some teams script up to the first 25 plays but sometimes adjust for down and distance. but most do like you said opening drives and such. either way i'm hoping for major improvement for AU
Of course we should see how the entire season unfolds before making bold statements about Miles' future at LSU. But I strongly disagree that it's "insulting" to point out alarming trends shown by this team: 1. The OL has two veterans from the '07 season: Ciron Black and Brett Helms. Yet to this point the OL hasn't knocked ANYONE off the line, not even ULL. There doesn't seem to be any improvement from week to week. Ciron, in particular, has been disappointing, to say the least, when it comes to DEs beating him around the edge. The line isn't opening up running lanes, and can't even protect JJ on a 3-man rush on 3rd and long. That should never happen. 2. The DL has shown some improvement, but has been very hit or miss with run stoppage. There has been zero disruption in the backfield, and the defense has now gone 3 games without a sack. No pressure on the QB, and none of the smash-mouth, nasty attitude promised by Haley. 3. I don't need to rehash all the issues with playcalling, but it's clear now that Les obviously ain't saving up all those plays for a rainy day after Florida. Florida should have seen this team peak. You're playing #1 at home in front of an amped up, record crowd. This is the game to make a statement. Instead, we saw a team that played lackadasical, undisciplined football for 4 quarters. There were times when I wondered if this team bothered to practice that week. Something is definitely not right with this team. When I think that the last time LSU dominated a ranked team during the regular season was '07 VT, it's clear that this trend has continued for far too long. Whether it's fair to Les or not, our fans are paying serious attention to the success Saban has had in 3 years in turning around the Bama program. Fans are paying attention to how Saban and Meyer are getting the most out of their available talent, while our talent, which is easily on a par with those two programs, appear to be floundering. You can call it a personal attack on Miles if you want, but it's not unreasonable to ask questions about how these talented players are being coached. Most fans are not going to tolerate subsidizing Miles' multi-million dollar salary to produce 7-8 win teams year after year.
First of all, Bama and Florida have very good veteran QBs, we do not. And more importantly: if being a fan of the Saban-led Bama program or the Meyer-led Florida program would make you happy, then why don't you go cheer for Bama and/or Florida? Because other people you know will make fun of you? Who cares what other people think? It is your life. If you want to go cheer for Bama and/or Florida, then go cheer for Bama and/or Florida. Do what makes you happy. Your personal happiness is more important than LSU football, is it not? If I was in your shoes, if I wasn't happy with LSU football, I'd quit being a fan. My personal happiness is more important to me than LSU football. And again, like I already said: Les is on contract with LSU through the 2012 season with a $18 million buyout clause. There may be a clause saying we can fire him for cause before 2012 without having to pay the buyout if he doesn't get at least 8-win seasons, but I'm not sure. Our Board of Directors, President, etc all want LSU to continue being one of the most dominant programs in the NCAA, and our football program is one of the most valuable monetary programs in the NCAA according to Forbes. If Les isn't keeping us at the level of one of the most dominant programs in the NCAA, he'll be gone as soon as we can fire him. But until we do, we might as well support him. He is a representative of LSU, and as an LSU grad, I find it insulting to see other LSU people insult such a high-profile representative of LSU like Les Miles. There is no point to it if you are an LSU person. Sure, if you are a Bama fan or Florida fan, have at it. I insult Saban and Meyer all the time. If it has gotten so bad for any of you that you actually lost faith in Les Miles and even you want to insult him, then go find another hobby that you enjoy until we get a new coach at LSU. If I lost faith in Les, that's what I'd do if I was in your shoes.
What it boils down to is this: LSU has played no one, and when they've finally played someone, they sputter. Those of us who saw and were concerned about the inefficiencies in the previous games saw it coming. The gameplan is the same every game... run up the middle, option to the short side, don't use Shepard, don't ever let JJ throw on the run and get in a rhythm, don't involve Richard Dickson or Ruben Randall in the game, abandon dump off screens over the middle, etc (i.e. use the same 8 plays from Tecmo Bowl over and over again - someone in chat said this and I thought it was funny). It's not like a 31-3 defeat of ULL isn't a lopsided margin or victory. It's that we saw a weak LSU offense struggle against their defense. We also saw ULL outplay LSU and move the ball almost at will at some points. In previous match ups, we've hung 43+ on them every time. It is no wonder that this year, when several of us were concerned about the offense after each game and when they face a team that is actually a quality team, they stall. Thankfully, people with realistic expectations picked LSU to go 9-3 or 8-4 at the worst. It's just extremely frustrating when LSU rarely plays a full game anymore. A bend and don't break defense that struggles against lower tier teams will eventually snap against the top teir teams, and an offense that sputters against bottom dwellers will come to a complete halt when playing power houses, and that's just what the offense did. I think Miles gets another pass for this season, but next year will be when we expect to see some serious improvement. There was none last season. Everything continued as planned with no adjustments, and I expect the same this year, but next year, I hope, will be a different story.
First, you obviously didn't read my first statement, where I clearly said to reserve judgment for Miles' performance until the season concludes. Second, I've talked about Jefferson's youth and issues at length in other threads; suffice it to say it's not the root of all the problems I've mentioned. Third, I'm not you, so I couldn't care less about what makes you happy as a fan, and don't presume you can read my mind and tell me where my loyalties should lie. Personally, I feel bad for you that your entire sense of LSU fandom seems to be wrapped up in this notion of Miles' infallibility you seem to have, where the smallest criticism is some deep betrayal. If you want to live in your fantasy world where we have a semi-productive offense and the coaches are using all of our weapons in the best way currently possible, then go right on ahead. But I'm not going to pretend the product on the field is where it should be. On a personal note I bleed purple and gold til the day I die, my friend. And I will support Les Miles as a representative of this university in whatever capacity he serves. By all accounts he's a good man who has shown tremendous loyalty to this school, unlike another current SEC coach. However, in spite of my avatar, I am going to call things the way I see it and not blindly trust in Miles' perceived perfection. I'm pulling for Les as hard as I can to get the ship righted and finish with 9-10 wins, and maybe all my concerns will turn out to be all about nothing. But as it stands now, Florida was a step back, and I don't see how a rational person could conclude otherwise.
Actually, LSU played Washington who beat USC. LSU played ULL, who beat Bill Synder-led Kansas State (Bill Synder is to K-State what Saban is to some of you... they even named their stadium after him... did we do that for Saban?). LSU also played Georgia, which has the same level of talent as LSU. And of course, LSU played #1 Florida. But yeah, you keep claiming we played no one. Makes you look like you're not the brightest bulb on the tree. :thumb:
