And The Valley Shook - LSU All-Time TeamLSU Tigers Blog of the Week for 52,136 Weeks in a Row and Countinghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46725/andthevalleyshook_fave.png2016-05-27T11:00:05-05:00http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/rss/stream/109381332016-05-27T11:00:05-05:002016-05-27T11:00:05-05:00ATVS All-Time Team: Running Backs
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tc4hHf2SQYJkkVxPqQACexIA1uY=/375x0:1124x499/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49716213/atvsalltimelarge.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The one where Poseur doubts Billy Cannon's resume</p> <p>This is the one we've been working up to. Hell, the whole exercise of the All-time Team really comes down to being able to compare one position group against each other: the running backs. We've got a Heisman winner, an NFL Hall of Famer, the biggest recruit in LSU history, and then the most hyped. This is a spectacular group of talent and we can talk about DBU until we're blue in the face, but the historic studs have carried the rock.</p>
<h3>GOLDEN CENTURY TEAM</h3>
<p><b>RB Billy Cannon (1958 and 1959 All-<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american" class="sbn-auto-link">American</a>, 1959 Heisman Trophy).</b> He had this punt return you may have heard about. You can ask an Ole Miss fan about it. Cannon is a legend, and as the only Heisman winner in program history, he's a shoo in for this team. But here's an uncomfortable truth: in Cannon's best year, he rushed for 686 yards on 115 carries. That did lead the SEC in yards, average, and points but... man, that does not really hold up to modern standards. Billy Cannon rushed for 1867 yards and 19 TD on 359 carries... <span>Jacob Hester</span> had 1780 yards and 20 TD's on 364 carries. Just sayin'.</p>
<p><b>RB <span>Dalton Hilliard</span> (1985 All-SEC, graduated as LSU's all-time leading rusher).</b> Topped <span>Charles Alexander</span> by 15 yards to end up with 4,050 on his career. He did take 27 more carries to do it, but to give credit, he was a better receiver than Alexander. He is still the LSU all-time leader in yards from scrimmage, narrowly edging on Kevin Faulk.</p>
<p><b>RB Jimmy Taylor (1957 All-American, NFL Hall of Fame). </b>The only player not named <span>Jim Brown</span> to lead the league in rushing when <span>Jim Brown</span> was in the NFL. He led the SEC in rushing in 1957 with 762, or as I like to say, more yards than Billy Cannon. Jimmy Taylor is the patron saint of LSU fullbacks, and probably the greatest fullback in football history. Not LSU history, all of football.</p>
<p><b>RB <span>Charles Alexander</span> (1977 and 1978 All-American, Heisman finalist, graduated with 27 LSU records).</b> Alexander graduated as the LSU all-time leading rusher for both the season and a career. Hilliard and Faulk edged out his career, but his single season mark stood until last year. He had two 1,000 yard rushing seasons and was the best back in LSU history between Cannon and Faulk. He's still the modern back by which we measure players.</p>
<h3>OTHER NOMINEES</h3>
<p><b>RB Jerry Stovall (1962 All-American, 2<sup>nd</sup> in the Heisman balloting)</b>. He made the team as a defensive back, which was just silly. Then again, we haven't been above playing with positional eligibility, so I get where the desire comes from. He only topped 400 yards rushing once, and that was when he went for 405 yards in 1961. He's a great 60-minute man, but he gets squeezed out by competing at our two most loaded position groups. Sorry, Jerry.</p>
<p><b>TB Harvey Williams (1990 All-SEC).</b> I don't want to gum up the works and throw too many nominees in the pool given the stiff competition at the position, but Harvey still ranks fifth all-time in career rushing yards. He was 47 yards away, or counting bowl game stats, from consecutive 1,000 yard seasons.</p>
<p><b>HB Steve Van Buren (Graduated as LSU's all-time leading rusher).</b> In 1943, he had six games of 100-yards rushing. That stood as the LSU program record until 1977, when Charles Alexander had 10, which was the record until last year. He rushed for 847 yards in 1944, which stood as the program record until 1976, when Terry Robiskie topped it.</p>
<p>Let's give credit: the Golden Century Team got it right. I could make an argument for Van Buren for historic reasons and Stovall on the grounds that guys who do everything well get underrated against guys who do one thing well... but the weakest guy on the ballot is Dalton Hilliard, and he was awesome. So, my ballot is the same as the Golden Century Team. Bring on the Golden era...</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>USC may draw the #RBU moniker, but LSU maintains quite the legacy at this position as you've already illustrated. Billy Cannon, Charles Alexander, Jimmy Taylor and Jerry Stovall aren't just LSU legends, they are football legends. I'd put that foursome up against any other schools and feel good about it, and they all pre-date the 80's, much less the ensuing offensive explosion of the 90s and oughts.</p>
<p>Nominees</p>
<p><b><span>Leonard Fournette</span> - 1st Team All-American, All-SEC, Football God</b></p>
<p>Fournette already ranks 4th on the all-time LSU rushing list and barring tragedy, will likely rank 1st by the end of the upcoming season while not breaking the 800 carry mark like the 3 players currently ahead of him. The guy is a tour de force on the football field. The fact that he doesn't have a "Heisman Finalist" plaudit is only a sign of an incompetent media rather than any dealing with his actual accomplishments. Fournette needs 15 rushing TDs to break Kevin Faulk's all-time rushing TD record. He needs 18 TDs from scrimmage to break Faulk and Hilliard's all-time record. Am I prospecting here? Sure. But the odds fall heavily in favor of him doing this rather than not.</p>
<p><b>Kevin Faulk </b></p>
<p>LSU football royalty. Kevin Faulk will now and forever be associated with the return of LSU to the glory ages. He is the "it recruit" that finally stayed home. He's the guy that helped "Bring Back the Magic." He's the one that made us all believe again. In many ways, his legend will live on larger than even his immense on field accomplishments. Faulk is LSU's all-time leading rusher and TD scorer. Faulk would probably be the best back in school history if not for that special no. 7.</p>
<p><b><span>Jeremy Hill</span> </b></p>
<p>I'll go at this one with gusto. Other backs had longer careers, but I'm not sure they had <i>better</i> careers. Hill was immensely special. He left LSU with more rushing yards than Billy Cannon or Jacob Hester. He's still the all-time leader in YPC, even above Fournette. He only played two seasons at LSU and <i>still </i>ranks 12th all-time in rushing. Some might say Hill benefitted from playing with the best LSU passing attack in the past decade, but you could also argue they benefitted from having him. It was often Hill that would bury opponents deep into games, and he capped his career by dropping 2 bills on an Iowa squad that ranked 6th in total defense.</p>
<p><b>Joseph Addai</b></p>
<p>You may be surprised to see this name, but did you know he's 6th all-time on the LSU rushing leaders list? Which means he was top 5 until last season. Which means up until Fournette showed up, he was one of the 5 most productive running backs in LSU history. It feels as if his career was segmented and not all-too memorable, but then you start looking at the numbers. He was really a workhorse. He amassed nearly 500 carries, something only a handful of backs in LSU history have done (Toefield, Williams, Robiskie, Alexander, Hilliard, Faulk and soon Fournette). This while splitting some time at FB, playing across multiple HCs, with different QBs and sharing carries. Addai shouldn't be on the team, but he's an honorable mention.</p>
<p>Look, I could bat around other names here. <span>Charles Scott</span> certainly had his run, and he's probably my biggest omission, but did he really <i>feel</i> like one of the best backs in LSU history? I know, I know, neither did Addai, but Addai has better overall numbers and his inclusion was more to highlight what little regard is held for his abilities. I guarantee if you asked 100 fans to compile a list of best backs in the Miles era, Scott would go ahead of Addai on most of them. I get the TDs argument, but Addai's career was a steady ascension while Scott was a precipitous climb and fall.</p>
<p>Toefield was an okay player, but his rate stats aren't great and he's fallen behind pretty much every starting RB that came after him in terms of overall yardage. Rondell Mealey suffers from playing in the shadows of Faulk. Justin Vincent was a one year wonder. Domanick Davis was never really "the man." Hester gets the heart and soul award, but there are simply better players, even if Hester holds a mythic quality.</p>
<p>I'm pretty torn here. If we had to pick 4:</p>
<p>Cannon</p>
<p>Alexander</p>
<p>Faulk</p>
<p>Fournette</p>
<p>My number 5 would be a claymation celebrity death match between Dalton Hilliard and Jeremy Hill.</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>I think you have the right four. Fournette is going to end this season, barring disaster, as the greatest running back in LSU history. Cannon's name is literally on the stadium, and for a long stretch, he was the only player to have his number retired. Alexander owned the LSU record book. And Faulk is arguably the single most important player in LSU history, turning the tide away from the Dark Ages and into the current Golden Age.</p>
<p>Jeremy Hill is very much like the modern day version of Jim Taylor, and not just stylistically, though both were physical runners who seemed to seek out contact in order to administer more pain. Both had short careers, and both put up amazing numbers. Both went on to successful NFL careers, and both are overshadowed by a transcendent talent which showed up the following season. And, as you point out, Hill had higher yards per carry than Fournette, and Taylor had more total yards in a season than Cannon's best year.</p>
<p>Your Claymation death match is likely short a player.</p>
<p>I really want to be a contrarian here and argue against Cannon, whose raw numbers are not as great you'd think, but as a guy who has continually argued about context it would be hypocritical to make that argument. Cannon did lead the SEC in rushing and was top five for three straight years. Those were huge totals for the time period. I could make a case for Taylor, who I love, and especially Hilliard, who was just friggin' amazing.</p>
<p>But there's really no room for Dalton Hilliard. His numbers are slightly worse than Alexander's, though definitely in the same ballpark. He's not Fournette, because no one is. And he doesn't have the raw totals nor the historical import of Kevin Faulk. The only logical person you could put Hilliard ahead of is Billy Cannon, and if we did that, y'all would literally murder me. Also, Cannon does have that Heisman Trophy, the most legendary play in LSU history, a national title, and a movie loosely based on his legend.</p>
<p>And THAT'S the weakest of the four candidates. When Billy Cannon is arguably the fourth best guy, well... the other three are unimpeachably great.</p>
<p>As this is the final installment, any thoughts on the all-time team as a whole?</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>We spread this out, it's hard to dig deep on some guy and arguments. But we mostly trended young here. It's hard not to be captive to your own eras.</p>
<p>Or is this just further testament that we're truly living in the golden era? It'd be interesting to ask others to try this exercise. I say others, because our knowledge of LSU history undoubtedly informed our opinions, whereas if we were creating, say, Ohio State's All-Time team, we'd probably go much more numbers based.</p>
<p>I mean, of fuckin' course I feel good about the team. I got 50% of the vote. We made some firm decisions and only had to pitch one to the humanoids. I'm most skeptical of our QB choice, but not in the "Bert Jones isn't a good choice" sense so much as a "would Jamarcus have been a <i>better</i> choice" type, you know?</p>
