Lane Kiffin apparently doesn’t believe in ever taking a knee during a football game.
ESPN recently profiled Kiffin at Florida Atlantic University, and it’s a fascinating read. The best part is about his mentality when it comes to crushing his opponent.
ESPN reported in part:
Kiffin’s confidence is unbridled. He does a “good, bad and ugly” segment during Monday’s team meeting. He informs his team that his favorite play of the 48-23 road win at Louisiana Tech came when Howell scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left.
“It’s fourth-and-2, but do we take knees here? No, we have a no-knee mentality,” Kiffin says. “Does a boxer who’s winning on the card in the 12th round all of a sudden stop punching? When Tiger Woods is on the 18th hole and up by seven strokes, does he settle for par? No, he knocks them out. So, yes, it’s the last play of the game, but run their ass over. Finish them. Knock their ass out.
I find myself liking Lane Kiffin more and more over the course of the past year. He’s been a pretty dislikable guy over his career for many people, but I’ve never been one of them. I was just pretty indifferent. He obviously is a great play caller, but there have been plenty of questions about his ability to lead.
However, he has absolutely dominated since becoming a head coach again and leading FAU to a wonderful season. His “don’t take a knee” mentality is just the latest bit of evidence that he’s truly a football guy through and through. Of course you don’t take a knee.
You run it right down their throats. Jam it into the end zone. I don’t care what the score is. If the defense doesn’t want you celebrating, then they’ll stop you from getting touchdowns. It’s that simple.
Some major school needs to hire Lane Kiffin immediately. Hopefully he gets back in the SEC because a Kiffin/Saban rivalry would be electric.