Friday Nitt Picks
by BSD on Dec 11, 2009 11:52 AM EST
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PrintStarting next week I'll try to get into full blown LSU preview mode, but for now go read David Jones's article. He gives a pretty good recap of the Tigers and suggests their fans really aren't into this game.
But try as they might to raise their “Geaux, Tigers!” banners and smile, LSU fans do so this postseason with gritted teeth. A 9-3 ledger isn’t cutting it for two main reasons.
First, they are spoiled rotten. By two BCS national titles in the prior six seasons — the first under Nick Saban in 2003, the second just two years ago under current coach Les Miles. By nine straight bowls, six of the New Year’s Day variety, since Saban resurrected the program in 2000. It’s easy now for purple people to forget what a mess this operation was through the late 1980s and all of the ’90s excepting a brief mid-decade resurgence under Gerry DiNardo.
Second, and most acute, they are driven batty by the way their Tigers and their coach gave away the third loss to Mississippi. The abysmal management of that game by Miles in the final minute squandered a chance to win it.
Hooray Post Season Awards
Joe Paterno has been named a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno has been selected as one of 10 Football Bowl Subdivision finalists for the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. The award, now in its fourth year, celebrates college football coaches who demonstrate sportsmanship, integrity and responsibility on and off the field.
I'm happy for the coach and all, but I'm not sure he's really deserving of such an award THIS year. Penn State actually regressed from 2008 when they won the conference with only one loss. I think it's pretty obvious he was put on the list as a lifetime achievement-type thing. In my opinion there are much more deserving coaches this year like Paul Johnson, Kirk Ferentz, or Al Golden.
Basketball
Keep in mind that Saturday night is perhaps Penn State's biggest out of conference game of the year when the Virginia Tech Hokies come to the Jordan Center. The game will be televised at 7 PM on ESPN2. We'll have an open thread for you here.
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That picture is awesome
Les Miles is all “Ohhh what a cute old guy” and JoePa is all “I’ll punch you in the MOUTH don’t look at Sue like that!”
It looks like they are having a face off for an upcoming title fight.
Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Name. All Game.
"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth."
Joe the Genius
I think it’s all part of Joe’s ploy. Make Miles laugh. Make everyone in the media think he’s a senile old man just happy to get out of the cold weather of PA for a few weeks. Then go stomp them and leave them wondering how they ever lost to THAT guy.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
Maybe
Only if you pull it off. Otherwise, Joe is nothing more than a senile old man on vacation in Florida.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
“I like to think the last thing that went through Miles’ head, other than the Clark fistpump, was how in the hell he let Joseph Paterno get the best of him.”
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Dec 11, 2009 12:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd for awesome movie reference
Just hope whoever refs the game isn’t obtuse.
Wait, what?
brief mid-decade resurgence under Gerry DiNardo.
Seriously? Gerry DiNardo?
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 12:04 PM EST reply actions
More support for my belief that the SEC is all about pure speed and no talent/coaching.
Nick Saban was middling in the Big Ten, too…
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
That's an awesome point
Saban really was pretty average in the Big Ten. But then he goes to the SEC and applies what he learned and he’s unstoppable. Then he goes to the NFL and was a complete failure.
I think this proves conclusively that Big Ten > SEC, and possibly Big Ten > NFL. (TIC)
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
Maybe
I think it proves conclusively that no decent coach will stay in the death trap that is known as East Lansing.
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions
He wasn't average
He reached MSU’s full potential while he was there. In fact, that was the reason he left. Michigan is not a great state for high school talent, and at that point he was getting players UM either didn’t want or who couldn’t qualify (Plax, etc).
