Kiffin Kiffining Again?

[Whiskeyjack]

so kiffin is comparing him to leinhart to bump his draft stock?!?!?! thanks?

There are already rumors that the Cardinals are going to draft Barkley in the first round. FML

 

[greyhammer90]

There are already rumors that the Cardinals are going to draft Barkley in the first round. FML

I didn't know you were the cardinals fan.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I didn't know you were the cardinals fan.

I refuse to invest myself emotionally in that team until the Bidwells no longer own it. But many of my relatives are hardcore fans, and I'd like to see a competent QB tossing the ball to Larry Fitzgerry and Floyd. Seems they didn't learn anything from Leinhart.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

"Barkley to Floyd"......

*pukes*

 

[IrishLax]

They didn't learn their lesson after their last USC QB? Really?

Using a top 10 pick on Barkley could set their franchise back 5 years.

 

[ThePiombino]

They didn't learn their lesson after their last USC QB? Really?

Using a top 10 pick on Barkley could set their franchise back 5 years.

True, except that they're so bad that no one would notice.

 

[IndyIrishFan1]

My reaction every time I see this thread bumped:

 

[Rudy89]

This guy is an absolute tool bad but I hope he stays coach at U$C forever!

 

[ThePiombino]

This guy is an absolute tool bad but I hope he stays coach at U$C forever!

We could only be so lucky...

 

[A Pac]

Wow a coach throwing his own defense under the bus. This asshat knows no boundaries.

 

[ulukinatme]

You know...I was thinking the other day...I think Kiffin has been more detrimental to the USC program than their probation ever was. If the NCAA really wants to punish teams in the future, they should make them hire Kiffin as the ultimate form of punishment! Of course, that would mean that he's gone from USC, which would make me sad.

 

[Irish#1]

You know...I was thinking the other day...I think Kiffin has been more detrimental to the USC program than their probation ever was. If the NCAA really wants to punish teams in the future, they should make them hire Kiffin as the ultimate form of punishment! Of course, that would mean that he's gone from USC, which would make me sad.

I think you may be on to something.

 

[Kansas Irish]

Wow a coach throwing his own defense under the bus. This asshat knows no boundaries.

That's exactly what I was thinking. What kind of morale does this create? I hope he keeps it up.

 

[Kak7304]

You know...I was thinking the other day...I think Kiffin has been more detrimental to the USC program than their probation ever was. If the NCAA really wants to punish teams in the future, they should make them hire Kiffin as the ultimate form of punishment! Of course, that would mean that he's gone from USC, which would make me sad.

Ty Willingham would be a much worse punishment.

 

[ulukinatme]

Ty Willingham would be a much worse punishment.

Eh, maybe, but Ty isn't nearly as entertaining as Kiffin. Every week it was something comical to go with the losses...deflated balls, jersey switching, "oops" statements, not to mention falling from the #1 lofty preseason ranking to a crummy bowl loss.

 

[koonja]

I actually don't have a problem with him saying that, although I think he is wrong; Barkley wasn't winning even with a great defense. If this year, Golson has a 4,500 yard year with 32 TDs and 10 picks and doesn't get close to the heisman because the team is 9-3, I'd have no problem with BK saying 'if we had last year's defense, Golson would be the heisman'. No problem at all with Kiffen on this one.

 

[ulukinatme]

I actually don't have a problem with him saying that, although I think he is wrong; Barkley wasn't winning even with a great defense. If this year, Golson has a 4,500 yard year with 32 TDs and 10 picks and doesn't get close to the heisman because the team is 9-3, I'd have no problem with BK saying 'if we had last year's defense, Golson would be the heisman'. No problem at all with Kiffen on this one.

Except the fact he threw his own defense under the bus, you don't do that. I understand he's trying to help boost Barkley's draft stock, or complain that he wasn't considered more for the Heisman, whatever...but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. He basically just made himself an *** to his entire defense while trying to put one guy on a pedestal.

 

[koonja]

Except the fact he threw his own defense under the bus, you don't do that. I understand he's trying to help boost Barkley's draft stock, or complain that he wasn't considered more for the Heisman, whatever...but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. He basically just made himself an *** to his entire defense while trying to put one guy on a pedestal.

I don't think he threw his team under the bus. It's not like he said they didn't try or were incompetent, he said that if Barkley had Leinart's defense, he would have won the heisman. Again, if BK said this about an upcoming year Golson has, I'd have no problem if he pointed to the 2012, saying if Golson had that defense he would have gotten more attention. It's easy to hate on Kiffen, but he didn't say anything offensive or incorrect here. At least that's how I feel. Coaches say stuff like this all of the time.

 

[Bobias]

I agree with Kuenja on this one. I really don't think that he threw them under the bus either. I think anybody who followed that disaster in LA this season would at least put partial blame on the defense for not living up to expectations. The fans know it, the press knows it, and I am willing to bet that the players and coaches know how much they underachieved this year too.

