Bleacher Report - Articles by Faimon Roberts

The Past Is the Past: What Jarrett Lee's Start Means For the Tigers

Faimon Roberts — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:21:16 -0500

Though not totally unexpected, today's revelation from ESPN that quarterback Jarrett Lee will start against Louisiana Tech Saturday is actually good news for the Tigers.

Lee is, of course, the quarterback pressed into service last year after the dismissal of Ryan Perrilloux. Lee's performance was at times promising (Auburn second half) and cringe-worthy at others (Georgia and Alabama).

He finished the season with over 1,800 yards passing and 13 touchdowns, but 16 interceptions. And seven of those were returned for touchdowns. After the steady leadership of Matt Flynn, Lee looked like someone overwhelmed and overcome last year.

Lee's only real action of the 2009 season came last week in relief of Jordan Jefferson, who was hurt in the third quarter of the loss at Alabama. Lee looked tentative and unsure of himself, completing only 4-of-10 passes for 44 yards and a pick that ended LSU's last drive.

But with a whole week to prepare, Lee has a chance to put all of that behind him. And he will have to.

In a column written before the season, I labeled Lee as someone who would have to step up this season and perform at some point to get the Tigers over some hurdles.

Lee will not get a better chance to right his ship. His team will be at home, facing the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, owners of the 46th-ranked pass defense in the country.

Even more importantly, the Bulldogs have only the 98th-ranked run defense in the country, which should allow Lee to operate the offense with minimal risk. Even with Charles Scott out of the game, the Tigers should be able to generate enough of a run game to prevent Lee from having to carry the team with his arm.

The game will also give the Tiger coaches another opportunity to test the arm of freshman athlete Russell Shepard, who has yet to throw a pass this season, despite being listed on the official team depth chart as the third quarterback.

But one player that everyone will be watching is Lee. Does he have the mental fortitude to overcome his history, or will he be relegated to the pile of not-quite-good-enough quarterbacks? He has shown, at times, the ability to be a good passer, but can he funnel that type of performance into a full game?

He will get a chance to prove that he can Saturday night.

Speaking from the Hot Seat: Les Miles Put Through U.N-Style Translation (Humor)

Faimon Roberts — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:17:36 -0400

The chorus of Les Miles critics has done nothing but turn up the volume during LSU's off week, leading some to speculate that Les is on the hot seat.

LSU fans must be hearing the muted snickers of their fellow SEC fans, who routinely mock LSU's coach yet wonder how he wins so often.

With that in mind, and LSU facing a huge game this week against the suddenly spiraling Auburn Tigers, Les climbed the podium and spoke to the press at his weekly luncheon.

I however, have contacted a highly trained U.N. translator who, in her spare time, studies Lesglish, and has provided me with a transcript of what Les' carefully thought out comments really mean.

Les said:

"I really feel like the open date went well for us with possibly one exception. Russell Shepard was sick the entire time, and we really didn’t get a lot of snaps from him,"

Les means:

"Okay, do you hear that? The guy was sick. He was puking his guts out every ten minutes. Just the whiff of food anywhere within 500 yards of him sent him to bury his head in a Kohler. I am not putting a nutrition-deprived, prone-to-puke freshman out there against that Gator defense. So get off my back!"

Les says:

"I think Ciron Black has played well overall. I think he himself would have enjoyed playing better at times."

Les means:

"Ciron is depressed because his draft stock is dropping faster than Bernie Madoff's net worth."

Les says:

"I think there is a point in time when he (Jordan Jefferson) is very efficient in certain aspects and really has a comfort there and wants to stay there."

Les means:

"Yeah, well, he needs to know we can't hand off on every play."

Les said:

"We like to call plays that are efficient and are completed. The balls that he’s throwing, he throws well."

Les means:

"Jefferson looks good in warmups."

Les says:

"I think the opportunity for him (backup quarterback and 2008 goat Jarrett Lee) to come in and play certainly may arise. There is no preconceived notion at this point.”

Les means:

"Ohhhhhh, no. Oh no no no no no no no. No way. A tazillion times no. Damn strong no. The only way he gets in the game is if I have just had a coronary and Jordan Jefferson is the only person who can operate the paddles."

Les says:

"We’ve instructed him in ways that let him know where he should be throwing the football and the timing of those throws. He’s improved, and I don’t know if that’s the issue."

Les means:

"The issue is that he can't pass."

Les says:

"I think Drake Nevis, Charles Alexander, Al Woods, and all those guys are playing extremely well and are guys that we count on to give us great push in the front. They’re thinner. Charles Alexander has lost weight and is probably playing the best football of his career. The same goes for Al Woods."

Les means:

"I miss Glen Dorsey like you wouldn't believe."

My U.N. translator rates Lesglish as slightly between Hungarian and Chinese for expressiveness, syntax, and vocabulary.

LSU-Florida: No Losers Here

Faimon Roberts — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:04:55 -0400

The biggest game of the college football season will originate from the 225 around 7 p.m. on Saturday night when the Gators and Tigers clash in a battle of the last three national champions and the only two teams to hold two BCS titles.

But regardless of the final score, there will be no loser.

Florida enters the game as a near double digit favorite to beat the home team. Thus, if Florida wins, it's pro forma, and everybody is persuaded that Florida is what we thought they were—an incredibly deep and talented team with tons of experience and a Leonidas-like leader.

If that happens, the ramifications for LSU are not that serious. They are expected to lose to the No. 1 team in the nation, and that's what they will have done.

Even more importantly, the Tigers will still control their own destiny for a trip to Atlanta. The mission will be simple: beat everyone left on the schedule and then face the Gators again in the SEC title game.

That's no easy task, however, as three SEC West teams—Alabama, Ole Miss, and Auburn—will be tough tests, to be sure.

Two of them—Alabama and Auburn—are undefeated at the moment, and both will be good candidates to knock off the Tigers. Crucially, none of them will face Florida in the regular season.

But even if LSU beats the Gators, the task remains the same. None of those other teams have Florida on the regular season schedule, so LSU will still have to win the remaining games on the schedule to earn their way into the SEC title game.

The task for the Gators is almost identical if they lose. Simply win out against East foes Georgia and South Carolina and the East title is likely theirs, and with it a trip to Atlanta.

And does anybody really think that the loser of this game—especially if it's close—will have disqualified themselves from national title contention?

There's no way. If the loser of this game wins out through an SEC championship game, especially defeating the other in a rematch, the BCS title game will beckon.

So while this game will likely be a hard-hitting and intense affair that will represent everything that is good about college football, it will not ruin either team's season

As for a prediction? LSU 19-18, and Tebow doesn't play.

LSU-Florida Should be Quite the SEC Show Since Both Have So Much to Prove

Faimon Roberts — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:30:20 -0400

The Georgia win went part of the way toward validating LSU's high ranking this season.

Beating a ranked SEC opponent on the road is an impressive feat, akin to sitting through an entire Qaddafi U.N. speech.

But this week the Tigers will host consensus No. 1 Florida in the biggest showdown of the college football season.

The status of All-Young Earth quarterback Tim Tebow is still an open question, but the smart money is on him playing.

