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Podcast title	The Geaux Show
Website URL	http://geauxshow.libsyn.com
Description	The Original LSU Sports Podcast.
Updated	Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:48:00 GMT
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Category	Sports & Recreation
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1. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: 11/21/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar-Blogger Wasnât that the show with Chris Elliotâ? Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez told Wolverine fans to âget a lifeâ this week. Yeah Rich, thatâs exactly what you want. The hundred grand worth of fans that show up in Ann Arbor on Saturdays taking leisure classes or gardening or volunteering at a soup kitchen instead of packing your stadium and cheering for your team. I donât know how things work in Michigan, but in Baton Rouge we put our lives on hold for football season. We schedule weddings, births (not always possible, trust me), and other events around LSU football Saturdays. Several charities scramble to hold their fundraising events on bye weeks in order to get people to show up. And if an event has to happen on a game day, then the game is incorporated into the event, such as my daughterâs birthday parties for the next 18 years. College football fans are some of the most dedicated fans in all of sports. Trust me Rich, you donât want them to get a life. If they do, itâll mean theyâve stopped caring, and thatâll mean youâll have to âget a job.â Now weâll test the true power of this fully operational battle station... With ESPNâs new deal with the SEC and with the BCS, look for: - ESPN to finally push the SEC! Just think, such a move last year mightâve caused every single person on the ESPN Pre-game set to pick LSU instead of Ohio State before last yearâs BCS Championship, instead of the other way around. No one remembers that, do they? Everyone picked against Ohio State at ESPN. EveryoneâLee, Chris, Kirk, Desmond, Mark, Lou, guest commentators, interns, the sound guy, the camera man, runners, the teleprompter guy...! - South Carolina to become Dr. Louâs main talking point instead of Notre Dame. - Fox analyst Charles Davis will jump to ESPN. This isnât really a joke. Heâs not horribleâfor some reason I like him, and since Foxâs main network hosts about seven whole games a year, why not? - Everyone at the worldwide leader to all of a sudden be OK with this BCS format instead of a playoff system. Which will prompt ESPN to hire the senior Jim Mora: âPlayoffs!!!???? Donât talk about playoffs!!! Are you kidding me, playoffs???!!â - Everyone else in the nation to hate the SEC even more. Donât hate...appreciate. Maybe the BCS championship could just be the SEC championship game. Iâm just kidding. -Oh crap, does this mean LSU will have to play Mississippi State right after âGameDayâ with Pam Ward announcing?! Please God, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Get Excited, Itâs Magnolia Bowl time!!! What, you havenât heard of the Magnolia Bowl?? Why, itâs been played 96 times since 1894. Itâs the new name for the LSU-Ole Miss game. These two rivals hate each other and always seem to hook up late in the season. LSU and Ole Miss have taken turns spoiling each otherâs seasons since the two schools started playing football. This might not be a well-known rivalry across the nation, but the two fanbases are well aware of the history of hatred between the two schools. But since the game has lost some of the intensity through the years (mainly after those years ending in '50s or '60s), the game now has a new name. The âMagnolia Bowlâ was a joint creation by both schools' student governments in order to rejuvenate the rivalry. There will also be a traveling trophy awarded to the winner every year. That now makes three rivalry games that LSU fans couldnât care less about: 1) The Tiger Rag: the LSU-Tulane game 2) The Battle for the Golden Boot: the LSU-Arkansas game 3) The Magnolia Bowl: the LSU-Ole Miss game. Be on the lookout for other fabricated rivalries in the future, like the Battle for the Platinum Overalls: the LSU-Mississippi State game. Real rivalries donât always need a name and a trophy. LSU fans are well aware the pest that Ole Miss has been to them in recent years, and it would make the Rebelsâ season to beat LSU just about every year. No need to try and dress this thing up. Other fun facts for this weekend: LSU will try for win No. 700 of its programâs history against Ole Miss. Only 11 other programs have won that many games. This will be the first time since 1997 that Ole Miss has played at Tiger Stadium during the day. Why does that sound familiar to LSU fans?? Because it was the week after LSU upset No. 1 Florida 28-21. LSU came out and followed up Gerry DiNardoâs biggest win with a crippling loss, 36-21. LSUâs win over Troy marked the 11th time in four seasons the Tigers have come back in the fourth quarter to win under Les Miles. The month of November has been very good to LSU. The Tigers are 20 for their last 22 in November games. Houston Nuttâs last visit to Tiger Stadium was a win when his Arkansas Razorbacks beat LSU in a 50-48 triple OT thriller last season. Prediction? Pain I didnât like the intensity exhibited by the team in last weekâs game, and the coaches did a poor job of preparing the players. Maybe it was a one-week brain fart, and in light of it the Tigers will come out more focused this week, but inconsistency still runs amuck in the offense and defense in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss is not a pushover, and even when they are, theyâll play the Tigers tough. Itâs just the nature of the rivalry lately. When it comes down to it, I like Ole Missâs offense to put up more points than LSUâs offense. Itâs plain and simple, and a pretty disappointing senior day for the Tigers. Ole Miss 34, LSU 28
2. The Geaux Show for October 20th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 36.84Mb) Description: Wee and Special Guest Co-Host Nootch discuss what went right about the Troy game, what went wrong, and what we should be worried about for Ole Miss. This episode is brought to you by a listener contribution from Richard Daigle.
3. Geaux Show Live Call-in this Wednesday 9:15pm http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Come to discuss the greatest comeback in LSU history and the ugh Magnolia Bowl. LIVE CHAT AND STREAM http://www.talkshoe. com/tc/27523 Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 27523
4. Did LSU Learn Its Lesson? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: by Justin Goar- Blogger The biggest comeback in LSU history. Thatâs what LSUâs 40-31 victory over Troy was Saturday night. After trailing 31-3 deep in the third quarter, the Tigers flipped the switch and Troy fell apart. So if youâre savoring this win, Iâm happy for you, but donât let the result blind you. LSU should never have gotten behind by four TDs in the first place. The fact that LSU won this game is a testament to LSUâs players and coaches for not quitting, but you should feel more negative feelings about this game than positive ones. The biggest problem is LSU is not improving as the season progresses (see: Florida). Thatâs the red flag. This game turned into a runaway kid. You know, the kid that gets angry with his parents and decides to run away from home. After hours of being missing the parents are worried sick, but in the end, the kid gets found and the parents are so happy to see their little darling they donât punish him, because in the end he wound up being safe. Ground that kid for life!!! He still needs to learn his lesson. If no lesson was learned in this game, then next time there'll be no comeback. This game brought on some other points... 1) The âagent of changeâ When trying to decide what I was going to write about this week while it seemed LSU was going to drop a laugher, I thought that this game in the long run wouldnât be a bad thing since it would probably mean the end of the dual defensive coordinator experiment. I thought this game would force Les Milesâ hand to scrap the Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto arrangement at DC. Les is known as being loyal to his players and coaches, and I thought it would take a glaring trespass to remove these two guys. Losing to Troy would be glaring. But after being torched by Troyâs spread for 31 points (err, make that 24âJarrett Lee gave the other seven), the defense looked abysmal. No pressure, no coverage, no intensity, and they looked confused. The defensive backs constantly played with too much cushion. I understand that comes from a coaching staff that doesnât trust its DBs, but change it up every once in a while, will ya? Troy dinked and dunked its way to 200 yards passing in the first half. LSU was picked apart like a Thanksgiving turkey. If Les Miles, whose background is offense, wants to succeed, heâll need a strong defensive coordinator. He used to have one in Bo Pelini. Miles thought by establishing Mallory and Peveto as the co-DCs and promoting from within he would be able to establish continuity in the defense, as well as stay loyal to his coaches. The problem is, itâs not working out, and the shaky play of Jarrett Lee is overshadowing the real problemâthe defense. Losing this game would have insured that Miles wouldâve made a change at DC. Now with whatâs considered âgoodâ defensive performances against Alabama and the ability to shut down Troy in the latter parts of Saturdayâs game, this may keep these two guys in the same spots next year. Thatâs not a good thing. 2) The offense So many want to say itâs Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowtonâs fault for putting Jarrett Lee in tough situations, but itâs not always the case. The main gripe is that we donât run the ball enough, but those that watched the game knew that Charles Scott was getting stopped over and over again. No one seems to remember that for some reason. Troy did exactly what you should do against LSU: Stack the box and make the QB beat you. Neither Lee nor true freshman Jordan Jefferson was able to do that until the waning moments of the third, where a dual effort by both QBs ended a drive in the end zone. From there, the defense stiffened and the two units fed off each other. 3) Jarrett Lee You can heap as much praise as you want to on the kid for the comeback, and itâs well deserved, but he dug that hole in the ground that created the mountain he and the rest of the team had to climb. Lee has spotted six out of the last seven teams heâs faced seven points each. He spotted Georgia 14. The fact that LSU has only managed three losses (all to teams currently in the top 10) while basically starting each game with a -7 spot is incredible. The simple fact is that Lee is young, inexperienced, still making mistakes, and is the victim of some bad luck as well. What fans are worried about, though, is Leeâs lack of improvement through the year. Lee will never suffer for arm strength but has trouble with his progressions and reads. He sometimes forces balls he shouldnât be forcing. Little simple missteps that should be avoided through repetition are finding their way into his game week after week. So the question becomes: How much time does Lee need? Is it too much to expect him to become more efficient as the season goes on, or does he need a whole year or two under his belt before he can pay dividends? Iâm not saying he needs to come along right now, but other than second halves against Auburn and Troy, little improvement has been shown. But again, he is a freshman. 4) The fans OK, first off I can write anything critical I want to about Lee within reason. I can say he does things wrong mentally or mechanically and not be off base because this is still football weâre talking about, and those mistakes are happening in front of our faces. I would never question his heart or his will to succeed even if they were in question because honestly, I donât know the guy. (Not that either of those attributes are in question anyhow.) I donât know the time he puts in every week working to become better. But I do see where he makes mistakes on the football field and can comment on that. But fans, câmon, you canât boo the guy. I donât care how much you pay for your seat, you just canât boo him. Every week it gets worse. Some disguise their actions by saying, âI wasnât booing him, I was booing the coaching staff.â How about not booing at all? Is that too crazy? If you want to show discontent, donât renew your season tickets or call in to Les Milesâ radio show and ask him a question. But the booing of Lee needs to stop. Period. He is trying his best, and after Saturday night, I donât think thereâs any question that he is our best option at the position right now, so deal with it. Next issue... If Tiger Stadium holds 92,000-plus, then about 60,000 people headed for the exits around halftime. I know the weather had a lot to do with that. People down here donât like the cold, and many go to games with wives and kids, which makes it difficult if youâre outvoted on staying and watching a team playing like garbage while suffering through a windy 30-degree wind chill debacle. Not to mention sitting through homecoming halftime, which lasts like 40 minutes. So there were many strikes already working against the fans on this night. And letâs be honest, this kind of thing happens all over the nation so donât get too worked up about what other people (like ESPN) are saying about you. Do I really care that so many fans left early? For some reason I donât. Iâd rather someone leave early than boo. LSU basketball coach John Brady got fired when people refused to come to games. The fansâ message was finally sent and received. While Les Miles praised the fans who did stay (and my hat's off to them as well), maybe the louder message was sent to Miles by those who left. That the first 30 and the ensuing 14 minutes of so-called football LSU put together was uninspiring, unwatchable, and unacceptable. Since the game was only televised locally through pay per view, it took a real fan to stay in a seat or tuned to the radio after three quarters of such a horrid performance. I was one of those pay per view guys who sat through the whole thing in the comfort of my living room. But I really wanted to watch the whole thing to see if the Tigers could put forth an effort at some point. Of course, they finally did, but the outcome of this game shouldnât overshadow deficiencies that nine times out of 10 lose that game against an inferior opponent. So in a way, I think itâs OK to leave, but another part of me dislikes the direction some of the fans are taking these days. This fan base has become too spoiled in recent years, and it showed Saturday night. In my own very humble opinion, this is what happens when you price your regular fans out of the stadium and you get the richer fans who look at this as more of a social event or a chance to wine and dine clients, rather than the one of a kind football experience that it isâor at least it used to be. The Athletic Department would tell you that itâs the cost of doing business if you want to be an elite program. The fans responded by saying the price of your cost of doing business is only 30,000 fans in seats after halftime if your elite program lays an egg against a team like Troy. It works both ways. Could the fans have been better? Yes. Could the players and coaches have done better? Yes. Letâs wipe the slate clean and focus on the Rebels, because theyâll be exponentially more trouble than the Troy Trojans. LSU avoided disaster last weekâcan they do the same against Ole Miss? If they donât, hereâs one fan who wouldnât be surprised.
5. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: 11/14/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Iâm back... How dare I neglect you all to help my newborn daughter along in the first two weeks of her life??!! How selfish! It wonât happen again. Or maybe it will. I donât know. I forgot what free time looks like. Lil' Samantha says âGo Tigers!!â Actually she doesnât say anything yet, but I write âAlabama,â âAuburn,â âFlorida,â and âOle Missâ on every diaper, and you should see how she treats those. Expectations Just about every year since 2004, I have to have a little state of the union in the preseason with LSU fans regarding expectations. They can be poison for a program. Nick Saban recognized it when he was here with the infamous âchicken littleâ syndrome. Most Tiger fans knew with having to replace so many starters that LSU would suffer some tough losses this year. The general consensus was about three lossesâwhere the Tigers sit now. Those three losses were to the No. 1 team in overtime and two lopsided losses to the No. 3 team and No. 12 team in the nation. The No. 12 team lost to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams as well. So with a few days to digest the tough loss to Alabama, LSU fans are coming around to the fact that they can finish 9-3. But just like preseason expectations, they best not count their chickens. LSU will play Troy this weekend in a game that was postponed due to Hurricane Gustav. Despite playing in the Sun Belt, Troy is a team that can surprise you. Nationally, Troy is ranked in the top 20 in several important offensive categories. Also, the Trojans are No. 8 in the country in sacks, No. 4 in tackles for a loss, and No. 5 in interceptions. Interceptions??? LSU fans are a little too familiar with those this year, especially the Pick Six variety. After Troy, the Tigers take on Ole Miss, which gives LSU fits recently, especially in Tiger Stadium. Ole Miss beat the Florida Gators earlier in the season in the Swamp, and Alabama (and Wake Forest too) barely escaped the upset versus the Rebels. Then LSU ends the regular season by going to Little Rock and taking on Arkansas, which wonât be as easy as most think either. All that before the postseason. If the SEC champ goes to Miami and the loser of the SEC CG goes to New Orleans for the Sugar, then look for the Tigers to end up somewhere like the Cotton Bowl and taking on the odd man out in the Texas Tech-Oklahoma-Texas BCS Derby. Any one of those three teams would spell trouble for the Tigers in Dallas. So Tiger fans, please donât assume the rest of the season is a cakewalk, and please donât expect to win the bowl, even after winning the last three bowls. Besides a dominant performance by Texas in â02 and a Hail Mary by Iowa in â04, the Tigers have won every bowl theyâve played in since 2000. This year may prove to be a little tougher, and LSU fans must accept that. But with the current No. 2-ranked 2009 recruiting class according to ESPN, I wouldnât consider the 2008 W-L record as the beginning of a trend, no matter how many people that may disappoint. On the same track, I urge you to check out an article by newcomer Kevin Strickland about expectations, Nick Saban, and Alabama. He brings up great points. Tide is high... No way Alabama drops a game to Mississippi State or Auburn before they face Florida. Thereâs just absolutely no way. It just wonât happen. If I were a betting man, Iâd wager just about everything I own on the fact that Bama will be undefeated going into Atlanta. Even though Croom usually has his guys psyched up to face his alma mater, the Bulldogs wonât sniff a lead against Alabama because they canât score. I mean, barring some kind of unlikely offensive explosion and a massive letdown in play because of a hard-fought, emotional win in Baton Rouge last week, this is a virtual lock for the Tide. And after the meltdown at Auburn this year, it looks like the streak will finally be broken. Iâm sure the Tide fans know how important this game will be in getting to the National Championship, and Iâm sure they wonât go in with the foregone conclusion that theyâll destroy Auburn and will look ahead to the Gators, so the fans wonât mentally be into the game as much as usual. That would never happen. So two easy wins for the Tide as they cruise into Atlanta to face the Gators for a right to play for the National Championship. But for the next two weeks, nothing to see here, just the Tide cakewalking to Atlanta and then Miami. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever possibly stand in their way now. Iâd wish them luck, but they would never need it in two games they could sleepwalk through and still win. Iâm naming what I just wrote as âpassive aggressive voodoo.â RTR. Guns up b!#&*^$... Iâm not quite sure why, but I kind of like Texas Tech. I canât really explain it. Iâve been friendly towards UT through the years (mainly because of my aversion to the Aggies), and Iâm not the biggest Oklahoma fan you would find. But as I look down the list for potential NC contenders, the Red Raiders are a team I want to see in Miami for these reasons three. 1) Offense, Offense, Offense!!! Donât get me wrongâI think defense wins championships. But all this crazy offense and point scoring is the exciting mistress to my happily married defensively dominating SEC way of life. 2) Mike Leach I think he should have his own reality show. The stuff that comes out of this guyâs mouth is Gary Busey-esque. Yet heâll be a sought after coach in the offseason. But given what heâs done in the conference/division heâs doing it in and getting quality players to commit to four years in West Texas, the dude deserves the run heâs getting. 3) The underdog/feel-good story With the loss of Penn State and Joe Pa trying to go out on top as a potential movie-like storyline, TTU could be a Cinderella story, especially when looking down the list of all the titans residing in the Big 12 (oops, my bad, I meant the Big XII) this year. Then, thereâs the rest of this list. USCâdo we really want to see them in this game? Florida and Alabama? I know Iâm supposed to cheer for the SEC, but why would I wish a crystal ball for teams that recruit in the same circles as my team? No thanks! Who else is there? I would love to see Texas Tech get a National Championship. What better way to recognize the fact that parity is here to stay (somewhat) in college football. Go Red Raiders!!! âIt seems like you left the stem off the appleâ Iâll leave you this week on personal note. Words fail me as I try to describe the feeling of being a first time dad. I can, however, offer you a quick story... My daughter was born the morning of Nov. 1, and my wife went into labor around 11:00 p.m. Halloween night. So besides a 30-minute âresting my eyesâ session around 4 a.m., I had little sleep, and with all the action that occurred that day, I never had a chance to eat until the early evening that Saturday. With family keeping the baby company and the wife resting, I was told to go get something to eat. With the excitement finally dying down, my appetite agreed. As I walked down to the cafeteria by myself, I thought about how beautiful my little daughter was as she slept peacefully after a tough day on the move. Then I thought back to how my friends and I would joke that I should have a boy, but I probably wouldnât. I never had a brother growing up and always wanted one, and Iâd honestly be lying if I was saying I wasnât slightly pulling for a boy, being a sports nut and all. All of that disappeared, however, the first time I laid my eyes on my daughter. As I got to my table with my food I started to eat, and the guy at the table across from me gave me a look of recognition as if he knew today was a special day for me. âFirst child?â he asked. âYeah, a little girl,â I replied. âLooks like someone got it right,â he smiled. âWhat do you mean?â I wondered. âMy wife had our third boy last night.â âWow, three kids, how old are you?â I asked, not realizing that the question may be inappropriate. âI know I look young, but Iâm 30. It's because I'm short.â Trying to change the subject back, I say, âSo three boys, huh?â âYeah, no girls yet. Iâm dying for a little girl. Maybe next time.â âWe could trade,â I joked. âMy wife is tired, she might not know the difference.â And on that joke we playfully ended our brief interaction as he started to take his tray from his table. Or so I thought. As he passed me, he stopped and said, âI just have to ask, how tall are you?â âSix four,â I answered. âMan, thatâs tall, she was probably a big girl, eh?â âYep,â I nodded. âWell, I guess it makes sense with you being a big guy...â he thought out loud. Then he said something that was probably so innocuous to him, but I think Iâll remember it and this story for the rest of my life. âLittle boys donât need daddies that big,â he stated as he was walking away. âNo, I guess they donât,â I thought to myself. Until next time...Go Tigers!!!
