This afternoon is the unofficial start of the SEC Football season, as the annual semi-pointless ritual of Media Days starts this afternoon at 1:00pm with Florida and Mississippi State meeting at the Wynfrey Hotel with members of the media.  LSU and Vanderbilt will participate in the afternoon session beginning at 3:00.

Each team is represented by its head coach and two players.  It is an honor for a player to be brought to media days, and this year, Miles brings seniors Brett Helms and Tyson Jackson.

I expect Miles will be asked about his recent comments about Alabama.  It will be interesting to see what he says.

The only real safe bet to be a regular starter in the secondary, barring injury, is #27 Curtis Taylor, the senior returning free safety.  Taylor, the leader of the Fighting Taylor Brothers, will be the lone returning experienced starter in the secondary, having replaced Laron Landry in the lineup last year.  He had a very nice junior campaign, registering 3 interceptions, 54 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery (he was the man on the spot to recover John Parker Wilson's fumble late in the Bama game).

Curtis Taylor is a big, physical player at 6'3" and over 200#.  Last year, despite his interception numbers, he struggled at times to cover receivers, but the extra year of experience could help that.  Last year, he was playing with 3 experienced seniors.  This year, he is the lone experienced senior and he needs to take on a leadership role.

Opposite Curtis Taylor will be one of the above three players.  From left to right, we have #24 Harry Coleman, a junior, #3 Chad Jones, a sophomore, and #44 Danny McCray, a junior.

Coleman appears to have a leg up on the competition entering Fall Practice.  He was the backup to Craig Steltz last year, and came into the game against Ohio State after Steltz got hurt and performed very well.  One caveat to that is that with Coleman in the game, Pelini frequently called for him to blitz on passing downs, protecting Coleman from being caught in pass coverage.  It worked, but at this point Coleman is an unknown quantity as a cover man.

Coleman first made a name for himself as a redshirt freshman when he was outstanding covering kicks, recording 12 special teams tackles.  This is his first real shot to win a job in the regular defense.

Chad Jones is an outstanding athlete who appears destined to be a superstar for us at safety.  Last year, he excelled on special teams and played extensively in nickel and dime packages.  He recorded 34 tackles in a limited role, picked off a pass, a recorded a huge forced fumble to set up a winning touchdown against Alabama.  In case you don't remember it, here it is:

Chad Jones will see a lot of field.  He's both our biggest safety at over 220 pounds, and our fastest safety, and possibly one of the 2 or 3 fastest players on the team.  If he's not a starter at safety, he'll be in the nickel and dime packages, and he'll play special teams.  More on special teams later.

Danny McCray got a lot of heat last year for missing a lot of coverages.  He was our regular nickel back and played a lot in obvious passing downs.  He started the season strong, but seemed to tail off at the end.  On his blitzes, it even looked like he wasn't getting into the backfield as fast as he should.  His statistics were surprisingly good, as he registered 64 tackles, more than starter Curtis Taylor, and 2 interceptions.  It is definitely true that he got burned a fair bit, and everyone noticed when he got beat.  

I think this is probably a battle between Jones and Coleman, and McCray will be battling to keep his spot as the nickel back.  Between Coleman and Jones, I don't really know who will win that job.  Jones clearly is a phenomenal athlete, but he may be more of a free safety, while Coleman is your prototypical hard-hitting strong safety that more cleanly replaces Steltz.  Both figure to see a lot of playing time.

A key reserve who figures to get playing time on special teams and at the end of blowout games is redshirt freshman Stefoin Francois, #23.  Francois was a highly touted recruit in the 2007 class who is developing and waiting his turn.  He's a very good athlete and an aggressive player.  He hasn't played yet for the Tigers, having redshirted his first season, but he was a very impressive player in high school and a standout on the All-Star circuit.  He reportedly struggled to keep his assignments in the Spring Game, but he is still young and very talented.  There's plenty of time for him to develop before he will be counted on to perform.  Look for him to get some much needed experience in low-pressure situations this season.

