A World Held Hostage: Miles Drumbeat Update
Don't look at me, lady. via
As of about 5:30 LSU's athletic director was saying he hadn't been contacted about Les Miles and would shoot any Yankee who came within 500 feet of him: "Les Miles is LSU's head coach and we are going to do everything we can to keep it that way. He has had great success here and we plan to keep enjoying that success under his leadership."
But now drums in the deep say that is one lying-ass athletic director:
Michigan expressed interest in talking to LSU coach Les Miles prior to the AT&T Cotton Bowl and it is expected the meeting will occur soon, sources told ESPN.
One source close to Miles said a time and place has not been finalized. Another source said the coach would give LSU 24 hours notification before the interview and that had not occurred. Miles, a Michigan alum, would be interested in listening to athletic director Dave Brandon, one source close to him said.
In this case, drums in the deep are Joe Schad. If you work for ESPN please change his password to this.
Now… this exact same article was written three years ago—almost to the letter—but apparently no meeting ever happened or was set up. Les Miles did get punched in the face with millions of dollars, though, and his agent probably plays "have a nice day" as part of his hype-up video to this day. I'm always deeply skeptical of "sources" who are talking to the WWL and no one else because a good chunk of the time they're lying-ass agents. ESPN scoops == 50% agent vapor.
Meanwhile, my inbox has accounts that 75% guarantee Brady Hoke will be coach having a dance-off with accounts that 75% guarantee Les Miles will be coach. I don't really believe any of them, because the one thing that seems like a rock-hard certainty is that about five people have any clue WTF is going on. Even last time when there was a committee leaking left and right, almost everything that got reported about Michigan guys turned out to be crap—Hoke was never in play, and neither was Miles—and the best information came from third parties who were close to Ferentz, Schiano, and eventually Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Schiano came so far out of left field that the actual media was ahead of the rumor train—the Sporting News was the first entity to mention Rodriguez in connection with Michigan even counting GoBlue1856 and his four posts on Rivals.
This time we're dealing with a pro-Hoke crowd who knows him personally and the LSU fanbase, so… yeah. Maybe that's just me engaging in wishful thinking that the next coach's best asset won't be his ability to find Cubs' AC without a GPS, but since those two guys are so bleedingly obvious it seems easy for misinformation about them to get passed around. A similar drumbeat about a guy without connections to Michigan would be an all but certain hire. This I don't know.
The thing I was told before this all started blowing up, long before it, was that for a lot of reasons Miles would never be seriously considered for the Michigan job. Obviously I'm wavering from that point but I still think Michigan's coach is more likely than not to be someone no one is talking about right now.
COMPLETELY BOGUS PERCENTAGES:
30% Brady Hoke
20% Les Miles
50% Hot Coordinator Du Jour
BONUS: We've officially reached that bit of the coaching search: sources say Jon Gruden is "interviewing for" the job, and by "interviewing for" FSD's Jennifer Hammond means "golfing in the vicinity of." Seriously, even she hashtags that baby "takeitwithagrainofsalt." Will do, Ms. Hammond.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:30 AM ^
I think you meant orcs.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:47 AM ^
Pull them up. All of them!
/nerd
January 9th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
Yeah but I hear the big guy with the hammer is coming with them, and he is a five star on all three sites and couldn't care less who the next coach is as he believes he can be successful in any defensive front- even the rarely employed one-five-five.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
it seems until the source = pimp hand I'll continue pulling my hair out and drinking copious amounts of firewater
#doubtfullygullible
January 9th, 2011 at 12:44 AM ^
And Gary Patterson for $3.5M/
January 9th, 2011 at 12:44 AM ^
Is there anything out there evidencing a conversation or contact between Michigan/DB and Hoke? Or is it literally 100% media speculation? I can't read 10 words on espn without seeing something about Hoke "being in the mix" for the top job. http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/37721/michigan-closing-in-on-the-hat
I hate the fact that he calls RR's offense "basketball on grass..." Denard leaving and getting Hoke as the next HC -- doom.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:47 AM ^
What did Hoke ever do to you??? Hoke is the poor girl who nobody asked to prom who is waiting by the phone for the guy she has had a crush on forever and if he were to ever call, she would say "Yes" immediatly and be ready in 10 minutes. I kind of feel sorry for the guy.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:45 AM ^
That Brian rogered the pooch something fierce by planting this in people's heads. Where, exactly, is the full Hoke quote re: basketball on grass? Didn't he run some version of a pass-heavy spread at Ball State? People are taking this one quote and the fact that he's fat to mean that he must be utterly incompetent.
