(before I begin: I have been just as critical of Les as anyone else these past few years. After the Tennessee game, I had had enough and was ready to see him gone. But with time, wins, and some perspective, what can I say, I've changed my mind.)

CLIFFNOTES VERSION: We have one hell of a coach and he deserves our support.

It's been tossed around a lot this week that many of us owe Les Miles an apology. There's been the official "I'm sorry Les" thread. The national media is talking about how there may actually be a method to the madness. Hell, even Glenn Guilbeau said after the game that a lot of "us" owe Les an apology. There have been the other posters that combat this with it's just one game. And that's true. But when those same people make their arguments for getting rid of Les, they're not looking at just one game. They're looking at his last couple of years(which are actually better than people realize), and saying the program is trending downwards. Well, let's take a look at his whole body of work, and give credit where credit is due.

Les is 59 and 16, a 79% win percentage. So statistically, in every 4 out of 5 games that Les has stepped on the field, he's left with victory. Bottom line, the man wins football games. People right now like to argue those win totals and the win percentage by saying the numbers are skewed because of his first 3 years, where he won with $aban's players, etc.. etc.. The $aban's players stigma will likely never go away, but Les is in the middle of writing pages in history books with players and a team that is fully and uniquely HIS.

Say what you will about the man, but his record at LSU supports the fact he is one of the best coaches in America. Les has beaten 6 different National Championship coaches while at LSU and 7 overall. As Pat Forde pointed out, Les is 5-5 against Meyer and Saban, two coaches considered to be the game's elite. If Les breaks even with the elite, where does that put him? Laying to rest a bit more of the Saban's players stigma, not only is Les even with Meyer and Saban in head to head matchups, Les evened the scores this year with players HE recruited. This is Les Miles' team through and through.

Recruiting. There has never been any debate as to whether or not Les can haul talent into Baton Rouge. The man is a respected recruiting guru. But beyond the gobs of talent that Miles brings in, he brings in quality individuals, and coaches them accordingly. You don't see the problems at LSU that you have seen at Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, USC, etc., in the past few years. Les holds players accountable to standards higher than the law. And if you break enough team rules, or break the right one once, you're gone. The Perrilloux situation cost Les a player, a season, and a lot of faith from his fan base and the national media. But the man stuck to his principles and 2 years later has LSU back atop the college football scene as the top rank 1-loss team. Because of the players he recruits and the way he handles them, LSU has a team that loves and respects their coach, and a team without the headaches being experienced by a number of other top programs.

You may not find a classier coach anywhere in America. Les does not run up the score on teams (he's only put 50+ up twice since he's been here). Much to the chagrin of his fan-base, he doesn't seem to be interested in "style points." He wants to win. Excuse me, he has a want for victory. And he gets them. Despite his "win ugly" approach (as some call it), the man has put more wins on the board faster than any LSU coach in history, and kept the losses competitive. For his 16 losses, he's kept the game within 2 scores for all but three of them. And this is a point many people fail to realize with Les. While he has lost 10 games in the last 3 years vs only 6 in his first three, Les keeps his teams in the game. 13/16 losses have been within 14 points or less; 11/16 - 10 points or less; 9/16 - a touchdown or less; and 5/16 by a field goal or less. Usually, LSU is in the game until the very last minute, again, sometimes much to the chagrin of the Tiger faithful.

Back to the original topic, do you owe Les Miles an apology? Maybe, maybe not. But, I think what you, what WE, do owe him is our support. For the past decade, LSU has enjoyed more success than ever and probably more than many ever imagined. I remember the thrill of the fan base when we made it back on the bowl scene in '95. In '96, The Peach Bowl would be the highest bowl we reach with Dinardo, and fans were jubilant. Fast forward to today, and we have a fan base that isn't satisfied with Capital One and Cotton Bowl appearances. It's BCS or bust. But when you put things in perspective, Les Miles has not only won at LSU, he's kept winning sustained in the toughest conference in America and maintained a recruiting base that will keep LSU winning long into the future. We need to appreciate the coach we have and the things he has done for us. If you're unhappy with the state of things, take a quick look at Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and USC, all teams considered power houses at one point or another in the last decade.

Les Miles wins. He wins often. And, he wins with class. We have one of the most entertaining coaches in America. We should probably enjoy him. He may have a head scratching play from time to time, but he wins. Let the other teams worry about what Les is going to do or not do. You sit back and enjoy the ride. Look at his body of work. Look at his body of work compared to the game's elite and tell me if it doesn't match up. Les inherited a powerhouse program ranked in the top 5. And six years later, now look where we are.

Let's PACK TJ Ribs tomorrow night. He deserves it.

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