re: Russell Shepard...either never got the right chance or was just not what he seemed to be?

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He was a depth WR and special teams player in the NFL.

He did exactly what he did at LSU in the pros so he actually proved the LSU coaching staff right.

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I completely disagree.

There are many players who are dynamic in college then go to the NFL where they are just average players. But often times they were dynamic in college because the coaching staff put them in position to be a dynamic player.

Miles's downfall was his flat out refusal to adapt on offense. He wasn't going to change his approach no matter how much evidence there was to EVERYONE ELSE in college football that his antiquated approach was the anchor on what should have been some great LSU teams.

Perhaps the best recent example of how "fit" matters is Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Anyone who watched Clyde in HS knew where he really excelled was in space and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Clyde could leave a defender 6 inches away grasping for air after a sudden cut.

In 2018 Clyde was the #2 RB in Ensminger's antiquated, predictable offensive approach. An approach that was just a slightly more "open" variation of Miles's approach. Clyde had some solid moments in 2018, but he was FAR from "dynamic".

Enter Joe Brady in 2019 who recognizes Clyde's skillset and sees he could play a role similar to Alvin Kamara in the Saints offense. That is you could line him up wide at receiver or motion him out wide from the backfield. As a RB they didn't just stick him behind a FB and TEs close to the line. The went single back from the shotgun and created space for him to operate in...which is where he was at his best. The result? He becomes a dynamic piece of the 2019 offense and goes from being an afterthought at the RB position to a 1st round pick.

Did Clyde suddenly become a much better individual player from 2018 to 2019? No. It's just that in 2019 the OC put him in a position where he would use his strengths to their fullest..

Shepard was a guy who was kind of positionless. He could make some plays as a QB...but he wasn't a true QB. He could make some plays as a RB...but he wasn't a true RB. He could make some plays as a WR...but he wasn't a true WR. But to fully unlock his abilities you had to get him in positions to succeed, not simply just try to jam a square peg in a round hole....which is what Miles ALWAYS did offensively. I always though Sheppard could have been used similar to what Ole Miss did with Dexter McCluster. They found ways to get him the ball and get him in space. Sometimes that was from lining up at RB. Sometimes QB. Sometimes WR. But the offense adapted to fit him. They didn't try to force him to adapt to fit the offense.

Great coaches find a way to get the most out of their players' strengths. Even if sometimes that takes a bit of unconventional thinking. Average to bad coaches try to force players to fit the coach's preferred approach. Even if it is a bad fit and doesn't utilize the strength of the player. That was Miles. He didn't care what your individual strengths/weaknesses were. Every RB was going to do the same thing. Every WR was going to do the same thing. Every QB. It didn't matter if it was clearly not working. That was Miles's approach and how the game was going to be played come hell or high water.