Phil Steele's Preseason All-SEC Team

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by LSUDad, Jun 1, 2015.

  1. leroy7500

    leroy7500 Founding Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2007
    Messages:
    498
    Likes Received:
    400
    Phil showing a little love..
     
    LSUDad likes this.
  2. TerryP

    TerryP Founding Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2002
    Messages:
    7,981
    Likes Received:
    2,068
  3. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    Still a ways to go, but I like both players. Great write-up. Alexander playing OT again, will more than help his draft stock. I too think hes the best OG that will be coming out, play the OT position this year, look out. I still like the Hawk to make a splash at LOT.

    Pocic is one that could hang around another year, we'll see. Pocic playing the Tackle position would show a team that he could play anywhere across the line. Cam Erving in last years draft was the 19th pick by the Browns, was one that could play all position on an OL. Some talk he would fall late in the first round, he was one I said if he was there in the 31th pick, the Saints should take him. Having said that, the Saints had Peat fall into their lap, a major haul.
     
    TigerTap likes this.
  4. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    Mills & Adams ranked one of the best combos
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    LSU fans are excited about the safety duo of Jalen Mills and Jamal Adams, as they should be heading into the 2015 campaign.

    Mills, who opted to return for his senior season rather than entering the NFL draft, will be the leader of the Tiger defense with 39 career starts under his belt.

    Mills is 14 starts away from tying the LSU school record held by Ciron Black (53). But to accomplish that the Tigers will need to make the SEC championship game. If they make the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship then Mills could break the record.

    Adams has emerged as one of the top young safeties in the SEC after a true freshman season where he was named Freshman All-America after recording 66 tackles.

    The pair is also getting a lot of press on the national scene, and CFB 24/7 recently ranked the tandem the No. 2 safety combination in the country and No. 8 overall on its “Dynamic Duo” list.

    NFL.com’s CFB 24/7 writer Mike Huguenin says, “Adams (6-0, 206) was an important part of LSU's secondary rotation as a true freshman last season; he saw extensive time, including two starts, and finished with 66 tackles. Adams -- who was a consensus national top-40 prospect in the 2014 recruiting class -- is a big hitter who will be expected to do more in coverage this fall.

    “Mills (6-0, 194), like Adams a Texas native, will be a rare four-year starter for the Tigers; he started at cornerback in his first two seasons before moving to safety last fall. His versatility and coverage skills are a big selling point. Mills, who toyed with the idea of turning pro after last season has had legal issues, and must prove to NFL scouts that he can stay on the straight and narrow.”
     
  5. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    Phil Steele is high on LSU in 2015
    [​IMG]
    (Photo: 247Sports)
    Phil Steele’s countdown of the Top 40 college football teams continues to roll on, and LSU received its highest preseason ranking of the four major college football magazines.

    Steele has the Tigers ranked No. 10 in the country.

    Steele noted that LSU has won eight or more games in 15 straight seasons, which is the second longest streak for FBS schools.

    As for 2015, Steele wrote that LSU’s 15 returning starters are the most since 2005. He added that the Tigers avoid the top three schools in the SEC East and have “a great shot at being 8-0 when they travel to Bama.”

    Steele’s final statement on the Tigers was, “LSU is a legitimate national title contender.”
     
    LSU_4_LIFE likes this.
  6. shane0911

    shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2005
    Messages:
    37,558
    Likes Received:
    23,813
    Phil has gone mad, someone close to the situation should get him some help.
     
    furduknfish and LSUDad like this.
  7. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2002
    Messages:
    45,195
    Likes Received:
    8,733
    Are you actually going to whine about this?
     
  8. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    More.......

    You read it here first, I'm the idiot picking LSU to win the SEC: Ron Higgins


    [​IMG] By Ron Higgins, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

    on July 04, 2015 at 9:00 AM
    [​IMG]
    Before I wrote this column, I tried to think of everything I've done in my life that hasn't made sense.

    Actually, I could have listed all of them in a NCAA basketball tourney bracket, 64 idiotic acts or decisions with four play-in moments of dumbness.

    There was the time as a high school senior I went streaking down LSU's sorority row, a naked flash of 6-3, 172-pound malnutrition.

    Nobody screamed or covered their eyes.

    There was the instance when a Mississippi state trooper stopped me outside of Starkville and said, "Do you know you were going 85 miles an hour in a 55 zone?" I replied with feigned astonishment, "I swear to God officer you're the first person to stop and tell me that."

