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Les Miles fired according to Sunday reports

Crimson1967

Crimson1967

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I think if Houston gets into the Big XII Herman stays. He will get the big bonus and will be at a P5 school in Texas, with all the benefits that come with that. If not, I think he heads to LSU.

I doubt Miles coaches again, but it will be because of his age, not his ability. Yes, he slipped the last couple years and they should have pulled the trigger last year. Their mistake was they let the cat out of the bag and the Les fan club started up. But since he has a big fat buyout and he will never have to work again, I'm not shedding any tears for him.
 
AUDub

AUDub

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Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
scoretide said:
Yes TOMMY WAS , Also AUDub , Several years ago I installed the new scoreboard at BRALY STADIUM (UNA) tater tot, was there and me and my guy's had a chance to speak with him, Likeable guy ! My wife was with us, and is a big Auburn fan ! And he told us flat out, THERE WAS THINGS THAT WENT ON THERE THAT WOULD MAKE OTHER PROGRAMS LOOK LIKE SAINTS, My wife asked him how did he fell toward the people there? He said HE LOVED THE SCHOOL, PEOPLE, ATMOSPHERE , ETC , But said the administration could go to HELL ! HE TOO SAID HE WAS FORCED OUT ! I had a close friend that played at Auburn in 93, And said PAT DYE was in the locker room ALOT DURING THAT YEAR, I ask Bowden about that , and all he would say was , DONT BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEAR THAT IT WAS HIS (BOWDON) IDEA !!!!!! It seems AUBURN is a lot like BAMA was , still too many of the old guard hanging around, What you think ?
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Tater Tot was a paradox. A terrific game day coach and as long as he had Pat Dye's talent he showed it. Discipline issues abounded. Yeah he was forced out, just like Tommy 10 years later and I don't mind that we did so for a second.

He was truly one of the worst recruiters I've ever seen. Not only did he religiously fail to land recruits kind of considering AU, but he chased off some players that grew up AU fans. Left an absolute mess that Tommy had to clean up. To Tommy's credit, he did a fine job and we were competing again in 2000, but the 3-8 and 5-6 seasons in 98-99 were a direct result of Terry's actions. Heck, we were starting tiny little WRs like Markeith Cooper or Heath Evans, a pure fullback, at RB in Tommy's first year because Terry couldn't be bothered to recruit an actual RB. And Gabe Gross was a disaster at QB. Good thing Ben Leard was serviceable and we might have gone bowling that year had he not gotten dinged up and left us starting poor overwhelmed Jeff Klein. Luckily, Tommy found this fella in JUCO named Rudi Johnson and in 2000 we had a balanced offense capable of winning games again.

Tommy, on the other hand, just burned out. Like Les, he couldn't adapt to the changing times. He did make a ham handed attempt at installing the spread, which worked in the 07 Peach Bowl, but his assistants (the BBQ gang) never bought into it and Franklin was scapegoated for our horrendous 08 offense. Almost like he was using his own team to prove a point that the spread wouldn't work in big time college football. Tommy's loyalty to the BBQ gang was a huge a part of his being forced out. Slacked off in recruiting too. He was a perennial 8-9 win coach and seemed satisfied to remain so while the college football world blew by him. What happened to him in '04 was a travesty though. At the time of Jetgate, I was furious at David Housel and felt that he had let down the school he said he loved. In hindsight though, I really feel like he was trying (in some convoluted way) to protect Auburn's interests. I haven't totally forgiven him, probably never will, but I feel much less animosty toward him.
 
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Crimson1967

Crimson1967

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AUDub said:
Tater Tot was a paradox. A terrific game day coach and as long as he had Pat Dye's talent he showed it. Discipline issues abounded. Yeah he was forced out, just like Tommy 10 years later and I don't mind that we did so for a second.

He was truly one of the worst recruiters I've ever seen. Not only did he religiously fail to land recruits kind of considering AU, but he chased off some players that grew up AU fans. Left an absolute mess that Tommy had to clean up. To Tommy's credit, he did a fine job and we were competing again in 2000, but the 3-8 and 5-6 seasons in 98-99 were a direct result of Terry's actions. Heck, we were starting tiny little WRs like Markeith Cooper or Heath Evans, a pure fullback, at RB in Tommy's first year because Terry couldn't be bothered to recruit an actual RB. And Gabe Gross was a disaster at QB. Good thing Ben Leard was serviceable and we might have gone bowling that year had he not gotten dinged up and left us starting poor overwhelmed Jeff Klein. Luckily, Tommy found this fella in JUCO named Rudi Johnson and in 2000 we had a balanced offense capable of winning games again.

