So, the interesting fall out from the draft this weekend shows the proverbial two sides of the coin... Wow, LSU must be great at recruiting and developing talent to have 4 first rounders (the same as OSU, Florida and USC combined)! But, so, why didn't they play for the national championship? :sob: I guess perhaps the thread entitled "So, why did LSU lose to Florida and Auburn?" is a nice way of asking the second question above. Which is what sports illustrated writer Stewart Mandel is writing... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/04/30/lsu.draft/index.html Now, I'm not trying to stir the pot here and let's face it plenty of talented teams (e.g., Miami) with more talent have failed to win it all. But, it begs the question. If talent is not the issue, must it be coaching? I think clearly Les Miles is a good guy, a good coach, and I'm not casting any stones at him coming in after Saban just quit on the school. But, then was Jimbo Fisher to blame? Talk radio in Austin asked the same question this morning... how does a team with 3 NFL offensive first rounders score 6 points against Auburn? This is just food for thought. But, I'll say I feel somewhat better now with Crowton as our OC. And, Dandy Don today makes the point perhaps that Jimbo Fisher should be getting credit for the recruitment and development of JR, DB and CD. But, then who gets blame for the losses? The schedule? I guess, as Mandel says, next year it's all about Miles. His coordinators, mostly his players, in his system. Let's see what happens... P.S. For what it's worth, IMO, I'll take my chances with a staff that continues to recruit and develop like LSU. Bottomline, IMO, potential recruits look to draft Sunday more than they do NCs. Ask these 4 star and 5 star Qbs if they'd rather be JR or Chris Leak? So, recruiting is still the lifeblood of the organization--and LSU presents nicely after this weekend. The fans will be the ones that are restless... :geauxtige
Fair enough. Hadn't seen that thread (of course, it deteriorated into a bash ND thread:nope: ). For what it's worth, I did post this undercurrent earlier this season, by posing the question of where we rank among SEC coaching talent. We can hate them to all end, but Meyer and Donovan are coaches that have now won NCs--is it Florida or is it them? Saban was that guy for LSU, and the only guy in recent memory. Meyer and Donovan despite their successes, probably will be around at Florida for a while trying to win more NCs. So, it comes back to the question--if it's not a talent gap, is it coaching? And, then perhaps it comes full circle to the AD. Are we picking and committing to the best coaches to win NCs? Or, do we try to get the "bargain" coaches? Are we, as a smaller public university, forced to? Clearly we were ready to pay Saban whatever it took. Do you then hire a Les Miles and hope he becomes a Urban Meyer? Or is it just poor timing (Florida locked up Urban Meyer, when Saban was still saying "I'm staying" then went)? Will LSU ever commit to a top dollar coach outside of football and baseball, where it has enjoyed success at the highest level? Perhaps that's the next line of food for thought from these two threads.
I didn't mean it like that....feel free to post here too, just thought you may find some responses to your question- and that the ones who'd posted there may not post again. :thumb:
Since when is finishing 3rd in the country a failure? I suspect this writer, and anyone who thinks like him, are the real failures.
does a bear chit in the woods? let's see.. our coaching staff waited til the final 2-3 possessions to pass the ball vs. AU.. Plus the 05 Tenn game when the coaching staff refused to get out of that cover zone defense. 8-10 yards off of each receiver..
They haven't failed. They got us to read their stuff and comment. Underachieve? Why? ... because four guys got drafted in the first round off a roster of some 40-50 players? Is someone suggesting that a first round pick is world's apart from a second round pick... or a third? "Is it the players? Is it the coaches?" How about it being the game itself? Especially when it's played by 20 year olds. Fumbles occur, passes get picked... the game itself provides enough nuances to be the ultimate equalizer. (Deep Thoughts by "Hawker" Handey:wink: )
I don't know guys, but it seems that the media gets a kick out of picking on LSU. They like to utter us in the same breath as UF, USC, tOSU, etc etc, but you have to realize that there is only ONE champion and about 5-10 teams that could "win it" on any given day. It is why a play-off is needed. LSU has been getting a TON of media exposure the last few years. Miles has been recruiting very well. We have an excellent coaching staff (best in the country, IMO.) What's the problem then? There is no problem in my opinion. All that a coach can do is get his team out on the field and play a game. He can't (or could he?) control all of the outside variables that lead to a NC. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? What comes first, a ton of talent and first-rounders or a NC run? I think that all of this is just a precursor to what is going to happen in the years to come.
