The Michigan Job: Will Les Miles Become Michigan's Man ?

THE 2010 LSU FOOTBALL SEASON

For most of the 2010 football season, LSU's Head Football Coach Les Miles was roasted and toasted by LSU fans on Internet boards and by the radio talk show host because of the poor performance of the LSU offense led by Jordan Jefferson the quarterback.

Jefferson has had the LSU offense going in reverse for most of the 2010 year, and the LSU fan base blamed head coach Les Miles and his staff for these poor results and for Miles' stubborn support of Jordan Jefferson in the face of his miserable failures. 

For two years in row the LSU offense has ranked near the bottom of all major schools and the inept passing attack was the reason. 

As a result the discontent came to a head during the West Virginia game when Jefferson threw an interception and the fans could not hold back any longer and they broke out into a chorus of Boos. 

Were these Boos directed at Jordan Jefferson for his interception or were they directed at coach Les Miles for his continued stubborn support of Jefferson. 

It was probably a little of both, but even though this is certainly not an acceptable thing to do at all towards any college athlete,  the fact is that it still does go on at most top level programs when things are not working out to the fans satisfaction. 

In fact, I noticed the same thing going on during the LSU / Florida game in the Swamp about 2 weeks later as the Gator fans were Booing Coach Urban Meyers for his play calling toward the end of the game.

But, once Coach Miles began to insert Jarred Lee into the game especially in passing situations, the fans began to see Les Miles as taking some much needed steps towards  improving the passing offense.

However, Jefferson still started while most wanted Lee as they were basically through with Jefferson and wanted a new / old face to come on to reinvigorate the offense.  

But even though the Tigers had a two quarterback system to work with, it was to Coach Miles credit as the Head Coach, that he did what he felt was best and he continued to work with and support Jordan Jefferson.  

Finally all of the support that coach Miles had been giving Jefferson paid off in the most important game of the year  against the dreaded Alabama Crimson Tide led by the former LSU head coach Nick Saban.  

Jordan Jefferson broke out with his best and most productive game of the year against Alabama and the LSU Tigers wen on to win one of their most satisfying victories of the season. 

From the results of Jefferson's performance and Coach Miles very good coaching job against Nick Saban, coach Les Miles won back the LSU fan base and they now have learned a new appreciation and respect for Coach Les Miles and what he has done for the LSU football program.  

Even though Les Miles has been chastised by the media for some of his quirky and chancy  decisions, when all is settled down, Coach Les Miles is probably LSU's most successful coach in the long history of LSU football.

He certainly is the best  for any coach that has been here for six years, as he has a record now of  62-17 and he has brought LSU four (4) eleven (11) win season in his six (6) years of being LSU's head coach. 

This is a very envious record that any major college coach would love to have.  Not even the generally regarded "Best Coach in College Football", coach Nick Saban, can make that claim. 

So, the question is for most of us Tiger fans, based upon the records, " Is Les Miles the best coach LSU has ever had or is it Nick Saban ".  When all is said and done, history will most likely show Les Miles as LSU's most successful coach based upon wins and loses.

To properly end the 2010 football season, again Coach Les Miles and his  beleaguered quarterback ended this season on a very high note with a big and dominating victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in the 75th Cotton Bowl played in the new Cowboy Stadium (also known as Jerry's World).  

This Cotton Bowl victory is very satisfying and it will send the LSU football team off into the off-season with confidence and a very good sense of satisfaction as they approach the 2011 football season.

THE MICHIGAN JOB:

Buy now,  we all know that the University of Michigan is searching for a new head football coach, and rumors are flying around that LSU's  Les Miles may be a person of interest to Michigan.  Being one of their former players and an assistant coach under the legendary Bo Schembechler will most certainly put Miles in Dave Brandon's cross hairs.

Prior to and all during the Cotton Bowl preparations,  the local Baton Rouge Media and other speculators have been linking Les Miles to the Michigan opening.