    He failed to see the humor in my observation.

    There was the occasion when I melted an electric can opener on a electric stove top at home while I was busy trying to multi-task as a call-in guest on a sports talk show.

    It went something like, "Dave, before we look at this Saturday's SEC schedule, let's take a break so I can grab my fire extinguisher."

    There was the time I had a Domino's pizza delivered to Tennessee's Neyland Stadium just prior to kickoff to see if the guy could deliver it in 30 minutes or fewer. He clocked in at 23 minutes, heavily sweating while gasping, "You didn't tell me I would have to talk my way past all those security guards."

    I tipped him $20, twice the cost of the pizza. Then-Tennessee sports information director Bud Ford also did not understand the humor of the situation, especially when I offered him a slice.

    But none of those compare to my next grand act of complete lunacy:

    Picking LSU to win the Southeastern Conference football championship this season.

    I know, I know. Choosing a team that last year had trouble completing a pass longer than 5 yards and now saying it will win the nation's toughest college conference makes less sense than Caitlyn Jenner sharing fashion tips with her former Kardashian stepdaughters.
    Next weekend, I'll reveal the complete predictions online on NOLA.com in both divisions.

    Yet after several days of deliberation and extensive psychological testing, I came to the last piece of my off-the-wall prediction late Friday afternoon. It happened shortly after watching angry young mothers sadly yank their disobedient kids around Wal-Mart, surrounded by people who thought this was acceptable maternal behavior.

    Defying all logic, such as LSU has the same quarterbacks as last season that couldn't hit water throwing from a rowboat, ignoring that Alabama's Nick Saban is a coaching cyborg who doesn't accept defeat well and understanding I could look like a total idiot before the end of September, I'm saddling up with the Tigers this season.

    Yep, they'll ride all the way to Atlanta where they'll beat Georgia in the league championship game.

    After that, who knows? I can only tell you why LSU will win the SEC.

    So here are the reasons:

    Experienced balance on both sides of the ball: Massive early defections to the NFL from the LSU defense in 2012 and the Tigers' offense in 2013 threw roster balance totally out of whack.

    Two years ago in a 10-3 season when LSU's offense was the first in SEC history to feature a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher, the defense had six starters who previously hadn't started a single college game.

    Last season when the Tigers started slow and finished 8-5, it had nine first-time starters on offense.

    Finally in the upcoming season, LSU's depth chart is filled with a sprinkling of senior leaders and an abundance of experienced juniors and sophomores from recruiting classes that ranked No. 7 and No. 2 nationally in 2013 and 2014 respectively by ESPN.
     
    LSU_4_LIFE likes this.
  9. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    The rest:

    Leonard Fournette: The LSU single season rushing record is 1,686 yards, 153.3 yards per game on 28.3 carries per game, set in 1977 in 11 games by Charles Alexander.

    Fournette, one of the most physically blessed running backs ever to wear the purple-and-gold, won't come close to that number of carries. No back, even if he carries a chiseled 6-1, 230 pounds like Fournette, can handle that workload on a weekly basis in the SEC.

    But if he's handed the ball 20 times a game, raises his per yard average by a yard from last season's 5.5 to 6.5, he'll average 130 yards per game, which is 1,560 in 12 regular season games.

    The last five SEC teams that won national championships or played for the national title all had rushers that gained at least 1,300 yards.

    Fournette finally smoothed the rough edges last season as a true freshman, such as running with patience to allow blockers to provide a sliver of daylight. Because he shared carries with now-graduated seniors Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard, Fournette was just 12th in the league in rushing attempts yet finished sixth in rushing yardage behind backs who had more carries.

    He gave hints at times of his ability to dominate, like his 27 carries for 140 yards and two TDs at Florida, his 19 rushes for 146 yards and one TD at Texas A&M and his Music City Bowl performance vs. Notre Dame with 143 yards on 11 carries with two TDs and a 100-yard TD kickoff return.

    The number that jumps out is 11 rushing attempts. After Fournette roared for an 89-yard TD to give LSU a 28-21 lead over the Fighting Irish with 6:14 left in the third quarter, he had just three carries in the Tigers' final three possessions of the day.

    That should never happen this season unless Fournette is confined to an oxygen tent on the sideline.

    New defensive coaching blood: Coaching changes aren't necessarily bad things.

