Here's what he said in the postgame interview with ESPN (and I had to rewind the DVR several times to accurately transcribe this gibberish):
"The opportunity to get first downs were taken for granted until it's time we weren't getting them. ... There will be a little more resolve than want."
Dowhatnow?
It didn't get any easier for Miles in the post-game press conference, which opened with him being completely (and unprofessionally) slammed by New Orleans radio personality Bobby Hebert, father of LSU offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert.
“Coach, did you ever consider bringing in Jarrett Lee, considering that you weren’t taking any chances down the field? Now, I know Alabama’s defense is dominant. But, come on, that’s ridiculous, five first downs. I mean, so it’s almost an approach, I’ll tell you from the fans’ standpoint, that how can you not maybe push the ball down the field and bring in Jarrett Lee? So what if you get a pick-six. … I know the pass rush of Alabama, but there’s no reason why, five first downs – you have a great defense, LSU is a great defense, but that’s ridiculous.”
I haven't visited LSU's message boards this morning, but the guess here is that someone has already called for Miles' head. Twelve hours ago, the coach had a team that some analysts were calling the best ever. Now he's a bum because his offense couldn't do jack against Alabama's defense.
Granted, some tough questions need to be asked when your offense looks that clueless. Alabama's defense is ferocious and unforgiving, so it's going to be hard to move the ball much. But some of LSU's play calls made it look like the Bayou Bengals' offensive brain trust funneled Hurricanes from Bourbon Street with their pre-game meal. Their offense looked spooked from the start.
It wasn't just that LSU was shut out, the first time that's happened to anyone in the championship game of the BCS era. It was that the Bayou Bengals were lucky to reach the low totals in yardage (92) and first downs (5) that they did.
Undoubtedly, Miles will become a much lesser coach based on what happened over a three-hour stretch last night in New Orleans. His strange quirks, viewed as interesting and endearing when he was winning big, will now be viewed as signs of his instability. Never mind that LSU returns a bunch of guys from this team and should be considered a favorite to win the BCS next year.
After the news conference, Bobby Hebert had this to say to the Lake Charles (La.) American Press:
“It’s like ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ The clock struck midnight on the Mad Hatter.”
Other coaches across college football can relate. When Georgia was a dominant road team in the SEC a decade or so ago, Mark Richt's calm demeanor was said to be an essential ingredient that transferred to his team in pressure situations. After his team stopped winning big a few years ago, his calm demeanor was viewed as a lack of passion that was undermining Georgia's program.
Here in Clemson, Dabo Swinney's rah-rah ways captured the fancy of seemingly every major media outlet on the planet when the Tigers were rolling to an 8-0 start. Three blowout losses over the next four games diminished the fascination a bit.
Had Nick Saban been on the wrong end of last night's bloodletting, you'd better believe there'd be people questioning his dictatorial ways and whether he can relate to today's player.
In today's world of knee-jerk analysis and breathless hyperbole, coaches are either the best ever or they're bums. There's seldom much room for anything in between.
It's a fine line.
LW
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