by Mike Detillier which is in the Houma Courier. The more and more I hear these guys from Iowa and the respect they've shown LSU, the more I continue to believe how classy they are. Roth, an All-American, sounded off on some of the outside distractions that normally occur during the college offseason before they enter the NFL. "The Senior Bowl is a great outlet for us to come here and reassert our status for the NFL and the draft," Roth said. "What I can’t understand is guys like Marcus Spears (LSU) and Shaun Cody (USC), who have had great careers in the college ranks not getting the recognition they deserve. I watched ESPN the other night, and neither one of those two guys were rated in their top 30 players. Something is wrong with this process. How could anyone not see that those two guys who have played at the highest levels of college football not be rated as first-round picks? "I saw it last year with Michael Clayton, the wide receiver from LSU. Every time I watched LSU play last season, he was scoring touchdowns and making big catches. Then last spring, all I heard about was how he couldn’t run fast and that he couldn’t do one thing or another, and they were hyping the other receiver they had (Devery Henderson, who the Saints drafted in the second round). Clayton was one of the top rookies in the NFL last season. I know it is part of the game, but it is something I still can’t understand." Amen, Matt. I couldn’t agree with you more. NFL analyst Mike Detillier is based in Mathews.
Yeah, I thought he was the one that had "two words for LSU". It's great that he's showing our players some respect in an interview, but maybe that's because he knows if he doesn't Marcus Spears might kick his arse. I still think the whole double bird thing was just immature and uncalled for. If one of our players ever did that I would be very disapointed and even embarrased.
Please forgive Matt for the "finger thing".... he's a few cards short of being dealt a full deck. We were not proud of that display. As Ferentz said, "It's a good thing Matt has football. I'm not sure what he'd be doing if he didn't". We received an post on our forum the other day from a Wish-again fan. He was just wanting to make sure Roth had used up all his eligibility. Matt always reach a higher level of play when the Wolverines were on the field. We'll miss him... not the comments... just him!
I met Matt in Orlando at my hotel the night of the Bowl game (they were having a little get together on the second floor of the Downtown Marriot) and thought he was a really cool guy. After talking to him a while and getting his thoughts on the game (how LSU was really physical and put a beating on him) I felt I was a fan of him and was going to follow his progress. I made it home Sunday night and found out about his 'two words' speach and it changed my opinion of him. But I have to say that I had the same thoughts of the Iowa fans... they were all so nice and were great to hang out with before and after the game, but once I made it home and saw all the a**hole posts by their fans I changed on that front too. It was the best LSU road trip I've ever taken (other than the game), but I guess the Iowa fans and palyers are two different people (one way in your face and another way when they're not in your sights).
On the boards I go to and the Iowa scout board I maybe saw one or two flaming posts, all others were very amicable to LSU and our fans. The best I've ever been around and/or conversed/partied with.
Ditto, StaceyO..... every Hawk fan I have spoken with has high praise for the LSU fans at the game (quite different from our experience with Gator fans in Tampa the year before). My wife and I even wound up partying with some great Tiger fans on NYE at the GW Marriott... late night, great company!! On a side note, we've got new problems on our 15-5 basketball team. Pierre Pierce, the only quick guy on our "White Men Can't Jump" team, will be charged today with four felony counts, including burglary and assault... seems he had a run-in with his girlfriend, trashed her and her place. If the name sounds familiar, PP is the same guy who had to sit out a year due to rape charges in his freshman season. There goes our somewhat promising season. As a Hawk fan, it's amazing we can have two programs on our campus with such different standards. Ferentz would have never tolerated this situation. He has removed players from his teams for much less reason. Then there's Stevie ... this one won't end pretty!!
