The report I saw on ESPN today said that Miles still hasn't signed his new contract at LSU. I wouldn't be surprised if he still didn't pull a Saban and leave after throwing a fit like this.

Well, if he wins the MNC his new contract would pay him more or less what his old one would (since he gets a raise if they win the MNC). When he signed the extension playing for a national title was a longshot; now winning it is likely. He holds a lot of leverage. If he wants more money, he'll get it. If he wants to keep them hanging and give Michigan another chance (more that Michigan would have to give him a chance, which from the sound of things isn't going to happen), he could; they aren't going to fire him right before the national title game. So while this technically keeps the door open, I wouldn't read too much into this re: Michigan. And anyway I think the bigger issue is Bill Martin.

Yes, but reneging on his word and coming to UM now wouldn't be the trait of a "Michigan Man", now would it?

those damn catch 22's...

According to mgoblog, we "offered" Miles $1.8m. But now we're prepared to offer $4m for KIRK ****ING FERENTZ???????????? WTF?????????????????

Bill Martin is a complete disgrace. Sadly, nothing bad will happen to him. And while I was feeling kind of ok about Lloyd a few weeks ago, his lingering insistence that the program continue to be run as if its 1985 is infuriating. Memo to Lloyd: you just took a team with a mountain of talent and lost 4 games (so far) and should have lost at least 2 more. STFU.

One of the other names kicked around today on the message boards is Chris Peterson from Boise St. I like that name much better than Ferentz.

UCLA wants Peterson pretty badly I think.

someone was telling me this, thats ridic if true. im also starting to change my tune about lloyd carr. because he has personal issues with les miles he ****s up our program. also, maybe lloyd really just doesn't get it. he has been a horrible football coach for so long now, and now he endorses his clone. wtf. all this time he really is a dumb ****? i always gave him the benefit of the doubt because he ran a clean program, graduated kids, and produced tons of NFL talent. But wtf is he doing to our program now? He just does not want Michigan to be a super power.

Ok, for the 200th time already, I've changed my mind. Things are going to be okay. Things will work out. It will be good. Martin is not a colossal idiot and will make a good hire. I'm basing this on some vague but reliable information, and because I need to believe this to get through the next x number of weeks. So point me back to this post when I'm freaking out again tomorrow.

I've always thougt Loyyd was a terrible coach, but he probably really thinks Miles would be bad for the program (character issues or whatever). I don't think he would screw the program over just for personal reasons.

ok, im with you, but please no kirk ferentz.

LOL, well right on schedule I'm changing back again.

From Jim Carty (who tore Martin a new A-hole in an article last night):

[Martin promised not to contact Miles until after the SECCG; nothing was said about talking to his agent but Martin assumed he'd be a gentleman and not do that either...you can tell where this is going...]

When asked whether he believed a more aggressive athletic director would have called the agent regardless of any promises to LSU, Martin insisted that the athletic directors he respects would have waited.

"I absolutely do," he said. "I think this is the way the process should be done. If you have any respect for our peer institutions, for other professionals."

Oh goody. Well we have the moral high ground here. We didn't resort to nasty tactics like violating a promise we didn't make. I don't think violating that request (or hell, not even asking permission) is a big deal; contacting his agent isn't even the least bit dishonest or slimy. But we STILL didn't do it because we're above that kind of thing, where that kind of thing is apparently the idea that somewhere some person might think you did something a little tiny bit inappropriate. Wouldn't want that.

Assuming Martin isn't lying, and who the heck lies with the intent to make themselves look more incompetent (except for someone so incompetent they don't realize it), then he has absolutely no idea how this works at all. In any way shape or form. Just brutally amateurish. I could run this search as well as he could.

And the best part is Miles' agent tried to contact him but they never decided to respond. Further, the LSU AD said, in the friggin' Detroit papers before Saturday, that Martin could talk to Miles' agent. I mean...something's gotta be up. You can't really be that incompetent can you? Really. He's gotta have something up, offered this as a lame explanation and just sucks at PR, but really has some wily plan for something amazing. He's got to because otherwise this is Kevin White level insanity.

