re: I want to hear from some of my fellow so-called "Sunshine Pumpers"

quote:

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I want to hear from y'all as far as your past predictions of the program, how they panned out, and what your general attitudes of the present and future are of the program.

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I actually called the 2003 National Championship season while leaving the Fan Day practice in mid August. More so than anything, it had to do with Mauck looking like an improved passer thanks to the work he needed to put in on his arm because of the foot injury suffered the year before. There was just something about that team that felt right.

Now...it's one thing to call it, but a whole other thing to have players know I did. I was still posting back on Tiger Roar then and I was making a ton of graphics. I came back from that practice and immediately created one of those Sports Illustrated commemorative covers with Michael Clayton on the cover for the National Championship we'd win that year. The image got out and around and it ended up in Clayton's hands who apparently printed it out for his apartment. I ended up becoming friends with one of the grad assistants in the Cox Center who contacted me to let me know the guys loved the stuff. Later that year she ended up helping me to get a full size helmet signed by most of that team...so yay me.

So...I did straight up call that and I had never done that before.

As for the present, I'm cautiously optimistic given the youth of the team. If you had put a gun to my head I'd have figured we'd be around 9-3 or 8-4 this year. We were never running the table this season. and yet, I never expected the team to be THIS one dimensional or the D be this atrocious at times.

The future looks bright to me at least in terms of this young team maturing and coming into their own in 2015 and 2016. However...and this is a big one...I'm growing tired of our offensive philosophy of pounding the ball into the heart of the D until they break. When it works...and it does work...it's actually pretty fun to watch as LSU breaks the will of the other team midway through the third. But when it fails...and it has failed spectacularly at some really awful times...I imagine it's on par with having a colonoscopy with a chainsaw. I'd like to see a complete overhaul of the offensive philosophy that puts our skill players into positions to thrive.

Wow! I remember your work on the roar. Good to e-run into you again.