Letters to Sports: Miller Moss paying the price for Lincoln Riley’s mistakes

USC coach Lincoln Riley is throwing quarterback Miller Moss under the bus. While it is true that Moss’ performance has slipped, it is also true that he has been put into very tough positions by poor calls and strategies by the coach. Take the Washington game, for example. Washington has the best pass defense in all of college football, and Riley spent most of the first half calling pass plays. What was he trying to prove? He woke up in the second half, but by then Washington had the lead. Coach Riley should step up and share blame.

Jerry Mendel
Culver City

::

As a UCLA fan, I’m glad that USC has discovered what it’s like to have hired and been hoodwinked by an arrogant charlatan football coach. Fortunately our time with Chip Kelly is over, but with what is reported to be an $80-million buyout, USC will be stuck with Lincoln Riley for many years to come. When he arrived bringing in half of his Oklahoma team with him, including a Heisman quarterback, and went 11-3 in his first year, I’m sure Trojan fans were in seventh heaven. Since then, he’s gone 8-5 and 4-5 (so far). Not exactly the football genius USC was hoping for.

Jack Nelson
Los Angeles

::

Desperate people do desperate things. Lincoln Riley’s benching of Miller Moss with three games left in a lost season is little more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The Trojans have already struck the iceberg and Riley is undoubtedly looking for a life preserver (an NFL job) so that he doesn’t go down with the ship.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

::

Lincoln Riley’s failure of imagination is astounding. As if three line plunges and a feeble pass inside the 10-yard line was not bad enough, the decision not to kick a field goal with more than five minutes to play while trailing by only five points strongly suggests that someone else should be calling the plays.

Dana Roth
Pasadena

::

Coach Riley, your team and UCLA have made for edge-of-seat, late-game thrillers this year. Much more exciting than lopsided games which send the fans home by the third quarter. If we are looking for entertainment, which sports should be, keep walking that tightrope and forget the alumni!

Felipe Hernandez
Glendale

::

USC’s first five losses were by a total of 19 points — the least in their history. However, they hung in there to the end in all five despite a litany of miscues. Interestingly, the recent quarterback change might help propel USC to a bowl game.

David Marshall
Santa Monica

::

It’s Clay Helton 2.0.

Gary Lasley
Pasadena

The Lakers’ woes on defense will not go away. Their starting offensive team is brilliant, but not one member has NBA-level lateral and side-to-side movement or speed on defense, and especially on the fast break, where young high-flying wings and point guards are running them to death. Even at half-court their guards and forwards cannot keep up with the new talent in the league and depend too heavily on Anthony Davis — their only good defender — to stop everything.

Dell Franklin
Cayucos

::

Having a plan is good. But Lakers coach JJ Redick is learning that having players who can actually execute your plan is even better.

Richard Raffalow
Valley Glen

Looks like the Dodger brain trust will again be playing musical chairs with Mookie Betts. Why?

General manager Brandon Gomes says his the club‘s biggest need is corner outfielders. Really! You just won a World Series with Teoscar Hernández in left and Mookie Betts in right. Done!

When Mookie returned from injury last season to play right field (his natural position) he flourished! And, this notion that there’s more pressure in the outfield than the infield? I don’t buy it. I think just the opposite. And, do you really want to risk a potential collision at second base on a double play and injure one of your superstars? I don’t think so.

My advice to the Dodgers? Don’t mess with success and don’t mess with Mookie!

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

In all the celebration letters about the World Series, it seems people forgot about another great Dodger: Joe Davis. He’s truly a champion. His professionalism and skill to broadcast fairly without bias on Fox Sports did not go unnoticed. And his voice call on the Freddie Freeman walk-off grand slam and the Walker Buehler final strike will forever be indelibly stamped in the Dodger history of success and achievement. How lucky we are. What a gift.

Jeff Black
Los Angeles

Bravo to you folks!

Though my Spanish remains pretty much limited to what they taught us in fourth grade, I really like you having a couple pages of the special World Series section in Spanish. Good job!

Bob Wieting
Simi Valley

I thought former NFL quarterback Alex Smith might emerge as a dark horse candidate for president since he had past success as a Commander and Chief.

Steve Ross
Carmel

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: sports@latimes.com