Atwell relieved of coaching duties at Vandebilt
January 23, 2019
A new era … in more ways than one
January 23, 2019
Football is getting closer to ending, but let’s be honest here — does football season EVER truly end in Southeastern Louisiana?
The Super Bowl matchup is set and there is just one significant football game to be played before next fall.
But locals aren’t phased. Almost the entire mailbag is dedicated to football this time around with just some other questions about other sports sprinkled in.
The beauty of it is that a lot of the questions aren’t even related to the Super Bowl at all. You guys just can’t get enough of that pigskin, can you?
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Let’s roll!
Q: Your take on the end of the Saints game? (Asked by … EVERYONE)
A: I think it stinks. I wrote a column two weeks ago detailing how officiating at the NFL level has sunken to a new low. I think Saints fans should be upset because a missed call greatly contributed to the team’s season ending. But, I also am a realist, too. The call was bad, yes. But so was kicking so many field goals early in the game. The call was bad, yes, but so was losing a 13-0 lead and being beaten 26-10 over the final three quarters and overtime. The Saints had chances. Hell, they got the ball to start overtime and turned it over. The call was a factor, but it wasn’t the only factor in the loss. As far as the reaction since the game? Embarrassing – absolutely embarrassing. Anger is fine, but at some point, we have to move on. The petitions are approaching the line of decency, the social media comments toward Roger Goodell are far across the line of decency and the lawsuits? It’s just plain shameful. And now, even the Governor and politicians are getting their jabs in, too. I wish lawmakers cared as much about getting teachers a raise or protecting our coast from erosion as they do a missed call in a football game. And I’ll leave it at that, because there’s oh, so much more I can say, but won’t – to not offend segments of our audience.
Q: Who do you think will win the Super Bowl? (Asked by Ross, Houma)
A: Ross, I hate to be a cop out, but brother, I have no earthly idea. I think both teams are very well coached and are playing quality football heading into the big game. I think the team that wins the game will likely be the one that handles all the hoopla leading up to the game in stride without getting distracted or taken out of a rhythm. Give me a week to let it simmer and check back our newspaper next Wednesday. There will be my annual Super Bowl prediction column in there detailing everything I expect in the big game — top to bottom.
Q: LSU is loaded next fall, aren’t they? What are your expectations? (Asked by James, Houma)
A: Games are not won on paper, so obviously, what I am about to say holds no merit without action on the field next fall. But the LSU football team has more NFL talent now than it has had in the past decade. The Tigers won 10 games (11 by my count) last year and they return their quarterback, a prominent rusher, all of their receivers and four-fifths of their offensive line. On defense, they return most of their defensive line, most of their linebacker corps and a lot of the secondary. Losing Devin White was big. There is no way to replace that type of talent. But to get back Rashard Lawrence, Mike Divinity, Kristian Fulton and some of the other players who have opted to come back to school is just huge for LSU. The expectations for the Tigers are to either make the College Football Playoff or be pretty darned close to it when the regular season ends. Anything else would be a disappointment.
Q: Who will LSU end up with to finish out their recruiting class? (Asked by Timmy, Thibodaux)
A: The Tigers have 21 commitments, which means they have roughly 4-5 spots left available to offer players. I am not sure who they are going to get before National Signing Day, but I can sure tell you who it is that they’d like to get. They’d like to get defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher from Amite, as well as his teammate Devonta Lee. That’s two spots. To get Ishmael Sopsher, they will likely also try and get his big brother, Rodney Sopsher, who is a JUCO player. That’d be three spots. I think LSU would love to flip Byron Young, the big defensive end who is an Alabama commitment, but I don’t see that happening. But a guy to keep an eye on is also defensive back Jay Ward. And heck, look, if LSU doesn’t finish with its full 25-player allotment, all is not lost. Last year, LSU finished short of 25 signees, but used the extra space to sign Joe Burrow and Cole Tracy. Where would the 2018 team have been without those guys?
