Why Kiffin Is Safe

Posted on by

There are couple theories going around right now regarding the football coaching situation.

One is that athletic director Pat Haden wants to do everything possible to allow Lane Kiffin to flourish so that if he makes a move next season, he gave Kiffin 100 percent support.

Another theory is that Haden wants to stand up to angry donors and show them he is his own person and will make decisions on his own.

And then there are still some at USC who believe if the Trojans lose to Georgia Tech, Kiffin might still get fired.

Facebook Twitter Plusone Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Tumblr Email
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ruby-Jones/100003205514101 Ruby Jones

    In the end, it will take angry donors to move Kiffen.

    • Golden Trojan

      And buy him out.

  • Parnellite

    Another theory: Haden knows he won’t get anyone good to come in with two years of scholarship limits to go if he fires Kiffin in the middle of sanctions. Haden could tell the new hire, “We know you would be working under a handicap and won’t hold it against you.” But the potential new hire won’t believe it given the firing of Kiffin. Maybe Haden figures that he might as well keep Kiffin as a good recruiter so that the cupboard will be full for a good new hire in two years.

    • Golden Trojan

      Sanctions haven’t slowed down Urban Myer at Ohio St.

      • Independent_George

        Meyer came aboard before sanctions, Big 10 is a much waeker league than the Pac 12, sanctions were 9 scholies over three tears versus 30 over three years.

      • USC owns the Rose Bowl

        STUPID comparison.

    • Spedjones

      This is actually correct. Nobody is coming in now. Lane will ride out the sanctions and then be fired. SC’s getting worse the next few years, not better.

    • Ben Factor

      Agree. The only things that would cost Kiffin his job in the near-term would be additional embarrassing sleaziness, or not recruiting well. I suspect that Haden is (1) naturally patient and forgiving, (2) does want Kiffin to have a fair chance after staying through the sanctions and succeeding in 2010, and (3) understands the challenge of making a change right now. I have little regard for Kiffin as a coach, leader, or person, and I can’t say that Haden’s position is unreasonable.

      I give little credence to Haden’s wanting to stand up to boosters and donors. That would be potentially destructive to USC, and Haden was/is a trustee at USC, and clearly values the university a lot. You have to look back to what he said when he accepted the job. I believe he’s somewhat religious, and he saw this as service. He did not become AD to develop a career in athletic admin., nor did he “need” the job. He was a financially comfortable 60-year-old man. Be serious.

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

        Haden hasn’t stood up to anybody. However, he can do it to the boosters and that is a fact. Talk to any donor, the same response at ALL giving levels: pay the money, no benefits other than tickets. BFD.

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

    Or… Haden just doesn’t give a sheet about any men’s sports and is devoting all of his time to women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball

    • Golden Trojan

      Speaking of bent over, womens beach volleyball isn’t a bad place to spend your time.

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

        Who said Haden watches beach volleyball ?

  • grave soul

    I check this blog about once a day because my doctor told me it’s healthy for me to laugh every day.

  • SoCal_Native_59

    Scott is a prick. That is all.

  • oneillwatch

    Another theory: Haden was on the Board of Trustees when Kiffin was
    hired. He was most likely involved in the decision to hire Kiffin.
    Contrary to our feckless reporter’s speculation, Kiffin really “is”
    Haden’s boy and Haden’s boss knows that. Haden owns what is happening.
    Furthermore, Kiffin outperformed expectations last year and most coaches
    are not fired after one bad year. Even at USC.

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

      He was involved, he wanted Kiffin, he is more interested in women’s sports and making USC the southern Stanford or ND west.

      • Spedjones

        uh, ND of the West? Wow, aim for the stars…

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

        Can’t believe I agree with you. PH is a pu$$

  • QueenKiff

    I completely buy Theory #1.

  • UCLA Owns the Rose Bowl

    This is seriously entertaining: It’s like the car race where the flashy car gets stuck in the mud (USC athletics, led by a flacid football program), and the better car (UCLA football) just whips on past, leaving the other car in the dust. Whether they like to admit it or not, the fans of car #1 realize the race is lost, but can do nothing about it but fling insults at the better car.

    • WEB_Dupree

      So in your race car analogy, do the fans of the competing car spend their time trolling on a blog about Car #1, flinging insults and speculating lamely about future glory years?

      • http://www.facebook.com/charles.bucket.3 Charles Bucket

        Webby, you know better than anyone this rivalry had been dominated by alternate long winning steaks!!

        its our turn, baby!!!!!

        and it makes me feel SO ALIVE!!!

        i think your mistake is you assume only rabid Kool-aiders enjoy the wolfman’s expert reportage!!! so WRONG!!!

        having the wolfman, himself a trOXan accurately report on the Southern Cal implosion is so SUGAR SWEEEET than if a Bruin authored it!!!

        wolfman, you will ALWAYS be welcome at CADRE HQ!!!!

        • steveg

          bucket and the other twenty three ucla fans really fill the rose bowl

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

        Now, how many NCs in football do you have? Oh, right, 1/2

        • gotroy22

          Does that mean our four national championships in 1939 1974, 1978 and 2003 only count as 2?

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

            GooGoo, go F yourself

  • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

    That 2nd reason would be very risky for Haden. Money is how the World & USC goes and you do not ignore/piss off big money donors. They will easily take their money elsewhere!

  • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

    ??? Haden is a member of the board of trustees as MG hires Kiffin and then MG is fired. Haden is then begged by Max Nikias to become MG’s replacement. Kiffin, in his 2nd year, throws away major talent in coaching decisions and Haden is there to tell everyone he is 150% behind Kiffin, standing up to angry donors? Tell me this isn’t all in a script somewhere?

    • Bob Edward

      WTF? There were angry donors after Kiffen’s second season?

  • Ted

    Much as Kiffin needs to be fired…who better is out there that Southern Cal can get? Kiffin can’t run a program but can recruit… Who is better then Kiffen that SC can get?

  • grave soul

    Reading usc fans tear each other down on this blog can be really entertaining. Do other teams’ fans hate on their own so much? Doubt it. It sometimes even happens for lack of reading comprehension skills (see J. Blow’s reply to W.E.B. below). It’s too bad that Jack Wang’s blog sucks, but at least Wolf is keepin’ it real while making it an interesting blog that never fails to entertain and cause laughter.

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

    Angry Donors would be a totally kick ass name for a video game. Basically, how it would work is that the donors start with 50 yard lines seats, valet parking and prime spots for their RVs, and sideline passes. As the game progresses, they have to pay $50 to park on some ghetto front lawn with 5 inches of space between their Benz and some other dude’s BMW. Their seats migrate down to the 5 yard line. And they are forced to watch away games on Pac-12 network.