Of course with the successful year the Tigers have just completed  under coach Miles, it is now becoming a great concern to the current re-iinvigorated Les Miles fan base. 

According to the overwhelming number of interviews with LSU fans prior to the Cotton Bowl, the fans have all verbally expressed their undying support to Coach Miles and they want him to continue being LSU's head coach for a long time to come.  

During the last Les Miles radio show of the year in the Dallas Hilton lobby, every caller and present member of the audience went out of their way to verbally expressed to Coach Miles their support and love for him as the LSU Coach and also expressed their desire for him to please stay.

In a post game interview after last night's game,  Jordan Jefferson the   beleaguered LSU quarterback, says he and the team believe in what coach Miles tells them and Jefferson says coach Miles told them that he would not be leaving to take the Michigan job.    

But, Les Miles is the quintessential "Michigan Man" if there ever was one.  He certainly is a chip off of the old Bo Schembechler Block as it was Bo that first brought up the " Michigan Man" deal in the first place.  

Of course one of the main reasons Les Miles name always comes up in  the discussions  when Michigan is looking for a coach is because of the fact that there is a buy out clause in Les Miles' contract specifically written to protect LSU against Miles leaving for Michigan. 

 Miles will have to pay LSU $ 1.5 Million If he leaves for Michigan but if he leaves for  another school  there is no buy out clause with LSU. Actually, the $ 1.5 million is not really large enough and it would be no obstacle for Miles if he decides he wants to go.

Coach Miles says he is very happy at LSU and he even says "no one has any reason to be concerned about with the Michigan Job ". 

Of course we all know what he is really saying and that really means,  No one needs to be concerned at This Point anyway, and we all know how things can change once Michigan ask for permission to speak with coach Miles and they start getting into money and how badly Michigan needs him.  

But, even though Les Miles truly does love Michigan, he has grown to love LSU and his family loves Baton Rouge as well.

So, if Michigan wants Miles they will surely have to pay $ 4 Million or more to lure Miles and his family back North to rebuild a sagging Michigan program with an impatient fan base breathing down his neck every day.  

In comparison, Les Miles makes $ 3.75 Million and he is the third highest paid coach in the SEC at this time.  Miles has a very young and very strong team ready to challenge for the BCS Title again in 2011 or 2012. 

Additionally, Miles has the # 7 rated Rivals.com recruiting class for 2011 coming in and that means he will just have to reload with top line talent for the next 4-5 years at minimum.    Les Miles is also very familiar with the area and the high school talent in Louisiana and surrounding states and he should keep LSU in the SEC and National Championship picture for many years to come. 

In other words, Les Miles has LSU on cruise control and Michigan will require a major overhaul just to become competitive in the Big 10. 

Miles has just reclaimed the LSU fan base and he has seen the SEC up close and personal and I think he knows how big football is in the South.  

Miles certainly enjoys those 10 and 11 win seasons he has attained with this LSU program and I think it will be very hard for him to leave something he has working so well to start re-building a sagging program like Michigan.   

Based upon Dave Brandon's statements that say he is looking for a defensive minded coach, that would not seem to fit Les Miles that well. 

In fact, the only time Les needed to step in as a defensive minded coach was in 2008 just after Bo Pelini took the Nebraska job and the results were not good.  

The 2008 season  was one of Les Miles most disappointing years, and he hired John Chavis at the end of 2008 to rebuild the defense.

So, I am not sure that in the end Dave Brandon will really see Les Miles as the guy he must go after and pay whatever it takes to get him.  Miles is really just not the man for this job especially if defense is the top priority.

I just don't see Les Miles really wanting to be the " Michigan Man" bad enough to leave the LSU Tigers and Baton Rouge. 

Remember no one goes North to retire and Les Miles will want to retire in the next 5 or 7 years so why would he want to spend those next years rebuilding Michigan when he can cruise at LSU.