6. The Geaux Show for November 13th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 47.09Mb) Description: Wee and JJ breakdown the heartbreaking loss to Bama, what we can do to salvage the season, and what to do about Jarrett Lee. There's a Troy preview in here somewhere too. Special thanks to our caller for the night, tigerdro.
7. The Geaux Show for November 5th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 40.22Mb) Description: Wee and Pat break down the less-than-stellar Tulane game, then Larry Copack from The Tidecast joins us to discuss Saturday's blockbuster matchup in Death Valley
8. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: 10/31/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Well, what would you suggest then??? LSU fans shouldâve known how Saturdayâs game against the Georgia Bulldogs was going to turn out. LSUâs live mascot âMike VIâ refused to get in his transport to be taken to the stadium to make his usual pre-game appearance. Thus, he never showed because, letâs face it, are you gonna make a 700-pound tiger do something he doesnât want to do? Word is, this happens every once in a while, and Mikeâs handlers are never going to make him do anything by force. As Georgia Dawg suggested, maybe he was scared of Georgiaâs live mascot, UGA? Nah. In fact, letâs schedule a play date for the two mascots, seeing as how the play date for the two teams didnât really work out for me. I think the real reason is that the game was way too early, but thatâs just my opinion. What really grinds my gears... No one is trying to discredit Floridaâs National Championship in â06 by saying that Urban Meyer won with Ron Zookâs players. Yet everyone seems to think LSU coasted to a National Championship last year due to someone elseâs recruiting. Apparently, I couldâve coached these guys to a Championship. Who knew? To add to that fact, LSUâs 2003 National Championship was discredited in a sense by USCâs claim to the AP National Championship. Every time we win something, someone tries to take it away from us. That kind of thing could give a fanbase a complex. Now since Alabama is undefeated and because LSU has dropped two games, we get to read articles about how LSU is crumbling with Miles at the helm. All hail Saban! But if you look at LSUâs schedule since 2000 (Sabanâs first year), you see a commonality in the ebb and flow of the win-loss records year by year. LSUâs record since 2000 2000 8-4 2001 10-3 2002 8-5 2003 13-1 2004 9-3 2005 11-2 2006 11-2 2007 12-2 With the exception of 2006, even-year schedules tend to be down years for LSU compared with their odd counterparts. Scheduling has a lot to do with this, but itâs become a fact of life. But since 2000, LSU has NEVER won the SEC West in an even year. NEVER. Maybe fans were spoiled in â06 when Miles got the team to the Sugar Bowl and an 11-2 record in an even year, and then a conference championship and national championship the following season. Although Saban had more even years than Miles has had so far, Saban never lost less than three games in even years, something Miles may do this year but hasnât yet. When Saban did struggle, it was because he had inexperience at QB and in the defensive secondary. Sound familiar? All this stuff about âMiles winning with Sabanâs playersâ and now the purple and gold retort of âSaban is winning with Shulaâs playersâ is childish and ignorant, and it needs to stop. Some writers take great pleasure in trying to bait reactions from opposing fanbases (and Iâm not talking about a certain respected writerâs one-time foray into the Gator art of smack). Lisa Horne did a great article on trolls a while back. Well, guess what? They donât just appear on message boards. I donât know about you, but I didnât have to pass a screening process to get on B/R. Neither do these guys. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. The fair, rational, intelligent fans know who speaks the truth and who is just out there to flame other fans under the guise of being a writer. Iâm not saying no one should ever write with the intent of eliciting a reaction. Most writers want reader reaction, especially if the author has given us something to mentally chew on. Heck, some successful columnists and radio hosts make an entire career out of getting under your skin. Why? Because we keep taking the bait. But most intelligent readers can tell by a writerâs tone and demeanor in their work exactly the kind of person they are dealing with. I would think most could tell the difference between a writer with a valid opinion (that may in fact differ from yours) over one who tries to build their read and comment count by venomous yellow journalism. I mean, I might come up with some pretty outlandish stuff sometimes, but at least those of you that know me know how to take what I say. And another thing, Tiger and Tide fans: Remember that no arguments will be won in 2008. If you really feel the need to duke it out, letâs meet back here in a few years, say 2011, and weâll let the smack fly then. Alabama fans need to enjoy their run this season, and LSU fans should focus on their team trying to finish strong. And both should look forward to what will hopefully be a great match up on Nov. 8 in Baton Rouge. Itâs possible to do this in a civil way, LSU and Bama fans, I promise. Iâm about to be a dadâdonât make me come back there! Or you know what, just go nuts on each other. Who cares. What am I...your mother? (The preceding was directed to the small number of LSU and Bama fans who act this way and is not representative of the majority of fans...I think.) Itâs in the numbers... 4----No. of TD passes Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens has this season. 4----No. of TD passes LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee has to opposing teams this season. 19----No. of interceptions SMU QB Bo Levi Mitchell has thrown this season, seven more than the two players tied for second. 23----No. of times Bo Levi Mitchell has been sacked this season, second only to Arkansasâ Casey Dick (24). 5----No. of SMU offensive linemen that owe Bo Levi Mitchell a round at the bar. 1----University of Louisiana-Lafayetteâs rank among all FBS schools in rushing yards. 118----UCLAâs rank among all FBS schools in rushing yards. Only SMU and San Diego State were worse. 887,739----No. of LSU fans that cringe whenever University of Louisiana-Lafayette is referred to as âLouisiana.â Donât be in that number. Call them Ooooh Lah Lah. They love that. 6 ----No. of times the confederacy, a confederate general, civil war jokes, or saying âweâ when talking about the South in the Civil War was mentioned by Georgia fans in the first hour I spent with them this past Saturday. (I really liked them though, but âHello culture shock!!â) Iâm no expert... Through my years of college football fandom, I fancied myself a good prognosticator. Then a couple of years ago I got the idea to pick against my wife for the college bowl season. I did this the first year and won, and it got such a good response (mostly for my wifeâs less than football knowledgeable girly system of picking) that I brought it back for a second season. So we did it a second season for last yearâs bowl games, and lo and behold, the wife beat me by one game. My pride hurt a little, but that faded away as her apathy for the game didnât really lead her to rub it in my faceâwhich kind of made it worse, like she just picked names off a page and then flipped back to her What Not to Wear marathon. To avenge my loss to the fairer sex, I agreed to pick against Lisa Horne in her effort to beat down all the fellas from the B/R college football community. Then I absolutely embarrassed myself against the spread, going three for 10. Which is good in baseball, right? So why should you listen to my picks? Well, because like a gambler after a series of bad beats, Iâm due. But due to swearing off picking against women until bowl season and the fact that my dog had trouble fitting me into her schedule, Iâm going to start picking against inanimate objects. I mean, what good is a dartboard if you canât blindfold yourself and throw sharp objects at it? Donât worryâthis time I'm going to do it sober. I simply assigned even or odd to a team for each game and blindly chucked a dart at the board. So just two 911 calls and a container of caulk later, I bring to you this weekâs picks: Me vs. Dartboard. Itâs time to bring the rainâ Auburn +6.5 at Ole Miss Auburn is on life support, and Ole Miss has a chance to position themselves for a better bowl. Justin says: Ole Miss 22-20 Dartboard says: Auburn +6.5 Pitt +4.5 at Notre Dame I think the Irish are finding their groove. Are they going to be able to tackle LeSean McCoy though? Justin says: Notre Dame 28-21 Dartboard says: Notre Dame Tennessee +5.5 at South Carolina The Gamecocksâ D makes the difference in Columbia. Justin says: South Carolina 20-13 Dartboard says: South Carolina Nebraska +22 at Oklahoma Maybe one day Bo Pelini will have his boys ready enough to make this rivalry a great one again. But this wonât be that day. Justin says: Oklahoma 44, Nebraska 20 Dartboard says: Nebraska Florida State +2.5 at Georgia Tech This is a statement game for both teams. Which team will make more noise? Justin says: Florida State 26, GT 23 Dartboard says: Georgia Tech Florida at Georgia +6 Hope the Dawgs didnât get too high after last weekâs win over LSU. Tim Tebow promised me heâd play harder than anyone else in the country. I think Knowshon could give Timmy a run for his money. Still, I like the Gators in this one. Justin says: Florida 41-31 Dartboard says: Florida -6 Texas at Texas Tech +4 Not only do the Red Raiders get a chance to spoil a rivalâs season, they also get a chance to make their own claim to play in Miami. Everything tells me to take the Horns (mainly defense), but Iâm not going to. Justin says: Texas Tech 45, Texas 41 Dartboard says: Texas -4 (TouchÃ dartboard, well played.) Speaking of gambling with our future... Well, while most of you are choosing who our next president will be this coming Tuesday, my wife and I will hopefully be welcoming our first child to this world. We decided to be surprised when it came to finding out the sex of the baby, and this has led to some wagering amongst friends. So why stop with friends? Feel free guess the sex. Heck, you can even suggest a name if you like. The wife ruled out âMike the Tiger Goarâ for a boy or âValleyâ as in âDeath Valleyâ for a girl, so I am out of ideas. Iâm planning on getting a lot less sleep and trying to perfect the art of changing the diaper in true calf roping or NASCAR pit crew time, so you may not hear from me for a little while. But Iâm also taking off from work for a while, so who knows. Nevertheless, Iâll be back and hopefully with more life experience the next time we meet. Until then...Go Tigers!!!
