November 8, 2018
DENHAM SPRINGS HS at SAM HOUSTON HS…
Denham Springs opens up the playoffs this Friday night, November 9, as the Jackets travel to Sam Houston HS. You can catch all of the action on Family Radio, 91.9 FM and on the net at JonFineProductions.com. 6 pm is Sport N Center Jackets Warm-Up, with Josh Ward, Andy Duckworth and yours truly, Jon Fine
Brusly HS at Eunice HS
Brusly travels to Eunice HS this Friday night in the first round of the playoffs wand you can tune in on KBRS, 106.9 or on the net at Jon FineProductions.com… Lionel Franklin will be calling play-by-play, with Jason Manola on color commentary. Airtime 6:30pm
SULPHUR HS at Zachary HS
Playoff action tomorrow night with Bruce Merchant on play by play, with Patrick Frey on color commentary on SportsRadio, 1310AM—KEZM—Lake Charles and on the internet at KEZMonline.coM.
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BATON ROUGE AREA BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, 11/9, 6pm… Denham Springs HS Football at Sam Houston HS… Family Radio, 91.9 FM and on the net at JonFineProductions.com…
Josh Ward, Andy Duckworth, Jon Fine
FRIDAY, 11/9, 6:30PM… Brusly HS at Eunice HS… KBRS,106.9 FM…
Jon Fine Productions.com
Lionel Franklin and Jason Manola
SPORTSRADIO-1310-KEZM-LAKE CHARLES (AND KEZMONLINE. COM) BROADCASTS
Friday, 11/9, 6:45 pm… Sulphur HS at Zachary HS, Bruce Merchant, Patrick Frey
Friday, 11/9 10am—Noon… Pigskin Preview… Patrick Frey and Scott Holtzman
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High
Coach O said it best. We know how to respond from this loss to Bama, we have practice. As LSU fans, we know it hurts more to be shown up on the national stage by players and coaches that are either from this state or used to be in the state. Even though, I saw this coming, it didn’t hurt any less, and that is frustrating.
I don’t care what anyone says, I know three things after watching LSU lose decisively to Alabama again.
One, Alabama would have beaten LSU 22-0 with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Miami, Ole Miss, and Georgia were all supposed to have great receivers. Alabama has the best receivers LSU has faced this year and a great offensive line. No Alabama quarterback has had the complete supporting cast on offense like this one in the Saban era. In short, Tua is very good player and definitely made some good plays out of the pocket (I am disappointed LSU allowed him to scramble left so often), but I believe he is getting too much credit.
Two, Alabama cannot be beaten with a traditional offense. You must make them play 11 on 11 or you will lose. That is not opinion, it is fact.
Before my last conclusion, understand that I can’t stand that LSU cannot block Alabama. I hate that LSU can’t protect the quarterback or run a screen or draw successfully. I am angry that LSU has not scored a point at home against Alabama since 2014. It drives me crazy that Alabama is doing it right now defensively with a linebacker that grew up in Baton Rouge, a cornerback that was on LSU’s roster at the beginning of last year, and a cornerback that leaned to LSU for 1.5 years but the negativity of our fan base sent him to Tuscaloosa and the job security of Saban.
Still, LSU is going to win 9 or 10 regular season games this year with a bad offensive line and no playmakers on offense. I know that doesn’t make Tiger fans feel better right now. It helps my head, but not my heart. Will it get better?
It won’t get better until this fact changes. Since 2012, Alabama has had 39 players drafted in the first 100 picks with 14 being interior defensive linemen or offensive linemen. 8 of those picks since 2015 are interior defensive lineman or offensive lineman.
In comparison, LSU has had 27 players picked in the top 100 with 9 interior DL or offensive linemen. BUT, only one interior player since 2015 (Ethan Pocic).
Where has Clemson been great in recent years when they challenged Alabama? The interior of their defensive line and quarterback. Last year, Clemson’s quarterback was weak and their offense looked as pathetic against Bama as LSU’s.
Obviously after watching Alabama, we know they have interior line players that will be drafted high. Unfortunately, after watching LSU play all year, I still can’t say the same. Entering the year, I had hopes for Fehoko, Lawrence, Alexander, and others. These are good players, but Miami, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M all have better players up front.
Of course, defense isn’t the reason LSU can’t move the ball on Miss. State or Alabama, and the offensive line is where I am baffled. Most of the players on LSU’s offensive line were very highly recruited, and can lift a house, but don’t move their feet or play with much power.
Unfortunately, offensive linemen take the longest to develop so the fact that LSU does have some highly regarded offensive linemen committed doesn’t make me feel better. Still, remember these names: Kardell Thomas, Ray Parker, and Anthony Bradford. Two of these will have to be great players soon for LSU’s offense to have more offensive success in the future.
I have handled this week the same way I do every year after the Bama loss. I go into a media blackout. I wait for Alabama to crush Mississippi State and everyone moves on from Saturday’s game. Hopefully, LSU will perform the way they should against Arkansas and get us feeling better again.