I think we are taking this a bit too far. We're talking about Les Miles here, not Bear Bryant. He is a good coach, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't come to Ann Arbor. To my knowledge, he has not won any national championships. Let's all just calm down a little bit.

It's Michigan - one of the premier football programs in the country. They will not have any problem getting a top level coach to take the job.

The one that's got me excited: Jon Gruden. I would love to see Chucky snarling in maize and blue next season.

you michigan guys are hilarious. i cant believe yall are so sick over losing les freakin miles. have you watched any lsu games? the guy is glaringly incompetent.

admittedly i dont know much about ferentz but i cant imagine its a huge downgrade. it doesnt really matter bc tressel would pwn either.

gruden is very scary tho. i doubt he wants to drop to college tho. hes one of the most successful pro coaches of the modern era.

michigans best chance is to find their own tressel. a very successful obscure coach of a smaller program. florida did well with that method. go for the boise guy. ill bet hes tough.

I don't mind hiring Ferentz, I just hate it if we pay more than $2.5M/yr for him, because if we're going to pay that much for him, we may as well try to spend $3.5-4M/yr to attract a top-level candidate. I still support Bill Cowher for next UM Coach. Just zone blitzing all over the place.

It becomes a problem when one of the necessary requisites for getting hired is ostensibly being friendly with Lloyd. Now, if Lloyd's friends were Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer, this would be okay. But unfortunately Lloyd is only on good terms with mediocre to awful coaches like Ferentz and DeBord.

So yeah, I don't think anyone is claiming Miles is Bear Bryant. But Miles is > Ferentz, DeBord, and Brady Hoke, so when losing Miles means a probable fate of having Kirk 'Lloyd Jr' Ferentz take over the reins, then losing Miles is disappointing.

bottom line is to stay competive in todays college football world you need a young, cocky, brash, outspoken coach. you need a guy who is not afraid to be politically incorrect, but just don't break any rules. we need a guy who can match and outwit coaches who will have the opponents team security sniffed by state trooper dogs a few hours before the game in the rain. thats what todays game is about. i think les is perfect fit in that regard.

Charlie Strong would be the best hire IMO

I wouldn't mind this. Urban is young and ingrained enough in Florida for him to realize that the top job there isn't going to be opening anytime soon and the Michigan job is a huge one. Having recruiting connections in Florida would be sweet too.

Great quote from Brian at mgoblog:

"For every rumor out there about Les Miles' supposed lack of morals, there's a kid who's left Iowa's team for being a hooligan. But Miles is the guy with "character issues" because said something mean or wrong or impolite about Carr. Our athletic department's priorities are awesome."

huh?

sigh...do I have to repost (for the third time) my thing on evaluating coaches? Whatever you may think of him, a glaringly incompetent coach (or anyone resembling a glaringly incompetent coach) does not go 33-6 in the SEC and wind up playing for the national title (which admittedly is somewhat of a fluke).

I don't get the whole "Miles is obviously bad" bandwagon. He's a good coach imo. He is NOT a great one. I've said it a bunch of times on this board: he is NOT a good game manager, but he has kept the LSU program at the elite status Saban left it in.

In case anyone forgot: we had two HUGE F*CKING HURRICANES hit Louisiana in 2005. We went 11-2 that year, with very little practice time early on. We lost in a meltdown to Tennessee (largely a result on really bad conditioning, thank you Katrina & Rita), and the SEC Championship to Georgia. We destroyed Miami in the Peach Bowl. This happened in Miles' first year!

Les Miles has his flaws. I think he understands that, and is a guy that is willing to appraise his own behavior and improve.

Overall, I'm glad we still have him.

excellent point

i worded that bad. what im essentially saying im sick of Michigan going after a presendential canidate type of coach. **** that. we need a guy like they got at Georgia who is not scared to let his whole team storm the field and celebrate a touchdown. we need a guy like mich state who is not scared to have an emotional press conference, same for les miles. and tressell fits that mold obviously. we need a coach who can employ some gamesmanship, all the great coaches do it. im sick of the michigan 'we are above those tactics mentality'. i realize im ranting, but im sick of watching the good boys play.