<p>There's a couple of old timers that are sorely omitted. I'll let you handle addressing that. But after that, I wanna know, who do <i>you </i>think will be replaced in the next three years?</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>Honestly, I think we ended up with pretty decent balance. The team is split roughly 50-50 between the modern era and the first century. This makes sense for several reasons: our memories, recency bias, better statistical records for modern football, and the fact LSU has simply been better these past twenty years.</p>
<p>Who's most likely to fall off? Clearly, old-timers that I had to work overtime to stuff onto the team like Ken Kavanaugh and Pinky Rohm are most vulnerable. I hate to say it, but Kevin Mawae will likely fall off the team if it is done in twenty years by people who didn't live through the Hallman Era. He and Clayton were two of the primary beneficiaries of "you just had to be there" recollections. I also think Corey Webster is going to slide off this team in a few years. Heck, maybe one, to make room for <span>Jamal Adams</span>.</p>
<p>This is when I make one final adjustment to the team to make up for our modern biases. Guys who do everything well will always be underrated compared to specialists who do one thing great. We can look at the statistical record and, say, see gaudy sack totals, while the run-stuffer slowly gets forgotten. So, in order to combat this, and our modern bias, I'm adding two players to the team as 60-minute men, a kind of player we haven't seen for nearly half a century.</p>
<p><b>Jerry Stovall</b> was a Heisman finalist going both ways at running back and defensive back. He didn't have the numbers at either position to compete with the specialists, but the mere fact he could play at an elite level on both sides of the ball is testament to his greatness. He's in.</p>
<p>Furthermore, <b>Gus Tinsley</b> is the first truly great player in LSU history (unless we want to count <b>Doc Fenton</b>). He was a two time All-American at end on both sides of the football. Also, the 1930's teams are sorely underrepresented on our All-Time team, and this slightly makes up for it. I'm not leaving a two-time All-American off the team just because we didn't keep good records back when he played. He's in as well, as the final member of the ATVS All-Time Team:</p>
<p><b>QB Bert Jones<br></b><b>RB <span>Leonard Fournette</span><br></b><b>RB Billy Cannon<br></b><b>RB Charles Alexander<br></b><b>RB Kevin Faulk<br></b><b>OT Andrew Whitworth<br></b><b>OT Kevin Mawae<br></b><b>OG Eric Andolsek<br></b><b>OG Alan Faneca<br></b><b>C Ben Wilkerson<br></b><b>TE Ken Kavanaugh<br></b><b>WR Josh Reed<br></b><b>WR Wendell Davis<br></b><b>WR Michael Clayton<br></b><b>K David Browndyke<br></b><b>KR Odell Beckham, Jr.</b></p>
<p><b> <br> </b></p>
<p><b>DE Gabe Northern<br></b><b>DT Glenn Dorsey<br></b><b>DT Booger McFarland<br></b><b>DE Marcus Spears<br></b><b>LB Bradie James<br></b><b>LB Al Richardson<br></b><b>LB Michael Brooks<br></b><b>LB Warren Capone<br></b><b>DB Patrick Peterson<br></b><b>DB Tyrann Mathieu<br></b><b>DB Tommy Casanova<br></b><b>DB Chris Williams<br></b><b>DB Corey Webster<br></b><b>P Donnie Jones<br></b><b>PR Pinky Rohm</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>RB/DB Jerry Stovall<br></b><b>E Gus Tinsley</b></p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/5/27/11796534/atvs-all-time-team-running-backsPoseur2016-05-16T12:05:34-05:002016-05-16T12:05:34-05:00ATVS All-Time Team: Defensive Backs
<figure>
<img alt="ATVS All-Time Team" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GCIt2EVAI2SxJZi1JJkkroHHGJ4=/375x0:1124x499/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49602825/atvsalltimelarge.0.0.png" />
<figcaption>ATVS All-Time Team</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>DBU is not entirely a new thing</p> <p>I don't know if you are aware, but LSU has had some pretty good defensive backs recently. That hasn't always been the case, though one of the greatest players in program history was a defensive back. However, there's not that crowded of a field of old timers to hold of the recently rise of #DBU.</p>
<p>Could be a long week for us old farts.</p>
<h3><b>GOLDEN CENTURY TEAM</b></h3>
<p><b>DB Tommy Casanova (3-time All-American, College Football Hall of Fame).</b> This one is a total and absolute no-brainer. He was a three-time All-American, a feat no other player in LSU history can match. He is the only player prior to the recent Golden Age you could mention in the same breath as Billy Cannon and not seem like a moron.</p>
<p><b>DB Jerry Stovall (1962 All-American).</b> This is an artful dodge on the part of the Golden Century committee, as he was an All-American as a halfback. I'm sorry, his greatest contributions were as a running back, not a defensive back, and we'll deal with him when we get to that position. He's not one of the four greatest defensive backs in LSU history.</p>
<p><b>S Johnny Robinson (1958 All-SEC).</b> Our very own zrau <a href="http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2014/8/6/5973085/johnny-robinson-hof-article">wrote a good summation of Robinson's career,</a> which you should revisit. He was a 60-minute man, and he was on the fabled 1958 team, but again, his reputation was made on the offensive side of the ball... at least until he turned pro. He was an awesome pro safety, and one of the stars of the AFL.</p>
<p><b>S Liffort Hobley (1984 All-SEC).</b> His 6 interceptions as a senior ranked 9<sup>th</sup> in the country, which is pretty impressive for a safety. He's also one of the plaintiffs in the concussion lawsuit against the NFL, so his impact on the game may be felt more off the field.</p>
<h3><b>OTHER CANDIDATES</b></h3>
<p><b>CB Mike Williams (1974 All-American).</b> The last in the run of All-Americans LSU had on defense, stretching back to 1969. LSU wouldn't have another All-American on defense until 1982. More important to his legacy is that he was the second African-American player in school history, part of the first class. The fact that LSU was the last SEC team to integrate is a shameful legacy, but he was a star right away, which removed a lot of the potential turmoil.</p>
<p><b>S Greg Jackson (1988 All-American).</b> Jackson didn't intercept a ton of passes, but when he did, good things happened. He led the nation in interception return yardage with 219, still second best in SEC history. This was buoyed by a 100-yard return against Mississippi State.</p>
<p><b>CB Chris Williams (All-time LSU interceptions leader by career, season, and game).</b> That's right, Williams had 3 interceptions in a game, which has been equaled by never bested, as is his record of 8 picks in a season (tied by Craig Burns). But his 20 career interceptions from 1977-80 still has a healthy lead over Corey Webster's 16.</p>
<p><b>CB Craig Burns (1970 All-SEC).</b> Kind of the poor man's Chris Williams, he at least deserves a mention. He also had three picks in a game and eight in a season, but had to settle for 12 on his career, still 3<sup>rd</sup> best in school history. Overshadowed by his teammate, Casanova, and then Williams, who came later. Still, an awesome player with a great record.</p>
<p>Choosing four nominees is pretty difficult. It's a good group that I know will be overshadowed by the supernovas in the modern era. But I'll go through the motions and nominate:</p>
<p>Tommy Casanova<br>Mike Williams<br>Chris Williams<br>Johnny Robinson</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>God, I almost feel bad for having to drop a huge shitburger on your team recs. In some sense, this isn't fair. It's sort of like saying Alan Trammell isn't great just because he's not Alex Rodriguez. Different games, different eras. DBs, maybe more than any position on the field is the "athlete" position. We discussed before about comparing amongst peers, because a QB's stats from 1960 aren't generally going to compare well to even modest QB production in the 2010s. That holds true here, but the game has changed to such a degree that's it's hard to disassociate from it. There's plenty more passing in football now, so DBs naturally have more opportunities to make impact plays while the ball is in the air. That means INTs, Passes Defended, etc. go up from a pure volume perspective.</p>
<p>The nature of the game has changed the nature of the positions. A great safety was formerly your last line of defense, and could rack up tons of tackles. Today, there are distinctly few impact safeties, with most impact DBs now playing CB. Don't get me wrong, no coach would turn down having a real threat at Safety, but I'd near guarantee every coach would choose an elite CB over an elite safety in this era.</p>
<p>All that being said, I think we know the bulk of what my team will look like:</p>
<p><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1463416916228_2672">1) Tyrann Mathieu (Bednarik Trophy Award Winner, Heisman Trophy Finalist, Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award Finalist, 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year)</b></p>
<p>Look, we knighted <a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1463416916228_2674" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2014/5/1/5663206/best-players-of-the-les-miles-era-1-patrick-peterson">Patrick Peterson the best player of the Miles Era</a>, and I can't really find room to disagree with this. But man, was Mathieu ever special. Mathieu had this type of football omniscience that rarely exists. He was everywhere all the time, somehow. I don't have to regurgitate stats to explain his greatness and besides, I don't think you even need them. It's rare to see a defensive and special teams player take control of the game the way Mathieu did. Seemingly every game from LSU's dominant 2011 run was broken open after Mathieu did something stupendous. And this is all WITHOUT having Peterson there as the "star" as many claimed after Mathieu's strong freshman campaign.</p>
<p>We may have punished him too harshly for his off the field indiscretions, when we voted him <a shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2014/4/25/5651796/best-players-of-the-les-miles-era-3-tyrann-mathieu">3rd best player in the Miles era</a>. Were Peterson and Dorsey more impactful than Mathieu? I think it's a hard case to make.</p>
<p><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1463416916228_2679">2) Patrick Peterson (Badnarik Trophy Award Winner, Thorpe Award Winner, Nagurski Trophy Finalist, 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Special Teams Player of the Year)</b></p>
<p>Kneel. Before. Zod. Many would argue Peterson is the best DB in LSU. That's certainly not an outlandish opinion. Peterson quite literally did everything an individual defensive player could. Peterson did silly things as a returner and then would walk out and shut down the opposing team's best WR, rinse, lather, repeat. Peterson's actual defensive stats aren't jarring, but we have to remember that team's spent the better part of most games attempting to avoid him altogether. Besides, the hardware speaks for itself.</p>
<p><b>3) Mo Claiborne (Thorpe Award Winner, 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Claiborne's NFL career shouldn't have any reflection on the fact that he was a dominant force at CB in 2011. He made the leap from a very good corner to a great one that season, and finished his career with 11 INTs, which is the 4th most in school history (tying him with a huge group of others). He's second in INT return yardage, thanks in part to an 89 yarder vs. Tennessee. Mo was a great player all in his own right, even when playing alongside a couple of legends.</p>
<p><b>4) Laron Landry (1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Landry's Trophy Case isn't as full, but his stat sheet is nearly unparalleled. He's tied with Ryan Clark for the most tackles by a DB in LSU history. He started 48 consecutive games. He's tied for 3rd All-Time in INTs. He once annihilated John Parker Wilson. What more could you ask for, really?</p>
<p><b>5) Corey Webster (1st Team All-American 2x, 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>LSU career leader in passes defended. 2nd in LSU history in INTs. A converted WR that excelled at CB and really started the whole "DBU" mantra at LSU. He was a 2x All-American, which is a notch on his belt even other legends can't claim. Webster was an absolute stud of a defensive back and somehow pales in comparison to Peterson and Mathieu.</p>