9. The Geaux Show for October 30th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 34.38Mb) Description: Wee, JJ, and caller Nootch break down the Tigers break down against UGA, what needs to change for the Tigers to remain successful, preview the UGA/FL game, and discuss a little about Tulane
10. The Dark Cloud and The Silver Lining http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar, Blogger If Iâve ever done anything in my writing, itâs try to provide the fanâs side of things (especially with LSU) without getting too up or too down after a game. I try to be a bit more positive than most, attempting to be the voice of reason while showing some perspective. Fans have a short memory. They donât remember how Matt Mauck (who won a NC in â03) struggled as an underclassman, or how JaMarcus Russell (eventual NFL No. 1 pick) made crucial mistakes before he started to blossom. We donât live in that kind of world now in college football. When you are a championship team, there exists no world where players get a chance to develop their talents. Itâs win and win right now. Fans get spoiled. LSU fans are (for the most part) spoiled. They have short memories. Now is the point where you would think I remind fans how short their memories actually are and defend the LSU program. But instead, give me a little time to agree with those purple and gold crazies. What theyâre worried about The QB Situation If Miles says heâs thinking about getting true freshman Jordan Jefferson some more time, then something is definitely wrong. Be glad that Miles is aware of it. Be glad that both Jefferson and Jarrett Lee get some experience this year, and be happy two outstanding QB recruits are headed to Baton Rouge next year. LSUâs two losses are to two preseason Top Five teams quarterbacked by Tim Tebow and Matthew Stafford. Last time I checked, both were pretty good QBs. This isnât a panic situation, but itâs not good either. Honestly, though, itâs what was expected. Jarrett Lee has shown some upside by tossing 15 TD passes. He has shown some inexperience in that four of those 15 were to opposing teams. In fact, Leeâs three picks against Georgia totaled 17 points for the Dawgs. The game was decided by 14 points. Leeâs not going through his progressions, and I think that stems from the game moving too fast for him and his nerves getting the best of him. He rarely looks to more than one receiver on a play, and the Bulldogs game-planned for this and executed well. This isnât the bad thing though. LSUâs success in the recent past has been sustained because of the defenseâs ability to bail the offense out when they make mistakes. What they should be worried about The Defense There were some key losses from the defense after last season. Three of four in the secondary were new starters this season. Both OLBs are new, and there are a couple of new starters on the DL. Yet most Tiger fans thought this wouldnât be a problem. But it is. Itâs compounded by another problem: the new defensive coordinators. When a DC leaves, usually the defensive players have to adjust to a new scheme. When Miles promoted Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto (the secondary and linebackers coach respectively) to co-DCs, his thought process was to provide continuance and consistency in the scheme. Overall, not a whole lot has changed scheme-wise, so production should be similar (with a small expected drop-off), even with newer players, but it has not been. The drop-off has been astounding. The Bayou Bengals are getting destroyed in big plays this year. LSU is ninth in total defense and 11th in the SEC in scoring defense. Thereâs also a stat that both offense and defense contribute to: turnover margin. The Tigers are ninth in the SEC. Basically LSU has been put in the position of trying to outscore teams while using a freshman QB. In the SEC, thatâs not going to happen. Especially when you look at the fact that the Tigers are dead last in red zone defense, itâs a miracle the Tigers are where they are. Fans should maybe rejoice that the Tigers only have two losses in this situation so far. I donât usually suggest the drastic, but itâs time to maybe admit that Lesâ decision to promote Mallory and Peveto was a poor one. The great thing about it is that both are position coaches and both could just be returned to their position coach duties for next season. That is, unless pride gets in the way and sours things. But yes, Iâm suggesting a change after just one season. While I expected a drop-off, I did not expect one this drastic. LSU has never in its history given up 50+ points twice in one season. Never. Weâre seven games into the season now. Blown coverages are fine once a game, but not as often as they occur now. Players are out of position and confused. The linebackers and secondary are struggling, and the defensive line looks as if they are overrated. I blame the DCs. Miles is hands-on with his offense but a little less with the D. He needs a strong coach on the defensive side in order to make things run well. The current situation is not the answer. Or maybe Iâm the one whoâs spoiled now? What they should stop worrying about Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton LSU is second in the SEC in total offense and third in the SEC in scoring offense. LSU is second in sacks allowed, so you know his line plays well. The offense is the reason LSU is still ranked in the Top 25 and not looking at a .500 season. Iâm willing to make a bet that Gary Crowton knows more about offense and his own offense than anyone reading this sentence (author included). We should just leave it at that. If the running game is working, you cannot run on every single down. Eventually it will be stopped. The key to any offense is balance. Thatâs a game plan Crowton tries to install every week. If you were content with the Saban/Fisher days of trying to get a lead and then sitting on it, then maybe you should follow another team. Crowton is nails, I promise you. What his team does on the field is beyond his control. Turnovers can kill any offense, and youâd have to think that if LSU didnât have the turnover ratio they have, theyâd be even better. This offense put up 500 yards and 38 points against Georgia, who statistically has one of the better defenses in the SEC. In fact, LSU rushed for 188 yards against the top-ranked rush defense in the conference. The offense is averaging 412 yards per game to this point even with the mistakes. If Gary Crowton is your main area of concern, I urge to find a new avenue of discontent. Quite simply, heâs the best assistant coach LSU has ever had. Heâs better than Bo Pelini, heâs better than Jimbo Fisher, and heâs better than Will Muschamp (that D was Sabanâs). Donât worry about Crowton. Heâs not the problem. What theyâll never have to worry about Giving up Say what you want about Miles, but his teams donât quit (unless you count offensive players trying to tackle the guy who just made the interception). Put in countless come from behind situations, LSU never seems like theyâre out of a game, even when they are. They make other teams nervous with the lead. Give Les a bit of credit. Even when this team has swords against their throats, they never say die. I like that in a coach and a team. I had to give you some kind of positive in all this. Want some more positives??? (Sure you do!!!) - LSU is beating the teams they are supposed to beat this season. Coming into the season, most wouldnât have thought that the Tigers would take Florida in the Swamp or the preseason No. 2-ranked Bulldogs. Itâll be interesting to see the line on the Alabama game. - If LSU loses to Bama and wins the rest of their games, that makes them 9-3. With a bowl win, they have a chance to have their fourth straight season with at least 10 wins. There are many teams across this nation that would strangle you with a piece of wet spaghetti if you turned your nose up at that. A 9-3 record in a supposed off year in a tough conferenceâIâd take it and run. - LSU currently has the No. 3-ranked recruiting class coming in for 2009 and still has a few more spots to fill. Just something to think about.
