View from a quiet lurker... am I a negatiger? I don't see it.

There are a couple of points.

1. The "upper tier" SEC teams that you allude to have all played mostly patsies so far, so their offensive stats - including the average points per game this year - are inflated. They have not faced a defense the caliber of LSU's and I seriously doubt that even Florida or Alabama can put up 30+ points against this defense.

2. LSU's running offense is above average. Its only the passing game that has not balanced things out. LSU's running game on most days can control the ball and eat time off of the clock.

LSU's passing attack - in light of a very strong defense and a solid running game - does not have to be world class, it just has to approach average. As long as the passing game does not turn the ball over and can occasionally deep to keep the opponent's defense stretched, we really don't need a QB with a passer rating of 100 or greater.

Our team as a whole is 3/4 to 4/5 there. The Tigers are a work in progress and will evolve with each game. Before the season started no one seriously expected LSU to go undefeated the entire season and many so called "fans" were predicting nothing better than a break even season in terms of wins.

We're not perfect and we will lose a couple of games this year. Very few of our wins will be dominant and provide that element of the fan base with the opportunity to gloat and be the jerks that they crave to be. (Its not good enough that the Tigers win, these fans only feel man enough if the margin of victory is greater than 30 points.)

If we wind up with no more than 3 losses it would probably meet or exceed the expectations that probably 90% of the fan base had going into the season.

Unfortunately, most of these same fans will do nothing but complain and proclaim that the Tiger football program is headed to 'hell in a hand basket'.