It is once again time to FEAR THE HAT - Those who have lost their FEAR for Les Miles and LSU had better re-think their limbic (emotional seat of the mind) and pre-fontal (executive thinking seat) functions carefully. LSU was not ranked in the top 25 to end the 2008 season (which shows how human polls are just as flawed as computer polls given GT's higher ranking than LSU's after LSU humiliated them in their home city of ATL), but folks had better realize that the massive star field that lined up in the wrong way in 2008 is phasing back in alignment for the good for 2009 - and in a BIG way.
Why is LSU looking so good in 2009?
1) LB Coaching LSU will FINALLY have a REAL LB coach. LB play is UBER-important in modern CFB. Chavis has put as many LB's in the league as any team in the country while at Tenn. Not since Will Muschamp graced the campus has adequate LB coaching been part of the LSU defense.
2) "No CO" (No Co Defensive Coordinators) - Two inferior position coaches combined as co-defensive coordinators to produce an inferior, confused and undisciplined defense for LSU in 2008. New DC "Chief" Chavis is a discipline guy who is highly organized, and has over a decade of SEC DC experience. The bonus is that Chavis's former Tenn teams have common annual opponents with LSU in BAMA and Florida, so he knows how to prepare for these 2 traditionally-contending teams. Look for Chavis to overhaul the 2008 defensive scheme and to extract the maximum from the great LSU defensive talent base. As such, the LSU defensive brand will return with a vengeance in 2009. In addition, new Dline coach Brick Haley, the former DLine coach of the Chicago Bears, has far more talent returning to work with than folks realize, even with the loss of Francois and Jackson. "Rahem Alem and the team" will be fiercely fast and physical next year, so don't fool yourself if you expect a drop off.
3) New DB Coach Cooper - Cooper is the best DB coach in the SEC (stolen from S Car last week) and possibly the country. He has put a pipeline of DB's into the Pros, and is projected to have four "5-star" players to work with in the LSU defensive backfield on the Ponderosa at LSU - Chad Jones, Patrick Peterson, Janzen Jackson, Craig Loston. Of course, Loston and Jackson are only verbal committments at this point, but even if LSU loses 1 (Tenn may hire Janzen's father, and if so, speculation is that he may change his committment to follow his father to Knoxville), the defensive backfield is hardly lacking in stellar talent. Throw in the hard-hitting senior Harry Coleman, and the potential is amazing.
4) Senior RB's Charles Scott, Keiland Williams and Trindon Holiday are joined by incoming star Michael Ford {EDIT:Dexter Pratt de-committed}. Junior Richard Murphy might very well have something to say about playing time also (and don't forget about Steve Ridley, the former star of the state of Mississippi, who is a potential combination of LSU RB legends Jacob Hester and Cecil "the Deisel" Collins. It might be a stretch to label this hybrid FB/TB so highly, so lets call it only a gut feel at this stage).
5) QB Play of Jordan Jefferson (JJ) - JJ had an insanely awesome TD-INT ratio while posting a 15-0 state championship run in the big leagues of Lousiana HS football. He has good leadership skills, and has compiled two pretty good performances during his true freshman year at LSU to take into '09 - so LSU is in WAY better shape heading into 2009 than heading into 2008 at the QB spot. JJ shows good field vision, composure, mobility and ball-protection skills/ability thus far. Much-maligned Sophomore Jarrett Lee has the potential to shine if he gets the call - that is if Lee can shake the demons from his poor freshman performance. He showed brilliance along the way in the midst of his issue-filled freshman campaign.
6) Recruiting - The number 1 recruiting class in the country (at this point and likely on signing day). Using Rivals.com as a basis, Miles has actually been superior to Saban in his tenure at LSU in comparison to what Saban brought in while in BR. YES, this is true, and that is one heck of an accomplishment considering what Saban did. Miles actually has a higher average star accumulation than Saban in a similar amount of time.
7) Russell Shepard - The incoming freshman is similar to Percy Harvin athletically, and similar to Tim Tebow in his character. He is also very well-spoken and appears to have NATURAL leader skills. In addition to having one of the fastest first-steps & initial burst/accelerations in college football, Shepard is as un-selfish as they come. Shep is a great recruiter in his own right. Look for Shep to play the role of alternative to Jefferson for LSU (like Tebow did for Leak at QB in '06), combined with a bit of slot receiver and/or RB play such as Percy Harvin in '08 at UF. What a catch LSU has in this young man!
