What Say You, Les Miles?

A when-I-see-fit exploration of the space of a Les Miles press conference.

"We had a nice open week, but it created great anxiety. As a coach when you sit there and watch a football Saturday, and you don't have a game to play, you wonder where you are at. You feel like there is somewhere you need to go."

Like, say, the asylum? Though you may not come back anytime soon, I do believe they want their white jacket back. No, no, not the dinner jacket. The one where the sleeves go around the back and all the straps.

"Offensively we worked both quarterbacks and we will stay with both quarterbacks. It is a necessity that we need both quarterbacks' skills."

Combined they form one, below average quarterback that we absolutely necessarily need to have.

"I can tell you that we look forward to big games, and whenever you line up against Alabama, it's a big game. It is one in which will be approached with the mindset of let's just play and let's enjoy how we play. Let's prepare well so we can let it rip and let our best team present itself. I think this will be a lot of fun and I think our guys are looking forward to it."

There it is, a verbal assurance that no coaching will be involved during the game. LSU's chances of winning jumped by at least 50%, up from -37% (this, of course, assumes no new deal was struck between Miles and the Dark Prince).

On how DE Sam Montgomery's injury has affected the defensive line...
"Certainly when you lose a starter, it's a difficult piece."

Of crap? Shit? The puzzle? THE EQUATION?

On if he is disappointed in the blocking of the wide receivers...
"I guess what I'm saying is I'm in the key piece of my season where the big plays have yet to have been made. As I go into the next game, I look for those plays to be more important than anything that we've done in the past, and to say that I have any opinion to this point that would be finite would not. Really, I'm expecting this receiving corps to do the things that they've done in the past, and that is rebound and play like hell and play well. If they do that, that's just what I want to see them do. In many instances there is some developing going on, and there are some guys, in my opinion, who are a little bit nicked and will probably be playing with greatest health this Saturday."

So, was that a yes or no? I'm just asking.

On if he was able to do some scouting on offense during the bye week to see what they could improve on...
"I think the pieces that we have done here really that have benefited us is we have looked at those things that we have been successful, and we are going to work to maximize those yet again."

?

On Auburn QB Cam Newton's success against LSU...
"I compare him very favorably to the best quarterbacks I've lined up against."

Especially those who have single-handedly beaten me.

On the mentality of the team during the bye week...
"I think any time you have a team that cares, they will look to progress, and they look to ask that the team and their group come along. I see that with good teams pretty routinely. I think the mental preparation and our football team enjoyed the open week and is looking forward to preparing with a game week to go."

However, our mental preparation was pissed it missed Thursday night's steak dinner.