Skip Bertman once commented that his legacy would be connected to the guy he hired after Saban. Skip knew that he really needed to get the right guy. This off-season Miles finds himself in a similar position x2. Miles has got to nail the next man up for DC and I just don’t think this is a promote from within situation. Losing a guy like Chief in the way it went down is going to put a lot of recruits on hold. The next DC is going to have to be talented, respected and recognizable. This program needs some fresh energy and excitement in addition to someone who is going to upgrade the DC position. Miles needs to upgrade not replace. The situation is the same at the QB position. There’s not going to be a lot of wiggle room here either. The guy that lines up behind center is going to have to be the man. Sorry, not a game manager or someone who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. The guy that plays this position needs to be someone who can open the throttle on an offense that is loaded with highly skilled players. I’m not sure we have that guy on the roster … yet. Every situation, every event, every problem presents an opportunity. With the talent that Miles has on this team he sits on top of an opportunity right now. I don’t know if Miles is on the hot seat. He should at least be feeling uncomfortable. Maybe that is why Chavis was so hung up on the 6 month clause in the contract offer. Maybe he realizes that Miles’ future is in question. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If Miles makes the right moves he can make 2014 a distant memory and return the Tigers to contenders. The way the Tigers are trending, now is the time to go big or go home. The legacy of Les Miles could very well be tied to the decisions he makes next.
Well said. I don't know if miles will pull his ass out of the fire this time. You nailed it though, if he makes a strong dc hire I think his seat stays mildly warm but not hot. Crappy dc hire and the seat starts getting toasty. I think that clause, in chavis' contract, is very very telling. I think in the hire ups are getting tired of his shit. It has been said here many times how do you pay a coaching staff so much and a head coach 4 mil a year to get beat by the gumps every freaking year and every other SECW team. Middle of the pack every year doesn't cut it for that much green.
I've been doing some thinking lately trying to think about the program. Everything with me goes back to the 9-6 game vs Bama. If I remeber correctly they missed 3-4 fieldgoals. Did that game give us a false sense of dominance, and boost CLM's ego? That's the place where I think It all went wrong
Yes, I can see how beating your nemesis, the #2 team in the nation on their field in the game of the century could be viewed as a negative. .......uhhhhh NO!
I'm just waiting on someone to say how he is the greatest LSU coach ever. I'll remember him as the Coach who replaced Saban and watched Saban win multiple titles at Bama. This is a dangerous topic
This is a "double-edged sword" type topic, with both positives and negatives (note my listings here are not all-inclusive): The positives: Miles has been here 10 years, the longest tenure for an LSU coach since Cholly Mac. He is 103-29 overall, and averages 10 wins a year -- he is on the way to becoming the winningest coach in LSU history. He has 2 SEC championships and a national championship. He's a great recruiter, loyal to his players and staff (maybe to a fault), great family man, has integrity, etc. The negatives: I see two major issues here -- (1) Handling of QB's since 2008 -- To me this is a fireable offense (I'm not advocating he be fired) and it has gone on for far too long. So to add to Tiger420's original post, what happens next with the QB position will make or break Miles' future at LSU. He absolutely MUST fix the problem now, heading into 2015. LSU simply will not contend for anything w/o a better QB. Miles has to let go of being hard-headed here. (2) He's the guy who followed Saban. Fair or not, it is what it is. I suspect this wouldn't be that big an issue if Saban hadn't returned to college coaching, or at the very least, had not returned to a rival team. Saban is responsible for bringing LSU back from the brink; Miles has sustained this, but is in danger now of things slipping back. Sure, Saban is a better coach now than he was at LSU; however, it is hard to stomach what he has done at Bama, especially starting with the 1/9/12 debacle of a game. The manner in which LSU has lost recent games to Bama is both heartbreaking and gut-wrenching at the same time. (Note I didn't touch on clock management issues, or anything of that sort). To conclude, this is perhaps the most important offseason for Miles. The two issues mentioned above are tough enough to navigate; now Miles has to make a great DC hire in order to at least sustain what is there on defense. It also appears that special teams needs attention, in so far as what the heck happened to our kicking game? Another 8-5 season won't cut it -- I really believe Miles has to win the SEC next year (at least) -- there is way too much talent on this team for it to wallow in mediocrity.
Les Miles will be known as one of the nicest guys to coach the Tigers. A man of integrity (mostly) who cared about his players and who ran a clean program. He had poor game management skills and was really bad at making in game adjustments when called for. Entertaining to watch because he's not afraid of a trick play when it's unexpected and will go for it on 4th and 17 on his own 25 if he thinks it's the thing to do. A coach who won based on superior talent on the field rather than beating other teams despite not having the superior squad. He lost games he should have won with regularity, but only seldom stole an unexpected victory. He'll also be remembered as being inflexible and stubborn. A bit more arrogant than his goofy likeable demeanor suggests. Someone who is hard to dislike as a person. A hard worker and a excellent recruiter. History will show that his fantastic winning percentage began to decline to the point where he was no longer seen as an elite level football coach before the end came. We don't yet know how the end will come He will always be a decisive figure among the fan base.
As mentioned this question is a double edge sword because there is a lot of both good and bad, Les Miles brought a national title to LSU. Detractors can say all they want it was with Saban's players. Fact is Miles won with HIS players. Miles has a genuine passion for his players and school like few coaches have. You can see it in his face when he talks about LSU or his players. Miles is truly invested in those kids. He coaches and runs a clean program. Like him or not Miles wins at a very high rate. He has done better here than Saban did and that is a fact. Miles took over where Saban left off and ran with it. To be honest, there is no way you can not talk about Les Miles legacy and not mention his QB. That speaks for itself. Miles will stick with a player for too long on top of using a spread QB to run a power I. I know all coaches make mistakes that lose games. The problem with Miles is his clock issues are often costly but they happen all too frequently. It is a basic aspect of coaching, no reason it should happen as frequent. The BCSCG debacle was just too painful to watch. That game has really marked a change in not only Miles but the program. Since then we have seen a mass exodus of players who probably would otherwise stay another year. It seems the culture here at LSU is changing. Kids are not being coached up like in the past. This upcoming season is a huge one for Miles. He has to finish the game against Bama and finally get a W. Miles also has to get back in the 10 win collum. More so Miles has to show that he can restore the swagger back at LSU. Where we come in with a gameplan and come out with fire. He also has to show improvement from game to game. He also has to find a QB or change his offensive scheme.
