Mike Riley vs. USC
by uscdude on Oct 28, 2009 7:32 AM PDT
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Bumped...P
I submit this for discussion: In behind-the-scenes reality, it’s possible that all year long, Mike Riley and his coaches mostly design plays and run practices for only 1 game every year – USC. He will claim of course to be practicing for whoever is next up on the schedule. But truthfully, maybe all his practices, no matter who they are really playing, are in reality focused on USC. It paid off last year against us and almost paid off this year.
Practicing plays designed to beat USC makes OSU good enough to beat or at least be competitive against most teams, though it makes them a bit more vulnerable against teams with running, mobile QBs – i.e. as they were vulnerable against Oregon last year.
Just throwing this out as a possibility.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Conquest Chronicles' writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Conquest Chronicles' writers or editors.
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I wouldn't go that far.
but I think that USC is very important for Mike Riley since:
A) USC is the big dog in the Pac 10
B) Riley is a former OC at USC.
But I don’t think he puts THAT much extra into game planning for USC. I just think he is a really really good coach and some of the individual match ups have worked well for him.
oc phil
I agree
He is a good coach, and he scheme along with his players giving their all when they play us, seem to give them that extra edge. Now if they can just play that well against other teams.
It seems like the Beavers are the only team in the Pac-10 that really doesn’t have any fear of USC. They believe that they can beat us. They don’t buy into the myth that USC is invincible.
Agree X 2
He doesn’t overprepare for SC. What a coup it would be if he could win a PacX title. Yet, OSU ALWAYS starts out slow, and almost ALWAYS finishes strong. I think this is another sign of excellent coaching. OSU’s athletes are not able to simply walk on the field and beat the average joe. But, as the season progresses, Riley coaches up this modest talent into a sum that is much more than the value of its individual parts.
I can't cry for poor old riley
Dude had his chance he was greedy and he got the consequences, he also makes way to much money for me to care for him.
Player: coach Wooden how do ya bounce the ball
Wooden: ups and downs
Player: thanks you are a wizzs
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 28, 2009 9:45 AM PDT reply actions
In 1997
Former USC assistant Mike Riley took an Oregon State program that hadn’t had a winning season in over 25 years and turned it around almost immediately. Things were so bad at OSU that for starters, Riley insisted that his players be served decent food. Two years later the San Diego Chargers came calling and off he went.
As an NFL coach Riley was an instant flop, but in November, 2000 he thought he had USC over a barrel because Dennis Erickson had just blown off Mike Garrett and so had Mike Bellotti -despite a contract offer of $7.2 Million for 5 years. It seemed like no decent coach wanted to touch USC, so Riley started playing games to get himself an even more ridiculous contract, talking to Alabama and doing his little song and dance with the Chargers and the press -he was Wolf’s little darling. While all this is going on, Pete Carroll comes in and steals the job from Riley.
After failing to get another big-time offer, Riley had to go back to OSU with his tail between his legs (in 2003) for a measly $625K. Pete Carroll cost Mike Riley a LOT of money. At this stage (2009) Riley makes at least $3 Million per year less than PC, and Pete is at the center of the college football universe (so to speak) while Riley seethes in his mossy backwater.
There’s a boulder sized chip on Mike Riley’s shoulder and you can bet your fanny the guy lives to beat USC. You can even hear it in his players whining about being overlooked by USC and wanting to prove that USC missed out etc. Riley is a good coach, and he can motivate his team whichever way he wants, but somewhere in the center of his little “aw shucks” self lives the heart of a clown.
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
Not so sure....
Are you sure he is that bitter, Loco? Riley’s a hometown hero in Corvallis. I loved him at SC during the Rob and Keyshawn Johnson year’s. I’ll never forget how cool it was when we won the Cotton Bowl, and that Northwestern Rose Bowl win was one of the all-time bests. Our offense was electric. He’s an offensive genius for sure. And, one of John Robinson’s best friends. I feel like Riley is a part of our Trojan family. A second cousin perhaps. But, he has done some great things for SC.