In a preliminary to SEC Media Days, which begin tomorrow, the SEC released its Coaches' Pre-Season ALL-SEC squad.  For LSU, we have:

First Team:
OL Herman Johnson
DL Tyson Jackson
LB Darry Beckwith
PK Colt David

Second Team:
TE Richard Dickson
OL Ciron Black
C Brett Helms
WR Demetrius Byrd
DL Ricky Jean-Francois

Third Team:
WR Brandon Lafell
RB Keiland Williams
DL Kirston Pittman
DB Chad Jones
Returner Trindon Holliday

No one had more overall selections than us, and Florida was closest with 10.  Florida had more first team selections with 5, but fewer overall.  We are also tied for the lead in offensive linemen selections with 3.  Florida also has 3, as does Tennessee.  No one beats our 3 on the defensive line, and honestly I think that Charles Alexander should be there as well.

If you want to complain, Ricky Jean-Francois just might be the best overall defensive player in the conference, yet is 2nd team All-SEC at his position.  Cornelius Ingram is a good tight end, and he's much more of a deep threat than Richard Dickson, but that's because Ingram's not really a tight end.  He's just a big wide receiver playing close to the line of scrimmage, and he rarely blocks anyone.  I would put Dickson ahead of him as he is a true tight end who blocks.

The last two names on the list for LSU are kind of puzzling.  Chad Jones may not even be a starter, and Trindon Holliday does not return punts.  Maybe the coaches are saying Chad Jones SHOULD start.

Overall, it's a good selection, even if the whole thing is somewhat meaningless.  There are no glaring omissions that I could find on a cursory glance.  Jones and Holliday aren't the only suspect members of the 3rd team, but at this point you're pretty much looking for any productive player at some of the positions.

It suggests what I've told people all along, however.  There are a LOT of good players on this team this year.  If it weren't for the question mark at quarterback, this team would, or at least should, have been in the discussion for the pre-season national championship favorite.  As it is, I understand that a team with quarterback uncertainty just isn't going to be given that kind of consideration.  But if our quarterbacks can play well consistently, look out.

Here at How Shook Was My Valley, we have started a number of posting mini-series, and I thought it a good idea just to recap some of them.

"Big Weekend For Recruiting", which I use as an excuse to profile and summarize 2009 recruiting commits and prospects:

• Skill position commits
  
• Linemen and linebacker commits
  
• Skill position targets
  
• Lilnemen and linebacker targets are below

Profiles of the 2008 football team, by position (not completed yet):

• Quarterbacks
  
• Offensive line, now obsolete because Jarvis Jones is no longer on the team
• Wide Receivers
  
• Tight Ends
  
• Running Backs
  
• Defensive Tackles
  
• Defensive Ends
  
• Linebackers
  

And last but certainly not least, the now-provisionally completed series on the 2008 incoming freshmen, pending word on whether Tim Molton and/or DeAngelo Benton will be qualified:

• Overview
  
• OL P.J. Lonergan
  
• OL/TE/DL Lavar Edwards
• OL Thomas Parsons
  
• OL Clay Spencer
  
• LB/FB Kellen Theriot
  
• OL Greg Shaw
  
• TE Matt Branch
  
• DB Derrick Bryant
  
• S Karnell Hatcher
  
• DE/TE Chase Clement
  
• CB Ryan St.. Julien
  
• WR DeAngelo Peterson, and an appendix
• TE Tyler Edwards
  
• OL/DL Cordian Hagans
  
• OL Alex Hurst, a.k.a. The Question
• DE Chancey Aghayere
  
• LB Ryan Baker
  
• DB Brandon Taylor
  
• QB Jordan Jefferson
  
• WR Chris Tolliver
  
• CB Patrick Johnson
  

Coach Les Miles did not reveal exactly what Jarvis did to get himself kicked off the team.  Apparently it was violation of some sort of team rule(s).  Anyway, he is no longer at LSU.

This is a pretty substantial blow for the Tigers.  This is a player we were counting on this year and for the future.  He was going to be the first backup at both offensive tackle positions, and was in line to be the next starter at left tackle, a position which may open up after this year, as Ciron Black could go pro early.

