Letters: After USC loss, cool it with Caleb Williams hype

1

Maybe columnist Bill Plaschke and others can now stop the deification of Caleb Williams. It seems that Williams feasts on mid-level teams and gets roasted by top-level teams, such as Utah (twice last year), Tulane and now Notre Dame. Hard to blame the defense for the South Bend debacle.

David Waldowski
Laguna Woods

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Considering Notre Dame only beat Duke on the last play of the game and lost to Louisville, it’s a good thing USC is joining the Big 10 and not the ACC.

John Snyder
Newbury Park

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The South Bend debacle, while disappointing, was predictable. The idea Lincoln Riley and a generational quarterback could instantly transform a 4-8 program largely devoid of talent into a national title contender is completely irrational. A fresh coat of paint on a house with a leaky roof and rotten foundation does not magically turn a fixer upper into a mansion.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

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USC football fans seemed to be surprised by a Lincoln Riley-coached team. He’s a good offensive-minded coach, but seems to have no interest in having good defenses and special teams. Great coaches key on all three phases.

Ted Mochidome
Palos Verdes Estates

2

The future is now

UCLA has a team that is designed to win now with a quarterback being groomed to win 2-3 years from now. Shades of Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Douglas Murch
Austin, Texas

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The UCLA offense is a turnover waiting to happen because of an inept offensive line coupled with a young, one-dimensional quarterback who is slow to see the field. If Chip Kelly expects to have a serious offense he must either start recruiting able-bodied lineman or stick to dual threat quarterbacks like Brett Hundley and DTR.

Alan Abajian
Alta Loma

3

Responsibility Dodger

To Andrew Friedman: If you cannot come up with a solution then you are part of the problem. President Truman had a sign on his desk that read “the buck stops here.” If you are not willing to take the ultimate responsibility for the last two seasons then maybe it’s time to consider a career change.

Justin Greene
Santa Barbara

4

Controlling the message?

When Angel City management prohibited flags and banners from their final regular-season game, they declared their organization’s cowardice. They made it clear that marginalized groups will be supported only if it is easy and convenient, and that the “community” they sell is all brand and no guts. ACFC supporters are now only allowed to express opinions that align with those of leadership. Angel City management made a cynically jingoistic decision and cost themselves a lot of fans this week.

Michael Price
Pasadena

5

Different standards?

Once again columnist Dylan Hernández has shown how he holds those that he covers to a much higher standard than he does himself. Somehow there is no room for error for Justin Herbert. As he lists the many other reasons the hapless Chargers lost, he failed to mention the obvious. No quarterback can produce on his back. The play immediately before the interception Micah Parsons flattened Herbert. Guess the offensive line doesn’t get held to the Hernández Standard.

Jeff Heister
Chatsworth

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Et tu, Dylan?

The blame lies with the coaching staff and particularly the new wunderkind offensive coordinator who failed to adapt to the brilliant Mike McCarthy defense. Hurry up? How about every snap? I never saw a pocket around Herbert.

Diane Felton
Claremont

6

Clippers conundrum

The Clippers won’t be going anywhere if coach Tyronn Lue spends the whole season trying to find the right rotation.

Jack Wishard
Los Angeles

7

Arte’s army

Your headline asks, “Who could lead the Angels next season?” Considering that under one owner they have had eight losing seasons in a row, no playoff wins in 14 years, four different managers, five different general managers, and more than 30 coaches, the question should be: “Who would want to lead the Angels next season?”

Kelly Gallagher
Santa Ana

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