8) Rueben Randle ? (assuming the #1 recruit in the nation ends up, as expected, on the Bayou in his home state) - It is certainly not a given that he will end up on the bayou, but if he does....wow....this guy has been compared to Randy Moss in skills, but seems humble and physical much like Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. Randle could very well have the impact at LSU that Julio Jones did at BAMA .
9) Ciron Black and the Offensive Line - Ciron's facebook status says he is coming back, and that provides great continuity and talent to ensure the LSU O-Line is retained as one of the best in the SEC and nation.
10) Pro-Caliber Recieving Corp - LaFell and Toliver are both returning, and they both will likely be playing on Sunday one day. LaFell is a beast that is the epitome of what an NFL receiver should look like. Terrance Toliver, the former 5-star receiver out of Hempstead, Tx, has emerged as one of JJ's favorite receivers, and could emerge in '09 at the level that matches his 5-star pedigree. The soon-to-be Junior is finally being used in a manner which will give him a chance to live up to the hype, and he certainly has the raw skills to give it a go. If LSU is lucky and gets Rueben Randle, then WOW, WOW, WOW!
11) TE Richard Dickson - Dickson is the best TE in the league. He is back for his senior year, and makes for a very tough match for LB's, and JJ also seems to connect VERY well with him. Tyler Edwards will be a RS freshman, so it is speculative to say that he will be very Dickson-esque this year, but he certainly seems similarly talented. If he is what folks think, that would be a heckuva TE pair.
12) BAMA and Florida are losing major components no matter what they tell you. Percy Harvin is a BIG difference maker, and he is a goner. Tebow is ticking around, but replacing Harvin's field vision and instincts are not just a matter of plugging in another 4.3 speedster. This will REALLY affect UF. However, Florida is loaded on defense and has many playmakers on offense, so they will be very strong again - but losing Harvin is anything but trivial, so don't fall for trivialization of Percy's departure. As for BAMA, 20th year Senior QB Parker (LOL) provided a stable and predominantly mistake-free style of QB which is typical of SEC championship contenders. BAMA will throw an inexperienced and young QB into the mix next year, and everyone should expect whoever gets that spot to struggle in moving the BAMA offense in 2009. Loosing Andre Smith and Coffee are big impacts, but can be offset some if the Tide can lure in Trent Richardson and with freak Olineman Fluker.
13) Status of Competition - Traditional powers Auburn and Tennessee (not on LSU schedule) have new coaches onboard, and have depleted talent bases, so they are less of a threat than otherwise. Ole Miss is the team to keep an eye on due to the recruiting by Coach Orgeron and the solid coaching of Coach Nutt; but LSU will be really up for the Rebels when they visit Oxford. And Arkansas, that fricken ugly boot will return to BR next year.
14) UGA talent losses - The visit to UGA-land in early October is still going to be very tough, but a Moreno-less and Stafford-less UGA will make this trip far more win-able.
15) The 2009 schedule - The first few games are very manageable, so unless Miss St or Vandy pull a big surprise upset, LSU has a good chance of HOSTING National Champion Florida on 10/10/09 with an unblemished record. By then, Jordan Jefferson will have good experience under his belt, and the offense should be gellin'. The trip to UGA the week before the UF game is anything but a given, even with the loss of Stafford and Moreno, but their departure makes the UGA trip far more manageable. The LSU gets 2 weeks to prepare for hosting a re-building Auburn team before the home-stretch games against Ole Miss, Alabama and Arkansas. The schedule sets up about as good as can be expected.
16) The Hat himself - Coach Miles - Miles understands how to get his team game-ready and motivated. What you saw from Miles in 2005, 2006 and 2007 is more indicative of his coaching effectiveness than what you saw in 2008. This is because the 2008 campaign put up a terrible defensive/coaching performance, and had a struggling freshman QB at the helm. When Miles has strong Offensive and Defensive Coordinators running his team, he is at his best. Now that Chavis is onboard, he will combine with OC Gary Crowton to develop the overall team in the mold of the 2007 team. Miles is a great recruiter of players and coaches, and he is building the best combination once again - so FEAR THE HAT and LSU once again in 2009 !
post script on Russell Shepard worth reading:
http://blog.nola.com/lsusports/2009/01/lsus_russell_shepard_entering.html
35 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
James W. Fontenot 6 months ago
This by far is the best article on B/R right now. haha u and me have the same views and beliefs in the tigers in 09. They better not sleep on us.....its our year. 09 here we come!
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Michael Inglis 5 months ago
Good article and I agree LSU will be better next year. It was pretty predictable that LSU was going to struggle this year with all the losses they suffered on defense and the freshman QB.
