the following is the "Les Miles" portion of an ongoing series discussing the coaches of the SEC. The series is on Tigers Corner and is authored by webblog writer Ronak Patel. Didn't see this posted here, so I thought y'all might enjoy the piece ......
Nice article on Miles. Good analysis and the points are dead on as I see them. I would probably keep one eye on the UT loss given that this is not the first time one of his teams has fallen after a lead but I wouldn't put a lot of stock in it just yet. No one can imagine what Miles, his staff and all his players went through this past year. Talent can take you so far but to face events like Katrina and Rita where your players are moving the injured in and out of the PMAC, hosting families in their dorms and facing all the other trials of the disaster while preparing to play football and having to travel across the country is something that can only be pulled off by strong leadership. The talent helped overcome the odds and pulled off a remarkable 11-2 record. The leadership of Miles Staff and his players helped make it possible. A football team with it's rugged exterior is really such a fragile thing and small distractions can wreak such havoc. To face these events and deliver like these Tigers did last season is a tribute to every man on that team. Miles has proven to be a heck of a recruiter and has pulled off a couple of great classes which means the talent will continue to be stocked at LSU for the next few years and I don't see any reason why this will change. Miles seems to do the little things that make a difference to the kids considering this University. Miles may be a players coach, and I know this can sometimes be a negative quality when it comes to a football program but I think he brings a nice blend of compassion and toughness. I don't think that he is the players coach that is not going to maintain control and discipline of a team. I see him as the player's coach that holds a firm hand but handles people with dignity and respect. Saban tended to be very hard on his players. In the end I wholeheartedly agree with the bottom line of this article. Miles is a damn good coach and I fully believe in more ways than one that he has only just begun.
I was at the Tenn. game and Katrina had nothing to do with it. Clausen picked the defense apart like a pro. We had terrible coverage and all he did was take a quick drop back and move the ball down the field. One of the worst 2nd half performances I have seen. Now we did win 11 games. Does Katrina get props for that. No, so no props and no excuses. One year does not make a coach. Good or bad. I hope Les Miles and his staff continue on the short record they have. Time will tell. There were a lot of balls dropped by all recievers last year and the defense at times seemed sparadic. These are two areas that if they change should make this year very good. If the recievers catch the ball no telling what kind of yardage JR gets credit for and how many points LSU ends up scoring. But that didn't happen for whatever reason and we gave away the UT game in TIger Stadium. This is a new year, and the proof in the pudding is in the eating. So in about 98 days we will begin to see what we have for this year.
I would think Katrina did play a role in the Tennessee game for several reasons. First and most importantly, the practice schedule of the team was irregular from Aug. 27 until the Tenn game. Getting into a rhythm is important for college kids because the younger you are, the more structure you need. It also was a distinct disadvantage not having real practices for a couple of weeks. I don't see how you can argue with this point. Secondly, the stress induced by Katrina and Rita I believe played a role in everyone's life in South Louisiana. These kids aren't machines and that stress acted as a drug that brought the team out on a great high before crashing when that intensity couldn't be sustained for an entire game.
We got out coached against UT. Plain and Simple. I remember Fulmer and his problems with hotels etc. Bottom line UT got a "W". LSU got the "L." I don't want to get into the UT game. I just was pointing out that everytime LSU doesn't perform to expectations. Doesn't mean we need to find excuses. We lined up, they lined up, and we got beat. It didn't rain, remember, that excuse was used for the poor performance against Oregon, we had plenty of time to prepare, these kids are more resiliant than given credit for. I don't even think Les Miles blamed Katrina for the loss.
The Tennessee loss was neither plain nor simple. The hurricanes definitely affected the first three games of the season. The team was tired and distracted and so were the fans.
Good article, thanks for posting it cadillac. I don't find anything to argue with the article. I'd agree with it. While Miles is a more supportive coach than Saban, that's not necessarily bad. Dick Vermeil may fall in that category, and you can get lots out of folks with positive motivation also. Another "nice guy" is Mack Brown. He took over a down trodden UT program, hung in, attracted good athletes, got a couple of special classes together, and national championship. It will take 2 more years for a real good read on Miles, but he has nothing to disappoint so far, unless you require going undefeated every year, in which case you are to be perpetually disappointed. We had a very good year last year, with 2 letdowns.
I don't make excuses, but there are reasons beyond Miles' control that we lost the 2 games we lost last year. The players on our team lost an average of 11 lbs each leading up to that game, with no regular schedule & a few missed practices. The first half of the game was a stress relief, just being able to get onto the field. We weren't able to continue it into the second half. We had three times as many players as usual being taken off the field and having IVs to get hydrated. The defense was dog tired & resorting on old moves under a new scheme - the results were not good. The Georgia game came after 11 straight weeks of football. No team plays eleven weeks straight without a break, and our team was severely injured & worn out. Does that mean that LSU should have gone undefeated? No, probably not. Because we probably didn't deserve to beat Arizona St. So it goes both ways, but I'm pleased with an 11-2 record.
its not an excuse, its a reason katrina was at fault for the loss. im not saying we didnt play poorly in the second on our own because we did. a lot of the poor quality, IMO, was because of side effects from katrina. not being able to prepare mentally and physically, thinking about family members during the game. it pumped them up at first but at the end, i think it was a distraction. it got them TOO pumped. and georgia, was sort of katrinas fault in the rest factor but we shouldnt have lost by that much.
Red55 said it all, the reasons for the loss were not plain nor simple. If you do not think Katrina had any effect at all you simply do not want to admit it. 28 players having to get hooked up to IV's and having to play about every dback on the roster, many out of position due to all of the cramping, did have an adverse effect on the game. As did Miles being new to the players & Bo Pelini being new to players and new to Miles, etc. UT faced one day of minor adversity by having to bus in, the LSU players faced 3 weeks of extreme adversity. Losing a tune up game didn't help either.
