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Started By
Message
Fallen Far and Fast
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:39 am
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:39 am
Les, you have abundant talent on the team, yet we have gone from the No. 1 team in the nation to an unranked team on Sunday. Of course, our fans have high expectations but few football observers would have predicted that LSU would be unranked at this point in the season. We have fallen far and fast.
It is easy to focus on the inexperience of the QBs, but we have had poor play in most elements of the team. How do we allow our running game to be totally shutdown by a 6-4 Ole Miss team? How do we allow our defense to be totally dominated in many games this year? Do we prepare our team for games or rely only on adjustments during the game? How do you not replace a DC who was good enough to become a head coach at another major university?
Les, many of us still have confidence in you. However, many of us believe the root of the problem this year is coaching. Not only is it being out-coached by the opposition, especially on defense, but also failing in basis execution. Whether this is missing a coverage assignment or not even having 11 men on the field (as was the case in one of the early touchdowns by Georgia), we are not displaying the discipline and smart play to produce the results that you and the fans desire.
What could cause the team to fall so far and so fast? Yes, we lost a lot of talent but we also returned great talent. But focusing on coaching, we didn’t:
- create leadership on the field.
- provide enough attention to inexperienced QBs as they wandered on the sidelines after failing to convert or, worse yet, causing a turnover.
- create the defensive game plan and execution to prevent domination by many of our opponents this year.
- get our receivers to work better with our QBs to make completions and prevent interceptions.
- get big plays out of our special teams.
Les, we hope your legacy is not your only national championship. Instead, we hope it is how you revive a downtrodden team and get them back in the “Big Game.” Some tough coaching calls will need to be made in the next few weeks (i.e., before the bowl games or immediately after).
It is easy to focus on the inexperience of the QBs, but we have had poor play in most elements of the team. How do we allow our running game to be totally shutdown by a 6-4 Ole Miss team? How do we allow our defense to be totally dominated in many games this year? Do we prepare our team for games or rely only on adjustments during the game? How do you not replace a DC who was good enough to become a head coach at another major university?
Les, many of us still have confidence in you. However, many of us believe the root of the problem this year is coaching. Not only is it being out-coached by the opposition, especially on defense, but also failing in basis execution. Whether this is missing a coverage assignment or not even having 11 men on the field (as was the case in one of the early touchdowns by Georgia), we are not displaying the discipline and smart play to produce the results that you and the fans desire.
What could cause the team to fall so far and so fast? Yes, we lost a lot of talent but we also returned great talent. But focusing on coaching, we didn’t:
- create leadership on the field.
- provide enough attention to inexperienced QBs as they wandered on the sidelines after failing to convert or, worse yet, causing a turnover.
- create the defensive game plan and execution to prevent domination by many of our opponents this year.
- get our receivers to work better with our QBs to make completions and prevent interceptions.
- get big plays out of our special teams.
Les, we hope your legacy is not your only national championship. Instead, we hope it is how you revive a downtrodden team and get them back in the “Big Game.” Some tough coaching calls will need to be made in the next few weeks (i.e., before the bowl games or immediately after).
7
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:41 am to ShyTiger
what in the HELL has happened to lefell and byrd this season .. lefell has regressed to dropping the ball again in key spots and byrd's not making tough catches anymore .. even richard dixon dropped a ball right in his hands at a crucial time yesterday ..
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:47 am to TigahRag
lafell didnt drop any yesterday
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:55 am to TigahRag
quote:
what in the HELL has happened to lefell and byrd this season .. lefell has regressed to dropping the ball again in key spots and byrd's not making tough catches anymore .. even richard dixon dropped a ball right in his hands at a crucial time yesterday ..
If there is a pattern of poor play, I look at the coaches.
Dixon has been strong most of the season and I have not seen a pattern of poor play. I did wonder yesterday why they didn't go to Dixon more.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 10:57 am to ShyTiger
I agree with most of your post, esp. w coaching on the defensive side of the ball, but last time I checked none of the coaches has made a play inside the white lines. At some point you have to put responsibility on the players. Look, you have the same coaches from last year, minus a few, including Pelini. Yet, last year our execution was much better. The decline in play this year imho has to rest with the players. The returning players have not stepped up, w/ the exception of scott, but on the defensive side NO ONE has stepped up. There has been a lack of leadership on both sides of the ball, and they have played w/ a lack of focus all year. Maybe some of that is coaching, but you can coach a kid, put him in the right position to make plays, but at some point the player has to make these plays. I knew we would loose 3-4 games this year, but, LSU, this year, has come up way short in making plays from key positions, and as a team has underacheived greatly in their play! 
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:05 am to tigerfan25
quote:
I agree with most of your post, esp. w coaching on the defensive side of the ball, but last time I checked none of the coaches has made a play inside the white lines. At some point you have to put responsibility on the players. Look, you have the same coaches from last year, minus a few, including Pelini. Yet, last year our execution was much better. The decline in play this year imho has to rest with the players. The returning players have not stepped up, w/ the exception of scott, but on the defensive side NO ONE has stepped up. There has been a lack of leadership on both sides of the ball, and they have played w/ a lack of focus all year. Maybe some of that is coaching, but you can coach a kid, put him in the right position to make plays, but at some point the player has to make these plays. I knew we would loose 3-4 games this year, but, LSU, this year, has come up way short in making plays from key positions, and as a team has underacheived greatly in their play!