Tebow and his accompanying army of seraphim will surely sweep out of the east and devour Tiger Stadium—team, fans, and all—in an awesome display of their otherworldly power, according to the conventional wisdom.

Or will they?

Here are some things that LSU has done that Florida hasn't so far this year.

LSU has beaten an out-of-conference team from a BCS conference.

LSU has won on the road against a ranked SEC team.

LSU has beaten a team from the other division.

Let's review the mighty Gators' resume so far this year.

• Dominating opening wins against Charleston Southern and Troy. Combined record: 4-5.

And FCS Charleston Southern lost 59-0 against South Florida.

• Lackluster win over Tennessee, a team that hasn't won a game against a BCS conference team yet this year, including losing at home to Auburn this past weekend.

• Good win over Kentucky. And I am not being sarcastic, that was a solid dominating performance.

It is safe to say that the Gators will face more adversity than they have at any point this season when they travel to Death Valley Saturday night to take on the Tigers.

And though few are saying it, there are significant and serious questions about how effective Tebow will be.

Tebow, more than any other quarterback in football, has made his name by showing the force of will to plow into tacklers with malice. Will he, after suffering a head injury, be able to do the same thing just two weeks later?

Will he still have the same fearlessness that has characterized his entire career?

Will he still move piles through force of will and hardness of crown?

I don't know the answers to these questions. Nobody does.

And if there is one thing we have learned, it's not to bet against Tim Tebow.

But the improvement that LSU must show to beat Florida is no greater than the fortitude the Gators must show in the face of their first tough test of the season.

A Sport Gone Mad: LSU Is Fourth, and That's Where They Should Be

Faimon Roberts — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:37:15 -0400

After muddling through the bog in Starkville, the LSU Tigers find themselves ranked fourth in the country by a trio of national polls.

This fact just serves to underscore the insanity that now rules the college football season. And it's not as if this is just this year—it's every year now.

Does anyone really believe that LSU is the fourth-best team in the nation? That a team that needed a miraculous pair of stops to escape Mississippi State with a win should be in the top five?

That a team whose offense mustered a mere 30 yards rushing on 31 attempts against unranked Mississippi State should be just behind the top three?

That the Tigers, who needed four turnovers from the Bulldogs, including an interception returned for a touchdown and a bobbing, weaving, stumbling punt return by Chad Jones, could compete for a national title right now?

I don't.

LSU's performance in Starkville was poor. No other way to put it.

The Bulldogs kept handing the reins to the game to LSU, who just kept handing them right back.

The Tigers started well, taking a quick lead when Patrick Peterson returned Tyson Lee's first pass for a touchdown, and it looked like it might be the easy day that LSU is accustomed to having in Starkville.

Not so fast. LSU was fortunate to get out of there with a win, only after stuffing Mississippi State twice from inside the one-yard line late in the game.

When LSU struggled against Washington (who was crushed 34-14 by Stanford) I said perhaps they struggled with not knowing what to expect from a new coach.

They faced another new coach Saturday morning, but this time they had plenty of game film on Dan Mullen's boys.

A top ten team handles a team like Mississippi State.

A top ten team ruthlessly disposes of far less talented teams, puts the game away early and shows a dominating form.

A top ten team does not struggle to run the ball against a weak front. A top ten team does not only play when their season is on the line.

But despite their struggles, they rose three spots to No. 4 in the polls.

But this gets even crazier.

The pollsters really had no choice but move LSU up. LSU started Saturday at seventh, but then Ole Miss (4), Penn State (5), and California (6) all lost this weekend.

And in one sense, the Tigers deserve to be there. They are undefeated, and ranked right behind them at No. 5 is Boise State, also undefeated. But then comes Virginia Tech, USC, OU and Ohio State, all with one loss.

Cincinnati is undefeated at 10th.

Other undefeateds in the poll are TCU (11), Houston (12), Iowa (13) Kansas (18) and Michigan (22).

Given those choices, LSU is ranked where they deserve to be.

Which just goes to show that the only constant in college football is pure craziness.

History Worth Repeating: The Past Says LSU Won't Be Trapped By Mississippi St.

Faimon Roberts — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:54:56 -0400

Dangers lie like snares in weeds for LSU on Saturday.

The Tigers are traveling to play lightly-regarded Mississippi State, a team that hasn't contended for an SEC title since Adam Sandler was funny.

The week after playing Mississippi State, the Tigers must travel to Athens to take on the suddenly resurgent Bulldogs from Georgia.

The week after that, it will be a home showdown with Florida and All-Creation Quarterback/Bulldozer/Sideline yeller Tim Tebow.

It is very easy to envision LSU looking ahead to those games, and note that Mississippi State put up 24 points on Auburn and held Vanderbilt to just three points in two of their three games this year, and call this a trap game on LSU's schedule.

But don't fall for it.

LSU has little to fear from Mississippi State.

Sorry, pundits and prognosticators, the game will be an LSU win, and it probably won't be that close.

How can I be so sure?

One word: history.

Mississippi State's recent history against the Tigers is about as good as the French in the 20th century.

LSU has a nine game winning streak in the series, outscoring the Bulldogs 370-105 in that span. The Tigers have won four straight in Starkville, including two shutouts.

The Tigers have played the Bulldogs more than any other team—102 times so far—and LSU holds a 66-33-3 series lead.

It gets worse for the Bulldogs. Les Miles is 4-0 against Mississippi State, and LSU has scored more than 30 points in nine straight games against the boys from Starkville.

And as good as the Tigers are at night, they are better in the morning. LSU has won four straight games that started before noon, including two over Mississippi State. LSU's last loss in a morning game? 35-20 to Texas, in the 2002 Cotton Bowl, in a game that started at 10 a.m.

Does Mississippi State have any one person or group of people who can help them to overcome the weight of history?

No.

Dan Mullen may be a good coach. The Bulldogs may even be in the ascendancy, like Rome in the last days of the Republic.

And LSU may be waning, sliding into irrelevance, like Britain after World War II. I don't believe that, but it could be happening.

But the gap between the two has been so large over the last decade that it will take far more than a single year to close it.

LSU remains far too talented, far too experienced, and far too fast to fall in Starkville this year.

No, this game will go like all the others this decade, with LSU scoring a lot, and perhaps allowing a good many, but winning in the end.

LSU Recap: A Thank-You Letter Les Should Pen, Is Jefferson a New Marcus Randall?

Faimon Roberts — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:06:15 -0400

LSU football coach Les Miles would do well to send a thank-you note up to Seattle early this week.

Washington's late win over Pac-10 rival and highly-regarded USC helps Steve Sarkisian in his quest to rebuild the once proud Husky program.

It also helps the Tigers.

The strength-of-schedule component has been removed from the official BCS formula.

But it hasn't been removed in the minds of the voters.

And the voters would do well to note that LSU went into that same stadium in Seattle that USC did and handled the Huskies with relative ease. Sure the game was competitive, but only a Husky touchdown on the game's final play kept the final score from being 31-16.

I can already hear the pundits protesting: "But USC played with a backup quarterback," and "Sarkisian knows USC so well that he was able to prepare especially well," but pollsters shouldn't listen.