11. The Geaux Show for October 23rd, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 45.72Mb) Description: Wee and pat get you pumped up for the home stretch opener with UGA. Special Rival Guest: Derek from The Dawgcast
12. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: 10/23/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (application/x-shockwave-flash, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar- Blogger O-H-......Oh no!! If youâre a Buckeye hater (which Iâm not, but I know they have many), you have to be thinking, âJust when I think Iâm out, they pull me back in.â You want Ohio State football to drop off the map and the title pictureâand it totally couldâve happened had they lost in East Lansing. But they quietly destroyed the Spartans, and now they get a home game against the Fighting Joe Paâs that, if they win, puts them right back in the title hunt. They have a healthy Beanie Wells and seem to have found their quarterback. If Tressel and company get this win, give them some credit. Theyâll have to go to Northwestern the following week and then play a revenge game against the Illini on the road before coming home to host a hapless Michigan team. None of these are gimmes, but the toughest test ahead for the Bucks is this Saturday at the Horseshoe. Pass it, and things are looking up in Columbus. Wasnât that guy Bubba on â1st and Tenâ? My favorite commercial this past weekend was the Miller High Life Commercial. You know the series of ones where the delivery guy comes in and confiscates beer from snooty people not living by the âguidelines of the High Life.â Well, in this one the delivery guy stops by a corporate skybox at a baseball game and no one is watching the game, so he takes the beerâI would guess in order to give it to the homeless or something. Which brings up the question...what kind of corporation has Miller High Life as their beer of choice in their skybox??? Is the economy really THAT bad?!?! Iâm pretty sure that Millerâs skybox doesnât have Miller High Life in it. âWe're gonna be getting rid of these people here... First, Mr. Samir Naga... Naga... Naga... Not gonna work here anymore, anyway.â Mark me down as severely intrigued when it comes to the head coaching vacancy at Clemson after they 86âed Tommy Bowden. With two potential candidates at SEC schools now (Vandyâs Bobby Johnson and Auburnâs Tommy Tuberville), as well as speculation that former Nick Saban, Tuberville, and now Texas DC Will Muschamp is also in the mix, I think this could make for some good rumor fodder for a long time. Buffalo Wild Wings referees strike again... Two of the better plays in the South Carolina/LSU game were made by the umpire. I think he had some flashbacks to his Polk High days. Actually, he played linebacker at Kentucky. Check this out. Some Carolina fans argued that this changed the game, but actually a few plays later, Spur-Dog and his boys scored on a fourth and goal play right before the half where it seemed the ball never broke the plane. Iâd take six points over an open field tackle any day. Add that to the same umpire running a pick on an LSU linebacker on Carolinaâs only other TD, and this guy should get the âplayer of the gameâ award. Someone get me a helmet, quickly! Les Miles joked in his Monday press conference that the umpire wasnât following proper technique. Miles joked, âWe teach our guys to wrap up.â Best sign I saw on ESPN GameDay... âChase Daniel has a fupa.â I chuckle every time I think of it. You know what really grinds my gears... Am I jaded? Can I not appreciate the fact that college football is more popular than ever? And that people with varying knowledge levels watch the game together sometimes? My wife lovingly puts up with my college football addiction, and she tolerates football but doesnât really like it, so to speak. When she doesnât know something, she asks questions, and these questions are taken by me as an interest by her wanting to know more about my hobby. I think itâs sweet and answer her question, no matter how basic it is. But there is nothing worse than watching football with someone who thinks they know what they are talking about but in actuality have no clue. These people are usually the loudest in the room or in your section if youâre at the game. It always pains me to hear someone calling out a WR on a drop when the QB puts it two feet behind him. Or a tailback who gets blasted in the backfield because someone missed a block but Lombardi over here is calling out the running back. This also happens to a QB when he gets .5 seconds to throw before getting mauled, and then you hear... âCâmon (insert QBâs name here), get rid of the ball!!! What are you doing??!!!! You gotta be smarter than that!!!â My sentiments exactly. You gotta be smarter than that. See, these players had to excel in high school and work hard on and off the field. They had to come to college to compete with very talented guys to win a role on the team. Then after all that hard work and sacrifice, they finally get their shot on the field, and they have to listen to some moron whose football IQ happens to mirror his shoe size tell them how to play the game. They work hard to get where they are, but all you have to do to criticize them is pay for a ticket or flip on the television. Thatâs not really fair. These same fans think football should operate like a game of Xbox. Like, letâs say your team is a three-and-a-half point favorite and they win by twice that margin, but thereâs Mr. Loudmouth lamenting the fact that his team didnât win by four touchdowns. There should be fan tryouts or something or maybe a written test. Unless you show that you can be trusted to not say something stupid or falsely lay the blame where it doesnât belong during a game, you have to be quiet and let the grown-ups talk. In football terms, you get to ride the pine. You can still watch the game, but you no longer are an active participant in it. Letâs face it, you canât be trusted, and all you do is pollute the air with your lack of knowledge. So youâll have to be muzzled. The majority of LSU fans know their football, but it never fails when at the game, I sit in front of the loudest guy in the stadium who fills the air with his football ignorance. I usually say nothing. But letâs change that. From now on, when someone says something stupid, letâs vow to correct them. Youâre doing them a favor in the long run, and most reasonable fans will thank you for doing so. This is not recommended if everyone in your section is an idiot. We must stop the proliferation of football idiocy. Heck, this guy could be teaching his children his ways, and then my kids will grow up and have to go to games and listen to his kids spew misdirected venom. Itâs a vicious cycle. But we can break it. In the next game you watch with someone who knows less than they let on, point out that they are wrong, wonât you? You could be doing the college football world a great service. This has been a public service announcement furnished by the âCoalition for better fans.â And another thing... I know that song âKerkraft 400â by Zombie Nation is popular in places like Penn State and such (I actually like PSU btw and respect the "White Out"). In a way I expect that, because up north you get more of a pro sports environment. But in the beginning of the season I remember thinking, âno self respecting SEC team would have this soccer stuff blaring in their stadium.â Then a week later I heard it at Florida (for the Miami game I think). Then this past weekend, I heard it at South Carolina for the LSU game. I just shook my head. How awful. When did college football games become no better than NBA TV timeouts??? I know canned music is going to happen nowadays (LSU plays piped-in music leading up to kickoff before the band gets seated again), but a song from a German techno band?? Is that really what the kids are listening to these days???? I weep for the future. Maybe Iâm getting too old.
13. The Geaux Show for October 16th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 32.91Mb) Description: Live! From Mariner's Bar. Wee and JJ break down last weeks collapse at Florida and get you ready for a USC game that will make or break the season
14. The Geaux Show for October 10th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 36.77Mb) Description: Wee and JJ celebrate the newest tiger fan, discuss LSU's gameplan for Florida, and the origins of PodKATT. Special Contribution from Geaux Show Fan #1, Chicago Phil (video was removed at phil's own request)
15. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: 10/08/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: I swear this has never happened to me beforeâ This isnât a mystery people. It happens all the time yet we make a big deal about it. Itâs called playing down to your opponent. Florida did it to Arkansas, Alabama did it with Kentucky, it affected Penn State at Purdue, and Kansas let it happen against Iowa State. Itâs not a reason to get overly worried. You need to worry when it happens and your team is on the losing end. (CoughAuburnCough) Thatâs a bad thing, but in this âevery week countsâ world of college football getting the win is all that matters. Florida is going to put up a much better effort when they play Georgia. Alabama wonât play like they did against Tulane in the Iron Bowl. What you should be focusing on is whether or not your team wins the big important games. Thereâs a handful of those coming up this weekend with Texas/OU, LSU/Florida, Penn State/Wisconsin, etc. For example, Iâm much more impressed with Alabama destroying Clemson and UGA than I am unimpressed with them sleepwalking through Kentucky and Tulane. Too much importance is placed on how a team wins against inferior competition. Good teams have bad weeks and vice versa. I know it seems to be over in a flash for the fans but for the players the college football season is long and grueling and it takes some major focus and mental grit to play a high level every single week. Sometimes bad weeks can help your team better prepare and make them aware of what to work on for the next week. Also, it can lull an opposing team into a false sense of security about their chances and possibly force them to play at a lower level. It seems to me that those that follow college football are too reactionary these days. Do I sound like an old man complaining? Predicting champions in September, counting teams out in early October, and jumping teams around the Top 25 like itâs the stock market is just a little too crazy for my tastes. Am I the only one who thinks this is a recent trend? Get off my lawn!!!! Itâs nice to be back to normalâ After one week of being berated for losing to Oregon State, the USC Trojans beat Oregon like a rented mule and theyâre back to being the greatest team ever. Thanks, my delicate system wasnât ready to exist in a world where USC isnât lauded every week. My favorite part of this game though was after Joe Mcknight muffed a punt in the early going, there were some boos among the crowd. I donât remember who was calling the game but the exchange went something like this: Play by Play guy: âThere are NFL type expectations among this crowd.â Color analyst: âThatâs because theyâre an NFL type crowd.â I donât think that was a compliment. And whoever it was covered quickly by saying âWhat a recruiting advantage Pete Carroll has here to be able to prepare guys for what the NFL is going to be like.â Think that comment came from him or from the headset? Can someone get Kenny Chesney a booster seatâ? Ok, câmon admit it. If you were like me you were thinking that Vandy has made a nice showing this year but Auburnâs going to wipe the floor with them. It looked that way in the early going but then Auburn decided to stop playing football and the âDores kept it close and gutted it out. Auburnâs offense is bad, I canât say much more. The fans want to blame Tony Franklin but I think itâs their talent in the quarterback position (or lack thereof). That game had LSU fans thinking two things: 1) Awesome, Auburn lost! 2) LSUâs win over AU doesnât seem that special now. Of course, another thought that may have crossed your mind is whether or not Vanderbilt is actually that good. It basically comes down to the fact that they are an opportunistic team that took advantage of Auburnâs punch less offense and won the game the same way they have all season, ugly. But whatever, a win is a win especially when this year is shaping up to be another crazy one. But honestly I think this game was more of a statement of where Auburn is and not Vanderbilt. If the Commodores can get a win against either Georgia or Florida then Iâll be on board. But you have to give Vandy head coach Bobby Johnson credit, as Iâm sure his phone will be ringing off the hook with offers by seasonâs end. My favorite ESPN Gameday Signs from Vanderbiltâ 1) âAt VU, we use three fingers.â (So does Arizona State by the way) 2) âThe Geeks Shall Inherit the Turfâ (Musberger messed this up at the end of the game trying to repeat it). 3) âPhilip Fulmer ate my other signâ (maybe not original but chuckle worthy nonetheless) 4) â4-0. Itâs not just our GPA anymore.â And this one time at band campâ I guess âAmerican Pieâ was right on the money here. Wisconsinâs band has been put on probation because of misconduct including hazing rituals and sexualized behavior. I kind of feel bad though. You know the band kids in your world when you were growing up. The jocks picked on them the fratty pack looked down upon them and now they act like those two groups and they get into trouble for it. I donât think itâs fair though. I donât know the whole story but Iâd be willing to say that not all 300 members of the band were behaving badly. Why punish the whole band? Why not just do what they do on a team and suspend the guilty parties? Sure âOn Wisconsinâ might not sound as grand when the entire wind section is absent because they like to shave heads and dance around naked but you know the reputation those crazy ass party monster clarinet players have to uphold. Theyâre straight from the Woodwind section yo, itâs a double dub thing, you wouldnât understand. Higher or lowerâ This week the National Debt calculator has run out of room. Iâm not joking. So this week we play higher or lower than the National Debt. These should all be lower, but by how much? # of times Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson drool over and audibly express their man-crushes for Tim Tebow this Saturday night. # of attempts by LSU fans to Cloak and Dagger their way into finding out Tebowâs cell phone number this year. # of LSU fans that quit such a venture in favor of getting schnockered. # in ounces of projectile saliva collected from a ten foot radius of Lou Holtz this season on the ESPN set. # of pounds in mayonnaise that Mark Mangino consumes in celebration of victories this season. Or defeats. Whatâs in a nameâ? Did I read that right? Is Southern Missâs kicker named Britt Barefoot? Was Johnny Mistletoe or Peter Thundershoe taken? Thatâs like an Xbox âcreate-a-playerâ name. Thatâs like having a golden boy quarterback from Texas and naming him âColt McCoy.â Waitâ.oops. Thatâs even more impressive when you can get regional with it or make a name correspond to something within the school like Notre Dameâs WR Golden Tate. Why not just change his last name to âDomerâ? Seriously, if my wife and I have a son next month, weâre gonna name him Remy Threauxdeep so he can play QB for LSU. (Iâm kind of unsure of my execution of that last joke, is there a more Cajun sounding first name than Remy?? Should I have gone with Pierre or something? Or should I just name him âTigerâ? Man, Iâm having a Sage Rosenfels type day, or should Iâve said a âKimbo Sliceâ type day? Iâm going to stop typing now) Why donât you comment with a âcreate a playerâ name of your own. Give me the playerâs name, position, and school. For example, if I were to create an Alabama QB, Iâd name him Fratboyhaircut Hatfield or something like that. (Ok, itâs definitely more like a Sage Rosenfels type day now). See you next week!