For the record I thought LSU beating GT was one of the most predictable bowl games to pick. LSU defense was bad all year and with a month off you just knew they were going to get it togther.
Your defense should be much better in 09 but the have to force turnovers and get pressure on the QB. Something they didn't do much of this year.
JJ looked good but don't expect an amazing year out of him. When he starts playing the tough SEC defenses he may look normal. However he could end up being really good over the course of his career.
It should be a great three team race in the division but with away games at Bama and Ole Miss it could be tough. Even Arkansas should be much better with Ryan Mallet playing QB.
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felton moore 5 months ago
Reason 17. LSU's roster is as talented as any team in the country.
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felton moore 5 months ago
Agreed, as LSU's roster is as talented as any team in the country.
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Paul 5 months ago
It is true the Tigers win over Ga Tech was impressive. I woldn't get overly excited about the win being a precursor for 2009. Anyone will tell you it is easier to prepare for a one dimensional team than a balanced one. This is especially true if their one dimension plays into your strength. As disappointing as the LSU defense was, it was respectable against the run. During the regular season LSU beat rather easily a team, USCe, which is similar to Ga Tech in that it had a mediocre at best passing offense. Due to poor play of the back 7 LSU was burned frequently by teams, who could throw the ball downfield. The Tigers had trouble with Arkansas' passing attack for goodness sake. Despite all the above, I think LSU will be a force to reckon with in 2009. It is no secret that LSU's dissapointing season was due primarily to breakdowns on defense and erratic QB play. The problems on defense have been addressed. Look for the Tigers to have at least a top 5 defense in 2009. Jordon Jefferson gives hope for consistent to outstanding QB play. He needs to learn to go to his left, whether it is to hit a receiver or scramble, from time to time. It was obvious by the second quarter of the Peach Bowl (I refuse to use a name for a chicken) that he either could not or just was not going to go to his left. Virtually all of passes were to receives positioned from midfield to the right sideline. Unless scripted he almost invariably ran to his right when flushed from the pocket. You can bet the ranch, if I could see that watching the tube, opposing coaches saw it and will scheme for this tendancy until he proves he is effective going to the right.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
You are correct on JJ's tendency to roll to the same side of the field (althoug VY at Texas almost always did also and he won a NC). That will need to be addressed for sure. I personally do not expect him to carry the Tigers, but only want him to offer a multiple threat and to protect the ball, thus allowing those around him to excel, and the overall offense to roll on. If he can give us close to the game management that Flynn did, and throw in an equal or superior run threat to Flynn, then LSU's offense should offer a similar overall ability to the 2007 NC team.
I did not list the win over GT as one of the reasons for the expected 2009 success of LSU for the very reason you cite - they were too one-dimensional offesnively, and that one dimension happened to play to LSU's strength (rush defense) and away from its weakness (pass defense). The reasons cited had to do with re-building an aggressive and disciplined LSU D in 2009, which has nothing to do with the GT smashing.
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John Ashman 5 months ago
The player's name is Janzen Jackson. Only Pratt is the other fine running back committed to LSU. There is also a good fullback. Ridley is supposed to be a fullback and how he got to be a great back is a mystery. Where has he been? Of course Shepard is a great high school QB, but how can anyone know if his initial speed will be the fastest in college football? Rueben Randall may not commit to LSU. Remember Joe McKnight? The 6' 4" Tolliver is not yet a proven top college WR. The father of Janzen Jackson is a football high school coach who apparently has been offered a job at Tennessee. Was that done so that his son will follow? Only one of the 3 WRs committed to the Tigers has a solid record at that position. This article is so full of holes that I wonder how it could have been written. I'm an LSU fan but I like to be realistic-- it limits the number of disappoints later.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
fair enough. this much content will undoubtedly create disagreement. Janzen may or may not end up at LSU, but the point is that Cooper plus the LSU DB talent will be special either way. And Saban might find a way to steal Randle, but I think the kid wants to stay close to home and will likely not want to venture to Tuscaloosa with the greatr uncertainty at QB. As for Tolliver, he had come along slower than most expected, but he has major skills, so time will tell...True on Pratt being the other strong RB recruit. As for Ridley, lets call it a gut feel and agree to disagree. Thanks for your feedback, even though you pretty much slammed me and my attempt to provide an input on the Tigers. God bless.
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J Gator 5 months ago
I think it's pretty obvious that LSU will be much better next year.
As impressive as their dominating bowl win was, and as impressive as Jefferson was, I don't think you can draw too much from just one game.
