack of success this season and then he implied that the Trojans lost on Saturday because they had special team issues. It’s frustrating to watch Lane blather on with tired, meaningless cliches and coach-speak that tell us nothing about his team. Have the Trojans looked ready to play any big game this season? How many more times do we have to see Lane pout because a play didn’t work on first down and then just run it up the middle on second down? Shouldn’t an ex-quarterback be better at clock management? But since he’s getting another year, can we expect that Mr. Insecure would hire a great defensive coordinator? I’m just happy the NCAA has approved giving players some expense money because Lane might need to pay some of these kids to stick around.

  • falcon eddie

    remember the 50-0 beat down s. c.gave ucla,whats so different ? ot kalil went to the n. f. l. he had barks back ,nobody could touch matty without kalil. teams rushed the bark had him shaky and nervous and then they busted him up. so what happen ans. is the three amigos vs. the three stooges.. the shtick, the lies remember the coach’s vote? the leader of the three amigos (mr. K) lied then dropped out. on the “D” side are the stooges d-line coach zer”O” d- coordinator the count of monte krisco and the defensive line coach howe, thats right HOW take all of them and exit stage right. the first stage out of town.