USC got beat by a team that until a win last week against Idaho, hadn't won a game since 2007.

Either this Washington team is much better than people thought, or USC is far weaker than people thought.

If it is the former, then LSU's opening opponent on the road was considerably tougher than it seemed, and the Tigers handled them fairly easily.

Though the defense looked shaky, LSU was playing against a team now ranked in the top 25.

The offense, under a quarterback with limited experience, was efficient if not ruthless, and grounded out 31 points.

The Huskies should have no bigger fans the rest of the season than those from the bayou.

In addition to that, here are my quick-hit thoughts on the LSU-UL-Lafayette tangle:

First, ESPNU has really just become 'the Ocho.' I kind of like the earnest effort of Brock Huard, but everything else about the broadcast is bush-league. Camera angles are poor, replays are rare, and the announcers routinely miss things that happen on the field. And for some reason, I don't get it in HD on my DirecTV. One thing about the broadcast did crack me up, however. The abbreviation used for ULL on the scoreboard was UL-Lafay. Lafay? Brilliant. I nominate this as the short name of ULL from now on. The Lafay Cajuns.
On the football side of things, now we know why the coaches haven't really turned Jordan Jefferson loose to throw the deep ball. He can't. He underthrew one to Rueben Randle, underthrew on the interception, and overthrew another badly. He had room to step into a couple of the underthrown ones, too. At least he can throw the short and intermediate routes. If that were a problem, he would be a slightly taller Marcus Randall.
The defense is flying around, but all too often over-running plays and missing tackles. John Chavis' defense seems to have adopted a bend-but-don't-break approach. They gave up too many yards to ULL, but when they got down inside the five, the defense bowed up. I don't care who you are playing, stopping a team twice from inside the 1-yard line is an impressive feat.
LSU still has a long way to go, but they are 3-0, and that's as good as they can be at this point.

Stepping Up: Toliver, Shepard among Good Signs for LSU

Faimon Roberts — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:41:07 -0400

For all of the doom and gloom talk—some of it mine, full disclosure—coming out of LSU's first two games, there have been a couple of very good things to see.

The first major pleasant surprise was middle linebacker Jacob Cutrera's play.

In the past, Cutrera was most often seen in pass situations two steps behind an offensive player at a dead sprint with a look of complete desperation on his face. But this year, he has proven to a be a solid, physical middle linebacker for the Tigers.

His stats aren't overwhelming—seven tackles in two games, one pass defensed, one tackle for loss, and one interception—but he has anchored the middle of the defense with aplomb. His tip and interception of a Jake Locker pass early in the game against Washington displayed an athleticism that few knew he had.

As a complete aside, LSU has two starting linebackers, Cutrera and Perry Riley, whose jersey numbers are in the 50s: 54 for Cutrera and 56 for Riley. I don't know about anyone else, but I think it looks cool to actually see linebackers in college wearing linebacker numbers. It's kind of old school.

The second pleasant surprise, though surprise may be too strong of a word here, is Patrick Peterson's play. There was significant buzz around Peterson coming out of high school in Florida, but I am not sure anyone expected him to be this good. He has been both a lockdown corner and a sure tackler—two things that even the greatness of Deion struggled to marry.

Peterson has nine tackles on the season and only two pass breakups, which is a testimony to the respect that offensive coaches are showing him even early in the season. Though just a sophomore, Peterson has announced himself as perhaps the best corner in the conference.

The third pleasant thing has been the emergence of Terrance Toliver. Toliver was extremely highly-regarded when he got to LSU and as yet has failed to live up to the billing.

But this is his year, and he has looked the part, catching passes and making significant yards after the catch. The rangy 6'5" speedster looks a bit of a long-strider, but in scoring two touchdowns against Washington showed that he can be as nimble as Barack Obama talking about health care.

The next pleasant thing we have seen so far is Russell Shepard. Yes, I saw his YouTubes, yes, I read all about him, yes, I knew that some people considered him the second coming.

But I didn't buy it. It is so hard for freshmen to come in and compete in the SEC these days. Even the hallowed Tebow didn't play full time until his sophomore year.

Shepard started the year with a surprise no-show in the opener after Miles intimated that Shepard could see as many as 10-12 plays.

But he got in against Vanderbilt and some of his runs made me a quick believer. On just three rushes, he gained 27 yards and added six yards on a single catch. This kid is blessed with athleticism like few others, and I only know one thing: We need to see more of Russell Shepard anywhere on the field that we can. He will make plays.

It seems that one other piece of conventional wisdom is true: LSU has playmakers. Toliver and Shepard make one's eyes light up when they touch the ball. Cutrera is a reassuring presence in the middle. Now, it just become the job of the coaching staff to let these players play.

Extra Note: LSU and Tulane have announced that they will cancel the remainder of their football series after this year. The two teams had six years remaining on a 10-year deal signed in 2005. They will play this year and one other time in the future, as yet undetermined.

This move is not surprising nor is it really that big of a deal. The game had lost its luster over the last 10-15 years, especially with the rise of the SEC as a true power conference and the emergence of other teams (Auburn, Florida, Alabama) as natural recipients of LSU's hate.

Nevertheless, if you, like me, remember some of the games in the 80s, especially the big brawl in 1984 or the "Tuck Fulane" bumper stickers of that same era, you will perhaps have a little nostalgia for the heated rivalry that was.

Bottom Lines: Quick Hit Thoughts On LSU's Win Over Vanderbilt

Faimon Roberts — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:42:43 -0400

These thoughts come unfiltered, unstudied and unapologetic.

LSU still has yet to physically dominate a team. There is certainly a lot of talent and skill on the field, but don't seem to be reaching that potential.
Jordan Jefferson is still growing into his position. Sure, he was 20-29, but for only 138 yards, a piddling 4.8 yard average. Perhaps the coaches are holding back, but Jefferson is not going down the field often or well.
The defense is still missing a lot of tackles. They are making some big hits, and they held Vanderbilt to just 210 yards, but sometimes they are going headhunting instead of making tackles.
The conditions contributed to some of these problems. It rained for a good portion of the game. But the rain does not excuse some of the mistakes.
The team has to be concerned that LSU's offensive line is not dominating opponents. The power running game that was so reliable the last two years is stuck in neutral, and LSU's biggest running threat was Keiland Williams getting outside and using his speed. That won't always be as easy as it was against Vanderbilt, especially when the opponent has a reptile on the helmet.
Does the team have a killer instinct? They have permitted Washington and Vanderbilt to hang around far longer than they should have.

Now for the good news.

LSU's defensive performance improved. Facing a the second athletic quarterback in two weeks, the Tigers did not allow Larry Smith to get positive yards on the ground, even on 13 carries.

The Tigers also showed increasing offensive versatility. Seven different players rushed the ball, including Brandon Lafell and heralded freshman Russell Shepard.

On the former, it appeared to be an attempt by the Tigers to help Jefferson get the ball into the hands of one of his biggest playmakers. Using Lafell on the option was the latest creative move by offensive coordinator Gary Crowton.

