October 1, 2021
TROJAN WARFARE
The Denham Springs HS Football team entertains Tara HS tonight (October 1). 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 Denham Springs PA Announcer (and former Jackets athlete) Brent Dugas on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup and Livingston Parish School Board Member (and DS Athletics Hall of Fame Member) Cecil Harris 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.
LSU, Saints and Much More!
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott discusses LSU and Saints Football
Dennis questions the need for an officials association
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Hats off to Daronte Jones and Dennis Allen for not just creating excellent game plans this week, but teaching the plans in a way that the players executed at a high level.
The entire country agreed that after the first two weeks of the season, Mac Jones was the best quarterback of this year's draft. The Saints are an organization that is famous for losing to rookie quarterbacks. Though, not as famous as the Lions for losing games on NFL record setting field goals. Sorry, Lions fans. That was brutal.
Back to the Saints, I was glad to see Dennis Allen generate pressure in the face of Mac Jones, something they did not create against Sam Darnold. Against the Patriots, Allen was able to get pressure up the middle without completely selling out and giving up big plays. Meanwhile, the run defense is reminding me of the Dome Patrol days.
As for LSU, we knew what the game plan needed to be, but we were not sure if LSU could commit and execute the plan. Jones and the defensive staff deserve a boat load of credit considering that plan went against every instinct of an LSU defense. It sounds easy, but it is not easy to convince young defensive players of a plan that is the opposite of the style of play they are the most comfortable with. One would think that after last year it would be easy, and that probably helped. Still, the coaches and plates deserve credit.
So now we turn to the side of the ball that has not been impressive for the Saints or LSU.
In two of the first three games, the Saints offense has been given chance after chance by the defense and has not sustained drives. The best drive of the game for the Saints was the last drive. I do not think it is a coincidence that those two drives had major contributions from Taysom Hill and Deonte Harris.
Hill, Harris, and Kamara are the only playmakers on offense. Everyone else is a role player that will make something happen if the play call is timed for the right defense or if everyone executes. Every defense is going to continue to sell out for Kamara, so Harris and Hill need opportunities.
The good news for the LSU offense is that as long as Kayshon Boutte is around, there will be opportunities for explosive plays. The bad news is that the offense cannot sustain any drives. Right now the LSU offense specializes in big plays or negative plays. It seems like LSU spends the whole game in 3rd and long because of penalties or tackles behind the line of scrimmage (sacks or negative runs) due to unblocked defenders. Sprinkle in an errant throw here or there, and this offense just makes it very hard on themselves.
There is a narrative out there that LSU cannot run the ball because the offensive line does not dominate the line of scrimmage. If that was the case, LSU would not have been effective running in 2019 and they have no chance in 2021. But, I do not believe that. One of the reasons Tiger fans celebrated the move away from the Les Miles offense is that his offense did require the offensive line to dominate, which was just not realistic against the best teams.
One of the best aspects of the spread is that it makes running easier because it takes defenders out of the box by formation, requires smaller defenders, and provides opportunities for more than just the tailback to carry the ball.
Further, if you incorporate the quarterback run, then you do not have to block everyone. Joe Burrow ran the ball just enough to make the defense account for him. Supposedly, Max Johnson has this skill set, so it is time to see it.
In addition, running backs that have skills in the open field can make a defender miss. Therefore, all the offensive line needs to do is know their assignment, work together, and get in the way of the right defender. The rest should be up to the system that creates space and the talent of the runner.
I have my fingers crossed that LSU is able to make steps in the right direction this week to continue showing growth and beat an opponent that is not one of the better Auburn teams to come into Tiger Stadium.
HEY REF
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it must be a????? Let’s flip the coin and find out when this thing that quacks like a duck isn’t a duck. SO, just when isn’t this duck a duck? The answer is “When we talk about the LHSOA”. Let me explain why I question the very existence of the Louisiana High School Officials Association or the LHSOA. When I belonged to the electrician’s union, I. B. E. W. Local 995 Baton Rouge, we were able to ask questions of our ELECTED officers and get answers. We were also able to run for any office we wanted and the biggie; we were able to vote on a candidate we supported. None of those three things are available to us as members of this LHSOA UNION.
