Yeah . . . there was this guy named Ingram . . . I really can't see the loss of a backup RB -- even one as talented as Richardson -- being that much of a blow to a team with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner still on the field ahead of him. Certainly not comparable to our 2009 team losing its starting QB and starting RB when the #2 was already injured, leaving us with our 3rd string (at best) RB. Well, when you do go in depth, you'll notice it's not just Julio, McElroy and Ingram they have to replace. They also have to replace both their DEs, and their LT. That's a lot of production to replace, and significantly more than we have to replace (imo). And we were already better than them last year. So I think us over Bama is not a hard call. ldskule::geaux:ldskule:
It's not about who you lose, it's who you bring back. Try to think of the defense like this: forget that we ever had Nevis, Sheppard or Peterson. Just pretend someone is showing you a new team you've never seen before, and you see Reid, Mathieu, Simon, Loston, Mingo, Montgomery, Adams, Taylor, Edwards, Claiborne, Brooks, Vinson, Brooks, Baker, etc. That team would likely impress the living crap out of you. So I would suggest that you try not to get too hung up on who isn't there that you overlook or underestimate who is there. Fair points, but our defensive scheme also benefits from pressure by the DEs, who are all back and have another year of experience plus some new blood (Rasco and Jordan Allen). And the Safeties are very likely to improve with Reid not being a True Freshman anymore. And that's before you even think of Mathieu doing what he does from wherever he fits in with a full year's experience and PT under his belt to better understand how to work with the defense. So, yes, our CB cover skill are likely to not be as good as last year's, but that's a loooong way from saying our defense will drop off. I don't see the open date issue being all that big a deal, though it probably is a factor. And they have big games next year, too. I just see our roster as having more depth and being more injury-resistant than theirs without both Ingram and Richardson to take up each other's slack. I mean, they only have one QB who's ever played a down of college football, at any level. They've only got one RB behind Richardson with more than 40 carries. They've only got six players on their entire Defensive Line roster that have played a snap of 4-year college football. This is not a team with a wide margin for injury in terms of experience. Contrast that with a team like ours that returns six players who all started on the defensive line last year alone. And another six who have all started in the secondary. We return eight guys with starts on the O-Line, including four of our regular starters from last year AND Will Blackwell who should have been a starter. And, of course, we have two SR QBs with multiple starts and SEC wins under their belts, and a JC transfer who is likely to be an improvement over either. Point being, when it comes to seasons taking their toll, things seem far more precarious for Bama than they do for us. You're probably not far wrong (in either direction). Obviously I see it differently, but the margin is way too narrow for us to have any real idea which one is ahead for certain. I think we have plenty of reasons to feel like we're ahead of the Tide, and I much prefer thinking about beating them again (and again, and again, and again, etc.) to thinking about losing to them (ever again). So, I choose the LSU side of the scales with a smile! ldskule::geaux:ldskule:
Good point. Remember the two seasons at LSU when he had to break in a new starter at QB? '02 and '04, and we struggled at QB both seasons. And even though most of the struggle in '02 followed Mauck's injury, two points suggest that the comparison is still relevant: 1) we had already lost a stinker at Va. Tech with Mauck at the helm, and 2) our QB situation in terms of depth and experience was at least as good as Bama's this year, so the same issue looms for them in the same way. Eh, he was good, there's no doubt. But with the defense, running game and O-Lines he had when he was "great", he was rarely challenged with pressure in a situation where he had to make a play himself. And several times in that situation he did not deliver. Absolutely true. And even more so for whoever his backup might be. ldskule::geaux:ldskule:
I wonder what it will take to put this to rest? He's been beaten by Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, and all of a sudden people get the idea he's helpless against the option. And yet, with all that, he still held Auburn's offense -- with Cam Newton -- to fewer points than Bama did. And held Tebow & Co. just as few points and about as many yards in '09 than Bama did. And in '08, when he was working with sub-.500 talent at Tennessee, he held them to one fewer points and over a hundred fewer yards. He had one game in 2007 where Tebow and Meyer went nuts for 50 points and 550+ yards, and ever since there's this, "Chavis can't stop the spread" stuff going around. It reminds me of Bill King going on and on all last Summer about how LSU fans were going to hate, "3rd and Chavey-Wavey", while we proceeded to post the best 3rd down converstion defense in the SEC. What history has given people this idea that he can't handle a spread offense? Is it just that one game? Is it just that he happened to spend the last several years of his career facing two of the greatest spread option QBs in history, and one of the (if not the) greatest spread option coaches in the country, on an annual basis? ldskule::geaux:ldskule:
SEC WEST 1)LSU 2)Alabama 3)Arkansas 4)Miss State 5)Auburn 6)Ole Miss SEC EAST 1)South Carolina 2)Florida 3)Georgia 4)Tennessee 5)Kentucky 6)Vanderbilt
1)Bama 2)LSU 3)Arkansas 4)Miss State 5)Auburn 6)Ole Miss SEC EAST 1)Florida (Somebody has to win it) 2)South Carolina (A lot of things went right for them and they still lost 4) 3)Tennessee 4)Georgia 5)Kentucky 6)Vanderbilt The west realistically could be won by three teams. Either Arky, Bama or LSU. QB play will be the difference in Bama vs LSU. I think our defense is going to be top 5 in the nation and I'd bank on LSU's being there as well. Both teams have good depth at RB. Both OL's should be good so the difference is going to be qb play.