16. Happy Birthday Shaelyn Clancy http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: A special welcome to our newest listener. Congrats to proud papa JJ!
17. LSUâs Early Season Progress Report Grades http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar, Blogger Now that weâve gotten through September and LSU has a bye week before taking on three tough October dates with Florida and Carolina on the road before returning home to face Georgia on the 25th. Letâs take a look at the one month progress report grades for the Tigersâ Quarterback: B- This is still a question mark since the play of Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch have been consistently inconsistent. But the Tigers get a jump in letter from C to B- with a great second half at Auburn. No doubt Lee has more physical talent than Hatch especially in the arm strength department but Hatch brings nice mobility and seniority for a change of pace. Running Backs: A Two words: Charles Scott. Scott is the answer to the question of who would replace Jacob Hester in the backfield as the guy who gets the tough yards. Actually Scott not only gets the tough short conversions, he gets the long highlight runs and all yards in between. Heâs a large part of the big discrepancy in rushing yards between LSU and their opponents. LSU have out gained their opponents 884-363 this season. Scott is averaging 133 yards per game and 7.5 yards per carry. Thatâs useful. Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C+ Maybe Iâm a little too hard on the WRâs. Theyâve done their jobs havenât made too many mistakes but at the same time havenât overwhelmed me either. The guy carrying this group right now is Brandon Lafell. In most statistical categories, Lafell is doubling the stats of any other WR. Other than doing the obvious of making the catch (which wasnât a given for the guy nicknamed âJoJoâ last year) Lafell is doing a great job of getting open as well as blocking downfield when he doesnât have the ball. Lafell turns this corpsâ grade from a C- to a C+. Richard Dickson has been great as a tight end both catching and blocking. Offensive Line: A- Once again Iâm probably too hard on this group that probably deserves a solid A or A+. Ciron Black and Joseph Barksdale have been anchor bookends at the tackle position. Lyle Hitt and Hermann Johnson have been solid at the guards and center Brett Helms is the captain of that line. My one knock on Helms is he is sometimes overpowered by bigger lineman and heâs probably a better run blocker than a pass blocker. But with a crew this good, Iâm just being nit-picky. LSU has been an excellent run blocking team and pretty decent at pass blocking as well. Iâll add fullback Quinn Johnson to this crew. Johnson is an offensive lineman with a running start on every down. Heâs a wrecking ball disguised as a football player. Defensive Line: B+ This is kind of an unfair grade when you take into account that LSU basically rushes these four guys during pass plays and drops their linebackers in to coverage. The line has done a superb job against the run and holds their own in the pass rush. Tyson Jackson is doing plenty to disrupt opposing offenses and since LSU has the best depth in the country on the line. Rickey Jean Francois hasnât been making as much noise as the experts had wanted him to having just two solo tackles and a sack in four games, but guys like Rahim Alem, Kirston Pittman, and Marlon Favorite have stepped up in his place. Linebackers: B This is probably one of the spots that is up in the air. On the run, they are an A. Against the pass, they are a C. They average out to a B. Perry Riley has been great so far and Jacob Cutrera actually had pretty decent game against State filling in for injured MLB Darry Beckwith but this crew wonât be the same until Beckwith returns. They need to improve against the pass since most donât spend time pass rushing. Defensive Backs: C If I was grading on a curve this group would be higher. The reason they are not a C- is because of safeties Curtis Taylor and Harry Coleman. The corners have been doing as well as expected for being new starters but thereâs a blown assignment every once and a while from either the corner or the nickel back. Both Chad Jones and Danny Mccray have struggled in pass coverage at the nickel back position this year. This squad is saved by the safeties but theyâre in danger of having the worst grades in the class. Special Teams: B- I have to break this down into units. The return game has been ok but there is no one that can field a punt apparently on this team for like the third straight year. Coverage teams are doing ok as well but there have been some decent gains this season by opposing returners. Punting started off horrible but made hay in the Auburn game when it mattered so they get good marks. Finally kicking has been solid as Colt David seems like heâs ready to have a great year. Letâs face it, grades arenât going to be very low when you havenât lost a game. The Tigers need to tweak some things but have all the tools in place to make an SEC title run this season.
18. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage 10/02/08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar, Blogger âIâm not drunk, Iâm just tired from being up all day drinkingââ The good news for LSU fans is simple: the Tigers remain in the Top 5 after beating an inferior opponent in a workmanlike manor. The bad news is: The Tigers didnât look great doing it. Keep in mind that the Bulldogs of Mississippi State were never really a threat in the game and a late MSU touchdown made the score closer than the actual game was. But a sluggish Tiger team only beat State by ten points in a series where LSU usually beats the Bulldogs by five scores. Some untimely turnovers didnât hurt LSU in the win-loss column in this game but might later in the season. The Tigers will take on Florida at 8 pm EST on October 11th on CBS. Last yearâs game was epic and was probably lost in the shuffle of the Tigers playing in so many exciting games last year. No game last year was tougher than Florida for LSU and Iâd be willing to say vice-versa. Cheer up, you guys act like this was a motherf%$#ing funeralâ Anyone afraid of Bama yet? Maybe âafraidâ is too strong of a word. Iâm afraid of prison. Iâm afraid of zipping my fly and not being totally âout of the way.â Iâm afraid of maybe one day having a teenage daughter. But Iâm not afraid of Alabama. How about âconcerned?â Is that a better word? Yeah, maybe thatâs it. Iâm mildly concerned like I am about that mole on my head that I really need to get checked out or about that chili I had for lunch that âis not sitting well.â What about ârespect but fearâ? You know like with electricity or 25 foot long snakes. As an LSU fan, I have to respect the performance of Nick Sabanâs crew as they absolutely rolled over Georgia in Athens. And the first thing I thought was âUh-oh, what does Bamaâs schedule look like the rest of the year?â Meaning I know right now that LSU has two potential losses against Georgia and Florida, two potential letdown games against South Carolina and Ole Miss. And thatâs before we talk about the meeting between Alabama and LSU in Baton Rouge. Thatâs 5 games where the outcome is up in the air for LSU. What about Alabama? Give the way they are playing now, how many games do they have like that? If LSU is one you would think maybe Kentucky could be a potential letdown game along with Ole Miss. But is Bama going to drop a game to Mississippi State this year?? Tennessee?? Probably not. The Iron Bowl is beginning to look even better for the Tide. How many potential losses is that? Two? Alabama made a major stride in winning the SEC West in September by winning a game they were expected to drop in the pre-season. It looks like this team will go as far as John Parker Wilson will take them. How tough is their remaining road? It doesnât look so tough all of a sudden. Heck letâs say LSU beats Alabama in November but drops the Florida, Georgia, and either South Carolina or Ole Miss game. For those of you that say LSU would never lose to South Carolina or Ole Miss might I refer you to last season. Will Alabama lose more than two SEC games this year??? And I donât even want to think about some beyondo world scenario where Vanderbilt gets in from the East and Bama cake walks to an SEC title and maybe a National Title shot. So listen up, Bamaâs for real. They cannot be stopped and LSU fans must consider the possibility that even if they beat Bama, the Tide could still be rolling to Atlanta in December. The 2008 season is over for all intents and purposes. Roll Tide Roll!!! I mean there is no way, I mean NO WAY that Alabama loses this weekend to Kentucky. Thatâs impossible. Thatâs just not gonna happen. Or am I just writing all this in hopes to jinx the Tide? Hmmmmmâwould I do that??? Ridiculously hard as pieâ In honor of USC coach Pete Carroll who said after the Oregon State game that the Pac Ten is âridiculously hardâ. Hereâs a top ten list of other things I find âridiculously hardâ: 10) Dunking on a six foot goal using a trampoline. 9) Playing hide and go seek with my dog. 8) Finding a Clemson fan willing to pack Tommy Bowdenâs bags. 7) Saving money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. 6) Counting all the Pac 10 teams in the Top 25. 5) Following the directions on the side of a âPop Tartsâ box. 4) A-B-C, which in fact is also just as ridiculously hard as 1-2-3. 3) Playing dodge ball with 1st graders. Blind 1st graders. 2) A Sunday morning. 1) Finding a guy willing to go on a date with Erin Andrews. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Alabamaâs opponent in the 2008 BCS Championship Game, the USC Trojans. Think Iâm kidding?? Iâm kind of hard to read today, eh? Uh, actually donât answer that. Therapeutic ravings I should probably keep to myself â ---Ok, can we stop all the âblack outâ talk in Athens? You actually have to show up to play in those black jerseys you wear. Itâs foolish to think some gimmick can win a football game. But since you like them so much feel free to wear them in Baton Rouge on the 25th. We wear white at home. But only because we play better when we wear whiteââand also when we play at night. ---Kentucky, if yâall want a shot to upset Alabama, try getting an early lead. Saban loves to play with a lead and this year it shows. Want to guess the number of times Bama has been behind this season??? Iâll give you a hint, itâs the same number of times youâve gone out on a date with Erin Andrews. ---All you peeps who thought this year would be a more ânormalâ year than last season, I humbly submit to you the events of this past weekend. 2008 is just 2007âs late blooming cousin. If I were you, Iâd make sure to keep your hands and feet inside the ride while it is in motion.
