The Miles Meme Continues
by Poseur on Aug 22, 2008 11:13 PM CDT
Email
PrintDeadspin doesn’t read ATVS. Not that I’m surprised or anything, I think we’re going after a different kind of readership. We do reviews of comic books and invent statistics. They post embarrassing pictures of athletes who have had too much to drink.
But even in their LSU preview, written by an LSU fan, they repeat the meme that Les Miles is essentially a moron who just got lucky. Here’s the quote:
Most importantly, this skull would serve to protect the precious cargo housed inside of it; a wee but efficient lump of mush built specifically to analyze and process complex gridiron data in mere nanoseconds, all the better to make snap judgments that often seem monumentally dipshit-y on the surface in their moments in time, but judgments that ultimately prevail gloriously each and every time they're made.
Look, isn’t the whole point of the blogosphere is so we don’t have to listen to the same stupid analysis being blown up our asses by the MSM? Thanks, guys. Thanks for repeating the same stupid line without thought.
Going for it on fourth down isn’t stupid. In fact, teams should probably do it more often, especially when they have a defense as good as LSU’s. For the record, here is the list of the eight times Miles decided to go for it when he wasn’t running clock or had no choice because he was down late:
|
SCORE |
QUARTER |
BALL ON |
TO GO |
PLAY |
DRIVE RESULT |
|
14-7 LSU |
2nd |
USC 15 |
4 |
Fake FG |
TD |
|
10-0 UF |
2nd |
UF 1 |
Goal |
QB sneak |
TD |
|
17-7 UF |
3rd |
UF 25 |
5 |
QB sneak |
TD |
|
24-14 UF |
4th |
UF 4 |
3 |
Pass to Byrd |
TD |
|
10-7 LSU |
2nd |
UK 30 |
6 |
Defensive PI |
TD |
|
14-7 LSU |
3rd |
OM 26 |
1 |
QB sneak |
TD |
|
7-6 UT |
3rd |
UT 31 |
1 |
Hester rush |
Downs |
|
14-13 UT |
4th |
LSU 45 |
6 |
Fake punt |
Punt |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do any of these seem like a bad idea? How many of these calls, given the situation, seem dumb? The Florida game, Miles pretty much just kept going for it on fourth because we couldn’t stop Tebow and everyone knew it. But going for it on the one yard line? Whatever. Turning down a 42-yard field goal attempt to go for it on fourth and 5? It’s really not the worst idea, especially down 10.
The Kentucky game requires one second of explanation as that fourth and 6 was because it was right before the half and there was no point in punting. And two fake kicks aren’t that big of a deal over the course of a year.
But yeah, Miles is dumb and just lucks out. Wanna know why? Because that’s what everyone says and we just exist to repeat the same memes. Thanks for helping out, Deadspin.
9 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Knowing your audience
Those college football previews at Deadspin are really just an exercise in being glib, cute or wallowing in studied self-pity. Most try to go for all three. Cajun Boy’s post was pretty much exactly what I expected it would be. Eh.
Kentuck Arts Festival: October 18th.
Details at Sinful Savage Tigers
Drive result is a red herring. If you want to go with the argument “all’s well that ends well” you might as well just post a giant picture of a crystal football.
Also: Deadspin didn’t say anything about 4th down conversion attempts as far as I could tell. Even if they had, just having a plausible reason to go for it on 4th down doesn’t really change anything. If you’re clever, you can come up with a reason to go for it on EVERY fourth down, but the analysis isn’t “Is there a reason to go for it?” — it’s “Is going for it better than punting?”
Not saying that your conclusion is wrong, only quibbling with the path you took.
What other path is there? Look, the “Miles Is a Dope” meme is absed off of the Auburn TD pass, which Pittman has effectively demolished, and his tendancy to go for it fourth. What other basis is there for the opinion? Goofy press conferences? The article questioned his game decisions as “dipshity”, and these are the game decisions that Miles draws criticicsm for. Of course they are talking about the fourht downs (and the Auburn pass).
And, yes, the reasonable decision IS to go for it. Coaches should do it more often. Miles was usually turning down an attempted 40+ yard field goal, which is at best a 50/50 prop to go for the first, which is probably more than a 50/50 prop, but let’s just say it is. So he gave up an average of 1.5 points for a better shot at 7.
