The Great Push Back
Well, there has been quite a boisterous hew and cry from the masses lately. Yesterday, all throughout the LSU intertubes, the Silent Majority pushed back against the force of unrelenting negativity. There was my post about it, then Poseur's post, and then there was a post at Bayou Bengal Blog, a truly epic post about the state of the program in general:
And then for the last 20 minutes of the game, when at long last LSU finally began to put some things together, we got to see not only the performance we should have seen all game, but actual brilliance. LSU played sensational defense, they found a comfort level for Jarrett Lee, they found some new leadership to replace the unremarkable/lackluster/failed leadership they've been getting and most of all they charted a course for the program to return to relevance as a championship contender.
...
Last, the booing. I noticed that it died off big-time as the crowd thinned out during the game, and so if you're one of the folks who booed and THEN left early I hope you'll e-mail me with your place of work so we can get up a group of folks to show up at your office, boo you and then punch out in time for a three-martini lunch. But what I don't understand is why these cretins persist in booing Jarrett Lee. What are you trying to gain from doing that? Are you booing because you want to see Jordan Jefferson? Congratulations. He played enough to prove why Lee is the starting quarterback. Do you want Andrew Hatch? He's still in a walking boot. Ryan Perrilloux? He can't hear you.
Read the whole thing. It's a great read.
After reading all of this and the reactions on the message boards, I think it is safe to say that the bulk of the LSU universe has soundly rejected the intense negativity shown by a few scattered but disproportionately audible people.
I do so hope the team can build on that second half, with the myriad strategic adjustments made on both sides of the ball, and find a "sweet spot" where this team can have success. It is not out of the question that this team could still finish in the top 10 if we win out, and there are no more Floridas, Georgias, or Alabamas on our regular season schedule. All that remains are games against Ole Miss and Arkansas, both of whom are capable but neither of whom can be described as outstanding.
It's good to see the fans reject the harsh negativity, which only makes us look whiny and desperate. And yes, it is entirely possible that a whiny and desperate fan base actually hurts the program. It's good to know that the whiny and desperate aren't the majority, but only a small and vocal minority that is finally getting seriously challenged.
Comments
The Bayou Bengal Blog yesterday...
Was probably the single most head lifting article I’ve read as someone who always tried to stay positive this year, yet was starting to have problems finding logical arguments to support the team with.
There are still two things that bother me:
1) Our defense is/was not consistent enough to win a championship this year. Miles needs to talk to these guys to figure out what they plan to do to improve next year. The coaches sure have been poo pooing the players a lot this year for not getting it, and that’s fine, but against Troy it sure appeared like we “got it” we just didn’t “call it” right at first. The second half adjustments have been excellent all year in my opinion, so why is it that we can’t go into the game with the correct strategy?
2) Crowton needs to do a better job of putting his players in a position to succeed. It has got to be easier for a 50 year old offensive genius to tailor his system to his QB’s strengths than it is for a 19 year old kid to be asked to do things he is not comfortable with. Maybe J. Lee is getting it in practice and then nerves are getting the better of him in the game, and that’s fine, but no matter how poorly Lee plays, he’s a product of Crowton. Believe me I still have quite the man crush on Crowton, I just would like to see him cater a little bit more to Lee’s strengths. I completely agree with Poseur that Lee is becoming one of my favorite LSU players of all time because of the grit he has shown this year. Hopefully all of the Lee haters out there feel the same way next year that all of the Lafell haters of last year feel this year.
by LSU Jonno on
Nov 18, 2008 12:30 PM CST
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