There's nothing new here, but I think the guy puts it all together very well. A little perspective By Jeremy Thibodaux Time can play tricks on the memory. Usually, time is enlightening, offering greater understanding of experiences as the days and years roll by. However, time can also distort our memories, clouding reality under rare ultra-highs that surpass frequent mediocrity. Perhaps nowhere is time's deceiving influence more apparent than in the stands of Tiger Stadium. Less than halfway through his first year, Coach Les Miles and his staff have already endured endless criticism and second guessing from fans and media alike. Primarily, this is a result of that fact that Les Miles is not Nick Saban. "He doesn't have control of the team." "He doesn't know how to use the players he has." "His coaching style won't work here." "He's in over his head." These are all criticisms that I myself have voiced about the LSU coaching staff. However, I didn't say these things about Les Miles. I was talking about Nick Saban. On October 27, 2001, halfway through his second season as head coach of LSU, Tiger Stadium showered Saban with boos much louder than the ones that filled the Monday night air nearly a month ago as LSU gave up a 21 point lead against Tennessee. LSU had just given up three touchdown passes in a 35-24 loss to Ole Miss as LSU fell to 4-3 on the year, three games out of first place in the SEC West. Saban's record was 12-7 since coming to Baton Rouge promising to "wake the sleeping giant." Wait, I know what you're thinking. This isn't the same down and out program that Saban took over five years ago. Saban didn't have the kind of talent in his first two years that Miles has now. I understand the urge to defend Saban. He did things for this program and this university, even this state, that few dared to dream of. In one season he brought a team to the pinnacle of college football, and we all felt a sense of ownership in that great accomplishment. But even in that magical season, the peak of the Saban Era, he couldn't put together a perfect season. Les Miles has been called the next Ron Zook. A nice guy who took over the most dominant program in the SEC, and ruined it. Of course, being the next Ron Zook didn't look so bad on October 11, 2003. In what Saban has called the most disappointing and worst coached game of his coaching career, over 92,000 LSU fans watched their dreams of an undefeated season float off of the hand of a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start, not once, but twice on the exact same play. A simple dump off over the middle to an uncovered running back. The Florida Gators beat Saban's Tigers 19-7 that day. LSU converted only 3 of 12 3rd downs, and failed to score an offensive point, the touchdown coming on a punt return from Skyler Green. Few would argue that LSU was a better team than Florida in 2003, but they lost. Even with Saban's leadership and guidance, his national championship squad lost to a team that was not even ranked at the end of the season. Because of that single slip up, everything that was accomplished that year will always have an asterisk next to it, whether fans want to admit it or not. If reading that upsets you, then you might want to stop now. Take away Saban's 2003 record of 13-1 from his LSU career, and he was a Zook-like 34-15. That's just under four losses per year. The bottom line is, no matter how much LSU fans want to believe it, LSU is not a dominant program like the one Zook inherited from Steve Spurrier, who averaged just over two losses a year for over a decade. As for the amount of talent being greater now than when Saban took over, players like Josh Reed, Labrandon Toefield, Dominick Davis, Robert Royal, Trev Faulk, Bradie James, Mark Roman and Jarvis Green might take issue with that argument. Rohan Davey might disagree as well, but of course he didn't start Saban's first year because Saban chose to go with Josh Booty instead. But in the end, comparing different teams is pointless. So let's look at this year's team. Miles is coaching almost the exact same team that Saban coached last year. Of course, Saban did have Marcus Spears, Corey Webster, Travis Daniels, Ben Wilkerson, Lionel Turner, Marcus Randall and Alley Broussard, but for the sake of argument we'll forget that for a second. With a more than slightly more experienced group, Saban coached this team to a 9-3 record. I know, I know, LSU lost by one to Auburn and on a last second fluke pass to Iowa. So they should have been 11-1 right? But don't forget about the one point overtime win over Oregon State, or the three pointers over Florida and Ole Miss, or the four point nailbiter over powerhouse Troy State. In each of those games, LSU scored the winning touchdown in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. So yes, this LSU team very easily could have been 11-1, but it also just as easily could have ended up 5-7. Don't get me wrong, I honestly believe that Nick Saban is the best coach LSU will ever have. I was wrong when I believed that Saban was in over his head, and that he couldn't handle the pressures of running a big time program in the toughest conference in the country. But at the time of that Ole Miss game four years ago, few people, including myself, could have guessed where LSU was headed. With just half of a bizarre season and only an overtime loss to the #10 ranked team in the country against him, Les Miles is at least entitled to bitter silence from his critics until he establishes the record of incompetence that his detractors are so eagerly anticipating. I'm not saying that Les Miles will be more Nick Saban than Gerry DiNardo. How can one distinguish between Charlie Mac and Curly Hallman? The answer is simple. Only time will tell.
I can't argue with anything the man says except the above statement. I don't buy this for one second. Saban did some great things for us and the state, true, but he wasn't the football god everyone wants to make him out to be. There have been better coaches, maybe not in LSU's past, and there will be even greater coaches in the future. He may have been one of the best we have seen down here, but the future is bright. I still believe that Coach Miles could end up being a better coach than Saban. There has been no reason, so far, to make me believe otherwise.
I thinks it's too early to say that Nick was the best, but in my mind right now he's leading the pack. I'll remember NS as much for what he was able to accomplish off the field, e.g., upgraded/new facilities, recruiting quality people, restoring passion for LSU football, etc.
I believe he meant "Has" had. That would be selling us short to say that he was the best we will ever have. So what, it just gets worse from here on out? Might as well just give up hope on ever seeing a NC again, heh? What a defeatist attitude to have.
Saban is the best we ever had ... what he said ... of course I hope we get to another NC. I'm not so sharp after 16 shots or so ... my day off, my bad :hihi: .
Saban Fan, Great read, thanks for posting it. I agree with the article, 100%. I don't think we can accurately judge Miles till we see some more games. I wish him success, cause then I'll be happier.
