re: Steele vs. Chavis Statistics

LSU had the SEC's top defensive unit last season. What is Steele going to do...increase the margin?

There's really only one way to go with this change, I'm afraid.

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By the end of the year, we will be looking back and saying "remember when our defense used to keep us in games." Steele is no Chavis, if you want to act like a child and pretend that he is because Chavis left, then knock yourself out.

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This isn't just about Steele, but Orgeron as well. Les tried to get Orgeron years ago before he went to USC. IMO, Les needed a DC who would work with (Orgeron and Raymond) as most DCs like to bring in their own guys.

Les Miles knows what type of defense he wants and where he wants to improve so he hired guys who he felt could get him there. To re-iterate, he wants an attacking-style defense with more turnovers and more sacks. He also benefited in recruiting as well with those two hires. And recruiting is the biggest "non-secret" to college football.

Les brought Pelini here with him and LSU had the #3 ranked defense in the nation "3 straight years" until he left. Les hired Chavis and had top ranked defenses although not as highly ranked on average. In truth, Miles needed security at DC with the Chavis hire after the Malveto co-DC promotion. Now he's hired Steele and Orgeron. I believe he has a pretty good track record of getting the right guys in on defense.

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I believe he has a pretty good track record of getting the right guys in on defense.

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Revisionist history is always more fun, right. He initially attempted to bring Bill Clay with him in 2005 until the natives almost tore the door off the athletic administration building. Then he made a good hire in Pelini. Followed that up with the two headed joke. Then he went and got Chavis. In reality, he has a track record of screwing up the hire before getting it right.

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To believe we didn't take a step back in DC is foolish.... Until proven wrong.

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I disagree. true, at this point, the jury is indeed still out BUT if you don't think Chavis's defense and his recruiting were stale then it is you with their head in the sand. miles would have kept him as evidenced by the contract offer and most of us would have been happy with it. but now we will have better recruiting and our DL and DB coaches are the best.

my fear is that Steele's weakness (spread) happens to be Chavis's strength. but at least we'll not be able to be manhandled like Notre Dame did to us. the first order of business for a defense is to defend the middle and shut down the opposing run game. we should have taken a big step toward doing that by hiring steele and orgeron.

Can we get a 3rd down % in the 4th quarter comparison?

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By the end of the year, we will be looking back and saying "remember when our defense used to keep us in games."

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Maybe - but the bloom was off that rose - way too many final drives for losses. And even when the offense was on fire (2013) - giving up 71 points, combined to UGA and Ole Miss was not impressive - at all. Last year, gave up 20 or more points in half the games.

And it was all the classic not getting off the field on third down. I don't think that happened much in 2011 - because we ran the ball so well.

We're going to run the ball well in 2015. Passing? I don't know yet. Defense? If we don't do well in 2015 it won't be because Chavis is at aTm. Checking out during bowl practice and gameday against Notre Dame left a bad taste with me and I can't recommend Chavis too highly because of that - another guy we paid very, very well and just shite on us afterwards.

He did a stellar job in 2011. The remainder of his tenure was very hot and cold.

ETA: And his sole big recruiting win - Clifton Garrett - just transferred without playing a down for us. He was of no net value on the recruiting trail.

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Revisionist history is always more fun, right. He initially attempted to bring Bill Clay with him in 2005 until the natives almost tore the door off the athletic administration building.

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Did Bill Clay ever coach at LSU under Miles? What about all the guys he spoke with this time around. Interviews are interviews until a decision is actually made. Still doesn't change the fact that the guy he brought in lead us to 3 straight years of being ranked #3 nationally. Who you bring in to discuss the position is not as important as who you ultimately give the position to. He still brought in Pelini. That's not revisionist.

Btw, I found this little gem (talk about revisionist):

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After four seasons as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Clay was thought to be among the assistants Miles was taking with him to LSU. But when the new LSU coach offered Clay a low-paying, off-the-field position last week, Clay declined and returned to Stillwater.

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Clay sounded more like Miles' safety net.

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Clay's saga took another turn Wednesday night. New OSU coach Mike Gundy and Miles have been pursuing Cleveland Browns linebackers coach George Edwards as their possible defensive coordinator. Now there are indications Edwards might not be available for either school.

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George Edwards was who Miles' was really trying to get at the time.

LINK

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LSU had the SEC's top defensive unit last season. What is Steele going to do...increase the margin?

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You're smarter than this. I don't know you, but you have to be.

The LSU D was shite against UW, MSU, AU, ND and there may be others, but those stand out. Yards per game is one metric, not the metric. It relies heavily on TOP and the number of opponent's plays, as well as how much the offense is scoring. A low scoring / rushing offense will naturally create a "better" defense because opponents don't have to play wide open offense to keep up and they feel safe shutting it down and running clock once they get a lead.

No, LSU's defense was good at times, but very inconsistent and lacked much of what makes a great defense. They were often poor against the run and generated little pass rush.

Check the per-play stats and you'll find they were not the top defense in a year of down defenses in the SEC.

Cool but I'll believe it when I see it. Steele has a lot to prove before I ever get optimistic about him outside recruiting.

One small fact you're not including in that post is SOS and how difficult each opponent was. Chavis dealt with the best teams in the country consistently while Clemson sat in arguably one of the worst conferences competition wise. It's easy to skew stats to make a point in your favor.

Can't you people even let the season begin before comparing Steele to Chavis?