|
Title: "Saban is as good as it gets, and he has Miles to go before he can rest" Post by: Chechem on November 04, 2011, 06:25:45 AM Quote BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - You'll see him first Saturday night on the video board as he leads his team out of the locker room in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The music will pound, and the anticipation will rise, and by the time Nick Saban exits the tunnel and enters the night air, the crowd will swoon, thunderstruck. His people will believe that, at that moment and for the next 60 minutes on the scoreboard clock, they're in the presence of an elite college football coach. They'll be right, but there will be one difference on this special occasion. Unlike a lot of Saturdays when Alabama takes the field, Saban won't be the only one. Les Miles will be right there with him. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/11/nick_saban_has_miles_to_go_bef.html Title: Re: "Saban is as good as it gets, and he has Miles to go before he can rest" Post by: crtuneman on November 04, 2011, 08:44:11 AM Good article, but here's something to think about. And I just read this recently, so I didn't even know about this. LSU under Les Miles has never lost less than 2 games in a season. He's never been undefeated, and he's never even had a one loss season. So how is he in the same category as Saban? Miles is good (and lucky) but he's not elite.
Title: Re: "Saban is as good as it gets, and he has Miles to go before he can rest" Post by: Catch Prothro on November 04, 2011, 09:23:49 AM Good article, but here's something to think about. And I just read this recently, so I didn't even know about this. LSU under Les Miles has never lost less than 2 games in a season. He's never been undefeated, and he's never even had a one loss season. So how is he in the same category as Saban? Miles is good (and lucky) but he's not elite. Miles has his ups and downs. He seems to come through in the big game, but sometimes has a hard time getting his team to focus on lesser opponents. As one commentator put it, if Bama beats LSU, you can pencil them into the BCSNCG. But if LSU wins, you can still see them losing to Arkansas or in the SECCG.Still, Miles outcoached Saban last year. Sure, you can point to a young secondary, or break down in assignments. But I think the truth is that Miles had a sense of the momentum of the game, and where to take his chances. Saban played it a bit more conservatively, playing not to lose, and in the process ended up losing. Also, it seemed, from player comments, that Bama focussed on Auburn in the bye-week, and Saban lost that one crucial tool that makes him a master, focus. If you think this fact has escaped Saban, think again. As much as Saban hates losing, hopefully he learned a lesson from this game. You can bet he is prepared to the hilt this year. |