From the Times Picayune today: 5th-year senior defensive end Tyson Jackson made no effort this week to deflect blame. What's more, he labeled the chorus raging against Coach Les Miles' decision to promote Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto as replacements for departed Bo Pelini as misguided. "No. I think Coach Peveto and Coach Mallory did a wonderful job," Jackson said. "I think it's the players. We have to go out there and make the plays, and we just weren't making them throughout the whole season." http://www.nola.com/lsu/t-p/football/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1229667621263810.xml&coll=1
What? He's deflecting blame onto the players. He's a player. You're right. It's not unbiased. It's casting blame in the direction of the team, as a whole.
I only posted this response because John is posting this comment in relation to the point that the players are the problem, not the coaches. I know when I am a part of something I put a lot of responsibility on myself and don't always hold others as accountable as they should be. I don't think that is uncommon. I've already acknowledged the players hold some of the responsibility for this season, but that does not change the fact that this season winds up on the shoulders of the coaches and ultimately on Les's shoulders. If a player says the coaches this season isn't the coaches fault, they did a great job, I'll take that with a grain of salt. I'd be more alarmed if the players were directly blaming the coaches, but this endorsement doesn't carry THAT much weight, IMO.
Sounds again like you're the type that will believe whatever you want to believe, even if it is 2+1=8
:geaux: While I believe there is plenty of blame to go around for this season's sub-par performance, I agree that ultimately the coaches are responsible. Having retired from the U.S. Navy, I can tell you that the Captain of the ship is responsible for EVERYTHING that occurs on that ship. If the C.O. is in his rack in the middle of the night sound asleep and the ship runs aground, he's gonna get fired because that ship is HIS RESPONSIBILITY AND HIS ALONE. Doesn't matter if he was there or not. It's his ship and anything that goes on, good or bad, falls on his shoulders. The Officer of the Deck who was in charge of steering the ship that night will get diciplined, but utimate responsibility lies with the Captain. Same with the Head Coach and staff of a college football team. I support CLM and think he's done a great job. He's a great recruiter and players and recruits love and respect him. I'm glad he didn't go to Michigan and hope he stays at LSU many years. All that said, he is ultimately responsible for the performance of the LSU football team. Good or bad. Period. And when it's all said and done at the end of the day, coaches are the ones who held accountable and will get fired if results are not achieved, not players. Happens in all sports. Might not be right or fair, but that's the way it is. :LSU231:
There is a difference between discovering the reason for something as opposed to affixing responsibility or blame for something. Yes, ultimately the buck stops with CLM and he has been ahead of the curve in saying that. However, the coaches do not throw interceptions, fail to tackle ball carriers, kick a ball that has been spotted for play by a referee, drop a pass that hit them right in the hands, etc. The ultimate reason LSU lost all of those games falls squarely on the players. The ultimate responsibility falls squarely on the coaching staff.
The difference between 8 and 3 is a couple of curved line segments... and I am a little hard-headed. Don't act like you're not. I try to remain open minded, but your arguments have not been convincing, IMO. Coaches do not throw interceptions or choose to lose their starter to discipline before the season starts, that is true, though they are responsible for recruiting QBs and coaching QBs. Miles and staff were put in a tough position in regard to QBs this season. Coaches do not fail to tackle ball carriers, but they are responsible for recruiting LBs and coaching LBs and teaching players to wrap up and tackle rather than riding the ball carrier for 5 yards trying to strip the ball. Coaches do not kick a ball long after a play has been whistled dead, but they recruited the guy that did and are responsible for the discipline of the team. Coaches do not drop well thrown passes, but they are responsible for recruiting WRs and coaching WRs. It is a little tough to criticize WRs when the QB play was so sporadic. Some people seem to think that some of the WRs have a bad attitude, though, which is a little troubling to me.
Another difference is that a lot of high school recruits have gotten along by being coddled (gradewise), told how great they are, been mr. BMOC, etc. None of them have had the character building experience of going through boot camp, recieving excellent training, and earning the right to be a member of the greatest team for the last 200 years and probably of all time. A team on which your fellow teammates lives literally depend... The US military. Since this thread is about attitude, Did you see the Army Navy game? The Attitude of the student bodies and gameday atmosphere was so electrifying despite the blowout. I wonder if any of those fans left early. Compare those players attitudes with what happened at the end of the ar-kansas game. The LSU coaches are responsable to the degree that they should have felt the attitudinal pulse of the team and dealt with it earlier in the season.And just think how motivated you would be if coach Miles could throw you in the brig and make you wait to be court martialed for excessive celebrations or game deciding, stupid personal foul penalties! Hmmm..... Go Navy! Forget substitutions send in the Marines!
