@lsudolemite. Great point about Dickson, you barely even heard his name this past season. One reception against Florida, Didnt play against Alabama, One reception against Penn State makes you wonder what happened. As far as Charles Scott, I only have two memories of him in 2009. The final touchdown run against Georgia (Great Moment) and his run against Alabama where he was injured. And Ciron Black just had a dissapointing season. Anyways, really excited for 2009 and ready to see Randle, Shepard, and Richard Murphy all get into action.
Gotta hand it to RS, kid has a very good head on his shoulders. He had an OK high school arm, not an SEC arm, not an NFL arm. He picks the correct option for himself to give himself a shot at the next level. Maturity and good judgment. And thanks Dad!
Tyson Jackson was third pick in the NFL Draft. Dickson was always kind of overrated, honestly. Kid had just one huge game on the biggest stage against Ohio State to steal some spotlight. Scott was a victim of a pathetic offensive line last year and same for Ciron. Just sayin'.
Have to agree with Clair. Although I have not seen every "star" shine here, plenty have. How did our LBs work out last year? Same, better or worse? Shepard is smart. If allowed to focus on one position he will excel. He gets a couple of things correct, actually catches the ball, and every play is potentially "game over". There will be plenty of highlights with this guy next year.
What I'm trying to look at is the actual level of player performance in their last year at LSU compared to the hype surrounding them as the next big thing at their position. Some of the dropoff may be a player simply being overrated, or it could be due to factors beyond their control. It's hard to argue that LSU has had that big playmaker on offense who is guaranteed to pick up needed yards since Hester and Doucet were here. Everyone could be right that Shep will be that kind of player for the next couple of years, but what I saw last year on offense is making me skeptical that he'll be put in the right position to make that impact. Your comment about Scott makes precisely that point; he was seldom put in a position to make those kinds of drive-extending plays consistently.
There is a line of thought that says the other TEs were so poor at blocking that Dickson didn't get the ball because he was needed there. I have trouble watching TE blocking when I rewatch games so I don't know how true that is.
Correct, plus he wasn't just injured for the Bama game but was hampered for the whole 2nd half of the season. Dickson was called on to help the struggling OL which was an ongoing problem all of last year.
Dolemite has a point, which LSU player under this coaching staff has made a buzz in the NFL other than the freak of nature Dwayne Bowe? Jacob Hester and Craig Steltz on special teams? Early Doucet in the playoffs this past season maybe? Tyson Jackson and Dorsey we haven't heard their names since. Craig Davis hasn't done anything, only time we hear Laron Landry's name is when he is getting burned or flagged. Who am i missing? Please tell me i am missing someone. It usually takes offensive and defensive linemen a few years to get acclimated to the NFL, so hopefully that is what is going on.
