Why the big problem with Les Miles

Submitted by Michigan fanatic on

I am not saying he will be hired or anything like that but I just want  to know why everyone is so set against Miles coming here if he was to be hired. I mean people act like he is a terrible coack. So he likes to eat a couple blades of grass now and then, So maybe he has a couple boneheaded clock management issues during games. I can take losing a game or two by bad clock management if we are playing in BCS bowls year after year like LSU does, not to mention making it there from a conference liek the SEC. I know he's a little cooky bt he can coach. LSU shredded Texas A&M last night. Anyways I was just wondering what the problem people have with him.

Huss

January 8th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^

Do news reports detailing what an asshole Les Miles is for booting deserving kids off the team have no effect on you, or are you intentionally being dense?

I'm not calling Les Miles an asshole for the fun of it.  I wasn't against his hire in 2007.  But, you know, the research and FACTS and his own SOUND BYTES others have exposed from him kind of 100% confirms the guy is an asshole.  Read more, dude.

Waters Demos

January 8th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^

Nothing jmblue has said makes him come off as an asshole.  He seems to be to trying to say something about how fickle the board can be, and nothing more.  I see nothing about "integrity" or "values" in anything he wrote, except to deny that he was saying anything about those issues. 

foreverbluemaize

January 8th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^

I agree with you that we don't want Les Miles running the program in Michigan, but, seriously, take it down a knotch. Terms like "pretentious diick " and "knee deep in your own bullshit." are probably a bit over the top. We are all rooting for the same team here and should be able to get along with a morticum of civility and self control.

dennisblundon

January 8th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^

Kind of like how you were with Rodriguez.. Oh that is right, you continued attacking him, so don't expect people to forgive Miles and pat him on the back. Many of us supported RR and will hold the new coach to the same standards that RR was.

jmblue

January 8th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^

I have never suggested that RR should be fired for the NCAA issue, or any other off-field problem.  He needed to be fired for his record, and for the fact that he was losing support of fans and players.

If you want to hold Miles to the same standards as RR, that's fine with me.  People in this thread are currently holding him to a different standard, which is unfair. 

Huss

January 8th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^

RichRod trying to vouch for kids who come from horrible backgrounds in horrible school districts(all the while the kid KNOWS the whole time that he may or may not get in depending on Admissions or Clearinghouse) is the same as Les Miles lying to kids about their opportunity to play at LSU....when they're already at LSU and living on campus?  Are you sick? 

mackbru

January 8th, 2011 at 1:50 PM ^

Oh, I love this argument. RR, by signing Demar Dorsey, was actually doing the right thing. Yup. He was doing it all for the kids. Were you actually laughing when you wrote your post?

mtzlblk

January 8th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^

As Dorsey had a lot of talent, but let's remember that it was his education that prevented him from coming to M, not any kind of criminal past.

Please see RR's history of taking kids from bad backgrounds, talented of course as it isn't charity, and keeping them in line and turning them into great players and people. PacMan and co. under his watch were never discipline problems.

I don't remember his name, but at WVU he took a recruit who had a felony charge on his record that many schools steered away from......the kid became a starter and an honor student. Fact.

So, yes, I do think he tries to give kids a chance who might otherwise not get it.

M-Wolverine

January 8th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^

Trying to get kids into school is worse than kicking them out?  How do you figure?

Was it good judgement for the needs, and success of his program? Probably not. But I'm not sure how you equate trying to give a kid a chance to get into a school with waiting till he's in school, moved into the dorm, then telling him to take a hike.

jmblue

January 8th, 2011 at 1:38 PM ^

This is a pretty silly mischaracterization here.  I thought RR deserved a chance, but I never thought he should be blindly supported.  And I'd feel the same about Miles.  If he screws up at U-M, he should be criticized.  But until that happens, he should be given a fair shake.

M-Wolverine

January 8th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^

It's not like we're talking about people with  no track record.  Miles has had a chance to run a clean program...he's chosen not too.  We're not judging him on what he may or may not do here...we're judging him on what he HAS done.  Michigan Football is not a place for second chances.  You make it seem any coach could be picked to come coach Michigan. Pick X (x=most corrupt coach run out of the most scandal ridden program); so X can come coach at Michigan because he hasn't done anything wrong at Michigan, and we'll have Dave Brandon (who seems to be having a hard time tying his own shoes right now no more watching over a shady coach) watch him?

Goes back to my original post here.  Michigan Football is our baby.  And I'm not risking it by giving second chances to the guy who's been convicted before. A clean guy could come in and cheat too; (or treat students like crap).  But at least we'd have no warning. Here it's happened, and we're saying..."eh, so, we don't care about that anymore".

