Love your post and your logic! It's ok for Tiger fans to be fans in a way that makes them love LSU football! I know I am shallow and nothing but a homer but I can't be any other way when it comes to this subject. Geaux Tigers :tigereye:
JJ's play is important, but stacking the box did not only come as a result of JJ. Our line was stopped pretty much at will when it was time to run, and the box was NOT stacked each time.JJ should and will improve, but if the line does not, it won't make a damn bit of difference. The line improves, JJ stays the same or better, and we improve. At the end of the day, we have to be able to run the ball and our lack of it last year does not all or even mostly fall on JJ's shoulders. Go back and watch the games again in slow mo, and only watch the line. It was really bad. And the TEs were worse. I am not sure what will change between last year and this, with the same coach and many of the same players, but it sure better.
i tend to agree with you and and i also tend to think the group of people that scoff at 9-4 seasons is growing larger and larger.
While everyone loves the idea of never ever losing a game, reality doesn't work that way. In our case, we have new coaches coming in at position spots, players returning with more experience and (hopefully) more confidence, and talent waiting to play for the first time. Also, our returning coaching staff has had time to evaluate the blunders of last season, and decide on new paths to victory. That said, I believe we can do 9-3 to 10-2 next season. A better record would require the opposition to suffer nuclear meltdowns and I don't see it happening.
Your prediction is pretty solid IMHO, but I don't think it would take a nuclear meltdown to improve our record from last season. Remember we were only 1 or 2 plays away from winning the Bama and Ole Miss games, and not that far off from having a shot at the UF game. I think with a little bit from the recipe that you and others spell out we could pick up 2 of those 3 loses. Of course that would mean losing 1 or 2 of the games we won last season to equal a 9-10 win season, but as close as some of our games were last season that wouldn't be unthinkable.
I do believe there will be improvement from last year all the way around, and I see 10-2 as a strong possiblity. I meant that, in order to go 12-0, some team is going to have to make many errors when playing us, or their coaches can't make sound strategy, or their recruiting/returning players are highly over-rated, etc. 11-1 would be pushing it, but it's not entirely impossible. I'm fine with 10-2. We won a championship with that record once, though some seem to forget
I don't think the "perfect" mix of players, coaches, and strategy is there yet. Not that losing one game would stop us from another national championship, as both the ones we have for the last ten years had came with one or two losses.
