Will USC and UCLA Be the Pitts?

As a University of Pittsburgh alum, I will never forgive Paul Hackett for what he did to our football program. He took over a solid program and within two short years it was a disaster. Subsequently, he has given the weak excuse that he wasn’t ready.

Well, he still isn’t ready. He assumed command of a mediocre program at USC and it is now, at best, mediocre. Forcing out Johnny Rob probably was the right move, but hiring Mr. Grimace and his 15-21 penalties per game and miserable on-field decision-making was not the answer. Mike Garrett, get rid of him before you have to dig out from a deep hole, just as they are finally beginning to do in Pittsburgh.

DAVE MARTZ, Torrance

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I am sitting here in dismay, watching the inept USC offense, and would like to offer Hackett a simple solution. While our defense is on the field, Hackett wears no headphones and seems to have no involvement at all. I would offer that Hackett take the same approach with the offense.

WILLIAM AGNEW JR., Lufkin, Texas

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After watching the Bruin “defense” in Palo Alto, I couldn’t help but thank goodness that Bob Toledo had dispatched Nick Alliotti, thereby solving the Bruins’ defensive ills.

MARK BACKSTORM, Mission Viejo

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The last time I witnessed Bob Field’s bend-and-then-break defensive schemes, they were yielding 300 points, in the 1995 season. This year, Field is well on his way to bettering that mark. Why Bob Toledo ever thought Field was the answer is beyond my comprehension. Unless Toledo is unwilling to put his ego aside, admit that he is not a defensive tactician and hire a coordinator who is, this program will simply end up being a more fan-friendly version of the Terry Donahue regime.

WILLIAM PLATT, Sherman Oaks