Gettin' on Board After looking into Coach Miles' pedigree I am satisfied with his selection and I look forward to the continued successes of Tiger Football. Just sad that the bowl game ended on a busted play. The Ecstasy and Agony all in one minute was almost too much to bear. :geaux:
Put me down as supporting Coach Miles. I do think it is a good hire and he shouldn't be judged solely on win-loss records at OSU. He said in his PC that the schemes he has run in the past had a lot to do with the personnel he had on hand. He is obviously going to have more talent next year than he ever has had, so I for one am willing to see what he can do with it.
LSU probably has always had its eye on possible replacements...But...What I am saying is that Nick Saban's decision to go to Miami was either anticipated well in advance, or KNOWN about well in advance...One way or the other...We were searching and knew of our "wish list" a while before this announcement was made.
1. I believe Les Miles can be as good, if not better than Nick Saban. Les Miles uses offensive and defensive structures that fit the talent level of his players. Unlike Oklahoma State, LSU can pull in great athletes. It seems Les runs a balanced offense giving deference to the run over the pass, while still airing it out enough to keep the defense honest. He has churned out two very good running backs Vernand Morency and Tatum Bell in his tenure. He also is not to shabby with QBs but this year had to revert back to a 3rd string QB b/c of injury and a transfer to baseball. This being said, I believe that Les Miles possesses the tools to be a great coach. 2. Les Miles will do wonders for this program if he chooses to hire an OC and a DC with SEC experience. This will not only help him recruit the southeast, but will also let him know what to expect from SEC play. I don't think the life and death of this program is based on Will Muschamp, but I would give a sigh of relief if he chose to stay and was retained. I believe that Miles Offensive coaches will be a welcome sight to LSU fans, yet we still want our SEC calibur defense. I am willing to give a little leeway when it come to his coaches, but this could make or break him. 3. Les is said to be a great recruiter, but for this program, if you win the other part is pretty easy. Les needs to come out firing and not second guessing himself (QB). I dont necessarily think that Perriloux is a must, but due to the descriptions of Miles' offense - he likes run and gun style QB so it couldn't hurt. 4. Les Miles must bring some kind of fundamental style special teams coach. Derrick Dooley has kept his job because he is close to coach Saban, but anyone can see that our Special teams cost us & could have cost us quite a few games this season. Finally, I believe if Les Miles is smart about what coordinators to bring in, and shuts the borders of La, and salvages a Top 10-15 class this season, then he has won half the battle. His true test will come when he has to face down the SEC and its restructuring and although i am willing to give some leeway with this... he may only get enough rope to hang himself once. My decision is to let him set up his staff, recruit, and start to implement his system. Only time can tell how this coach will play out. Hell, we could be looking at the next Bear Bryant (probably gone in 3 years though) **only negative in my opinion is the way he left the Michigan question up in the air. If Carr bolts in 2 to 3 years, look for Miles to bolt.
Skip himself admitted in the PC that they began the search 3 weeks before Saban announced he was leaving. I didnt hear the Jenkins part but I thought Skips comments pretty much told the story anyway despite all the proclaimed gnashing that went into Sabans decision. I voted "I dont know enough yet". Yes, I liked the PC and liked what Miles said. I think he said all the right things except on the Michigan issue and it remains to be seen who his DC and OC are. I think those hires alone will dictate how I end up feeling about Miles even before the on field performances next year.
I like the hire, but it is a far cry from the "huge" names Skip talked about. What LSU is right now is what Nick made it. He had a vision and worked his ass off to make it happen. Only time will tell if Miles has what Saban's got. He's got to put one foot before the other. Work on stuff he can control - like recruiting, building relationships with hs coaches and off-season conditioning. He needs to learn our traditions and buy into them. If he focuses like Nick did - one thing at a time and on the things he can control - he should have success and we'll all be happy. Time will tell - so I have a wait and see attitude. I do have confidence that Skip can pick a winner. He can spot attributes winners possess and i am sure he hired based on Les's winner-type attributes. BTW - it wasn't Skip who hired Nick. It was Joe Dean and Mark Emmert.
The search committee also made inquiries to Tedford and Ferentz and told Skip both would only leave for an NFL job. The interview with Petrino went badly and he wasn't going to be offered the job. Miles was the best coach available. (At least from media reports).
I support the decision. I've got a sister in Stillwater who is an OSU grad. I chatted with her last night for about 5 minutes on family small talk before the conversation got to the matter at hand. My brother-in-law got on the line and we talked for about 15 minutes about Miles. He thinks Les is a great hire for LSU and will do well with the athletes, facilities, and fan support available at LSU vs OSU. He said, which has been commented on in this forum, that Miles has a lot of the same positive traits and characteristics as Saban. He thinks we won't miss a beat.
