September 10, 2021
PRAYERS AND THANKS
Our thoughts and well wishes go out to all of those enduring the damage, destruction and devastation of Hurricane Ida
A special shout out to all of the first responders who are working so selflessly to restoring some sense of sanity to South Louisiana.
GAME ON!
The Denham Springs HS Football team opens up its season tonight (September 10), as coach Brett Beard’s team plays host to East Iberville. Kickoff is 7pm
You can catch all the action on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com
Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup airs at 6pm
Mario Jerez provides play-by-play, Mitch Covington is the color commentator, and yours truly, Jon Fine, assists with Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup, North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report and Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show.
Guests on Broadcast
Jon Fine will interview first season DSHS announcers--Mario Jerez on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup and Mitch Covington on North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report.
DSHS ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Due to Ida and Covid, the DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet and game presentation are being postponed until Thursday, October 14 (Banquet, 6:30 pm, Forrest Grove Plantation), and Friday, October 15, 2021. Tickets to the banquet remain on sale at the Denham Springs HS office.
TAILGATING
The Denham Springs Athletic Association offers complimentary tailgating to its members
The first tailgating will be tonight at the Beetle Baily Batting Cages, at 6pm
A microcosm of women taking over the world (a good thing in our opinion), Laura Dunlap and Julie Jacobsen are integral in the DSAA and the great job they do!!… Their next meeting is Monday, September 20, 6:30 pm at Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill. We are proud to be members (although skeptical as to why they'd allow us in!!)
SPORTS PUBLICATIONS GALORE!
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott discusses LSU and Saints Football
Dennis IS back by popular demand!
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
We were all wrong, and I give credit to Chip Kelly. He has adapted. That was as close to smash mouth football without getting into two back formations as you will get. He neutralized LSU´s speed on defense and took advantage of the Tigers inability to get lined up and know their responsibilities.
By now, everyone has had their say and broken down the many deficiencies LSU showed against UCLA. I will confirm with everyone else that the defensive line is not dominant, the linebacking play is still a weakness, and the safeties are still a work in progress. Everyone has made these points and they are true.
I agree with Orgeron that the offensive coaching needs to do more to help the offense through scheme and play calling. I also believe that Max Johnson has got to be better in that he cannot skip passes or miss Trey Palmer when he is wide open just 15 yards down the field for a TD. Finally, I agree with Kayshon Boutte that the receivers have to win some 50/50 balls. Against UCLA, they were 5/95 balls as LSU receivers did not make the plays when given an opportunity.
All week, though, everyone has spent so much time piling on the coaches, it really has become boring. If things do not get better, LSU will be looking for a new coach. But let´s be interesting and consider how it is possible that LSU turns it around this year and Orgeron stays the coach.
First, UCLA could be a 9 win team. I still am not sure how good they are, but consider these facts. The country now thinks LSU stinks, but at the same time thinks UCLA is good because they beat LSU. I am not sure how that makes sense, but it does to the college football landscape.
UCLA will be favored against Fresno State, Stanford, Arizona State, Arizona, Washington (who just got beat by Montana), Colorado, and Cal. If they can avoid the upset, that is 9 wins. If they can find another win against Utah, USC, or Oregon at home that is 10 wins.
Second, the defense was bad against UCLA, but the mistakes are correctable. UCLA had plays of 36, 75, 35, 43 and 45 yards!! That is 234 of their 470 yards. Those plays were not because LSU was dominated at the line of scrimmage or unable to cover. Those huge gains are because of huge gaps. Huge gaps happen when defensive players do not fill the correct gaps or when the defense is not lined up correctly. The huge pass plays were not from the quarterback dropping the ball in a tight window. It was players running across the field uncovered. That does not mean this staff can correct them, and it is the most frustrating part to Tiger fans.
I have heard many in the media this week say that LSU cannot pick up free agents like in the NFL. True. But they can try some freshmen and other players that we have not seen blow assignments last year and now in the UCLA game. Maybe these two games do give some players the opportunity, and maybe they can get lined up and know their assignment.
I am not going to go so far to say this defensive line can be as good as advertised. I have seen enough to know that was, once again, a mirage. But, lining up correctly and playing the proper technique and assignment can make a defense better than average.
Third, perhaps Orgeron lives up to what he said in the postgame and LSU decides just running the ball with running backs between the tackles is not the best way to get the running game going. Whether it is Les Miles with 2 tight ends and a fullback or 2021 with 3 wide receivers, tight end, and a running back, there has to be diversity in the run game.
Maybe Matt Canada wasn't totally crazy and the jet sweeps that have worked against LSU and helped get Devonta Smith a Heisman Trophy, can be utilized with Malik Nabors, Trey Palmer, and Kayshon Boutte.
Another idea would be to get in the Pistol formation, and use play action and bootlegs to get Max Johnson outside the pocket. This concept could change the launch point for the defense instead of having the quarterback in the same spot as a sitting duck.
