Not to be "that guy," but the fans don't have a great track record either, Charles.
Here, and elsewhere, there were a lot of calls for Wilcox, Kelly, and even Helfrich.
We're a rather hard to please bunch and like fans everywhere else, we get very emotional. No voice is louder in our own heads than the one that tells us that we were right all along, especially if we can't be proven wrong. And I'll be the first to forget, even on purpose, when I am wrong (if I haven't already first spun the argument to make me right). If Lanning doesn't work out, Wilcox et al., will be the best coaches we never had.
As far as I'm concerned, without any disrespect implied, former players are the same as the rest of us -- they're fans. They did their part, and for that I'm grateful, but the word former is there for a reason.
Personally, I think the letter was taken out of context. I think it was written with good intentions by people without all the information, published at the exact wrong time, and capitalized on and framed by people trying to stir up drama. Had the letter come out a few days earlier, we'd be celebrating it as an even-handed, well written piece with a message we can all agree on, at least philosophically.