On the latter, after not showing up at all last week, it was good to see Shepard get some carries. And he is quickly making believers. Despite a fumble, Shepard displayed a raging athleticism in making players miss and getting yards out of what appeared to be nothing.

The final bit of good news is that LSU gets ULL this Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The Ragin' Cajuns downed Kansas State on Saturday night, so they will be confident.

The Tigers, however, should prove to have significantly sharper claws than the Wildcats.

Second Test: What LSU's Defense Must Do Against Vanderbilt

Faimon Roberts — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:58:06 -0400

Tiger fans have spent much of the last week wondering what problems led to LSU's struggles against Washington, which hadn't won a game since 2007.

The issues were especially acute on defense, a unit expected to be much improved after last year's chaotic system saw the Tigers give up half-centuries more than once, and ended with the departure of the co-defensive coordinators Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory.

LSU coach Les Miles brought in John Chavis—longtime Tennessee Volunteer associate head coach under Phil Fulmer—and he went right to work, immediately announcing that Chad Jones would play safety exclusively while Harry Coleman would be moved up from safety to a hybrid linebacker spot that Chavis is known to favor.

The announcements were hailed by Tiger fans and commentators alike, who saw the simplification of roles as a positive that would prevent players from over-thinking and just allow their natural athleticism to take over.

And boy do they have some athleticism.

During last week's broadcast, ESPN's announcing crew of Mark Jones and Bob Davie repeatedly sounded like giddy school-girls at an N'Sync reunion tour, cooing over the Tigers' physical appearance.

But yet the defense struggled, notably giving up nearly 300 yards to the Huskies in the first half.

Why?

The answer is simple, and it has nothing to do with John Chavis. In fact, this is a problem that LSU has had that transcends coordinators, at least this decade.

LSU gets very little quarterback pressure from their front four.

During last week's game, the Tigers recorded one sack. One.

Admittedly, Jake Locker is a very mobile quarterback, but only one sack? That's inexcusable.

This has been a problem for the Tigers in the past as well. Think back to the Tigers' 2007 games against Kentucky and Arkansas, their two losses that year. In both games, the Tigers recorded nary a sack.

In 2008, the Tiger defense tied for 39th in the country with just 28 sacks on the year. In 2007, they were slightly better, with 37 sacks tying them for 19th.

While those numbers place them squarely in the upper half of FBS, it means that the Tigers' defensive line is not getting to the quarterback enough. And remember, this is a unit that has had two first-round draft picks in the last two years.

The problem certainly isn't their athleticism. And it has repeated through four coordinators now as well.

But for this 2009 Tiger team to succeed, they will need greater production from their big men up front, especially seniors Rahim Alem, Charles Alexander, and Al Woods.

The Tigers did have some success with the blitz and facing the run against Washington, recording eight tackles for loss, half by linebackers and defensive backs.

The game against Vanderbilt should be a good test for LSU, as they will face another athletic quarterback comfortable with tucking the ball and running. Shutting down Larry Smith, who threw for 153 yards but also ran for 66 yards on 11 carries in the Commodores' opener against Western Carolina, will be challenge enough.

Accomplishing that, though, would be a step in the right direction.

Escaping Seattle: LSU Tigers Wobble, Don't Fall Against UW

Faimon Roberts — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:50:41 -0400

As I wrote late last week, LSU should be pleased with a modest win against Washington on Saturday night.

Mission accomplished.

The Tigers traveled into a very loud Husky Stadium and faced down a fierce crowd and a team fired-up by a new and winning attitude.

If the Huskies win fewer than four games this year, I will be surprised—especially if Jake Locker is healthy all year. Full credit goes to Washington: Statistically, they dominated the game and showed they could play with one of the SEC's most athletic teams.

That brings me to my second point. LSU may look great—ESPN's Mark Jones and Bob Davie sounded like they were at the Miss Hooters pageant—but Washington manhandled them for large parts of the game, a troubling sign.

The greatest concern was the performance of the defense. They struggled to tackle, were beat to the corner time and time again, and looked less physical than the Huskies.

The offense also at times looked like they expected the Huskies to roll over and beg to have a belly rub instead of snarl and snap at the Tigers. Charles Scott could get nothing going. Jordan Jefferson looked passable, but not spectacular.

There is a possible explanation for all of this: LSU wasn't ready to play. With new coaching staff at Washington, LSU could not prepare for exactly what they would face.

Washington was 0-12 last year, and the Tigers were probably a bit overconfident. The coaches may have kept the game plan conservative, expecting to get the win. And finally, perhaps the long trip took something out of them. There are plenty of potential explanations for the Tigers' sluggishness.

But a win is a win.

Let's take a quick look some of the notable impressions that came out of this one.

John Chavis did not make a huge and immediate difference in the defensive performance. LSU's defense at times was still out of position. Over-pursuit was a particular problem, getting caught inside as Locker or Polk cut outside. On the flip side, there were also flashes of physical dominance. As the game wore on, I thought the Tigers' defensive line improved against the run. Patrick Peterson showed the promise that he brought to LSU, especially as a very sure tackler in the secondary.

But it all can't be laid at the feet of Chavis. As a high school coach once told me as his defensive unit was being shredded, "Coaches can put the players in position, but we can't make the tackle for them." LSU missed a lot of tackles in the game, so perhaps the scheme was good but the execution wasn't.

Jefferson was 11-19 for 172 yards and three touchdowns. But 84 of those yards and two of the scores came on two plays, both to Toliver. It appeared to me as if the coaches were not willing to put the ball in his hands and let him drop back to pick a receiver—with a couple of exceptions.

The offensive line appeared to have difficulty picking up the blitz. I don't know why this was. I am going to chalk it up to first-game issues.

More will become apparent this week versus Vanderbilt, and it is always dangerous to make too much out of one game.

I had some non-football related thoughts, too.

First, that ESPN telecast was terrible. Mark Jones thought Jacob Cutrera's name was pronounced Cootera, and he repeatedly referred to Patrick Peterson as "Patrick Patterson"—even after Bob Davie corrected him! As for Davie, his analysis seemed limited to gushing about the athletes that LSU has and promising Terrance Toliver would be a star.

And thanks for never showing us a full replay of LSU's second touchdown, ESPN. You know the one where you were getting an update from Rece in the studio? I hadn't seen the entire play until I watched the ESPNU replay.

Second, props to the Husky fans for the way they showed up and made that place loud. That was near SEC-quality loudness there, a very impressive performance by the Husky fans.

On that note, however, can we put cameras on gyroscope? The shaking camera used to be kinda cool, but now it's just annoying. If we can keep a camera steady while a guy is walking with it or on a Segway, how come we can't just keep them still on a crane?

In a column late last week, I asked what success was for LSU. I concluded that it was a modest win, which is what LSU got. There are concerns still, but the most important number is the one under the "W."

LSU Vs. Washington: What Success Looks Like for the Tigers

Faimon Roberts — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:58:45 -0400

With no lack of preamble, the college football season is finally upon us, and we can begin to discuss the product on the field.

For the LSU Tigers, the first look at what should be a somewhat new-look product will come late Saturday night when LSU faces off with the Washington Huskies.