<p><b>6) Eric Reid (1st Team All-American)</b></p>
<p>I'll throw him a bone for Penny. Not sure Reid belongs with the others in this category, but he was an All-American once.</p>
<p>This is similar to DL, because guys like Chevis Jackson (2nd in Career Passes Defended, 1st Team All-SEC) and Craig Steltz (1st in Career INT Return Yards, 1st Team All American), barely warrant a mention. Realistically, you could grab bag 4 of these 6 and churn out a team for which you wouldn't find too much disagreement.</p>
<p>So, if I'm nominating from all available candidates:</p>
<p>Tommy Casanova<br>Patrick Peterson<br>Tyrann Mathieu</p>
<p>and....</p>
<p>Corey Webster</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>We can agree that the first three are simply unimpeachable shoo in studs, right? Casanova is one of the most decorated players in LSU football history, you can make a strong case that Peterson is the best player to ever put on the uniform, and Mathieu is perhaps the most mythic, which is even more amazing when you consider how hard it is to be mythic these days. Mathieu is almost like a real life folk tale.</p>
<p>I think it's insulting to everybody to even pretend we're debating the merits of those three guys. they are in, and we all know it. So let's get right to it. The old guy against the new guy: Corey Webster versus Chris Williams.</p>
<p>Heck, I'll let Paul make the argument for Chris Williams: "There's plenty more passing in football now, so DBs naturally have more opportunities to make impact plays while the ball is in the air." Yup. And who has more career interceptions that Corey Webster? Oh, that's right, Chris Williams. And you can't even throw out the "compiler" argument against him, as he's also tied for the single-season record in INT's as well.</p>
<p>PBU's is a rigged game. Football stat services didn't start officially tracking PBU's until 2001, so any list is going to be loaded with new guys by simple necessity. We just don't know how many passes Williams broke up. We do know that he picked off more passes than Webster on, as you astutely point out, less opportunities. If we're making a statistical case, it's hard not to take Chris Williams.</p>
<p>Here's another Chris Williams Was Awesome fact: he was moved off of the cornerback position for his senior year to safety because that's how Jerry Stovall showed he was the new boss in town. Anyway, in 1980 at a brand new position, Williams recorded 94 tackles and was named the team MVP. Oh, and he recorded enough interceptions to take the all-time interception lead in SEC history. A record he still holds. Boom.</p>
<p>Chris Williams is the Unknown Soldier of DBU. All of these greats have run through the program and no one has broken any of his interception records. Not the game, season, or career marks. I'm begging you, show Williams the love he deserves.</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>I can't find it in my being to dispute this. Williams deserves to be honored for his immense accomplishments. He dots the record books even in an era that wasn't stylistically advantageous to him, got national acclaim even when LSU wasn't a powerhouse, and even set conference records. That's domination in every way possible and the type of thing that should earn admission to the Greatest of All-Time Teams.</p>
<p>In the same breath, I can't just pass over Corey Webster. There's only been a handful of two-time All Americans in school history. AND, while I'm cool with retroactively adding members to DBU, Webster is really where this party bus started. That has to count for something, right?</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>I can't pass over Webster either, as this is a clear cut case of saying one guy is great instead of trying to tear another guy down. So this is when I reach into my bag of tricks and arbitrarily change the rules because... well, it's our all-time team and we can do whatever we want. If we added a receiver slot to the team, it's only fair to add a defensive back slot as well to give the defense as much of a chance. this way, we can honor both of the godfathers of DBU: Corey Webster and Chris Williams.</p>
<p>Our team so far. All that's left is a little matter of the backfield. This should be fun.</p>
<p><b>QB Bert Jones</b></p>
<p><b>OT Andrew Whitworth<br> OT Kevin Mawae<br> OG Eric Andolsek<br> OG Alan Faneca<br> C Ben Wilkerson<br></b><b>TE Ken Kavanaugh<br></b><b>WR Josh Reed<br></b><b>WR Wendell Davis<br></b><b>WR Michael Clayton<br></b></p>
<p><b>DE Gabe Northern<br></b><b>DT Glenn Dorsey<br></b><b>DT Booger McFarland<br></b><b>DE Marcus Spears<br></b><b>LB Bradie James<br></b><b>LB Al Richardson<br></b><b>LB Michael Brooks<br></b><b>LB Warren Capone<br></b><b>DB Patrick Peterson<br></b><b>DB Tyrann Mathieu<br></b><b>DB Tommy Casanova<br></b><b>DB Chris Williams<br></b><b>DB Corey Webster<br></b><b></b></p>
<p><b>K David Browndyke<br></b><b>KR Odell Beckham, Jr.<br></b><b>P Donnie Jones<br></b><b>PR Pinky Rohm</b></p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/5/16/11684046/atvs-all-time-team-defensive-backsPoseurPaul Crewe2016-04-22T13:00:03-05:002016-04-22T13:00:03-05:00ATVS All-Time Team: Receivers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LCQIqfobrpU5iD0_9Vz_S9hKbC0=/0x127:2379x1713/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49379695/GettyImages-508088479.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Scott Halleran/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Josh Reed and some other guys.</p> <p>We move on this week to the receivers. Now, when the Golden Century Team was first unveiled, the modern passing game was, frankly, still in its infancy or at least its adolescence. There were only two slots for wide receivers and none for tight ends. Which is contrary to how football is played today (insert Les Miles conservative offense joke HERE).</p>
<p>So we're adding two slots for the receivers: one more wide receiver and one tight end, which was bizarrely excluded on the original team. The old-timers have an uphill climb given the explosion in offensive numbers, but we'll see if the expanded roster gives them a chance.</p>
<h3>THE GOLDEN CENTURY TEAM</h3>
<p><b>WR Wendell Davis (1986 & 1987 All-American, most career receptions in LSU history, NCAA yardage leader in 1986, 1987 SEC Player of the Year).</b> Wendell Davis was the no-brainer greatest wide receiver in LSU history before a certain Josh Reed showed up. And while Reed deserves every plaudit he gets, it's a shame that Davis is not held in that same regard, as he breathed the same rarified air. Davis led the NCAA in receiving yards in 1986, and he led the SEC in receptions for two consecutive seasons (he finished 2<sup>nd</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> in the nation, respectively). He also was 2<sup>nd</sup> in the nation in receiving touchdowns in 1986. His 80-1244-11 and 72-993-7 lines have lost some luster due to the explosion of passing and schedule length, but those stat lines were the best in the nation when he put them up, and in just 11 games. He also suffered one of the most horrific turf-induced injuries in NFL history when he literally jumped out of his knees on the Vet Field turf. If you need another reason to hate the Eagles, there it is. They ruined the pro career of the best receiver LSU had ever had. His 2708 career receiving yards were an SEC record when he graduated, but he is still top 10 all-time in career receptions, single-season receptions, and single-season yards. All in the old 11-game schedule.</p>
<p><b>WR Eric Martin (1983 All-American, 1982 & 1983 All-SEC).</b> Here's how much passing offenses have changed: when Martin left school, he had two of the top three highest single-season reception totals in LSU history: 52 and 45. Even in those old conditions, he still managed to catch 152 balls for 2625 yards in his career, ranking 3<sup>rd</sup> in LSU history in yards and 7<sup>th</sup> in receptions. Martin was also the most efficient receiver in LSU history, as he ranks 1<sup>st</sup> all-time in yards/catch among players with at least 50 receptions. Only seven players in LSU history have had a 1000-yard season, and he's one of them, but he's the one who did it on the fewest number of catches (52). His 35 consecutive games with a catch was a school record for 20 years, until finally falling to Michael Clayton. Martin was as good as your uncle told you.</p>
<p><b>OTHER NOMINEES</b></p>
<p><b>WR Tony Moss (1988 & 1989 All-SEC). </b>He ranks 8<sup>th</sup> all-time in receiving yards (2196) and 12<sup>th</sup> in receptions (132). He finished 2<sup>nd</sup> in the SEC in yards in 1988 and 1<sup>st</sup> in 1989. Moss' real skill was scoring touchdowns, as he finished first in the SEC in consecutive seasons in receiving TD's. He was real good for a real long time, but he really doesn't really have a shot to make the all-time team. I just wanted to give him the props he deserves as an LSU great.</p>
<p><b>WR Andy Hamilton (1<sup>st</sup> LSU receiver to 100 career receptions, 2000 career yards, and 1000 yards in a season). </b>Hamilton used to own the LSU record book for receivers. From 1969-1971, he showed LSU fans that the forward pass was possible. His 1016 yards in 1970 was the 1<sup>st</sup> 1000-yard season in LSU history, not to be joined until 1983. His 19.6 yards/catch is the highest among LSU receivers in the top 20 in yards (Dural is 23<sup>rd</sup> and at 19.9). For a long while, he was the only great LSU wide receiver.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>TE Doug Moreau (1965 All-American).</b> That's right, our color guy was a pretty great tight end back in his day. He went 29-468-3 in his All-American season, ranking 3<sup>rd</sup> in the SEC in receiving yards. He's listed in the media guide as a tight end, but other sources have him as a wide receiver. I'm mentioning him as a tight end, but it won't matter because of...</p>
<p><b>TE Ken Kavanaugh (1939 All-American, NCAA leader in receiving, 1938 & 1939 All-SEC, SEC Player of the Year, 7<sup>th</sup> in the Heisman balloting in 1939).</b> LSU's first great receiver, he led the NCAA in receiving in both major categories with 30 catches for 467 yards in 1939. He was a star player under Bernie Moore, replacing Gaynell Tinsley (previously discussed as a defensive end). He'd go on to a successful NFL career with the Giants, where he'd be named to the 1940's All-Decade Team. Yeah, he was awesome.</p>
<p>Look, this is likely going to tilt towards the modern guys, but the old-timers have some legit contenders for the final list. Davis should be a shoo-in behind Josh Reed and Kavanaugh has a real case for best tight end in school history. Martin's numbers stack up against the modern guys as well. OK, Hamilton is just happy to be on the list, but he was the trend-setter. Here's the old guy ballot:</p>
<p>WR Wendell Davis</p>
<p>WR Eric Martin</p>
<p>WR Andy Hamilton</p>
<p>TE Ken Kavanaugh</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>First, no love for Todd Kinchen?</p>
<p>Second, it's kind of amazing that as much as the game has progressed since the late 80s, LSU's style hasn't really evolved with it. We watch the advent of Leach's Air Raid, as well as the Oregon and Auburn spread option hurry up nightmare attacks, and all the various iterations we associate with modernity and yet, here's LSU, mostly lining up with a couple TEs, mostly running the ball north south, mostly just going about their business being vintage. I don't even mean this negatively. LSU is typically reliant on in-state talent and Louisiana pumps out stud running backs with as much regularity as they do corrupted politicians. This is the very logical explanation for why LSU has been such a run-dominant team throughout school history, "I hate our offense" memes be damned.</p>
<p>So, my job is then to push the message that the present and recent past is <i>of course </i>better than the mesozoic offenses of that pre-date the Golden Era. Yet, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but explosive offense isn't really our thing. So I'll offer a list of nominees, but only one is a clear shoo-in.</p>
<p><b>Nominees</b></p>
<p><b>Josh Reed - 2001 Biletnikoff Award Winner, 1st Team All-American, 2x 1st Team All-SEC</b></p>
