Crowton was not getting the job done, bottom line. I'm excited for a fresh start with a new guy. He has a situation that seems much better than Crowton had after Perrilloux left. I hope he works better with Miles than Crowton did - if we can get a solid performance from the offense and rank in the top 50 with a consistently strong defense, we should be pretty hard to beat, I would think.
I haven't had much to say about this hire because I wasn't overly thrilled by it or disappointed. I have to say that article makes me feel better about the hire. Slocum was a good coach and never should have been fired by A&M. I don't think Krag has all the flash and glitter of a Malzan, but he may be exactly what LSU needs at this point. With all the talent on hand LSU doesn't need smoke and mirrors. What LSU needs is to develop players, have a solid system and play fundamentally sound football. I don't think any of the three happened on the offensive side of the ball the last 3 years. JMO
Some good quotes from Miles about Krag 2theadvocate.com | Sports | Miles discusses last season, Kragthorpe hire — Baton Rouge, LA If he can do the things Miles brought him here to do LSU will be a much better football team.
Well Crowton came in I thought it was a very good hire. Kragthorpe not so much. Here's to being wrong again. :thumb:
Yep, the more I read and hear, the more I realize that this was a very good hire. Time will truly tell, but I think we can look for a much improved, more efficient offense, and one with an identity of being balanced with the ability to run or pass well as the situation dictates. And, so much for all the people who think they know what is going on intimately behind the scenes, things like CLM is calling the plays & handcuffing the OC, and that he plans to run first now that CGC has gone. From his quotes here, you can conclude he wants to have a more effective passing game, which will then open up the run more, the opposite of what many have been saying. He also clearly says in other press releases that his goal is balance, not primarily a run team or pass team, but balance, with the ability to do either very well when the need or situation dictates. To me, when you read all of the releases lately, he is clearly indicating that Crowton had the reins, but CLM was having to influence things more and more late in CGCs tenure - something that Bhelm was eluding to, but that he was not necessarily calling the plays (with the exception of few poignant moments in the game) or handcuffing him as the conspiracy theorists keep claiming. I think personally that he and Krag will be on the same page philosophically, and he will let Krag do his thing as OC.
I love the things that Miles says in this article. We don't need excessively complex play calling, we just need for the QB to be able to spot which of his receivers has a step on the guy covering him and get the ball there timely. I love the fact that Miles feels that his responsibility is to give his players fundamentally sound teachers. The environment being set is that good ideas from any place in his staff will be listened to, improved where needed, and used. I'm tempted to read into the comments that Miles praises Kragthorpe as possible shortcomings of Crowton, but that might be inaccurate and unfair to CGC. My takeaway from this entire article is that the bottom line for Miles is that we were not executing like we should and that lack of execution was costing LSU. More time was being spent teaching complexities and subtleties rather than fundamentals. Bring on signing day!
I'll have to trust Les Miles is making the right decisions. Analyzing OC and how well they can coach the QB's is something that's out of most of our league.
Per Guilblow, Crowton called all the plays and so will Krag. Miles wants to return to passing ways | theadvertiser.com | The Advertiser
miles says a lot without saying much if you read between the lines. he isnt gonna throw crow under the bus, but things like a lot of people have been saying crow was trying to be too cutesy and "genius" with his plays and confusing the kids. im not so sure that was very far off the mark. and as far as the thought for a couple of years now we needed a qb coach that crow wasnt getting it done, well to talk about needing a coach that can teach a qb fundamentals says a lot, imo. im not so sure jj and lee would not have been different qbs with a decent qb coach. lights out and stellar? not saying that. but i am saying much better.
one thing that hasnt been brought up of krag over fuente for oc. (or if it has, i missed it, so my bad.) krag has been a hc and at his last stop failed. i have said a few times that some are supposed to be coordinators, make great ones, but dont have the ceo personality to bring all the elements together as hc. is krag one of those? and more important, if he is, does he know it? if so, and he is solid and works out, he could be around a while. on the other hand, fuente would have been the sexy hire. the flashy young up and comer. with success as an oc at the sec level, he would have been courted for a lot of hc jobs and be gone in a couple of years. leaving us to find another fit or possibly have to suffer growing pains of a new offensive staff again. with krag, should he be a good solid hire, we will have the stability to possibly take us on a nice little run and keep us in the hunt for championships.