LSU will be sporting new defensive coordinator John Chavis, who was called in to replace the two-headed monstrosity that was Bradley Dale Peveto and Dough Mallory last year.

But the Huskies replaced their head coach, the taciturn Tyrone Willingham, with USC Assistant-of-the-month Steve Sarkisian. The new coach in place means that LSU has no real idea what to expect from the Huskies.

After last year's disappointing 8-5 finish, Tiger fans have been reliving the Georgia Tech beat down in the Chick-fil-A Bowl as an appetizer for this year.

But there are lots of questions for the Tigers. How will the quarterback situation work out? Will the defense be able to show immediate improvement? How will some of the newcomers fit into the Tigers' plans?

With those questions in mind, I have decided to set some standards for success in this first game. Mind you, a win is a must. A loss against Washington, who went 0-12 last year, would indicate serious problems and no doubt ignite serious questions on the bayou.

So what would success against Washington look like? Here are my three things to watch and one thing not to worry about:

Quarterback play. The Tigers must get consistent quarterback play. Jordan Jefferson looked solid against Georgia Tech, and he needs to improve upon that here. Luckily, he doesn't have to throw for 300 yards, but he does need to show that he can sit in the pocket and make good throws. LSU will need the threat of a drop-back passing game if their offense is to be diverse enough to compete with tougher teams down the line. One of the Gary Crowton hallmarks has been his willingness and the intentionality with which he gets the ball in the hands of playmakers, and one of the main ways he does this is through the air. Brandon Lafell, Terrance Tolliver, Richard Dickson and even Trindon Holliday may struggle if Jefferson can't get them the ball in space. Jefferson will also have to show maturity in knowing when to tuck it and run.
Defensive play. Washington's Jake Locker is a very good player who plays very hard. He has a lot of heart and doesn't shy from playing hard-nosed football. He is also a decent passer (only 49 percent completion rate for his career). It is folly to think that LSU will contain him for the entire game with a new coach, a new offense, in front of his home crowd. So even if Locker breaks off a few plays, it won't mean the LSU defense is failing. But if Locker dominates the game, Chavis and the Tigers will be in trouble.
Youth and Depth. LSU's two-deep is loaded with young players, such as Russell Shepard, Rueben Randle, and Chris Faulk. Those young players must step into their roles and be prepared. They shouldn't have to carry the team, but can't get carried away and make stupid penalties or big mistakes. With these young players, the old saying applies: keep it simple stupid. The good thing, especially for players like Shepard and Randle, is that their athleticism can help them overcome mental mistakes.

And one thing not to watch too closely: score. LSU should win, but I don't think they need to dominate on the scoreboard to have a successful game. In the case of a game like this, a win is a win is a win.

Walls of Separation: How the SEC Hurts Itself

Faimon Roberts — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:44:57 -0400

Relationships between sports teams and the media are at one time both symbiotic and parasitic.

Players, coaches, and teams benefit greatly from media coverage of their teams, games, and so on. For instance, there is no doubt that the intense fan scrutiny, though the lens of media, is what enables coaches to earn millions of dollars per year.

At times, however, they are adversely affected by that same coverage.

Some teams understand that the best way to befriend the media is to make access as wide as possible, and to provide as many outlets for coverage of the team as possible.

Pete Carroll has a famously lax media policy. Anyone can watch practice. This applies to any practice, and all of practice. And no one would argue that video of Carroll's pranks and Will Ferrell's visits to the team have made it easier to recruit to a program that looks like it's having fun. And no one would argue that USC hasn't done incredibly well on the field, either.

But both Nick Saban and Les Miles place tight strictures on media access.

Saban is famous for insisting that his programs speak with "one voice"—his. He doesn't allow assistants to speak with the media. He is fond of answering questions in monosyllables, as if media access was slightly more fun than a trip to the urologist.

Miles treats the media at times as if their presence is a bit more than a nuisance, and at other times like a tool to be used in the mental warfare that is the SEC. Media is only allowed to watch the first 15-20 minutes of practice before being ushered out. And what do they normally do in that time? Usually individual drills that reveal little about the team.

His anger at the media boiled over in 2007 in the run-up to the SEC Championship Game in his famous "damn strong football team" press conference.

We could likely fill a groundbreaking monograph and a few graduate-level courses with the psychology of such moves by coaches. All coaches are paranoid control freaks, after all, but we needn't do that here.

But it's not just the coaches that have adopted an adversarial stance toward media coverage, it's the SEC.

Earlier this summer, the SEC released new media rules for outlets that wish to cover their events—defined by them as everything from practices to news conferences to games.

The SEC also said that the only people who would be credentialed would be those who were full-time salaried employees of news organizations. This would exclude the multitudes of amateurs, or at least non-full time bloggers and Web site runners who might cover the game.

There are some other rules within the new policy that are troubling to newspapers, Web sites, and television stations, too, mostly that include video use, rights to photographs, etc.

These rules—later amended after an outcry, I might add—dovetail with the coaches' desire to restrict access to the public. While the aims of the two are different, the effect is the same: It restricts access to the product.

The SEC's refusal to grant access to bloggers displays a naïveté that could hurt them in the future. There are several SEC blogs that feature high-quality writing, professional Web production and astute analysis. In fact, these "fan-sites" have become so much more informative and interesting—while retaining a healthy homerism—that many fans get their team information from blogs without ever so much as a glance at a newspaper.

I would venture a guess that if you checked the Web site hits on a couple of relatively well-known SEC print media columnists such as Glenn Guilbeau for LSU or Paul Finebaum for Alabama, you would find that they spike when their column gets linked on an SEC blog.

These sites, because they are committed to the school already, would be a great avenue for disseminating a school-friendly point of view. Access is a perfect carrot to dangle in front of a blogger.

I understand coaches' desire to control access, though I disagree with it. But the SEC, charged with expanding the product, has now officially disdained new media, and showed a shocking lack of foresight.

It could come back to hurt them.

*Here are a couple: And The Valley Shook (LSU); Roll Bama Roll (Alabama); Third Saturday in Blogtober; and and there are many others

The Amigos: Three Players LSU Will Need To Get Through the Season

Faimon Roberts — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:08:18 -0400

Sometime in October of 2008, LSU fans swallowed the bitter pill of disappointment while watching Florida and Georgia hang matching half-centuries on the Tigers.

Under Les Miles, Tiger fans were used to losing two games per year, but the losses to the Gators and Bulldogs were not just defeats, but humiliating, tail-tucking beatings.

When those were followed up by a heartbreaking loss to the hated Crimson Tide at home, a beat down by Ole Miss, and then another one-point stunner to the previously lifeless Arkansas Razorbacks, the disappointment turned to despair.

But then LSU recovered with a dominating win over media-darling Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. That combined with the emergence of freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson ignited a gleam of optimism in Tiger eyes once again.

But let's put the brakes on.

The Tigers should be an improved team this year. Nevertheless, they have a daunting season in front of them, one with enough hurdles to intimidate Edwin Moses. Let's just quickly examine three of the biggest barriers to LSU's season:

1. Strength of Schedule

LSU once again has an extremely difficult schedule in the SEC. The Tigers must travel to Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss. They host consensus preseason No. 1 Florida and All-Creation Tim Tebow. That sort of schedule would test even the most veteran and talented of teams, much less one with the issues that LSU is facing.

