Miles breaks silence, discusses quarterbacks and 2012 season

LSU football coach Les Miles spent the better portion of a week wallowing in the misery of LSU’s shortcomings in the BCS National Championship Game.

He listened to the rumors of pre-game altercations in the team’s locker room.

He observed the criticisms of the always-tough fan base and never said a word.

This week, Miles decided to turn the page and start fresh.

The Tigers’ coach detailed his thoughts on LSU’s loss against Alabama before saying he’s moving forward and is officially moving toward the team’s next season.

“I can tell you that our team at 4 p.m. will be directed towards next year,” Miles said during last Tuesday’s news conference. “We return a team in my mind that will have just as much talent and is just as capable as any that we’ve had. As we did a year ago, there are some things that we’re going to have to put together. There are some pieces that need to mature and come.”

The LSU coach spoke at length about the position that has drawn Tiger fan’s greatest ire since the big game n quarterback.

Miles answered the question on every fan’s mind, saying he considered replacing starter Jordan Jefferson with Jarrett Lee, deciding not to because of the former Destrehan standout’s mobility.

“I can tell you that Jarrett Lee did come to mind,” Miles said. “We do have confidence in Jarrett, we just felt like we needed that guy who might be able to get loose with his feet.”

Miles said regardless of the playing rotation, he wanted to thank both Jefferson and Lee for their contributions to the program over the past four years, specifically this season when each player had a large hand in LSU’s success.

“I have to give credit where credit is due first,” Miles said. “Jarrett Lee did a great job at the start of the season, and I have to tell you that there are pieces of that season that are specifically his where his abilities really spoke to our team’s achievement.

“I have to say the same thing about Jordan Jefferson,” the coach added. “You get in the back end of the season and the opportunity to play against very mobile defenses, the idea that he could control the line of scrimmage with option and movement gave us an opportunity to win in those games as well.”

But the coach admitted each player had limitations n the reason for the two-quarterback system in the first place.

With either Zach Mettenberger or Stephen Rivers as the team’s starter under center in 2012, Miles announced loud and clear what fans can expect next season.

It’s something that’ll be sure to please anyone who’s seen Jefferson and Lee play the position since 2008.

“We will throw the football more,” Miles said definitively. “Yes, we will lose a characteristic of a quarterback that can move his feet and run by design. But we will have a guy that will scramble but certainly will throw the football by percentage greater.

“I think there will be a fun approach, a different view of our quarterback position now. I think it will allow us to throw the football more affectively, to approach a game plan that can feature some receivers and some balls being thrown down the field more efficiently.”

But no matter how much he tried to focus on 2012, Miles’ thoughts always seemed to shift back to LSU’s letdown loss to Alabama.

The Tigers’ coach said he didn’t have an answer for the way his team played, saying a perfect storm of mental errors and schematic mistakes cost the team its shot at the crystal ball n a painful blow to the team’s entire roster and staff.

“There has been a lot of heartache on our team,” Miles said. “I think there is a quality group of men that tried awfully hard to win everything, and fell short. I don’t think there is any question that is a pain that we have endured.”

From pain comes a lesson learned n the message Miles closed his postseason press conference with.

The LSU coach said he will constantly remind his players of the ache they felt in their second meeting with Alabama, adding it will be a huge source of motivation throughout the Tigers’ entire offseason workout plan.

That extra fuel is a plus, because make no mistake about it, with 16 starters returning from the No. 2 team in the country, Miles is not afraid to say he expects to be right back in the thick of things in 2012.

With the Alabama loss in the rear-view mirror, Miles said his focus is the next time LSU is in the position to win a championship n a time he believes will be in the not-so-distant future.

“I don’t bemoan the want to have finished well in that last game, but we won 13 straight,” Miles said. “The opportunity for us to approach that style of team and exceed is certainly before us. … I think the opportunity to come in here, play for championships, get your degree and in my mind enjoy very much that endeavor here at LSU has never changed.”

In addition to discussing LSU’s championship game mishaps, Miles did confirm other news on the coaching front.

The LSU head coach confirmed that Tigers wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales has accepted an offer to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois.

Gonzales spent two seasons at LSU as both the previously mentioned title and also passing game coordinator.

Prior to LSU, Gonzales was a top assistant coach at the University of Florida under then-coach Urban Meyer.

Miles said he wishes his former assistant well in his endeavors.

“This is a great promotion for Billy,” Miles said. “Billy will do a great job as an offensive coordinator. This is a tremendous opportunity for him and his family.”

Miles said no timetable exists for finding Gonzales’ replacement.

He added he will be patient throughout the process, hoping to find the best fit.

Miles also indirectly addressed the recruitment of 5-star Indiana quarterback Gunner Kiel.

Kiel, who first committed to Indiana, switched his commitment to LSU in December.

But the prospect didn’t enroll at this week’s start of the spring semester and instead again switched his commitment, this time signing with Notre Dame.

Miles couldn’t address Kiel by name because of NCAA rules, but said he supports the prospect’s decision to stay in Indiana.

“The only thing I can tell you is there’s a guy in the Midwest who felt staying close to home was the right thing, or maybe there’s a guy in any number of places where the decision comes down to staying close to family and representing a stadium or team nearby.

“I understand that very much.”

With a 13-1 regular season in the books, three LSU standouts opted to test the professional waters this week, foregoing the remainder of their collegiate careers.

LSU standout wide receiver Rueben Randle, defensive lineman Michael Brockers and cornerback Morris Claiborne have all opted to enter their names into the NFL Draft.

Miles said he applauds the decisions.

“There are different times for guys to leave our program and the things that [all] of these men have done is have consistent growth as people and as student-athletes academically,” Miles said. “[These] men have been very humble in their approach to learning football. It started at a level much less to the level they are at now. They improved and improved and became tremendously competitive.”

Claiborne is likely to be the first LSU player selected in the draft.

A lockdown cornerback, Claiborne established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the country.

ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper ranks Claiborne as one of the top three players in the draft.

A redshirt sophomore, Brockers opted for the professional ranks after recording 54 tackles with two sacks.

He is projected to be a mid-to-late first round selection.

Randle will turn pro after a standout junior season in which he caught for nearly 1,000 yards.

He is projected to be a mid-round selection.

LSU coach Les Miles shouts instructions during a game this season. The Tigers’ coach opened up this week about LSU’s failure in the BCS National Championship Game. LSU SPORTS