There have been a lot of criticism leveled at Lane Kiffin, USC's recent hiring to replace 9-year head coach Pete Carroll, who left for the NFL to pursue what might be a last chance to tackle his legacy as an NFL coach. Generally, the criticism amounts to sour grapes or misguided lies.
One big critic has been ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski, who called Kiffin, "Mr. One-and-Done." The unhappy Tennessee alumnus, harshly continued his unabashedly negative critique by saying that, "Kiffin is about Kiffin."
Another criticism of Kiffin that is very popular around the media, is leveled by ESPN's Pat Forde, who asks rhetorically, "What's to love about Lane? His career head-coaching record is 12-21." ESPN's Jemele Hill is just as critical of Kiffin with his "paper-thin coaching résumé." Of course, Jemele Hill also wrote, "If Al Davis reads a multipage letter to the media about what a slimeball a guy is, you should know you're not exactly getting St. Peter." Now, that's just downright ridiculously moronic, but I'd rather focus on Kiffin than on Al Davis and his continued love for JaMarcus Russell.
I'm here to bring some perspective to these so-called journalists who spew their venom with the power of the pen and the bully pulpit of sports television from ESPN.
I think everyone - especially these folks - should consider a particular coach that compiled this record in his first six years as a head coach:
Year 1 - School #1 - 6-5 record
(1 year break in head coaching - accepted job as offensive coordinator at prestigious school)
Year 2 - School #2 - 1-10 record
Year 3 - School #2 - 4-7 record
Year 4 - School #2 - 6-6 record
Year 5 - School #3 - 1-10 record
Year 6 - School #3 - 1-10 record
This guy's accumulated a 19-48 record as a head coach. He LEFT school #1 after just one year. He left his offensive coordinator position after just one year. You're the athletic director or maybe a booster or fan at school #3, and he's just completed his second year with a combined 2-20 record at your school, what do you think...keep him or fire him?
It turns out that this apparent loser, this transient who left Appalachian State after just one year and left Oklahoma after just one year, is none other than.....
MACK BROWN, current head coach at University of Texas Longhorns.
Who would have thought, right? Well, the athletic director at North Carolina kept Mack Brown despite having two straight seasons at 1-10 (the season prior to his hiring, the Tar Heels had a 5-6 record). He went on to coach the Tar Heels to a 11-1 record and a strong run at bowl games, and after 10 years, moved on to Texas, where he's been for the past 11 years.
Now mind you, he's not the only coach that sat at a school for just one year, and moved on. There is also the case of this other guy who coached Toledo for just one year. Like Kiffin, he was an NFL coach for just slightly longer than Kiffin, completing two whole years, and finishing with a 15-17 record. This guy who coached just one year at a school, and had a losing record in two years in the NFL is none other than....
NICK SABAN, current head coach at University of Alabama.
I think the pundits and fans need to think about these two successful head coaches, before they criticize Lane Kiffin. I'm not saying that Kiffin will resume USC's dynastic rise under Pete Carroll, but it makes no sense in criticizing him, when two of the most successful coaches currently coaching at big-name schools all had their checkered past, and Kiffin hasn't coached a single game at USC.
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