Saban at Michigan State
Saban’s decent not great tenure at Sparty seems to get overlooked. He took an LSU program that was at the time in worse shape to a national title and overnight rocked at Alabama. I think there are a lot of parallels to the Big 10 in football and the ACC in basketball. Traditionally there have been 2 dominant teams(Michigan-Ohio St.)(UNC-Duke). Those teams have forced a certain style of play in their respective conferences and have chewed up teams that have traditionally deviated from it(physical, conservative-run heavy(Big 10) and the (speed, finesse, non-physical defense)ACC. Rich Rodriguez is going to test this principle. If he can’t succeed at one of the heavies with his spread and 3 man front defensive schemes then it kind of tells you why the Big 10 has evolved into its style. You play 3 conference games in November that determine the conference, the weather typically blows and the team with the best front lines usually wins. Then you go play a bowl game in 70 degree sunny weather against a team that has been playing in that environment all season and wonder why they have an advantage. Undersized speed demons are great, but you’d be surprised how much they slow down when its below freezing.
I'm not sure I believe this
People seem to think that Big Ten teams are all running the wishbone, and that RichRod is the first guy to bring a new offense into this conference.
Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State, Northwestern, and Minnesota have all run spread-type offenses at times.
Northwestern and Purdue in particular brought the spread to the attention of college football fans when they both won the conference title in 2000. Randy Walker and Joe Tiller were both offensive visionaries, and they were both here long before Rodriguez showed up. The only thing really holding them down was not the weather or the Big Ten, but the fact that they are Northwestern and Purdue – who are naturally at a disadvantage-players wise.
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:55 PM EST up reply actions
RE: Saban
Saban won a conference title in his second year at LSU. So it’s not like he took over a talent-barren program. The same is mostly true for Alabama, who need I remind you, is Alabama.
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:57 PM EST up reply actions
Do you really consider Saban to have been a "complete failure" in the NFL? From what I remember he was kinda good, obviously not amazing, but in his first season, he really turned the team around. They went from 4-12 to 9-7. Not too bad for a first time NFL head coach who was dealt a pretty crappy hand. His second season saw some bright spots that ultimately accumulate in failure and betrayal, but I wouldn’t necessarily put him up there with Petrino and Spurrier.
by Bob Sacamano on Dec 11, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions
If you want to be fair
Saban’s NFL tenure really deserves an “Incomplete”. Yes, he got the team to 9-7 his first season, and then followed that up with a 6-10 season (with a team expected to make the playoffs).
So, he wasn’t perhaps a “complete failure” – one winning season, one losing season, two missed playoffs, and a career 15-17 record. But the fact that he high-tailed it after two years (and after telling everyone in Miami that he wouldn’t be leaving for Alabama) doesn’t help how people view his NFL coaching career.
"In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
DiNardo
I personally think that he got a bad rap and one thing he doesn’t get credit for was recruiting. He left behind A TON of talent that Nick Saban took advantage of so Saban gets credit for resurecting a dead program but that’s not entirely true.
To the other point in the article; my personal opinion is that some Tiger fans are spoiled and it is uncharacteristic of our LONG history of undying loyalty, no matter the record. It is also ignorant (as Poseur pointed out) of our loooong road through coaching purgatory that came about after the firing of coach Mac.
In fact, we had a full out in-house donnybrook at ATVS over all this after the Ole Miss game. I’m still not the most popular poster at the Valley, not that I ever was, but I’m pretty pasionate about Miles, despite his flaws I love the man.
And I can only speak for my self in saying that I can’t wait for NYD – I personally think that the CapOne is the best ‘match up’ of all the bowls.
GEAUX TIGERS!!!
I am happy we are playing LSU
Regardless of how their fans feel it should be a great game and thank goodness we aren’t playing Boise.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
Bill Cosby
I have a lot of respect for LSU...
They don’t seem as cocky as some guys get as soon as their south of the mason dixon line. Their coach, while a bit squirrelly, is a Big10, defensive oriented guy. Its an OOC matchup I’d like to see more often than a bowl.
Plus they squashed O$U.
2007 was such a weird year, in retrospect
Ohio State had no business being number 1, and they had no business being in the NC game, but everyone else kept losing.
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 1:00 PM EST up reply actions
its what some would call luck...
and Lady Luck would have none of it for us in 2008. That’s why I hate the fact that a late-season loss essentially boots you out of the title on any other year.
Who knows, maybe USC could have beaten Florida last year? The SC game showed that we weren’t as good as we thought. Maybe Oklahoma was not that good either? But you’ll never know witht his system.
by Artiefufkin10 on Dec 11, 2009 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
No you don't know with this system...
and, IMO, USC was the best team last year. They were better than both Texas and Oklahoma defensively and would have scored enough on Florida to win. Oh well, doesn’t really matter.
