Letters

USC alum says football needs military discipline

Dear Coach John Robinson:

You may be recognized as one of the premier coaches within college football, but it is evident to me you know absolutely nothing about dealing with the athletes of today. As a parent of three boys--and I preface boys--it is quite evident that you have absolutely no clue about how to deal with your problems. So I'm going to help you, providing you're prepared to face reality.
First: Start with discipline and let your players know there are consequences. These overgrown boys truly want a leader who is rough, tough and someone they can believe in. Stop being politically right, or else you're going to be politically looking for a new career.
Second: Take some ownership. Get the headphones on and start getting involved in the game. It's obvious your assistants are not cutting it with game preparation, focus and leadership. Your product is not meeting the demand of the consumers. If you could eat USC football, your warehouse would be full of inventory, because no one is buying. I hear more season ticket holders say they wish they could get a refund. Not a laughing matter.
Third: Psychology--your players don't think, act or believe they are winners. The first thing you should do is take away Billy Miller's jersey--number three. Give him a new number and tell him and the rest of the receivers that when one of them steps up and plays like Keyshawn, then that player can be honored by wearing the jersey.
Your players have no fire in their guts. A 6-foot-4, 330-pound lineman should get on that line and know without question that he cannot and will not be beat. Your guys pray they won't be beat.
Fourth: Coaching. You and your staff should be embarrassed to cash your paychecks. I could out-coach Mike Riley right now for no pay. Hell, the school would be better off. It would be a win-win for both of us. We'd win more games and I'd get less mail asking me to donate my company, my children, my life.
Fifth: Consequences. There are none. The programs that are dominating football are all coached by leaders with conviction. Current coaches (Holtz, Bowden, Osborne and Paterno) as well as the great coaches of the past (McKay, Hayes, Schembechler and Marv Goux) all demanded excellence through preparation, commitment and performance and accepted nothing less. You desperately need a Marv Goux, and it shows. We're becoming an Oregon State.
Sixth: Recruiting. Forget the glory boys. You need to go to the farmlands and cities where playing at USC is a dream. Playing football at Division I level is an honor, so start getting kids who will run though a brick wall rather than the ones who think they're the wall. The kids you've been recruiting are underachievers. They don't know what it really takes to be a national champion and don't want to pay the price to get there. That's one of the big problems with kids today.
John, stop being the nice guy and begin to be a mean son-of-a-bitch. I remember back in the early `70s watching the team go to practices. They looked, acted and believed they were in the most dynamic program in America. They knew they would pay the price if they didn't live up to the expectations that had been built by the ones before them. God help them when they lost. Get it back. Boys today want that discipline, they expect it and they yearn for it. If you think I'm wrong, then look at the teams that are winning. Their players and coaches are better-prepared and are committed to winning.
The last few years we have lost to UCLA and Notre Dame because we didn't want it bad enough. I'm afraid this year will be the same. The Air Force Academy beat Notre Dame, not by talent but through preparation, focus, commitment and personal desire. Guts if you want to call it that. USC players have no guts anymore. The entire program is in disarray--performance, preparation and focus-wise--and you are the man who must clean it up.
I am not confident that you will even get this, let alone read it. However, if you do,and you value just one of my expressed opinions, please take it from one who has three boys. They want, require and demand discipline. Do not believe your players are mature young men; they are not. Treat them like military recruits, keep them focused and let them understand the expectations and consequences associated with being a USC football player. Playing for USC is equal to the real world. You had better be on your toes, ready to perform and compete, or you are done. Trust me--you will build a better program, better football players and better citizens. I welcome the chance to talk in person one day.

Geoff Daniels
Class of 1977