<p>I don't even need to stump for Reed. He's so special it's silly. His raw numbers speak for themselves, but there's all these random nuanced stats that further speak to his greatness. Only one player has ever recorded more than 3 consecutive 100-yard receiving games in LSU history: Josh Reed. And he did it twice. Not to mention he also hit 3 games once. He topped 200 receiving yards in a game. Twice. He recored 18 100+ yard receiving games. That's double-digit games more than any other wide receiver in the Golden Era. Here's a game: Look up a receiving stat in LSU history and try and find Reed not right near or at the top. You will always lose.</p>
<p><b>Michael Clayton - 1st Team All SEC, 2nd Team All SEC</b></p>
<p>Next to Reed, who he teamed with, Clayton's numbers seem paltry. He ranks 4th in receiving yards and 2nd in receptions in LSU history. But even more than his raw statistics, I think most of us remember Clayton as being our single best offensive player on the national title team. Sure, Justin Vincent had a nice run and Matt Mauck was a good leader, but we all knew Clayton was the stud. Clayton wasn't just a great WR but the consummate team player, stepping in at Safety when needed in the 2002 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/cotton-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Cotton Bowl</a>.</p>
<p><b>Dwayne Bowe - 1st Team All SEC, 2nd Team All SEC</b></p>
<p>The career leader in TD receptions, Bowe is also 6th in yardage, despite never registering a 1,000 yard season, and 6th in receptions. Look, Bowe's a really nice player, but am I going to sit here and stump for him as one of the best 3 in LSU history? I don't think so.</p>
<p><b>Brandon LaFell - 1st Team All SEC, 2nd Team All SEC</b></p>
<p>You might laugh at first glance, but LaFell put up some seriously great numbers in his career. He caught a pass in 41 consecutive games. He's 2nd all-time in TD receptions. He's 5th in receiving yards and 3rd in receptions. LaFell was inconsistent and frustrating, but he's stubbornly consistent. This a guy we never thought was the guy though he spent his entire career pretty much being the guy.</p>
<p><b>Jarvis Landry </b></p>
<p>I'll throw out a mention for Landry, the beloved fan favorite. Look, the further we get away from Landry, the easier we are able to separate our emotions and acknowledge that he was a fine player, but perhaps not the all-timer we imagined. Jarvis had a nice LSU career, but it was mostly built on a single season. People will cite how consistently he caught the ball as his true skill and it's a nice story, but Jarvis doesn't even rank top 10 in receptions or receiving yards in LSU history. In fact, Beckham easily ranks ahead of him in both. So do people like Craig Davis and Early Doucet and Jerel Myers. So really, I'm mentioning him here because most of you skim these articles and if you didn't see his name you'd have some stupid comment, "No love for Landry, WTF?" and this is here to show you how stupid you are. #OBJ4Ever</p>
<p><b>David LaFleur - 1st Team All-American</b></p>
<p>LaFleur's numbers, by comparison aren't all that sensational. He did lead the team in receptions in 1996. His 439 yards are still the single season TE receiving record, remarkably. LaFleur was a good two way player, but time hasn't been his friend.</p>
<p><b>Richard Dickson - 2nd Team All-SEC</b></p>
<p>Dickson is LSU's TE receptions, yardage and TD leader. That gives him a pretty strong case for best TE in school history. Except, he wasn't thought to be remarkable by anyone outside of Baton Rouge. He only made 2nd team All-SEC, and never All-American. The Crowton effect.</p>
<p>So, as noted, modernity hasn't exactly ushered LSU to new heights. Reed is so obvious as if to not even deserve a debate. I'd say ditto for Wendell Davis. The 3rd spot is a toss up between Eric Martin and Michael Clayton. Martin was better regarded nationally, but Clayton toppled most all of his numbers. What about the career achievement of Brandon LaFell? Okay, I can't make room for that.</p>
<p>At TE, I like the idea of Kavanaugh. Dickson was fine, but nothing special and his numbers best Moreau, the only other guy with national plaudits to compete with Kavanaugh. Let's keep the old timer.</p>
<p>So, for me:</p>
<p>WR - Josh Reed</p>
<p>WR - Wendell Davis</p>
<p>WR - Michael Clayton</p>
<p>TE - Ken Kavanaugh</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>There are two absolute no-brainers, Reed and Davis. There is no reason to even debate those two guys. Given that you're already conceding Kavanaugh, that leaves us with just one battelfield, the final wide receiver slot. And I think you nailed the modern day candidate, Michael Clayton who also gets bonus point for being the last 60-minute man in LSU history. OK, it was just one game, but it's still cool. Still, Eric Martin had a long period of productivity that stands up even without an era adjustment.</p>
<p>So I think we you should open this one up to the floor. Who do you have on the All-Time team, Eric Martin or Michael Clayton?</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>No love for Todd Kinchen????</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>Todd Kinchen was briefly the best player on the LSU football team. I can think of no greater condemnation of Curley Hallman than that. In fact, he had problems replacing Kinchen after he graduated, as the team plummeted to 2-9. He could return the hell out of a punt, though.</p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/4/22/11487092/atvs-all-time-team-receiversPoseur2016-04-08T09:00:03-05:002016-04-08T09:00:03-05:00LSU All-Time Team: Linebackers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sznWxMDp3AEkIiJOO5C5Xz1fmb4=/375x0:1124x499/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49262135/atvsalltimelarge.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Michael Brooks was really good</p> <p>Let's get to the middle of the defense. LSU likes to think of itself right now as DBU, and we have also seen a spectacular amount of talented linemen go through the program recently, but the best linebackers do seem to be from a previous era. In fact, LSU used to be closer to LBU than DBU, routinely having an All-American LB.</p>
<p>Could this be another chance for the old guys to keep out the Golden Era players? Let's see. First up, the Golden Century Members, which had four linebackers on it:</p>
<h3>GOLDEN CENTURY TEAM</h3>
<p><b>Michael Brooks (1985 All-American).</b> If you are an LSU fan of a certain age, and by that I mean my age, Michael Brooks is one step away from Football God. He was an All-American as a junior and on his way to a second All-American campaign as a senior until a knee injury wiped out his senior year. He is the best linebacker I ever saw play in the purple and gold. He still ranks 5<sup>th</sup> all-time among LSU players in career tackles for a loss, and 1<sup>st</sup> among linebackers. He ranks 2<sup>nd</sup> all-time among LSU linebackers in career sacks.</p>
<p><b><span>Mike Anderson</span> (1970 All-American).</b> Anderson started every game for three years, which is a tremendous accomplish for a player back in the day when underclassmen rarely got to play early in their careers. He was the middle link of the trio of linebackers who made consecutive All-American teams for LSU.</p>
<p><b>Roy Winston (1961 All-American at guard).</b> We already covered Moonie Winston as an offensive lineman. He made the All-American team as a guard, not a linebacker, but the mere fact he was a 60 minute man shows what a tremendous bad ass he was. He also was All-SEC for the baseball team. Just sayin'.</p>
<p><b>Warren Capone (1972 and 1973 All-American). </b>Two-time All-American. Do we need to say more? The 1972 and 1973 teams allowed 274 points... combined. In 1972, they allowed all of 12 touchdowns on the season. He was the best player on some stout defenses.</p>
<p><b>OTHER CONTENDERS</b></p>
<p><b>George Bevan (1969 All-American).</b> The first player in the Bevan-Anderson-Capone troika. He was the guy who started the tradition of great linebackers at LSU. He came back from an Achilles injury back when that should have been a career ender to make that All-American team. His greatest moment was blocking an extra point against Auburn in a 21-20 win in 1969. He at least deserves the shout out.</p>
<p><b>Rydell Melancon (LSU career leader in sacks).</b> Bet you didn't know that. His 25 sacks lead all comers, and he is one of only three LSU players to have 10 sacks in a season (1981). That 1981 linebacking unit, which we're about to get into in more detail, was a damned monster, though surrounded by little else. By 1982, it would turn into an <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/orange-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Orange Bowl</a> squad.</p>
<p><b>Al Richardson (1982 All-American, LSU career leader in tackles). </b>Paired with Lawrence Williams and Rydell Melancon, they made probably the best linebacker unit in LSU history from 1980-82. Richardson had 150 tackles in 1981, then an LSU record, while Lawrence Williams had 144 on the same team. Richardson owns THREE of the top 10 seasons in tackles (in chronological order: 129, 150, 121). He had 21 tackles in one game against South Carolina, and 452 tackles on his career, easily the LSU record. Richardson is the forgotten great of LSU history.</p>
<p><b>Oliver Lawrence (LSU single season leader in sacks).</b> If we're looking at peak, he has the best season in LSU history when it came to getting to the quarterback, with 12 sacks in 1989. The 1980's were the Golden Era for LSU linebackers. He was the last of the run of tremendous linebackers LSU fans enjoyed.</p>
<p>Selecting just four guys is rough. I think the Golden Century team did not give enough credit to the recent past, which makes sense of you remember how we felt about LSU football in 1993. There was a tendency to look far back to when things were better instead of the messy 1980's era, which was viewed at the time as resulting in the crash of Curley. I'm submitting four guys for consideration, and then one guy I refuse to even debate:</p>
<p>Mike Anderson<br> Warren Capone<br> Al Richardson<br> Rydell Melancon</p>
<p>And I won't even entertain a discussion on Michael Brooks. It would be like bad mouthing Jesus.</p>
<h3>PAUL</h3>
<p>I actually think is this one category the old guys absolutely dominate. It's odd considering how many stellar athletes the state of Louisiana boasts, there seems to be a dearth of elite LB play at LSU. We pretty much run through All-Americans at RB, DB and DL these days. We've put a shit ton of WRs into the league, even in a run-heavy approach. QB and OL are notoriously two of the toughest positions to evaluate, so lack of greatness there isn't exactly unique to LSU. But to struggle to find LBs is... odd. This is with having some notable LB coaches on staff as well. Perhaps Aranda can rectify, but I think my list is actually pretty thin...</p>
<p><b>Bradie James (2nd All-Time Tackles, Single Season Tackles Leader, 1st Team All-American, 2x 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Like Nacho, Bradie was a true scholar athlete and landed on the Academic All-SEC team. He got it done on the field, too. 1st team All-American and twice selected to the First Team All-SEC team. He's one of only two LBs to rank in the top 10 in career tackles since 1993 (Kelvin Sheppard is the other). And he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Faulk/Spears as guys who were elite prospects but made it cool to stay home and play. In many ways, he is the perfect representation of an LSU athlete and easily the best LB of the Golden Era.</p>
<p><b>Ali Highsmith (1st Team All-American, 2nd Forced Fumbles, 2nd Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Highsmith really put together a strong senior season, registering 101 tackles, 9 TFL, 3 Sacks, 9 Hurries, 2 FF and 8 PD. He was a do it all LB in the middle of a dominant defensive unit. My main counter here is that he was a 3 year starter but doesn't really rank in any career LSU leading stats. This illustrates that he was a perfectly fine player who had a demonstrably great senior year, but one of the best all-time?</p>
<p><b>Kelvin Sheppard (9th in Career Tackles, 1st Team All-SEC, 3rd in Forced Fumbles)</b></p>
