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Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 | 2:54 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | 11:39 a.m.
NOW
These aren't as classic as "the sun got in my eyes" or "the dog ate my homework" or "I thought we could pick it up on fourth-and-two." But can you match the following excuses with the persons who said them?
1. "In my opinion, this must be a systemic, infrastructure and commitment issue, and not a coach issue."
2. "I didn't inhale it and never tried it again."
3. "There's a mentality within the community of 'Well, let's see if they win, then we'll jump on the bandwagon and help them.' And that's not going to work. It hasn't worked, like I said, for 20 years."
4. "I have severe acid reflux."
5. "I think there needs to be support from the top-level administration at UNLV to be successful in football."
6. "I was just giving her a ride home."
7. "There needs to be money spent at the level that it's spent."
8. "The serpent beguiled me and I did eat."
9. "I will say that there are projects and things that were talked about that were going to be done that still aren't done and, probably from the way I'm hearing, are never going to be done."
10. "Bitch set me up."
11. "I do not for one second believe that I failed in this pursuit. I just wasn't given enough time or resources to do it."
12. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment."
13. "Five years was not enough time to build this program from where it was when we inherited it.”
14. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
15. "If people really want to win here, they need to put their money where their mouth is."
16. "The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me."
17. "UNLV is the only school in the MWC that doesn’t have a student-athlete activity center, which is huge in recruiting. There’s more of a commitment at Reno in facilities than there is at UNLV."
18. "I was told I should shoplift. My director said I should try it out."
19. "Our locker room is the worst in college football.”
20. "Deep and seemingly endless frustration."
Answers:
1. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
2. President Bill Clinton on using marijuana.
3. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
4. Ashlee Simpson on why she lip-synced on "Saturday Night Live."
5. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
6. Eddie Murphy, upon being pulled over for picking up a transvestite.
7. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
8. Eve's excuse for eating the apple in the Garden of Eden.
9. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
10. Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Berry, after he was caught smoking crack with an FBI informant.
11. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
12. Michael Jackson, after dangling his baby out of a third-story window.
13. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
14. President George Bush after Hurricane Katrina.
15. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
16. O.J. Simpson on why he didn't call police to reclaim stolen sports memorabilia.
17. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
18. Winona Ryder, after being caught with $4,760 worth of items stuffed in a shopping bag.
19. Mike Sanford, upon being fired as UNLV football coach.
20. Alec Baldwin, on why he referred to his 11-year-old daughter as a "rude little pig." (Also applies to UNLV football fans.)
THEN
The difference between John Robinson and Mike Sanford is that Robinson never blamed anything or anybody other than himself for failing to turn around the UNLV football program.
Oh, and that John Robinson won a national championship. There's also that difference.
The other difference between Robinson and Sanford is one will be going to the Football Hall of Fame and the other the Hall of Shame.
Exactly what about UNLV did Sanford say that wasn't true?
Oh, and did Sanford ever coach USC and did Robinson win his national championship at UNLV?
Please hire Ross Bjork as AD and Dirk Koetter as coach. The sooner the better.
Well logic_should_rule. Know anything about football or sports in general? The head coach is suppose to be the leader of the "team" , not the finger pointer. Those excuses Sanford made are all the obvious things that were problems when he took the job and that didn't stop him, but he lied for 5 years telling everyone what great recruits we had, and there is nothing wrong with the coaching, and just give me 5 more years and I'll beat Reno. It's the players fault, they didn't tackle.
Great football coaches, like all great leaders accept responsibility for their team. Kids will follow great leaders and give great leaders a 110% every time. I never saw a team quit so much in my life in the 4th quarter. Watch the 4th quarter at TCU. Instead of trying to score at the end and telling te kids were not giving up, he ran the clock out. Or how about the 4th quarter at Reno. The players were jogging around on defense in the 4th quarter while Reno was scoring.
If you ever watched a game and knew anything about the game, then you would know the man had no clue. No time management, no viable game plan, no exploiting an opponents weakness. We ran the same plays over and over for 5 years so don't you think the opponents knew how to slow us down or stop us?
I watch football all day every day for 35 years and have never seen a head coach as bad as Mike Sanford. I had a friend of mine who is a knowledgable sports handicapper, who makes his living scouting teams and betting games. He came to one game this year and called me later and said "what do you think of your head coach". I could only laugh as he thought the calls the coach made were very strange.
Players will give a far greater effort to a leader who accepts responsibility over someone who blames them for the losses. It's my fault, my team wasn't prepared for the game, or our game plan wasn't good. The players have not been properly schooled on fundamental tackling techniques. The defense is suppose to be a cohesive unit where everyone has a responsibility, but yet opposing teams would find 2 or 3 plays and run them over and over and the coaches had no clue how to defend them.
The bottom line as a head coach, once the players lose confidence in you they lose it in themselves. They have lost confidence in Sanford as demonstrated by their comments that sound like relief that finally change is being made. It is funny how we lose to teams that have similar facilities as to those UNLV has.
As the old cliche' goes "if your not part of the solution you are part of the problem". Sanford was not the solution.
# 10 had me rolling on the floor! Nice work, K!
--- Reb4life: Great honor for J. Robinson.
--- logic: Good point but J. Robinson did beat Arkansas 31-14 in the Las Vegas Bowl when he was here and went 5-1 vs. UNR.
--- Tony: I've heard worse ideas than Dirk Koetter. Maybe if he built something here he wouldn't be so quick to leave it behind this time.
---gorebels: I actually think M. Sanford is a decent offensive coach. I agree that the players, based on their comments, refused to crawl out from under the bus (where he repeatedly threw them) to play for him.
--- nyr. The serpent beguiled me and I did write. Thanks!
Ok go_rebels---Sanford is the worst coach ever.
And you've been an offensive coordinator for what BCS team? And you've been a Div 1 head coach where?
Ron-No shame in Sanford not as good as Robinson but as many have posted, it's an almost impossible task to build a consistent winner here unless major changes are made.
This was hilarious, mostly for the even numbered posts!
Hire Larry Kehres - my answer for everything.