The SFP manifesto

The following was posted on www.tigerdroppings.com/rant by a poster known as Slow Flo Pro in response to LSU's loss to Kentucky on October 13. Some formatting has been changed from that initial post, but only because it was so long it was in multiple posts, and the thread it is posted in is linked here



Dear, The Rant

Ok I start by apologizing for melting down. I've tried to tell this board over and over again that I'm 100%-LSU all the way and I criticize the team because it can improve, not because I am against a player, coach, or LSU in general. Well last night the lack of improvement in the areas many have been critical of came into play, and we lost as a result of this. I became very emotional and melted down, and I said some things I shouldn't have and I said justifiable things that were not over the line over and over again. Accordingly, I am suspended from posting.

But to the game and LSU's season so far…

1. I do not want to hear the ignorant section of our fanbase who supports the team blindly to EVER criticize non-coaches who see problems with the team again. All of the problems that have been discussed on this board since BEFORE the season have been evident the past month, and they were in full force last night. You don't have to be a coach to see problems in the team, and you don't have to lack a heart to support a more talented young player over a veteran who has paid his dues. This is football, not a motivational speech. Pointing out flaws in a team is not saying that you dislike the team or you're not a fan of the team anymore.

2. When I say "coaching" in the upcoming week I DO NOT MEAN MILES. Our coordinators dropped the ball, and have been dropping the ball worse than Brandon Lafell. This is not something that just appeared in Lexington. These coaching flaws have been evident all year, but we've just out-talented and home-fielded the opposition. My only problem with miles this game was being happy that we called a crappy drive to end regulation, ending in a kick we should have never attempted. I understand he's trying to keep Colt David positive, but no coach should be happy that we end regulation tied with an inferior team, and no coach should be happy at how we ended that game. Miles should have been in players' faces the entire 2nd half, not smiling and talking bout how close we came to winning.

3. Gary Crowton has hit his playcalling wall. He is the anti-Jimbo: he tries a certain play until it is successful, and then we don't see it anymore. We forced the Trindon reverses and sweeps early in the year, getting very little efficiency out of it. Then we play South Carolina, it is very successful, and we abandon it. Now we're sometimes using the reverse to play off of it, but nobody fears it as a result of Crowton under-utilizing the play. We did use it as the main fake on a triple reverse against Florida, and the play was very successful, but we saw that play ZERO times against UK. Instead we were running Trindon in I-formation up the gut. Then when we need "The Wizard" to wow us most, he chokes. Our drive to end regulation was inexcusable. Why were we running the ball up the gut? Why were we having to rely on swing pass/screens to get 3rd and longs? We wasted a LOT of time on that drive due to bad choices in running. Also our final drive will never be forgotten. One of the (supposedly) most creative offensive minds in CFB runs up the gut 4 times with our 4th best RB? Speechless

4a. Our substitution patterns on offense are at the point of being absolutely ridiculous. We don't run a RB by committee. We run Hester and a 2nd back, with a 3rd runner getting ignored (Against UF it was Scott and against UK it was Keiland). To make matters worse, HESTER WAS NOT 100%. He should have NOT seen the field in the 2nd half because of injury. Oh yeah, and there is this Charles Scott fellow who was absolutely tearing up the UK defense in the first half. His first long run made our team wake up, and he was energizing the team. Yet our coaches DISRESPECT him and he doesn't see the field in the 2nd half except for a few blitz pickups and 2 carries (I believe). If you were Charles Scott, how would you feel about this? How can our coaches think this is a healthy regime to put our best players in? How can Les Miles and Crowton look Scott in the face this week? Scott doesn't deserve this disrespect, especially since he goes out and does little things like bust his ass on special teams. Miles should come out and publicly apologize to Charles Scott for the disrespect our coaching staff showed him this week, and then Miles should be forced to honestly tell the fans why they messed up so badly by going away from him.

4b. Flynn sucked. RP is unproven. Why is RP unproven? It is because the coaching staff refuses to let him try to play QB if Flynn is better than 50%. Why do they do this? Who knows? The coaching staff has refused to use RP as a real QB outside of the end of blowouts and the MTSU game. This gives them the, "he is unprepared" excuse to not sit an obviously ineffective Flynn. I'm not saying bench Flynn for good, I'm saying give RP a few series to see if he can spark our team's energy. Flynn is not the leader that JR was, and he can't rally this team like JR did. We come out flat and without energy, and Flynn does nothing to fix it (This is also on the coaches. 3 weeks in a row LSU has come out without any energy and our coaches/Flynn have not corrected it). We have 2 QBs..We don't have a QB and a RB who lines up as a QB. Let's use them. RP, like Scott, is owed a public apology. He was ignored late in that game, and this is with Flynn panicking on plays and throwing a HORRIBLE pick. How poorly does Flynn have to play in order for our coaches to start pushing him and having a QB competition? Honestly (and in full seriousness), how much difference is there in Marcus Randall and Matt Flynn at this point?

5. Bo Pelini…words cannot describe how arrogant you are. You are given gameplans 2 weeks in a row to combat superior offenses, and you use none of the information you were given. You refuse to use press coverage at the line to disrupt timing routes. You refuse to blitz and consistently put pressure on the QB. You refuse to adjust to the games you are a part of. You believe your scheme that you devised is the best ever imagined, and if the other team performs well you say your players didn't execute your brilliant scheme well enough. Where was the defensive formation shifts? Why did we constantly show exactly what we were going to do (especially if we were blitzing)? Why do you show an all-out blitz on a crucial 3rd down play and leave Curtis Taylor in man coverage 10-15 yards off the line when all they need is 5-6 for the first? Where is our defensive shifting? You saw that UK was waiting for our D to line up and then they'd call their play, so why the hell were you not showing 2 or 3 fronts to the offense within every play. Move our DL, LB, and S around to confuse the offense. Don't sit back in a soft cover 2 or cover 3 and give offenses easy 5-10 yard plays. You say you're trying to limit big plays, but GUESS WHAT!?!?!??! YOUR DEFENSE GIVES UP BIG PLAYS WHEN IT GOES UP AGAINST GOOD OFFENSES. Always have, and likely always will. Sure blitzing may leave guys in 1 on 1 coverage, but if a guy misplays a zone the field is WIDE open (like against UF) or if you have to adjust your zone to take away a specific player (like say a TE that is abusing the holes in your soft zone and pulling the FS away from the deep middle), you will essentially be IN MAN COVERAGE ON THE OUTSIDE…WITHOUT THE PRESSURE. Oh yeah…just so you know, playing behind receivers and expecting LBs to make plays on WRs all the time will lead to a lot of Defensive Pass Interference calls. It isn't a sin to bump receivers at the line and have the defender between the QB and receiver…just so you know. It is legal.

6. Every single one of these points has been raised, and generally raised often. Hester may be the best back for certain situations, but he is not our best RB in every game. His career game ended up in almost the exact same number of yards that Charles Scott had…in the 1st half…on 6 or 7 carries. Flynn may be fragile mentally and Miles may feel he owes Flynn loyalty, but winning is what Miles is paid to do. David may have needed that support after the final FG attempt to boost his confidence, but Miles shouldn't have put him in that position. The loyalty that is shoved down this team's throats has cost our team a game. It has caused our team to look lackluster after our signature win. And I may be wrong, but I bet it is causing dissention in the locker room. If there is no dissention in the RB ranks, then Keiland Williams and Charles Scott are better and stronger people than Les Miles.

7. This was not our "worst" game of the year. Our play in this game was not much different than against Tulane, USC or Florida. The difference was we didn't get lucky, and the refs called DPI consistently in the 2nd half (unlike the UF game where we got some favorable calls). We also weren't at home. Hell Tulane is still probably our worst game of the year. LSU has just laid 4 eggs in a row and I'm starting to wonder if we are the best team in CFB right now. With our coaches' heads up their collective asses, I don't think we could beat any team put in front of us (obviously…just look at us last night against a UK team that still has a good shot to finish unranked by the end of the year).

8. You know how you ignorant, unquestioning section of our fanbase responded to all of these points raised earlier in the season with, "what is our record?" or "did we lose the game?" Well guess what? We DID lose the game, so now that is flipped around. Why didn't we put in RP when Flynn was showing that he was scared and making stupid plays? We lost the game, remember? Just like how Flynn (who hasn't looked really good in any game this year) can play poorly and have the fans ask what his record is. Well, that is not an option now. It is open season for speculation of our stubborn coaching staff and their questionable decisions.

9. Had we somehow pulled that game out of our asses, I'd be making the SAME complaints. Let's just hope the coaching staff finally pulls their head out of their asses and fixes the shit that even casual observers can point out. There is no team who we play from here on out in the regular season who has near the talent that we do. Screw the politics and stupid high school emotional ploys. Just win baby.

10. Geaux Tigers



Your's Truly



SlowFlowPro


PS. Auburn is salivating at the thought of playing this team in turmoil right now, however USF and Moo State have already given our coaches good gameplans on how to play and beat Auburn. Let's see if they use it.