Les Miles vs Bob Stoops

[TUSooner]

I have said -- perhaps rashly in a mood of frustration with OU -- that Les is a better coach than Bob because Les always has his players ready to play, and they never show up flat like OU usually does a couple of time a year. Les seems to be a fabulous recruiter and motivator. His tough-talking persona seems to resonate with college players. But I do not think Les is smart, as shown by his getting schooled by Saban, and by his having no idea whatsoever about how to adjust or respond to Alabama. Fortunately for LSU fans, Les doesn't need much intellect as long as he keeps recruiting super-stud athletes and letting them apply their talents to overwhelm opponents. (That said, Bob is not necessarily and X & O genius either, though I think he's smarter than Les -- faint praise though that be.)

But another thing I have always thought about Les is that he is a liar. Some of my opinion of Les's dodgy character is just based on his big macho talk when he was at oSu -- talk he lacked the talent to back up. But Les lied embarrassingly about a big clock screw up (against Ole Miss?) when he put the blame on his dopey QB Jefferson while trying to formulate a plausible lie about what really happened. He lied about over-recruiting, when he said some surplus QB quit the team because he lacked the "want to" (a vintage Lessism, by the way). If fact, the kid dearly wanted to play for LSU but was not needed, so his scolly got yanked and the kid went to NW La. or someplace. Turns out Les notified the kid by letter, only days after a face to-face meeting in which he implied all was well. Les then scrammed off to a Caribbean vacation with his family so nobody could get in touch with him. To be fair, other schools, especially SEC schools and including OU to some degree, over-commit, but I was impressed by Leslie's particular squirminess in this case. Then there's Les's seeming prevarication about not playing Lee in the BCS game Monday night.

So, Les will probably win another national championship (or 2) at LSU before OU wins another one with Stoops, if they ever do. But I am starting to think that having a stand-up, straight-shooting guy like Bob leading your program might be an adequate consolation - at least until OU's next staggering and inexcusable loss.

[SoonerAtKU]

I don't know how many Hail Marys or Our Fathers this requires. I'm not Catholic. Just get started and I'll tell you when to stop. =)

Just know that I also think Bob is a better person than Les, but in no way do I think Les is a better coach. If I have 15-20% extra opportunities to do my job, that doesn't make me better at my job, even if the results may appear to suggest otherwise.

[sooneredaco]

Bob Stoops > Leslie Hatter

[TUSooner]

I don't know how many Hail Marys or Our Fathers this requires. I'm not Catholic. Just get started and I'll tell you when to stop. =)

Just know that I also think Bob is a better person than Les, but in no way do I think Les is a better coach. If I have 15-20% extra opportunities to do my job, that doesn't make me better at my job, even if the results may appear to suggest otherwise.

Don't worry, this thread is an act of contrition!

[StoopTroup]

I don't know how many Hail Marys or Our Fathers this requires. I'm not Catholic. Just get started and I'll tell you when to stop. =)

Just know that I also think Bob is a better person than Les, but in no way do I think Les is a better coach. If I have 15-20% extra opportunities to do my job, that doesn't make me better at my job, even if the results may appear to suggest otherwise.

I'm Catholic so let me know when you think he's getting close and I'll send him out to work at a food bank and then release him....lol

[StoopTroup]

Don't worry, this thread is an act of contrition!

Bless you my Son.....lol

[LVSOONER15]

Bob Stoops > Leslie Hatter

This by far. But I still don't know why every year their Dline is great.

[TUSooner]

I'm Catholic so let me know when you think he's getting close and I'll send him out to work at a food bank and then release him....lol

Perhaps I should make myself BCS crystal clear: I reject and renounce my past shameful thoughts, and I'll take Bob over Les any day and every day. Howzat? :biggrin:

[StoopTroup]

Perhaps I should make myself BCS crystal clear: I reject and renounce my past shameful thoughts, and I'll take Bob over Les any day and every day. Howzat? :biggrin:

Forgiven! LMAO!

[PDXsooner]

Didn't Les's only NC team have 2 losses? That's the only NC team I can remember to have 2 losses. I'll go ahead and apply the * to that one...

[3rdgensooner]

Les' team will never leaves their region next year. He gets credit for scheduling a whole season of home games.

[TUSooner]

Didn't Les's only NC team have 2 losses? That's the only NC team I can remember to have 2 losses. I'll go ahead and apply the * to that one...
Yep. Plus he played his MNC game at home vs always-overrated Ohio State. That sort of luck is what makes me say he's made a deal with the devil.

[StoopTroup]

I guess we can go ahead and put an "*" on Saban's win this year since he also lost to LSU at Home this year. :D

Basically....we need them to settle a tie.

I, of course believe that the oSu / Stanford Game shouldn't have been settled with FGs either. What a crappy way to pull off a win and then claim you got screwed out of a MNC.

[badger]

Yep. Plus he played his MNC game at home vs always-overrated Ohio State. That sort of luck is what makes me say he's made a deal with the devil.

The SEC title streak is based on luck as well as skill. They were d@mn lucky to be voted into that game and d@mn lucky that it even came down to a vote. Mizzou would have been in if they could have beaten us just once (once again, haha Big 12 traitors). West Virginia would have been in if they won their final game. We would have been in if we could have beaten either loser Colorado on the road or quirky Tech on the road.

