LSU Football: Best Quotes and Key Takeaways from SEC Media Days

Following three days of quips, one-liners and fashion forays from other coaches in the SEC, it came time for one of the masters of the podium to get his turn. But instead of topping them all, LSU's Les Miles instead used his turn at the mic to take a surprisingly low-key approach to the 2015 season.

And a long one at that.

"His opening statement in the main media room seemed like a filibuster," ESPN's Alex Scarborough wrote. "Miles broke down every position on his team, even the specialists. It was as if he was encouraging a government shutdown, only it was Twitter that slowed to a crawl."

Though he was long on substance, Miles didn't fire out as much sizzle as we've become used to during his tenure. Despite being picked by the SEC media to finish third in the ultra-tough SEC West, the aura around LSU's program just isn't what it was a few years ago. Multiple seasons where the Tigers were quickly out of the national- and conference-title discussion will do that, and Miles acknowledged as much.

"Our team, eight wins, certainly not enough," he said Thursday, per Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com. "We played some really good ball clubs in that eight-win season and played them very close, but our goal is the playoffs, our goal is the SEC championship. We're shy of our goals, and we want more."

LSU returns 15 starters from the 2014 team, a higher-than-normal amount for a program that tends to get pilfered by early NFL entry more than most schools. But that set of returners also includes one that may very well not start—and even if he does it wouldn't necessarily be considered a bonus.

That would be quarterback Anthony Jennings, the junior who went into this spring battling sophomore Brandon Harris for the second year in a row for the starting job. The duo combined to produce the worst passing offense in the SEC last season, averaging 162.9 yards per game.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Harris looked to have moved ahead of Jennings in the competition toward the end of spring ball, and he's firmly in the lead now due to Jennings' suspension in the wake of an on-campus burglary in June. He was one of three players suspended for that incident. Miles said he expects Jennings, as well as defensive end Maquedius Bain and defensive back Dwayne Thomas, to eventually return, but the timetable is dependent on how the legal process plays out.

"Right now Brandon Harris has done all the work with the players," Miles said, per Kleinpeter. "Until this thing, AJ is not available. The players say (Harris) is playing well. I'm not saying they're making the decision, but it certainly is a positive piece."

Missing Chavis

Whether it was in front of the large room of reporters, on radio and TV shows or in one-on-one interviews, one thing Miles seemed quite uncomfortable talking about was the messy divorce between LSU and longtime defensive coordinator John Chavis. Texas A&M hired Chavis to run its defense during the winter, despite him having signed a contract extension just before then, and the schools are currently embroiled in a legal battle related to a buyout in that contract. 

When asked how he thought Chavis would fare with the Aggies, LSU's annual Thanksgiving weekend opponent, Miles hesitated and then stumbled to talk around the question.

"You suspect that he will coach great defense at A&M," he said, per Kleinpeter.

Miles noted that, while Chavis had a big part to do with LSU's success on defense over the years, it's also been about the quality of the players that have come to Baton Rouge:

"

If you look at the number of guys that we've had on our defense that were drafted—simply put, we had eight players drafted in the 2013 NFL draft, all coming from the first five rounds. It's the only time in modern day history that an NFL—that one school had eight defensive players taken in the first five rounds. We've had 24 defensive players since 2010, which ties the most in the SEC during that span. We've had at least one defensive lineman taken in every NFL draft for the last 12 years. The five defensive players selected in the first round since NFL draft since 2010. So our talent pool has been pretty special. What I'm saying is that we would expect that that talent would continue and that we would have great defense, period.

"

LSU's 2015 recruiting class, which was rated by 247Sports as fifth-best in the nation, is highlighted by potentially the next great defensive superstar in cornerback Kevin Toliver II.

Saving the fourth wall

Miles' approach with the media has been one that's a mix between dealing with a necessary evil and making the most out of a difficult situation. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't do what he could to look out for those on the other side of the microphone, or in this case the video camera.

Leonard Fournette: older, wiser and much stronger

A year ago at this time, Leonard Fournette wasn't just the top-rated player in his recruiting class, but also a player who was heading into college with so much hype it seemed impossible for him to live up to the large expectations being placed on him.

Somehow, though, he still managed to put together a masterful first season by setting the school record for rushing yards by a freshman. Now we'll get to see what he can do after a full offseason of training and preparation, rather than just with a few weeks of training camp.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

"Coming from high school, you're so used to running over everybody," Fournette told ESPN's Greg Ostendorf. "In the SEC, you have great tacklers, great players you're going to go against every week. So I kind of had to change my point of view from that."

Built like a linebacker but with the speed of a defensive back, Fournette has the kind of tools that could give him a strong chance to win the Heisman. One of his biggest challengers comes from the same league, though, in Georgia sophomore running back Nick Chubb.

They won't face each other this season unless Georgia and LSU meet in the SEC championship, but Fournette acknowledges there's an unofficial competition between them.

Fournette said he's also learned to better handle himself on the field and pick the right spots for celebrations, particularly those that resemble the Heisman Trophy pose following a touchdown run against FCS Sam Houston State last September.

"I regret it a little because it was kind of selfish of me and childish," Fournette said, per Jon Solomon of CBS Sports.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.