With Alabama losing JPW and Ole Miss returning Jevan Snead, looks like the Rebels are the team to beat in the west. And don't forget about Arkansas either. They showed serious improvement throughout the year and Bobby Petrino is a great coach.
Seems that Mississippi State and Auburn are the only teams in the west that you can't really make any case for.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
what you say has a lot of truth to it. The GT win, and JJ's performance in that game, are only a fraction of the reasons LSU will be vastly improved. The defense is going to be vastly better and that is by far the major reason for the LSU letdown in '08. All JJ needs to do is be reasonably good and protect the ball, and run enough to force the defense to have to protect against his running, the Sr running back corps running, his passing and the Crowton wrinkles with players such as Shepard and Holiday. The defense AND the offensive improvement are why there is much to look forward to in BR, and the GT game is only a small part of the reason to be optimistic. As for Ole Miss, you are correct that Snead is a very good QB and the Rebels should not be overlooked in any way, shape or form in '09. Be that as it may, LSU will likely beat the Rebels in Oxford, but it is anything but a given. As for Arkansas, they have also proven the last 2 years to be capable of beating LSU, but the very smart money in '09 would be on the return of that boot to BR versus Arkansas pulling the deed 3 years in a row. All in all, LSU is the team to beat in the west, but that is why they play the game, as Ole Miss and BAMA have a finite chance to be the team representing the SEC West come early December.
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J Gator 5 months ago
You really think LSU is the team to beat in the west next year? I think that's a serious stretch.
If Alabama's QB turns out to be decent, then they'll be a serious threat.
Snead has proven to be a great quarterback and Houston Nutt has proven to be a great coach, so if I was betting today, I'd have to go with the Rebels. They beat two top 10 teams in his first year- one year removed from going winless in the SEC.
Guess we'll have to wait and see how the first few weeks go.
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J Gator 5 months ago
Watched the Gator celebration today and Tebow announced that he'll be returning for 2009.
Harvin said he was leaning towards coming back but will talk to Meyer tomorrow.
Florida will not be down this year.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
The "character man" Tebow did as expected, return for his Sr year campaign. College football and the Gators are the benefactors of that decision. Tebow makes that offense tick, so that surely gives Florida the best chances of winning the SEC East and likely the SEC overall in '09. Tebow sitll has a lot to show the Pro scouts, so he is wise for returning. No surprise he is smart enough to see that to be the case. The question is how much will he try to tranform him play into more of a traditional style of passing and QB play in an effort to show the Pros he is not just a great college system QB. At the moment, while EVERYONE views him as a class guy and a winner, that was the case for Vince Young also, but the Pro game and the college game require vastly different skill sets and capabilities. I hope he advances his game and makes it in the Pros.
However, Percy would not be wise to return, as his stock is as high as it can be right now. He risks a let down and/or injury, so Meyer needs to concern himself more with Percy the man than Percy the UF asset and advise that kid to go pro. If he does this as expected, UF will struggle to find a replacement, as he is FAR more than just a speedster. Demps and the other UF speedsters DO NOT have the natural instincts, vision and speed all wrapped up in one package. Expect him to go pro and for UF to struggle in 2009 to find someone to fill his void. This is a matter of opinion, so time will tell how it all unfolds.
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J Gator 5 months ago
Maybe I'm being a downer but I really think it would benefit Percy to stay one more year.
I could see a lot of teams being very nervous about taking him because he is constantly injured it seems like.
Not that it matters what I think, but his stock could definitely improve if he could actually stay injury free and play in every game next year.
Then again, I'm sure he's just thinking about what happened to Cornelius Ingram.
HOWEVER, even if he does leave, I don't think Florida will struggle. Harvin is someone who just can't be replaced. We have some talented receivers and running backs returning, so our offense should still be stellar.
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John Ashman 5 months ago
John
I am new at this and didn't intend to write again so soon. Thanks for being so gracious. The great WR's name is spelled Randle, not Randall as I misspelled it. It may be that I should not bring this up. It seems that if there are no marital problems in Janzen Jackson's family he is far more likely to go to Tennessee than if his mother stays in Louisiana. Can you recall even one really fast running back at LSU in the last 10 years? I mean speed approaching that of a Harvin at Florida. Big RBs seem to be preferred. Of course big is easier to come by than speed, and Harvin is considered a WR. Florida has reportedly 12 guys who run in the 4.0s. (I am not wishing for family discord in the above case.)
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Justin Goar 5 months ago
if i can count Kevin faulk in the last ten years ( i think he graduated in 98) then yes. also domanick davis.