19. The Geaux Show for October 1st, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 38.16Mb) Description: Wee and JJ are back and better than ever taking your calls after a great win against MSU. Special thanks to this weeks callers: Nootch from south LA and Shane from OK.
20. Geaux Show Live Call-in http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: EDIT: Thanks to the couple dozen of you who joined us. This worked out much better than i thought it would. If you missed it, the recording will be up sometime tomorrow here on www.geauxshow.com Look for another live show saturday evening(it's not like we've got a game to watch) As a few of our fans know, yesterday's live show from the MSU tailgate didn't go very well. Besides the connection issues that caused the delayed start, our unpreparedness made for a really bad show. We hope to correct the situation with a live call-in show tomorrow night at 9:00 pm. We'll be back on topic and ready to give you the completely useless analysis you crave. JOIN US LIVE! RIGHT NOW! http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/27523 Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 27523
21. Vote for the band http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (application/x-shockwave-flash, 0.11Mb) Description: You heard Coach! Go Vote! The band get $25,000 if they win. http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/indianajones/ voteBand
22. The Geaux Show for September 24th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 36.01Mb) Description: Wee and Pat are back with a first hand account of the fantastic Auburn game, expectations of Miss St., and the emergence of a starting QB. We seem to have finally worked out the kinks in getting a live call setup working, so from now on all geaux shows will normally be recorded live and we will be taking your calls. Saturday the show will start at 10 am live from the tailgate and the Midweek show will be live on Sunday nights (time to be determined) We want you, our great fans, to be part of the show, so be sure to tune in.
23. Justinâs Weekly Brain Seepage: LSU vs. Auburn http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar, Blogger If this is the Tiger Bowl, then whatâs with the eagle?... For me, the first time it happened was in 1997. I was in the student section in Tiger Stadium. Auburn got up 14-0 before LSU came back with two scores to tie it up mainly from the running of Cecil Collins. It was a back and forth slugfest that went down to the wire and had the Auburn Tigers finish on top 31-28. As I sat in my seat when the clock hit triple zeroes, I actually put my frustration aside for a few moments and marveled at the fact that I saw just an incredible football game. It was awful to swallow that loss, but the game couldnât have been more entertaining. It makes you respect the game. It makes you respect your opponent and it made me respect the LSU-Auburn series. Eleven years later, little has changed and this game continues to be a gift that keeps giving to the world of college football. Whether youâre an indifferent fan in some other part of the country or say a Bama fan that wanted both teams to lose, you have to respect the show these two teams put on when they play each other. Itâs mega physical without being dirty (except for maybe one infamous play from last year). That goes a long way in my book. You had LSU players popping pads and helmets on defense and I donât think I need to illustrate the way Auburn hits outside of looking at the play that left LSU QB Andrew Hatch seeing stars like heâs on the red carpet. But there was never any pushing or shoving and not too much jawing (outside the normal amount these days). With that in mind, between the whistles these guys still hit each other like the other side owes them money. Cut out all the drama of recent years, the earthquakes, the magic, the fire, the cigars, and for sixty football minutes these guys put on a show. I would hope that some Auburn fans had the same moment of appreciation for this series on Saturday that I had in â97 in the face of a frustrating loss. But I know itâs easier said than done. Before watching the game with my buddy Scott, I was pacing nervously, we both were. And I thought out loud, how cool it would be to not care, for a college football game to not matter this much? There are people all over this country who donât care about this game. Theyâre at work or on a date or hanging with their family or watching âThreeâs Companyâ re-runs on TV Land. The point is, their heart rate doesnât hinge on every play, every bounce, and every turn of the game. They wonât go to bed heartbroken because they lost or on Cloud Nine because they won. Their mood for the rest of the week at work or at home wonât depend on the outcome of a three hour contest played by college kids. Why do I do this to myself???!!! Then after LSU kneeled it out to end the game the four of us went outside for that conversation which if you replaced the words, you could have believed in our demeanor that weâd just robbed a bank without getting caught or escaped a bus crash with our lives. As we hurriedly spit out the nightâs cliffhangers and second guessed decisions made, I stopped for a moment and thought out loud againâ âOh yeah, this is why we do this. This feeling right here and right now is why we care.â Iâve been on the good side and the bad side of this rivalry through the years and Iâve suffered through heartbreaking losses to many other teams besides Auburn over the years. As bad as losing is, it makes winning that much better. Itâs the yin and yang. You canât know true happiness without knowing true despair and vice versa. It proves weâre alive. LSU and Auburn fans wonât have to check for a pulse anytime soon. Whether itâs the agonizing torture of a loss or the internal high of a great win, the fans of this Tiger Bowl definitely know weâre alive. My hatâs off to the orange and blue and the purple and gold for leaving it all out on the field Saturday night. Also, to the fans on both sides who make this game what it is every year. Itâs great to be an LSU Tiger. Itâs great to be an Auburn Tiger. Itâs great to be a fan. âWeâre also well above averageââ Thereâs a mantra I use via text message with my friends that I send out when things look their darkest during game. It was originally used last year in joking, as if to mock the very thought of LSU actually making a comeback in a game. âWeâre a second half team.â The phrase was born last year during the Florida game. It returned for the Auburn game last season and was legitimized against Alabama. The last three times I used it was when the Tigers were struggling with Tennessee in the first half of the SEC Championship game, going down 10-0 to Ohio State, and recently going down 14-3 at Auburn this past weekend. Say what you want about Les Miles, but his teams do not quit. Theyâre the bad guy in the 80âs scary movie. Michael Myers, Jason Voorhies, Freddy Krueger. Donât they ever just die??? Auburn had to be thinking that right around the time LSU recovered the onsides kick. They thought about it when we completed the halfback pass. They thought about it when Charles Scott got stopped behind the line only to burst through for a big run on the following play along with countless other âGreat Scottâ runs. They thought about it when LSU answered their late score with not a game winning field goal, but a touchdown. This time LSU left more than one second on the clock. And most of all this was personified in Tiger defensive end Raheem Alem whose personal foul with under a minute was just about the last thing LSU needed in order to quell a comeback. Then, Raheem Alem came back on the next play and turned Jordan Hare into Elm Street, Haddonfield, and Crystal Lake all rolled into one. His fifteen yard penalty was followed by a fifteen yard sack and put Auburn in a 2nd and 25 hole from which they would not escape. If Alem did it in two plays, Jarrett Lee took an entire half to redeem a horrible mistake. Lee took a snap and tried to take advantage of Auburn not having all their players set by swinging the ball to Keiland Williams in the flat. After starting 0 for 5, Lee completed his first pass to a lineman wearing blue who took it for a score. In a game where every bit of real estate was precious and every point at a premium, a 14-3 deficit on the road seemed too much to overcome especially when starter Andrew Hatch went down in the third quarter with a good case of âyou got knocked the #$%* outâ syndrome. But we all saw what Lee did in the second half. I was halfway through a text I started but never finished that saidâ âWho is this quarterback?? Are there two #12âs?â Thatâs when Keiland Williams took a pitch and played quarterback for a down. LSU would go up 17-14. Lee continued to play like a different person in the second half against one of the better defenses in the SEC and it didnât hurt to have the juggernaut knows as Charles Scott opening up the pass game. Thatâs what did it, you know? Thatâs why this sequel ended like the original did last year. Last year, Flynn and the coaches saw something they could exploit. It wasnât a crazy call it just took too long to set up at the line. Flynn made a perfect throw and Byrd made a great catch and that was history. This year was eerily like last year. Last year the score was 24-23. A field goal wouldâve won it. LSU got the touchdown. This year same thing with LSU down by one 21-20 and were within field goal range for kicker Colt David. With a little over a minute left, most of us would think to run Charles Scott three times up the middle and kick the field goal. Itâs what I would have done. But then again, maybe thereâs good reason I donât coach this team. With a 1st and 10, everyone and their mom expected a run from Charles Scott including Auburn. But offensive coordinator Gary Crowton and Les Miles play to win and look for favorable situations. Instead of handing off, Jarrett Lee dropped back and threw his best ball all night. It was a down and away out route that only Jo Jo Lafell couldâve gotten. #1 did and brought it to the house. So another Les Miles gamble pays off, but Iâll ask this question for the hundredth time. If gambles work out in your favor 90% of the time, is it still a gamble? Les Miles doesnât play his cards, he plays his opposition. He exploits favorable opportunities when his opponents show tendencies. In this case, the call wasnât the gamble, believing in a redshirt freshman quarterback to execute the call was. But hey there Mr. Blue Chip recruit, you want to come play for a coach that believes in his players??? You can come do that in Baton Rouge. Crazy calls or not, it doesnât take a football genius to see what coaching staff made the better adjustments at halftime. LSU has some weak spots that need to be worked on, but all in all, even in games they should probably lose like Florida and Georgia, it would be wise never to assume the bad guy is dead. After all, weâre a second half team. Stop trying to bring me downâ I wouldnât start making reservations in Atlanta and Miami just yet Tiger fans. This team has a bunch of things to get straight but the good definitely outweighs the bad at this point and time. One thing that if consistent will always keep LSU in a game is their running game. The offensive line looked like beasts and it doesnât hurt to have a fullback like Quinn Johnson opening holes and solid blocking from TE Richard Dickson. With Charles Scott continuing to rack up the yards especially on first down, it puts a defense on its heels. Enter Jarrett Lee in the second half who began to throw on first down and then the offense really got clicking. LSU gained 257 yards on 31 first down plays for the game. Thatâs an 8.3 yard average and Miles and Co. will take that every time. Add in a defense that gets pressure rushing just four and are smothering against the run and youâve got some headaches for the opposition. LSU has some holes in its coverage and that was to be expected with inexperienced corners and Danny McCray and Chad Jones struggling with coverage at the nickel back position. Good QBâs (read Tebow and Stafford) should be more effective in making the Tigers pay for mistakes. I was right aboutâ Two things: 1) Trindon Hollidayâs hands. I said heâd fumble punt returns in crucial situations this year. I didnât want to be right so soon in the season, and twice on top of that. Miles insists Holliday will still return punts. Iâd keep him in on kickoffs though. 2) Chris Hawkins is the best corner on the team. This isnât even a close race at the present time. I was wrong aboutâ Two things: 1) Demetrius Byrd being the featured receiver when the season started. Lee likes Brandon âJo Joâ Lafell and he likes him a lot. 2) Richard Murphy being the go to guy in the backfield when the season started. Itâs quite obvious to everyone that #32 Charles Scott is the man. Moo U bluesâ Iâm sorry to say that while Iâm a pessimist at heart, I am never worried when we play Mississippi State. For some reason, LSU has their number every single time they tangle. The Bulldogs are 1-3 this year with losses to La. Tech, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. The reason why MSU was good in the 90âs was because of their lines. And that advantage has faded away for State. Add in the fact that itâs a night game in Tiger Stadium and I donât like the Bulldogsâ chances. LSU should be able to run the ball. If they canât, and MSU forces LSU to become one dimensional, then that might give State a chance. But I look for LSUâs O-line to be dominant again and Scott should have another 100 yard day. Thatâs bad news for the Bulldogs who need every advantage they can get in Baton Rouge. LSU slows down a bit because of a hangover from the AU win, but donât expect an upset this week. LSU 35 Miss. St. 10
24. The Geaux Show for September 20th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 44.51Mb) Description: LIVE! from an attic in Walker, The bald bros. C-Dub and JJ give their take on the early SEC picture, how the Saints are doing, and break down the evenings match up. Enjoy an hour of the most sober episode in Geaux Show history.
