LSU Football 2012: Spring Can't Get Here Quick Enough

With spring training less than two weeks away, a new beginning for the LSU Tigers is on the horizon.

It's no secret that the beginning of 2012 has been a rough year for hardcore LSU fans. In fact, I'm still trying to get over what transpired on January 9.

The thought of the scoreboard reading 21-0 in favor of Alabama is hard enough, but with the offensive game plan the Tigers had and the unwillingness to adapt, moving on has been a lot tougher than I thought it'd be.

And that's why March 1 can't get here fast enough.

Fans generally need to hear good news about the program, and that's what the spring does for fans. It hypes up young studs on the team and gets fans excited for them, and it helps Tiger fans know the direction of the team. Quite frankly, that's exactly what LSU fans need.

As a fan of the Tigers, I want to know how Zach Mettenberger is looking, I want to know how Kwon Alexander and Lorenzo Phillips are doing, and I want to know which receivers are going to step up. Is Jarvis Landry, Kadron Boone or James Wright going to emerge and become the Tigers' third receiver?

Because the Tigers lost to Alabama in the BCS Championship Game and then lost out on top recruits like Landon Collins and Gunner Kiel, these are the things that I'm interested in right now, and only spring training is going to produce the positive energy that we crave.

And don't think that Tiger fans are naive. They know that Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have an iron grip on the SEC and college football right now, and it's time for the Tigers to make a push and knock them off of their pedestal.

The journey to beating Alabama and winning the national championship in 2012 all starts with spring practice, and I'm counting down the seconds.