Tiger Tangents | What If's?

…”If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"…

The preceding excerpt of Rudyard Kipling’s “If” makes me think about LSU football. Well, let’s face it, most things make me think about LSU Football.

But football, and sports in general, are based upon these “ifs." Writing about sports is just exercising your “if” muscles from the sideline. If you think about it, it’s all we do…

“If the offense can control the ball and keep the defense off the field, they have a shot at winning.”

“If the defense can get penetration with their front four, their pass defense will start to improve.”

“If that ref misses another holding call, I swear to God I’m gonna punch someone in the face.”

Ok, maybe that last one doesn’t belong.

But it’s funny just how you answer the question “If” can be the difference between a National Championship season and a five-loss season.

If the Tigers lost that Peach Bowl (I don’t care what it’s really called now) game to Georgia Tech instead of winning in convincing fashion, would there be so many LSU fans predicting a ten win season this year?

Probably not.

If the LSU football team learned anything last season, it’s that their recent success this past decade was predicated on three things: Dominating defense, solid QB play, and on-field leadership.

All of those ingredients were missing last year.

Les Miles has attempted to remedy the lacking defense by hiring ex-Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis. Already in spring practice, the defense seems to be re-energized under “the Chief” and is proving to be more effective at least in practices.

The quarterback situation might not be as easy of a fix.

While sophomore Jordan Jefferson looked great in dismantling the Georgia Tech defense in the bowl game, he is still unproven. Jarrett Lee, who was known much more for his pick sixes than his rocket arm, has also looked improved during spring workouts but Tiger fans are still a little gun shy with No. 12.

Lastly, highly touted athlete QB Russell Shepard comes in as a true freshman but starts off with a lot to learn. Though he may not line up under center a great number of times in his true freshman season, he may line up at other positions as Shep is a talent that will be hard to keep off the field.

Quarterback and defensive woes were evident, but a more intangible missing ingredient from the ’08 campaign was leadership, especially on the field.

When junior running back/freight train Charles Scott announced he was coming back for his senior season, the word “leadership” escaped his lips about a million times during that press conference.

There’s no question that he and left tackle Ciron Black will take on that offensive leadership role with no seasoned quarterback under center.

Where the leadership comes from on defense may be a harder to pinpoint. While the players respect Chavis and have a new sense of purpose, there will still need to be players that personify his teachings on the field. That is something that was severely lacking on this defensive squad a year ago.

Any Tiger fan will tell you, there was too much talking the talk and not enough walking the walk. There’s no reason to beat your chest after making a tackle on the tail end of a twelve yard gain. It was all sound and fury signifying nothing.

And that brings us to a bunch of important “ifs”.

If Tiger fans want a ten-win season and a shot at topping Ole Miss and Alabama in the SEC West, then the “ifs” will need to center around (1) QB play, (2) defense, and (3) leadership on the field. Put those three together and success is a step closer for the Tigers.

The good news for LSU this season is that most experts will be pointing toward Alabama and Ole Miss to be favorites to win the West, so there may not be as much pressure on the Tigers. But don’t tell that to the fans.

They think last year’s…ahem…iffy season was just a hiccup. Time will tell, but I think the important thing to keep in mind is that you always want to be improving and the Tigers have much to improve after last season and no where to go but up.