It would be nice if some of LSU’s young receivers like Chase and Marshall start to show out. Maybe Chris Curry can start to contribute on offense again. As you could tell last week, I like the idea of Jontre Kirklin making plays in space.
I want to send a thank you letter to the Saints for saving my weekend and sanity. Brees, Thomas, Kamara, and the offensive line were incredible.
I am not trying to be a downer, but I still have a hard time seeing the Saints claiming the top seed in the NFC. THe NFC West is horrible. The Rams may lose to Kansas City, but it is hard to see them finishing worse than 13-3 and more likely they finish 14-2. The Saints still have the Bengals this week, the Eagles, Steelers, Panthers twice, Falcons, and our sudden nemesis, Tampa Bay.
The defense still does maddening things like giving up 25 yards in 7 seconds at the end of the first half so the Rams can kick a field goal. Fortunately, the bar is low. If the Saints can continue to be great against the run, then the Saints can continue to win time of possession and wear down defenses. If the defense can force turnovers that lead to points like Williams’ interception last week and Anzalone’s interception this week, then the Saints can continue to win these close games.
To close and tie the Saints success to LSU’s struggles, it is apparent how the Saints are so successful. As great as Kamara, Thomas, and Brees are, the Saints are one of the top four teams in the league because of the interior of the offensive and defensive lines. Football is still football.
HEY REF
And now the fight to get to the “Big Dance” begins as the high school regular football season has come to an end. The LHSAA in its divine wisdom just a few years back decided to expand the playoffs by splitting teams into one of two brackets calling one “select” (private schools) and the other “non-select” (public schools). By doing this more kids will get to compete simply because the number of schools in the two bracket system did of course increase the number of schools/divisions/championships.
I for one did at the start of the split playoff system support the idea. For many years small schools would square off against schools with double, triple or even higher enrollments that turned out to be a disaster on the field. Most of the smaller schools were never able to go toe to toe with the bigger schools and compete. I worked games where the biggest kids on one side of the ball were between 150 to 175 pounds while the other team had water boys bigger than that.
I don’t understand (and may never) why these mismatches were allowed year after year. So in the beginning the split was sold as a way to somehow level the playing field between the smaller and bigger schools. In theory allowing just the private schools to face off against private schools and public schools against public schools in the playoffs seemed like a perfect solution. Hold on if that’s how you think or feel.
The problem starts with numbers. Louisiana doesn’t have enough private schools to fill out a playoff bracket that would justify having a split playoff system. If you take a look at the private school brackets you’ll understand why I’m saying that. In the four select playoff brackets there are ten schools enjoying a bye week. Getting an extra week off to get your injured players back on the field is an enormous advantage that shouldn’t be given any school.
Second the records of some of these schools are an embarrassment. Up and down the brackets you’ll find teams with won – loss records such as Archbishop Shaw (2-8), St. Lois (4-6), Lusher Charter (3-7) and Pope John Paul (2-8). Over in the public school brackets it’s not as bad but it’s still unthinkable to have schools with losing records qualifying to win a state championship. One year it will happen when a school qualifies to be in the playoffs with a 2-8 or a 4-6 record then they “run the table” and are state champions by beating a school with a one loss record.
Seems crazy, I know but stranger things have happened in the sporting world and they’ll continue to happen unless someone comes up with a better plan. As a parent I too want to see more kids involved with school activities as a way to keep them out of trouble but this farce of a split playoff system in football, basketball and baseball seems to me to be about raising cash than anything else.
I agree most schools operate on a tight budget and the extra cash generated by the split playoff system is a great way in helping schools to be able to support athletic events. I’m just not a fan of the way championships are won in Louisiana. And while I have your attention let me address on how officials are assigned to playoff games that is of course in football since that’s the only sport in which I work.
In the good ‘ole days coaches would get together and agree on where they’d get the officials to work their game(s). I can remember when the Baton Rouge Association would startthe playoffs with 12, 14 or 16 games that first week. It was a way of finding out which association the coaches, state wide, thought was the best because they always want the best officials for their playoff games.
In these modern times I believe the LHSAA has the final word on which association will work which games. My question for the LHSAA is “Why do you punish some associations by not assigning them more playoff games if the coaches want them”? Also “why restrict the better officials from working playoff games simply because they didn’t attend a camp”?
Here’s what I’m talking about; you get officials with 15, 20 or more years’ experience but they can only work the first week of the playoffs simply because they haven’t attended a camp in the last two years. So some officials with five or six years will work deeper into the playoffs simply because they attended a camp a minimum of two years ago. Playoff time is when you need to put the best officials on the field and not a time to put restrictions on assignment secretaries and forcing them to make their better officials stay at home.
So, I’ll close for this week and am asking coaches to riddle me this: Would you rather have a seasoned, experienced official work your playoff games or a guy that’s only been on the field for a couple years? I can’t wait to hear what some of the coaches have to say once they find out the crew on the field might have just 15 years total experience.
Till next week…
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