A regional high school coach's impression of coach Miles

A regional high school football coach came in the cafe today and we had a long talk about football coaching. I don't want to give any type of hint of who he is and what school he coaches for so I'll say he coached in Southeast Louisiana. It was his first time at the cafe so please don't assume he is even from the northshore...He told me where he coached and he's coached several places in Southeast Louisana and was familiar with the current LSU situation. He's not an LSU diehard, but he has a lot of respect for coaches and whether he thinks they're good or not, he is not a coach basher.

He told me that he thought LSU was not going to be as successful this year as everyone hopes.

He doesn't think that Miles has the intensity that other coaches in the SEC have. He said the talent level of coaching across the SEC is phenomenal and He thinks that other coaches in the SEC are better coaches than Miles.

This high school coach said he's been to coaching clinics during the spring training camps at LSU beginning with Saban and continuing to this day under Miles. He got to hear Miles speak to all the coaches and got to watch the practices. He and the other coaches from his school couldn't figure out what Miles was trying to tell them in his opening address this year...they all thought that his address was pretty incoherent. He went on to explain that it's one thing to evade questions from the press with double talk, but he was talking to other coaches not the press and was just as incoherent. The HS coach even told me he turned down a job once because the head coach just didn't make any sense during the interview.

He said that Miles definitely was a CEO type coach and let his assistants do the coaching. That's a good style, he admitted, but the tone of the practices is set by the head coach...and he was surprised that the players were lollygagging around between drills. He said that his head coach demands that the players sprint between drills. It lets the players know what level of intensity is expected of them. LSu's players were lined up talking among themselves while the drills were going on. They didn't allow that either in high school. This guy was really surprised that Miles wasn't personally getting on the players who were just walking around.

He said the only coach that was demanding intensity from his players was the Defensive Coordinator. He was running around getting all the players attention, but the offensive guys were complacent.

This guy coaches receivers so he spent a lot of time with Billy Gonzales...whom he has a high opinion of. He commented that Gonzales was trying to do things the way they did at Florida, but the LSU philosophy was different. He kind of got the impression that there was some unseen conflict between Gonzales and the OC. He said Miles was more intent on playing smashmouth football.

He said that although Jordan Jefferson might not be able to make quick reads and decisions, he said that JJ could "throw the hell out of the ball". There was nothing wrong with his arm, in his opinion. He thought that the coaches needed to mold a system around Jefferson's abilities rather than make him fit a system.

I asked him who was the best athlete on the team...he said Shepard (Russell).


It was a great discussion that we had. He was very professional and none of his comments were Miles bashing. he went out of his way to say that he respects other coaches because he loves his profession. He laughed at some of his friends who hated Miles and thought we were going to suck this year and were disgusted with LSU under Miles. This guy was very objective and respectful.

 

Wow, shocking. Never saw that one coming. :dis:

 

A Head Coach's job is to coach coaches, not players. The assistant coach coaches the players. I believe this is the OC last year.

I prefer mashmouth football, as it sends a message to your foes -you are going to kick some a$$.

 

i don't think it's possible. i watched 13 games last year and i'm sure if you had say a highly paid OC at one of the premier programs in college football that he would recognize that a make adjustments accordingly.

surely a lowly HS coach (or millions of fans) wouldn't know better than a highly compensated OC, right???? right!!!!????

yeah unfortunately i really think miles will have a subpar year. they won't fire him b/c hey look at the monster class we have coming in or whatever....and it'll be john brady all over again.




jeez, when did i become a nega-tiger?? i suck.

 

This was just this guy's opinion, and it was pretty interesting. Since the this dead period is difficult, I thought I'd post it. The coach didn't declare a rift involving Gonzales or anything, he just felt that there may have been an undercurrent there. Maybe it was something implied or a voice inflection or something when the position coaches got together. I wouldn't read much into it.

 

A system with three plays won't cut it in the SEC. Jefferson has to step up. We can't dumb the offense down.

 

Unfortunately, this is college. You can't make a system fit a player. You have to select players that fit your system. You can't build a team around a great player, because great players are only here for 3 years.
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The issue I have is that I don't even begin to know what LSU's system is!

 

Nah, this guy was an assistant high school coach...it wasn't Crowton :lol:.

Oh, I see you think it's the OC's last year. sorry.

Got to go to work now. You guys have fun with this.

 

Wow. This guy is dead on. This is the answer for the "what will it take?" thread

 

well i don't think it really takes a coach to arrive at that conclusion. a lot of miles' detractors claim that their distaste for the guy is mainly because of his lack of gameday intensity. i have seen many, many, many laid back coaches who have had lots of success at the collegiate and professional levels. now, i say "gameday" because in the heat of battle you want a calm demeanor, but out there in practice, you had better be butting heads.

it isn't a secret that miles is a players-coach. i think kids love playing for him because he is soft. he won't get into your face or yell, but the fact of the matter is that i have seen high school coaches in the south -- they're like drill sergeants -- and they're constantly in your face. that pressure is a GOOD THING! you can't abuse them, but you can't let them "lollygag" around during practice, have them do something -- anything. you're going to be playing at ben hill griffin stadium, those guys aren't going to sit there and crochet stockings with you, they're going to yell, and curse, and make it tough for you to play football.

you have to take this with a grain of salt, but it's very disheartening news. i figured that miles knows his ass is on the line and that he had better perform to expectations this season. if his intensity is still that lackadaisical... God help us.