Logic, Lane Kiffin Style

Tonight is an example of when USC outthinks itself and makes something more than it is. Lane Kiffin knows who will start at quarterback and told the quarterbacks. But he will not tell the public or media.

Kiffin said if he names a starter, “people might use it to tear into one or the other of these kids.”

Say what? Schools have quarterback competitions all over the country and when the coach picks a starter, he names him. Now Kiffin is going to make things an issue for both quarterbacks unnecessarily all week.

Instead of a one day story this becomes an all-week story. This is how Kiffin handles situations. Can you imagine Pete Carroll doing this?

52 thoughts on “Logic, Lane Kiffin Style

  1. You sound like a crybaby!….Kiffin has bigger fish to fry than “who starts at QB”…..One post was enough, no need to bring your personal emotions into the picture. I know you hate the guy, but he has a job to do

    Practice what you preach, don’t outthink something and make it more than what it is

    Better yet, ask the Daily News for reassignment!

    • You my friend are a confirmed idiot. So….”kiffin has bigger fish to fry than who starts at QB”. Pendejo, Pendejo, Pendejo! I guess you are suggesting Kiffin knows best, since after all, he “played” the position (well, he never really played, he held a clip board and stood on the sidelines). That’s kinda like you believing you could do a better job than Scott because you’ve posted ALMOST 3,000 times on his blog!
      Better Stick to pumping gas for a living.
      fit UN torgan!

      • Wow dude, you SNAPPED, that dementia is some nasty stuff!

        Why does a self-proclaimed ruin fan, who once carried Lew Alcindor’s jockstrap for him(true story), obsess over this blog 24/7.
        Something is not right upstairs.

        Trolling this blog under 15 different user names, now that’s truly a Pendejo!

        PS….Third finger in, enough said!

    • TrojanFan,
      I can’t think of a bigger question for a team to do than to name their starting the quarterback.

      What question do you think is more important?

      • Let me clear things up. My comments were in regards to informing the media. He has more important things to focus on than appeasing the media. He named a starter Sunday night, so what exactly is your question?

        • I searched the news feeds and don’t see any QB announcements, only that he knows who it is but won’t tell the fans and public.

          In any case, it just seems to me that this is a pretty straightforward question, one that could put to bed a lot of unneeded drama.

          While it is within his rights to do so, withholding this information just reinforces the perception that Kiffen is a truculent, petulant coach. And I not sure that it really buys him anything in terms of a real advantage.

          This is shades of “switched jersey” incident; yes, although never done, switching jersey in the middle of a game is/was legal, but does the questionable benefit of doing so outweigh the negative attention?

          I would assert no, it does not. The problem is that I am sure Kiffen would disagree with me (and a lot of others).

          This is the heartache I have with Kiffen:

          Both incidents show me that Kiffen does not know the difference between doing what is allowed, and what is right.

          • You are over thinking this. Kiffin gave a reason for not announcing the starting QB. What difference does it make if the decision is kept internally, would you sleep better at night knowing?

            The wolfman continues to make sideshows out of non-issues. Kiffin answers to Haden not the media. If Haden thought the media needed an answer I’m sure they would of gotten one.

            Not commenting on injuries, should that be an issue also?

          • It is not just Wolfe. La Times, ESPN, SI, AP are all reporting on this.
            Rather than hide, Kiffin should address the media head on. I just saw a youtube video of TJ Simers trying to grill Jim Mora. Mora answered the questions and made TJ look like an idiot.
            Kiffin should do the same.

  2. Wolfie is right. For once.

    This whole “oh, if I name a starter the mean Internets will be all sweary and stuff at the other guy.” This is B.S. Part of it is Kiffin’s weird secrecy/paranoia: “Hey, if I don’t name a starter, then the other team can’t prepare for sideline fades and WR screens” Yes, Lane, they will not know that a running play is called when Flournoy enters the game.

    But more of it is to protect his a$$, so the message boards don’t start screaming at him.

    Now Kiffie has ensured that the Internets will start screaming, only louder.

