You are being sarcastic, right? Florida, Texas, Ohio St.. It would be a baseless argument to say Saban would've won those games. Saban has never won at Auburn, and has never beaten a top 10 team on the road.
Well, I thought it was a very positive article and good press for LSU. If everyone has their panties in a wad about lingering doubts about Miles, they should get over it, because the doubts will be put to rest in the near future. Competing, much less winning a SECC & NC every year is unrealistic but is a legitimate desire in our fan base which did not exist just a few years ago. Times truly have changed, and there are several of you(including myself) that have played the "what if" game. It is not too far fetched a conclusion to wonder how we were not in the same position as Florida at the end of the year, if you only consider our talent level.As LSU fans that are intimately involved with our program, I think we probably recognize all the nuances that go into winning games week after week at LSU. And a bit more than just talent goes in to it. However, for the majority of the public, winning is the bottom line, and until we win another SECC & NC there will be doubters. Even so, it still seemed like fairly high praise to list us as "interchangeable with USC for the #1 spot". Now we just have to get our OC, QB, & receivers settled in time to do some damage this season. I happen to think we will.
The funny thing is, Finebaum uses the argument that Miles is bad because he hasn't won a championship, but even if Miles had Finebaum would've discounted it because it was with Saban's players, and then he would've used Coker as an example. The league hopes that Miles is a bad coach. They hope that our program is going to slip. But our program is going nowhere but up, and it will be Miles taking it there.
Saban did a lot for our program, and I don't think anyone disagrees with that. He repaired relationships with some La highschools, was a big part of the increase in funding, and changed the attitude around our program - taking away superstitions about whether we could win day games etc. Saban was a great coach to turn us around. Miles is a great coach to keep us going.
I Miles sleep with Finebaum's wife or something? Not to cast aspersions on our coach, but Finebaum's latest ranting about Miles is so outside of human logic that I'm starting to think he's got a personal stake in this. I know some say he's outrageous for the sake of being outrageous, but he sounds a bit emotional to me in this one. Now, regarding Miles vs. Saban: I give credit to Saban for building our program into a top tier one. I give him loads of accolades for upgrading facilities, cutting down on players' off-field antics, and turning attidues around. There's a confidence surrounding the program that is almost unbelievable from someone like me who suffered through the 90s. I think Saban was the perfect man for the job of turning LSU around. There are few other coaches who could have done that, and I honestly don't know if Miles could have done the same thing. That said, I don't think Saban hung the moon. He had his flaws as a coach. If he'd have been here the past few years, I doubt we'd have been 22-4 with two bowl wins. We might have won an SEC championship one of those years, but I don't think we'd have been so consistent over the two years. JR and Flynn might still be playing muciscal QBs. I don't think he could have kept the team together as well as Miles did after Katrina. The team and fans would have had to put up with endless speculation (not unfounded) that Saban was going to bolt to the NFL. I think Saban was the perfect coach to lift LSU's program to the top tier, but I don't think Saban was the guy to keep it there -- mostly because his personality doesn't seem to be one that allows him to stay in one place for too long (and his distraction with his career in 2004 showed on the football field). Miles, otoh, seems sincere in wish to have a long-term tenure at LSU. He has recruited well and has surrounded himself with an excellent staff. He took the excellent program he inherited and actually improved on it. Miles might not have been the guy to build LSU's program, but I think he's the guy to keep it in the top tier for years to come.
Winning allows these, among other things, to occur.....they were as a result of "On the field" accomplishments. :wink:
