LSU: how they see us. Also, a perspective on turnovers.

I thought this quote was pretty interesting:

"It's the same type of offense," said LSU linebacker Harry Coleman, who was a strong safety last year. "They show their hand. 'This is what we got, so stop it.' They haven't changed, pretty much. I-backfield, play-action pass. That's what they do."

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Do you agree with that or not? It basically implies that the Dawgs don't really scheme, and we never customize our look based on our opponent. It also seems to illustrate the mentality of "We've got better players than you do, so there's no way you can't stop us." Which is what won games at FSU in the heyday, but it doesn't work anymore. Anywhere. The rest is about matchup and being as unpredictable as possible.

The article later goes on to describe how LSU's top defensive back typically only plays one side of the field, not a particular player. I don't think that's what the NFL does, is it? When you have Champ Bailey, wouldn't you put him on their best receiver as long as you're in man coverage?

As a side note, I feel like I can't be critical of what happens anymore, because there's so much more to the story than we ever hear about. Whether it's Martinez making us pull our hair out so we all look like him, Bobo and the random number generator, or Richt saying "Aw, shucks..." it's hard to be too hard on these guys because we really don't know what goes on play by play, or for that matter, day by day unless you're a beat writer and you know all of these guys personally. You only see the result of thought process, but you rarely if ever get the thought process itself.

The final thing I'll say is this. Harp all you want about the turnover ratio. Absolutely, it's an unsustainable model for continued victory. BUT...we've all seen games where an upset was about to occur, and the underdog made a mindless turnover (Michigan State vs Notre Dame this season, Vandy vs UGA 2 years ago) that cost the game. Turnovers are like finding lost money in the street. You don't want to just throw dollar bills out the window, that's crazy. And you may find one now and again. But, if your quality of life centers around found money, that ain't no way to live either. LSU is currently 5th in the country in turnover margin with a +7. UGA is 115th at -9. Out of 120. All I'm saying is that we're fortunate to have the record we have considering how we've tried to lose EVERY game we've played, and almost have. Turnovers then become a surrogate measurement of luck, then.

1. It's best to be lucky AND good.
2. On any given day, it's better to be lucky than good.
3. Over the course of a season, luck may run out so it may be better to be good than lucky.
4. Bad and unlucky usually mean "Wait 'til next year!" which should be the official motto of the University of South Carolina.

I hope we're at worst #3. Saturday will be telling.