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Joe 5 months ago
"Of course, Loston and Jackson are only verbal committments at this point, but even if LSU looses 1 (Tenn hired Janzen's father and speculation is that he may change his committment to follow his father to Knoxville), the defensive backfield is hardly lacking in stellar talent"
There are at least 2 things wrong with this sentence.
#1, you are apparently the only person reporting that Janzen Jackson's father has been hired at Tennessee. So, you are breaking a story without a source.
#2 You've misspelled "loses".
Try to keep it more professional.
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Kevin Alwell 5 months ago
Like most people, I wondered why LSU struggled so much this year. Obviously, any team that loses a top grade DC like Peline and has a freshman starting QB with no college experience should be expected to struggle. Still, LSU has so much talent, it is expected they can overcome this.
I saw the main problems that led to the poor 2008 season as primarily due to 2 reasons.... Poor player development by the coaching staff and limited player talent, experience and leadership.
Clearly the DC co-coordinator system did not work. I saw little progress made with DB's LB's and even the line. While there is raw talent, it never seemed to progress and get better. From the DB's missing coverage, LB's not filliing their gaps to a DL that did little more than straight ahead bull rush all year.
I know it seems odd to say LSU had talent limitations but I noticed something odd this year... For years now we have heard that .."Miles is winning with Sabans players". Well, this year, Miles lost with Sabans final and half hearted recruiting class. This left LSU with very limited talent at the leadership levels (Sr's and RS JR's) due simply to an imbalance of numbers. Simply put, our talent pool has a big old hole this year.
In 2008 LSU had 26 recruits - 13 were 5-4 star rated by rivals. These are our Freshmen.
In 2007 LSU had 26 recruits - 21 were 5-4 star rated by rivals. These are Soph / RFR
IN 2006 LSU had 26 recruits - 14 were 5-4 star rated by Rivals. These are Jr / RSO.
In 2005 LSU had 13 recruits - 8 were 5-4 star and 2 of those are no longer on the team. This class should now be the core of our prime talent and leadership. So we had a big hole in our talent, leadership and experience base this year.
I think the future looks bright. Miles may not be universally respected as one of the top strategist in the game but he is doing well as a recruiter. He has done well in his coaching hires as well it seems. Lets just hope the decision process that led to our co-def coordinator posions this year were a one time occurrance.
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Justin Goar 5 months ago
hey brian great stuff, if you don't mind i'll go point by point with you...
1) my one worry is LB recruiting. we haven't been able to get really great LB recruits since james and faulk. ali highsmith was great though.
hopefully playing for chavis will be a draw, i actually hope they keep closer to a 4-2-5 scheme especially against the spread. ryan baker is going to be special though.
2) agreed
3) i would hate to lose jackson. but i'm psyched about the new coach. guys like jones and coleman are good but could really benefit learning how to cover. heck those guys were even getting sloppy last year missing tackles.
4) ridley = beast
5) i'm no coach but i have a simple offensive and defensive philosphy in order to acheive success on the college level. my defensive credo is to pressure the QB. there aren't many QB's who are able to handle constant pressure on the college level. however when trying to pressure a mobile qb, you may have to be on your heels a bit because that kind of qb can kill you if you're too aggressive. despite all the shepard talk, i foresee jefferson having a long, great career as LSU's new signal caller.
6) i consider miles and saban equally good recruiters. while you're right on the star average, saban had less of a curve to work with while miles has been able to recruit kids to LSU which has more status now than it did in saban's first couple of years.
that said, miles is great at getting kids here and that will show this february.
7) with jefferson possibly being a better all around qb than shepard (jefferson's arm is underrated btw, it's NFL caliber in strength) i'm interested in seeing how they'll use shep. i think you'll see him as a utility player mostly like a kordell stewart, hines ward, or antwaan randle el. i wonder if he'd be open to redshirting if he really wants to play QB.
8) i'm not as confident that he will end up at LSU but i know it's basically down to bama and LSU. this dude is another jones at bama and it would be scary if he goes there. i hope he's a tiger, it would be the cherry on top of this class.
9) while i'm not worried about the tackles, i am worried about the interior line. especially center. is t bob really going to be ready. who else pj longernan?? the tigers have had pretty good centers for a while now, that's the biggest loss on the team imo.
10) also not as sold on the WR's. tolliver has developed slowly and lafell is great but still is streaky. who if the young ones will step up mitchell's (not really young ones i guess)? chris tolliver?? etc??
11) agreed.
12) we disagree here but first let me say that the losses on the bama o line showed in the sugar bowl however they should be improving in many areas once experience is gained. don't count them out.