<p>Sheppard was a blue collar type that had a more productive career than an acclaimed one. He was a known good player, but never considered the best player on the defense. He's the tortoise in the fable. That's not a bad thing, and his career should be remembered more fondly than it is, but is he an all-time great?</p>
<p><b>Kevin Minter (1st Team All-American, 2nd in Single Game Tackles [20], 4th in Single Season Tackles [130], 6th in Single Season TFL)</b></p>
<p>Minter is entirely a one year wonder here. If you remember, most of his career was spent sharing time with folks like Karnell Hatcher, so while he was present in the 2011 defense, he was hardly a difference maker there. His 2012 is one of the single best LB seasons in LSU history, though, and that's the <i>only</i> reason he gets any mention.</p>
<p>There's other names here. Guys that had some brilliance but faded (Darry Beckwith) or left too early (Trev Faulk), or had single great years (Lionel Turner). But this honestly isn't a group I can stump for up against the links of Al Richardson, Michael Brooks, Mike Anderson, Warren Capone, Moonie Winston, etc.</p>
<p>So, those are my four:</p>
<p>Bradie James</p>
<p>Al Richardson</p>
<p>Michael Brooks</p>
<p>Warren Capone</p>
<h3>POSEUR</h3>
<p>Damn, that's my four as well. I really have no argument to put forth here, so let's just mention a few odds and ends.</p>
<p>Think about Kevin Minter and how great he was in 2012. Think of the Florida game, specifically. Got it? OK, Al Richardson had more tackles in a single game and not only did he have more tackles in a season, he also had a season in which he had one less tackle in TWO less games. Al Richardson was a machine. It's criminal that he is not referred to in hushed tones around town. Now, part of that is that he was followed by Brooks, who IS talked about in those tones, but Richardson was a great, great player. It's Minter's peak season, done three times.</p>
<p>The big shock, I think, is our casual passing over of Mike Anderson. First off, I find his restaurant to be pretty good, though I haven't been in years. But I do think his high profile post-playing career slightly, and I mean slightly, inflates his reputation. He's in a run of three straight great linebackers, and it's hard to argue he was better than Capone, ya know, the two-time All-American. He's probably my #5 guy, maybe #6 behind the career sack leader Melancon. But it's close.</p>
<p>Bradie is the clear cut guy from the modern era, though we might be making a case for Kendall Beckwith after this season. We'll see. Bradie is important not just for how good he was, or for being an all-around good dude, but also for being one of the key recruits in LSU history. He's one of the guys who form the rock upon which the Golden Age is built. We cannot thank him enough for what he did for the program. A lot of this doesn't happen without Bradie James showing up, and then being awesome.</p>
<p>But he still wasn't as good as Michael Brooks.</p>
<p>Here's the team so far:</p>
<p><b>QB Bert Jones<br></b><b>OT Andrew Whitworth<br></b><b>OT Kevin Mawae<br></b><b>OG Eric Andolsek<br></b><b>OG Alan Faneca<br></b><b>C Ben Wilkerson<br></b><b>K David Browndyke<br></b><b>KR Odell Beckham, Jr.</b></p>
<p><b>DE Gabe Northern<br></b><b>DT Glenn Dorsey<br></b><b>DT Booger McFarland<br></b><b>DE Marcus Spears<br></b><b>LB Bradie James<br></b><b>LB Al Richardson<br></b><b>LB Michael Brooks<br></b><b>LB Warren Capone<br></b><b>P Donnie Jones<br></b><b>PR Pinky Rohm</b></p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/4/8/11388762/lsu-all-time-team-linebackersPoseurPaul Crewe2016-03-15T08:00:02-05:002016-03-15T08:00:02-05:00LSU All-Time Team: Offensive Line
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6MEnkR1mh3jfxFOIQUc0D_HPDBQ=/375x0:1124x499/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49079781/atvsalltimelarge.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The old guys strike back!</p> <p>Offensive line presents the biggest problem for historical rankings for one obvious reason: we don't have any statistical measure. We can't compare tackles or rushing yards or whatever. It's pretty much relying on people's subjective opinion of each player.</p>
<p>However, this freedom from stats also makes ranking linemen slightly more fair. There's no bias towards shiny round numbers or how offensive numbers are greater in general these days. Really, the only metric we have are All-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american">American</a> and All-SEC teams. We can evaluate players based upon how they were viewed at the time, It's an imperfect system, but it does make ranking across the generations much easier.</p>
<h3>All-Century Team</h3>
<p><b>OG Eric Andolsek (1984 Freshman All-American, 1986 and 1987 All-SEC, 1986 and 1987 All-American, two-year team captain).</b> The greatest offensive lineman in LSU history who also got a boost at the time of voting due to the "halo effect" of his untimely death. However, time has done nothing to dim the star of his resume, which includes two All-American teams.</p>
<p><b>C Nacho Albergamo (1987 All-American, All-SEC). </b>Nacho is one of the most beloved players in LSU history who has moved onto a successful medical career, befitting a guy who was a three time Academic All-American. He did benefit to recency bias back in 1993.</p>
<p><b>C/RT Bo Strange (1958-1960 2<sup>nd</sup> team All-SEC).</b> I get that someone was going to be the stand-in for the Chinese Bandits, and Strange's ability to play multiple positions on the line fits the popular image on the 1958 team. But let's be clear, he never was even 1<sup>st</sup> team All-SEC, much less All-American. There was a better choice for the 1958 representative.</p>
<p><b>OG <span>Lance Smith</span> (1981 SEC All-Freshman Team, 1984 All-American, 1982 & 84 All-SEC).</b> I'm still trying to figure out how he made 1<sup>st</sup> team All-SEC in 1982, missed the team in 1983, and then made it again in 1984. Well, other than the 1983 team went 4-7. He earned major postseason honors nearly every year of his career, and is one of the most underrated players in LSU history. He doesn't get talked about nearly enough.</p>
<p><b>OG Tyler LaFauci (1973 All-American, 1973 All-SEC).</b> The best lineman of the Cholly Mack era, and that was an era that relied heavily on the big uglies.</p>
<h3>Other contenders</h3>
<p><b>C Max Fugler (1958 All-American, 1958 All-SEC).</b> Look, I get that Bo Strange played multiple positions, but Fugler started at center and was the best player on that offensive line. He was the All-American blocker for Billy Cannon. He lacks the cachet of the Chinese Bandits, but he was a member of the White Team... ya know, the one with the best players.</p>
<p><b>OT Robert Dugas (1978 All-American, 1977-78 All-SEC). </b>The old timers squad is a bit light on offensive tackles if we're trying to keep positional integrity. Dugas was a two time All-SEC player, one of two guys to achieve that honor yet miss the Golden Century Team. He gets points for opening up holes for that <span>Charles Alexander</span> guy.</p>
<p><b>C/OT Kevin Mawae (1990 Freshman All-SEC, 1991 All-SEC, 1993 3<sup>rd</sup> team All-American).</b> OK, he wasn't a first team All-American, unlike these other guys, but that's because after his All-SEC season as a sophomore, Curley Hallman moved him to left tackle and then again to center as a senior. He was the team's best player, and was therefore moved all around the line to try and cover up the multiple holes on the roster.</p>
<p><b>OT Sid Fournet (1954 All-American, 1953-54 All SEC).</b> Another two-time All-SEC guy, and he made the All-American team prior to Dietzel showing up. That's like proto Dark Ages. Do you know how awesome you had to be to make the All-American team from LSU in 1954? Pretty awesome.</p>
<p><b>C Marvin "Moose" Stewart (1935 and 1936 All-American).</b> LSU has had six players in its history (yes, SIX!) make the 1<sup>st</sup> team All-American squad. Only one guy did it twice. Stewart also has the honor of being the starting center on the 1<sup>st</sup> LSU team to win the SEC title.</p>
<p>There's four more All-Americans from 1962-1965 on the offensive line: Remi Prudhomme, George Rice, <span>Fred Miller</span>, and Billy Truax. They aren't really contenders for the all-time team, I just wanted to point out we had a ton of All-Americans at the line prior to 1993, including this remarkable four-year stretch of a different guy earning the honor each year.</p>
<p>Like defensive line, I'll revote for the Golden Century Team, though I think they largely got it right. Andolsek and Smith are no-brainers for the two guard slots, though I'm going to promote Fugler to the center slot over Nacho. I know, I know. But 1958 needs to be represented, and I think they got the wrong guy. If we're keeping positional integrity, then it's Dugas and Mawae as our two tackles. If not, Lafauci slides in as our third guard or Stewart as the second center, and Mawae likely loses his spot. Which kills me, because Mawae is my all-time favorite LSU player.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>This is gonna be the quintessential Gen X vs. Millennial argument, isn't it? We might go tooth and nail here. First, I'm not sure I can say I agree with the pure subjectivity of the matter. Why shouldn't it matter if the player played in a great offense? Hell, you even credited Dugas for blocking for <span>Charles Alexander</span>. Football players are just bigger, badder, better dudes now than they were in 1958 or 1977. So let's go ahead and scrap your entire 245-pound JV team for my group of hog mollies, k?</p>
<p>But then, it's truly impossible to compare across eras. For old timers, you're forced to rely on what people said and national awards. Let's be honest, you aren't going to be reviewing Chinese Bandits tape to observe a particularly dominant player, right? Even what people say is skewed. Hell <i>you've</i> even documented players getting honored despite others with clearly better resumes.</p>
<p>This is really a tough one for me. I see merits all around. So I'm going to do my best to go with guys that clearly just objectively great, without dispute.</p>
<h3>Contenders</h3>
<p><b>OG Alan Faneca (1997 1st Team All-American, 1996 & 1997 1st Team All-SEC, Jacobs Award Winner, Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer, Literal God)</b></p>
<p>If Faneca is the measuring stick of greatness, we can shut this list down right here and now, because no one measures up. He was just. that. good. Faneca was a dominating menace of a football player that just kept on being a kick ass dominator once he went pro. And you know what, you should get credited when skill players prosper behind your blocking and Faneca was as much apart of bringing back the magic as Kevin Faulk.</p>
<p><b>OC Todd McClure (1998 1st Team All-American, 1998 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>McClure is kind of a forgotten man because a) he played next to God (see above) and b) he's not even the best player at his position in school history. But damn was he good. Again, Faulk isn't likely Faulk without McClure.</p>
<p><b>OG Stephen Peterman (2003 1st Team All-American, 2002 & 2003 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Steve Peterman was a bad ass and won a title... he was a really, really good player. I wanted to get him mentioned, but the problem is... he wasn't even the best player on those teams...</p>
<p><b>OC Ben Wilkerson (2004 1st Team All-American, 2003 & 2004 1st Team All-SEC, Rimington Award Winner)</b></p>
<p>He's the best center in school history. Peterman's greatness deserves merit, but it makes his job easier that he got to play next to Wilkerson, who was utterly dominant at his peak. And still not the best player in this era...</p>
<p><b>OT Andrew Whitworth (2004 & 2006 1st Team All-SEC)</b></p>
<p>Whitworth started every single game he ever played in. That's a nice sounding stat, but could easily be a 5th year senior that finally hit the field. Except Whitworth played in 52 games. And started them all. The fact that he was never an All-American makes me want to punch the award in the dick. It's preposterously stupid and why I give pause to even using it as an indication of greatness. Whitworth was a monster and everyone knew it. The fact that he opted to return to LSU for his senior season only solidifies his legend. Andrew Whitworth kicked ass and may be the best OL not named Faneca (God) in school history.</p>