2. Inexperience at Quarterback

The Tigers will, for the second year in a row, be starting a largely inexperienced quarterback. Jordan Jefferson looked good against Georgia Tech, but his numbers weren't that great. Sure, he completed 16-of-25 passes, but for only 142 yards and one touchdown. And last year, they discovered having an inexperienced guy in there can kill a game, and a season.

Before you bring him up, Russell Shepard is not the answer this year. Reports out of camp have him getting into games in some capacity due to his athleticism, but he is not ready to play quarterback in the SEC.

3. New Defense

On top of the schedule and unproven-quarterback-play difficulties, the Tigers must also break in a new defensive coordinator and new system. Last year's Mallory-Peveto two-headed monster of a coordinator did little to justify its elevation.

Many reports had the defenders—especially athletic safety Chad Jones—confused by the complexity and number of schemes, but this year he will be strictly a safety. That should help some, but the John Chavis-led unit must show an ability to avoid the big play, something it didn’t do last year.

Fortunately for LSU fans, the Tigers have three potential hurdlers in their lineup—three people who could, if they live up to their potential, carry LSU over some of those hurdles and into an SEC title game.

1. John Chavis

The first of those is the most obvious. Defensive coordinator John Chavis must turn last year's athletic group of chickens with their heads cut off into a unified unit that plays disciplined football. He has the tools to work with, but they will be tested early and often, and have to show significant resilience, considering the difficulty of the slate.

2. Charles Scott

The second person who could be able to carry LSU over some of the hurdles of the season is senior running back Charles Scott. In fact, he might just propel the Tigers through the hurdles instead of over them.

The 230-pound bruiser is exactly the type of runner who, with consistent line play, carries the offense through dry spells by its respective quarterbacks. He always runs downhill, can break one every now and then, and seems determined never to fall backward. His steady effort and reliability could get the Tigers four yards on fourth down much as a certain Jacob Hester did two years ago.

3. Jarrett Lee

The final hurdler is not so obvious. With the tough slate the Tigers face, Tiger quarterback Jarrett Lee will almost certainly see action in relief of Jordan Jefferson, and he will have to show that he learned from his Freddy Krueger-infested season last year.

If Lee can show some chutzpah and treat last year like the first half of the Auburn game, then he will be a player that LSU will use to win a crucial game or two when Jefferson falters.

So what are we to conclude from all of this? LSU is enormously talented, but in order to make a run at the SEC West and SEC overall crown, they are going to need good performances from veterans, newcomers and coaches.

LSU probably has the toughest conference schedule in the nation, and to expect the Tigers to get through it unscathed is asking too much. But with just a few scathes? Maybe, if Chavis, Scott, and Lee have anything to say about it.

A Wrinkle and Time: How Joe Paterno Is Becoming Bad for Penn State

Faimon Roberts — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:24:30 -0500

A few weeks ago, Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno signed a three-year extension to his contract, ensuring that he will roam–or perhaps roll on–the Nittany Lion sideline until at least 2011.

Paterno's extension brought to an end speculation about who his successor would be, since his current deal expired this year.

Paterno's quote in the announcement: "There's no reason for me not to think that I can go for a while."

In case you are unaware, Paterno is 82 years old. He was born in 1926, less than three years before the really big stock market crash of 1929. In other words, when people say that we could be entering another Great Depression, it resonates with Joe Paterno. He lived it.

He has been the head coach at Penn State for 43 years and has been on the football staff for 58 years. He joined the staff during the Truman administration.

Paterno, along with Florida State's Bobby Bowden, is the dean of coaches. He is the elder statesman; the winningest Division IA coach of all time.

And there is no doubt that he has been great for the university.

But Paterno's extension is bad for Penn State University.

It's true, the Nittany Lions enjoyed a bit of a renaissance this year, rolling up an 11-1 record and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl to face USC.

But speaking as one who is not close to the situation and has no inside information, there is no way that I can believe that having Joe Paterno on the sideline, or in the press box, for the next three years can be good for the Penn State football program.

Does Paterno do all of the things that other top-notch head coaches, such as Nick Saban, Bog Stoops, Urban Meyer, or Pete Carroll do? Can he maintain a workaholic schedule, sleeping only in snippets and breaking down film for 15 hours a day?

Of course not.

I can already here the arguments that Paterno can accomplish the same things those guys can in limited duty because he is a legend, but I don't buy it.

Does Paterno call plays, or even wear a headset? Nope.

Can JoePa endure a hot two-hour practice in early August? I doubt it.

In fact, problems with his leg and hip forced him into the press box for several games this year. Before the season, JoePa admitted he thought about being up there full time, saying, "I enjoyed being upstairs, I really did. I sat down, had a nice time, had a cup of coffee...I was even able to watch television."

Seriously?

Joe Paterno's extension is not about Penn State winning more games. The amount of coaching that Joe Paterno actually does nowadays must be very little.

No, Joe Paterno's contract is about Joe Paterno, and choke hold he has on Penn State. If Paterno really did care about the university as much as he cares about himself, he would step aside gracefully and admit what all must face: Father Time is an opponent that cannot be defeated.

It is apparent that the Nittany Lions need to promote one of their own assistants or hire someone now, or they will risk falling off when Joe Paterno is no longer around to figurehead the program.

Perhaps, they keep Paterno in a little office on the ground floor of the athletic building and when they are showing around the fat cat donors, they take them into that little office and say, "Look, here's Joe Paterno, coaching legend. We have to ask you to keep your voices down now, Joe is easily startled when he is sleeping."

Eighty-two years old. Time to hang it up, Joe, and let Penn State, an organization bigger than yourself, move on.

Les Miles vs. Nick Saban: Bring the Gavel Down on the Debate

Faimon Roberts — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:32:44 -0500

Miles versus Saban. Les versus Nick. The Hat versus the Tyrant. Crazy fourth down calls versus volcanic eruption on the sidelines during 45-10 blowouts.

When Alabama hired Saban, Tide fans crowed.

"We have got us a great coach now," they said. "Your coach is an idiot, and we have the man who made LSU what it is!"

"Oh yeah?" LSU fans replied. "Les has lost fewer games in his first three years than Saban did in any of his three years, and we did get another national title under Les, including the AP title! So there!"

One can only picture the two fan constituencies on opposite sides of a gym in the 1950s, one side chanting, "We've got Saban, yes we do, we've got Saban, how about you!" and the other replying, "We've got Lester, yes we do, we've got Lester, how about you!"

But who is really a better coach?

I asked six high school coaches from the state of Louisiana this question. All were happy to talk about it, but all asked that I not use their names. I had extended conversations with two of them about it, and much shorter conversations with the other four. Three are head coaches; three are assistants.

My first question: Better coach, Miles or Saban?

The responses:

"Saban."

"Saban, no question."

"Saban."

"Saban, without a doubt."

"Saban, easily."

One coach begged off, saying that he didn't watch a lot of college football due to concentrating on his own team.