I don't have an idea of who becomes the new primary backup tackle.  Josh Dworaczyk?  Ernest McCoy?  A true freshman?  If there are injuries on the offensive line, this could be an immediate problem.  

Last year, our offensive line stayed healthy.  If it does that again, this won't be such a big issue.

This is apparently your starting linebacker corps for the 2008 football season.  We have two new starters on this group.  From left to right above we have sophomore #11 Kelvin Sheppard, the weak side linebacker, senior #48 Darry Beckwith, the middle linebacker, and junior #56 Perry Riley, the strong side linebacker.

Unless you're new to LSU football, you know that Darry Beckwith is the leader of this group.  He's entering his 3rd year as a starter, and he has a future in the NFL.  He has been our best linebacker each of the last two years, and he's back for his senior year.  While I believe he plays out of position as a middle linebacker, his experience there is invaluable.  I would love to see LSU move Perry Riley inside and allow Beckwith to play his natural position at strong side linebacker.

Continue reading this post »

I called in sick to work today for the first time since I came home from the United Arab Emirates with something that was never diagnosed.  Ever since my baby got me up at 2:00am to clean up her vomit, I have had a cold.  Today, I can hardly talk, and I somehow managed to pick up a disheartening stomach ailment as well.  Deciding my office wanted no part of either of those illnesses, I called in.

While I am supposed to be napping and staying hydrated, I instead have watched a replay of the LSU v. Tennessee game from the SEC Championship Game in December.  Some observations:

1.  Ryan Perrilloux sure was good.  While the coaches called a conservative game to protect him, no amount of conservative playcalling will make a guy go 15 for 19 at one point, before finishing 20 for 30, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.  He struggled to get the ball into the end zone, and after hurting his finger lost his effectiveness throwing the ball, but the man has some serious physical tools.  I am sorry things didn't work out for him here.  I have written a lot about this subject in the past, and now I just wish him well.

2.  I had forgotten how much I liked Gary Danielson.  There's a certain sport in denouncing any and all broadcasters or sports writers as hacks, suck-ups, or worse, and Danielson doesn't escape the ire of many, but I like him.  First, he absolutely loves the SEC.  Second, he's fair.  Third, he's knowledgeable.  Fourth, he's funny when he tries to be.  I laughed anew when LSU faced 4th and short from their own 30 late in the game and Lundquist asked if LSU would go for it.  Danielson responded, "I don't know.  Has Les Miles signed that $30 million contract yet?"

3.  We sure were an undisciplined team during the season.  We got a ton of penalties, and most of them were of the silly "false start" variety.  As we will likely not be as explosive this year as we were last year, we will have to stay in front of the chains more, and that means avoiding penalties.

4.  While it was not at all a perfectly played game, it was a really good game.  Tennessee really brought out the wood on defense.  They played aggressive, and they hit hard.  We got plenty of yards, but we paid for them.

5.  We earned the win.  Some detractors say we needed a late defensive touchdown to pull that game out, and while that's technically true, we outplayed Tennessee for most of the game.  We got 121 more yards than they did, but stalled at the end zone, and if you don't give us credit for forcing Ainge's mistake that led to our touchdown, maybe you can just remember that our normally reliable field goal kicker missed a 30-yarder.  Take away that touchdown and give us that field goal, and we still win.  

6.  Terrance Toliver may be talented, but he sure is raw.  Ryan Perrilloux's one interception in the game was a direct result of Toliver doing something that did not make sense.  He cut his route short and looked like he was going to set up in front of Eric Berry, but then right as Perrilloux threw the ball, Toliver took off running down the field and was off the screen when Berry intercepted it.  If he has learned not to make mistakes like that, he will be an excellent receiver.

Over at College Football News, a very nice and informative website that features one of my favorite college football writers, Pete Fiutak, they have been printing a roundtable discussion of various burning questions in college football.  The roundtable includes another of my favorite college football writers, Bruce Feldman, among other lesser lights.