Why sugar coat things when they have identified it as a weakness, and are currently working to improve it. I really don't find it insulting to point out an obvious weakness in an attempt to better promote and explain why the guy didn't perform as well. Barkley is the one bright spot in how he dealt with his coach being and incompetent fool and his team falling apart before his eyes. Not to mention coming back and passing up the nfl to stay for his senior season. Now whether he succeeds in the nfl or not is still up in the air obviously.

These are full grown college football players and I really don't think that their feelings are too damaged by these remarks. I'm sure they have heard waaaay worse at practice.

Don't get me wrong, Kiffin is a cheat, liar, and all around slimy individual, but I really don't think that he overstepped his boundary on this one. I think that we are being overly critical about every move he makes because it is soooo satisfying to watch USC be brought down from within at his hands.

 

[ulukinatme]

These are full grown college football players and I really don't think that their feelings are too damaged by these remarks.

Mike Gundy says they're just kids. They're not a man, they're not 40 yet. Eh, personal opinion I guess, but I'd rather have a coach that sticks up for me and says we're working to improve ourselves (Or at least does the right thing and takes the blame for us sucking) rather than say one side of the ball sucked. I mean, it's not like USC isn't still loaded with talent, they just don't have Petey and his staff coaching them up anymore.

 

[Martibhoy]

i enjoy Kiffin

 

[brewdog_14527]

Any good leader would begin by saying that "we didn't do enough to be successful this year and that starts with me." He absolutely threw his defense under the bus. Whether or not they were bad is not important. He should have thrown himself under the bus before his dad and 22 year old defenders. Maybe that is a part of the reason some of his best defensive recruits (Ramsey, Vanderdoes, Redfield, Hatcher) wanted out.

 

[IrishLax]

The only person/thing Kiffin hasn't blamed for USC's failures is himself. Which, to me, is the pinnacle or irony.

 

[greyhammer90]

The only person/thing Kiffin hasn't blamed for USC's failures is himself. Which, to me, is the pinnacle or irony.

Actually he has

Lane Kiffin takes blame for USC Trojans 2012 season -- college football - ESPN

 

[IrishLax]

Actually he has

Lane Kiffin takes blame for USC Trojans 2012 season -- college football - ESPN

I hadn't seen that article so I read it intrigued and hoping there would be an actual quote with him taking responsibility for something that went wrong. Something like when Kelly said "I realized I wasn't spending enough time hands on with players, so I changed that."

Instead there is just one platitude where he says "I blame myself" and then goes on to spend the whole article talking about how he did nothing wrong with the deflated balls, changing jerseys (even though he offers no other explanation for it), etc. I'm still waiting for him to take the blame for any of the myriad of things he's done wrong. I haven't seen it... maybe it's out there... but all I've seen are excuses.

 

[vmgsf]

Will Kiffin damage U$C long term? Will Mora see a chance with what Kiffin is doing to make UCLA top dog in LA and stay for the long term?

 

[kmoose]

I hadn't seen that article so I read it intrigued and hoping there would be an actual quote with him taking responsibility for something that went wrong. Something like when Kelly said "I realized I wasn't spending enough time hands on with players, so I changed that."

Instead there is just one platitude where he says "I blame myself" and then goes on to spend the whole article talking about how he did nothing wrong with the deflated balls, changing jerseys (even though he offers no other explanation for it), etc. I'm still waiting for him to take the blame for any of the myriad of things he's done wrong. I haven't seen it... maybe it's out there... but all I've seen are excuses.

You mean like this quote?

"That doesn't surprise me one bit," Kiffin said. "When you have all the hype that this team had around it coming into this season -- remember, these kids, everywhere they went, from the day Matt Barkley came back [for his senior season], was, 'See you in the Orange Bowl [site of the Discover BCS National Championship]. I'm making my tickets already for Florida.'

"That's where their minds were, regardless of what we said. Then when you go through that stretch at the end -- the toll that takes on your players, losing five of six games … there's not much positivity going on, no matter what you do. So to hear players upset or 'lost' the locker room, that's going to happen. That does not surprise me at all."

In other words: it was the players' fault. The coaches were trying to keep them from being overconfident, but no matter what the coaches said, the kids were not listening. If they had just listened to the coaches, then all would have been fine?

 

[IrishLax]

You mean like this quote?

EXACTLY.

And the funniest part of that whole quote? He voted USC #1 pre-season, yet tries to play it off like the hype is everyone's fault but his. SMH.

 

[Ironman8]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Kiffin is considering playing Marqise Lee both ways, thinking he would be team's best CB, but worried about losing offensive production.</p>— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scott_Schrader/status/322524541324783616">April 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ironman8]

Oh Lane...