Obviously this is a post from the perspective of a football realist as opposed to that of a fan. As a fan, I am glad I return to my work day world on Monday, which promises to be as rainy as today has been, with these 2 wins instead of a win and a loss, or worse. For the record, LSU wound up beating up on a decent squad from Western Kentucky. By the way, what exactly is a Hilltopper? Still LSU's overall effort was spotty at times and they seem to be plagued by some defensive woes. LSU has allowed an alarming number of points against football powerhouses like Western Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. Along with the points comes an alarming number of yards too. All phases of LSU's defense is supposed to be tight this year, yet they have not really put together a complete game. On offense, we always have a chance as long as we can hand off to Leonard Fournette. He is and will remain a Heisman hopeful all year long. The rest of the backs are pretty darn good too. The good news here is that both the QB, Brandon Harris, and the stable of receivers are getting better every game, much better than the earliest games of the year. Still, the Tigers truly need Fournette and company to remain consistent on offense. Bottom line on this date in late October is LSU is 7-0 and ranked high, very high in all the polls. At 7-0, it is high time that Les Miles figure out the defensive deficiencies and the poor play by the special teams. After a week off, LSU's real second season begins with road games against Alabama and Ole Miss and home games against Texas A&M and Arkansas. If they remain undefeated after that, this then is truly a special season!
Now for the Saints. For a bad team and one that I predicted would win 6 games this year, I am heartened that they have now won 3 after just 7 games. Today's victory is the kind of game that drives you totally nuts; complete dominance for on half followed by total ineptitude the second half. We almost had killer instinct in the first half and total recall of how bad this team can be in the second half. Drew Brees remains Drew Brees but is far less talented than the last few years. Today's interception in the end zone is the kind of play he just can't make. Perennial first round bust Mark Ingram had the game of his life but just as he got into a groove, Coach Payton takes the ball out of his hands. Speaking of 1st round busts, I'm starting to think Brandon Cooks is one as well. Good enough receiver, but a #1??? Defense seems to be improving but there is still a long way to go. Given the total turnover in personnel on the Saints, especially the D, I guess this is a pleasant surprise. Bottom line is at 3-4 who knows what Saints team shows up. Perhaps this can be a better than 6-10 season, over time will tell.
So with questions remaining about both LSU and the Saints, I will take the victories, enjoy my Monday and keep rejoicing that it is football season. Fix the problems and Geaux LSU Tigers and Geaux Saints!
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