Huss

January 8th, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^

I never personally insult people, but if someone chooses to assume what my or anyone elses morals are that they don't know...well then that person has earned anything coming their way.  If jmblue had a shred of dignity he'd apologize, but I think we can more or less expect to him to just keep replying to posts trying to earn the last word.

jmblue

January 8th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^

So you never personally insult people, except when you do. 

If you are being logically consistent, when did Les Miles "choose to assume what [your] morals are"?  You don't seem to have a problem personally attacking him.

Look, it's an internet message board, and we're all Michigan fans here.  All this stuff is silly.  If I said anything that got you that worked up, I legitimately am sorry.  But I would advise you to leave the "You're a dick" reply out of your repertoire.  

phjhu89

January 8th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^

About the state of mind of the larger fanbase, if nothing else.  The desperation for a "name" coach, who comes from the Bo coaching tree, with a proven record of success in the SEC will be quite enough to outweigh ethical issues that the average fan is not well-acquainted with.  Brian has made the readers of MGoblog quite well-educated regarding how sleazy SEC oversigning is, but I would doubt the average M fan knows (or cares) anything about it. 

Bobby Boucher

January 8th, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^

I think it all stems from voting against us in the coaches poll to play in the NC.  After that I think it's a combination of treating his players improperly while taking the Lords name in vain.

bigmc6000

January 8th, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^

He's shown time and again that his ethics are questionable and I think a lot of people don't want to go down that route but as I told the A&M fans I sit near at work - I know full well that he's made a deal with the devil because there's no way he has the record he does with all the stupid things he's done without it (the deal) so, ya know, after the last three years I'll take a minimum 8 win campaign and when he retires in 5+ years we can convince Urban Meyer to come out of retirement or something...

The Man Down T…

January 8th, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^

He has done the SEC oversigning grey shirt stuff. But I don't blame him in a sense.  You play by the rules of the area.  The SEC cheats like hell.  If you don't you wind up on bottom and you get fired.  So when in Rome... 

In the Big 10 and at Michigan, it isn't tolerated.  And I think Les would conform to the standards presented him.  I don't think he'd have an issue in that area.  Plus knowing that the Freep Creeps are out to get you will make you watch out even more. 

I agree with you.  He's a good coach.  Year after year LSU is in the top of a very good conference.  People may say that the SEC isn't the best or isn't way ahead of people, but they can't say it's a bad conference.  It's a very good conference and he wins in it all the time.  That should mean something.

bigmc6000

January 8th, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^

Not to defend the massive over signing but I live in Texas and I know a bunch of rabid college football fans and none of them (save for the displaced Big Ten fans) seem to care that much about the over signing so I can only imagine how little they care in SEC country.

I'd put 50% blame on the coaches and 50% blame on the atmosphere in the SEC.

2014

January 8th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^

Between 2005 - 2010, Miles brought in an average of 24 kids per class, Meyer brought in an average of 23, Richt brought in an average of 22.

They're all playing "by the rules" SEC style. I hate the SEC over recruiting, and it's morally grey at best, but it's within the rules.

And FYI, Richt has been bringing in fewer and fewer kids over the last couple of years and they've been less and less competitive in the SEC. FWIW.

kgh10

January 8th, 2011 at 2:32 PM ^

There's a big distinction: Lloyd came up with an open agreement for the recruit to greyshirt prior to his arrival on campus. Miles decided to greyshirt a recruit after he was already on campus thinking he was going to be a redshirt freshman like any other kid. That means the kid had to pay his own way the first semester and couldn't practice with the team.

mtzlblk

January 8th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^

is a common practice for marginal recruits that want to attend a particular school/play for a particular program. It is a perfectly legitimate practice anywhere when it is done up front and above board and the recruit understands their status from the beginning.

Getting kids on campus and pulling their scholarship before they ever have a chance to contribute/pan out, or after they get to be juniors and seniors and don't necessarily pan out, is entirely different and ethically challenged at best, pretty scummy at worst.

jdberkley

January 8th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^

The issue with Les Miles and greyshirting isn't that he asks kids to greyshirt-- there's nothing unethical at all about greyshirting, provided everyone understands the arrangement. The issue is that Miles oversigned a class, had to cut his numbers, and went about it by telling a kid already on campus to greyshirt or leave. That's not OK in my book. Is it an automatic disqualifier for this job? In my mind, no, but if I were Dave Brandon, I'd ask Miles about that situation, and I'd pay very close attention to the answer. I don't think Michigan can afford to hire anybody with a cavalier attitude toward ethics at this time.