Geaux get 'em- an LSU Tigers Dynasty

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Tigers begin spring practice

BATON ROUGE - The weather outside could have led one to believe LSU was in the middle of bowl practice in December with temperatures in the 40s and a cold rain pounding the campus. Instead, Monday was the first day of spring drills for the Tigers as those conditions forced LSU indoors for its first practice session of the spring.

The Tigers, practicing inside at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, held a two-hour workout in what was the first of five practices for the squad this week.

Monday's workout was the first of 15 scheduled practices for the Tigers during spring training. LSU's spring workouts culminate with the annual LSU National L-Club Spring Game on Saturday, March 27 in Tiger Stadium.

LSU coach Les Miles and his staff, including first-year coaches in Frank Wilson, Billy Gonzales, and Steve Ensminger, welcomed back 12 starters (6 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams) and a total of 42 letterwinners (12 offense, 18 defense, 3 special teams) from last year's squad that posted a 9-4 overall marked and finished the year ranked No. 17 in the nation.

"The first practice was a fast-paced one," Miles said following the workout. "The responsibility to wear just a helmet certainly curtails the activity, but it was good. It was nice to get back on the field. A football team does not improve in football unless they're on the field practicing.

"It was nice seeing some of the young players on the field playing for an opportunity to get to the field on Saturdays; guys like (DE) Sam Montgomery looked pretty good. Some of the veterans, (LB) Kelvin Sheppard and (DE) Lavar Edwards looked pretty good. It was nice to see (OT) Joesph Barksdale back and getting after it. I liked our quarterbacks, and all three of them threw the ball pretty well - Chris Garrett, as well as Jarrett Lee and our starter in Jordan Jefferson."

Miles said the Tigers will use the spring as an opportunity to move players around to see if they can help at other positions.

"We'll be moving guys around," Miles said. "We're going to look at some different things. It's going to be a very productive spring."

The Tigers spent time working on all phases of the game on Monday, including periods at the beginning of practice dedicated to special teams.

LSU is scheduled for another helmets workout on Tuesday followed by shells (helmets and shoulder pads) on Wednesday and Thursday. LSU will have its first practice in full pads on Saturday.

LSU Football News and Notes
LSU sophomore Alex Hurst spent time working at offensive tackle on Monday ... Hurst played in 12 games at offensive guard as a redshirt freshman in 2009 ... Two players were held out of practice with injuries - DB Karnell Hatcher and DT Josh Downs ... FB Thomas Parsons was limited due to dropping a weight on his foot last week ... WR Terrence Toliver had his first LSU workout wearing No. 8 ... Toliver has worn No. 80 his entire collegiate career ... Another number change for the Tigers has RB Richard Murphy wearing No. 18 ... Notable position changes include Russell Shepard moving to wide receiver; Drayton Calhoun going from running back to cornerback, and Chase Clement going from defensive end to tight end ... Shepard and Clement are both sophomores, while Calhoun is a redshirt freshman.

LSU PLAYER QUOTES

QB, Jordan Jefferson

On being back in practice ...
"It's a great feeling to be back on the field. We've been training since the bowl game, and now we have the opportunity to be back out on the field. We're very excited as a team, and we're looking forward to starting this year right."

On being more of a leader on offense this year ...
"This year is going to be hectic for me so I'm going to have to stay really focused. I'm going to have to be on top of my game this year. I'll be studying game film as much as possible and get better every day at practice and be a better team player."

On the receiving corps and the addition of Russell Shepard ...
"We have some guys that have a little bit of experience. Terrence (Toliver) and Rueben (Randle) have a lot of experience. There are a few young guys that we have to get involved with the playbook and help them understand the game. All of those guys are good, and they get better every day. I know they are doing as much as they can to help me out, and I'm going to do as much as I can to help them out. Russell (Shepard) is a great player. He's very talented and can do a lot of things with the ball."

On improvements on his reads and progression ...
"I improved on that by watching film on myself. I took notes on myself and noticed things I need to work on. I also sat down with coach Crowton and watched some film and he helped me point out a few other things that I can work on. I think it is an area where I need some improvement. This spring I'm going to work on not holding the ball as long and work on making quicker decisions."

