re: Spinoff Thread- LSU Fans....

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BIGJLAW

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TBH really if Canada improves our O

Time for a dose of reality.

As everyone knows, this time of year is liftoff for LSU pumper fans. You will soon see things like "Heisman," or "7 first round NFL draft picks," or "best OL in the US," or something about miracles followed by a list of names no one has ever heard of. At that point, it is best to step back and keep your hands in your pockets.

The truth about LSU this year is that for the first time in a decade, no one really has a clue ... but reasoned people anticipate a less competent team then last year.

DL - only the most purple colored glasses believe the front seven for LSU are elite. LaCouture, Gilmore, and Herron may all be seniors, but they frankly haven't been very good (comparatively). If any are NFL quality, it hasn't shown to date, and at best they would be late round draft picks. The two sophomore backups are unknown quality and few if any sophomores can make much of an impact on the DL in the SEC.

Unfortunately, those five are pretty much all there is. It is hard for a team to play an SEC season with five DL, none of which are a true NG. And right now, ... none of them are SEC team in quality. I do not see this year's DL being as good as last year (which was average).

Oh well, DL is suspect or at least a big question mark? No problem... the new 3-4 scheme depends on LBs you say?

RE: LBs. Divinity looks like he will be a SEC quality LB in another year, maybe not elite this year, but serviceable. Key, if he has his problems solved, is a real talent and potential 1st team SEC DE-LB. Right now, I'm not sure how he will be used in a 3-4 scheme that has no true NG. But, White and Alexander would not start at Alabama, or probably not even Auburn. Behind them are... get this two incoming freshmen. No team ever has tried to play a successful SEC season with true freshmen LBs.

Re: Secondary - LSU lost their starting secondary. They have lots of talent (as does every team in the SEC), but as we know, hanging your hat on the development of a brand new secondary is risky. They might be good individually, but might be confused in play.... or they might be good. In any case, the newness of it is grounds for caution.

DC - No fan base in the SEC gets as starry eyed as LSU over the hiring of a new coach. Does anyone even know who the OC of Georgia is? Or do any fans elsewhere seem to think a questionable set of talent can be made into a silk purse by a DC? At LSU, the magic bean of a new coach is the talking point that LSU fans hang their hat on. Well maybe, maybe not .... personally I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

The defense for LSU has several question marks. Doesn't mean it is going to be bad or good... just ... questionable.

OL - no one I know that actually follows LSU, knows the players, etc., believes that LSU OL was the best in the nation last year. It was a LONG way from it. It was maybe middle of pack in the SEC.

The two best OLmen are gone, but the good news is that older is better on the OL and maybe the returnees are juiced up. Right now, no one even knows where the returning individuals will play next year, or what type of scheme they will be playing in, or even if they are suited to that scheme. Don't worry, there doesn't seem to be much depth. Are any of the OLmen all-SEC quality? Maybe one.

Receivers - mediocre, bad routes, dropped passes last year. The good news is that the receiver corps is new this year. The bad new is that the receiver corps is new this year. At this stage, no LSU receivers would be id'd as one of top in the conference. But on the plus side is that young players can contribute at the skill and receiver positions much sooner than at the grown man positions.

RB - Guice = good. Who is behind him?

QB - Etling is serviceable, maybe in the top half of QBs in the SEC. God help LSU if he gets hurt.

Summary - OOC schedule is favorable and will allow the team to gel some. But SEC schedule is tough with 5 road games. The good thing for LSU is that quite a few other SEC teams are in a complete rebuilding mode too so comparatively (which is what counts) LSU may not be behind the curve. I would estimate this team at 8-4 with lots of unknowns and with a low degree of confidence in ANY prediction, upside or down.

But I would recommend that people don't pay much attention to the spring-time pumpers. Look at the LSU roster with some hard cold eyes. And remember.. a list of players for a team is not the determinant. It is the COMPARATIVE players.. matched against the opponent. This is something my LSU friends seem to overlook because they often do not take the time to study opponents or their rosters. But that is OK... whatever. Peace.

