It would have been nice for USC athletic director Lynn Swann to at least offer the fans one or two statements saying he understood their frustration this season.
Instead, he went over the top Tuesday night. He revealed a mindset prevalent among the long-time administrators at USC when they frequently disagree with popular opinion: We know more than you. None of you ever understand how things work.
“I believe in (Clay Helton),” Swann said. “I like the position that he takes. (Helton) is passionate about what he does. He is honest and real in what he wants to accomplish and how he wants to accomplish (it). There is no false chatter in (Helton).”
Notice there is no mention about players developing or being well coached. Just blather in general terms.
These comments will likely haunt Swann one day.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
It looks to me like the guy is trying to buy some time until there’s a new president at the school. Perhaps, he’s reluctant to make a coaching change without the blessing of the incoming president for several reasons, including not being so crazy about taking the responsibilities of a potentially bad hire all by himself afterward. What’s more, it would seem much more justifiable to show Helton the exit after having failed even more miserably this season, such as getting blown out by ND and possibly losing to UCLA.
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It will take a lot of money for the buyout and to get a new staff in place. It makes sense to wait one more year to see if Helton can turn it around.
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NO! Oh, God NOOOooooo!!!!!! No more of this crap football, please!
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With one more year, Helton will tank it, not turn it around.
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We’ll see if he maintains that stance as attendance at the Coliseum continues to dwindle, elite recruits decommiting, players not being developed, players start transferring, the program continuing to be a no show in the CFB playoff, the program swimming in mediocrity, etc…
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Lynn Swann so far has proven to be a Puppet, because he knows what it takes to field a championship team . The problem with the USC athletic administration is, that they never hire experienced people, which reflects on their football coaching hires. The last three hires have been expirments, and all of them have failed. No seasoned sports administrators would have extended Clay Helton’s contract until he proved himself with a year without Sam Darnold.
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I wish I could agree with Lynn Swann on his assessment about false chatter, but I don’t…there is a difference in what I see, than what I hear….Sears was smeared and disrespected as #3 in Fall camp, like someone who was not a viable option at qb because he didn’t know the playbook and he had a poor Spring etc etc. Yet, we most of what we saw last Saturday was a viable option at qb. Did Jack Sears look like a #3 quarterback? No. The premise on Sears presented to us was false chatter. And don’t get me started on the center position where I think Brett Neilon is better than Toa Lobendahn there.
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How does a university filled with so many really smart students and faculty end up with such arrogant, blithely unaware, frankly stupid “administrators”?!
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Swann is as he’s always been a =glorified ‘yes man’ – his decision to extend that contract a full three years is incomprehensible. He’s not about to admit that was a mistake. Any new hire will take 2 years minimum to have any real change but thanks to ‘Lynn’s’ 3 years extension we can extend that mess another 5 years.
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Haunt… ha! Over-the-top….
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Lynn Swann is an idiot when it comes to overseeing the football program. The guy doesn’t have a clue about what it takes to hire and retain a good football coach. He is the black trophy A.D. right now but people will turn on him in a flash. To say that he supports what Helton is doing shows the true ignorance of this man. I recall Haden saying that he supported Lane Kiffin 150 % – Yes ! 150 %. And that guy was a Rhodes Scholar, although he junked it up by only getting into Loyola Law School, a third or fourth tier law school. Haden was supposed to be a lot more smarter than Swann. If Swann thinks he is going to be at USC a long time, he has another thing coming. The alumni will turn on that guy and seek his head on a cardinal and gold platter, just like they did with Kiffin, Sarkisian, Haden, and President Max Nikias (who continues to live in the President’s Mansion in San Marino. Hiding under the radar in this mess is Athletic Department director, Steve Lopes, who is calling the shots with massive season ticket accounts being purged from loyal alumni. This is the same guy who gave his no talent son an athletic scholarship when he did not deserve one. These people inside the university all scratch each other’s backs and hope the public doesn’t find out. The sooner Helton, Lopes and Swann are gone, the better for USC. By the way, information is leaking out of the ticket office that 25% of season ticket holders have decided not to renew their seats because of what Steve Lopes is doing in terms of the relocation. They build a press box and new suites for their friends, and screw the long time season ticket holders.
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I don’t see all that. Mr. Swann is more than capable. However, he’s going to have to lead the restoration of USC football.
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Stephen M., your delusional.
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Just fair, my friend, which is more than I can say for most of you. Should I not believe that a Hall of Famer, In more ways than one, can step in and correct our football issues? Does he know football? I realize he prefers that when he hires someone to do a job, let them do it. But, when that grace does not work, what is he prepared to do? What is he allowed to do? These are the questions.
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I’m convinced LS can still run a good drag route or post-corner, even at his age. No doubt he also has a few insights about the game of football that most us don’t. But this knowledge and these skills are no substitute for AD leadership and management experience, which he does not have. His silence throughout the season has been beyond deafening and, sadly, evidence that he really isn’t that in-touch or up to the task.
Ask yourself: Are we better this year than we were last year? Were we better last year than the year before? Clearly, USC Football is trending in the wrong direction. If LS had a modicum of leadership and management ability, this week’s coaching staff changes would have come long before Monday.