Never mistake effort for achievement.
by Esteban d' Amur on Dec 11, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions
LSU take...
… David Jones is on the money. Our fans are spoiled rotten and just cursory look at LSU message boards calls a 9-3 season with a bid to a New Years Day Bowl as a “slide into mediocrity”. It’s like no one suffered through the Hallman days. And #2 is just a function of #1. As infuriating as the Ole Miss loss was, the SEC title was already gone and people had ALREADY turned on Miles. It was just used as a convenient club to beat him with.
I’ll admit I’m a little irked by two straight poor Novembers (1-5 in the SEC over the last two years in November), but I’m not off the bandwagon. And I’m pumped to be back on New Years after last year’s debacle. But, I’ll admit, I care more about the coaching changes right now.
But it’s nice to get an outsider’s perspective: “spoiled rotten” is pretty accurate. People are comparing to Miles to Cholly Mack as if that’s a bad thing right now. Which is also ignorant of LSU history, because if we continue that analogy, firing Cholly Mack is what lead to LSU’s Dark Ages (Archer – Hallman – Dinardo)
Yeah, we got lucky in 2007, but we got unlucky in 2006, so it all sort of evened out. And 2005 we had a GREAT team that had that bizarre hurricane season. Miles almost gets a lifetime pass for how he handled Katrina and Rita.
Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
http://www.andthevalleyshook.com
kinda like our people in the mid-90's
after running the table in 1994 (in a REALLY dominant fashion), 9-3 became a disappointment.
there are plenty of people disappointed with this year’s 10-2 record too.
9 wins a year, BCS game every 4th or 5th year, and a serious run at undefeated/MNC every 10 years = high caliber/high quality program
,,,
Miles almost gets a lifetime pass for how he handled Katrina and Rita.
^^ This
Oh how quickly we forget. Yes, we LSU fans are spoiled.
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
That boxing stance awesome
Right on line with Ferentz’ fake smile to PJ. Different ways of saying “I fully expect to kick your ass.”
Go destroy ‘em guys, but don’t wait until the last play like we did when we played ’em a few years ago.
"Wow. You know you have problems when even the cheerleaders know you suck." ~ Pain in the Sash
Miles
would kick the living crap out of Paterno in a real fight!!!!11
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
I take it that you've seen "The Godfather"?
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
never seen, rather
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Drums Along The Mohawk
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Attack of the Flesh Devouring Space Worms From Outer Space
What's up Ryan? ARGHHHHHH!!! oops. ~ Patrick Chewing
I take it u never saw last of the mohicans
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. "
George S Patton
by psu in the w-b on Dec 11, 2009 11:07 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Tumbledown
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh Eating, Hellbound, Zombified Living Dead Part 2: In Shocking 2-D
What's up Ryan? ARGHHHHHH!!! oops. ~ Patrick Chewing
by Mikeno on Dec 11, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Obscure movies, pal!
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:56 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Goodfellas
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
I take it you've never seen Carlito's Way
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
I take it you've never seen The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
I take it you've never seen The Phanton Planet
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
Phanton, Phantom, what's the difference
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:01 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen 49th Parallel
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
I take it you've never seen Time Chasers
"Andrew Jones....SEND IT IN, BIG FELLA!" - Bill Raftery, 4/2/09
by ReadingRambler on Dec 11, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions
I think..
being spoiled has some to do with the general sentiment throughout Tiger Nation (mostly amongst those looking for something to whine about), but I’m not willing to say that is the whole shebang. If you read parts of the end of the article you will see that this team was a “work in progress,” but with very little progress made over the course of the season (more offensively than defensively speaking).
At the beginning of the year I resolved myself to 9-3 being a really good year for us, and it still is, but I couldn’t have imagined that we would be fortunate to be 9-3 with the way we have been coached this season.
Which is why so much attention right now is being placed on who Les is bringing in and ushering out.
What's up Ryan? ARGHHHHHH!!! oops. ~ Patrick Chewing
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