PLEASE don't count florida out. UF doesn't have a senior (this past year) in their two deep on defense. that's scary. they'll just replace harvin with another 4.2 guy whose ready to be a household name.
Florida is scary and should repeat as nat'l champions or at least conference champions.
13) the schedule isn't really too much better next year except florida and AU at home but tigers travel to bama and to UGA....which brings us to....
14) LSU should not sleep on this trip to athens and think they'll take it b/c of no knowshon or stafford. this is a game where depending on UGA's record will possibly be favored over LSU.
15) no one wants to hear it but i think LSU is still good for 3 or 4 losses next year. but it'll be a transition year on defense and jefferson will be earning his stripes. another thing no one wants to hear because we live in an instant gratification society but LSU win be in the NC picture in '10 and '11. but we have to get through 09 with an improvement from 08 first.
16) LSU is great with strong coordinators and it appears the tigers once again have that in place. still interested to see how the chief will actually do with the defense. one thing's for sure and was proven again against GT, miles and crowton are downright scary in a bowl game. i think the tigers drop 3-4 next year but end up in a new year's day bowl. a single step up from this year but maybe not a big of a step as most would wish.
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Brad 5 months ago
The 2009 schedule is not as great for LSU as you make it out to be - for two reasons.
(1) You've got the order of the games mixed up...you said that LSU faces UGA the week after playing Florida. Actually, the UGA slug-fest is slated for the week prior to the Florida hell-game. Hopefully, the players will focus on UGA on Oct. 3, and not on the fact that they play the biggest game of the season the next weekend. LSU will be coming out of a very physical game, with just one week to prepare for Tebow & Co. On the other hand...
(2) Florida's matchup on Oct. 3? UF v. BYE. That's right. Isn't that wonderful? Not only will LSU be more fatigued than UF, but the Gators will also have an extra week to prepare for LSU.
But all is not lost. Even if LSU loses to UF on Oct. 10 (which I predict they will, given the above), I predict - due in large part to the validity of the other 15 reasons you posited - that a rematch will be in order at the Georgia Dome in December. The winner of that epic elimination game - impossible to predict at this point - goes on to play USC or Texas for the crystal ball.
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J B 5 months ago
Sorry "Joe"
Dont know where you read that line, but he never said that Janzen's father was hired.........he said may be hired.
Also, that misspelling was done by you not Brian.
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Brad 5 months ago
Thanks for recommending the Shepard piece by the way - that was the most comprehensive of the many Shepard articles that I've read. Look for him to join JJ side-by-side in the backfield for at least 50% of the snaps next season. A dual-QB Pistol formation with a RB behind the two QB's. Imagine the possibilities! Defense is thinking: Which one will they snap the ball to? Okay, they snapped it to Jefferson - but wait - did he just pitch it to Holiday or was that a fake...did he flip it behind his back to - Shepard! - Shepard, he gave it to Shepard...look at Shepard run! But wait, WTF is he doing, and was that Holiday that just flew by me - oh crap, he's about to throw it deep...and there's nobody back there...and...TD.
That's just one scenario of hundreds that must be going through Crowton's mind. Shepard did mention, after all, that the LSU coaches were devising offensive schemes with him in mind that defenses have never before seen. I can't wait.
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John Ashman 5 months ago
John
At what point did Crowton become an offensive genius. LSU's offense seems pretty much plain vanilla. Holiday has done very little with all that speed. It isn't easy, of course, at 160 pounds. Kevin Faulk may have run in the 3.8 area but Domanick Davis was a good RB but not speedy. Slaton at the Texans now has exceptional speed.
Why was Ali Highsmith not drafted? Could he have been greatly overrated? What happened?
Dickson has good hands but at 6'3" is below average for a tight end. And his speed is average.
I wonder which, if any, QB will leave LSU next year?
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Justin Goar 5 months ago
LSU's offense "seems" pretty vanilla because of who we had leading it most of the year and the failure of the execution of the plays called.
LSU's 07 offense was one of its most prolific in its history. the defense was so so in pelini's last year, that offense won the tigers a championship.
go back and watch crowton's calls in the last two bowl games (OSU and GT), when he has the time to put plays in, he's hard to top.
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David Hawes 5 months ago
Great string of comments...
When talking about future LSU football talent, the discussion should include Rivals 5 star WR and Rueben Randle's former Bastrop High School teammate -DeAngelo Benton. He is expected to enroll at LSU in June or August. This means next year's receiving core could have 4 five stars guys catching the ball...
