I think it goes beyond that. Those were two huge reasons and deserve their criticism. Still, I have to put blame on Miles as the HC. His pathetic time management and TOs are a reflection of a lack of focus. The team has a large lack of focus which shows with the false starts and poor communication on D. No doubt though Chavis is sleep walking through this season, he has to be held accountable. This is the third game in two years that LSU has blown at the end. We cant continue to play so softly at the end of games. Play to win, blitz and make them earn it.
Alot of people remember the loss of talent to the draft and being dismissed, but in my opinion the the biggest loss for our secondary came 2 seasons ago when Ron Cooper left.
Our DL isnt as good and definitely not nearly as deep as years past. No doubt about it. I still feel like they get a decent push. LSU was always a team with a high sack count because of aggressive play calling(blizing) based on great secondary play. The LBs are also horrible tacklers who take poor angles. I thought his would be a strong suite of the team but it hasnt been. Barrow hasnt shown ANYTYING deserving of #18. Alexander shows a lot of potential but is inconsistent. I really like what Ive seen with Beckwith. All that being said, the DBs are the weakest weve seen in a very long time. I think White will be an excellent CB down the road. He was beat yesterday on that deep pass but his coverage was dead on, that was just a great throw. We somehow need to coach better fundamentals, tackling, and communication. Especially at LB and DB. We have to scheme better to protect the poor coverage. Id rather be aggressive with exotic blitzes. I know we will get beat because we dont have Webster, Peterson, or Claiborne locking down WRs. Still, we have to get to the QB. Id rather lose that way than getting picked apart and gashed.
I know we coach the fundamentals and other elements correctly. We just have young guys that are not performing yet. I know these coaches work on the important things with the players all the time. We haven't changed our coaching. Some guys take a while to get it, some never do.
You're right of course. The soft zone coverage just doesn't work against QBs like McCarron. Tahj Jones and Aaron Murray. They can beat you even if you play tight and aggressive. Loosen up and it's just pitch and catch with them. I guess the idea is to not let the receiver get behind the defense for a TD, so those guys just march down the field in smaller chunks. Here's an idea. Play a tight dime with Jeryl Brazile back as a middle of the field safety. Lots of things for him to think about but basically break for the ball when it's in the air. Either lay one on the receiver if he catches the ball or just run him down. Nobody in the SEC is going to outrun him.
The soft zone isn't a problem unless a guy doesn't know his assignment. These guys didn't know their assignments. Two of the touchdowns, including the eventual game winner, it looked like those guys not only failed to know their assignment, but also played the entirely wrong defense. You had the outside guys playing man while Micah Frickin Eugene played a zone and let his guy waltz on by. As if he was letting him go to the deep man and picking up the other receiver. Idiot, YOU ARE THE DEEP MAN AND THERE IS NO OTHER RECEIVER TO PICK UP! I only recall one score that was at least reasonably contested and that was when Mills got burned for the TD, and even then Martin was late with the help...which is typical of him too. The first TD, Loston looked pathetic. He has lost some serious money this year. Every other TD seemed to have been completely blown coverage where the guy was wide open. And it usually had something to do with #34. I'm dead serious. If there is another member of the Eugene family that is an up and coming football player and wants to attend LSU, tell his ass to take a hike. Don't even let him come to camp. Phenomenal athletes but shitty football players. First Jai, now Micah. If Rickey Jefferson gets in and he's bad after a couple of years too, add the Jefferson family to the list. DO NOT WANT. Are there any more Taylors in Franklinton? Send some more of those guys...we like them.
They haven't stopped hiring coaches........they haven't stopped getting beat by most teams....I know too many to list.
You know another thing that pissed me off? How many times did we see a corner or safety beaten by a step, but Murray overthrew it and our guy is giving that "NO" arm-crossing signal as if he had anything to do with that. You were still beat asshole. You got lucky the throw was a little off. Or Mills charging to the sideline as if he had made a great play rather than having gotten bailed out by the refs not calling PI all day. You got lucky asshole. Stop celebrating.
No doubt the defense is young and less talented. Hopefully, it picks up. Agree w/loss of RCooper being one of our most significant. The problems in the secondary are beyond just one player, so that seems to point to coaching. Also, the Freak can only do so much when his fellow interior D-lineman are getting easily handled. Kwon seems to be one of the few to make a key play at a key moment. Welter is not flashy, but is solid. He and Barrow had better 2nd halves, imo. Having said all of that, they played one of the most polished offenses in college football, and the score is exactly what was expected. It's natural as a fan to watch that game and be upset w/the details. But, the sky is not falling, and the coaching staff is experienced enough to mend this. By the time we place the other formidable offenses, I think we will be a much improved D. At least, I sure hope so.