The coaches who answered the question were unanimous in their appraisal. Saban is the better coach, hands down.

Here are some of the comments that the coaches made on the subject:

"X's and O's, Saban is the best in the country. He's so far ahead of everybody else it's scary."

"Saban is the best planner in the country. He has his days planned out to the minute. He knows what they need to be doing every single minute of the day."

"I went to a talk by Saban a few years ago, and it was incredible. The stuff he was talking about was just unbelievable."

"He's always going to find good assistants, though because of what you will learn, the contacts you will make, and what it looks like to have him on your résumé. He demands perfection, not just from his coaches, but from players, trainers, staff, everybody."

But two of the coaches added caveats.

"He's an (euphemism for jerk). Everybody knows it. He's incredibly difficult to work for. He works his assistants like slaves."

"If you work for him, you are not going to like him. He has fired GAs on the field for forgetting headsets."

One of the coaches, who has heard Saban speak, had a question for the Saban, but chose not to ask it when Saban sarcastically responded to another coach's question.

Those same qualities that made Saban such a success at LSU wore thin in his five years in Baton Rouge.

By the time he left, according to more than one of the coaches, nobody in the football or athletic departments was sad to see him go.

The man they brought in to replace Saban at LSU is vastly different in personality.

"He's more of a CEO-type coach. He hires his coaches and lets them do their jobs," another said.

"Which guy do I like better? Miles, by a long way," one coach said.

That same coach pointed out that Saban's arrogance had harmed relationships with coaches in the state.

He pointed out one example of a coach at a school in southeast Louisiana (to whom I did not talk) who had grown so sick of Saban that he wouldn't send his prized recruit to LSU.

When Saban left and Miles was hired, the coach did a 180 and encouraged the player to reconsider the Tigers. The player eventually committed to LSU.

Some of the difficulty with this question comes in the definition of what the coach is.

College coaches must be master organizers, arranging practice schedules, recruiting trips, professional development, and so on for the more than 100 people, including players, under them.

They must be master salespeople, capable of convincing more than 20 seventeen-year-olds every year, along with parent(s) and other interested parties, that the school and program that the coach represents is the perfect place for them.

They must monitor and assist in the academic development of nearly 100 18 to 22-year-olds.

On top of all that, they have to be masters of the zone blitz, zone blocking, zone coverage, and zone reads.

They must know how to call their own offense, run the defense, and talk in-depth about the benefits of the rugby punt versus the traditional punt, tackle twists and chipping on ends, play-action and shotgun, and be able to do it all under pressure.

Speaking of pressure, they have 12 three-hour periods on Saturdays in the fall to prove that the rest of the year has not been wasted. And if they fail the test, there are 90,000 people sitting there watching it happen and all to eager to let them know about it.

Viewed in this light, Saban has to be viewed as the better "football man." But Miles appears to excel in other, less visible but perhaps just as important parts of the job. However, it would be pure folly to accuse either of being a failure in the area that is not their respective strengths.

Suffice it to say that the two are near the top of the college coaching heap at the moment, and the challenge for both is just to stay there.

Personae Non Gratae: The People and Stories No Longer Welcome in the SEC

Faimon Roberts — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:04:09 -0400

This feature, which I anticipate becoming a weekly installment in the fall, will chronicle the people and stories who are no longer welcome in this space.

I am not saying that these people are not great, but rather that their stories have been told so many times, and talked about so much by pundits, blogs, etc., that I will not write about them until there are substantial new developments.

In other words, these are stories from which we need to move on.

So here is the initial top five non grata—sorry gentlemen, you are asked to leave with all due haste.

1) Tim Tebow

I know he's great. Everybody knows he's great. And it's not that he is a sophomore Heisman winner, or that he plays quarterback like a defensive end, or even that he takes care of tiny orphan babies in third world countries. But the two-year Tebow media blitz makes Barack Obama look undersaturated.

Mr. Tebow, you are no longer welcome here.

2) Les Miles' cojones

Okay, so he makes some gutsy decisions. Okay, so they worked out. That story is so last year. Yes, he shoots off at the mouth sometime, but we discussed this ad nauseam last year. Unless he blows up like Mount St. Helens this year, we are not going to talk about his personality.

Mr. Miles and his two companions are now non gratae.

3) Nick Saban

Yes, he used to coach at LSU. Yes, he probably has Bama on the right road to contender status. Yes, he is process-oriented. Yes, we know he showed up at SEC media days with two bodyguards, so yes, he is a big deal.

But he is not welcome here until he or his team does something noteworthy and new.

4) Ryan Perrilloux

He's off the team, and yes, it probably hurts LSU's offense. Yes, he was involved in several off the field incidents, and yes, he had otherworldly talent. Yes, he once claimed his goal for his time at LSU was to win four Heismans.

Sorry, Mr. Presumptive Jacksonville State starting QB—you are not permitted here.

5) Bobby Petrino leaving the Falcons

Okay, so his eyes have all the life of Jeffrey Dahmer. Okay, so he left the Falcons with games left on the schedule. Sure, he appears to be the new poster child for mercenary coaches. He hasn't coached one Arkansas game yet, and we won't discuss him until he does that. And even then, we might not.

Mr. Petrino, you may apply for reinstatement after the first of September, and not before then under any circumstances.

College Football: The Games That Will Define the SEC (Part 1)

Faimon Roberts — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:47:25 -0400

Florida vs. Georgia, Nov. 1, Jacksonville, FL The game formerly known as the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party should be an all-out war in which both teams will quickly go nuclear. Up until game time, I fully expect WOPR to ask if we wouldn’t just prefer a nice game of chess, because this will be violent, nasty, and hard-fought to the end. In other words, everything we love about college football.

Florida brings to the table a Heisman-winning quarterback whose middle name is guts, a supposedly more diverse offense, and a bloodthirst for revenge after Georgia beat them last year in a game that saw the death of Anakin Richt and the emergence of Darth Richt.

Georgia brings nought but a Cadillac Williams reincarnation in Knowshon Moreno and one of the league’s more experienced quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford. Richt’s decision to turn over the play calling duties last year to Mike Bobo was a masterstroke, a sign that every good Sith Lord gives his apprentice some responsibilities.

The only drawback to the game is that it occurs relatively late in the schedule, on Nov. 1. By that time, both teams will have ample opportunity to suffer crippling injuries, losses, or both.

Both teams must face SEC West titan LSU, but the Gators get them in Gainesville on Oct. 11, while Georgia has to go to LSU on Oct. 25.

In fact, the Bulldogs face Florida in the middle of a road-grader of a six-game stretch that includes Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and trips to LSU, Kentucky, and Auburn. If Georgia comes out of that stretch undefeated, they will deserve to be ranked No. 1.

Alabama at Tennessee, Oct. 25 The Third Saturday in October, always a hate-fest for the two constituencies, is a pivotal game in the SEC this year.

The Tide’s dismantling of the Vols last year gave Bama fans an unholy optimism which was quickly crushed by bad losses to Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe.

For the Vols, though, the loss was their second blowout defeat to an SEC school. They lucked into the SEC East championship anyway.