<p><b>OT La'El Collins (2014 Charles McClendon Award Winner, 2014 Jacobs Award Winner, 2014 Second Team All-American, 2014 All-SEC 1st Team)</b></p>
<p>Collins was probably underappreciated for his level of greatness nationwide. He played OG and then LT and did it all well. He won the Cholly Mac award, which goes to the team's MVP for 2014. He's the only OL to ever win the award. Collins was damned great.</p>
<p>I honestly don't know what direction you go, and I'm leaving off guys like <span>Will Blackwell</span> and <span>Herman Johnson</span>, who were also All-Americans. Not to mention <span>Ciron Black</span>, who broke Whitworth's starts (58) and consecutive starts (53) records. Or how about a guy like <span>Trai Turner</span> who peaked as a 2nd Team All-SEC player but was probably underappreciated for how dominant he was.</p>
<p>Let's face it, we've fielded plenty of good OL past 93 too, old man.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>Let's just get one thing out of the way first: we're set at guard. You give me Eric Andolsek, widely considered the greatest LSU offensive lineman of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, I give you Alan Faneca, future NFL Hall of Famer and all-around stud at LSU. Done and done.</p>
<p>The next issue becomes positional integrity. We're not bound by taking two guards, two tackles, and a center, but I'd like to keep it to the traditional lineup as much as we can. For the sake of argument, let's just say we're going to take two tackles, pushing back the decision on the center position for a second.</p>
<p>I do disagree that there is NO objective criteria. There most certainly is: All-American selections. You either were selected or you weren't. That's an objective criteria. However, as we all know, All-American selections themselves can be anything but objective. If we say the All-American criteria matters, as it shows how players were evaluated in their own time, we have two candidates for the tackle slot: Sid Fournet and Robert Dugas. Those are the two guys who made the All-American team at tackle for LSU.</p>
<p>That said, both players were eligible for the Golden Century Team and neither were selected. So I think it's clear that by 1993, LSU fans did not consider either guy an all-time elite LSU player. Now, I think the Golden Century Team made some mistakes, look at defensive line, but if I'm looking at one honor based on popular opinion (All-American), then I should look at the another honor based on the same thing.</p>
<p>So, I'll strike you a deal. I'll agree that the All-American team sometimes gets it wrong. That way, we can put Andrew Whitworth on our team, despite the lack of All-American honors. In exchange, you allow me to stuff my all-time favorite LSU player on the team as a tackle, Kevin Mawae. He likely would have made the All-American team as a senior had Curley not changed his position for his last year, at which he was a third teamer, which is pretty amazing when you stop to think about it. Deal?</p>
<p>Then, we can get to the SIX, yes SIX, All-American centers that LSU has in its history, and try and select one, which is probably the hardest selection of the entire ATVS All-Time Team.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>Here I am trying to start a war and you are brokering peace?</p>
<p>I do like the notion of maintaining positional integrity. OL wrongly get lumped together and it's just not the same thing. We see it time and again where a player might stink it up at one spot but slotted in another he becomes proficient, if not great.</p>
<p>So, really I think we can all objectively say LSU's interior OL are the thoroughbreds here, while the tackles fall more into the good but not great category.</p>
<p>But I do like any team that includes Mawae, and this is the way to beat the system to include him.</p>
<p>Let the great center debate of 2016 commence!</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>Well, I thought about war. But it comes down to what hill do you want to die on? And I don't want to die on the Robert Dugas hill. So, we accept the great positional integrity compromise, with a head nod to the guy who gets absolutely screwed by this decision: Tyler LaFauci.</p>
<p>A list of the five best linemen would almost certainly include LaFauci, who is better than either tackle who will make our all-time team. But you're right, it's a different position, and LaFauci has the tough luck of playing at the same position as inarguably the two best linemen in LSU history: Andolsek and Faneca. He's the #3 guard, and positional integrity on our list keeps him off the team. My sincere apologies to LaFauci. We hosed you with this decision.</p>
<p>Center, of course, is where the generational war begins. Now, of course a player from now could destroy a defensive lineman from the 1930's, but that's not a fair comparison. We can only judge a guy in the context of his era. Because there's no telling what happens if an old timer had access to modern medicine and nutrition, or a modern player had to go back in time and surrender those advantages. It's too hypothetical. I think there's four viable candidates (sorry, McClure and Tarasovic).</p>
<p><b>Moose Stewart</b> made back to back All-American teams in the 1930's. He was possibly the best player (it's between him and Gus Tinsley) on the 1<sup>st</sup> <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/sec-championship-game">SEC championship</a> team in LSU history. Let's be honest, if we pass him over, we're saying that pre-World War II football doesn't matter. He's clearly got the best resume, but we are talking about the leather helmet era.</p>
<p><b>Max Fugler</b> was the best lineman on LSU's first national championship squad, not counting 1908, and only undefeated team. Billy Cannon is a near shoo in for this team, but otherwise, we're reducing the best team in LSU history to one player.</p>
<p><b>Nacho Albergamo</b> is the sentimental choice, and it's here I point out that he made the team over the other two guys on the Golden Century Team despite, well, not having the same resume as the other two guys. He clearly wasn't the best lineman of his era, and might be behind Lance Smith, too.</p>
<p><b>Ben Wilkerson</b> is the modern era choice, and he gets the team accomplishment bump as well: he was a key cog of the 2003 team. He clearly would win if we could magically have them play against each other in their primes, but that's true of virtually every modern player. That's an argument that we shouldn't have any old-timers on the team at all, and what's the point of an all-time team then?</p>
<p>Geez, that's a loaded field. You really can't make a wrong choice. OK, Nacho is the wrong choice, but I think that's the one most Tiger fans would make.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>I really think you can make a strong case for Wilkerson. He became our starting center as a true freshman. That's amazing. Was a 2nd Team Freshman All-American, and 1st Team Freshman All-SEC. His sophomore year is the big stumble, but he battled injuries. He still started 10 of 13 games. He was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and a 2nd team All-American according to a couple publications. Then came back again and won the Rimington, officially collected on his All-American status and won a National Title.</p>
<p>That's about as dreamy of a career as can be imagined.</p>
<p>Now to counter punch myself, the Rimington didn't exist until 2000, so any other preceding nominee didn't even have the chance to claim such an award.</p>
<p>Stewart's resume speaks loudest, to me, after that, but there is something troubling about selecting players from the leather helmet era. As much as we try to be accommodating to the era, that was just such a dramatically different game, it's almost as if you are judging people in a different sport.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>To be fair, I'm not trying to cram in just anybody from that era. Gus Tinsley's already off the board, so this is it. If we do not put Stewart on the All-Time Team, it will almost certainly have no representatives prior to the Dietzel era. And let's be honest, we're not going to be swimming in 1950-60's players, either. If you're gonna make an exception to the era, it's for a guy with his monster of a resume.</p>
<p>I also think we're just skipping past Fugler, who was also a 60-minute man, and gets some serious bonus points for making a crucial tackle in a goal line stand against Ole Miss. LSU doesn't win the title without his efforts.</p>
<p>But let's open it up to the wise ATVS voter. Do you go with the two-time All-American from the photograph era, a stud two-way player from the grainy black and white footage era, the true student-athlete from the color TV era, or the modern stud from the internet era?</p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/3/15/11175028/lsu-all-time-team-offensive-linePoseurPaul Crewe2016-03-08T08:00:02-06:002016-03-08T08:00:02-06:00LSU All-time Team: Defensive Line
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6X8DwyBLqZ5nn0SGa8ecJkq9Y9A=/375x0:1124x499/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49015053/atvsalltimelarge.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>DLU is a new thing</p> <p>Before LSU laid claim to DBU, it was Defensive Line U. A real point of pride for the national championship teams were their dominant front fours, who could wreak havoc in the backfield. The interesting thing is that this is an entirely new development, as LSU only had one All-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american">American</a> defensive linemen on the Golden Century Team. Mystifyingly, three All-Americans were left off.</p>
<p>What we're saying is, it's gonna be a rough week for the old timers. Feel free to let the recency bias wash over you because in this case, you're probably right.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p><b>Defensive Line All-Century Team</b></p>
<p><b>DT AJ Duhe (1976 All-SEC).</b> He averaged 72 tackles a year which is ridiculous for a defensive tackle. He was a 1<sup>st</sup> team All-SEC playe and a first round draft pick. Really, he's the ultimate Cholly Mack player: quietly effective without anything flashy. He probably made the All-Century team due to his great NFL career with the Dolphins and starring in <i>Everybody's All-American</i>. A sentimental choice, but he's been surpassed by the new generation of defensive tackles.</p>
<p><b>DT Ronnie Estay (1971 All-American, ABC-TV Lineman of the Year). </b>Clearly, the greatest lineman in LSU history prior to the current Golden Age. He was the middle cog in one of LSU's finest defenses ever, the 1971 unit which led the nation in fewest yards allowed and boasted three All-Americans (<span>Mike Anderson</span> and Tommy Casanova were the others). He also has two safeties to his name, tackling both Archie Manning and Pat Sullivan in the end zone. Not many players in history have recorded a safety against two different Heisman winners. And yes, ABC television named him the collegiate lineman of the year.</p>
<p><b>NG Henry Thomas (1986 All-SEC).</b> Thomas gets special teams points, particularly for the game in which he blocked two Notre Dame kicks, securing a 10-7 win. He also blocked a field goal in the 1986 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/sugar-bowl">Sugar Bowl</a>, en route to winning Defensive MVP honors despite LSU losing the game. He's easily the best nose guard in LSU history.</p>
<p><b>DT <span>Fred Miller</span> (1962 All-SEC).</b> He played on the defensive line in 1961 and then was the lead blocker for Jerry Stovall in 1962. Members of the media at the time and his own teammates clearly thought Moonie Winston was the better player, noted by his captaincy and near unanimous election to the All-American teams, so I'm not sure how Miller ended up on the golden Century Team. He was a fine player, and an All-American (though not consensus), but Winston was better.</p>
<p><b>Candidates</b></p>
