re: Les Miles made LSU football fun again

As much as this might sting, it reminds me of the fun Pete Carroll was having at USC......only with a more responsible feel.

Great post!

I couldn't agree more.

great post

Me and my wife tried to explain to my son (15) that LSU hasn't always been this good. He thinks that a 8-5 season with a win over Ga. Tech is a sucky season. I tell him he has no idea as I sat through arse whippings in the 90's. I saw Dinardo "bring back the Magic" and I know he brough a ton of talent in, Saban took it to a new level. I never thought I would see us win a NC like in 03. Miles has brought us to the elite level. I have enjoyed every minute of this year.

Yeah, that "bring back the magic" game against auburn brought tons of recruits in...it was rocking

A friend of mine and I were reflecting on it, how dinardo's PR move started this ball rolling, now les has it rolling uphill and sideways

We needed Saban when he came in, and les was the perfect follow up...

I hope les stays until he retires...then takes Corso's job on gameday...that would be killer Lsu pr

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It's just interesting to me because we've gotten to experience both styles of coaching now, and two of our main rivals in the SEC are coached by "process" coaches, perfectionists who rule over their teams with an iron fist. Saban was a fantastic coach at LSU, as he is at Alabama. However, there is no doubt by the time he had left LSU he had managed to take a lot of the fun out of LSU football. We were so wound up in the process. We were enamored with it - the man demanded perfection, yelled at players who f'd up when LSU was up 41-14 in ball games, and we ate it up. Saban's obsessiveness for perfection became ours, and his lack of enjoyment in his own successes was reflected onto the fans in many ways. By the time the man left LSU, I had a pretty negative outlook on LSU football. Any mistake on a player's part should have been met with an arse chewing, any human error in clock management shouldn't be tolerated, etc. Les Miles seemed to be THE WORST replacement, the anti-Saban. Now looking back I don't think there is any other coach that could have followed Saban and not been fired after 3-4 years - LSU fans demanded perfection and were out for blood when we didn't get it. Les stuck it out and took his lumps, evolved into a better coach, and has now made football at LSU more fun than ever. Yeah, winning helps. But it is more fun to watch and appreciate HOW this team wins. They play loose, with swagger, and with heart. They play for their teammates, not because they are kinda scared of their coach and sometimes play tight-assed because of it. When Saban leaves Alabama (whether it be next year or 5 years from now) there will be the same effect. They will have achieved greatness, while also being slaves to the process. It will be very interesting to see who follows Saban - I'd be willing to bet his successor will not last more than a few years, and only then we will be able to fully appreciate what Les Miles has overcome, accomplished, and reformed here at LSU by keeping LSU on top AND restoring the fun. I know bros - TL;DR....GEAUX TIGERS!!

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OUTSTANDING post!
I think you've summated a vast majority of the sentiment amongst Tiger faithful.
It goes along with my general viewpoint on the differences in approach between Miles and Saban.

Saban refuses (at least publicly) to qualify a "big game" to his players. He hammers that point into their noggins. It's a mistake, IMO.
Continuously repeating something that just isn't so isn't going to make it so.

I like how Miles approaches these types of contests. Players are "loose," yet fully understand exactly what's at stake. They can remain focused while still realizing the sheer brevity of such games. It's an amazingly fine line Les Miles traverses, and he does so with impeccable skill.

Great thread! Totally agree with the OP.

I'd like to add: Look at how well our teams play in big games since Les has been here.

Even when we lose those games, 99% of the time we're in it right until the very end.

Les is winning at an 80%+ clip. You don't win that much by accident, or from sheer luck.

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The coaches on LSU's staff (except for the former OC) seem to enjoy working with him.

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I think that is because Saban let Jimbo do what he wanted being a defensive minded coach; on the other hand, Les is an offensive minded coach who didn't let him run the offensive show and that's where they conflicted. Besides Jimbo wanted to be a headcoach...

100% AGREE