So it's not 50/50 because those players are here because of the coaches. For millions of dollars a year you have to understand that part of success is getting your players to understand and execute your playbook. Maybe 75/25 is closer to accurate. Anyway, the defense has been struggling since last year. With a QB we won a bunch of games but couldn't make the NC. Without a QB we look like we could go 0-fer in the SEC (for the record, I'm picking LSU over Florida this weekend). Point is, I think with a QB we are a pretty darn good team, but even with a great QB there is something stinky going on. I think no QB is squarely on Miles and unexcusable, but we also have to look at Chavis. If we can make a bowl and win some games I'll be moderately impressed with Miles despite my overall disappointment with the season.
We'll have to see if this players-only meeting is a fire burning or just a dumpster fire, as those who are turning even a possible positive into a negative are suggesting in this thread.
This is an era in football where offenses are evolving much quicker than defenses. I think offenses will have an advantage for a period while defenses catch up. Miles however has clung fiercely to the 1980's Schembeckler style offense as others have passed him by. IMO it's becoming a case of hop on the train or get run over by it. So far Miles has been more than happy to get run over by the train. Teams will continue to stack the box and he seems clueless as how to stop it. Until he wakes up and joins the party LSU will have success, but will continue to fall short of it's full potential. As good as recruiting has been LSU should never field an offense as poor as it has this season, young QB's or not.
LSU had one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the SEC last year with a 3000 yard passer, two 1000 yard WRs, and a Jeremy Hill, to boot. It seems like the mob is seizing on a few buzz words that everyone is repeating and believing it's true. What is true is what none of us wanted to admit during the off-season, though all the pundits pointed it out. How does a team simply replace 90% of their previous season's offensive productivity? The answer, it seems, is that you don't.
I honestly feel like the spread is kind of gimmicky. I think the smart coaches integrate a power game with the spread, but Miles offense will work with a QB. But it is apparently important that the QB be somewhat seasoned. For some reason, most of his time here, Miles hasn't been able to recruit or deliver that. I think you're right about the era of O innovation being hard on Ds, but we've been able to stop prolific spread Os in the past.
They score a lot of points, but even though they threw five million times against MSU, they still lost as badly (or worse) to them than we did. What do we really know about A & M, yet? They were MSU's bitch, like we were. They had to rally to beat Arkansas, who in spite of running the ball better so far this year, are still 0-fer in the SEC since 2012. And they smacked South Carolina around--who has since lost to the likes of a really bad Vandy team.
Man I didn't mean anything wild like the spread, Miles could never do that. I'm just looking for something more than I formation runs into an 8-9 man front. Watching Miles offense you expect to see the players wearing leather helmets.
