re: Official What Happened Behind the Scenes Thread: Day 2, Still Waiting for Truth

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Me and my family walked over to the Hilton right before the team loaded the bus and rode over to the superdome. Let me just say, not ONE player looked up/ready for this game. While the players walked on to the bus and we the fans were cheering, going crazy, chanting "L S U", and just getting emotionally fired up for the game, I couldn't quite tell from the player's facial expressions if whether they were EXTREMELY focused, or if they're moms had just been shot and killed. They literally looked drained/lifeless. I specifically remember one player as he sat down on the bus, put his head down against the window and not even look out the window towards the crowd. Also, not but 3-4 players i remember out of the whole team as they boarded the bus glanced at us cheering. It was really odd. Almost spooky. I mean I don't expect them to be hootin and hollerin and making a big deal out it, but, it was NOT like what you usually see when the team walks down victory lane. They looked extremely tight or nervous, and didn't seem right at all.

Anyways, not saying or trying to fuel a rumor, but this just what i witnessed and thought i would share. Maybe someone else who was there would agree with me.

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Those of us who watched on TV heard pregame comments (might have been Erin Andrews?) that Les Miles stated he thought his team was too amped up and jittery prior to the Ohio State game of the 2007 season, and that he believed it caused many miscues (allowing a 65 yd TD run and going 3 and out on first possession) during that game. The comment (made before this game) was that Miles was trying to make sure that didn't happen again for this game.

This was stated very clearly. It turned out to be true and we witnessed the result. If the result of the game was that the team was not "amped up" enough, it was intentional. Blame lies solely on the shoulders of Les Miles for intentionally "amping it down". It's certainly not worth firing him over.

I think he learned a lesson that he did not need to learn, by stupidly over-valuing improbable events that occurred in the first quarter of that game. Many coaches do that. It's a shame he had to experience that so late in his career and with such an important game on the line.

Of course detractors will say that Les simply gave that tale to the reporters because he was trying to cover for something else that happened which he knew would result in an emotionless team taking the field. I don't believe Les is smart enough to plant a story before a game.

So if it is true that players were angry at Miles AFTER the game, it may simply be them releasing that emotion HE instructed them to suppress at a time when they felt his decisions led to their demise. They should be pissed that they were not permitted to get "amped up" (as reported on TV before the game), and they should obviously be pissed at Les.