re: Spinoff Thread- LSU Fans....

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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...