Q: What are target areas for Nicholls in their recruiting class? (Asked by Lacey, Thibodaux)
A: I can answer this three times: line of scrimmage, line of scrimmage and line of scrimmage. The Colonels actually bring back a lot of skill next fall — plenty enough talent to again make a push for the Southland Conference Championship and the FCS Playoffs. But whether that does or does not happen will depend on how the team replaces the players that they lost along their offensive and defensive lines. The Colonels have recruited well throughout Tim Rebowe’s entire tenure, so we have no doubt that they will find players who can come in and make things happen. But they will need to be early contributors because there are a lot of spots on that depth chart that still need to be filled before next season.
Q: Brees or Mahomes for MVP? (Asked by Brick, Houma)
A: First, before I answer, please know that the NFL MVP is a REGULAR SEASON award, so nothing that happened in the Playoffs will sway how I feel about this. I think Mahomes won the award by a landslide. No one did more to help their team succeed than he did. The guy won 13 games with the No. 31 defense in the NFL and the No. 16 running game. By comparison, New Orleans is No. 14 in total defense and No. 6 in rushing. Brees won six games without getting more than 220 yards passing — relying heavily on his defense and a ball-control, run-heavy offense. Oh yeah, and he finished poorly, tossing 3 touchdowns to 3 interceptions in the final four games he played in the regular season. There is no comparison. Mahomes was more valuable to the Chiefs than Brees was to the Saints. I’m not saying he’s a better player. I’m not saying I’d rather have him on my team. But I am saying that his team’s successes were far more reliant on his talents than New Orleans’ was on Brees’ right arm. There is no question about it. Fans can email their disagreements toward me – that’s fine. You’re homers, I’m not. Mahomes will win the award easily and he deserves it.
Q: What do you make of the run James Harden is on? (Asked by Mike, Cut Off)
A: It’s one of the great individual runs in NBA history. The dude is averaging more than 35 points per game this season and is winning ballgames in the loaded NBA Western Conference — all without Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, James Ennis and now Clint Capela, as well. Harden is averaging more than 40 points per game over the past 20 games and he’s challenging the debate about who the best player in the NBA is. For years, everyone has been so trained to say LeBron James — so much so that it’s almost become habit. But I think Harden is so much better than everyone offensively right now that his defensive deficiencies (which aren’t even that big of a factor anymore anyway) are becoming less noticeable. If he continues at this pace and then has a dominant postseason to boot, why can’t we just drop the “Best Offensive Player” label and just call it like it is and call him the best player in basketball — period?
Q: Assume the Saints can only pay one out of Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas to a new deal, who would you pay? (Asked by Brandon, Houma)
A: Oh, my word, Brandon, this is one hell of a question. Both players are amazing and both guys are huge pieces of the Saints’ successes. If I absolutely, positively had to pay one, I would give Thomas a long-term contract because I think he will be more durable and will have a longer shelf life. NFL running backs come and go and tend to flake out when they get near 30. Thomas isn’t a speed merchant and relies instead on his route running and savvy to make plays. There is no doubt that, barring injury, he can be a force — even into his mid 30s.
Q: Is Thibodaux basketball the real deal? (Asked by Corey, Houma)
A: I think so. They have depth, size, speed, quickness and an amazing home-court advantage. They have one of the area’s best coaches and are rolling through a very tough local Class 5A district. Am I saying they’re a shoe-in to make the Top 28? Heck no, I’m not. Class 5A is really, really tough. But do I think they’re one of the teams in the mix to win the State Championship? Sure, I do. They have as good a shot as anyone, for sure.
Q: Your thoughts on the coaching carousel locally? (Asked by William, Larose)
A: I think the timing is interesting for both decisions. I think it’s unfortunate that Vandebilt let go of Jeremy Atwell, given the turmoil the school has had to endure in the past 6 months surrounding allegations made against he and the program by the Robison family during that whole saga. But with that said, I think Atwell is a good coach who did a good job with his team and the Terriers will have a hard time finding a replacement who will do the things for the program that Atwell did. On the flip-side, I think the decision by Chris Bergeron is a little bit easier to understand. The Cardinals are losing their star quarterback next season, so why not ring in the new phase with a new leader. It makes sense.
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