Here’s an LAT quote on the Riley situation from Dec 2000: “Riley became the next hot prospect and was expected to be a quick hire. But there were questions about whether he could get out of the final three years of his Charger contract …..Charger President Dean Spanos took a hard stance in public, saying he would hold Riley to his obligation. In private, he was reportedly willing to let his coach go after the Chargers played their final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 24.”
Admittedly, I did not follow the situation closely at the time. However, I recall Riley wanting the job, but not being allowed to pursue it by Spanos and the Chargers. I think Riley is a good guy and a great coach. I think he would have been very successful at SC, although no one could have matched PC’s record.
I was a big Riley fan too
and even wrote a letter to Garrett pleading for Riley. However, afterPC was hired and the dust settled Riley’s picture was not so pretty. As so.cal. says above, the guy “was greedy and he got the consequences.” Everybody was saying the USC job sucked and Mike tried to use that along with the Bellotti and Erickson rejections to his advantage.
I’m a lifetime Chargers fan (as far back as John Hadl and Lance Alworth) and everyone knew the Spanos’ were willing to let MR go, just not to another NFL team; so USC was OK with them if they were assured Mike was getting a contract
This Daily News article summarizes the feeling about USC back then: USC IS DREAM JOB NO MORE.
Here’s a sample:
USC head football coach?As a USC insider, there’s no way that Riley believed this crap, but he wasn’t above using it as leverage. Pete Carroll showed up and stole it from him, and the rest is history. I stand by my statement, based on his behavior in November of 2000, Riley has the heart of a clown. What’s even more embarrassing is that even ’ol Slick behaved more decently towards UCLA in their moment of need; but after all, Slick is an actual UCLA and USC grad. and not SEC trash.
Twenty-five years ago, maybe. But not now.
No way, no how.
The USC job is the college football equivalent of the aging starlet who vainly refuses to acknowledge she’s no longer ready for her close-up. What Norma Desmond was to ``Sunset Boulevard’’ and Dodgers managers are to Chavez Ravine, Paul Hackett’s successor will be to Heritage Hall.
A pitiable figure, mostly.
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Riley WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Player: coach Wooden how do ya bounce the ball
Wooden: ups and downs
Player: thanks you are a wizzs
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 28, 2009 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions
One more thing
If Riley loves OSU so much why was he talking to Lisa Love about taking the Arizona State job in 2006? The guy’s a merc and there’s no two ways about it.
Oregon State’s Riley in the mix at Arizona State.
Riley is in the fourth year of a seven-year deal with the Beavers. With his base salary plus bonuses, Riley could make about $950,000 this year, which ranked eighth in a recent Pac-10 coaches salary survey by USA Today and is a far cry from the $12 million deal (six years at $2 million a year) Alabama offered in a failed attempt to hire Rich Rodriguez away from West Virginia on Friday.
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Nope, Loco.
Riley would be the USC coach if Spanos would have either fired him or given USC permission to make a formal offer.
It seemed like no decent coach wanted to touch USC, so Riley started playing games to get himself an even more ridiculous contract, talking to Alabama and doing his little song and dance with the Chargers and the press -he was Wolf’s little darling. While all this is going on, Pete Carroll comes in and steals the job from Riley.
Interesting revisionary history, but it didn’t break out that way.
From the LAT, 12-14-2000:
Spanos has refused to commit to bringing Riley back and also shown no interest in stepping aside so USC can openly contact Riley with an offer.
There have been several local reports in recent days that USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett is on the verge of offering the job to Riley.
But while broadcaster Leitner was reporting that Riley would be sacked before the evening was out, CBS SportsLine.com reported that the USC job had been offered to Pete Carroll, the former New England Patriot coach. USC declined to confirm that report.
Riley was offered the Bama job in 2002, along with being in consideration for the UCLA job.
Yeah right Desmo, you read it in The Times
Look, the Keystone Cops operation at the LAT is just as crappy as village idiot Scott Wolf (who openly championed Riley) and the Daily News.
