5 Reasons Why Les Miles Would Do Better in the NFL Than Nick Saban Did

I’ve heard some people say that you’re either born to be a college football coach or born to be an NFL coach, and that there are two distinctly different breeds of coaches meant for two distinctly different types of worlds.

Leading a group of young college kids is one thing, managing a bunch of highly paid professional athletes is another.

Recently, we’ve seen plenty of college coaches like Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin and Butch David attempt the jump to the NFL, only to realize that they just weren’t cut out for the pro ranks.

Even though the Seahawks decided to put their faith in former USC coach Pete Carroll before the start of last season, it seems that NFL franchises are now starting to sour on the notion of bringing in a head coach with a predominantly college coaching background.

One college coach who could start to peak some interest, though, is LSU’s Les Miles.

After Nick Saban left Baton Rouge for a job with the Miami Dolphins, Miles came in and kept the Tiger train rolling, guiding LSU to 11 wins or more in four out of the six seasons he’s been there. He also matched Saban by capturing a national championship back in the 2007 season.

As we know, Saban failed to get the job done with the Dolphins and he ultimately ended up back in the college ranks at Alabama.

The question is, could Miles once again outdo his predecessor, only this time as an NFL head coach?

It may not actually be as crazy as it sounds.

Here’s a few reasons Miles would make a better NFL coach than Saban.

Dealing with the Media

Les Miles has taken plenty of heat for some of his gutsy decisions and lack of time management skills.

Miles has always been candid with the media and he’s learned the art of dealing with criticism without taking it to heart.

Nick Saban, on the other hand, was never embraced by the Miami press. His guarded, insecure approach to dealing with the media didn’t win him a lot of fans.

A part of being an NFL head coach is forming relationships with the media members in your city and winning them over.

That’s something Miles knows how to do.

More Fan-Friendly

Even though he’s made their hearts skip a few beats over the last couple of years, the LSU fans have still wholeheartedly embraced Les Miles as their leader.

Miles is a fan-favorite and he knows how to work a crowd and get fans jazzed up.

It’s OK to be boring in today’s NFL, as long as you’re winning. We’ve seen Bill Belichick do it for years, but owners are concerned about selling tickets and they want a coach who can appeal to the fanbase (see Rex Ryan).

Miles has charisma and charm and there’s no doubt that he could win over an NFL fanbase.

That’s something Saban never did in Miami.

Now, if you even utter his name anywhere in Dade County, you run the risk of getting slapped upside the head.

Better with the Players

One of Les Miles’ truly special traits is how he handles his players.

You can know every last X and O there is to know about football, but if you really want to be a successful head coach in the NFL, you’ve got to know how to relate to your players. If you can’t win over a locker room, you can’t win—period.

Miles is the type of coach who players want to put their trust in.

Saban wasn’t.

Heck, he even made poor Manuel Wright cry.

Not a Disciple

Before joining the Dolphins, Nick Saban had spent time as a defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns during the Bill Belichick era, and it was obvious that Saban tried to replicate a lot of what Belichick had taught him while the two were in Cleveland. 

The only problem was, Belichick didn’t become a successful NFL coach until he learned from the mistakes he made with the Browns and changed his philosophy once he got to New England.

Saban’s rigid, hard-nosed style wasn’t very endearing to the Dolphins players, and you could tell that he was never fully accepted in the locker room.

Miles has always been his own man and never tried to emulate anyone.

He does things his way, and so far, it’s worked.

Strong Offensive Background

These days, it seems defense is pretty much frowned upon in the NFL.

Defenders can’t hit anybody, grab anybody or look at anybody the wrong way or else they run the risk of receiving a personal foul penalty and a pretty hefty fine.

With the way things are set up now, offense is going to rule the NFL for the foreseeable future.

NFL franchises will be looking for coaches with strong offensive backgrounds and we’ve already seen that with the recent hirings of guys like Jason Garrett, Hue Jackson, Pat Shurmur, Mike Munchak, Todd Haley, Mike Shanahan, Chan Gailey and Jim Harbaugh.

While Saban is a defensive guru, Miles, who has been a tight ends coach, an offensive line coach and an offensive coordinator during his coaching career, has exactly the right offensive pedigree to succeed in today’s NFL.

So Does Les Deserve an NFL Shot?

Les Miles only has a few years of NFL coaching experience from his time as a tight ends' coach for the Cowboys back in the late 1990s, however, he has a proven track record of success at both LSU and Oklahoma State that certainly can’t be overlooked.

If Miles leads LSU to an undefeated championship season, you can be rest assured that NFL franchises will at least give him some strong consideration.

Whether he would leave or not is a different story, but like the Michigan job, he would at least give it some thought.

Just because guys like Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin and Bobby Petrino couldn’t get the job done, it doesn’t mean that quality college coaches should never get another shot in the NFL again.

Even though the track record of college coaches making the transition to the pros isn’t all that great, Miles has the personality and the knowledge to succeed as a leader of an NFL team.

Check out Mike Freeman’s article on CBSSports.com, in which he says Miles could turn out to be a modern day Jimmy Johnson.