Other teams' fans have said this all year. Most LSU fans have had the thought cross their minds. With the level of talent this team has compared to other teams like Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Auburn, should any of those games have been close? How close were we to being a 7-5 team this year? To be fair, we were close to being a 11-1 team as well. Should the fact that we've been in close games and gone 3-2 (and 2-2 against top 10 teams on the road) be something for which we commend Miles? Or should we be upset that they were close to begin with? Suppose LSU and Miles have another successful year or two. And then that's followed by a 8-4 year and then a 6-6 year. Will Miles be fired as Coker was?
Whats funny is that at the begginning of this season...IMO, we were a year away from reaching our full potential as a football team. That is barring the return of JR of course. If this is true...not only did we have a successful season in 06 but we have great things ahead of us in 07
Most fair-minded fans thought we'd go 9-3 or 10-2, with an outside shot at 11-1. Our brutal road schedule made it almost impossible to run the table this year. About our close wins, check out how many close wins we had under Saban. Except for Ole Miss, we soundly beat the teams we were suppose to beat. No UAB or Troy type performances. It's a non-issue to me. My biggest concern about Miles coming in was can he recruit. Well, he's done pretty well in that area so far. No complaints. My biggest concern now is his coaching ability and offensive philosophy. Still too many penalties, turnovers and missed assignments. You can get away with this against weak teams, but not against the big boys. Also worry about his gameday management and decisions on how he utilizes his players. It took half the season to get it in gear and figure out who should play. Can't do that in the SEC. Despite his PR skills, I think Miles is a classy guy and represents LSU well. He'll run a clean program. But in the end, he'll have to correct some of these issues and bring home a SEC championship sooner rather than later. Next year will be an important year for him...
I should note that one of the reasons I thought we were a year away includes our brutal road schedule this year
You're right. We should have beaten everyone by at least 21 points. I also think Charlie Weis should be fired for only beating Ga Tech by 4 points, Michigan State by 3 points and UCLA by 3 points. I also think USC should fire Pete since he only beat Washington and Washington State by 6 and for losing to unranked Oregon State. Of those teams I mentioned that played ND and USC close, only Ga Tech is ranked (#16). Of the teams you mentioned that LSU played close, 4 of the 5 were ranked in the top ten when we played them - and they were all on the road. Point being, everyone has close games no matter the talent level. Add that in with our absolute killer road schedule this year (it is no coincidence that every sportswriter is mentioning this today), I'll take 10-2 everyday of the week. And lets not forget those close ones that Saban had - Kentucky, Troy State, etc., etc. And of course the dreaded loss to UAB. As the previous post said, sit back, relax, and enjoy the moment.
dont forget OSUs thrashing of Northwestern by 7...I believe that was at the horseshoe as well get Tressell outta there
it's absurd and pointless to play what-might-have-been when you're discussing the talent level of various teams. Talent level? Based on what? .... some recruiting "guru's" made-for-profit analysis? There are two facts to always keep in mind. First, parity has arrived in CFB and there really isn't much difference in the talent level between the top 10-15 teams. That's why a single player, like McFadden for example, can make such a significant difference in a team. secondly, it's not what talent you sign, it's what you do to develop the talent you sign...... and there are some awfully good coaches in our league, including Miles, Fisher, and Pelini. It's always easy to critique in hindsight from a distance. Hell, I suppose it would be easy for me to say that Auburn could easily be a 7-5 team this season, or they could easily be 11-1 too. But the facts, like cream, always rise to the top in the end. And the fact is, Miles is a quality coach, bringing home his second 10-win season in two years, and is continuing to build on the quality foundation that he enjoyed when he arrived. And BTW, the LSU team I saw dismantle Arkansas yesterday would've beaten any team they faced. It's JMO, but LSU and Auburn ruined each other's championship goals back in September. Though the media won't remember it, that was one helluva game. Two powerhouse squads leaving it all on the field, and damaging their futures in the process (injuries). I don't wish injury upon any athlete, but we should all be so lucky to see such competition on the rare occasions when it occurs.
Good reply TigerWins especially referring to Saban. If someone awoke from a coma and watched the last six seasons of LSU football (without knowing who the HC was) would they be able to tell the difference when Saban left and Miles started? Maybe Miles won't be able to continue at this pace, maybe he's winning with Saban's recruits, maybe it's the coordinators, etc, etc, etc. Whatever the case may be, he's done a hell of a job and there are 100 Division 1 schools who would like to trade places with us. (and other than Tulane, the others didn't have to deal with Katrina and Rita last year) We're 10-2 and got screwed in one of the two losses. Enjoy it!