SCOTT WOLF – SC ANALYSIS: WILD RIDE, FOR PETE’S SAKE.
USC met Riley on Dec. 5, but it wasn’t until Dec. 9 that Riley met with Chargers president Dean Spanos to discuss his sticky contract. Spanos gave him permission to leave, but in the meantime, USC met with Carroll, who was unemployed but favored by associate athletic director Daryl Gross.Are you saying that Mike Garrett wouldn’t have waited a few extra days if he had thought he had a real chance to get Riley. Puh-leez. Riley played his hand an lost to Pete Carroll, end of story; however, that doesn’t mean he’s not a very good coach.
As far as Bama and UCLA you’re right, and for UCLA it should have been a no-brainer, but as you will recall they were all clamoring for a True-Blue Bruin; so thanks to Donohue and his cronies they ended up with Dorrell. Stupid Bruins, USC dodged a real bullet.
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I found your LAT - December 14, 2000 article
It’s a Wild Day in Life, and for Wife, of Riley
Tony Perry reported that:
Spanos has refused to commit to bringing Riley back and also shown no interest in stepping aside so USC can openly contact Riley with an offer.But Wolf reported that Riley met Dean Spanos on December 9 and Spanos gave him permission to leave. The announcement that Pete Carroll was hired came on December 15 leading to this idiotic tirade by Plaschke
I’m not mad at Pete Carroll.This means that Riley had 4-5 days to “openly” discuss a contract with MG so (he may be a tool but…) don’t blame Dean Spanos. Mike Riley got his shot and blew it.
I’m mad at USC for hiring him.
I’m mad that, during its most important times, the most enduring football institution in this city sometimes acts as though it discovered the game only last week.
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Desmo so you like motorcycles, well maybe you know of my cousin Angelo Dailo
He was one of the first Ducati franchises in so. cal. and now makes Magnetos ARD inc. Santa Fe Springs, cal. or are you a Zoulou warrior if you are please berry the heads in africa.
Player: coach Wooden how do ya bounce the ball
Wooden: ups and downs
Player: thanks you are a wizzs
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 28, 2009 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Sounds similar to the KO hire
Dixon (Erickson/Belotti/Riley) was in a sticky contract, as were other candidates. An available candidate walks through the door and impresses with a killer interview, like KO (or PC). And, bam, done deal in a few hours.
It’s all water under the bridge now, but I would love to see what Riley could do with a major program. And, he certainly appears to be steal-able with that low salary. Even though he is is a hometown hero in Corvallis.
Googling some of the old news articles on the hire reminded me of how many morons slammed the PC hire. I think Riley would have been a good hire, but we really dodged 2 major bullets. Erickson and Belotti. I think either one would have been a disaster. Why we were even talking to Belotti I don’t know, as it appeared obvious that he was using us from the beginning. Can you imagine Erickson or Belotti? Anyone think they would have been good?
We would've found our real quickly
if Dan Guerrero had had the balls to hire him. Like I keep sayin’… Thank You Dan Guerrero!
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Let's just say that we owe Dan G....
an amount of gratitude so large (for numerous decisions) that we will not be able to repay him during our lifetimes.
Good point Tex, in that case we shouldn’t even try!
¡Fusílenlo, después veriguamos! - Pancho Villa
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 28, 2009 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Riley = rear view mirror
At this point. (but come Civil War time? they’re gonna be my favorite team on THE PLANET)
Riley is a great coach. But, if he was THAT good- he’d have his players READY TO PLAY the game each and every game. Not at “game 4” in a season. He can coach, and he’s got the smarts/cajones to out-scheme the best of ’em. So, exactly WHAT IS IT WITH HIM?
Dude, uscdude. . . . . .you’re on to something here. I’m drinking that kool-aid batch you just concocted. (question: did you play Div., I anything? Or top tier/highly competitive sport? Sounds like you did. I mean that)
"As for being a Raiders fan, I wouldn't wish that fucking shit on anybody." [the venerable OTS at Roll Bama Roll}
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