Get ready for deniers and pumpers who deny and pump without facts, just a list of names. 3 - 2 - 1 ...

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RB - Guice = good. Who is behind him?

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The only positive offered up in your analysis of LSU. You talk about the LSU pumpers and your "dose of reality" as if you were about to provide an unbiased and fair analysis. And on first look, it arrears that you were. However, the fact that the only positive you could find in the team was Guice = good is telling about your bias. Any unbiased observer would rate Guice well above "good". In fact many believe he is the best RB in the SEC and the nation. But through your unbiased red shades he is just good. Gumps are going to gump.

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DC - No fan base in the SEC gets as starry eyed as LSU over the hiring of a new coach. Does anyone even know who the OC of Georgia is? Or do any fans elsewhere seem to think a questionable set of talent can be made into a silk purse by a DC? At LSU, the magic bean of a new coach is the talking point that LSU fans hang their hat on. Well maybe, maybe not .... personally I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

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You obviously have a bias. Comparing Kevin Steele's defense to Dave Aranda's defense in their respective years and it tells you all you need to know.

Canada finna eat

Etling apparently played with two herniated disks last season and elected to wait until after Spring practices to have the surgery.

I'm extremely concerned about the QB position because of that.

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Time for a dose of reality. - Jacknola

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Without even reading the post, I already know how it goes. A bunch of negative bullshite that, if true, would make one believe LSU is a 4-5 win team.

Bet I nailed it.

I get that, but when you switch an entire defensive scheme and allow such a small amount of touchdowns in your first year doing so, you are allowed some hype. Steele would not have had the same support had he stayed after the year he had.

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Wow, didn't know that. Who did LSU sign for QB in February and do you expect them to push Etling or is Etling entrenched as the starter.

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Justin McMillan - RS Sophomore
Lindsey Scott - RS Freshman
Lowell Narcisse - True Freshman
Myles Brennan - True Freshman

That's the depth chart behind Etling and they have combined for exactly 1 passing attempt. 100% completion though.

Good stuff, thanks. Usually the most popular player on a FB team is the back up QB.

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BIGJLAW

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Serious question as well. Coming out of Spring, what are your biggest Strengths and Weakness on your FB team. You guys seem to be pretty pumped going into the year.

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OLB/DE's - Ends are question marks. Key is a freak show as has been stated. 12.5 sacks last year and just mauled people. Rahsaan Thornton, Sci Martin and Andre Anthony are going to impress folks as backups. Lots of PT available but Sci had a knee injury and they shut him down for the Spring. Top top bottom talent but top heavy with experience.

DT-We return a metric shite-ton of experience. That experience has not to this point in their collective careers ever played above a level which could be called steady. We have three 5th year kids who have been in the wars. They're solid but unspectacular IMO. Just being objective.

We've got some kids that will push them in Rashard Lawrence and Ed Alexander. Hearing good things about a few others. This year is going to allow us to truly stockpile along the interior and bring us back to the level where we can rotate 10 guys along the Defensive Front. Haven't been there in awhile.

LB - Paper thin but super-talented. Devin White needs to stay healthy. Donnie Alexander needs to get physical and put on some more weight. Hoping for a Duke Riley like impact next year.

After that, we took the #1 LB Class in America last year. Two 5-Stars and an in-state Hoss. These kids would have seen the field because of their talent, but being so paper thin after the starters and maybe a Michael Divinity as a super sub, they'll have to get their noses bloody moving forward.

I feel like we'll take some lumps this year, especially if Devin White turns an ankle or misses time. But the LB corp in 2018 is going to look like Patton's 3rd Army circa mid 1940's when they were looking like the military equivalent of Usain Bolt in an Olympic Stadium. The front 7 in general is primed to be other-worldly in 2018.

