Peg Miles as a boob, look in mirror to see the idiot
Doyel: Tressel miles ahead of Les
Behind his back some people call him psycho. They call him The Big Bluster. The Mouth that Roared. Others call him The Mad Hatter. My man Dennis Dodd has nicknamed him Crazy Les.
To me, they're all wrong. To me, Les Miles is a genius. He's the best coach in college football.
|
|
| All of the Les Miles-bashing is just crazy talk. (AP) |
It would be grand idiocy to suggest that the career of Miles compares to that of Jim Tressel. The Ohio State coach might go down as one of the best college football has ever seen. What Tressel did this season -- taking a dispirited, embarrassed program blown out by Florida just a year ago back to the title game -- is one of the single most impressive coaching jobs ever.
Tressel is treated like royalty by fans and the media while Miles is portrayed as Uncle Fester, the kook in the attic wearing tin foil on his head.
What has occurred with Miles -- his slaphappy ways, his foul mouth, his flirtations with Michigan, his perceived zaniness and his Gunnery Sgt. Hartman haircut -- has clouded just how great a coach he is. Miles, in fact, is better in the early part of his career than Tressel was in his first three years at Ohio State.
So make fun of Miles all you'd like. Or say he couldn't hold the fuzz on Tressel's sweater.
But before you do, let me take you back to one of the most devastating moments in the history of this country.
In August 2005, Miles' first season, Hurricane Katrina battered the state of Louisiana. There were LSU players, some 30 of them, whose families, like many thousands of others across the state, were affected by the storm. The apartments and dorm rooms of Tiger footballers were crammed with family members and their belongings.
LSU's first game was postponed until later in the year. The second against Arizona State was originally scheduled to be played on LSU's home field, but the campus was being used as a disaster relief area, so they played in Tempe.
If that wasn't bad enough, when Hurricane Rita hit just a short time later, Miles had to deal with another delayed game and the fears of his players.
Miles and his Tigers handled the disruptions and the psychological devastation of seeing the cities around them reduced to rubble like champions. LSU went 10-1 in Miles' first regular season, a hurricane-plagued one, beating four top 20 teams in the process.