WR, Russell Shepard

On when he decided to switch from quarterback to wide receiver ...
"I approached Coach Miles two days after the Florida game last year and told him that I think it's time I make a position change. He really fought me on it and told me to wait another year and see, but I said I think I will be better suited for this team at a skill position."

On looking forward to contributing at receiver ...
"Terrence Toliver is our leader at the position, and I'm going to follow him. At the same time, I'm going to push him and all the other receivers to do their best. This position became natural to me. I feel like I can be a big contributor to this team at this position."

On the biggest challenge in making the switch ...
"The biggest challenge is catching up. Learning the receiver position in six or seven months is a huge deal. I've been able to pick it up pretty easily because Coach Gonzales and I spent a lot of time working on it. Learning concepts is probably the biggest thing."

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Tigers "not that far away" from another title

BATON ROUGE, La. -- For a guy who’s won a national championship, four bowl games and 51 games total in his first five seasons at LSU, Les Miles can be a bit of a polarizing figure depending on who you talk to these days on the Bayou.

It’s not that he’s not a nice guy, because he is.

It’s not because he hasn’t won a lot of football games, because he has. In fact, his 51 wins are the most during a five-year stretch of any LSU coach in history.

It’s not because he hasn’t committed himself to LSU, because he has. He and his family are entrenched in the Baton Rouge community, and there’s nowhere else he would rather be coaching football.

What’s happened to Miles these last couple of years is that he simply hasn’t won enough.

And in the realm of SEC football, those cycles are as sure to come as death and taxes.

“It doesn’t take much (to fall off in the SEC),” Miles said. “You have to hit on all cylinders and continue to hit on all cylinders in this league.”

The Tigers won 34 games in Miles’ first three seasons, including the national championship in 2007. With the head job at his alma mater, Michigan, hovering out there, Miles received a huge raise that took him to $3.751 million annually, making him one of the three highest-paid coaches in college football at the time.

But in the last two seasons, the Tigers have taken a dip in the West, which has coincided with Alabama's ascent to the top of the division.

And, yes, it makes it even worse in these parts that Nick Saban is running the show at Alabama.

The fact that the Tigers have lost nine games over the last two seasons is one thing. But even more damaging is the fact that they’ve lost most of the games that “count.”

LSU is just 1-8 the last two years against teams that finished the season nationally ranked in the final polls. That includes an 0-6 drought against Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss.

The meltdown on the sideline at the end of the Ole Miss game last season only intensified the fans’ disenchantment, many of them worrying this downward blip in the program was fast becoming a trend with no end in sight.

Miles’ message to the LSU fans is simple: He’s not happy, either, with what’s transpired the last two seasons and he's committed to righting the ship.

It’s the reason he’s overhauled both his offensive and defensive staff the last two years. It’s the reason he’s tweaked some things about this spring practice, in particular how competitive it's been at every position. The Tigers close the spring Saturday with their annual spring game (ESPN2/ESPN 360, 4 p.m. ET).

At the same time, Miles doesn’t believe the Tigers are that far away from winning another SEC title.

“I think we’re in step,” Miles said. “There’s a want to re-focus and be excellent. I think it’s in the coaching staff and the players, certainly. I think we should compete for the title, but I always think we should compete for the title.”

He understands the restlessness of the fans. It’s the nature of the job. But he also chooses not to immerse himself in it.

“I stay pretty insulated from it, to be honest with you,” Miles said. “I’m not a guy who gets on the Internet, nor am I a guy who entertains Internet chatter. I judge what’s going on in this program by what’s going on inside this building. Understanding that makes me have more of a comfort about the direction we’re headed.

“I think the perimeter in every program – the Floridas, the Oklahomas, the Alabamas, wherever the perimeter is -- doesn’t really have accountability. I promise you this: There’s nobody more critical of this program than myself.

“I like where we’re going.”

Mike Serio is one of those fans who is genuinely concerned, but he’s also not one of those fans who’s ready to push Miles out the door and start over.

Serio, who owns a popular po-boy and deli restaurant in New Orleans, is about as loyal as it gets. He’s been to 320 straight LSU football games (home and away) and hasn’t missed one since the 1983 season.

