re: Props to Coach Miles. Really.

quote:

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Lauding Miles is like lauding a father

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There's your problem right there. Holding a coach to the same standard as a father is unrealistic. What father has 85+ kids to look after? What father is limited by rules to spend only X hours a week with his kids? A coach can't watch every player every minute and control their behavior. He can set rules, he can try to impress upon them the importance of following the rules, he can punish them for violating the rules, but he can't keep them from breaking them if they're just determined to do so.

Does this shed some light on why Mathieu wasn't at SEC Media Days? Maybe Miles already knew something was coming down the pike and left Mathieu at home for that reason, or maybe Mathieu was already in the doghouse for other actions and this was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

In any event, it's sad that Mathieu wasn't able to comply with the rules. He could have been a legend of LSU football and maybe had a career in the NFL. His measurables would have limited his potential in the NFL (as they did his scholarship offers coming out of high school), but he might have been able to overcome that with his ability to make big plays. No way an NFL team takes a chance on him now if he's a discipline risk as well.