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September 1, 2010

More Reasons Why LSU is Going to be Better Than You May Think

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article that explained why LSU will be better this year.  According to my Google Analytics numbers, about 8,000 people read that article.  If you were not one of those people, you may want to take a look at that article and then come back to this one.


There are three reasons why LSU may have a much better season this year.  


First, there is an additional reason to expect Jordan Jefferson to be better.  It is a well known fact that last year Jordan Jefferson was the youngest person since Y.A. Tittle to start at quarterback for the LSU Tigers. Jefferson, who was born August 25, 1990, was only 19 years old all of last season.  That may not be a big deal and we can all name young quarterbacks, like Peyton Manning, that did really well at a young age and I really had not given it another thought until last night.  Last night I was listening to a PBS television show that caught my attention at the point in which a neurological anthropologist (bubba translation: brain history scientist) pointed out that one of the big differences between chimpanzee and human brain development is that a chimp's brain is usually completely developed by age three whereas a human's brain is not generally totally developed until his second decade.  So for those of you that have always wondered, there is a scientific reason for the "no one under 21" rule.  This information also means that if Jordan Jefferson is a typical human being, his brain development should be at the point where his decision making ability has finally reached maturity.  We may witness that on the field this year.  I know it is a kind of "out there" reason but it is valid and based on scientific research.  My next two reasons to expect LSU to be better this year are more compelling.


The second reason that you can expect LSU to be better this year involves a simple look at recruiting classes.  Almost everyone remembers that LSU had a #1 ranked recruiting class in 2009 filled with talent. And many realize that LSU's 2010 recruiting class was rank in the top ten around #6 or #7, depending on which recruiting service you follow.  What most of the people complaining about LSU's apparent slide forget is that in 2005 LSU's recruiting class was ranked somewhere in the #19 to #22 range and only made it that high because it included a five-star highly regarded quarterback named Ryan Perrilloux. One of the other stand out recruits from that class was the Rivals #3 defensive end prospect out of Miami:  Ricky Jean-Francois.  The perils of Perrilloux need not be rehashed here and it will suffice to say that Rick Jean-Francois left early for the NFL.  The point is that if you simply took into account the rankings of LSU's recruiting classes, you might have been able to guess that LSU would have a down year or two the last two seasons. Using recruiting class rankings as a measure of what to expect from a team, you can expect LSU to improve. LSU's recruiting classes have been ranked at least in the top ten every class since 2005.


The third reason to expect LSU to have a better season this season is coaching.  The contributions of John Chavis have been discussed in several places.  The addition of Billy Gonzales, Steve Ensminger, and even Ben Wilkerson to the staff have at least been mentions. What many fans may not have realized is that Tommy Moffitt, LSU's Strength and Conditioning Coach, has been struggling with cancer for exactly two seasons.  Did you wonder why almost all of LSU's players did well on their fitness and conditioning tests at the beginning of the season? Reports are that Moffitt seems to have bounced back to his old self this year.  Don't ever discount how important strength training and endurance can be to a team.  Moffitt was the trainer for Miami's most successful teams of the past and was not struggling with the effects of illness when he trained the two national championship teams at LSU.  How strong a team is and how much speed and strength they have at the end of each game is probably the most important factor when you are dealing with SEC caliber athletes.


I may change my prediction of 10-2 for LSU this season to something even better!       

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That brain development thing is kind of stretching Bob. Recruiting could certainly be a factor. You have to have the best players in the first place. I didn't know about Moffitt's fight with cancer. You don't want to say it but that certainly would have accounted for a big difference in how LSU has played. It is good to hear that Moffitt is back and has LSU players in great condition.

Anonymous said...

Maybe this year the players should dedicate this season to celebrating Tommy Moffitt's health.

Anonymous said...

This "LSU is Going To Be Better Than you think" stuff, is a child imagination playground for boys!
No one knows what going to happen, before LSU plays a football game.
Reasons # 1,2,3,can turn the wrong way.
Good luck Tigers!

Anonymous said...

The North Carolina game with LSU is going to be a tiger slaughter,with all the first string NC good player off the field...Everyone see's that!

Anonymous said...

Davis was at Miami when they had those great teams. He was at UT when they were good and he has been at LSU since they have become good. Don't underestimate how important Moffitt is to LSU. This is a really big deal Bob has alerted us to.

Anonymous said...

Who would you rather coach LSU?
Steve Spurrier
Mark Richt
Urban Meyer
Nick Saban
Steve Spurrier
Bobby Petrino
Houston Nutt
Dan Mullen

Well, you can see for your self,LSU is in trouble!

Anonymous said...

Les Miles is far better than any of those coaches!

Anonymous said...

So, how did Herb Tyler manage to start the last couple of games of his Freshman year then his entire 2nd year, just like Jefferson has done, and Tyler managed to win 10 games in his second season. And that was with Dinardo coaching and the use of what were the left overs from Curley's regime. Maybe Tyler was older than Jefferson, but if he was, then wouldn't that probably that'd mean he must not have passed all his HS classes on time and got put back which would not be quite a check mark on the Einstein meter.

Its not all sarcasm. Maybe Jefferson was in over his head last year as you suggest, and just wasnt as capable a leader as Tyler. And maybe Tyler ran the option more and maybe Dinardo's offense was childishly simple (it was).

On the other hand, maybe guys like Tyler, Hodson, Alan Risher, and for that matter, Woodley and Ensminger were just able to do the job as 2nd yr players with confidence where our guy, well, maybe as you say, we just need to wait on brain development like the neuro-anthropolgists suggest.

Anonymous said...

I am starting to get quiet,I do not like playing a football team that does not have their best football players on the field..You can not get any thing from winning over a team like that.
God help you if you lose.
South Carolina is improved,but now, I must see what kind of team LSU has, when we play Miss State,West Virginia.

Anonymous said...

The real trouble with LSU is, that the men who run the school, do not know how to hire a head football coach!
One good football coach in 20 years...Let fire the men that are running LSU, first,and then go hire a good head coach!

Anonymous said...

These "fire the coach" comments are funny. I check the comments just read them. I'd hate to be the writer's husband.

Anonymous said...

Miles should have been fired right away, after the last year Ole Miss game.

Anonymous said...

We should have fired Miles when he lost to TN.

One loss is one too many!

If I hire a guy and he screws up the first big sales pitch, he's done. That's it.

Being happy with a coach who screws up two or three times a year is just an excuse that losers use to make themselves feel better.

My kids all make straight A's and my wife is hotter than yours and a better cook. I've got her a maid who keeps the house so clean I could build computer chips in my den.

Why?

Because I don't accept less than the best.

I voted for Bush, because Al Gore is a tree hugging moron, but Bush should have committed hari kari on 9/12. That would have been the honorable thing to do and you can bet that if Dick Cheney had been president for the next seven and a half years things would be a lot different today.

I don't accept failure in my business, my politics, or my personal life, and I am not going to accept it in my football coach.

Anonymous said...

This is Sunday,Sep 5,2010...Bob,you are full of bull..What are you going to change you LSU 2010 football team predictions to now?
From 10-2 to 6-6?
How do you like Les Miles now,please, until we get another head coach,any think bad will happen.

Anonymous said...

Who hired this jerk!Why is he still coaching the LSU tigers..Miles should be coaching the flea and fly's,little kids team,for free.

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