- Terrance Toliver,
- DeAngelo Benton,
- Russell Shepard,
- Rueben Randle (hopefully)
With returning starters Richard Dickson, Brandon LaFell, Trendon Holliday and the experience of Jared Mitchell, Chris Mitchell and Ricky Dixon, LSU will have all the WR talent needed to execute the most exciting and powerful passing game in the SEC/nation. The talent and potential in the running game is also top in the nation. Consider the power and speed of Scott, Williams, Holiday and Murphy returning. The 2009 class has two big-time power running backs in Michael Ford and Dexter Pratt who will see game time. Think about what a wide open offense style like Texas Tech could achieve with these guys!
LSU's 2009 quarterbacks will lack experience and be young; but, have the potential to be great. Jefferson is the guy to beat in Spring. There will be a tendency for JJ to get nearly every rep and all the focus. With the poor handling of the young QBs in 08, everyone will see if Miles and Crowton will have the 09 QBs better prepared. While the QB position will get nearly all the media / fan's attention in the off season, I hope Miles doesn't miss the biggest potential risk for 2009.
The OL will be questionable. Say good-by to Brett Helms, Ryan Miller and LG Herman Johnson. What the NFL gains, the Tigers lose in leadership, versatility, size and most importantly - experience. Ask Texas Tech QB Gram Herrold about having an effective OL, especially when playing SEC teams. LSU won't have Helms there to audible offensive formations or Big Herman Johnson protecting a young QB's blind side. The Tigers will miss being able to moving around Ryan Miller's "plugging" leaks. Third string center, T-Bob Hebert returns for his *sophomore* year as LSU's only experienced center after missing half the 2008 season with an injury. He'll join undersized OL - RG Lyle Hitt (6'2") and all SEC LT Ciron Black. Everyone else will be FR or Sophs with limited playing time.
The OL is on Miles. Including this fabulous 2009 recruiting class, the former Michigan OL coach has yet to recruit a top SEC O-line class. In fact, he hasn't even recruited the SEC's 2nd best class. Florida, Alabama and Georgia, typically have stronger OL recruiting classes. Success in 2009 is dependent upon the OL.
The Tiger Nation expects an explosive LSU offense in 09...
...can "The Hat" get a very young and inexperienced OL ready?
...can a "offensive genius" take advantage of all this talent with a high scoring scheme/system?
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
Concur that the O-Line is the area with the most lost, combined with the least experience returning in 2009. You are forgetting about the return of Joseph Barksdale, meaning 3 returning starters out of 5 (Black, Barksdale and Hitt), but I see your point. I agree with you on Benton, but will believe it when I see him in purple and gold and enrolled on campus. He was supposed to be on campus at least 2 times already, including this week, and he has not made the grade. If he does make it this summer - oh my!
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Jason Cottier 5 months ago
The QB situation was their weakness this year...it turned them from a great team to a good team fast. A team like LSU if they have a good QB they will always have talent in the other areas to be a force in college football...And I am not an SEC fan at all, but seeing them win games with the lack of QB they had just goes to show how good they really were.
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Ben Spicer 5 months ago
Disagree on the subject of Cooper being the best DB Coach in the SEC. I think that title goes to Florida's Chuck Heater. Not sure where they stand in terms of recruiting, but there's no question that Heater is the best in the game at utilizing and developing what he has in front of him. Look at his resume, he's gotten players that were buried into the depth charts quality playing time, and they've made an impact.
Beyond that, I think LSU is fit to upset Florida mainly because you play at home. Yeah, we probably lose Harvin, but Tebow and Spikes are coming back and our defense is still intact.
Alabama is about in the same boat as you, with less experience.
Should be interesting to see if Miles can win without people pronouncing the victory as a win for "Saban's" recruits. Meyer ditched the Zook recruit label.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
Cooper may not be the best, but he is a decided upgrade over what LSU has had the last few years. Time will tell.
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Gerald Ball 5 months ago
Florida will win the SEC next season if for no reason other than Charlie Strong's defense. (There will be plenty of other reasons mind you, but that is really all that it will take.) Not only will Strong have 21 of his 22 players back at minimum (Brandon Spikes, take the money, you won't drop past the Dolphins and may be taken as early as Jacksonville!) but a lot of people have forgotten that Florida suffered a lot of injuries on defense during the offseason last year ... guys who were going to be in their rotation and maybe start. Many - including myself - thought that Florida's defense was actually going to struggle because of those injuries. (Well actually they did struggle somewhat early in the season ... remember the Ole Miss game, and Tennessee actually did drive against Florida's defense before coughing up turnovers in scoring position multiple times in a fashion eerily similar to how Oklahoma did the same).
