As a USC alum, Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher wouldn’t have minded so much if new USC head coach Lane Kiffin wanted to hire a Titans coach a week before training camp — he just expects a courtesy call. But Kiffin couldn’t even do that.  Fisher told the press that since he doesn’t known Kiffin well, he was “not going to pass judgment on his character.”  But Fisher would still rip into Kiffin pretty good:

I am very disappointed in Lane Kiffin’s approach to this. Typically speaking, when coaches are interested in hiring or discussing potential employment from coaches on respective staffs, there is a courtesy call made from the head coach or athletic director indicating there is an interest in talking to the assistant. So I am very disappointed in the lack of professionalism on behalf of Lane, to call me and leave me a voicemail after Kennedy had informed me he had taken the job. It is just a lack of professionalism. … I’ve always gotten a courtesy call from a head coach or athletic director in the past … I am surprised.

Kiffin issued a statement, but basically confirms that he did exactly what Fisher is pissed at him for doing — he spoke to Fisher’s coach first and waited to hear back from him before contacting Fisher:

We reached out to Kennedy Pola yesterday to gauge whether he had any possible interest in returning to USC before we moved forward with the process. Kennedy said he would think about it and get back to us. Once Kennedy did call back earlier today, out of my great respect for Coach Fisher I immediately reached out to Coach to make him aware of the situation. I have spoken with Coach Fisher and he now has an accurate understanding of the timeline of events.

That “now has an accurate understanding” is real shifty — making it sound like Fisher didn’t have an accurate understanding all along.

Fisher also had a few backhanded harsh words for Kennedy Pola, who is taking the USC offensive coordinator job and leaving a Titans running back coach job he only took six months ago after Fisher fired Ernest Byner to hire him:

This is a chance for him to coordinate, and financially it was an attractive package. So I can’t fault Kennedy for that. But I can express my disappointment in his lack of commitment. Kennedy is a fine ball coach. The timing is just a little unusual, a week before training camp.

Pola is also Troy Polamalu’s uncle, and apparently wasn’t Kiffin’s first choice.  On Saturday, Vikings head coach Brad Childress said that his own running backs coach, Eric Bienemy, had been offered the same job at USC, but he had decided staying in the NFL was the better opportunity.