The New Orleans Saints game might have been the first professional football game played in Louisiana this season, but it also was the first time former LSU coach Nick Saban and current coach Les Miles were in Baton Rouge at the same time.
    When Miles took the coaching position in January, Saban already had moved to Miami to begin his duties as the Dolphins’ coach. This weekend gave both coaches an opportunity to visit with each other in person Friday before leading their teams to victories less than 24 hours apart.
    Miles and Saban said the conversation did not include pointers, criticism or any coach talk that some might assume would arise from two LSU coaches.
    “We just visited,” Miles said. “I wanted to thank him. He was very kind to us. He’s helped us right along. So I wanted to touch base with him and tell him that if he did have time, to come over and see the building that he helped design. We certainly wanted to show it to him. He’s been very receptive to helping us and being involved with this program.”
   The football administration, previously located on the second floor of the Athletic Administration Building, relocated to the new facilities located off Skip Bertman Drive. Saban said he did not have time to tour the finished product, but assured Miles he would return during the off season.
   Other products Saban ushered in were impossible to be left unseen. The stadium’s renovation – which is still undergoing finishing touches – was evident from the visitor’s sideline which faces the west side of Tiger Stadium where most improvements were made.
“I wanted to say the stadium looks fantastic with the new press box and all that,” Saban said. “It’s just unusual being over there [on the visitor’s sideline.] I’ve been on that other sideline for how many games?”
   Saban still personified purple and gold as he stood in front of the LSU backdrop taking questions in a laid-back manner and joking with the Baton Rouge media. He commented on the backdrop saying it “still looked good.” He added he wished his successor good luck on this past Saturday’s game.
  Veteran players like senior Andrew Whitworth said they are still assured of Saban’s silent support. Whitworth said he plans to track his former coach down for advice after his college career ends.
“I will definitely give him a call just to ask him some advice things and things that he thought would be good for me to do,” Whitworth said. “We are still close and we still know that he is out there doing what he needs to do and we’re doing the same thing here.”
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