re: I would have rather had a successful mid-major guy than Steele.

Absolutely.

When Miles promoted Malleveto, what he was really saying was that LSU didn't need one guy coordinating the defense. He thought he could get by having everyone maintain their current assignments.

That obviously failed, and Miles brought in Chavis. Chavis didn't do anything spectacular schematically. But, he made sure the defense was fundamentally sound from top to bottom and the quality control that was missing with Malleveto returned almost immediately.

I think he made the same mistake again. He hired a guy who really doesn't have a history to point to of successfully coordinating a defense. I do think he's probably a good LB coach. LSU needed much more than that IMO.