re: Realistic=Optimistic

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I would love to believe you are right. What we have and what we have coming is the next football season. Recruits, no matter how many stars they do or don't carry, are only as good as they will be coached to be. Time will tell.

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(Reply not directed specifically at JawjaTigah)

This is an awesome quote - Miles is a doofus who won with Saban's recruits - but all recruits need to be coached to win - So which one is it?

Did the recruits win in 2007 - in which case Miles is doing fine by bringing in great classes.

Did the coaching win in 2007 - in which case , regardless of a couple of down years (relatively not absolutely), he is still our coach and can recruit as well.

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Reality says we are far from OK on offense.

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Reality IS that we didn't click on offense last year.

We have hired new coaches on the offense - have an experienced QB and no one knows WTF is going to happen this year - and I choose to be optimistic.

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This is an awesome quote - Miles is a doofus who won with Saban's recruits - but all recruits need to be coached to win - So which one is it?

Did the recruits win in 2007 - in which case Miles is doing fine by bringing in great classes.

Did the coaching win in 2007 - in which case , regardless of a couple of down years (relatively not absolutely), he is still our coach and can recruit as well.

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+1, please bring this to the rant.

Good point, IDK. But that comes down to coaching and the guy making those decisions is still in charge. I have all the confidence in the world that the defense will be OK and good enough for a BCS game, but not the same confidence in the offense. With what we have coming back offensively and who's coaching them up we have a 7 win offense with a 11 win defense.

Optimism

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Miles is a doofus who won with Saban's recruits - but all recruits need to be coached to win - So which one is it?

Did the recruits win in 2007 - in which case Miles is doing fine by bringing in great classes.

Did the coaching win in 2007 - in which case , regardless of a couple of down years (relatively not absolutely), he is still our coach and can recruit as well.

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This is my thinking: Yes and no, to all of the above. Somewhere between when Saban left and Miles took over and today some things have changed.

First, all new coaches inherit a coaching "culture" from their predecessor. Miles did. Saban did. Dinardo did. Etc.

Second, Miles benefited from the Saban culture and the team which was coached by Saban/Miles looked good for a couple of years.

Third, in the Miles MNC year (07), the team actually began having some mild issues that translated into key losses - esp. the UK loss. I attribute that to the change in balance of the Saban culture. It was being outweighed by the Miles culture, and the loss of team focus and discipline was beginning to surface, if just slightly.

Fourth, a combination of bad hiring (Malveto) and further erosion of the Saban culture led to the emergence of the real Miles coaching culture at LSU. We saw blunders, defensive failure, lack of proper use of talent, clock management issues, and a retrenchment of Miles' former freedom to be a free-wheeling gambler (He didn't have confidence in the players? What reason? No focus?)

Fifth, I present seasons 2008 and 09 as the emerging trend at LSU.

Sixth, I will be the first cheer if CLM can overcome his own coaching style and begin moving back to the focused, disciplined, dominating LSU teams that are truly competing for championships and not just having a "want" to compete on that level.

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consider a top 10 class disappointing.

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What I consider disappointing is the way LSU played for the last two years in a row. Recruiting rankings are just dreams. What counts is what happens on the field. LSU has looked increasingly lost, like the whole team fabric is unraveling, right before our very eyes. The Tigers looked like their old dominant selves a total of one whole game last season, versus Auburn. Otherwise, it just came and went in flashes.

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I still look on them as an inevitable down period in the wake of the Perrilloux mess and the loss of Pellini. The next year or two will tell whether that is the case or if there are deeper problems.

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I can respect your opinion, even though I don't share agreement on the Perriloux thing. Yes it was a fiasco, but I just don't see giving him that much credit. Was he the whole LSU team? No. Was his departure in mid-season? No. Was there time to develop readiness on the part of JL or JJ? Yes. I just see the bulk of the problem in a coaching failure to develop young QBs, admittedly earlier than originally planned. But this stuff happens to teams and they adjust. LSU didn't. That's coaching, IMO. And so I am not really optimistic that CLM & CO. have what it takes to develop any of the talent on any of the hi-ranked recruiting classes to the extent that said talent could be developed. Case in point: RS this past season.

Gonzo is here as an OC don't let anyone tell you different. This is a smooth transition taking place. No matter what i think Gonzo was hired with the idea of him taking over soon. Being brought on as recruiting coordinator and an assistant HC should say a lot. Smart move by LM. This way nobody gets their feathers ruffled next year.
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Interesting take on the situation. I've had similar thoughts myself, although I haven't thought it through as thoroughly as you. it would make sense with the way Miles operates, though. He was very sensitive in the way he handled the DC situation last year. He didn't fire anyone...he quietly made sure both coaches had other "offers". They accepted those offers and then he brought in Chavis. Smooth...and no public embarrassement to either of the previous co-DCs. If things don't go well with Crowton this year, I would expect something similar.