<p><b>Candidate: Ramsey Dardar (1982 SEC Lineman of the Year). </b>Dardar's been largely purged from the memory banks due to his post-LSU career of committing felonies. Which is a tragic end to the story of a guy who really was a gifted football player. He just couldn't keep his life from careening out of control. For one brief moment, it all came together in 1982. He won't make the team, but I thought it would be nice to remember him positively for a second.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Gus Tinsley (1935, 1936 All-American, Charter Member of the LSU Hall of Fame).</b> Tinsley was a two-way player, back when men were men, by God. He's the first unanimous All-American in LSU history and he guided LSU to its first Sugar Bowl. I know nothing else about him, but he does seem like the best LSU player prior to WWII.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Moonie Winston (1961 All-American).</b> He was the team captain of the 1961 team, and was athletic enough to also play on the baseball team. He was known more for his speed than for his brute strength, showing how much the game has changed. I mentioned him in the Fred Miller slot, and I'm completely mystified how Winston did not make the All-Century Team the first go around. He was the best lineman on some of LSU's best teams ever, and he went on to a long Pro Bowl caliber career for the Vikings. I know historical linemen are hard to evaluate given the lack of statistics, but his omission was a clear oversight in 1993.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: John Garlington (1967 All-American, 1966 &1967 All-SEC). </b>He once had an interception return for a touchdown, and that's pretty cool for a defensive lineman. We're short on defensive ends in the historical pool, so Garlington gets a courtesy mention as one of our best ends prior to the Golden Age.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Gabe Northern (3<sup>rd</sup> all-time in career sacks, 3<sup>rd</sup> in career TFL, 2<sup>nd</sup> in sacks in a season, 1<sup>st</sup> in TFL in a season). </b>Northern is the victim of bad timing. He missed out on the All-Century team because he was still a sophomore, and he didn't make any All-American teams despite being, well, friggin' awesome because LSU was in its Dark Ages. His 1994 season is literally unmatched statistically. He recorded 23 TFL and 11 sacks. Only one other LSU player has ever made 20 TFL in a season, and the most anyone has this century is 17 (Marcus Spears in 2004). Only three LSU players have ever had 10+ sacks in a season, and no one has done it since Northern did (<span>Sam Montgomery</span> had 9 in 2011). He was a team leader, ridiculous talent, and campus activist. He also hit <span>Stephen Davis</span> so hard that Davis' helmet popped off. He is unmatched among defensive ends in the annals of LSU. He was robbed of All-American status in 1994, but we can partially right that wrong and make him one of the ATVS All-Time Linemen.</p>
<p>If I'm putting together a ballot for the old-timers to at least consider for the team, I submit three guys who weren't on the All-Century Team, so I know I'm climbing uphill:</p>
<p>DE Gabe Northern<br>DT Ronnie Estay<br>DT Moonie Winston<br>E Gus Tinsley</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>As you mentioned in your intro, there's just so MANY candidates. Honestly, it's an abundance of riches since 1993. Jarvis Green, Marquise Hill, Melvin Oliver, <span>Barkevious Mingo</span>, <span>Drake Nevis</span>, Claude Wroten, and <span>Kyle Williams</span>. And these are just guys that I am <b>NOT</b> formally nominating.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: <span>Glenn Dorsey</span> (2007 Nagurski Award Winner, Outland Trophy Award Winner, Lombardi Award Winner, Lott Trophy Winner, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, 2x First Team All-SEC, 2x First Team All-American)</b></p>
<p>Look, I don't even need to stump here. There's not even a case to be made AGAINST Dorsey being the best LSU DL of all-time, much less his inclusion on this list. Dorsey was an absolute game changer. We already ranked him the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2014/4/29/5659492/best-players-of-the-les-miles-era-2-glenn-dorsey">2nd best player in the Miles era</a>.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Chuck Wiley (2x First Team All-SEC, 6th in Career Sacks, 2nd in Career TFL, 2nd in Single game Tackles)</b></p>
<p>This is a name you never hear mentioned and I think it's because Wiley's greatness was utterly overshadowed by Booger McFarland. Look, Wiley deserves to be on this list solely for the fact that he once record 20 tackles in a game. He played defensive tackle. In many ways, he's the anti-thesis of Dorsey. Dorsey received exceptional plaudits and was undoubtedly dominant, though he didn't register eye-popping statistics. For example, Wiley's 43 TFL are 16 more than Dorsey's 27. He also registered more sacks. But Wiley was never an All-America and never won any national awards.</p>
<p>Wiley was a monster.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Booger McFarland (1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, 1st at LSU All Time in TFL[55])</b></p>
<p>DLU probably properly started under Curley Hallman of all people. Gabe Northern to Chuck Wiley to Booger McFarland. But in many ways, Booger is the guy that proved staying home could lead to great things. Sure, Kevin Faulk gets the credit for starting that trend, but Booger was around then too, and I feel pretty confident there is Marcus Spears, there is no Chad Lavalais, there is no Marquise Hill without Booger McFarland. Booger was just so damned great in a time when LSU still wasn't.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Marcus Spears (1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC (2x), 7th at LSU All Time in TFL [34.5], 4th in Single Season Sacks [9], 6th at LSU All Time in Career Sacks [19]).</b></p>
<p>Spears was a cornerstone in one of the best defenses in school history. Sure, he wasn't the heart and soul (we'll touch on that in a minute), but Spears had a case for being the actual best player on that defense. His athletic INT in the National Title is a prime example of that. Oh and he gets bonus points for being a lifer.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Chad Lavalais (1st Team All American, 1st Team All SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, 6th All-Time at LSU Single Season TFL [16], 8th All-Time at LSU Career TFL [32.5])</b></p>
<p>Lavalais wasn't the best player on the 2003 Defense, even if he won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, but he may have been the most important. He was really the heart and soul of the unit. He set the emotional tempo. He's the guy that let everyone know it was cool to smack people in the mouth and play with attitude. Also, he has one of the cooler stories you'll ever hear, as he nearly didn't make at LSU and worked as a prison guard and so forth.</p>
<p><b>Candidate: Sam Montgomery (1st Team All-SEC [2x], 6th at LSU All-Time Career Sacks [19], 8th at LSU All-Time Career TFL [32.5]).</b></p>
<p>Sam is an interesting player. He was already emerging as a RS Fr. when he suffered an unfortunate knee injury. Barring that, his numbers would be even better. He was, at times, a dominant edge rusher, practically sealing the South Carolina victory in 2012 by himself. He's often grouped with Barkevious Mingo. While I think Mingo offered more versatility and creativity, Montgomery's production was simply better.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>We're trying to keep this as close to the Golden Century Team template as possible, and while there are four slots for "Defensive Line," regardless of position, I am biased in favor of two tackles and two ends. We don't have to follow this, but tie goes to this makeup, which will help us weed through the absolutely loaded tackle position.</p>
<p>First things first, Dorsey is a no-brainer. He's the best defensive player in school history, and he would have won the Heisman if that award went to anyone other than quarterbacks and running backs. There's some stiff competition for best defensive player, particularly among the DB's, but Dorsey has my vote. He was absolutely dominant and he's a slam dunk, shoo in selection.</p>
<p>Secondly, the best defensive end in school history is Gabe Northern. He stands head and shoulders above the competition, and I don't think I'm going to get serious opposition from you on this one. If we're including just one end, Gabe is the guy.</p>
<p>Which then narrows the pool to the final two slots. Estay is the only old-timer with a serious case, and he runs head long into Booger and Lavalais. You make a fantastic case for Wiley, who really is a forgotten great player, but frankly, he wasn't as good as Booger. I think Wiley is the modern Moonie Winston, a guy who gets lost in the shuffle.</p>
<p>Then, the only end who really merits discussion is Marcus Spears. The old timers don't have the numbers or the accolades to match up. Sonic Sam had some nice numbers, but he did leave a sour taste by leaving early and then bombing out of the NFL. The label of lazy, fair or unfair, has been attached to his legacy. It seems silly to say given his numbers, but it seems he should have been better. Spears gets the bonus for being a massive recruit, the best player on the 2003 defense, and staying four years. Lethal combo. That's four guys for two slots, unless you want different candidates.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>I think we're of the same mindset here. Dorsey is as easy of a choice as we will have in this entire team. He was simply a tour de force of a football player, even if his name doesn't dot every record book (let us again join hands and unite in reciting the ancient hymn, "Fuck Chaz Ramsey.")</p>
<p>I'm not going to dispute you on Northern being the best DE in school history. Spears has a claim to that title, but if you're looking at pure numbers, Northern is clearly the guy and obviously well deserving of a spot on the all-time team.</p>
<p>So then you're really left with 3 guys for 2 spots: Lavalais, Spears, Booger. Lavalais I can easily eliminate, because Booger and Dorsey are simply plainly better than him. He had neither the longevity nor the overall production those two offered.</p>
<p>That gives us a final four of Dorsey, Northern, Booger, Spears. Pretty menacing bunch, if I do say so myself.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>One final tip of the hat to Estay, who was one of three LSU legends at each level in the early 70s. Estay doesn't quite have the numbers, and there's an open question if he was made to look good by playing in front of Mike Anderson and Tommy Casanova. Estay is a legend, but he seems to me to be pretty clearly the third best player on those defenses. He'd probably make the team if we weren't so absolutely stacked in the last decade with defensive tackle talent.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457373882999_5687">I mean I feel bad we're leaving off Estay, but it's an easier pill to swallow than leaving off Chad f'n Lavalais. But I think Lavalias being more of a one season wonder makes it fair to push him off the team, given how stacked the competition is. Hell, we didn't even give a full hearing to James Gillyard or <span>Kyle Williams</span>.</p>
<p data-setdir="false" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457373882999_5687">I agree on the final four, giving us a team so far of:</p>
<p data-setdir="false" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457373882999_5687"><b>QB Bert Jones<br></b><b>DE Gabe Northern<br></b><b>DT Glenn Dorsey<br></b><b>DT Booger McFarland<br></b><b>DE Marcus Spears</b></p>
<p data-setdir="false" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1457373882999_5687">Next up: Offensive line.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b> </b></p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/3/8/11109886/lsu-all-time-team-defensive-linePoseurPaul Crewe2016-02-19T09:30:03-06:002016-02-19T09:30:03-06:00LSU All-Time Team:Quarterbacks
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rNW0ORVcbDxb2Z0yHSCt4I_sDA0=/0x38:405x308/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48876697/117627198.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption> Walter Iooss Jr / Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Trying to dethrone the Ruston Rifle</p> <p>Way back in 1993, LSU observed the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the first LSU football game by releasing an all-time team, dubbed a Golden Century of LSU Football. Little did the makers of that list know that we were about to enter into the Golden Age of LSU Football, which would completely rewrite the program's record book.</p>