CH is equally unqualified. It was clear from the beginning. He couldn’t attract a high quality group of assistants. These are two good men trying to fill positions for which they were/are not qualified. Like it or not, together they own the sorry condition of what was a rich, proud football tradition . . . .
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He are?
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SAS here.
I agree with Wolf to a certain extent. I think somewhere Lynn Swann should have said “This a place where expectations are higher than other places and I understand why your concerns and frustrations are where they are at. Something like that. He can support Clay but he also has to acknowledge the poor level of the program right now won’t be excepted. He then could have made a compliment on Helton making pkay
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SAS (Continued)
He then could have complimented Helton on his changes with play calling and with the OLine.
But another point I agree with is PLAYER DEVELOPMENT……
Wole Betiku
Conner Murphy
John Houston
Lichtenstein
I can go on, but these guys should be ready and making impacts by now. And I’m gonna flat out say that if Iman Marshall were at Michigan or LSU he’d be a two time all american by now. Those players go to some of the other schools that they considered and they are on the field playmakers you know about.
Clancy Pendergast has been a MASSIVELY OVERRATED defensive coordinator who should be let go at the end of the regular season. He doesnt recruit and more importantly he hasn’t elevated these kids. He has to go to. Lynn Swann has to recognize this and I believe he does.
So I’m seeing both sides of this, where he should ket it be known this stuff is not flying under his watch, but i also feel he’s saying the right things for the moment
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Hey Sammy, remember how delighted the Rah- Rah’s were after Succ flipped Betiku? I bet Betiku eats as much as a horse.
****Also Sammy, have to disagree with you regarding IM. The Majority of great players are gone after their Jr. Year. IM isn’t. ****Just my opinion Sammy, but if IM played for Michigan or LSU he would be polishing the pine with his booty. IM isn’t athletic or big enough to compete at Ohio St., Penn St, Michigan, and Michigan St or with ranked SEC team DB’s.
****Lastly Sammy, stinking Roberts screwed the Dodgers again. We had the horses to win vs Houston, but not against Boston. You may recall, I was worried about Dodgers pitching all year long. What’s the point of advancing to the WS if a team has no chance to win. I think the Brewers would have had better success vs Boston.
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Owns. I know you haven’t watched us as much as you have in the past or you would see Marshall hasn’t shown any signs of his old self.
Harbaugh’s DC gets his corners ready, LSU is a DB factory, Bama would have made him great at Corner or Safety. The thing is Clancy Pendergast has to be the luckiest DC in the Pac12 for sitting on his *ss and letting others recruit players to SC. They don’t ever show signs of a player that was obviously better because of coaching. Uchenna Nwosu had heart and was considered the defensive steal of Sark’s first class. Credit Sark, Nansen and Wilcox for seeing the potential or talent in him. He had a good IQ and was big for us at LB. Clancy had no effect there. Adoree Jackson won the Thorpe his junior year. He did that on his own. It was him playing off his athleticism, speed and ball skillz. Marvell Tell….preseason all american who plays like an average DB half the time because of the coaches who teach him are horrible.
Pendergast doesn’t know how to push them in practice and create any kind of depth because he focuses on starters and the backups get no attention. Betiku would have been better off at Ucla or somewhere where a coach could see his strengths and tap into it quickly because his size made up for his lack of experience. He gave up 7 touchdowns on 7 consecutive drives in the Rose Bowl of all games. He had two 5-Star Corners (1 INT each that game) but they struggled because he plays a dont let them beat you deep secondary that gives up 7 yard passes consistently because of his scheme. Pendergast has allowed talent to waste at USC. He su**s.
First off. Puig really surprised me and he gets my respect for his play when we needed him to make something happen he was better than most of the Dodgers.
Joc Pedersen shouldve made that catch at Fenway and allowed that ground rule double leading to the 3 run Hr. He knows he should have dove or turned his glove for that ball.
But Dave Roberts made too many calls that will be questioned for a long time.
Robert fu**ed off our chances in the World Series with decisions that were so bad I cant believe they are keeping him for another year. In fact he’s the reason we never got going because he messed with the lineups all season. He took out players that were hot and put in another guy for no reason other than we had depth and we never found the chemistry because Roberts and his lineups were always hurting us from getting it going as a team.
Baez should have been in games earlier. Hill should have stayed in for at least 2 more batters. Its the World Series and you have to ride pitching until they are definitely out of gas or in trouble. He f*cked that up big time.
For him to keep passing on Baez and going to Jansen so early as if he was Mariono Rivera for 6 outs just blew me away with his overconfidence and stupidity.
Kershaw………….
I dont know what to say but he should return with a paycut to get some real help. He’s still my favorite Dodger but he’s inconsistentin October.
Our window may have closed but i think we could get it done with a better manager.
Next Year???????????????????
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Can you imagine Swann as Captain of the Titanic, lead astronaut on the Apollo 13 space craft, General Custer at Little Big Horn, or as the HC of the Bruin football team?…”Everything is going well. Nothing we can’t handle. I have faith in…”
”
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I hope he proves me wrong.
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