BATON ROUGE – LSU coach Les Miles will join six other coaches from the Southeastern Conference in Bristol, Conn., on Monday as the 10th-year head coach will spend the day at ESPN going through the “Car Wash.” On Monday, Miles will participate in just about every one of ESPN’s daily shows, including appearances on SportsCenter, First Take and College Football Live. Miles will spend nearly five hours on Monday talking LSU football on the various ESPN platforms. “A day like this brings tremendous exposure for our program and helps us promote the LSU brand to a national audience,” Miles said. “Taking part in the Car Wash at ESPN has become part of our summer routine and to be able to spend the day at the worldwide leader in sports talking about LSU and the great things that we have going on in our program is very beneficial.” Miles will get his day started on the ESPN campus at 9 a.m. CT with an interview with ESPN.com. From there Miles will appear on SportsCenter at 9:20 a.m., First Take at 9:40 a.m. and then a football roundtable at 10 a.m. Miles will join Colin Cowherd at 11:45 a.m., followed by a stop in the SEC Film Room where he will breakdown several LSU plays from the 2013 season. Miles will make an appearance at College Football Live at 12:10 p.m. and then spend 20 minutes on the SVP & Russillo Show at 12:25. Note that all times listed are central and are subject to change. Stay tuned to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 throughout the day tomorrow for coverage of Miles during his trip through the “car wash”. Fans can also get a behind-the-scenes look at Miles’ ESPN visit on Twitter by following @LSUBonnette and @LSUfball. LSU Coach Les Miles – ESPN Car Wash Schedule for Monday, July 21 Time Platform 9 a.m. ESPN.com 9:20 a.m. SportsCenter 9:40 a.m. First Take 10 a.m. College Football Roundtable 10:55 a.m. SEC Network Talkbacks 11:10 a.m. Highly Questionable 11:30 a.m. Numbers Never Lie 11:45 a.m. Colin Cowherd Radio Show 11:55 a.m. SEC Film Room 12:10 p.m. College Football Live 12:25 p.m. SVP & Russillo 12:45 p.m. E:60 1:15 p.m. SportsNation 1:40 p.m College Gameday / SEC Thematic Shoot 2 p.m. ESPN Images
Les Talk Today... Les Miles on ESPN’s Car Wash: Live Updates July 21, 2014 Lawrence Barreca 0 Comments Les Miles is spending the day going through ESPN’s Car Wash. LSU coach Les Miles is spending the day in Bristol, Conn., for a five-hour tour at ESPN studios, making appearances on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Here’s how Miles’ day has gone so far: 9:20 a.m. – Miles makes an appearance on ESPN’s Sportscenter. Miles was asked most of the general questions, including whether or not he was concerned with the loss of so many upperclassmen to the 2014 NFL draft. “That’s still about the people that are returning,” Miles said. “Our youth is going to be talented. With recruiting, we recruit what is a great opportunity. The freshman class that comes in at LSU anticipates playing.” One battle Miles has had to constantly address is the QB battle between freshman Brandon Harris and sophomore Anthony Jennings. “Both guys have strong arms. Both guys can move their feet,” Miles said. “I think it’s going to come down to the execution of the offense. I think it’s going to take some time.” Miles on whether or not he’s concerned with few people picking LSU to win the Southeastern Conference: “We’ve really given no credence to who ranks anybody where. I’m sure nobody picked Auburn a year ago. “We’re a very talented, young team,” Miles said. “We’ll just play our first opponent and go from there.” Also, Miles said he got a little grief from his family after his comments about Austin, Texas, at SEC media days. “That was one of the most enjoyable times, and we did have a magnificent time in Austin,” Miles said. “I’ll be honest, though, I was still looking for the beach out there.” Photo from Miles’ family vacation in Austin, Texas, that was shown on Sportscenter. 9:40 a.m. – Miles joins the panel on ESPN’s First Take The first question Miles faced dealt with the new college football playoff. Miles said he believes an SEC champion should be a part of that format. “If you look at the history of the SEC, those teams who get through a full season, win their division, play for a championship and win, they really set the bar that they’re ready to play for a championship and win,” Miles said. “I think it tests us. I would suggest that the champion of the SEC be in that playoff.” Miles compared freshman running back Leonard Fournette to Michael Jordan at SEC media days. He had more praise for the five-star recruit on Monday. “I think he’ll end up being a leader,” Miles said. “I think he’ll be a guy you can turn to and go to in key situations. I promise you, this guy is all we can expect him to be. We’re not ready to put the expectations so far out there that he never gets to that.” Regarding playing SEC teams like Alabama every season, Miles said LSU’s schedule makes his squad a battle-tested group. “We really enjoy competing against Alabama, and I think Coach Saban has done a great job there,” Miles said. “Any time you raise the bar, the teams in the conference are called to task. If you look at our conference, the idea that you line up against those guys…is marked on the calendar, and it’s awfully important.” 