But in 2017? We're gonna have some spots where we need to grow and learn.

DB-You guys know the drill here. We crow about it every year. This past year we lost Jamal Adams and Shaq White who will end up going in the 1st Round next month. Lost two 5-stars, signed two or three five-stars, and look at this roster:

CB - Donte Jackson - 5 Star multi-year starter at CB/Slot
CB - Kevin Toliver II - 5 Star multi-year starter at CB/Slot
CB - Savion Smith - 5 Star Soph who hasn't quite been able to crack the starting lineup yet
CB - Kristian Fulton - 5 Star Soph who hasn't quite been able to crack the starting lineup yet
CB - Greedy Williams - 4 Star RS Frosh who didn't play last year


S - Ed Paris - 5 Star who hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup
S - Xavier Lewis - 5 Star who hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup
S - Eric Monroe - Consensus 4 Star RS Frosh; injured pre camp last year
S - Cam Lewis - Consensus 4 Star RS Frosh; couldn't get PT so they shirted him
S - Jacoby Stevens - 5 Star True Frosh; Early Enrollee. Making noise in Spring Camp
S - Grant Delpit - Consensus 4 Star True Frosh; Early Enrollee from IMG Academy. Making noise in Spring Camp

In case you haven't noticed...LSU is motherf*cking stacked in the Defensive Secondary. Yet again. You're rolling your eyes. Yet again. Same as usual.

On offense...

OL - We have a lot of guards and not a lot of Tackles. Clapp when healthy is capable of being an All-SEC 1st Teamer. He is mean, he is smart, and he is a beast. He played with one arm due to a shoulder injury that required surgery in the offseason. He's practiced a bit in the Spring but will be full go for Fall. Tehuma & Brumfield are rocks at Guard. If newcomer Cushionberry is a viable option at Center, that can allow Clapp to slide out to Guard and pushes Brumfield into super-sub status. The problem is I've heard he's been grumpy and his parents are too. He wants to start. His time is now.

At Tackle, Weathersby is going to be great at RT. Maybe not All-SEC but really good as a player for us. He's got two years of starting experience and like Clapp he was banged up a lot of the time.

Karl Malone's son will be LT for us for the 2nd straight year. He's a true guard but he's got quick enough feet to play on the edge.

Deculus from the signing class is here as an Early Enrollee and is waiting in the wings for either T to go down. He's going to play in spots next year. If there's an injury, he may get his nose bloodied and pushed into a starting role.

RB - Derrius Guice and the Ghosts. Nick Brossette has potential but nobody else on our roster has what Guice has. Everyone's seen it. But we don't have a backup to lean on like the past two years with LF7.

TE - We've got a good mix of pass catchers and blockers and we've got nobodies and highly touted types, along with a converted DE mixed in. Should be quality contributors for us.

WR - DJ Chark has speed and hands. He's going to be a hoss for us. Beyond that we have some young studs in Stephen Sullivan, Dee Anderson & Drake Davis (Lester Earl's son). Those three are potential alpha WR1 types. Key word: potential. They ain't done it game-in, game-out. They haven't gotten off the jam. Until they do, they're not proven commodities IMO.

Beyond that, we have a kid in Russell Gage and another in Derek Dillon that can be space players with tons of juke and speed to put in the slot.

QB - Etling and then geezus I'm so scared thinking beyond him I don't even wanna keep going. Etling can win a NC if the WR's step up and the Line Blocks and Guice stays healthy. He's a game manager and a distributor. He is gonna know the playbook, know the opponent, and always be steady if unspectacular.

If Guice goes down or we have OL injuries, it's gonna be tough for him. Behind him is McMillan and then a potential wildcard in Lindsey Scott. If things go pear-shaped, he may get a shot. He's got an uncanny knack. Has arm strength and a ton of juke and is a hard-worker. Just doesn't have height. Like...At all.

This is all I got...