Tommy, on the other hand, just burned out. Like Les, he couldn't adapt to the changing times. He did make a ham handed attempt at installing the spread, which worked in the 07 Peach Bowl, but his assistants (the BBQ gang) never bought into it and Franklin was scapegoated for our horrendous 08 offense. Almost like he was using his own team to prove a point that the spread wouldn't work in big time college football. Tommy's loyalty to the BBQ gang was a huge a part of his being forced out. Slacked off in recruiting too. He was a perennial 8-9 win coach and seemed satisfied to remain so while the college football world blew by him. What happened to him in '04 was a travesty though. At the time of Jetgate, I was furious at David Housel and felt that he had let down the school he said he loved. In hindsight though, I really feel like he was trying (in some convoluted way) to protect Auburn's interests. I haven't totally forgiven him, probably never will, but I feel much less animosty toward him.
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I think Housel was in way over his head as an AD. He was fine as a SID where he just had to run his mouth and promote the program. But the university decided to reward him for being a lifer there and paid the price.


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KrAzY3

KrAzY3

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BamaInBham said:
I'm sure it seemed like 2, but Bama did not wander in the wilderness for 2 decades
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Heh, I guess I inadvertently illustrated my point by doing it myself. Sometimes things feel worse than they actually are. Going by inflated Alabama fan expectations though, from one title to the next was nearly two decades, but yes even then falls short. But, calm calculating logic wilts in the face of unhappiness I suppose.

To back up a little bit though, the assertion never was that Les Miles or Gene Stallings were somehow the only great coaches those teams were capable of getting or something. I would however put Miles, Stallings, Fulmer, and Brown on a similar level. They're all coaches with high winning percentages who could have won multiple titles. When ranking the top all time coaches at those respective schools, those coaches have to be near the top of the list. The issue though is more the mistaken notion that they're somehow easily replaced just because the program itself is in good shape.

I was trying to think of coaches active college coaches who sustained Les Miles combination of recruiting and on field success and the list was really short. There's Saban and Meyer, then I guess you add Jimbo, but really that's it. I've seen his recruiting prowess used against him, as though it makes him a worse coach but that doesn't make sense. Yes, it's fun to see a Oregon, Boise St., Baylor, or Houston have success without top tier recruits I suppose. I get that. It's amusing when a bunch of three stars show up and do great things. However, recruiting and on field coaching is now a package deal. You don't really get bonus points for winning with less talent and if LSU doesn't get an ideal fit there's a very real chance that they have a better on field coach, yes, but that he also isn't as good a recruiter. I think it's shortsighted to hold a guy's recruiting against him, because no, not every coach can recruit like Les Miles recruited, even at LSU. If they don't make the right hire they're going to find that out.
 
UntouchableCrew

UntouchableCrew

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BamaInBham said:
Not really. Bama controlled the reg season game entirely but just could not convert but 6 points points out of 6 or 7 trips inside the 30. LSU converted every time. IMO, Bama got the short end of the stick.

As far as rematches, contrary to popular opinion, at least in SECC game history, the winner of the reg season game is 5-1 in the rematch. Bama was just a better team that year and the LSU players knew it. Which is why some their players gripped about it, which is highly unusual.
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LOL how did Alabama get the "short end of the stick?" Bama lost at home to LSU, didn't win their conference and were given a makeup game for the NC. Was Bama the best team in 2011? Yes, but they were extremely lucky to be given the chance to prove it.
 
B1GTide

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UntouchableCrew said:
LOL how did Alabama get the "short end of the stick?" Bama lost at home to LSU, didn't win their conference and were given a makeup game for the NC. Was Bama the best team in 2011? Yes, but they were extremely lucky to be given the chance to prove it.
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Watch the game again - Alabama should have won that game. Stuff happens in sports, but Alabama was clearly the better team. Only a huge confluence of poor officiating and horrible kicking kept them from beating LSU twice that season.
 
