I am not ready to blame Crowton for everything. I suspect there are other issues as to how well some of the players can be coached up. The pattern of the previous Bowl game success under Miles and Crowton runs counter to this year's. That , to me, implies to the issues of this season's offense team playing as a unit, i.e. players, including relative weakness in the area of player leadership.
Neither am I. Crowton didn't check off to running plays that went nowhere. Crowton didn't throw at receivers feet all day.
Teams with more talent like OU and USC weren't able to do as good as we did this season. What's up with that?
Some great points!!! BUT this.... Is dead on!!! And I have submitted this before and I will again since 07 it almost feels like his heart isnt in it anymore...I FIRMLY believe that he had every intention of leaving LSU for Michigan and has ESPN not broken the story when they did he would have been gone. And eventhough he doesnt always seem like the bulb is burning bright the man does have a sense of loyalty. I think inside he died alittle that day when he missed his chance to return home. And dont forget that was also the year that Bo died someone Miles looked up too. This is all just my opinion but the one thing we can all agree on is the coach that gave that speech before the SECC game in 07 is not the same coach that is walking the sidelines today!
Bear Bryant. He had 3 great seasons from '64 to '66, and then his teams got worse and worse: 1966 -- 11-0 1967 -- 8-2-1 1968 -- 8-3 1969 -- 6-5 1970 -- 6-5-1 Should he have been fired?
OU... Starting QB hurt at the start of the season, had to go to back up. USC... Starting young QB, plus Offensive Coordinator left
LSU... RP got kicked off team... was only QB LSU recruited during a three year span... leaving LSU with no veteran QBs. USC had 2 they could have used in Mustain and Corp. Don't know OU's situation.
Huh?? Hello, Sam Bradford(returning HEISMAN winning qb) pretty much didn't play all year. USC was forced to start a true freshman and he didn't even play every game(see Washington). Are you serious?? You are as much a Les Miles kool aid chugger as all the negative nancy's are against "the hat". Can't you see that??
Apples and oranges. Bear Bryant coached during an era where consistent success at a school guaranteed a lifetime tenure for a coach. Bryant also dominated college football in the 60s in a way that has been unmatched ever since, and brought home far more NCs than Les Miles, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, or any other modern coach ever will. Today, there is simply too much parity in player AND coaching talent, not just in the SEC but also nationwide, to guarantee that kind of success at the highest level, year after year. Today's hot-shot coach with his next big thing schemes quickly become yesterday's news as other coaches figure them out. Adaptability is key. Ironically, that tends to favor CEO coaches like Les who aren't married to a particular offensive/defensive philosophy, and can change assistants as needs arise. The second thing is that there is FAR more money involved today than ever in this sport. Season ticket-holders have seen their ticket prices and their TAF fees rise substantially over the years, as well as merchandise prices go up, to pay for state-of-the-art facilities and, yes, coaches' salaries. Supporting the team now eats up a larger chunk of fans' household money than ever, especially in a very tough economy. The result? When fans see a sub-par product on the field relative to the resources (their money) poured into it, they're going to demand accountability and that changes be made. And rightfully so. If I hired an employee who performed admirably in the past, but does mediocre work now with the generous resources I give him, why should I sit back, accept his shoddy work without question, and continue to handsomely reward sub-par results because once upon a time he performed much better? A line in the sand has to be drawn, and the employee has to understand that good will due to his past work will only get him by for so long until he shapes up, or else I find someone who will perform to expectations. LSU fans have to make a choice. We can go back to the mediocrity of the Dinardo years, sit in the bottom tier of the SEC and watch Bama, Florida, Arkansas (and possibly Auburn) flourish, and be happy with the occasional upset. Or we can pony up the resources necessary to get the personnel we need to become an elite program again. Les Miles still has time to turn things around and get the right people for the job. He rose to the occasion last year when he revamped the defensive staff. But his window of opportunity continues to shrink year by year. It's time to show that he can perform the way he did pre-2007.
