Saban did have plenty of mistakes and disheartening losses. But he never had back to back mediocre years and I never got the feeling that we were slipping back to where we had come from (though I was concerned that Saban would always have limited success because of his tendancy to play overly conservative and because of his abrasive attitude). If you want to look at those other things, Saban pushed for the Academic Center for athletes, contributed greatly to the popularity of LSU and had a positive impact on our athletic bankroll, and had the respect of his players and peers. His players and staff may not have loved his demanding ways, but I imagine they respected his passion and insistence on performing at a high level, the former especially when they joined NFL rosters. I've tried to reserve judgement of Miles, but I think there is sufficient data to make an educated guess. I don't feel like we need to "give him more time to change things"; it seems to me he's had plenty of time for that already. I'm just not real impressed with what I've seen over his career here. It wouldn't be reasonable to go after Meyer. I'd probably get a feeling of Saban's interest as one of many candidates, but I don't think he'd be my first choice anyway. There's a lot of water under that bridge and he has his flaws. I'd look at the up and comers, I'd look at Tuberville. There is no guarantee to hiring coaches, but there is a process to make an educated decision. I'd feel pretty good about having Alleva conducting the search. But Miles will be with us next year, and I can accept that as the way things are. We can't afford to get rid of him, so rather than stressing, I'm just gonna ride the wave. If I were AD, I'd be getting an early start on my Christmas list, but I'd keep it squirreled away for the time being. 1. Mostly true, though I wasn't too upset (except at his piss poor timing). I looked forward to the next hire, which was somewhat underwhelming (and similar to our bargain basement hiring of the early 90s). 2. I don't know... he didn't seem like a home run, but I was willing to give him a chance despite feeling a bit underwhelmed. I'm not ignoring the W/L record, I just don't think it tells the whole story.
It may not tell the whole story, but at the end of the day that is what matters. If a team were to W every game, but had some of them as struggles, and some of them as questionable due to poor ref 'ng, would you still have pause and be concerned? Or would you be happy that you had an undefeated season? I'll give my answer, Bama and Saban are excited by their record, but if I wanted to I could pick it apart as much as many pick the Tigers and Miles apart. There is no such thing as perfection in college ball. In many cases it is the luck of the way the ball bounces, and you are excited when it bounces your way. As I expected, you nor anyone else has a real suggestion as to who they would prefer over Miles, but just that he isn't the guy for the job and that he should be replaced. I'm not saying he isn't above criticism, just that there isn't a coach out there that the same complaints couldn't be made about. Even the almighty Saban and Meyer. Should Miles not have LSU on the right track next season, I will be one of many to admit I am wrong, but until the day comes that he has us as a consistent losing team, I'm not going to jump to that judgement. Most believe that next season should be a special yr, and I would agree. If we have a 9 win or less season I believe that many will join in your sentiment.
Okay, first of all, Saban had ONE, count them, ONE season with less than 3 losses at LSU. That was the NC year. He followed that year up with a four-loss season. We'll never know if he'd have done better or not in '05 because he was busy making the Dolphins even more mediocre than they were when he arrived. Personally, I have my doubts that he'd have handled Katrina and Rita very well. Secondly, where do you get that we've had back-to-back "mediocre" years? Last year, we lost 5 regular season games; this year it was 3--and we were not blown out even once. We have an excellent shot at a 10-win season this year and a top 10 finish. What on earth is mediocre about that? Some of the wins were ugly; the Bama loss was pretty (dang, I'd have taken an ugly WIN in Tuscaloosa over that pretty loss.)
I sometimes wonder if its just our culture, Saban did bring us around for awhile, but with higher expectations we seem to expect more from CLM, I think he's doing a damn fine job and should be able to compete for a spot in the MNC at least once in the next 2 years. If I told you we would hire a coach that had a NC under his belt and should be able to compete for another in 2 years would you jump on the bandwagon? He is already here. I hear Saints Fans complaining because they haven't lost a game yet (to make the team hungry!:insane LMAO
Alas, the most important statistic, wins vs. losses. At the rate of improvement, I think a:crystal: will be in store for next year, with several amusing comments from Miles haters either degrading the wins or being quiet about them because it doesn't support their cause.:miles:
Anything less than a NC is a mediocre year. No wait, anything less than an NC AND winning every game by at least 3 touchtowns is mediocre. No wait NC championship, 21 pt wins AND the #1 recruiting class. No wait, NC, 21 pts, #1 recruits and the hottest cheerleaders. Could do a 12 days of Christmas thing with this...
NOOOO, NC,21 ppg, #1 recruits, hottest cheerleaders, AND shutout the other teams every game. Get with it!:thumb:
WRONG! NC, 21ppg, #1 recruiting class, hottest cheerleaders, shutout every opponent, never commit a penalty
