How ’bout a round of applause for LSU head coach Les Miles?

Yesterday, the Tigers’ coach took off his ill-fitting baseball cap and put on an ill-fitting safety helmet.  Then he roped himself up and rappelled 20 freakin’ stories down the side of a Baton Rouge skyscraper.

Miles’ slide down the building was designed to help draw attention to foster-care children in the state of Louisiana who need adopting.  The Louisiana Family Forum wants to see 100 children placed in homes this year.

The reigning Miss Louisiana also went “Over the Edge for Adoption” with Miles.  (Good thing he didn’t go with George Costanza.)  You can take in a breakdown of the event below.

Kudos to Miles.

And as a sidenote, wouldn’t it be fun to see Miles wear that helmet during a Tiger football game?

As part of an interesting story on Paul Finebaum and his new ESPN/SEC Network show, Jon Solomon of Al.com asked the controversial radio host a simple question.  “What’s going to happen if Finebaum — whose radio-show introduction boasts that he gets coaches fired — calls for an SEC coach to be canned on an SEC-branded network.”

Not surprisingly, the answer to that simple question is rather complex.  Said Finebaum:

“It’s a good question.  I would love to tell you that day will never happen, but it will probably happen the first day and I think we’ll all find out.  That’s what I find so interesting about this.  We are swimming in uncharted waters…

I think it would be awkward the first time we cross the bridge.  If you get a situation like we see there’s an egregious call — and I don’t know why I’m thinking Les Miles but I am — you have to react to it.”

Finebaum reiterated that SEC commissioner Mike Slive has told him to be himself.  That’s wise.  Finebaum — whether you like him or detest him — is incredibly sharp and his interview skills are first-rate.  But do the folks at ESPN want to let Paul be Paul?

“We’re going to have a dialogue with Paul about content,” said Justin Connolly, who is the top dog for ESPN’s new SEC Network.  “I think the idea is we’re going to have to feel our way through in terms of the editorial voice of the show and the network, and at the same time we have to balance it with Paul being Paul.  We’re not looking to water down or change Paul.  We want Paul to be Paul.  We want to be different.”

Different, yes.  But back to Solomon’s initial question: What happens when Finebaum starts calling for coaches to be fired?  What happens if/when Danny Sheridan appears on his show to accuse Auburn of cheating?  What happens when Finebaum’s show becomes pro-Alabama — as fans of other schools often view it?

Other leagues have faced these issues, of course.  The Big Ten Network is 100% a marketing arm for the league.  If you wanted coverage of the Penn State scandal last year, you didn’t turn to the Big Ten Network.

The NFL Network found itself a target of late-Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.  He took shots at then-NFL Network reporter Adam Schefter publicly and reportedly asked during a league meeting why a channel tied to the Raiders (and other teams) was trying to dig up news via sources within the Raiders organization (and others).

When a scandal breaks in the Southeastern Conference, it will be interesting to see how the SEC Network covers it.  If it covers it.

And if Finebaum starts to get under the skin of certain coaches, ADs or schools within the conference, it will be just as interesting to see how they respond to his criticism.

The leading returning rusher for LSU’s football team is now on indefinite suspension.  Following an arrest for simple battery over the weekend, it was announced today that Jeremy Hill would be barred from the Tiger program.  According to the school’s statement, head coach Les Miles will “let the incident play out through the legal system before making additional comments.”

Hill was charged with taking part in the beating of another student at a Baton Rouge bar.  Reportedly there is video of the incident showing Hill and another man beating the student to the point of unconsciousness.

If Hill is convicted of the simple battery charge, he would be in violation of a probation stemming from his guilty plea on a “carnal knowledge of a juvenile” charge in 2011.

As a freshman last season, Hill rushed for 755 yards on 142 carries with 12 touchdowns.

Has Georgia coach Mark Richt gone Les Miles on everyone?  LSU’s highly successful coach has never had much problem taking part in videos and clips that allow folks to laugh at his expense.  Good for him.

Well now Richt has let loose, too.  Already famous for his work on the high dive, UGA’s coach takes part in a music video for a song called “Dawg Bite.”  The song was released last year, but the video is apparently new.

So why would Richt get involved?  Because his son, David Richt, is the young man behind the song.  Country rapper — yep, you read that right — Colt Ford also takes part:

That is all.

No school had ever lost 11 underclassmen to the NFL draft.  Not until this past winter when 11 LSU Tigers told head coach Les Miles they would be making the jump to the professional ranks, that is.

Quite naturally, the coach has tried to turn that negative into a positive… on the recruiting trail:

“The situation is a reality in our program.  We did a great job developing our guys, and investing in them.  And what’s happening is that three-and-outs are reality.  We’re going to have to enjoy the success that those guys can have in three and out.

I still believe that there are opportunities (for players to return) to raise their draft status.  The two pieces to whether you stay is whether you raise your draft status and the opportunity to make it and stay in the NFL.  To me, when you’re ideally placed to be drafted high and to be in a position where you have to find your worth and your abilities but you will make a team — those guys are really welcome to leave (school) and, in many instances, will.”

