Nobody appreciates LSU’s senior class this year more than me. I’ve written about how good they’ve been and how bad I feel for them since their coaches have let them down. However, the devastating loss week still lingers in the minds of the players in the middle of championship week. Since the players are still reeling, it appears a monumental coaching effort will need to take place this week in order for LSU to win. A “Monumental coaching effort” hasn’t taken place once this year, what’s about to change that? Miles receiving news he gets permission to talk with Michigan after the game Saturday? Crowton now being mentioned as a candidate for the Arkansas job?
Drop any notion of a monumental coaching effort unless your talking about Miles beating OSU next year while coaching Michigan or Pelini taking Nebraska to the Big-12 title game. No, what will be monumental is the players’ efforts in beating Tennessee this weekend. Coaching ain’t going to get it done. It didn’t against Florida or Auburn and it will not be this week. Just ride the Dorsey-Flynn-Hester and senior class wave to victory...that’s what be will monumental.
What’s just mental is some LSU fans that think Tiger Nation is being unrealistic, Bama-like, to-hard-on-coaches fans because we feel LSU should be better than 10-2 AND better defensively than we are. These glass-half-full fans think this team is great! Think the coaches are great! “Just look at the three-year record”, they say. We say, “how many championships won?” Crickets...chirp, chirp, chirp.
If LSU wins this week, the dandydon-homers will be out there, “See! See! What do you say know?” No crickets from us. “Can you say great players and seniors, dandydon-homers?” Crickets chirping again.
For the Louisiana Sportsmen we expect this every year: traditional tough aggressive LSU defense, solid if unspectacular offense, solid special teams, disciplined team on and off the field and make a bowl game whether it’s with 8-3 or 10-1 record if the above criteria is met.
When the schedule falls right and we have experience and talent, then winning the SEC championship is probably going to be expected. That may happen once every four years, but we’ll take it. When you win the conference there is also the chance of a national title and we should seize on those few opportunities because it will not happen often.
Take the criteria we laid out and apply it to this year’s team. Are we meeting the criteria? Tough aggressive defense- Nope. Solid offense- yep. Solid special teams- wash. disciplined team on the field- nope. Off the field- subjective but nope. Schedule falls right and we have experience and talent- yep to all of those. Chance at national title- nope. Chance at conference title- yep.
Based on the criteria and the results, it obvious to see we have fallen short of our potential as a team when you consider schedule, talent, experience, and offense and special teams performances. If we’ve fallen short, then why? The players or the coaches? For Tiger Nation we know it ain’t the players, they’re great! For us, it’s obvious coaching problems.
Now ask the dandydon-homers why we’ve fallen short of our potential...chirp, chirp, chirp...shhh, it’s because they know the answer.
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