LSU Coach Les Miles' End of Game Melt Downs Provide a Lesson for Trial Attorneys
The talk of college football this week is yet another end of game meltdown by LSU head football coach Les Miles. Miles—who is known for losing his mind at the end of close football games—got away with one on Saturday. Here is the video of the end of the LSU vs. Tennessee game.
What Miles Did Wrong
Miles made multiple errors at the end of this game. But the colossal blunders were not getting a play in to the team until it was too late and substituting players when there was not enough time to do that. The scale of these blunders is beyond description.
This might occur in pee wee football when the clock is in the ref's pocket. But it's not something you would expect to see at any level where coaches are getting paid to coach. I'm pretty sure that Jackson Prep would fire their football coach in the unlikely event he committed these blunders.
Les Miles Can't Think Straight Under Heavy Stress
Miles wouldn't be the sharpest knife in a drawer full of spoons. But he is more stupid at the end of close games. And I think that I know what is problem is.
Miles' problem is that he can't think when the adrenalin is flowing at the end of close games. His brain just shuts down. It's very obvious.
There is plenty of video evidence to support this conclusion. Miles doesn't talk coherently in post-game interviews and makes bizarre coaching decisions. Think the 2009 LSU vs. Ole Miss game. After that game, Miles was incoherent and couldn't remember that he was the one who instructed the quarterback to clock the ball with no time on the clock.
The analogy for historians is the adage of “the fog of war.”
Miles Puts Himself in Position to Melt Down
Now I understand why successful football coaches put in the long hours during the season and often sleep in their office. It's so that when the adrenalin is flowing in a game, they have a plan. They don't want to have to make decisions by the seat of their pants when they may not be thinking clearly due to adrenalin. They don't want to be like…..Les Miles.
Miles is known to watch movies with his family the night before games. I am pro-family. But when you've only got 12 games a year and you're Les Miles, maybe instead of watching ET with the kids you should be thinking about what play you will run if LSU is on the 2–yard line at the end of the game and only has time for one play. This is not a rare occurrence for Les Miles coached teams. Miles wrongly thinks that he can just figure it out when it happens.
Miles is simply not prepared for all situations that might arise during a game. And this is a best-case scenario for Miles. If he is prepared and melts down because he can't call the play that he planned to run when he prepared for the game, then he's hopeless.
Here is the Lesson for Trial Attorneys
Trial attorneys can undergo similar levels of stress and adrenalin during trials. So how does a trial attorney prepare for those stress levels? Preparation.
Preparation is—without question—the most important component of being able to deal with stressful moments at trial. This means knowing the case well enough to be able to foresee issues that may arise during trial and figuring out a strategy ahead of time.
It also means knowing how to prepare for trial, which is an under appreciated skill that many lawyers do not possess. Plenty of lawyers put in the time before trial without adequately preparing because they do not know how to prepare for trial.
It is true that trial attorneys may not be able to foresee all stressful issues that may arise during a trial. But with thorough preparation they can foresee most of them. Also, the preparation will almost always allow the lawyer to make good decisions when the unforeseen happens.
Benjamin Franklin is credited with the saying that “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That is true for trial attorneys. And Les Miles.
