A genuine question for the unwavering Miles/Crowton supporters

This thread is not intended to stir up hard feelings, I just want to see where yall are coming from on this. For all the posters here who are big time Miles (or even Crowton) supporters like Red, JohnLSU, etc., let me pose a hypothetical situation. Let's say that LSU finishes the SEC with an identical conference record next season, with no shot at the SECCG, no wins over teams currently in the Top 25, and a loss to a Penn State like team in a bowl, finishing near the bottom of the league on offense, and little team progress throughout the year. At what point does the responsibility for that outcome fall on the coaches, instead of young/incompetent/inexperienced/whatever players? Just how far does this seemingly eternal mulligan for Les extend? I really would like to know, in your minds, what it would take for you to think that a coaching change is needed for this team to sniff Atlanta again in the foreseeable future. Again, I'm only interesteed in knowing what your reasoning is, rather than getting into shouting matches or telling someone to be a fan of another school.

 

As head coach of LSU, Les Miles (2005 to today) has the #10 win pct out of 119 teams in Div 1 NCAA and #2 in the SEC:

1. Texas 89.2%
2. Boise State 87.7%
3. Florida 85.1%
4. USC 84.6%
5. Ohio State 84.4%
6. TCU 84.1%
7(t). Penn State 79.7%
7(t). WVU 79.7%
9. VT 77.6%
10. LSU 77.3%
11. BYU 76.6%
12. Oklahoma 74.6%

Also, Les' contract is until the end of the 2011 season. At that point, the LSU Board of Directors and the LSU powerbrokers will make a call whether we extend Les' contract or not. If LSU keeps getting worse under Les, Les will be gone and we will have a new coach for 2012. Also, we might have a clause saying we can fire him before then if he doesn't get at least 8 wins. It's pointless to whine and complain about it until then... and even in 2011 it is pointless to whine and complain about it, unless you have pull with the powerbrokers that run LSU. If you do, then complain to them in 2011 when Les' contract is up. Don't make the rest of us miserable with all your moaning about how horrible we LSU fans have it. All that does it hurt moral in Tiger Nation, and the LSU program as a whole. If you aren't happy being an LSU fan under Les as a football coach, then don't spend your money on LSU and go find another hobby until we get a new coach that you do like.

 

a lot of people think that because LSU won a national championship in 2007 that miles is afforded, as you put it, a mulligan. i agree with this, however, the level of play by LSU the last two seasons will HAVE TO GET BETTER to sway me from the center back to supporting miles & co. coach miles has become complacent, and his style of coaching is a lot more lax than it was pre-2008.

after the ole miss game charles hanagriff asked what it would take for people to get back behind miles and fully support him. i think he will go a long ways with fans if he got rid of gary crowton ASAP. they seem to have conflicting styles. miles likes a big 10 style relying on a heavy dosage of the run. gary crowton (supposedly) prefers a game based around he pass. this kind of friction is a surefire bet for disaster. miles needs to get a coach that he believes in and let him do things like he wants and stay out of the way.

i support miles, but if LSU doesn't improve next season (or at least clean house in an attempt to improve) they need to can his azz. and not because of 8 or 9 wins, but because of the way the games have gone. LSU could have easily had 2-3 more losses this season.

 

The question I have with that approach is how much damage will be done to recruiting between now and January 2012? Notre Dame didn't wait until Charlie Weis completely dragged their program into the toilet and stick to their ridiculous contract, they canned his behind. I don't think we're at that stage yet with Miles, but can LSU afford to lose the recruiting foundation that took years to build, just so the Board doesn't have to write Les a buyout check? I don't know. I suspect we'll know more after seeing how the 2010 class shapes up.

Well, can't say I didn't try. I'd argue that we're not doing our fan base any favors by sticking our collective head in the sand and pretending there aren't serious issues starting at the top. Sorry if you don't like it, but I'm gonna call a spade a spade.

 

I have to remember not to speak ill of President Obama until the next election.. its hurts the morale of the country...

 

I remember listening to that show, and thought it was a very good question. Because whether he realizes it or not, the Ole MIss game burned a lot of the good will that our fans have toward him from 2007, and it's going to take a lot to regain it. I thought he would take good steps in that direction with a solid win over Arky and a good win in the bowl game, and neither of those materialized.

 

You want to hurt recruiting, then go tell everybody how much you think our coaching staff sucks. Is there any better way you do your best to hurt recruitng?

 

The difference is that you have a vote in the election of the US president, all US citizens do. That's not how it works with LSU. LSU is run by our Board of Supervisors, they call the shots.

 

So you think HS recruits who are coming to a great school with a storied football tradition on scholarship really pay close attention to with LSU fans think in making their decisions, but the LSU Board of Supervisors who take many, many millions of our dollars as supporters each season don't listen at all? Really?

The electoral college elects the president. They don't have to vote how we say either if they don't want to, yet they always do.

 

Uh, play on the field has about 100x more impact on recruiting than criticism from the fans. I feel I owe it to TigerForums to let you know that critical fans are not an epidemic unique to LSU. A large segment of American society shows that they care by taking an active / critical approach to whatever it is they care about.