Newsletter
JONFINEPRODUCTIONS.COM NEWSLETTER
9/22/2023
GOD BLESS UKRAINE AND THE USA!!!!
FRANKLINTON THE FOE....Tonight’s Denham Springs HS Football game vs Franklinton HS comes your way at 6 o’clock with Sport n Center Jackets Warm-up on Family Radio, 91.9 FM and on the net at Jon Fine Productions.com.
DS HOOPS ON THE AIR!…..Sport n Center Jackets Warm-up will include an interview with Denham Springs HS Girls Basketball coach Rudy Smith. Jackets Boys Basketball coach Kevin Caballero (coach Cab) will come on the Smalls Sliders Half-Time Report.
-----------------------
TODAY’S COLUMN…..We are all like Sargent Schultz. We know nothing! See Scott Osborne’s Wizardry of Os by scrolling down below.
==============================
------------------------------
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
By Scott Osborne
We are 3 weeks into the college football season and 2 weeks into the NFL season. What do we know? If we are wise, we will admit that as soon as we think we know something, we will find out we don’t know anything. But, that is no fun.
We know LSU faced its toughest regular season opponent in game one against FSU. You know the SEC is not very good when the best non conference win is from Missouri on a 61 yard field goal at home against Kansas State, and Alabama can barely beat South Florida, even if that game is bizarrely on the road.
We know that LSU has power running backs for days. We thought LSU had improved depth at tight end, but they don’t right now. I would love to see LSU try some old fashioned shotgun formations with two running backs to have the best 11 players on the field.
We know the offense will be difficult to stop if they stay away from negative plays. Daniels will take advantage of defensive mistakes and make plays when things break down.
What we don’t know, on offense, is whether the offensive line will grow into the lofty expectations we had before the season. The individual talent appears to be there, and the trick will be to develop as a unit.
On the defensive side, I know, as with any defense, they can make it difficult on their opponent if they play together collectively. What I thought and still want to see is whether the two players I thought could be top 10 picks will start to dominate the line of scrimmage. Amazon Smith and Harold Perkins could make everyone else look better. Can they be put in that position and perform that way? It hasn’t happened yet.
As for now, I will say we know that LSU has a good defense. The defense is good enough to combine with a great offense and win every game left on the schedule. That won’t be good enough in the SEC Championship game, though. I look forward to seeing how the defense will continue to progress.
As for the Saints, we know the offensive line needs help. The personnel is what it is and the line can grow as a unit. That is not the type of help I am referring to.
The good news is that there is plenty of help to give as long as the offense can stay out of obvious passing situations. Taysom Hill helps the running game by forcing the defense to stay honest, and he can take advantage of defenses that don’t respect his ability to run or pass. The Saints have to be as multiple in the run game as they are in the pass game. In addition, they have to use the run game to help with pass protection.
Against Carolina, the early plan was very effective to help avoid another ugly start for Penning. The Saints used formations to avoid having Penning alone on the edge. Every pass was a off of a quick 3 step drop. In reality, it is too hard, in the NFL, to score touchdowns consistently with 10 play 70 yard drives. There has to be some measure of explosives, and that will be the challenge for this offense.
Fortunately, in the first two games, there have been just enough explosives to put the game away. If the offense can find a couple more explosive plays per half, then the Saints can start scoring in the upper 20s.
Everyone thinks they know this is a great Saints defense. They have tied a Saints record for the most games in a row without giving up more than 20 points. This defense has played well in the first two weeks. But, I don’t think we really know if this streak is that impressive.
The first two games in the streak the opponents did score 20 points. Most of the games have been against lower tier quarterbacks and offenses. The game against the Eagles was against Gardner Minshew, not Jalen Hurts.
To the Saints credit, the schedule is the schedule. There are plenty of defenses facing these teams and giving up more than 20 points. The other good news is that the schedule remains favorable. Explosive offenses are not on this schedule.
As far as what we know with certainty, though, when I watch the Cowboys, Niners, and Eagles on defense, they look to me to be at a different level. They have a few guys on the defensive line that are elite game wreckers.
I think we know the Saints should be in every game as long as they don’t fall apart with self-inflicted mistakes (like failing tests for performance enhancing substances) or injuries. So far, the Saints have been able to finish games with leads. I am concerned as to how this team would be able to mount a comeback if they cannot protect Derek Carr in the two minute offense. Hopefully, we won’t need to find out this week at Green Bay.
------------------------------
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and on the net at JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS THE OWNER OF AN EBAY STORE.
FOR MORE INFO, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: JONFINEPRODUCTIONS.COM