Excuses beginning to fade as coach succeeds into his 7th year

Rufus Paul Naquin
September 13, 2011
Thelma Marie Daigle Davidson
September 15, 2011
Rufus Paul Naquin
September 13, 2011
Thelma Marie Daigle Davidson
September 15, 2011

It’s pretty difficult to take Les Miles seriously sometimes.


Heck, he plays the role of the village idiot just so well.

His hat looks about four sizes too small, resembling a grown man with an abnormally massive skull crowned by a 6-year-old boy’s first LSU cap.


In pregame warm-ups, his team runs, stretches and readies their mind for battle.


Miles doesn’t quite prepare the same way.

He sings.


Whether it’s country music, rock ‘n’ roll or even a little hip hop, Miles showcases his pipes before an audience of 90,000.


His preferred artists aren’t who you might think. Of course, there’s Garth Brooks, who’s single “Callin Baton Rouge” is a must for any LSU football enthusiast.

But then there’s Snoop Dogg, another favorite in the Miles iPod.


“I enjoy a good couple of his songs,” Miles said amidst laughter when the famous rapper raided an LSU Tiger Club engagement in 2008.


Music aside, it’s time for kickoff and the coach’s quirks are still arousing confusion.

A fake punt? Heck, Miles will call that bad boy on third down if he has to move the chains.


A few bone-headed play calls here? A costly clock management gaffe there? No problem.


Miles doesn’t sweat it, even though he probably should, considering he wears his customary purple and gold windbreaker in 100-degree heat.

Who needs sweat and stress? Just pop a half dozen blades of Bermuda grain into your mouth and move onto the next play.


That’s the Miles way.


Go ahead, laugh it up, just giggle to your heart’s content.

Because when the game’s over and the scoreboard reads: LSU, crooked number, your team, 6, the only person with a rye grin will be the man they call the Mad Hatter.


This goofy man can coach.


Miles is entering his seventh season with LSU, holding a 64-17 record, the best 81-game winning percentage of any coach in school history.

But until the past few seasons, many people in the Tigers’ community still had their doubts about the coach.


First, it was the fact that he wasn’t passionate enough on the sidelines and rarely busted blood vessels in his temples in anger like previous coach Nick Saban.


Because, of course, throwing a hissy fit on the sidelines is really the mark of a true champion and is a sure sign someone is a superior coach.

Yes, that is sarcasm.


Once the nay-sayers overcame that hurdle, they quickly pointed to the fact that the majority of LSU’s talent was recruited by Saban and that the Tigers’ empire would immediately collapse and crumple to the ground when the team became purely comprised of Miles’ players.

Forget the fact that Miles won the national championship in 2007 with a team that was 80 percent “his,” that 20 percent was enough to still cause doubt.

If anyone watched LSU skull-stomp Oregon this past weekend, followed up with a drumming of Northwestern State Saturday, it’s clear to say that doubt has been erased.

It’s year seven of the Miles era, the team is fully his and the Tigers are one of the most talented teams in the country.

With that talent, they have to be considered one of the early favorites to take home the national championship.

Take a broomstick and carry it in your left hand. From there, take a football and clutch it to your chest.

With the broomstick, find the largest beehive or wasp nest in your neighborhood and poke it a few times.

When the residents leave their resting grounds, run with the football and try and make it a few yards without being stung.

That’s what it’s like playing against LSU’s defense, they just swarm and sting.

Layer after layer, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary, there is speed all across the field.

Heck, Tigers defensive lineman Barkevious Mingo stands 6-feet, 5-inches and weighs 250 pounds.

He runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash.

Wait…? Let me double-check that last fact. Is that even possible?

That’s the football equivalent of a bear, folks.

A bear hungry to get him a few servings of quarterback for dinner.

Mingo’s not alone and athletes abound across the Tigers’ front all the way into the secondary where Tyrann-tau-saurus Mathieu roams.

Much like his dinosaur cousin, Mathieu reeks havoc on his prey and just causes chaos and destruction in LSU’s favor.

Heck, he forced two false start penalties against Oregon just by pretending to blitz. That goes without mentioning his forced fumble, subsequent fumble recovery and touchdown.

Oh yeah, the guy’s a true sophomore. He’s not even old enough to buy alcohol or go into casinos yet, not that dinosaurs would go to casinos anyway.

The season is just two games old and the Tigers are sure to be tested, heck, even as early as tomorrow against Mississippi State.

But instead of being wowed by the team’s talent, why don’t we give a little credit for once to the man who got ’em all to Baton Rouge?

He’s weird, he’s quirky, he’s flat-out a lunatic.

But in between the white lines, he’s clearly one of the best coaches in America.

The fact that this isn’t recognized yet as a universally held truth is something that needs to be changed.

The village idiot knows a little more than we all think.