Miles has plenty of accolades. He's won a NC, the SEC, has beaten a plethora of top 25 teams, has recruited very well according to the recruiting services, is a good man, etc. I'd say there are a number of coaches who could have done similarly with the condition of our program when Miles inherited it, but I'm willing to give him credit for all of it. He has produced results and no one can take that away from him. On the other hand, it seems our teams almost always underperform, rarely dominate, raise the blood pressure of LSU fans on a weekly basis. He's literally killing us slowly. I see less disipline and cohesiveness to our teams, less team leadership, less killer instinct. I don't see intellectual play. It seems we're regularly in berserker mode, only quite often we don't have the girth behind our wild cleaving to attain worthy goals. I liken coach Miles to John Brady, scraping by, and it feels like we've hit the apex and are headed in the wrong direction. We are likely solid QB play away from relevancy, but I see fissures appearing that have been brewing from the start. I don't want to be a Georgia, nationally relevant every few years... but not really. I want to be competitive in terms of the hunt for a NC on a regular basis. Lulls are acceptable, but we're on rebuilding year 1.5. A 2 year void is a bit much when problems at the start persist throughout. My gut wants to can Miles now based on his lukewarm performance over his 5 years (NC noted). I think our current AD would make a good hire to replace him. My mind says give him another year, our offense should be matured by next season, no coach is perfect, he has plenty of accolades, and it would cost a pretty penny to off him now. There are those who will say, "Look at the Ws and Ls!" That doesn't tell the whole story. For instant gratification you look and Ws and Ls. For in depth analysis you look at how those Ws and Ls occur. None of us would be overly fearful of LSU if we were fans at another school. If I were a fan of an opposing SEC team, I'd feel pretty good about the situation at LSU. Not because LSU is 5-1. Not because Les Miles has a damn strong W/L record at LSU. Not because of LSU's recent recruiting prowess. I'd feel good as an opposing fan for underlying reasons - style of play, offensive and defensive production, team discipline, etc. If you're happy looking at the finished product and don't want to hurt your brain, continue to rally behind Miles Ws and Ls. You're strapped into the bandwagon rollercoaster and can only make shallow arguments. Drink a beer and a whiskey. But don't tell me that we have our sht together when we don't.
Lukewarm my butt. Find me an available coach with better bottom line over the last five years. Last time I checked, the only thing that really counts is W's and L's. Ask a businessman - all he cares about is the "bottom line" and how to make it better. Style points are for figure skaters and gymnasts. Perhaps you're confused. Can the Tigers get better? YES - a lot! Need a new HC? DEFINITELY NOT! (sorry 'bout the caps, y'all) :geaux: This one was for 327 so he can enjoy his popcorn!
I agree... we couldn't bring in anyone with half a decent coaching history if we dropped Miles now. But if things don't change on the offensive side of the ball GC may be on his way out. But Miles has another few NC's waiting for him.
As critical as I've been of Miles lately, I'm sorry but you need a LOT more than "style points" arguments right now to justify replacing him. If you could, who do you replace him with? There aren't a lot of available big-name HCs and hot-shot next-big-thing coordinators out there. When you do replace Miles, that perceived drop-off we've supposedly had turns into a very real one in terms of W-L's, with a new coach, new assistants, and the big time problems we'd have with recruiting. In short, we would have to be damn sure Les is taking us in a stagnant/wrong direction before even considering a new HC. I know it's tempting to think along these lines, but you have to look at a new HC as a long-term investment. We won't know for certain what the return on the Les Miles investment will be after this season, and possibly after 2010 either. But it's almost a certainty that hard times are ahead if we fire him, no matter who we replace him with.
A businessman worth his salt looks at trends and all available data, not simply current rosy results. You're only interested in the W/L column. I suppose that's fine. But I stand behind the argument that if I were a fan of another school I wouldn't have a lot of concern when facing LSU. I am afraid of becoming Coker's Miami, Fulmer's Tennessee, Richt's Georgia. I want more than that.
Food for thought (and I am not in the replace Miles camp): In our last 12 SEC games, we are 6-6. As someone who runs his own business, if all I cared about were the bottom line, I would be out of business in very short order - but that's really a discussion for a different thread.
I think you need to lower your expectations just a bit. No one, I repeat NO ONE contends for the MNC every year. It's impossible in today's game. Are there things I'm not happy with in our performance to date. You bet I am, but I can temper that with the realization I didn't expect to be playing for one of these. :crystal: I'd like to see us run the table but I'm smart enough to realize that isn't going to happen. I see us losing one perhaps two games the rest of the way. Give me a solid effort in all phases for 60 minutes and I can live with a 9-3 season.
Can you live with another 7-5? Not saying it's going to happen, but if it does the fans that are on the fence will turn on Miles.
