never did I say he shouldn't be suspended. All I am doing is throwing water on the fire of people here who say "He won't change his stripes." "He will always be in trouble", etc... he has been on his best behavior on the field and off. Had his dad not died, nothing would be off importance at all. Hell, if he wouldn't have had the other couple of run-ins, his punishment would have been 4-5 100-yard suicides in practice.
In that case, I do apologize. I got the impression that you were just "sugarcoating" it, and making it seem as if this is so minor that nothing should have happened to him. Will he ever "change his stripes"? eff if I know. Never met the guy, and probably never will. All I do know is that it appears Miles is getting a lil aggravated by him, and now he needs to be doing it better and smarter than the other guys. Hopefully, he does just that.
I don't know how relevant this is, but perhaps this makes a difference in people's thought processes... Several years ago, Troy smith was in a relatively, and I stress relatively similar situation. he didn't come in with all the hype, but was behind someone who had (Zwick was supposed to be the second coming), was working his way into the starting lineup and had a couple of in team discipline issues before the whole booster's $500 handshake. He was suspended for a bowl game and the next season opener. the minor things didn't seem to have an effect on him, but for whatever reason, during that suspension, the light seemed to come on (coincidentally after his sophomore season). He got his act together, not just on the field, but more importantly off it. As we all know, he went on to win a heisman, and got his team to the NC, regardless of the travesty that was that game. I guess my point is still the same, coaches aren't supposed to give up on these kids, although i realize sometimes you have to. There is no doubt in my mind that RP can shake this off, and become a man that LSU fans, and the coaching staff can be proud of. I know how frustrating this is, and there is no way to definitively know how RP will turn out. That's where a little faith and a whole lot of patience come into play. Though my position is fairly obvious, I understand those calling for him to be kicked off. I just thought this might add a little perspective that LSU isn't the only program to deal with this kind of kid, and though sometimes it doesn't work out, sometimes it does, and when it does it can be pretty special.
Once everyone learns to play by the same set of rules, topics like this will go away...FOREVER Then we can ALL "give it a rest"
IF Dorsey hadn't been illegally chop blocked we may have beaten Arkansas IF JMR hadn't gone pro we may never have won a NC at all IF WVU hadn't lost we never would have played for the BCS NC IF, IF , IF....point is...HE did do those all things. He has a proven record of making bad decisions... It is what it is Yes, if he had not been a "bad boy" and been in "time out" then this little infraction would not have been a big deal, but he was in "time out" so it was a big deal Don't make it out like everyone is making these accusations unjustly... He has a record....I hope he...ONCE AGAIN....learns from his.. most recent mistake ...and we never have this topic again... wanna make a bet?
buckeye's post was great I didn't know about all the past trangressions of Mr Smith.....he sure turned into the poster child for all that's right with college football. I wish someone would have him talk to Ryan personally to offer some guidance. And I really mean that.
I was thinking just about the same thing on my drive to OKC tonight. That perhaps thats what it would take, is someone that has been there to talk to him and make him understand what is at stake here? I hope for the best, for Ryan and for the team. Geaux Tigers!!!