25. Geaux Show Live http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Edit: thanks for listening, GEAUX TIGERS!!
26. The Geaux Show for September 18th, 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (audio/mpeg, 32.91Mb) Description: Wee and JJ stay off the painkillers long enough to rethink their season predictions on our QB, M State, and our running game. Also in this show, your preview of Auburn and a ring side report of "The Quarrel in the Quad"
27. Message Board Maddness http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: By Justin Goar, Blogger The great thing about the Internet is that it allows anyone with differing opinions to get together and voice them to the world. The bad thing about the Internet is that it allows anyone with differing opinions to get together and voice them to the world. To think that a single fan, most under the guise of anonymity, can express his or her most heartfelt sentiments about their beloved team and post their loving thoughts for the entire world to see just gives you that âRudy sacked the quarterback in his only play even though that didnât happen in real lifeâ kind of feeling. Thought-provoking, point-counterpoint football discussion makes me proud to be an American. But sometimes there are thoughtless drive-by posts that seem to just be cheap shots for the sake of being negative. I think the kids today are calling these net characters âtrolls.â But thereâs a big difference between trolls and those actual fans that are just a bit quick to hit the panic button. There seems to be a wave of negativity sweeping the message boards this week. I noticed it with my LSU Tigers. The catastrophe syndrome. Chicken littles. Call it what you want, itâs out there, man. What I have for you today is unedited (save for language and some grammar and spelling) statements made from actual fans regarding their own team. All posts are in italics. We start off with LSU: âWith bad QB play and DB play to go along with USC and Oklahoma blowing their teams out, I feel just down today.â Pretty harmless, right? Not much venom to it and it only seems a little strange because the poster is mentioning a game in which their team won 41-3. But then we have... âIf we go 6-6, do we still get invited to a bowl game? I hope so.â Whoa?! 6-6? The defending national champions? I think most sane fans expect a drop-off, but I think this is a little too panicky. What about... âCan't wait till next week when we get our a*s handed to us, you guys are just pure HOMERS!â And there we are. The lines have been drawn. Youâre either way too negative or youâre a homer. Well, put me down as someone who thinks there is a rational middle ground. Iâm someone who thinks that a fan can point out the bad parts of a game or season and still be optimistic that those things will change. Nevertheless, those supposed âhomersâ on this particular LSU message board coined a term for those Tiger fans whose perpetual perception of reality is glass half empty. âNega-tigers.â Cute, huh? âHomersâ tend to be labeled as such because of the ardent defense of their team and coaches no matter whatâs going on around it. While ânega-tigersâ are quick to push the panic button, homers donât have a panic button. Itâs the lack of middle ground that has these two groups at odds. So now we have one side attacking the players and perceived lack of talent at a position, and the other side attacking those attackers and dismissing their opinions as invalid because of their negativity. But what if the criticism is valid? College football is a passionate sport fueled by passionate fans. Some of these things are said in the heat of the moment. Is it possible to be able to criticize my team without being called a ânega-tigerâ? Weâll come back to this in a second. But first, with doomsday on the horizon and an ever-important meeting with Auburn on the road this week, you must think the purple and gold Tigers have the market cornered on negativity. Think again. Enter Auburn fans. I found this next post on an Auburn message board in a thread about whether to boo or not to boo their own team this weekend against LSU... âIf the offense tanks again I think weâll be past the time for booing. Itâll be time for the rotten tomatoes.â Then some of the discussion turned to the QB play and the new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. I mention Franklin because he gets paid, unlike college kids. âMaybe if we didn't have Brandon Cox Jr. as our only QB we wouldn't go three and out.â Different post, this time about the OC: âMore excuses. You need a script in order to tell you that inside the five-yard line, to line up in the jumbo package and punch the ball in for a TD??? Maybe we should start calling him Teflon Tony...â Welcome to Auburn, Mr. Franklinâdonât unpack. The good thing is for the most part this is the fringe. Itâs like the guy 10 rows behind me in Tiger Stadium who apparently didnât need to pass a football IQ test to obtain season tickets and whose football knowledge is inversely proportionate to the volume in which he verbally displays it. LSU fans are well aware that a national championship may not be in reach this year. Auburn fans need to understand that implementing a new offensive system with a new quarterback is a work in progress. Most fans get this. One thingâs for sure: I wouldnât want to see the message boards of the losing set of nega-tigers this weekend. Football doomsayers donât just reside in Auburn and Baton Rouge. âHate to say it but we are horrible. Worst Michigan team I have ever seen in 30 years of being a fan. Are we better than ANY Big Ten team? I will suffer faithfully with our team and hope for better days, but am fully expecting a 10th or 11th finish in the Big Ten.â And from our friends in Tempe: â...But when you can't even get a first down on offense at home 'cause you're afraid to open up your playbook! Give me a break! We need to delete National Rankings and BCS from our vocabulary for a couple years! And it's somewhat ironic that our seasoned, experienced coaching staff would let this happen to them. Seriously, what's wrong with our OC? I don't know the guy's history like some others on this board, but who's calling the predictable three and four-yard running plays up the middle when we need seven or eight? This is the worst I've felt since the USC game last year.â I think the biggest problem on message boards is anonymity. Everything you read from me here has my name on it. The line should be drawn on the way we criticize. Anonymity gives us this cloak of invisibility to attack without knowing who itâs coming from. So those attacks can be either vicious or without merit. Itâs the main factor as to why message board banter and information is so easily dismissed sometimes. Letâs come back to whether or not itâs possible to criticize a team without being branded a negative fan. If I were to blast the LSU quarterbacks for staring down receivers (which is a popular knock right now), it matters how I say it and how I back it up. It also helps to have a little football perspective and not be so reactionary. When that thought crosses my mind, a rational thought response would be: âWell, JaMarcus Russell, Matt Mauck, and Rohan Davey all did similar things in their early starts.â That would be an even keel approach. A ânega-tigerâ talks in absolutes and might say something like: âWell thatâs it, weâre **ed for the season. If they look bad now, Iâm sure theyâll look the same as the season progresses. Mark my words, this is the downfall of LSU football as we know it!!!â On top of this, you have trolls who cheap shot and run. Negative fans care about their team, but their defense mechanism is to attack now to later avoid the pain of their self-fulfilling prophecy. Trolls just look to spew venom and are probably much happier when their teamâs hopes are in the toilet. Misery begets misery. Now, most message boards have moderators who try to toe the line between allowing frustrated fans to vent and removing inappropriate content that doesnât contribute to the spirit of the site. On that note, we head to Columbus for some examples of posts that will get you banned from a certain Buckeye fan site: âThe boys must have been chugging a big case of Choka Cola again. I canât take this [censored] anymore.â I want to add that I do not condone calling out any college player so Iâm going to delete the playerâs name: âWhy are we keeping up this charade? He just isn't good. Zero poise. Zero talent. Zero smart. "He's an embarrassment to this team.â And a final parting shot from Buckeye country... âIt's time for (player name deleted) and Tressel to go.â Now Iâm not saying you canât point out your teamâs weak points. One must keep in mind that we are talking about college kids who are not professional athletes. And despite warnings from just about everyone involved with their team, many players visit the message boards, and some players must find it hard not to take to heart what is said by some guy typing in his underwear while eating Fig Newtons by the sleeve. I try to temper my opinions with a dash of reality, but deep down Iâm just a guy who wants whatâs best for his team. If I see a problem, Iâm going to say something about it, but hopefully not in a disrespectful way, and try to find the positives and ways the team can improve in the meantime. I wouldnât consider myself a homer or a ânega-tiger.â Iâm a pessimist at heart. I believe the coin will come up tails a half second after I call heads. But deep down, I still believe in the purity of the flip. That comes from being a Saints fan since age six. When it comes down to it, the Internet is a lot like life. There are a lot of stupid people and a lot of angry people in this world. And sometimes there are stupid angry people. A good fan knows to avoid this group as much as possible. Lastly, donât take every statement from every person seriously, whether theyâre a troll, a homer, or a ânega-tiger.â
28. New Writer-Justin Goar http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Starting today, Long time LSU blogger and recent Geaux Show guest Justin Goar, will be writing for us here at the geaux show. He'll b