SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State is football program currently in disarray. The Aztecs are reeling after a disastrous 2-10 season that prompted the firing of coach Chuck Long over a week ago. The most passionate sect of this ever-shrinking fan base, which includes several deep pockets, is locked in a fervent debate over how to proceed.

Uncertainty, it seems, has put many on red alert. While Fred Dryer agrees that this is a critical juncture in the program's history and should be handled with care, one of the greatest Aztecs ever would like everyone to take a deep breath and calm down.

"It's critical that everybody keeps their head on straight when things aren't going well," Dryer said. "There's no benefit to running down the streets, saying that the sky is falling because you've lost so many games over the last three years.

"This program will turn around. They will compete in the Mountain West (Conference), and I have no doubt that this program will be back up and running strong in the near future. That process starts right now, with the selection of a head coach."

Dryer, a dominant defensive lineman at San Diego State who spent 13 years in the NFL, has some thoughts on the matter. Many of them won't help sell tickets.

That doesn't bother Dryer, who knows that winning ultimately will. He believes that following a few simple rules in this hiring process will help get San Diego State back on track.

"It looks complicated when you have all the parts spread out on the garage floor," he said. "Once you get all of them in the right spot, putting everything together is pretty simple."

Rule No. 1: Philosophy is far more important than celebrity.

"Hiring a big-name coach does not guarantee success," Dryer said. "It's a combination of things, and I think it starts with analyzing the conference we play in and how to beat the teams within it. I've always wanted to have a coach here who's very aggressive, with a lot of energy on the recruiting trail.

"I believe that San Diego State deserves a coach who has respect within the coaching community and can draw top assistants. If you look in the candidate pool and shop for character guys with that pedigree, I think you have the greatest chance of success."

Rule No. 2: A program popular for high-flying offenses needs to focus on defense first.

"You must be able to dominate defensively if you want to beat the best," Dryer said. "It might be fun to watch, but you cannot sustain success if you're in a shootout every week. What you want is a head coach who can build a powerful, dominating defense.

"He can delegate offensive responsibility to an assistant, which in turn makes the offensive coordinator job very attractive."

Rule No. 3: A killer instinct must be re-established.

"This will date me, but it goes back to something that Don Coryell told me years ago at San Diego State," Dryer said. "He said, 'The object of this game is to break your opponent's will as quickly as possible.' Everything about a team football philosophy is wrapped into that statement. Don believed in that, and the next coach should, too."