I've been purposely avoiding reading about the game, so maybe this has already been discussed, but what has Lee had to say? He has nothing to lose now by speaking his mind. I hope you guys don't read too much into this because it's not a 'Fire Les' statement, but I have lost a measure of respect for Miles for how he's handled this whole thing. From his lack of preparation of the team, his stubborn refusal to play Lee, the vanilla offensive game plan and lack of adjustments, and for him giving BS answers when asked about all of it. I realize he's not going to lose any sleep over my disapproval. I'm also keenly aware that him talking in circles and not being completely forthcoming when answering questions is his style, but because they looked so bad and because every LSU fan is wondering what the hell is going on with Lee, this was the one time when he should have been straight with his answer. I'm just surprised that NOBODY seems to know the real answer.
Again I think the real answer is right in front of everybody's face. Miles really believed Jefferson was his QB and Miles got outprepared and outcoached in this one game. However, the season was 13 and 1 with one of the best teams I can ever remember including the championship teams. Gotta give Les props for the season he had and the team he has built at LSU. As bad as the game was, it was just one game out of fourteen. If thirteen wins and a title game birth isn't good enough, we'll never find anyone who is, and that includes saban
Here’s my take….. I’ve thought this for a long time, but then some bozo, I think his name was Aristotle, or something like that, comes and steals it from me. … In many instances, a vice is a virtue taken to extremes; caution is good, but taken to extremes, it becomes cowardice; bravery is good, but taken to extreme, it becomes foolhardiness; self-confidence is good, but taken to extremes, it becomes stubbornness and rigidity. Most of us admire Les Miles because he is confident in himself, is his own man, and doesn’t care too much about what others think about him. And, obviously, he has good reason to be very self-confident; he is a success professionally and financially, and, as far as any of us know, successful as a father and husband. However, and I have noticed this in the past, he can be stubborn in his ways. Miles believes in establishing the run. And, most of the time, this is a good strategy. Based on the first game, he thought that he could work the perimeter and be successful. It didn’t work. But he knew that it should! This is where the stubbornness comes in; because he believed that it should, and because it had worked in the past, he believed, that, eventually, it would work in this game. He was so certain of this, that he refused to consider an alternative because he knew that his strategy was the best, so why go to a strategy that was second best. To a man like Miles, that makes no sense at all. What this means, is that working for, or observing, Miles can, at times, be most frustrating. However, what we must remember is that, almost always, he IS right, and he has the record to prove it. Frustrating, yes, but also very human; it’s just that his faults are observed by millions of people, many of whom are quite passionate about what they are observing. I realize that, even if my analysis is correct, it’s not very satisfying. However, sometimes reality is not satisfying, and we do want more, something that seems to make more sense. However, Lee did act alone, Roosevelt did not know about Pearl Harbor ahead of time, and Miles is a stubborn man.
he is right most of the time because he has the talent to force his will on other teams, EXCEPT teams with equal talent. that's where this kind of thinking can fail, especially if you've already beaten the them once during the year.
Best plausible explanation that I have read yet of what happened in that game, at least as far as CLMs thought process/decision making. I think you are probably spot on. Well written, too, btw. The only thing this doesn't address, though, is their lack of spirit. The whole team looked deflated and just did not seem to have much fight in them. This lack of spirit is just as surprising as the game plan given how hard they fought as a team all season long, and it is also part of the history of our proud Tiger program - teams that fight when behind, all the way to the end, especially on such a big stage. I think that is why people have tried to come up with explanations about some sort of mutiny, etc. I don't buy any of that, but can't help but wonder about something else that affected the entire teams spirit in that second half. Your analysis is a good one about CLMs mindset and game plan, though.
Yep. There was something going on there and sooner or later it will come out. There were over 100 people in that locker room including seniors who won't be returning.
the first couple of minutes they were full of spirit and energy. when you get busted in the mouth by a stronger and hungrier opponent, that quickly dissipates. the rematch thing always takes away that edge you want as a competitor if you were the winner the first round. i hope for those who said theres no way a team needs extra motivation when playing in a NC game understand now, thats not how it works. this is where coaching came into play and saban had his team feeling disrespected. LSU went in fired up but not nearly the level of the team who lost round 1. just simply a rematch of a team they already hung with and beat. I wonder if blackwell feels bama was deserving to be there now. his comments raised red flags to me about their mindset along with a few others long before the game was played. It was a combination of LSU overlooking Bama to a degree and being busted right in the chops for the first time all year and didnt know how to respond. thats often what happens when someone finally retaliates against the big bully. they fold like a cheap suit. by the time LSU knew what hit them, it didnt matter. their gameplan wasnt allowing them back in anyhow. because the coaches were grossly under-prepared. this game was over long before it ever began.
I agree with 100% percent of this post. IMHO this is exactly how it went down. Everyone knows this is a young team and for two months they were told that they should be mentioned with the greatest teams in college football history and, as you indicated, it was evident that the team never thought Bama deserved the rematch.