<p>So our goal here is to come up with a new All-Time Team for the program. However, this blog and its readership skews young, and in order to give the older players a fair consideration for the team, we came up with the following system for making a new team. We will present to you the 1993 Golden Century member, and then suggest another contender who maybe should have made the team instead.</p>
<p>Only then, we will present the post-1993 options. In order to put a new player on the team, you have to show why that player is better than the guy already on the team. We're giving the old guys a little bit of advantage of inertia.</p>
<p>As the blog's designated old guy, I will present the case for the pre-1993 players. Paul will present the cases of the Golden Age players. It is a showdown of Old Codger versus Young Punk. We start with the quarterbacks.</p>
<h4>Golden Century Member: Bert Jones (1972 TSN Player of the Year, All-American, 4<sup>th</sup> in Heisman voting)</h4>
<p>Bert Jones' stats do not look impressive on first glance. He threw for 1536 yards on 110/228 in 1972, throwing 14 TD and 7 picks. That's 50.5%. But you have to understand the context: the rules had not yet been adjusted to help out offenses. By 1972 standards, those numbers were awesome. This is more apparent when you look at his SEC ranks. He ranked 1<sup>st</sup> in completions, 1<sup>st</sup> in completion percentage, 1<sup>st</sup> in passing yards, 1<sup>st</sup> in passer rating, 1<sup>st</sup> in touchdowns, and 9<sup>th</sup> (out of 10 teams) in interceptions. He was the highest vote getter for the Heisman of all quarterbacks.</p>
<p>Proving that things never change, despite ranking first in pretty much every passing category, Bert Jones did not win SEC Player of the Year. Alabama quarterback Terry Davis did. So Alabama players putting up worse stats yet garnering postseason individual honors is not a new development.</p>
<p>This is just going to be one of those things: either you can wrap your mind around the era adjustment or you can't. If you look at raw numbers, he's going to lose out, but if we look at how he performed relative to his era, Bert Jones' 1972 season is the best in LSU history.</p>
<h4>Contender: Tommy Hodson (All-time LSU leader in passing yards)</h4>
<p>Hodson owns the LSU career passing record book. It's not even close. He threw for 9,115 yards in his career. No other LSU quarterback has 7000 yards, and the closest guy to him is Jeff Wickersham at 6,921. JaMarcus Russell is the only guy even within 25 of his 69 career TD's (with 52). And despite all of his attempts, he still doesn't have the all-time interceptions lead thanks to Jamie Howard.</p>
<p>This comes down to what you value more: career value or peak value. College careers are so short, they tend to get remembered for just one or two seasons, but Hodson was an effective starter for four seasons, even if he was the QB as the Dark Ages began (he also won an SEC title as a freshman). No LSU quarterback has the career value of Hodson, and given the short nature of careers, we'll likely never see an effective four-year starter again.</p>
<p>Your contenders, Paul?</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<h4>Contender: Rohan Davey (Single Season LSU passing yardage leader, LSU Single Game Completions Record, LSU Single Game Total Yardage Record vs. Alabama, 4th in School History in Completion %, etc.)</h4>
<p>The most compelling argument for Davey is his phenomenal 2001 campaign, in which he really put the offense on his back. 2001 LSU didn't feature a dominant rushing attack (58th nationally), despite LaBrandon Toefield's 19 rushing TDs. LSU did rank 11th nationally in passing offense. Perhaps the most impressive bullet to Davey's resume is that he made LSU into an honest to god passing team. In yards gained, Davey places four games in the top 10 of LSU all-time, including the number 1 of all time... and he did it against Alabama. All from his 2001 season. Only Tommy Hodson appears on the list more than once (2x).</p>
<p>Beyond that, the emotional ties are deep, and I think that matters. "Rohan to Reed" calls back to the dawning of the Golden Age. It was our first taste of "We could actually be great again." Davey doesn't have longevity, but his peak was big and fun and beautiful.</p>
<h4>Contender Jamarcus Russell (LSU leader in Single Season Pass Yards/Play, 2nd in LSU History in Passing TDs, 2nd in Single Season Passing Yards, 2nd in Career Completion %, 1st in Single Season Completion %)</h4>
<p>Russell doesn't really occupy the top spot in any single category, but he also only played roughly 2.5 seasons at LSU. He represents a nice bridge of longevity and peak, as he played a lot as a young player, but never as dominantly as his 2006 campaign. How good was he? Well, he ranks 3rd all-time in completions at LSU, despite throwing for 200+ fewer attempts than either of the top two. He holds the LSU single season TD passes record. His 2006 stands up as maybe the great single season by an LSU QB in school history. His final campaign, Russell was ruthlessly efficient (67.8%, 9.1 YPA) but somehow criminally unheralded.</p>
<p>Sure, he went on to be the no. 1 pick, but the talk was always about his potential, rather than his actual accomplishments. Which is really quite the shame, because he may very well be the best QB in school history.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>Those are two good nominees, and as we get to the argument, let's remember that anyone who is even a nominee was a pretty awesome player. We're going to do our best not to run anyone down, and any negative comments either of us make have to be understood in the context of whether this player is the best ever at his position at LSU, not whether he was good or not. All of these guys were awesome.</p>
<p>That, of course, is prelude to quickly dispensing of two candidates on the board. Hodson threw for a bunch of yards, but he also had a bunch of attempts. Had Russell come back for his senior year, he's almost certainly be the career yardage leader. And I'm sorry, I can't get over the fact that LSU got progressively worse with Hodson as the QB. It's not the only thing that matters, but it does matter, especially when we're sorting elite players.<br clear="none">I also totally agree with you that sentiment matters. And there's few phrases that make an LSU fan of a certain age happier than "Rohan to Reed." However, let's not kid ourselves, Reed was the better part of that equation. How much of Davey's great season was having the good sense to keep throwing Josh Reed bubble screens? Before we get to the extremely hard decision, I think we can eliminate both Davey and Hodson, and we could narrow on the other two as the top contenders for best LSU QB ever.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>I think you make a fair case. Look, I get the whole "availability" is one of the most important abilities, and Hodson has that. For sure. And I hate to minimize his career, but look at it this way: Joseph Addai ranks 5th all time in rushing yards at LSU. 5th. Adlai won't even enter the discussion of best RBs post '93, much less of all-time at LSU. The fact that Hodson has less competition is the only reason he's even mentioned here. That is, to say, Hodson was a good player on some mostly bad teams during a very bad era of LSU football. That doesn't make him the best LSU QB of all time.</p>
<p>And Davey simply doesn't have the bullets on the resume to compete. He has one very good season. Not one sensational season, like Bert Jones. Not one all-time great season. One very good season simply isn't enough to launch you to that peak.<br clear="none"></p>
<p>So, it's Russell and it's Jones, and it's difficult, because they couldn't have played in two eras that actually featured QB's that threw, but were still so dramatically different.</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>There's no wrong choice here. I've made the argument before that JaMarcus Russell should have won the Heisman his numbers were that good, and had he won, this would be a no-brainer. Heismans trump everything (remember I said that). And you're right, Russell has the perfect mix of a peak season plus good longevity. He's among the all-time career leaders, and his 2006 season stacks up with almost anyone's...<br clear="none"></p>
<p>... except Bert Jones. Again, Jones was 1st in virtually every SEC passing category and though he didn't win the Heisman, he was the highest voted quarterback in 1972. He gave us "You are now entering Louisiana, please set your clocks back four seconds." Which is sort of awesome. When he left Baton Rouge, he was LSU's career leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He was simply a dominant player of his era. yet he was forced to split time prior to 1971 with Paul Lyons, because he butted heads with Cholly Mack. It stands as the biggest mistake of his career, not unleashing the Ruston Rifle until his senior season.<br clear="none"></p>
<p>It's tough to compare across eras, so I think for an all-time team, the narrative has to matter a little. Bert Jones is still the gold standard by which quarterbacks are judged in Tiger Stadium. For some reason, Russell is already slipping from our collective imagination. Russell doesn't have the same place in our hearts that Rohan Davey does. And for me, that's enough to keep Bert Jones on the team. Both were great players, but Jones was a greater legend.</p>
<h3>Paul</h3>
<p>My argument against Jones is that his numbers don't even stand out in his era. Jones wasn't even top 10 in any national passing category, barely top 20 in most. I love the guy, but how he was voted 4th in the Heisman race is difficult for me to understand. I'm sure if I lived in that era and watched him play, I'd feel differently, but his stats were worse than, say, John Hufnagel, and he finished ranked higher in Heisman voting. <br clear="none"></p>
<p>My point here is that if we're gonna poo poo Jamarcus for not winning a trophy because voters missed on his greatness, that argument has to be applied to all fields and there's plenty of other QBs in 1972 that could make a case for being the Jamarcus to that generation's <span>Troy Smith</span>, Bert Jones. <br clear="none"></p>
<p>Jamarcus Russell was 6th nationally in completion %. 14th in yards. 4th in Y/A. 11th in TDs. 3rd in Efficiency Rating. And if winning is your thing, he captained a team that similarly only lost 2 games, finished 3rd in the AP (better than Jones and his 10th place finish), AND beat Notre Dame.<br clear="none"></p>
<p>Jamarcus "slipping from our collective imagination," has as much to do with his failed NFL career and personal demons than anything he did at LSU, which is the basis for which he's being evaluated here. Jamarcus is the best QB in school history</p>
<h3>Poseur</h3>
<p>Hey, Bert beat Notre Dame, too. They can get together for beers and talk about beating the Irish.</p>
<p>Your point about Hufnagel is well-taken, though he did retire as Penn St's leading passer, but we have to remember this was well before the Nittany Lions were in a conference. As a northeaster independent, they had to cobble together a schedule and didn't exactly play Murderer's Row. Just to put his numbers in context. There's also the fact that contemporaries of the time rated Jones much higher, as reflected in the Heisman voting and in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft" class="sbn-auto-link">NFL Draft</a>. The opinions of the people in 1972 have to matter, when they are so over the top in favor of Bert Jones.</p>
<p>However, this really comes down to taste. If you want the big season, you go with Jones. If you value the career a little more, JaMarcus is your man. Jones really is the legendary figure, and that has to be taken into consideration. However, JaMarcus is vastly underrated by modern fans and deserves the validation.</p>
<p>So, we'll split the baby and leave it up to the readers. Have it, y'all. Go vote for LSU's best QB ever. There is no wrong choice.</p>
https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2016/2/19/11024958/lsu-all-time-team-quarterbacksPoseur