    • LOL @ the WR screens…

      Maybe it will also distract everyone from asking, “Whatever happened to the POWER football you promised all offseason?”

      “Do you have a goal line package on offense? You would think that when your offensive line is bigger by at least 50 lbs across the board, they would run straight at them?”

      • They did run inside a lot. I think what you’re suggesting is USC didn’t adjust well to what Hawaii’s defense was doing.

        There is something wrong with how Kiffin assesses that, and makes adjustments. It may have something to do with his being down on the field, and not removed from the action, watching all 22 players, and calmly thinking about the best counter-moves. Since Helton is upstairs, there ought to be a solution. But, we haven’t seen a lot of adaptability before, nor did we see it Thursday.

        • I don’t think that his viewpoint during the game has anything to do with it.

          I coach youth football myself and I’ve watched several USC practices this year.

          There seems to be no “bread and butter” run play for any back. Anyone that knows anything about running the football knows that you must get your RB in sync with your offensive line. This applies to ANY offense whether you’re running the spread or double TE like Stanford uses.

          In Kiffin’s offense, there’s too much “multiple” sets being used even when matchups are in our favor.

          I guess it’s complexity for the sake of ….complexity?

          • I heard one analyst say that Kiffin’s formation tendencies were a big problem. USC runs the same play from the same formation, and the defense knows it’s coming.

            I want to be sure I understand your argument. Is it that there are too many formations for the execution to be good, and that poor execution is the primary problem, rather than telegraphing what USC is going to do?

          • Too many formations aren’t the problem. It’s having a few clutch plays that the defense knows is coming, but they can’t stop it.

            For example, with as many point Oregon puts up, it still comes down to the outside zone read where the HB is likely to get the ball on a sweep.

            In the past, we had a number of plays for Reggie Bush. The defenses knew what was coming, but few could match up with our offensive line or tackle Bush in the open field.

            While this year’s team isn’t as talented as those teams, you would think we’d have the chance to simply “beat the guy in front of you” against a team like Hawaii. Instead, we try to get cute.

    • First, I give Scott more credit than you do. He can be petty, he can write without thinking ahead of time, he can belabor points he has already made (ten times), and he does have a fixation with uniforms and shoes. But he is by no means always wrong, and you’re a smart guy and know that.

      Second, I’ll belabor my point that Kiffin needs a coach to help him handle the press. He has no instincts for it. By accident, I happened upon a short video of David Shaw on a Fox Sports CFB Show. I’m used to Kiffin, and the contrast was jarring. Shaw is an articulate man. Kiffin is a rebellious teenager, who doesn’t know when to use and adverb or an adjective, let alone what to say and how to say it.

      Even if Haden DOES support Kiffin 100%, I have no idea why Haden does not intervene in how USC is being be presented.

    • easy: ’cause he tells the truth about this downward spiraling Athletic Dept!!
      the trOXans can’t HANDLE THE TRUTH!!
      so they lash out at the wolfman becuase he is the messenger and they refuse to accept what everyone knows: UCLA OWNS THEM IN FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL!!!!
      AND one more thing: although they slam every one of wolfman’s posts….they don’t miss ONE, EVER!!!
      what do you call it whan someone who biatches about how bad a Blog is, yet they are drawn back cto it EVERY SINGE DAY????
      Battered Reader Syndrome??

        • i have no idea what it means. all i know is one time a Bruin posted it on here and all the trOXans reacted as if someone tossed a cherry bomb into the Chimp Cage.

          Still makes them fume. been using it ever since.

          • I just hope its not the stupid Star Wars reference. Hate those movies, even though Lucas is a Bruin.

          • oh…I thought it was:
            Spielberg = Trojan
            Lucas = Bruin

            …but checking on the internets, I see I was completely wrong…not only did Spielberg NOT go to SC, he was denied by the school 2 or 3 times and ended up going to CSULB (didn’t even know they had a film school)…and Lucas DID go to SC, which helps with my disdain for his awful films, him being a trojan and all.