Talk about his record and how he really hasn't proved himself - that's certainly fair enough. This basketball on grass shit is ridiculous.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:45 AM ^
The latest: Les Miles is coming and Jon Gruden is going to be his Offensive Coordinator. I don't have any sources of course (KH-ESPN) but I just have a gut feeling for these things...
January 9th, 2011 at 12:46 AM ^
Well that is reassuring (I guess)
January 9th, 2011 at 12:48 AM ^
If it is Les Miles and he hears we were offering in the 5 million range for JH, he is not going to come cheaply.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:49 AM ^
The best part of this post is that TLOTR is actually on *right now*!
January 9th, 2011 at 1:09 AM ^
Isn't he like 71?
January 9th, 2011 at 11:03 AM ^
Thank you for your input, Mr. Moore. We'll get back to you.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:08 AM ^
hahahaha Jerry Moore is 71. Hell, why not JoePa?!
January 9th, 2011 at 1:15 AM ^
Professional Hottie!
Is Tate still committed?
January 9th, 2011 at 1:20 AM ^
Why hasn't he been hired yet? If it were going to be him, DB could've hired him days ago and we would probably have Frost (maybe Lyons) as well as a more solid current class. It doesn't make sense.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^
Is that there seems to be no "leaking committee" this time, which tells me that Brandon is running a pretty tight operation.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:58 AM ^
If they lost Les Miles." and then go hard after him. I really like the idea of Auburns OC, personally. These SEC schools seem to land big name peoples... Why can't we?
January 9th, 2011 at 2:08 AM ^
It all depends on if DB is playing to win or playing not to lose. With Miles you get a guy who has a NC Ring and has done well in the B12 and SEC. You can't complain about that hire on technical merits, he has the resume. Some of the shit that goes down off the field might be worth worrying over, but in terms of on the field performance it is a safe hire.
The hot young coordinator though, he's a potential homerun hit, young with a long career in front of him. If you get him comfortable here and keep the NFL away from him you could have another long tenure coach. Or he could flame our miserably and DB could catch heat for hiring a guy with not HC experience.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
An upside with a Les hire is that you could still hire that coordinator a little earlier in his career, give him some time to get used to AA, recruiting for Michigan and dealing with our bizarre fan base and then let him take over when Les retires (hopefully w/ another NC ring w/ an M on it).
January 9th, 2011 at 1:59 AM ^
they did talk to Jon Gruden?I had a dream that we hired a coach that i was not expecting us to get.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:44 AM ^
I had a dream that Denard and another player came over for dinner and I made mac n cheese and beef stew, and then I worried that I had violated some arcane NCAA rule about players and home-cooked meals.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
From a dream where we were about to hire Nick Saban away from Alabama. It seemed so real that I had to check mgoblog first thing.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:04 AM ^
THE CUBS' AC IS NEXT TO BENNY'S
January 9th, 2011 at 11:42 AM ^
Damn. When can you start? We need to have something in place by Wednesday.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^
I'll be there shortly (as soon as I can gather my personal items in Scottsdale, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Hilton Head and Westchester)
January 9th, 2011 at 3:06 AM ^
Can we not land a coach whose spouse wears Gucci de minimis instead of Mason Dixie store-bought? The Les-spouse donned plastic sequins for the cameo appearance on video below for chrissakes. NO. NOT MICHIGAN. CREDIT CARD DECLINED.
January 9th, 2011 at 3:35 AM ^
Can we get new members with valuable input?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:16 AM ^
Does that recruit talent or win games?
January 9th, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
Is no way to go through life, son.
