There is no doubt: Ed Orgeron is what’s best for LSU

Orgeron promises championships, innovation, success at LSU
November 27, 2016
Lafourche amends budget; adds projects
November 30, 2016
Orgeron promises championships, innovation, success at LSU
November 27, 2016
Lafourche amends budget; adds projects
November 30, 2016

Temptation is the driving force behind a lot of bad decisions that occur in our world.


Those who succumb to it rarely live up to their potential, while those who overcome it are often those who later reach the pinnacle in a given field.

It’s the difference between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf – temptation. Manning worked tirelessly at his craft and never lost focus, despite fame and fortune. Leaf got to near the pinnacle, then settled for less than he deserved. He got deeply rooted into drugs, which caused addiction, the end of his career and ultimately, prison.

It’s why I’m 185 pounds and not 165 – temptation.


Temptation is all-encompassing, and it’s a factor in every, single decision we make in life.

Literally, every one – including the LSU head football coaching search.

The Tigers’ decision makers were tempted throughout the process. They were coaxed and wooed by candidates around the country who were doing flashy things with other programs. They were also tempted by fans, who succumbed to the hype and were now clamoring for an outsider to come in.


But at the end of the day, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva rose above it and made a smart, safe choice.

Instead of being tempted by Tom Herman and the rest of the many birds in the bush, Alleva shunned temptation and picked the bird in the hand, instead.

And he did so, because that bird just wouldn’t fly away – even when it looked like it was headed back to join the others in the bush.


Ed Orgeron is a very, very nice selection to be the next head football coach at LSU.

Forget Ole Miss. Forget the Florida game. We will talk about those both later.

But this job is tailor made for Orgeron.


He was born to be the coach here. This job is literally in his DNA.

I hate the term “dream job,” because coaches far too often abuse it.

But this truly is Orgeron’s dream job.


He’s a Louisiana man through and through and this is our state’s best gig.

The two just go together seamlessly hand-in-hand. It’s a marriage made in heaven.

It’s a bond that Herman could never replicate here – even if he is as good as advertised (which I’m not yet sure that he is).


The concerns about Orgeron’s failures at Ole Miss are real, but who am I to let those days be judge, jury and executioner?

He was young, then, and he admits he wasn’t ready.

Orgeron says he was a knucklehead at Ole Miss – an arrogant know-it-all who tried to control every facet of the program.


Guess what? I sort-of don’t blame him.

I probably would have been, too.

When Orgeron took that job, the dude had just been the lead assistant coach under Pete Carroll for a couple USC teams, which were among the best teams in the entire history of college football.


He thought he was untouchable.

He thought he was invincible.

And ultimately, he was humbled by the Goliath that is the SEC.


But even in his failures, Orgeron built the Rebels roster up in such a way that the next coach had success.

Since that time, Orgeron went back to being an assistant coach and studied under guys like Sean Payton, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Les Miles.

He also studied his tenure at Ole Miss and identified exactly what went wrong.


A lot of those answers pointed back at himself.

The first peek we got at the “new” Orgeron was in 2013 at USC.

When Lane Kiffin got fired, Orgeron turned that Trojans team from a laughing stock to a contender – all overnight.


But he got no credit, and was ultimately replaced, despite pleas from players who wanted Orgeron to earn a long-term deal.

USC got tempted by a bigger name. It didn’t pan out.

Unlike LSU, they let the smart, safe choice go away.


And their program still isn’t back to the level they want it to be – now, a couple coaches and an athletic director later.

Orgeron landed at LSU in 2015 and got another shot this past fall, and again, he proved the ways of the past were behind him.

Look, I’m an LSU football snob.


I can give in-depth recaps of every, single game from 1998-now.

The beginning of Les Miles’ run was fantastic.

But, the end was a drag. LSU football was fun from 2005-2011, but from 2012-16, it wasn’t fun anymore.


Watching incredibly diverse and talented teams run toss-dives into 11-man boxes isn’t entertainment. It’s torture.

I hated that Les Miles had to be fired, because I was raised to be a loyal man. But I supported the decision 100 percent.

And for all of the same reasons, I support Orgeron as my alma mater’s new coach.


For the past seven games, LSU football has been fun again – even in the losses.

Orgeron has changed the team’s philosophy, and the new approach has paid dividends. LSU averaged 475 yards per game and 32 points per game since the transition – and that’s without an offseason or the chance to go get a coordinator who can push things deeper into the future.

Naysayers tout the loss against Alabama as a negative, but that’s asinine.


Fact it, folks. NO ONE beats Alabama routinely.

They are the exception, not the rule, as long as Nick Saban is there.

Naysayers tout the loss against Florida as a sign of a team that was too conservative or close to the vest.


I don’t agree.

LSU gained 400-plus yards in that game and wins it handily if not for a few mishaps and fumbles.

Naysayers say he’s not ready for the challenges ahead, for which I ask them: “Who exactly is?”


Guess what, folks? Tom Herman finished FOURTH PLACE in the American Athletic Conference’s Western Division.

In a conference which features the likes of Tulane, UConn, SMU, East Carolina and Tulsa, among others, Tom Herman’s team finished fourth place out of six teams in its division.

But yet, what happened 11 years ago at Ole Miss is what’s important?


Give me a break!

Tom Herman is a sexy name, and he may well go to Texas and do great things.

But at the end of the day, he was like the rest – a bird in the bush who may have never panned out.


Ed Orgeron was in-hand from day one, and he was in-hand because he chose to be.

This job is the job he wanted – not some gig someplace else.

No. 1 Ed Orgeron hired at LSU


The past year wasn’t ideal for LSU football.

The Tigers lost their season opener to Wisconsin, then messed up the clock in a late-game situation, which led to a loss at Auburn, and ultimately, Les Miles’ firing.

Miles’ dismissal sent shockwaves throughout the world of college football – tremors that were heavily felt locally, because of his replacement.


In Miles’ absence, the Tigers tapped Larose native and South Lafourche graduate Ed Orgeron to be the team’s interim head man – a decision that ultimately produced fruits.

Under Orgeron, the Tigers revamped their style, opening practices to public and decreasing the amount of time players worked on the field during school days.

It worked.


The Tigers finished the regular season 5-2 under Orgeron, who parlayed that success into a five-year contract to lead the team into the future.

In his first game as LSU’s official head coach, Orgeron left Tiger fans pleased.

LSU crushed Louisville 29-9 in the Citrus Bowl this past week, taking momentum into the offseason.


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