One of the first questions, and I know I'm a day late in getting to this is "Did LSU Deserve [The] Title?"  For the most part, everyone answered "Yes," with some elaboration.  Most of them make what I consider to be a cardinal mistake in focusing on losses.

Of course, I consider the conference championship to be a very serious matter, while the national championship is about fun, but when you're talking about a national championship, don't focus on losses.  Focus on wins.  If you're making a case for one team over another, don't start with, "We haven't lost."  Start with who you've beaten.

This was why I had such a big problem with all the Kansas talk and the Hawaii talk last year.  Kansas managed to have an 11-1 regular season, but until their bowl game, the best team they'd actually beaten was Kansas State.  Their best team in decades managed to avoid playing Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech, and they lost to Missouri in the final week of the regular season.  Their non-conference schedule included Central Michigan, Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo, and Florida International, hardly a Murderer's Row.

If you had asked a Kansas fan to tell us about their wins, they probably wouldn't remember any.  Yes, your team looked awfully impressive beating Baylor's intramural squad and beating the ghost of Nebraska's top flight program.  The only truly good team they played in the regular season beat them by more than a touchdown.

Hawaii was even worse.  Yes, they went undefeated in the regular season, but the best team they played was 19th ranked Boise State, and they eked out close wins over Louisiana Tech (who was beaten convincingly by Ole Miss), San Jose State, Nevada, Fresno State, and Washington.  The Washington Huskies, at 4-9 on the season, was the only BCS conference team they played, and Tyrone Willingham's group gave them a tough game.  One of their 4 wins, incidentally, was against Boise State, Hawaii's toughest opponent.  A championship resume this is not.  

Hawaii may have failed to lose, but they also failed to win anything meaningful, and that in my opinion is the downfall of a national championship argument.  

Taking LSU, sure we lost to Arkansas and Kentucky, but let's start with who we beat.  We started the season by crushing a MIssissippi State team that would go on to a bowl game by a score of 45-0, and followed that up by beating future ACC Champion and national title contender Virginia Tech 48-7.

After those two games, we were never healthy on our defensive line again, and it showed.  However, we still managed to beat a hot South Carolina team that was coming off a victory against Georgia.  Then we beat future Heisman winner Florida in one of the greatest games of the year last year.  Then we beat a solid Auburn team in another of the greatest games of the year last year.  Then we went on the road and beat a ranked Alabama team that would, of course, tank the rest of the season.  We then beat Tennessee with our best player a shadow of his former self and our backup quarterback playing the whole game.  And finally healthier after a long layoff, we beat Ohio State in the BCSNCG by 14, and it wasn't really that close.

The point is, when you stack LSU's wins against other contender's wins, our 2 losses start appearing less significant.  Kansas's best win (before their bowl win) was against K-State.  We beat at least at least 5 teams that were better than K-State.  Hawaii's best win was against Boise State.  K-State is probably better.

This is why I believe that starting your national championship argument with, "We haven't lost a game," or, "We've only lost one game," is weak.  It only encourages teams to avoid facing the best teams in the country if they want to win a national championship.  After all, why go on the road to face USC if you're only risking getting that all-important "1" in the loss column?  According to the, "It's all about your number of losses" crowd, a road loss to USC is just as bad as a home loss to Stanford, and a home win against La Tech is just as important as a road win against USC.  Using that logic, schedule all the La Techs of the world and painstakingly avoid the risk of loss.

It's not a good argument, and it's not good for college football.

Like with the defensive tackles, the LSU defensive ends are a talented and deep bunch led by veterans.

On the left, that is #93 Tyson Jackson, the senior starting left defensive end.  On the right is #49 Cousin Kirston, the right starting defensive end.  Kirston Pittman is not really my cousin, but I like to joke that he is because we have similar builds and athletic prowess.  Both Jackson and Pittman have NFL futures ahead of them, and both could have bypassed their last year of eligibility and entered the NFL draft in 2008.  Both chose to return.

Continue reading this post »