11:30 a.m. – Miles joins Numbers Never Lie on ESPN2 Just after joining the panel on ESPN2, Miles was offered a plate of grass to taste (as he’s famous for doing), but the Tigers’ coach quickly declined. That being said, he did offer one tip. “I’m afraid I can’t because it’s a game day thing,” Miles said. “You’re looking for the bottom end of the piece, then you clean the stem. And that’s it.” Miles commented on why so many juniors leave for the NFL draft. LSU had a handful of Tigers from the 2013 roster move to the pro level during the offseason. “I think there’s something we invest in our players both in the weight room and in the style of practice and who we are as a culture that make them very attractive to the NFL,” Miles said. “The opportunity to leave early is certainly something that needs to be reviewed. Before leaving the set, Miles offered his views one what it means to be a winner. “Winning is a thing that is inherent with how you were raised,” Miles said. “It’s something that you carry with you for a lifetime. To pretend that it’s deposited at a place and left, it is not. It’s always carried with the participants of the people that are there.” 11:45 a.m. – Miles joins Colid Cowherd on ESPN Radio With both Nick Saban and Miles being regarded as premier recruiters in the SEC West, Cowherd asked if Miles had ever run into his Alabama counterpart while visiting prospects. “I cannot tell you that I’ve crossed paths with Coach Saban (while recruiting),” Miles said. “I know we’ve recruited the same guys. It would be met with very cordial greeting (if it were to happen).” Staying on the topic of Saban, Miles spoke highly of the Alabama head coach, saying the Crimson Tide consistently provide the Tigers with a challenge every season. Also, Miles said he doesn’t mind that the media holds Saban on a pedestal. “I can tell you that the job he’s done has certainly challenged LSU,” Miles said. “There’s no begrudging a position that appears the media has anointed one. We look forward to playing them. I promise you there’s no position that’s not assailable by quality play.” When asked if his antics were done for show, Miles said he simply does what he feels it takes to achieve success. “I see the things that I do being done on a routine basis in the NFL, at the high school ranks and in other collegiate programs,” Miles said. “It’s about playing to win. If you know you’re in a position where you have to do some things that weren’t necessarily prescribed in the coaching manual, I’m for that.” 12:30 p.m. – Miles joins the SVP and Russillo show on ESPN Radio With two young quarterbacks battling for the starting job, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will have a challenge on his hands throughout fall camp. Miles said he’s the perfect man to handle the situation. “(Cameron is) a mentor of quarterbacks over time,” Miles said. “He’s wise, and he knows what to ask them to do and what not to ask them to do. We didn’t recruit guys who weren’t good. They’re in the position now to take steps.” Once again, Miles had praise to give to freshman running back Leonard Fournette. “The best thing about him is he’s humble in his approach,” Miles said. “He’s not in a hurry. That’s who he’s got to be if he wants to play his best and contribute the most as a true freshman.” Before leaving, Miles had a little fun with his answers after being asked how we would recruit Wolverine from X-Men. ”We need you on our football team,” Miles said. “We’re going to have to keep those spikes in your hands, but we might find a lot of things for Wolverine to do.”
What really got a lot of Tiger fans pumped up was Miles’ great comment to ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy. You may recall that McElroy recently dished out a lot of praise for Coach Nick Saban and seemed to give him all the credit for LSU’s ongoing success. Well, evidently that didn’t sit too well with Miles (understandably so). During yesterday’s Numbers Never Lie program, Miles said to McElroy, “I want to give you one point too, about winning. Winning is a thing that is inherent with how you were raised. It is something you carry with you for a lifetime. And to pretend that it is brought, or deposited, at a place.....and left.....it is not. It is always carried on by those participants and people that are there. Period. Just, end of discussion.” Hats off to the “Mad Hatter” for addressing that situation perfectly.
