re: What are your REAL thoughts on the LSU program?

Pratt, I understand why you feel the way you do. I also bleed purple and gold and consider myself the #1 LSU fan. When football season is over, I follow recruiting, Baseball and some Basketball. I read LSU info sites daily...actually multiple times a day.

If you look at record alone, Miles has been awesome, save last year. This includes regular season and bowl records. I think the Ohio State game surprised a lot of people around the country, especially given the fact they scored the first 10 points in the game. We dominated the remainder of that game.

Miles 4th and let's go attitude was one thing that led many fans to love him. Remember how each game was a heart attack game yet he had the guts to continue to press on with these calls?

Last year was horrific for any LSU fan, player or coach. When you combine that with what Miles had done over the past, it felt like an immediate collapse of our program.

Miles made the defensive coach adjustment and while it can be argued our team still bends a bit too far, it hasn't, at this point, shown up on the scoreboard.

Our offense has been better than some would give it credit for this year. It has been worse than others would admit. However, I think it is perfectly clear that some of our playcalling would leave any reasonable person scratching their head. I would like to think I could do a better job than some plays I have seen called....but I can't. I do think there are some out there that could.

The problem Pratt has and I share some of his views stem from a couple of things that seem to be simple:

1. Players still don't know where to line up.
2. Playcalling, such as in the LA Tech game, where we threw 3 straight times on multiple possessions, when Williams was running through the defenders like they weren't on the field.
3. Clock management. Letting the first half run out without calling a timeout when you are on your opponents side of the 50.

These are just a few examples but lead us to believe they could happen again in every game. When you feel like your team is well coached, the possibility to win every game exists. If you feel like your team is not well coached, you feel the possibility to lose every game exists.

I 100% support our team, from players to coaches. This does not mean I feel like everything is on track. I do feel at times that we may have seen our best days under Miles. Let's hope he makes the right decisions at the end of this year.

What are the right decisions? Ask 10 people and you will get 10 different responses. Does that mean a change in some of our staff? Does that mean no change in staff but Miles requiring a different approach than our current scheme? I think, at the very least, a different approach but more likely a change in at least some of our staff.

Regardless, I continue and will continue to support our team.

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Last year was horrific for any LSU fan, player or coach.

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you have a high value for what you consider horrific

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I think we'll be fine through the end of this season and the 2010 season. 9-3 finish this season with a good chance at picking up a 10th win in our bowl game. Then in 2010 we have:
• JJ, Shep, Ridley, Toliver, Randle, D. Peterson, Garrett, Allen, Calhoun, Jasper, Blackwell, Downs, Barksdale, Hebert and other on offense
• Baker, Sheppard, Nevis, P. Peterson, Loston, Mingo, Minter, Montgomery, Agahayere and others on defense
Um ... I think we'll survive with this group on hand.


But we have been using this excuse every year. We have always has supreme talent...doesn't mean shite if it's not realized.

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I think this year's experience will pay off big next year for JJ, Shep, Randle, and the remaining memebers of our o-line. I think the same about the remaining members of our defense along with guys like Montgomery, Agahayere and Loston. I think the development of JJ in particular will be huge: 2010 will be the first time we've had a "veteran" QB since 2007. We'll see.

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LSU GrandDad

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and

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Sacred Salami

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Definitely saying what I feel..

Great post, Salami.

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These are just a few examples but lead us to believe they could happen again in every game. When you feel like your team is well coached, the possibility to win every game exists. If you feel like your team is not well coached, you feel the possibility to lose every game exists.

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Well said. Again, just watch the games, don't overcomplicate it. If you feel confident with the way Miles' teams are prepared, motivated, well lead, disciplined; you're not watching the same games I am. This is a trend, not a 1 or 2 time thing.

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I 100% support our team, from players to coaches. This does not mean I feel like everything is on track. I do feel at times that we may have seen our best days under Miles. Let's hope he makes the right decisions at the end of this year.

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This & I would bet my house that a large majority of educated fans feel this way more often than not.

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What are your REAL thoughts on the LSU program?

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Should be in the Top 5 EVERY year with the recruiting base and support LSU gets. LSU can do better than Les Miles and could have has Saban not jumped ship so late in the year. Brian Kelly is out there.

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When you feel like your team is well coached, the possibility to win every game exists. If you feel like your team is not well coached, you feel the possibility to lose every game exists.

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Man I wish I had just led with that. That encompasses so much..

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I-59 Tiger

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Wow. So in his second game and first loss four years ago you just decided to dump on the guy ? Even though he won 11 games that year and the next,and a National Title two years later, the attempt at a timeout was all you needed ?

Miles may not be Knute Rockne,but comments like this are just insane.

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You're right. When a head coach of a top tier college program (or a HS program for that matter) doesn't understand that the clock stops on COP, tries to call TO & is basically tackled by an asst (all caught on nat'l tv); that shouldn't throw up any red flags.

Holy Miles apologist.

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Well, I"m not sure you fully took my point. I think the fanbase is more at fault for its "either contend for a National Championship every year or the program is a failure"

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Again, more misrepresentation. This statement is about as dumb as your sig quote about the NYT...please Hardly even one person has said anything about a NC, they want the team to look crisp, improve every week not get worse, stop looking unprepared and disinterested, and challenge the good teams and beat them more often than not, and handily beat the teams that they should beat. There is nothing that is 'fanatic' or 'unreasonable' about those expectations. This is what every fans wants for his team, it's not something outside the norm as you intimate.