Les Miles Report Card

Full Disclosure:
For the record, I was neither for Miles nor against Miles during the last 3 seasons while at LSU. I have been critical at times and I have been equally complimentary. I have delayed my official critique of Miles until now because I thought that was the fair thing to do. He’s been here 3 years now. He’s fully entrenched at LSU and now is the appropriate time for him to be judged. He may not like being scrutinized so much by the media and the fans, but that’s why he makes the big bucks.
It is important to remember that coaching is a very tough job. It involves a lot of hard work 12 months a year. The responsibilities and pressure is more than most people can handle. I have broken down the coaching profession into many sub-categories that make up Miles’ job description. Like everyone, he excels at some aspects of his job and is not so good at others. No coach in the country is good at everything. They all have their faults. I will give a grade to each sub-category and then calculate his Coaching GPA. Let’s get to it.

Program Management:
As the head of the football program, Miles must manage the day-to-day operations of the entire football staff, much like the CEO of a corporation. The ‘Project Management’ sub-categories are:

Hiring Decisions: A+
If you want to be great, surround yourself with great people. Miles has done just that. Most notably, Miles hired 2 excellent coordinators to run his offensive and defensive units. In his first season, Gary Crowton established a very consistent and productive offense that averages nearly 40 points per game. Bo Pellini has kept LSU’s defense ranked in the top 5 the past 3 seasons. Both of these guys were hired by Miles. Good job!

Personal Character: A+
Don’t discredit this aspect of being a good coach. Miles is a quality man. He is an honest, reputable person who genuinely cares about other people, especially his players. He is a family man and a role model to his team. Miles’ character may not matter to some fans, but it matters to me.

Public Relations: C-
Sometimes, Miles lets his emotions take over in front of the microphone and he behaves like a fan, not a head coach. He often provides bulletin board material for his opponents which is unnecessary and counterproductive. His comments about the Pac-10 made him a national target for criticism. His rant about “F’ing Alabama” didn’t help his cause. I like his passion, but he needs to control himself when he’s in the public eye. Furthermore, Miles is not a very good public speaker. He uhhh fumbles over words uhhh and uhhhh sometimes uhhh doesn’t make much uhhhh sense when he uhhh talks.

Team Discipline: A-
Every program has a few bad apples. The way that the head coach handles these players defines his reputation as a disciplinarian or a win at all cost hypocrite. The key is to be consistent and fair. Miles has done a good job of both. The most high profile discipline problems have come from backup QB Ryan Perrilloux. But remember, Perrilloux’s troubles have been non-violent type offenses. That is why I believe he’s been given a second and third chance. He won’t get a fourth.

Player Development: B-
Coaching proper techniques and game strategies is the responsibility of the head coach and his staff. It is important that players learn the schemes, tactics, and rules of football. Without being at practice, it’s hard to grade out this category. Another part of developing a team is recognizing each player’s strengths and weaknesses and giving them the best opportunity at the appropriate position. Miles has made several successful position changes, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.

Gameday Coaching:
Strike up the band, its game day. Does Miles have what it takes to match wits with some of the most successful and revered coaches in the nation? The ‘Gameday Coaching’ sub-categories are:

Game Planning: B+
This starts Sunday night for the coaching staff. They review film of their next opponent and formulate a plan of attack. Their ability to identify weaknesses is crucial to being a good coach. Offensively, Miles (and Crowton) were very consistent throughout the season. Each game saw a very balanced attack of run and pass. Defensively, the game plans were a wild card. Will they be aggressive or will they take a more passive approach? Miles (and Pellini) were susceptible to some poor defensive performances, especially at the end of this season. But considering the past 3 seasons, the offensive and defensive game plans have been fairly good.

Game Management/ Clock Management: C-
Miles’ game management skills need a little improvement. He has shown an unwillingness to modify certain game plans and make necessary adjustments. He can be very stubborn. Although not uncommon, this is a bad trait for a football coach. Another bad trait is Miles’ ability, or lack there of, to keep up with the fast pace of the game. Miles has not shown the capability to think quickly under pressure. He sometimes looks confused on the sidelines and he’s done some goofy things at times. His clock management at the end of some games has been questionable. We all remember the winning touchdown at the end of the Auburn game with 1 second left.

