Well, Chavis kind of missed on Welter. The kid may be smart, he may can tackle when he gets his hands on you, but he isn't SEC fast and I'm not trying to knock the guy because he is a hometown guy and he is a Tiger and I'm sure he is a great guy but we need at upgrade at Mike.
It's not just handlers. ESPN and other national outlets believe the LSU fan base has no respect or admiration for Miles, and there is a portion of fans for which this is true. Just check out some posts/tweets/and other social media output from some "fans" and it boggles the mind. Les can do nothing right, he is a moron. LSU fans are beating the drum that Miles can't coach or develop his players. Constructive criticism is one thing, and a good thing. Breaking down a particular game or critiquing a weakness in the team is not what I am referring to. You know what I am talking about. There is a certain contempt for Miles in the fan base and with the advent of social media that contempt is able to spread like a cancer. Kids don't have to read Tigerfan or the other forum to pick up on it. It's already pervaded the football culture of the state. Miles is a goofball, Saban is a titan. We all know that undercurrent is there. Personally, I think LSU needs to hire a Kevin Mawae, an highly respected and accomplished LSU guy, who can start to beat back that cancer and reinvigorate the stature of the LSU football program. As fans, we need to make sure we are being constructive and rational when criticizing coaches and players (I won't hold my breath). We need to reinstill pride in playing for the flagship university.
I chalk a good deal of the LB situation up to being the style of D we play. Coach Chavis' emphasis on smaller linebackers and DB's has us not going after some guys who have bigger bodies and would serve as run stoppers in a different D or at the NFL level. On the flip side, if you are a big bodied LB who feels like he has a legit shot at the NFL, why would you want to come play at LSU where you know you don't fit the profile that the D coordinator is looking for? If more teams adopt some sort of spread in the NFL this might change down the road, but right now, particularly with so many NFL teams in recent years adopting a 3-4 D, bigger and stronger LB's are what the NFL is after.
Cam was hired, some were saying, can he recruit? He was fired from his last job. He passes to much, runs too much, too conservative, etc. We heard it all, from everyone. The thing I heard most this year was kids and parents all enjoying Cam, what he had to say and how he was going to handle the player and the offense. I know this one, the hire is a joint effort by Les and Cam, along with some input by the staff.
I agree somewhat, looking back at some of the LB's sent into the Pros, we have done well. I think this years LB, Barrow will fit well with a 3-4 NFL team.
It's still a ways till signing day, that's the first start in a singing class. Once the ink is dry, you asset how things turned out. Still a ways to go and still a bunch left on the board. As always kids flip an flop till signing day, truth be known, some that we missed on, in the long run, LSU will be better in the long run. Take care of the ones you get, move on. All too often some highly rated kids max out in high school an never improve, some never take the opportunities given them. But like I said, everyone gets the same shot, what you do with it is your choice
The anti-Miles crowd will laugh this post off, but I think its very insightful. We all roll our eyes at the bitch diving on the OU kids at the Sugar Bowl, and Harvey Updike, etc, etc. But say this for them. When you sit back and look at the situations from afar, Bama is 100% all in for their program, while LSU's fanbase is obviously and vocally split on where the program is going. It might not make a difference to a kid who has been dreaming of playing for LSU all his life, but if its a kid who's looking for the best situation for his football career, it may mean something. The lesson in all this? I'm not saying lets start poisoning the trees and otherwise acting the fool. But stop being so critical of the program when you know there is no major change coming!