In fact I’ve never seen a ballot of candidates that wanted to run for an office within the LHSOA. I’ve never been informed or seen anything resembling an election day for said officers. If we are what the LHSAA says we are, Independent Contractors, then why is it mandatory to belong to this “Officials UNION”? When I tried to ask questions and maybe be educated as to “WHY” we need the LHSOA everybody gets tight-lipped. So would someone, anyone please explain to me why does the LHSOA exist? Back when I started ’79 we didn’t have a use or need for such an organization like the LHSOA. The LHSAA dictated what we, the officials, were going to be paid as “Independent Contractors” for calling games under the LHSAA banner so why does the LHSOA exist?
To my knowledge there’s never been a meeting of OFFICIALS ONLY to discuss a constitution, possible candidates that’ll run for an office, an election date and so on. The biggest and number one problem we ‘re facing (and so are other states) is what we need and what we should do in order to keep and attract the best people possible to sustain a constant, continued supply of officials from year to year. I get confused when I read “Louisiana High School Officials Association” because we, the officials have no say so on issues related to doing the job of officiating.
I’ve written in this column before of how and when I found out the LHSOA is the biggest, useless tool in the box. There is a way to submit questions to the LHSOA but there’s no promise you’ll get an answer. My case in point; in a playoff game during a kickoff the receivers caught the kick at their own 30 yard line then blocked below the waist during the return, AFTER change of possession. When the runner crossed the 50 yard line and he had just one defender to out race to the end zone the KICKERS clipped as the runner passed the last member of the kicking team.
Well, my white hat told me as I explained to him why I had 2 flags on the ground that the “KICKERS CAN’T CLIP on a return”, which is pure B. S. since it just happened. So, the next day I sent to the LHSOA the question on how it should’ve been enforced since there was a double foul during a free kick’s return. After waiting almost ten years I’VE NEVER RECEIVED AN ANSWER!
It, the LHSAA, is in itself a UNION yet it’s run as a dictatorship. Some have told me the Official’s Association was needed so that whenever an issue came up with game officials they (LHSAA) had a way to deal directly with its officials. That answer in no way holds water simply because we’re classified as INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS therefore no group, aka UNION, can answer for us on an individual basis. Yet the very thought of placing a so called OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION that has no support from those officials it claims to represent seems redundant to say the very least. And if my English still works then shouldn’t the title be the OFFICIAL’S (‘S) Association? If so then that branding would imply the officials own the union and not vise-versa.
And Mr. Bonine needs an education as to what, by definition a UNION is because he’s so far off base with that issue. His own “ASSOCIATION” IS A UNION so he should know what technically makes an association, institution or organization a UNION. But don’t for a second think there will be a walkout by the officials union because it has no support of the vast majority of those very officials they claim to represent.
To simplify the argument maybe I can better explain in another way how the officials feel and I’ll be as short as possible. If you hire a plumber to install 200 feet of water pipe do you tell the plumber how much he’ll charge you? Of course not, the plumber will set a cost then you have a choice to hire him or not. Many officials feel this way but Mr. Bonine feels the customer can set the wage of someone they hire.
It just isn’t done that way anywhere in our economy. Individual craftsmen set their wages while a contractor sets forth a price for a project in writing also known as a “bid”. Getting it in writing should be the only way for officials to go simply because the principals feel the best way to deal with game officials is to cut their pay.
And in order to attract new officials and to keep them coming back each year it (pay scale) has to be put in writing with a binding contract since the principals have shown in the past if given an inch they’ll take a buck here and a buck there. So to the principals all I have to say is it was your group that’s caused all this. We see and hear the only way to attract the best candidates for a PRINCIPAL’s job is to pay ‘em more and more.
As I explained in last week’s column the principals have made a demand that each and every official MUST ATTEND A CAMP EVERY OTHER YEAR. Sounds like no big deal but after I put out $400 - $500 dollars and buy a couple new shirts I’m losing money to work. How many of those principals would show up for their jobs if they were in all actuality paying the school board instead of the other way around.
We continue to lose money each year along with the respect of the coaches of fans. You read and hear about more and more officials being attacked at games. So when you add the loss of a few hundred dollars and the possibility of severe bodily harm can you really blame officials to want things put in writing because who knows, a principal might come out after the game and tell us they’ve stopped payments on our checks because he didn’t like a call we made.
We love the job we do but we can’t continue to lose money and in this economy we need contracts to guarantee that we’ll be compensated for our time, training and expertise!!
Till next week…
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