Personnel Decisions: B-
Sometimes the best players don’t see the field nearly enough under Miles. The most glaring example of this is at the running back position. Jacob Hester is a strong back with a big heart, but he is not a feature back. I don’t think anyone can argue that Hester is a better all purpose running back then Keiland Williams or Charles Scott. These two guys give an added dimension when they are in the game that Hester does not. Miles tends to reward his seniors who have paid their dues. We saw the same situation last season with Justin Vincent. It’s a noble thing to do, but it could sometimes hurt the team. Give me Keiland and Scott on 1st and 2nd downs, and let Hester pick up the short yardage on 3rd downs.

Recruiting:
Having better talent than your opponent can make your job as a coach a lot easier. Miles has certainly benefited from inheriting a team loaded with super athletes. But, has Miles and Co. recruited players to sustain this program for the near future?? Some people say, rightly so, that LSU sells itself. The facilities, tradition, opportunities, and atmosphere surrounding LSU will bring in the best players each year. That may be true for the in-state recruits, but Miles must also recruit nationally against the likes of other big time football programs that offer similar opportunities. The ‘Recruiting’ sub-categories are:

Talent Evaluation: A+
Coaches spend much of the offseason traveling across the country to personally evaluate certain players. Not every player is up to LSU standards, and not every player wants to play for LSU. It’s Miles’ job to pick out 25 players each year that fit well into the LSU program. Miles has done a good job of identifying the best players in the state and across the country.

Recruiting Classes: A+
With two top 10 recruiting classes, and another on the way, LSU looks to be loaded with talent for the next few years. One national recruiting service that I follow closely, Rivals.com, has Miles’ recruiting classes ranked #7 and #4 respectively the last two seasons. While recruiting rankings are an inexact science, Miles is consistently near the top of the recruiting world.

Results:
Just win baby! It’s the only thing that matters to most sports fans. Right or wrong, the success of your team is most directly associated with your ability to win. Failing to meet fan expectations, no matter how unrealistic, will significantly hinder your future employment. The “Results” sub-categories are:

Record: A-
Miles has amassed a record of 33-6 over the last 3 seasons. That is an outstanding record (85% win percentage). Half of the losses have come in overtime and all of them have been against quality SEC teams.

Championships: B-
Winning a SEC or National Championship is not easy. Still, most fans believe that LSU was in great position to win, or at least play for, the SEC crown last season. Instead, LSU failed to win the west division. The year before, LSU was blown out by Georgia in the SEC Championship game. The SEC title has eluded Miles until this season. His grade would be F had he not beaten Tennessee. He still has the opportunity to hoist the crystal ball in a few weeks which would further improve his grade in this category dramatically.

Bowl Wins: A+
LSU handily won two very high profile bowl games in the Miles era. First, they destroyed Miami 40-3 in the Peach Bowl. This loss was the catalyst that sent the Miami program into a tailspin. Last season, they embarrassed Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl 41-14. Dominating performances against traditional powerhouses earns Miles a top grade in this category.

Final Rankings: A-
When you’re at the top of the polls, there’s very little room for improvement. However, that’s just what Miles has done. In 2005, LSU finished the season with a #5 ranking. In 2006, Miles improved on that finishing with a #3 ranking. Miles has the opportunity to continue the trend this season.

Miles’ Coaching GPA: 3.14

At this point in his tenure, Miles is a solid B student. A very respectable performance, but definite room for improvement. His biggest opportunity for improvement is with his PR skills and game/clock management. Generally, he’s been a good coach. He wins a lot of games, but needs more hardware to show for it. He’ll get his chance in a few weeks. Miles’ GPA will be adjusted, for better or worse, on January 7th.

I am not completely satisfied with Miles but I like him as LSU’s head coach and I respect him for succeeding in the very tough environment of college football. For those of you that are overly critical of Les, I’ll leave you with this quote:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who, at the worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”-Theodore Roosevelt