LSU Football: It's Time for Les Miles Detractors to Finally Give Him Credit

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Les Miles, Mr. Lucky, The Mad Hatter, King Corn dog, Mr. Time Management, whatever jab you want to take at Les Miles, it's finally time to acknowledge that he also does a lot of things right and that his moral compass is pointed in the right direction.

Les has always been a great recruiter and has duly gotten his props for his work in that area, and he wins, which through luck or a grand design known only to Miles, has also been acknowledged.

But people aren't giving Miles enough credit for doing things the right way.

Yes, there have been NCAA investigations into LSU, but for minor things. Most schools have these types of things, but running a clean program isn't the reason for this article.

The thing Les Miles does right that he's not gotten credit for is simply being the kind of coach that many of the older sportswriters remember as the "norm" for all coaches.

Unlike Steve Spurrier who is playing a quarterback with five suspensions, Miles feels nobody on this team is worth that kind of problem. Players on Miles' team know from firsthand experience that he's not going to put up with foolishness from them.

Maybe the best example was the ultra-talented quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who in all actuality gave Miles much less problems than South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia gives to Spurrier. Miles knew that Perrilloux could be the key to another championship, but had no problem in sending him on his way.

In the past few weeks, the removal of Jordan Jefferson, the man who was to have been this year's quarterback, as well as other players, simply re-enforces the fact that Miles sees staying on his team is a privilege that must be constantly earned.

His respect of his team as a whole is more important than wins and losses and for that, Miles needs to be applauded.

Too many coaches bend their morality for the sake of wins and Miles stands head and shoulders above them.

It's not that Miles won't give a man that honestly deserves it a second chance, he does. But his sense of justice in such matters comes with the good of the program in mind first and the impact on wins and losses not so much.

Maybe no one in the press has been harder on Les Miles than I have and while I don't think any word I've written is any less true today than the day I wrote it, you have to see the other side of him too.

If you want to honestly have a "call 'em as you see 'em" approach, you have to be able to see everything, not just the bad, and I've finally taken some good advice in seeing a different Les Miles.

A old friend of mine long deceased once told me, "You always find what you're looking for. If you look for the worst in someone, you'll find it. If you look for the best in them, you'll find that too."

It's time some of us opened our eyes and see Les Miles from a different angle. There's some things there that are really worth seeing.