Both coaches have something to prove this year, as Tennessee just gave Fulmer a lengthy contract extension, despite the clamor of voices who claim the program is in general decline.

The Vols haven’t won an SEC title since 1998 and really haven’t played meaningful January football since that time, either. Fulmer needs to have a good year to settle the restless natives; and since they will lose to Florida, Bama is an opponent they must beat.

For Bama, the honeymoon for Saban continues, and even if they lose this game, he will still be .500 against Tennessee. But this year will be a stern test for the "Saban process."

Alabama has had a rocky off-season, culminating with the arrest of Jimmy Johns for cocaine distribution. The Tide face tough early conference tests going to Arkansas and Georgia to go with their opener against Clemson.

Even going 1-2 in those games does not mean the Tide's season is over, and they could got a long way to getting it back on track with a strong showing against the Vols in Knoxville.

LSU at Auburn, Sept. 20 This millennium, one of these two has represented the West in every championship game except for two. Further, they have two national titles and one undefeated season in the last seven years.

Two years ago, the game finished with a pedestrian 7-3 score, but the game was a physical war that almost resulted in UN sanctions. Last year’s game was decided on an incredibly gutsy (or insane, depending on your point of view) call by Les Miles.

This year, the clash comes early in the schedule for both teams. And both are undergoing significant transition. Tuberville is breaking in new coordinators on both sides of the ball, as well as a new quarterback.

LSU has new co-Defensive Coordinators, and new quarterbacks, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties. How well each team manages these transitions will determine how the game goes.

The game should be another war. It will be in Auburn, which is always a tough place to play for LSU. Auburn will have a chip on its shoulder after thinking that last year’s game was rightfully theirs.

Tuberville’s teams always play with like a wounded badger with nothing to lose, and LSU has proven to be one of the conference's most consistently physical teams. This game should play out like an episode of World’s Scariest Police Crashes. The team that loses isn’t out of the SEC West race, but it will be a crippling blow.

Tomorrow, we will take a look at Part 2, where we will examine some perennial SEC doormats, a new coach, and a Nutt.

The Four Most Powerful People in Sports

Faimon Roberts — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:27:18 -0400

Sports, ostensibly the large-scale organization of games, are still ruled by iron-fisted despots holding jewel-encrusted scepters and tottering around berm-concealed mansions in air-cushioned bedroom slippers.

Unfortunately, these tyrants shun publicity, and if their names garner notice, they are 'removed' by the other members of the cabal. Of course, I could just be making that up.

The point is, however, that I really don't know who the most powerful people in sports are. They are powerful, I know that. They are mostly executives and agents, who wisely keep their name out of the spotlight, as they slap backs and rake huge piles of cash with platinum shovels.

But I can tell you who I think the most powerful well-known sports figures are.

My criteria for selecting these was to envision them all in a room together. I then ranked them by forcing them each to say "Hey, I want an iced latte." The one who could get the most people to get him or her an iced latte was ranked the highest.

So here are the rankings.

1) ESPN

Going only by his initials, this shadowy figure controls sports broadcasting and discourse world wide. In fact, his motto, "the Worldwide Leader" speaks to his ruthless ambition to control everything, everywhere.

And by slowly building his empire from one that showed reruns of Football Follies to one that single-handedly buried the sport of ice hockey by refusing to renew the contract.

Sure, an occasional voice cries out in the wilderness, decrying ESPN's stranglehold on sports, but these are quickly eliminated and their heads placed on a platter for Mrs. ESPN.

2) Tiger Woods

When he turned around and said, "I believe I want an iced latte and a magical fusion machine that makes foie gras" the entire room emptied in an stampede to comply. When Tim Finchem came back with the latte and a pop-up toaster with "Mr Fusion" written with Sharpie on the side, the whole room felt his pain.

The World's Greatest Golfer means so much to sports (yes, indefinite plural referring to the totality of sports) that he gets what he wants, when he wants it.

3) Phil Knight

The man who came the closest to fulfilling Tiger's wish; bringing a latte and eight scientists from Los Alamos, he is extremely powerful. Nike's swoosh is omnipresent on football uniforms, shoes, and little Thai children's foreheads.

Chances are, if humans make contact with races from other planets, Nike has their apparel contract. He controls half of the NBA, NCAA basketball, and the Oregon football program. His company's reach is far, and Knight is the man who brought them there.

4) Roger Goodell

Adam Jones brought him his latte, but then in a misguided attempt at reconciliation, tried to "make it rain" coffee.

Though this backfired, remember that Goodell is the man who single-handedly faced down the NFL's gang culture, and on the same day demanded Chile as payment for TV rights.

Though he can be viewed as a slightly more powerful Judge Harry Stone and better dress sense, he is not a man to be trifled with.

Open Mic: Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is NCAA

Faimon Roberts — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:44:28 -0400

Last year, I watched the Dr. Pepper SEC Championship game and then I watched the Nokia Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl presented by Citi and the Outback Bowl and I even once attended the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl.

And when I watch any games on TV in glorious HD, I get a nice view of the little Nike swooshes and Reebok whatevers on the uniforms. I see the players drink from Coca-Cola cups and Gatorade water bottles.

For every four minutes of game time, I am forced to watch two to four minutes of commercials. When I attend a game, one of the things I notice is that when they pull up the nets for extra points and field goals, it has Allstate written on it, and that the facings of the stadium are adorned with ads for banks and newspapers and ED treatments.

I also notice that during the interminable TV timeouts they are kind enough to show me ads on the Jumbotron. Cessnas fly overhead, encouraging me to eat at this or that restaurant. Nearly every inch of available space—not including the field itself—is exploited for mammon.

And yet, the individuals most responsible for the entertainment value of the game itself are not permitted to benefit financially from all of this largesse. Coaches receive huge contracts, in the millions of dollars, but the young men who strap on helmets and run into each other between the lines do not benefit from college football's ever-increasing revenue pie.

But wait, you say, they get a free education - that's worth something! That's true, but there are tons of other students at school who get free or reduced educations who are not required, ahem, requested to spend 20 hours a week practicing and countless other hours watching film on their own and working out. And frankly, the free education shouldn't matter in this case.

The NCAA, like any business, is constantly looking to expand and increase its revenue streams. The NCAA, unlike any business, does not have to pay its primary laborers, the players.

The NCAA's rank hypocrisy in selling itself and its product out to every corporation with the cash to buy it, and then preaching about the virtue of amateur athletics is laughable. The case of Jeremy Bloom is a great example.

Here was a student who made money in a non-NCAA sport and as such he received endorsements from equipment manufacturers and so on. But he also wanted to play football for the University of Colorado. The NCAA decided that he was a professional athlete (which he was, in extreme skiing) and that to play football he would have to renounce his endorsements and professional status.

The NCAA's message to Bloom: "You can't have endorsements, but we can."

Perhaps the NCAA would have a better podium from which to speak of wealth-ethics if it turned down companies who construct their products using cheap Third World sweatshop labor, or who are polluters, or who contribute to America's "obesity crisis." But no, they have the cash, and they get the exposure.

Is it any wonder that the President of the NCAA's last name is Brand?