Mile also went for it inside the five. So he made a decision that the shot at a TD was worth more than essentially a sure-thing 3 points. Besides, if you fail, the other team has horrible field position and you’re likley to get the ball back in great field position for another shot at a score.
Miles game-management decisions don’t just work out by dumb luck… they exploit inefficeincies in the game at the time he made the decision. More coaches should be emulating his style. but since coaching is so risk-averse, the media and fans still criticize the decision-making which A) made prefect sense at the time and B) worked. All because it’s not what has always been done.
It’s knee jerk criticism which cuts against any sort of innovation. It parrots a mindless line and I’m fine when fans of other schools do it because, well, part of being fan is making fun of your opponents. But it does tick me off when it comes from an LSU fan. Because it’s accepting a “truth” that isn’t true at all.
Miles
Miles game-management decisions don’t just work out by dumb luck… they exploit inefficeincies in the game at the time he made the decision.
I think the only thing Miles is exploiting in his 4th down decisions is his talent advantage over the competition, especially in the trenches. Most coaches can’t emulate that. Having that kind of advantage makes it much easier to decide to buck football tradition.
Miles has had his share of “Shula-esque deer-in-the-headlight” moments. And as an Alabama fan, I’ve got to have something to make fun of LSU with. But he does show faith in his players by going for it so often, and I’ve got to respect that.
by Crimson Daddy on Aug 24, 2008 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Deadspin post
Poseur I love reading your stuff but you are a little off base on Deadspin, and by saying it is just a site that posts pictures of drunk athletes, you are effectively doing exactly what you are chiding them for doing: repeating junk trotted out by MSM. All I’m saying is that DS is just a goofy site (that happens to sometimes post pictures of drunk athletes, yes) and thus articles posted on it should be taken the same way. Its not supposed to be serious, just kinda funny. For the record, every person I know (I am a current LSU senior) thinks Miles is wacky and ballsy, and maybe a little “dipshit-y,” but it’s all out of love.
Actually, I like deadspin. I think the site is really funny (though not as much so since Leitch left). I’m just using it as another way to get my point across about Miles’ rep. It just happened to coincide with my post on Miles’ reputation.
That said, Deadspin is what it is. Its is the Go Fug Yourself of sports sites. It’s a gossip site and a humor site, and when they venture into analysis, well, it’s usually a mistake. which is why a site like EDSBS is so awesome, as it is both funny and informative.
Cajun Boy
I never read Deadspin, unless I follow someone else’s link. But I’m a big fan of Cajun Boy’s blog. He’s a big LSU fan and I read his article as satire of the common perception of Miles.
I agree that the common perception of Miles’ 4th down decisions last year was misplaced, but Miles also brings some of that on himself. He’s had a few clock management decisions, including calling timeout on a change of possession (against Tennessee in ‘05 I think) and challenging a very close kick return late in a game which netted only about 16 yards and would have cost a time out (can’t remember if this was Auburn or Florida). Not to mention his tendency to mangle sentences in press conferences.
I’m not a Miles basher. I like him and I’m glad he didn’t end up going to Michigan. He’s a great recruiter, he attracts a great staff, and his players would run through walls for him. But some (not nearly all) of the clock management/game time decision criticism is warranted. He’s not perfect.
I actually like that the rest of the SEC underestimates him. It doesn’t seem to have affected recruiting and can cause other coaches to make mistakes. I’m convinced the reason Tuberville didn’t call timeout at the end of the game is because he didn’t expect the shot to the endzone.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Tigers Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
Alabama
|
Sat 02/11 | 6:00 PM CST |
|
Mississippi St.
|
Tue 02/14 | 8:00 PM CST |
|
@
South Carolina
|
Sat 02/18 | 12:30 PM CST |
|
Georgia
|
Wed 02/22 | 7:00 PM CST |
|
@
Mississippi
|
Sat 02/25 | 12:30 PM CST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Vanderbilt
|
Wed 02/08 | L 61 - 76 |
|
Arkansas
|
Sat 02/04 | W 71 - 65 |
|
Kentucky
|
Sat 01/28 | L 50 - 74 |
|
@
Mississippi St.
|
Wed 01/25 | L 71 - 76 |
|
@
Florida
|
Sat 01/21 | L 64 - 76 |
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