    As good as former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis proved to be in his six seasons before bolting to Texas A&M as tears had barely dried in the Tigers' locker room after the Music Bowl City bowl loss, his defenses often had trouble adjusting to no-huddle spread option offenses.

    Though following his first season in 2009 that his defenses never finished worse than third in the SEC in total defense including first last year, there were too many games lost in the fourth quarter because Chavis played exceedingly cautious schemes.

    Hiring Kevin Steele as Chavis' replacement is a roll of the dice, considering his mixed reviews in brief D-coordinator stints at Alabama and Clemson. But hiring Ed Orgeron as D-line coach will quickly prove to be as beneficial on the field as it already has been in recruiting.

    Exacting revenge: In the last six seasons, LSU has won 7 of 10 games over teams not named Alabama it lost to the previous season.

    On the Tigers' payback menu this season are games at Mississippi State where LSU has won seven straight, at home against Auburn where LSU has won its last seven Tiger Stadium meetings vs. the other Tigers, at Alabama where LSU is 5-2 in its last seven trips and home against Arkansas where the Tigers have won three straight over the Hogs.

    Nobody in the West is perfect: Three Western Division teams (Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss) have first-time starting quarterbacks and four (Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Texas A&M) have new defensive coordinators.

    There's going to be an adjustment period. It all depends which teams adjust the quickest by the time the majority of the league gets into conference play by week three.

    The quarterback dilemma: Though college football's style of play has changed since LSU won national titles in 2003 and 2007, history indicates some components of a national championship team are non-negotiable.

    For instance, Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck, LSU's starting QBs on the '07 and '03 national title teams, had similar solid game management styles and stats during the Tigers' championship seasons.

    Flynn averaged 200.6 passing yards, Mauck 201.8. Both QBs had steady TD to interception ratios, Flynn 21 to 11, Mauck 28 to 14.

    It would be nice to say that's all Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris, LSU's struggling QBs from a year ago, need to bring to the table this season.

    But Mauck's 2003 Tigers had a defense that led the nation in total defense and scoring defense. Flynn's 2007 Tigers had a defense ranked third nationally in total defense and which also created 36 turnovers.

    That's a lot to ask of this year's LSU defense, but again everything is relative. With no-huddle offenses clicking off plays as fast as humanly possible, coaches are getting used to walking away winning shootouts.

    LSU just needs to make sure it has enough ammunition, and I believe this team will.

    From quarterbacks who execute the offense better, to receivers who are vastly improved at shedding defensive backs, to Fournette and company running explosively behind a line led by probable NFL first-round draft choice Vadal Alexander, I'm all in on the 2015 Tigers.

    But if I get a speeding ticket from that same Mississippi state trooper en route to Starkville for the Tigers' Sept. 12 game, then the shine is off my unbridled optimism.
     
    LSU_4_LIFE likes this.
  10. LSUDad

    LSUDad Veteran Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Messages:
    9,106
    Likes Received:
    3,603
    A little more on Phil Steele:



    He lists Individual units:



    QB's-45 teams are listed, LSU is not one of them.

    RB's-LSU #6

    WR's-LSU #13

    OL-LSU-#21

    DL- LSU #16

    LB- LSU #12

    DB's- #2

    Special Teams- #16





    Then he gets into rating the draft eligible players:



    QB-None

    RB-None

    WR- #7 Travin Dural

    FB-None

    TE- #27 Dillion Gordon

    OC- #11 Ethan Pocic

    OG- #1 Vadal Alexander

    OT- #27 Jerald Hawkins

    DE-None

    Dt-None

    OLB-None

    ILB- #5 Kendell Beckwith

    CB-None

    FS- #2 Jalen Mills

    SS-None

    Punter-None

    Kickers-None

    LS-*1 Reid Ferguson



    A few notes on these:



    * Punter Jamie Keehn is one to keep an eye on. Last year he had a 44.9 ypp/avg. with a long of 64 yds., 25 were fair caught, 27 were inside the 20 and 17 were 50 or more yards.



    * Hawk at #27, a good year and he won't be that low by seasons end. Alexander working the ROT position will only help. Pocic listed at OC, but looks at playing the OG position as of now. If Pocic returns for another year and plays the OT position, making him able to play all 5 positions on the line.



    * On the DL LaCouture, is one to watch, with a little help from the DE's, he could have a good year.



    *DB, Tre White is one that should be listed.



    *TE Gordon, maybe a little low, but we don't see the usage of the position, but when used, he does well.
     
    red55 likes this.

Share This Page