“I’m not one of those fans who’s going to knock down the team and get on the radio and run them down,” Serio said. “I don’t believe in that. I supported Les when he came in here, when he won the national championship, and I still support him. But deep down, I’m disappointed in what’s happened to the program the last couple of years. It hurts me to say it, but we just haven’t looked like a very well coached team at times.”

Serio said there are some fans who will never give Miles the credit he deserves for winning the national championship and are hung up on the fact that he won primarily with players recruited by Saban.

“I think he did a good job coaching those teams, especially all he had to deal with his first year with the hurricanes," Serio said. "He also did some things Nick never did here, like having two good seasons in a row. It was a little more up and down when Nick was here.”

While Miles might be hesitant to classify this as a crossroads season for the program, many of the fans aren’t.

“I can tell you one thing that won’t happen with LSU football is that it will be allowed to hit rock bottom before a change is made. Those days are over,” Serio said. “Les just needs to regain his focus. The program needs to regain its focus. In a lot of ways, I think they got fat and happy after that championship.

“I’m still behind them, but this is an important year.”

The LSU players insist they feel more excitement than pressure, many of them pointing out that they were two or three plays away last season from being an 11-win team.

“A lot of people are sleeping on Coach Miles. A lot of people are sleeping on us,” LSU running back Stevan Ridley said. “We’ve had the athletes here the last couple of years. We just haven’t been able to put it together. We lost a quarterback [Ryan Perriloux] we thought we were going to have and a freshman had to come in and play for us. That set us back a little bit.

“But we have the players here. There’s no doubt about that. The games we lost last year were close games. We’re right there. I know we lost a lot of players, but I honestly think we’re going to be a better team. Nobody’s spot is guaranteed, and we’re hungry to get back to where LSU is supposed to be."

Senior middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard was around to taste the national title in 2007. He's determined to taste it again.

"We’re very close, as in tomorrow close," Sheppard said. "It’s just a matter of us putting all the pieces together, because we’ve got them. I can’t wait for this upcoming season."

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Jefferson ready to make it "His Offense"

BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson hears his coach loudly and clearly.

“I’m going into my junior year. It’s about that time,” Jefferson said. “I’m not a young sophomore anymore. I’m not one of the youngest players on the team anymore. I’ve done a lot of film work this summer, gotten as much mental reps as I could, because as coach [Les Miles] said, it really is my time to step up and make this my offense and get all the guys around me as prepared as I can for this season.”

As the Tigers put the wraps on the spring Saturday with their annual spring game (ESPN2, 4 p.m. ET), Miles has made it very clear to Jefferson that he still wants to see more separation between him and the rest of the pack at quarterback, namely junior Jarrett Lee.

Miles said earlier this week that Lee had played very well this spring and really improved his game.

That’s not to say that he also hasn’t been pleased with Jefferson’s growth.

“We just want to see him be more consistent and more accurate,” Miles said.

Jefferson, who started in 12 games last season, completed 61.7 percent of his passes and put up solid numbers. He finished with 2,166 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, but the Tigers struggled to score points and get the ball in the end zone in key games.

There were times last season that Jefferson admits that he was doing too much guessing, which limited him in the passing game. Miles also thinks the Tigers probably put undue pressure on Jefferson by trying to throw the ball too much.

“I did a lot of studying and see the things I need to work on, the things I lacked, to help me become a better quarterback,” Jefferson said. “I have to be more of a leader. We have a lot of younger guys who are going to have to start for us this year. My biggest concern is making sure they’re ready for the season.

“We all have to be on the right page and build the kind of chemistry we didn’t have last year.”

One of things that plagued Jefferson last season was holding onto the ball too long. He was indecisive at times. The Tigers gave up 37 sacks, which tied South Carolina for the SEC high. A lot of that was on the offensive line, which didn’t play very well.

But Jefferson is the first to admit that he has to do a better job of reading defenses. He said first-year passing game coordinator Billy Gonzales, who came over from Florida, has helped him to make quicker decisions.

“He came in with a lot of pass packages and broke the passing game down a lot for me,” Jefferson said. “He’s made it a lot easier for me. It’s based on one read, and you don’t have to make too many reads. We have a good mixture of coach Gonzales and coach [Gary] Crowton, and I think our passing game will be way better than it was last year.”

The biggest change with Jefferson this spring, according to his teammates, has been his confidence.