Cut through the standard Miles doubletalk and you’ll easily grasp the coach’s message to prospects — “Hey, kid, we can get you ready for the NFL lickety-split.”

Michael Carvell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that “some are wondering if the coach works for a university… or an NFL farm system.”  In reality, the answer is both.

Miles is aware of the current college sports landscape and he’s adapting to it, not unlike John Calipari at Kentucky.  No rules are being broken.  Heck, those who abhor the NCAA might even say Miles and LSU are helping young men break free from the bonds of Mark Emmert faster, allowing them to make money sooner.

Still, if Miles were to be honest, one would guess he’s not thrilled about having to replace so many players ahead of schedule.  Faced with that issue, however, he has to put a proper spin on it.  And he has.  So anyone upset with Miles’ comments regarding three-and-outs should first ask themselves this question: “What was Miles supposed to say?”

It’s was only a matter of time until this happened…

Last one to do the “Harlem Shake” is a rotten egg.  While we feel this particular internet fad has been played out at this point, there’s nothing wrong with football coaches like Les Miles having a little fun.  Hell, we’d pay good money to see Nick Saban do the shake with his squad, but apparently that kind of thing isn’t part of the process.

Another admission: We’d watch videos for the “Harlem Shake” infinitely more times than we’d watch the Rolling Stones’ forgettable video for their infinitely better 1986 cover version of the “Harlem Shuffle.”

Then again, maybe that’s not too bad compared to this 60s cover by Vigon.

January has been a rough slog for LSU football fans.  One junior after another has announced his intentions to leave Baton Rouge early for a spot in the NFL draft.  The total has now reached 10 players from last year’s team, 11 if you count Tyrann Mathieu who drugged his way out of school prior to the season.

One person who’s not worried?  Les Miles.  At least that’s what he’s saying publicly:

“I like the state of the program.  I like the fact that we send guys to the NFL early and recruit guys with the potential to go to the NFL early…

I could go down every guy and I could tell you that the reasons are personally compelling.  Were they my decisions?  No, but frankly I understood them.

I think some guys are looking forward to having great and long pro careers and some guys are trying to optimize a lower position in a draft spot and maximize the number of years they get to be there…

Some guys think they may never be most optimally positioned for the NFL and this may be the best that they’ve got.  It may be bad, but they think it’s the best that they have.”

Miles also told The Baton Rouge Advocate that his staff “anticipated the departures, to a certain extent, and we recruited guys right along that we anticipate would come in and have a great opporunity to play very early and play big roles on next year’s team.

Sounds good.  But here’s guessing Miles is actually pretty frustrated by all the turnover.  How could he not be?

Vanderbilt 38 – North Carolina State 24

1. Vanderbilt forces five North Carolina State turnovers, Zac Stacy runs for 107 yards. Seventh win a row for the Commodores, at 9-4 could crack final AP poll for the first time since 1948.

2. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin: “When you get in the nine-game category,it is a completely different conversation you are in.”

3. “Good is not good enough. Franklin demands excellence.”

4. Commodores employ wildcat formation for 19-of-68 offensive plays.

5. Interception right before half proves crucial.

6. James Franking post-game news conference video.

Clemson 25 – LSU 24

7. LSU blows 11-point lead fourth-quarter lead – just 1 yard of offense in last 15 minutes as Clemson kicks game-winning field goal as time expires.

8. Clemson runs 100 plays – LSU just 48.  Zach Mettenberger sacked six times.  Les Miles: “He was under duress from the first series on.”

9. Les Miles “must take a serious look at the direction in which his offense is going, especially in its last three postseason games.”

10. Mark Bradley: “For all its success, LSU can sometimes outsmart itself, which is to say that LSU can leave you wondering if it knows what it’s doing.”

11. Jeff Duncan: “Bowl games are supposed to be a reward. This was cruel and unusual punishment.”

12. Les Miles post-game news conference video.

Vanderbilt lost to MTSU 56-52 in Nashville on Friday night
Tennessee took down Western Carolina 66-52 in Knoxville on Friday night
There are 12 games on the SEC basketball schedule today and tonight
Kentucky coach John Calipari is using a “really interesting, outside the box” training regimen with his team
Alabama OT D.J. Fluker says his teammates called him out during the season, leading to his improvement
Les Miles says his LSU team is “itching to get home for Christmas” and off the practice field
Mississippi State fans aren’t buying up Gator Bowl tickets as quickly as they did two years ago
Ole Miss juniors CB Charles Sawyer and RB Jeff Scott have asked for their NFL draft grades
An anonymous donor has made a $6.4 million gift to the Missouri athletic department
Follow the SEC all year long at MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

There’s only one thing in the world worse than someone stumbling across your old high school annual.  That’s someone taking your photo from your old high school annual and posting it online for all to see.

Five SEC football coaches are dealing with that very thing today after USA Today’s High School Sports site found and then posted photos from their high school days.  If you’re interested in seeing additional coaches from non-SEC schools — like Bill Snyder playing ball in a leather helmet (joke) — click right here.

If you just want to see the SEC coaches’ mugs, see below, starting with a pre-hat Les Miles.  “The Mad Unitarder.”

Read the rest of this entry »