Good read.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/sports/20170208/usc-ad-lynn-swann-on-transition-football-basketball
Q: When the team was 1-3, there was a lot of chatter about Clay’s job and a lot of general frustration. What were you hearing from fans and people around here?
Swann: You hear the chatter, but as I told Clay, he has my confidence. I trust that he will do the right things for this football team. I think it would be very impatient to come in and say, ‘OK, if he doesn’t get off to a good start, I’m going to fire him.’ That’s pre-determining what you’re going to do without looking at the circumstances. Just think how silly it would’ve been for me to come out when we were 1-3, make a public statement and say I’m not happy. Of course I’m not happy. No one would be happy with 1-3. And then say, ‘I’m thinking about making a change.’ Well jeez. What coach will want to coach for you then? He’s 1-3, and you’re telling the world that you’re going to make a change. What do you do to the players? The players are going to say, ‘What? You’re going to take out the head coach? Should I stay here? What should I do?’ I believe I have a great deal of patience. I’ve seen years with the Steelers. They’ve been a very good organization. They’ve had three coaches since the mid-’60s, and all three have won Super Bowls and all three have been competitive for the majority of the time that they were coaching. Every time you change a coach, it’s like getting a new franchise. You start from the ground up. So you want to create stability. I didn’t come in here looking to fire a coach after the first year, especially when the coach hadn’t had a chance to actually prove himself. So, patience. Not setting yourself up for failure, not walking out onto the plank when it’s not necessary, these are things I try not to do.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/sports/20170208/usc-ad-lynn-swann-on-transition-football-basketball
Q: When the team was 1-3, there was a lot of chatter about Clay’s job and a lot of general frustration. What were you hearing from fans and people around here?
Swann: You hear the chatter, but as I told Clay, he has my confidence. I trust that he will do the right things for this football team. I think it would be very impatient to come in and say, ‘OK, if he doesn’t get off to a good start, I’m going to fire him.’ That’s pre-determining what you’re going to do without looking at the circumstances. Just think how silly it would’ve been for me to come out when we were 1-3, make a public statement and say I’m not happy. Of course I’m not happy. No one would be happy with 1-3. And then say, ‘I’m thinking about making a change.’ Well jeez. What coach will want to coach for you then? He’s 1-3, and you’re telling the world that you’re going to make a change. What do you do to the players? The players are going to say, ‘What? You’re going to take out the head coach? Should I stay here? What should I do?’ I believe I have a great deal of patience. I’ve seen years with the Steelers. They’ve been a very good organization. They’ve had three coaches since the mid-’60s, and all three have won Super Bowls and all three have been competitive for the majority of the time that they were coaching. Every time you change a coach, it’s like getting a new franchise. You start from the ground up. So you want to create stability. I didn’t come in here looking to fire a coach after the first year, especially when the coach hadn’t had a chance to actually prove himself. So, patience. Not setting yourself up for failure, not walking out onto the plank when it’s not necessary, these are things I try not to do.