These are pretty drastic changes and improvements to make happen in just a couple of weeks. The good news is that I will not need to watch four quarters and 3.5 hours to know if they are taking place. And if they are not, I can find something more enjoyable to do Saturday night.
I would preview the Saints, but after what happened with LSU, I would prefer to just wait and see. I think I have made it pretty clear this off season that I am not sold on the defense. I have not seen Payton Turner who will be needed desperately with Onyemata out. And I am not going to let preseason fool me into thinking that Trufant or Adebo will hold up on the opposite side of Latimore. Not to mention that Lattimore is a notoriously slow starter to the season anyway.
Offensively, clearly there is potential for more explosive plays with Winston at quarterback. I like Taysom moving around with Kamara like the last couple of years, but the tight ends and receivers have never done it in the regular season. And for the record, the regular season is not the preseason.
I am fully expecting another season opening loss, but will be watching closely to see if the 3 enormous weaknesses (corner, defensive tackle, receiver) can be masked with execution situational awareness on defense at the end of games. An area where the Saints have never been known to excel.
HEY REF
If you’ve read my column more than just a few times then you’re very much aware of my practice in allowing my readers to recommend one of their favorites columns/subjects be published again under the heading “Best of Hey Ref”. And every once in a while I agree with my readers and submit co-favorite columns to grace this space once again. The following column was first published back in 2015 and it’s one of my all-time faves. This column rings true as much today as it did back then and all I’ll say is “if the shoe fits; etc.”!
And it seems each and every time I repost it I get more people saying they know someone like the person I’m writing about. And with that said please do enjoy this fan fave.
When so many people are scratching their heads trying to figure out why their children’s behavior has hit rock bottom all they need to do is look in the mirror. Parent’s behavior at games, I should say at EVERY game leaves me to wonder how these people go through life away from the football field. We’re entering the final week of high school football and for some it must seem like the end of the world.
I remember a thing called Sportsmanship that thing fewer and fewer adults are bringing with them to the football games in and around Baton Rouge. I remember the pure disgust that would stir inside my stomach when I was calling little league baseball. Now it seems it has morphed itself to include high school football games.
Why do we have anything except varsity games? I’m one of the few that accepts the need for Jr. High and Jr. Varsity games as the place where an athlete will learn his skills before walking onto a varsity field. But after being away from working high school games for twelve years I knew things would be a little different. Like players getting bigger and faster.
But the real change has come among those sitting in the stands watching games. It seems to me that many of those fans don’t have lives. Each game feels like I’m going to an execution. In that I mean those on the losing side wouldn’t have anything to live for once the game was “in the books” so to speak. Sub varsity games are supposed to be where an athlete would begin to learn the game from the inside.
But what seems to be happening is the parents believe this 9th grade game tonight is all that’s left in this world. Parents, when officials try to help these young athletes line up and stay set before the snap it isn’t meant to help the other team beat your team. We strive to help youngsters when we can so that we don’t spend the majority of the game walking five yards this way then five yards the other.
And YES we can call holding on every play, hands down. But how many parents want the officials to do this? The only ones that do are the parents of the team without the ball. I wonder how many parents are living their lives through their child’s life. Well, all I can think it’s more than 90% just by their behavior during the games. Of course “little Johnny” never holds he always plays by the rules. It has to be the OTHER guys that are holding.
If you’ve never heard the term “PREVENTATIVE” officiating let me educate you. A simple example is when one player’s head is in the neutral zone. We as officials will tell the player between plays to back up or get back depending on what side of the ball they’re on. One coach will thank you for not calling the foul on his team but as soon as the other team has the ball he goes ballistic if you tell the other team to back up a bit.
If I had my way each and every parent would spend an entire year working football games for nothing. This way they might actually learn the rules. There are so many experts sitting in the stands trying to tell everyone the rules and how the officials on the field really don’t know what they are doing. Please, please do the game a great service, get off your back-sides and try to call a few games. Then without a doubt we’ll see just how much you really don’t know! I’m not about to let the officials off the hook by no means. I spent nearly 20 years calling football in this area before a bad injury caused me to “retire”. When I returned to the field what I’ve found is scaring me to the core.
The quality of the officials calling games has drastically DECLINED! I hate to admit this but so many of the best that have put on the striped shirt have left the game entirely. And I feel it’s due to the lack of respect given them by parents, coaches and the media. For whatever reason the games are suffering because so many good officials have hung up their whistles and aren’t returning year after year.
So, I dare all those great officials instead of sitting in the stands please put on the uniform and help the sport you know so much about by getting involved. Please don’t delay, start at your earliest convenience, and start calling real games where there’s no benefit of slow motion instant replay from 20 different angles. Then, maybe you’ll understand the job of WORKING football games is a very challenging one.
Till next week… …
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
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