And that was just one of the SEC title years. They could have voted Michigan in to face Ohio State another year (but oh noes, can't have a rematch between two teams from the same confernece, can we, SEC?). They could have voted Texas to face us one year, but blah blah blah sec sec sec.

Oh, this thread is about Les versus Bob? Bob all of the way. He is a head coach you can trust for so many reasons related to football and outside football. Trust is too important to not consider when talking about a college football coach.

[StoopTroup]

Alabama wasn't damn lucky to win the MNC though....

LSU's damn lucky it wasn't uglier than it was.

Damn Badger....you rollin' back all the way to Lester's first Triumph....lol

Yeah he was lucky.

[badger]

Damn Badger....you rollin' back all the way to Lester's first Triumph....lol

Yeah he was lucky.

I still think we belonged in that game more than :les:. Any mention of it brings out bitter badger, hehe.

[soonertravis]

I still think we belonged in that game more than :les:. Any mention of it brings out bitter badger, hehe.


No one ever mentioned that the crazy loss to Tech occurred after Bradford went down with a concussion.

[badger]

No one ever mentioned that the crazy loss to Tech occurred after Bradford went down with a concussion.

Yeah, but excuses are made all of the time for weird losses. OSU is still probably whining "We had to play a game right after hearing that our womens basketball coach died in a plane crash!"

Not to make light of the tragedy of course.

[Sabanball]

Les has definitely had a good run of late but when you look at their 'whole body of work' no way I'd take the Hat over Bob. Bob just needs to shake up/retool his staff(on the D side) IMO and you guys will be fine....

[8timechamps]

A couple of years ago I would have said I thought Les was a good coach (maybe on par with Bob). Then last year occurred, with all the clock mismanagement issues. If you're a big time college football head coach, you should have the ability to manage the clock in EVERY game. What convinced me he is a knucklehead that can recruit in-state talent was the BCS title game. I didn't see any adjustments made. Some of that can be contributed to Bama's defense, but things like leaving Lee on the sidelines is on Les. I don't care how worried a coach is about the feelings of his starting QB, after Lee pitched the ball (and the national title) to the Alabama defender, it was time for a QB change (hell, he couldn't have done any worse).

Les is a coach that's in the right place at the right time. It'll catch up with him eventually.

[Eielson]

By the time Saban's guys had gotten out of the program, Les found a way to lead LSU to a losing record in conference (3-5), and followed that up with a 9-4 season. Unfortunately he has brought back up the program, so I can't say it was all about Saban anymore, but that 3-5 season...yuck. Stoops has never gotten close to a losing record in conference. I want to vomit all over any Sooner fan who says Les is better than Bob. That's something you don't admit even if it is true...and I don't believe it to be true.

[oudavid1]

Bob is 0-1 vs Nick Saban's recruits.

[Eielson]

Bob is 0-1 vs Nick Saban's recruits.

Is this directed at me or just some random stat?

[SoonerTerry]

I wouldn't trade 1 Stoops for 11 Lesters

[soonercastor]

What exactly is this thread about? lol

[oudavid1]

Is this directed at me or just some random stat?

.

[Tidefan36854]

Les is a good coach, and I actually like the guy, but he is no Bob Stoops. If he has one advantage over Bob, its his willingness to make a change at a coordinator position if things aren't working. Him hiring John Chavis, who much to my chagrin being a Vol, is an excellent defensive coordinator. Wht Bob has kept Venerables all this time is baffling to me. If OU could get their defense back to the standards they had in the early 2000's, they are going to win MNC's with the offenses they put on the field -simple as that!

[MyT Oklahoma]

It is what it is. I moan and bi*ch louder than anyone over those inexplicable losses that keep popping up here and there year after year.

However, I wouldn't trade Bob Stoops' integrity and character for anyone else. Glad he's a Sooner.

[TUSooner]

Les is a good coach, and I actually like the guy, but he is no Bob Stoops. If he has one advantage over Bob, its his willingness to make a change at a coordinator position if things aren't working....
Translation: Les would throw his Grandma under the bus if it would help him dodge criticism. :wink:

[XingTheRubicon]

I hate Les, but if I had to bet my house on who wins the next NC...I would have to pick the one that doesn't give up 30 every other game.

[oudavid1]

Les is a good coach, and I actually like the guy, but he is no Bob Stoops. If he has one advantage over Bob, its his willingness to make a change at a coordinator position if things aren't working. Him hiring John Chavis, who much to my chagrin being a Vol, is an excellent defensive coordinator. Wht Bob has kept Venerables all this time is baffling to me. If OU could get their defense back to the standards they had in the early 2000's, they are going to win MNC's with the offenses they put on the field -simple as that!

Rocky Top > Bama

Just saying :D

[Sooner70]

You can keep Les Miles. I'd take Bob Stoops over him any day. As far as flat, yep, OU has had a few of those, but the flattest I've seen a team since OU fell flat against USC in the NC game back when, was when LSU fell flat this time. At least OU scored some points against USC.