Well, the facts are with us, weenie. :lol: :lol: You have become the lone voice in the wilderness and I suspect you are a Barner trying to stir up trouble here.
By great football mind, I mean like Saban was considered - or even Meyer or Petrino. These guys are respected and considered great football minds because of their ability to break down other team's plays and develop their own. They are "students of the game", you could say. Miles is more of a general manager. And IMO, it's his ability to do this that makes him a great coach. Being a great football mind might be one of the most overrated attributes of a head coach, because it's so unnecessary with a good staff. Saban was a "discipline guy". They run a tight ship - have big expectations for the small things, like tying shoes. He also didn't put up with much off the field incidents. Miles cares about the image of the program, so he's not afraid to kick people off the team or take away playing time for athletes that get in trouble, but he's not going to care whether they tie their shoes just the way he likes it. He's much more lax about letting the players be individuals so long as they get the job done.
Wow that was actually a quick response. Before Saban came to LSU, was he considered a great football mind? He had some respect but he was "just the Michigan State coach". If Miles has Saban-like success here at LSU over the next ten years, would you consider Miles a great football mind or would you credit it all to his staff? Since you are using Saban as the reference point here, can you tell me what things Miles does differently that makes him more of a general manager in comparioson to Saban? Again here.. What is different about Miles' "ship" in comparison to Saban's? Like, some examples of some of Miles rules and some of Saban's. What does Miles do differently when it comes to handling off the field incidents? Does he do less or more than Saban? Elaborate on this please. What are some of the ways in which Miles allows players more to be individuals? I'm not privy to his rules and what goes on with his team and wasn't with Saban's either. So please enlighten myself and everyone else. Surely you have all of this detailed information to make the comments you've posted. I'm anxious to read the details!
Saban was considered a great football mind at Michigan St - what wasn't known was whether he was a great coach. And Miles will have more success than Saban and still not be considered a great football mind by the general public/other coaches, and not by me either. I will give the credit to Miles whether we win or lose because he ultimately decides our destiny - he hires & fires the staff. Miles lets his coordinators coordinate and his coaches coach. Saban had ego issues and wanted to be in charge of everything, involved in all aspects - including player instruction, breaking down plays, calling plays etc. Saban had rules to make things run the way he wanted the run. People had to do things his way. That's just the way the guy was; you know the type - some tight a$$ that has rules for the sake of having rules. Miles isn't like that. He doesn't really have rules that don't serve a purpose, and doesn't require people to do things his exact way. Personally, I think Miles handles off the field incidents pretty much like Saban, except maybe more prone to overlook things that don't get reported in the media. I stress maybe because there really isn't anything to back that up, just the impression some people have. My opinions on this are based more on generalities & impressions, but I think they are pretty accurate.
No, he had more respect than that in the coaching world. Nick was not only considered to be a good football coach, but a defensive whiz with successful NFL and college coaching experience. He was also thought to be a "comer" with a ton of potential. Michigan State was upset to lose him, because he had been annointed to make them competitive with Michigan. Les also has more respect from his peers than is generally recognized and he also combines NFL and college experience. He gets a bad rap because he is not as comfortable and articulate with the media as Nick was. But slow talkin' does not equal slow thinkin'.
I have never hidden that I am an OSU fan. But to try to compare OSU to LSU is really being out of touch with reality. OSU - the school, the fans, the players - never had a winning mentality until Miles came to town. Before Miles, a winning season was monumental. What Miles did at OSU was amazing. He made them believe that a winning season was expected, as was much more. OSU is not the type of school that one can turn into a powerhouse overnight, or even in a few years. Making the Cowboys competative was a huge step. And to say it is a hard school to recruit to is an understatement. Miles did a heck of a job getting kids to come to OSU that would have otherwise not given it a second look. I am an OSU fan, but before anything, I bleed purple and gold since LSU is my alma mater. Knowing what Miles was able to accomplish at OSU, I feel that at a school like LSU he can accomplish so much more. Like all the way to the top with a NC. If I did not truly believe that, I would not have been happy that LSU hired him. So you can cut the crap of dragging out the OSU records every chance you get. If you really knew football, you would know that those records are good for OSU!
True. My memory is that Saban was, right or wrong, considered a "comer" by the time he went to MSU. Perhaps it was his flash, perhaps it was being the nephew of Lou Saban, but he had already been tagged as a rising star. I am a tad confused, however, that some think there is a distinguishable difference between coaches who are "great minds" and those who are "great coaches". Is there a list of who is who? Which was Bear Bryant? Parseghian? Paterno? Bowden? When I think of great minds, I think Einstein.
What exactly does a great football mind encompass? I know you are thinking that Saban has a great football mind becuase of his defensive prowess, the ability to break down film and game plan. But I think a great football mind is much more than just x's and o's. As a matter of fact I'd say the most important factor in declaring that someone has a great football mind should be the coach's ability to formulate a plan for the program, like Saban had. The ability to do exactly what Saban has shown at MSU, LSU and appears headed towards in Miami. However, I also think a great mind can be someone who turned around a morbid program by instilling many of the things Miles did at OSU. It also can be attributed to a guy maintaining and trying to grow a program like Miles is in the process of doing, making the correct decisions, being involved in all aspects of the program, charting the course to ensure continued developement of the programs, players, coaches and everything else associated with it. Miles isn't just a GM, he's not a business manager. He's a guy that is involved in all apsects of his team, from gameplanning, to coaching, to hiring the guys that fit his style, etc. Being involed and giving great imput into all aspects and positions is just as important and takes just as much acumen as what Saban did IMO. Miles isn't just some bloke who fell into his success as some fools think, he's studied, worked hard and become successful due to genius, great player evaluations, very good coaching hires, etc. And that is what having a great football mind is all about, not just devising defensive schemes. Saban had the whole ball of wax in my opinion, and so far I think Miles is proving he has it too.
I absolutely think there is a difference. A great football mind doesn't make you a great coach, and you don't have to have a great football mind to be a great coach either.