January 9th, 2011 at 4:18 AM ^
@Hamr65: Sources say Jon Gruden is interviewing for #Michigan head coaching vacancy. #takeitwithagrainofsalt
January 9th, 2011 at 6:57 AM ^
Naddafinga!
that is all.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:15 AM ^
My favorite pre-game parking spot! Can't wait for fall already!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:16 AM ^
The key is not to go out and spend Gazillions on a retread like Les Smiles. The key is to get an "up and coming young coach"(Bo Schembechler anybody? Jim Tressel, Hello?) that you don't have to pay Gazillions UNTIL he wins big and has PROVEN HIMSELF. Otherwise, you(UM fans and AD and alumni) will have to do it all over every 4 years or so.
That creates instability in a program and makes it hard to recruit. Why UM and the A.D.s, Brandon and Martin, can't figure this out, is beyond me.
As Dr. Lou Holtz said at the 2011 Sugar Bowl post game interview with Jim Tressel(Ohio State 31- Arkansas 26! Yay!): "You are a great coach Jim." and JT said, "I have really good players that make me look good," to which Dr. Lou said so poignantly, "You can win with good players and you can lose with good players, but you Jim, win with good players."
This may hurt for UM fans to hear: UM recruiting sucked under RichRod. He didn't have a top 25 class in 3 years on either Scout or Rivals. It's not so much the scheme, as it is the players running the scheme. Too many walk-ons starting at UM(especially on the D side of the ball.) Ryan Mallett and Justin Boren were All-conference players that RichRod ran off and were very successful elsewhere.
UM, IMO, needs to find the next Bo Schembechler or Jim Tressel, and not the next Nick Saban, Les Smiles or Pete Carroll, or the roller coaster ride will never end for you UM fans.
Just trying to help.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:17 AM ^
Thanks for your "help" but get facts straight before you say something. Michigan had a top 20 class last year, and a top 10 class the year before, according to rivals. Im sure their scout ranking doesn't waver too far from these.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
January 9th, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
Hey Buck we had our snake oil salesman maybe you could get Tress to tell us about someone who knows a good used car salesman .. Works for tOSU
January 9th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
With or without Dorsey? And if they had the class in the Top 10 the year before, they were an outlier. He may be wrong on how low they've been, but he's right- our recruiting may have had some good players, but as whole classes, they've been way down. Add a number of highly rates guys who haven't panned out and have transferred, and it's even worse.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:56 AM ^
Is that Britney Spears?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^
"... engaging in wishful thinking that the next coach's best asset won't be his ability to find Cubs' AC without a GPS ..."
Ha -- +1 for that. One of my nightmares has a bunch of braindead townies (who infest that place) choosing the next coach.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:53 AM ^
Les is demanding a natural grass turf @ the big house and that has become a major sticking point w/ DB. The BT's liking of field turf is holding us back from signing the SEC's top grazing coaches.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:59 AM ^
Boom boom boom
January 9th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
January 9th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
each other's jocks. Someday Schembechler Hall will be a museum but we won't have a team anymore; the whole operation will have collapsed due to arterial schlerosis. MSC to the rescue, please.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^
If we're not already, why aren't we looking at DC Kirby Smart from Alabama. There is no buyout for him to leave Alabama for a HC position, and he obviously knows how to shut down a running game.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
When doing my own research on possible candidates, I personally liked Kirby Smart. He's able to have great defenses, recruits 4/5 star athletes out of high school, and is young. With what he has been able to do at 35, Michigan can have a a 30 year coach, unlike 10-15 years at most with Miles (age 58) and Hoke (age 53).
If being a Michigan man does not matter to DB, Kirby would be the man. Unfortunately I would like to see a Michigan man to coach the program, but none of the candidates fit the bill perfectly.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:04 PM ^
We could have had a new DC and Dee Hart and avoided all this, but NOOOOOOOO! (falls off chair in apoplectic fit, Belushi style).
Sorry, just had to get that out of my system one last time.
From Wikipedia: Bo's record at Miami (Ohio) over 6 seasons was 40-17-3, with 2 MAC titles and 3 2nd-place finishes. That's the kind of smaller school HC record we need, plus coming from a known respected coaching tree. I don't think Hoke has either of those kind of credentials, hence the hesitancy. Late in Carr regime is not a good coaching tree, as Brian has stated.
Who is in their 40's, worked for Tressel, and is now a HC at a smaller school or a DC/OC at a larger school? Anybody? That would be a really close Bo analog. Responses welcome.
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