So next year, not only will they have all of the guys from this year's defense back, but they will add to it the guys who would have played this year had they not gotten hurt. Florida's best defense ever? Maybe.
Now in 2010, all of those guys will be gone, and Charlie Strong likely with them. So that would be LSU's time to win the SEC. Except that by then, Alabama should be real strong too ...
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Grant Wilging 5 months ago
I think LSU has a lot going for them going into next season. As a longtime fan, it was difficult to watch the team's performance this year going in with high expectations. With the the co-defensive coordinator debacle handled and fixed with John Chavis, Cooper and Brick Haley, the defense looks bright with only with a mild concern at linebacker. Losing Darry Beckwith is losing a leader but returning is Kelvin Sheppard, Perry Riley and Jacob Cutrera along with special teams studs Ace Foyil and Ryan Baker. D-line in my opinion is going to be better than people expect even though we lost Tyson Jackson, Marlon Favorite, Tremaine Johnson, Charles Alexander, Kirston Pittman and Ricky Jean Francois who went early to the draft. There is experience with Rahim Alem, Drake Nevis, Al Woods and a lot of upside with a lot of young talent. Offensively we are stacked at running back with Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy, and early Heisman contender last year Charles Scott; not to mention Stevan Ridley and newcomers Dexter Pratt and Michael Ford. The QB postion is good to go, but there are minor concerns at O-line and receiving. At O-line we lost Brett Helms and Ryan Miller at center and All American Left Guard Herman Johnson. Other than that we are fine, not to mention Ciron Black returning who gave some thought to the NFL draft. Receiving we lose Demetrius Byrd and possibly Brandon Lafell. I am not concerned with Byrd as much as Lafell. If Brandon returns, we will have one of the strongest receiving corps in the nation. I also hope offensive coordinator Gary Crowton willl be more consistent in his playcalling. I am excited to see the LSU football team that I know and love and I am looking foward to winning on CBS again (0-5 on CBS last season). Geaux Tigers!
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Schmitters 5 months ago
Check out the biggest sports showdown in years. City vs. City.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/111076-titletown-usa-competition-of-the-ages
The first article of the series is also written. Is Dallas Titletown, USA?
You can get to it through the link above, just check out the comments.
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John Ashman 5 months ago
We will know tomorrow whether or not LaFell is leaving for the NFL. If he does then Terrance Toliver will be the no. one WR. Benton was a top WR in high school and might show up in June. He was rated like Randle is now who is considering Miami, Okla., Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU. We seem to have a slim chance of getting him. Red shirt freshmen Molton and Peterson are 6'3" tall and Chris Tolliver is 6'1" with reportedly superior speed. The two Mitchells, Jackson and Dixon didn't do much last year. With Benton but without LaFell and Randle we won't have much experience next year. 2010 looks better.
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John Ashman 5 months ago
Now Pratt is gone and where will we get another 4-star running back? We may find a 3-star or use Ridley as that player. Allen, the new FB, could play there but we'll need another from somewhere. How do we end up No. 1 in 2009 if we lose 4-star commitments? Randle would solve that problem but he might end up with Saban or even somewhere else. 15 more days.
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Brian Bertrand 5 months ago
I really liike Pratt, so I am not being a homer and trivializing his de-committment. However, with Michael Ford, Ridley (a beast i tell you) and Murphy joining the return of Sr's Scott, Keiland and Trindon, we have little to concern ourselves with a the RB spot. We'll get another back, and perhaps one stronger than Pratt will sign on the dotted line before it is said and done in early February. Trent Richardson is unlikely, but is certainly a finite pssibility, so I will not count him out until I see him go somewhere else in February.
With LaFell coming back, I think this plays to LSU's advantage on Randle. Randle is confident in his ability, and he has an opportunity to learn from a 2010 first round receiver, while getting more than his share of touches in a likely explosive LSU offense. Sure, he could join Julio in Tuscaloosa, but the QB situation going into that situation should send red flags waving for him if he is as sharp as I think he is. Saban is conservative to begin with, so the new QB will have half a playbook to work with throughout the 2009 learning-season, and what few times they open up the playbook, Julio will rightfully be that new QB's crutch.
Back to the RB deal, Pratt is a strong RB and will be a good fit at Ok State, so I am happy for him if that is what he deems best for him. We'll get another quality RB, and f not, we have plenty to lean on for 2009, 2010 and beyond.
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