A couple of questions about Les Miles

Submitted by artds on
Am I just making this up, or was it not Miles who recommended Rich Rod to Martin and MSC 3 years ago? I seem to remember Miles confirming publicly that he spoke Martin and MSC shortly after the ESPN/Herbstreit debacle went down to suggest potential coaching candidates to his alma mater.

Also, can anyone speak to the rumors regarding the negative stuff that supposedly went down with Miles when he was on the coaching staff here? I'm sure we've all heard those stories by now, but I don't know how much of that is grounded in fact and how much is just some made up BS that got started on an internet forum somewhere.

jmblue

January 7th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^

I don't believe we ever contacted Miles, for any purpose, in 2007. 

As for the rumors, there's no way of confirming anything.  All we know for certain is that he and Carr do not like each other at all.  Whether Brandon shares Carr's disdain for Miles is not known.

mackbru

January 7th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^

I've got nothing against nostalgia-based, ie the Bo book. My point is that I wouldn't count on Bacon to provide the most objective or definitive reporting re something controversial, like the Miles situation. Bacon tends to tow the company line. Which makes for pleasant reads, but not terribly definitive ones.

mich_engineer

January 7th, 2011 at 2:03 PM ^

Note: This post ignores the negative things about Miles that have been tossed around, e.g., politics, oversigning, etc. 

 

Just because there is no where else to post this - I don't see Miles' age as a detriment in this situation.  Miles can recruit like crazy, and its doubtful he'd be looking to coach until they bring him out feet-first like JoePa.  Lets assume he effectively has a 5-8 year lifespan as a head coach - that is plenty of time to stock the cupboard with a huge amount of talent, then run a proper search brilliant young gameday coach, who can start everything off on the right foot and has to maintain rather than rebuild.  In the meantime, Miles is underrated as a coach himself - you can't luck your way into multiple 10 win seasons in the SEC.  Since it seems like we won't be getting the total package in a coach right now unless Harbaugh has a change of heart or Patterson is on the way, I don't see this situation as that big of a negative.

MI Expat NY

January 7th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^

I agree with this sentiment.  He isn't Larry Coker who took over a talented, experienced team and then steadily backslid.  Les Miles has 4 seasons of 10+ wins, and it could be 4 seasons of 11+ wins if they win tonight, with LSU not looking to be slowing down anytime soon.  Plenty of coaches would have done far worse.  And if Ryan Perriloux hadn't been such an idiot, leading to their awful QB situations the last three seasons, his record probably would look as shiny today as it did three years ago, despite the clock management issues, eating of the grass, and everything else that makes him appear incompetent.  

I'd almost be willing to give him a pass on some of the ethical problems, being that he competes in the SEC.  Almost, but not quite.  I'll just make it a negative against him, something that unfortunately, all serious candidates will have.  

SFBlue

January 7th, 2011 at 2:07 PM ^

Let's assume those rumors are true, and that sometime during the Mo era Les Miles slept with another coach's wife.  Should we really hold it against him 15-20 years later? 

I wonder how much of the anti-Miles sentiment stems from sour grapes based on the erroneous assumption he turned down the Michigan job (or worse, used it to get more money from LSU). 

aaamichfan

January 7th, 2011 at 2:51 PM ^

But, if Gary's wife is the same age as him(no guarantee), she is 12 years older than Les. If the story happened around the time of Moeller's firing, we're talking about a 43 year old Miles having sex with a 55 year old Mrs. Moeller. 

 

Unless Les Miles is a really sick fuck, this does not compute.

SFBlue

January 7th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^

I disagree.  Personal issues one coach has with another should not be elevated to a program-level dispute.  Don't let's punish the program for Miles' twenty year old sins. 

Steve Lorenz

January 7th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^

Gordon Bombay will be Michigan's next HC. Charlie Conway at QB, Goldberg at C, Luis Mendoza at WR, The bash brothers at DE, Adam Banks at RB provided his wrist is healthy 

evenyoubrutus

January 7th, 2011 at 2:12 PM ^

You're just making this up.

I think you are referring to when Les Miles "met with administration from his former school so he could give them advice on their coaching search" (wink wink, nudge nudge).  Which is about as true as when Rich Rodriguez was meeting with a "financial adviser" in Toledo, OH.  If you didn't get it yet, they were re-offering him the job and he was re-turning-them-down.

This does not equal Les Miles suggesting Rich Rodriguez.

profitgoblue

January 7th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^

Terry Foster just filed a report with the title "Michigan loyalists split again - between candidates Brady Hoke and Les Miles."  I feel wronged.  What about those of us that desperately hope that neither are hired?  I want to feel a part of something, dammit!

BluePants

January 7th, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^

Uhhh...is that really a debate? If the decision is between Hoke and Miles, I can't even imagine ANY legitimate football-based argument for Hoke. Repeat all of the old rumors you want, but come on people. NC and multiple 10 win seasons in the SEC versus a losing career record. Hopefully DB will just tell him to cut it out with the oversigning and bring in Les for 5-8 years, after which we'll do the search right.

Huckleby4Heisman

January 7th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^

Never mind the rumors, check out the damning "Outside the Lines" segment on the oversigning of recruits that Les Miles has engaged in at LSU. As a proud Michigan alum, I'd like to believe that such practices alone would exclude him from being a serious candidate for Michigan's coach (or of being a representative of the university in any form).

If you haven't seen the segment, go to:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/index

and click on "Over The Limit."
 

Surveillance Doe

January 7th, 2011 at 2:23 PM ^

I wonder how Les Miles, while coaching a program of comparable prominence, would do against Ohio State in a big-game scenario.  That might be worth considering, right?  If only we had a data point from, say, the last three years or so.

blueandthrough

January 7th, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^

There seems to be a lot of Les Miles downgrading but couldn't we say the same things about MANY coaches in big time D I football? Gasp! Even Jim Tressel who the MSM thinks is pure as the driven snow. Maybe we need to "broaden our horizons" and look at a winner who thrives in a cut throat conference even though he is grass eating crazy.

Or maybe I need to quit drinking at noon...