          • I Googled it…link wouldn’t post, but if you look it up, there’s a “Wookiepeedia, Star Wars Wiki” reference to it. Apparently, the “Troxans were a sentient species on the planet Troxar in the Expansion Region”

          • …but there is so much more hate and animosity here that this blog is much livlier! …ever since grrrError hired Mora (out of luck, like when SC hired Carroll)…everyone is happy as a clam…until basketball season, when the rape apologist Alford starts.

            Besides, there are so many SC trolls on the Bruin site (Joe Blow to name but one) its almost like they have merged.

          • Huh, I never knew that. Since you asked, here is the real origin of “troxan” on this blog. Several years ago, I was posting as “Westwood Rob”, parodying some of the Bruins who would troll this site back then. Around that time, a USC recruit named Markeith Ambles tweeted that he was going to be a “trogan,” and of course all the trolls began to use that term. I decided that Westwood Rob would kick it up a notch with the even more nonsensical “troxan,” and for some reason it caught on with the actual trolls. I guess Bucket figured he would put his own spin on it by capitalizing the OX portion. So there you go.

          • Gotcha. Thanks for the etymology lesson. Also, thanks for sending Carroll to Seattle. Took a bit of work to get used to the idea “Caesar in Seattle” but he is also the reason (albeit indirectly) that we now have Mora…

    • NUBSIE…I think I understand why you’ve been in such a foul mood lately. Sorry about your loss….just remember…one (back) door closes, another opens!
      (just type your boyfriends name, “Lance Bass”, the Hunk from N’SYNC, and hit enter…). T-Fail will take you back in a heartbeat!
      fit UN torgans!

  3. The solution to Kiffin playing Hamlet is in Mike Rae’s caddies hands. How long should the Trojan family have to suffer with a coach who has been unable to give an honest straightforward answer to any question since his hiriring? He has been driving away the alumni with his demeanor and this lack of support was clear at Salute to Troy. Fate and karma are funny things. The sooner Lane is gone, the better for USC

    • We don’t need to hide who’s going to throw. Both of our QB’s are very talented especially Max W. both can shred defenses. It’s ridic to not say who will play. Fight ON!!!!!! Kapersky Lives!!!

    • Kiffin is a damn attention whore. Make the public announcement already to end this silly distraction for the team.

  4. But wait–to officially have a quarterback controversy, don’t you actually have to have a quarterback?

  5. It’s not who starts, but who ends the game that counts

    Besides, these early games are quasi pre-season games anyway, so give everybody a ‘look.’

  6. Proof positive, Kiffen is the ultimate drama queen. Any other coach would say who it is, controversy over, and move on to other bigger problems in the program.

  7. I don’t know where Kiffin has adopted this stance on starting QBs whenever they’re in question.

    However, as a reporter, Scott acts SURPRISED? Look at Kiffin’s history ANYTIME the starter was in question back in his days with Oakland and Tenn.

    It became such a joke while Kiffin was in Oakland that during a press conference one time, a reporter asked the everyday question, “Coach, can you give us a HINT who’s starting this Sunday?”

    Kiffin responded with a smile, “Not Andrew Walter [3rd string QB back then]…”

    Yes…it’s a bad policy. The QB could never mentally stay plugged in the game because they’re out there thinking too much.

  8. To answer Wolf’s question, yes Pete Carroll did it, with Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley. Unfortunately, Corp could not seize the opportunity when he got it and Barkley became a four year starter. Everybody get over it, Kiffin does not like to open up with the media. Is it any worse than Lou Holtz’s oh woe is me we have no chance our opponent is sooo great schtick.

  9. 94% of USC fans want to know who will really start the game on Sat. Pull your head out Kiff!

    • 94%?
      Did you know that 82.3% of statistics are made up? (kidding; no flames; I agree with you)

  10. Seems like you guys are living your own Neuheisel quarterbacks controversy…couldnt decide between Brehaut and Prince. goes the same way, youll be having a new coach pretty soon…so thats a good thing.

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