RTR91

RTR91

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B1GTide said:
Watch the game again - Alabama should have won that game. Stuff happens in sports, but Alabama was clearly the better team. Only a huge confluence of poor officiating and horrible kicking kept them from beating LSU twice that season.
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If Bama makes those kicks in regulation, I'm not sure LSU gets a rematch. If Bama wins 15-6, I don't think LSU gets the love Alabama got for losing 9-6 in OT.

Another thing to consider, LSU's offense would have changed some if Alabama makes those field goals. In both games, LSU threw 17 passes but ran the ball 14 more times in the first meeting (41 attempts) than in the second (27 attempts)

The first meeting could have easily looked like the second if those kicks were made.
 
Sabanizer

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UntouchableCrew said:
LOL how did Alabama get the "short end of the stick?" Bama lost at home to LSU, didn't win their conference and were given a makeup game for the NC. Was Bama the best team in 2011? Yes, but they were extremely lucky to be given the chance to prove it.
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I thought in this unusual game that the home team might not have advantage due to the fish bowl atmosphere the week leading up to the game. This was billed as the game of the decade, for the first time in my life, Tuscaloosa was by far the hottest place to be in the country. Celebrities and the media, a fish bowl. I think it contributed to Alabama playing tight. Compare how we played them just a few games later.
 
B1GTide

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RTR91 said:
If Bama makes those kicks in regulation, I'm not sure LSU gets a rematch. If Bama wins 15-6, I don't think LSU gets the love Alabama got for losing 9-6 in OT.
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You might be right, but their regular season schedule was a beast. Other than Alabama, they beat 7 other ranked opponents, including 2 others ranked in the top 5. Looking back, I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they would have been in the game.
 
UntouchableCrew

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B1GTide said:
Watch the game again - Alabama should have won that game. Stuff happens in sports, but Alabama was clearly the better team. Only a huge confluence of poor officiating and horrible kicking kept them from beating LSU twice that season.
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That's not the argument. Superior teams lose to inferior teams every Saturday, that's part of football -- Bama may have been (were) better but they didn't make the key plays when it mattered to win the ballgame.

He's just making the bizarre claim that Alabama "got the short end of the stick" which I think is crazy, since Alabama clearly got the benefit of the doubt and had things work in their favor. Oklahoma State and Stanford clearly are the teams that got screwed, and LSU would have certainly preferred to play OSU than Bama. Bama got the long end of the stick.
 
UntouchableCrew

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Sabanizer said:
I thought in this unusual game that the home team might not have advantage due to the fish bowl atmosphere the week leading up to the game. This was billed as the game of the decade, for the first time in my life, Tuscaloosa was by far the hottest place to be in the country. Celebrities and the media, a fish bowl. I think it contributed to Alabama playing tight. Compare how we played them just a few games later.
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I'm not saying Alabama wasn't the better team. I'm saying they were fortunate to get the chance to prove it in the rematch.
 
B1GTide

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UntouchableCrew said:
That's not the argument. Superior teams lose to inferior teams every Saturday, that's part of football -- Bama may have been (were) better but they didn't make the key plays when it mattered to win the ballgame.

He's just making the bizarre claim that Alabama "got the short end of the stick" which I think is crazy,
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I think that he meant in that game, not that season.
 
Sabanizer

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UntouchableCrew said:
I'm not saying Alabama wasn't the better team. I'm saying they were fortunate to get the chance to prove it in the rematch.
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I Agree 100%. We did not win our league, whatever the opinion, it caused enough national uproar to usher in the payoffs imo. In the 1st game we were the better team. and played tight in a fish bowl atmosphere the week leading up imo. Hence missing 4 or so FG's.

And yes, a appy state can beat anyone if they are playing 100% and the other team 80%, or other anomalies.

Edit, on the flip side, as we know Bama was absolutely boycotted by national press in 66, maybe our best team ever. So I was very pleased with the rematch with LSU. We were the best team in country no doubt.
 
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UntouchableCrew

UntouchableCrew

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B1GTide said:
I think that he meant in that game, not that season.
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Right but he was responding to someone referring to LSU getting the short end of the stick by having to play them again, so in context it didn't make much sense. Regardless, I think we'd all agree the best team won the title anyway so there's it's not that big of a deal.
 
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