Riding the LSU football rant page is so tenuous and roller-coaster-y. It really is.I realize that the extreme amount of insight and media avenues make it this way for many schools, but when it comes to LSU football, it seems amplified/worse.

I once heard a description of an unstable system as being like a marble atop a large glass ball. In such a situation, it seems that any negative trend results in the "you see, I've been saying the wheels were going to come off" - one more nudge, and disaster is finally upon us, right? (like MLB, DT, QB's or whatever).

I have had my share of this sentiment, so let me get that out of the way. LSU football is a great aspect of my recreational and interest elements of my life, so I share the concern of those who see things that are not favorable.

However, let's take a more complete look at the situation before testifying that we have finally seen the momentum that will plummet us to the post-Coker Miami or pre-Jimbo FSU or Mack Brown UT level. We have almost 10 years to look at, so we have lots of data and facts to say things will be ok.

Why am I optimistic?

Well, it isn't because the coaching philosophy is going to change radically.

It isn't because we have the all-phases-of-the- team components that we have had more times than not in the last decade-plus.

Why is it?

Because the key to LSU's success is talent and depth, and the windows that occasionally show weaknesses do not persist long enough to send us off the cliff.

Miles is in year 10, people. Year 10. Is he hard-headed? Absolutely. Is he quirky? Absolutely. Is he is slow thinker? Yes he is.

Yet, he is an ace with relationships, which means coaches and players that are special are not going to turn away to the level that would be needed for us to get hit like the other programs many often site.

He has, and will, keep us above that threshold which threatens precipitous falls in a program.

That is because he is a good Program Coach, with excellent recruiting elements in that program, and in a target-rich state that consists of kids who were able to see LSU play on TV almost every weekend for the last 5-10 years, who have dreamed of starring in purple and gold in front of 102,000 fans.

The marble is NOT about to roll off the big glass ball.

Harris, an improving situation at interior DT over the remainder of this year, the amazing number of great contributions of Freshman and Sophomores that is amazingly impressive, and other adjustments will allow this team to posture for a good-but-maybe-not-special 2014 (although don't be so fast to rule that out either), and to build to an extremely strong 2015 and 2016 campaign.

That is the kind of thinking of a program coach.

They know there will be an occasional, perhaps even 2 in a row, year when all the pieces are not in place for the gauntlet LSU faces each and every year. As such, they know it is patently unrealistic to be in the hunt for it all every year (only Bama fans are that delusional, but LSU fans are close sometimes). They phase towards WINDOWS-OF-SEASONS, typically a 2 or 3 year window, and use the other years as posturing years.

2014 was most likely to be a posturing year all along. Any reasonable fan knows that. The talent that departed to the NFL was going to catch up to us, and it has.

However, don't be the fool who says this is the year when the marble atop the big glass ball will come crashing down, because LSU will win a minimum of 1 Natty in the next 3 years, and maybe more. That, combined with the 2003 (Saban's) and 2007 Natty's (Les's), and the very special 2011 year (Les's - even with the 1/9 debacle), are great basis for a great program, and will seal Miles as the best coach ever on the Ponderosa.

I'm no homer, although this one thread may lead some to think so, as I call it as I see it. However, now is the time to look at the body of work and the big picture, and to be optimistic and reasonable in making conclusions about our Program's health.

This post was edited on 10/3/14 at 4:38 pm