I don't know if any of you saw this (or if this has already been discussed on another thread), but today on ESPN Mark May and Herbstreit were debating who the #3 team in the country is. May said LSU. He said that we started slow and that the team had finally gelled and picked up Miles' system. He talked a lot about how dominant our defense has gotten and praised Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten. As usual, Herbstreit disagreed and said that Penn St. was #3 (I'm surprised he picked a Big10 school ) and that they were followed by Miami and then Alabama. He didn't say where we were, but I assume #6. He did mention that Williams and Wroten were very good, but he said that our secondary was weak and that we could be exposed deep. They both make valid points and I am happy that Mark May still supports us (He went to Pitt, but you would swear that guy has kids at LSU or something). However, I don't think we belong at #3. I don't think we are #6 either. Alabama, although I don't think they are as good as us, has to be #3 until they are beaten (Saturday:thumb: ). After them, I would say that Miami is next. You don't just beat the snot out of Va Tech without being a very good team. We would follow and then Penn St behind us (I can't bring myself to take these guys seriously, but I am starting to come around. Hopefully Mich St can knock them off) Anyway, what do you guys think?
His 'system' is whatever his coaching 'philosophy' is. I'm not educated enough to know what that is. After the Tennessee game I was a Miles critic. Look where we are today. Hurricanes, players disrupted, fans hammering him, LSU passion...etc. Looking back........Miles has done pretty damn good. We are in the top five. He took over from our favorite coach of all time. He kept us in 'the game.' He took Okie Lite and beat OU twice. Yes....he had some hideous comeback games against opponents he should not have lost. He played a close game with OU last year. That game could have gone either way. He's a great recruiter also. He has now stepped up to the big leagues and I believe he knows there are steps to be taken to get things right. He's crazy according to some. That being said.....I like his passion. Sometimes he is over the top. That's okay. From some students I know that know some of the players.....they really like him and enjoy 'playing' for him and want the best for him. Sometimes there is a drawback to a 'players coach' because the implication is that the players rule the roost. Not with Miles. He IS a players coach but demands excellence and the players respect him and will bust their balls for him. I was wrong about Miles. I think he is going to get it done in the next couple of years. Think about it. We are a top ten team and Miles still hasn't hit his stride yet. Yes, these guys are Sabans guys but he has done well with them. They really like Miles. They will leave everything they have on the field for him. I see a bright future for LSU. He is still making adjustments this year and we have only one loss. A couple of weeks ago on his radio show he STILL gave spek to Saban and what he did with this program. He didn't have to do that. He could have kept silent and tried to make this all about his tenure here at LSU but he didn't. That showed me that the man has tremendous class. He's not petty or arrogant. He has passion. As a fan I'm now settling in with Miles. He's going to get the job done. I'm glad he's here.
Just FYI, I wasn't being critical. Not all coaches are made on their 'systems', some are, i.e. SOS, Urban Myth, etc. Miles seems to be one that doesn't have a distinguished system of play. And from what I understand, he seems to be a whole lot more conservative here than at OSU.
Miles is still trying to figure out what to do with this beast he took over. I can't wait until he is comfortable and in full charge of it!:crystal:
It was a quote from May. I think he meant it less as an X's and O's "system" than as just the general way in which Miles handles the team. This could include the way practice is run, team rules, media relations, etc... as well as coaching philosophy. I just find it interesting that a lot of people (myself included) seem to think that the plus-one system (the added bowl game that would make a quasi playoff where #1 would play #4, and #2 would play #3) would solve all of the BSC problems. There would be just as much controvercy over that 4th and final spot as there is over the #2 spot. Most years teams #3 through #7 or 8 are so equal that I think the plus-one could lead to another disaster. Unfortunatly, I know of no other way to correct the problem.
eh, I dont care for them either as analysts, but they're entertaining... at least corso is... herbstreit is just there to talk about how mighty the big ten is i watch them on saturdays, half because there's no alternative, but they entertain me and the espn stat guys give them good info that they repeat..
Huh? He's more conservative here than at OSU? I wouldn't say that. He's a coach that plays to the strengths of his teams. When he had no QB & a strong running game at OSU, he ran the ball something like 70% of the time. This team has been inconsistent, especially in the passing game, yet he's kept it at about a 50-50 ratio between passing & rushing. He's tested the deep ball, used end arounds, thrown bubble screens & has somewhere close to the most converted 4th downs in the country. I'm not saying he hasn't gone conservative at times, but as an overall philosophy I think he isn't afraid to let the players play & throw some different things at a defense. Most coaches don't have a "system". Does Pete Carroll have a system? Mack Brown? Larry Coker? Frank Beamer? Take note of where all these coaches have their team ranked. I didn't include Bama's coach cuz they won't be ranked there for much longer. :yelwink2:
This is one of the few times that I'd have to disagree with you CParso. I think at OSU and other schools where the talent level is not quite up to par with most of your competition, you are forced to play more aggressively. You can't sit back and try to match Oklahoma or Texas drive for drive. You have to rely on big plays and momentum to beat better teams. Now that Miles is at LSU and he can "out talent" most teams, he can afford to tighten the reigns and depend on the physical advantages of having bigger, stronger, faster players.
