5 reasons LSU needs to fire Les Miles
By David Rouben
Even though LSU beat Mississippi State, fans are growing tired of Les Miles’ shtick. Here are five reasons why he needs to go.
If you ask LSU fans, their win over Mississippi State felt like a loss. With their SEC schedule underway, they needed anything to help forget their Week 1 loss to Wisconsin, but watching Mississippi State nearly claw their way back brought back those painful memories.
Although LSU has been on the decline, last season was really the first where fans called for Les Miles to go. After a hot 7-0 start, they ran into the wall that was Alabama’s front seven. While a loss, and poor performance by Leonard Fournette, against the Tide was forgivable, seeing that play out again over the next two weeks was inexcusable. “Fire Les Miles” chants could be heard, but by the time he won the Texas Bowl, all was forgiven.
However, knowing how last season ended, Miles knew he was on the hot seat coming into this season, so what does he do? He loses to an unranked Wisconsin team. It really is becoming painful to see him waste so much talent down in Baton Rouge. And while nobody will ever forget how well the Mad Hatter has served Tigers fans over the years, now’s the time for a change.
5. It’s for his own safety
We hate to see this happen to anyone, but one of the main reasons Les Miles should be fired is for his own safety. After LSU’s opening loss, The Advocate came out with a report detailing how angry fans sent the Mad Hatter hateful emails, some of which included death threats.
It’s clear that people take their football seriously in Baton Rouge, and keeping Les Miles on the sideline is allowing fans to build up all of their repressed anger. When the results don’t go their way, they need a scapegoat, and more than 90% of the time, it’s going to be the coach. This isn’t unique to LSU, either, this happens with every suffering fanbase.
It’s possible that Tigers fans could treat the new coach this way, especially if he doesn’t deliver right out of the gate. But they would at least know that it takes time for players to implement a new coaches’ system. With 2016 being Miles’ 12th season at the helm, what they’re seeing is nothing new. There shouldn’t be an adjustment period, and yet they’re playing like a team that’s in a transitional phase.
When Miles is in Baton Rouge, he’s the most recognizable person in town. With so many death threats piling up, he needs to disappear and go somewhere he won’t be identified. He’ll thank the board for it.