Good reply. I tend to look at the coaches more when there is a pattern. For example, how many SEC games this year have we fallen behind in the first half? Do the coaches prepare our team as well as the opposing coaches prepare their team? Do the coaches have too much to handle during the game to make quick adjustments and deal with players (eg, our QBs and DBs)? Could the coaches create more leadership, teamwork and emotion on the field?
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:12 am to ShyTiger
quote:
create leadership on the field.
This is our biggest problem this year. these seniors don't have half the heart for the game as Dorsey did. It's a pathetic effort across the board, and our seniors frankly don't give a shite.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:23 am to Dobermann
quote:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
create leadership on the field.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is our biggest problem this year. these seniors don't have half the heart for the game as Dorsey did. It's a pathetic effort across the board, and our seniors frankly don't give a shite.
We had great leadership on the field last year which may have been the difference in winning some very close games. It's been a different story this year. Now, I go back to coaching. If we are at this point in the season and haven't seen the leadership on the field, I'm looking at the coaches as the root of the problem.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:32 am to TigahRag
quote:
what in the HELL has happened to lefell and byrd this season .. lefell has regressed to dropping the ball again in key spots and byrd's not making tough catches anymore .. even richard dixon dropped a ball right in his hands at a crucial time yesterday ..
Very bad, IMO, WR coaching. McCarthy needs to be one of the first to go........
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:34 am to ShyTiger
quote:
- create the defensive game plan and execution to prevent domination by many of our opponents this year.
I had to laugh at this. This statement is very telling and sad that you had to word it this way. But it's true.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:45 am to TigerBandAlumnus82
quote:
Very bad, IMO, WR coaching. McCarthy needs to be one of the first to go........
Last year, I remember LaFell watching an interception in the Kentucky game that he could have prevented. But in the Auburn game later in the season last year, LaFell did a good job in preventing an interception by RP. I thought this was good coaching last year. However, I haven't seen the same this year.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:49 am to LSUJuice
quote:
I had to laugh at this. This statement is very telling and sad that you had to word it this way. But it's true.
I just don't understand the defensive preparation. When we have had time to prepare in Bowl games (OSU, ND, Miami), our defense was solid. Pre-game preparation was relatively weak this year.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 11:52 am to tigerfan25
yes the lack of leadership and true playmakers such as dorsey, highsmith, steltz, hester, flynn, and doucet. i think its 50/50 coaches and players.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 12:06 pm to nhsj012
quote:
yes the lack of leadership and true playmakers such as dorsey, highsmith, steltz, hester, flynn, and doucet. i think its 50/50 coaches and players.
In this game that is big business, the coaches are paid well and have a high-level of control (recruiting, training, motivating, preparing, etc.). Again, when I see a pattern, I look to the coaches.
Don't get me wrong. I still have confidence in Les and most of the coaches. However, if Les doesn't make the right additions/adjustments on his staff, he may go the way of Dinardo.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:31 pm to ShyTiger
quote:Agreed...it has to happen the week following the Arkansas game so that the ball can get rolling..
Some tough coaching calls will need to be made in the next few weeks (i.e., before the bowl games or immediately after).
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:35 pm to tigerfan25
quote:
Fallen Far and Fast
I agree with most of your post, esp. w coaching on the defensive side of the ball, but last time I checked none of the coaches has made a play inside the white lines. At some point you have to put responsibility on the players. Look, you have the same coaches from last year, minus a few, including Pelini. Yet, last year our execution was much better. The decline in play this year imho has to rest with the players. The returning players have not stepped up, w/ the exception of scott, but on the defensive side NO ONE has stepped up. There has been a lack of leadership on both sides of the ball, and they have played w/ a lack of focus all year. Maybe some of that is coaching, but you can coach a kid, put him in the right position to make plays, but at some point the player has to make these plays. I knew we would loose 3-4 games this year, but, LSU, this year, has come up way short in making plays from key positions, and as a team has underacheived greatly in their play!
The one player that I have seen step up and show emotion is Alem
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:38 pm to ShyTiger
Just remember we finished in the top 10 after the 2001 season only to lose 5 games in 2002. This included a 31-0 loss at home to Bama and giving up a TD to Arkansas with 31 seconds left.
The sky was falling after that season too.
The sky was falling after that season too.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:47 pm to ShermanTxTiger
quote:True, but you knew that we were 5-1 to start the 2002 season with Mauck, who would be returning the next season. You had hope.
The sky was falling after that season too.
Plus, you had confidence that the defense would never be a complete wreck.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:50 pm to ShermanTxTiger
quote:
The sky was falling after that season too.
if this board was on point then i can just imagine the "saban apologist" and other anti saban threads.
Posted on 11/23/08 at 4:55 pm to Chicken
Mauck was running QB who would not be the next year. I was scared to death of that guy going in to 2003. After beating Bama in 2001, losing 31-0 was very difficult to take. I was seriously wondering if Saban was the right guy. Nutt outcoached him as did Rich Brooks and Tubberville. I learned that a season is just a season. Sometimes things can go your way and make you a 1, or 2 loss team when you deserve 4 losses. This year we deserved 3 losses. We gave Bama the game.
If you look at seasons after LSU loses a good starting QB (exception being on 2007) we don't do very well. 2002, 2004 being prime examples.
Was this team also 5-1 this year as well?
If you look at seasons after LSU loses a good starting QB (exception being on 2007) we don't do very well. 2002, 2004 being prime examples.
Was this team also 5-1 this year as well?
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