“You can see it in his eyes, the way he calls the plays,” said sophomore Russell Shepard, who’s making the move to receiver. “We probably tried to do too many things last year, but you can tell that Jordan is in much better control back there.

“I think you’re going to see a big change, not only in him, but this whole offense.”

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Tigers moving some players around on D

Spring practice is all about finding your best football players and who fits where best.

Along those lines, LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is taking a look at some guys in different spots. That's nothing new. He's always cross-trained players throughout his coaching career.

But one of LSU's goals on defense next season is to get more pressure on the quarterback. As solid as the Tigers were defensively a year ago, they tied for ninth in the SEC with just 21 sacks.

Senior Lazarius "Pep" Levingston has shifted inside to tackle this spring from end and hopes to give the Tigers more of an inside pass-rushing threat. The Tigers also need more depth at tackle with Al Woods and Charles Alexander both gone. Sophomore Josh Downs will also push for that other starting tackle spot opposite Drake Nevis, but Downs is limited right now with a thigh injury.

Michael Brockers and Chris Davenport, both 2009 signees, also figure into a tackle rotation that should be strong in 2010. Levingston, who only has three career sacks at end, may still play outside some in situations. But he thinks his quickness will be better utilized at tackle.

He's already played all four positions up front during his career at LSU. One of the reasons Chavis felt like he could move Levingston inside is that the Tigers are high on their young defensive ends, including Lavar Edwards, Chancey Aghayere, Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo and junior college newcomer Kendrick Adams.

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Russell Shepard finds his niche out wide

It may take Russell Shepard a while before quarterback is completely out of his system.

“You’re giving up something you’ve always done, so that’s hard,” he said.

Not as hard, though, as being a glorified gimmick, which Shepard was for much of his freshman season at LSU.

He came to Baton Rouge as the No. 1-rated multi-purpose quarterback prospect in the country, one of those rare athletes that doesn’t come along very often, but never found his niche last season in an LSU offense that never found its identity.

Shepard practiced with the quarterbacks and dabbled with the receivers. He never settled into a comfort zone at either position, and the end result was that the Tigers got very little production out of perhaps the most dynamic playmaker on their roster.

That won’t be a problem in 2010.

Shepard is working exclusively with the receivers now and considers himself a receiver. He’ll also get a little work at running back and will get a shot at returning kickoffs and punts, too.

He’s playing the ‘Z’ receiver position, which is where Brandon Lafell and Early Doucet lined up in the LSU offense. The Tigers have typically moved the ‘Z’ receiver around to create favorable matchups.

“It’s a big chance at such a young age, but I’m going to do a lot of things at that position, and I’m going to get in the backfield some and do a lot of things, sweeps, catching the ball out of the backfield, some of the things they may not ask Stevan Ridley or Richard Murphy to do,” Shepard said. “I’ll be on special teams, too, on punt return and kick return.

“They’re going to give me the ball as much as possible next year.”

Over and above his vast talent, one of the most refreshing things about Shepard is his attitude.

Sure, he was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, but he didn't fall prey to that five-star, I'm-entitled mentality.

Even when he wasn’t getting the ball last season and sort of faded into obscurity in LSU’s stagnant offense, he never complained. He never pouted, and he never quit believing that he could help the team.

“I think last year helped me, because it humbled me and taught me patience,” said Shepard, who didn’t have an offensive touch in the 19-17 Capital One Bowl loss to Penn State. “That’s the way it is when you have All-Americans in front of you.

“But, honestly, it made me such a better player. Sitting on that sideline really hurt, but I know now what it takes to be an impact player in this league. That’s what is most important for me, being a big contributor to this LSU football team.”

Sensing that his quarterback days were probably numbered, Shepard went to LSU coach Les Miles two days after the Florida loss last season, a game in which the home Tigers were held to a single field goal and only 162 yards of total offense.

In short, Shepard told Miles that he was ready to make a position change and was willing to give up quarterback for good.

“It was the best thing for me and the best thing for this team,” Shepard said. “I knew coming into this spring that it was going to be different, and it has been.”

The 6-1, 188-pound Shepard has immersed himself into being a receiver at this level, which means gleaning anything he can from the likes of LaFell and Doucet and soaking up the nuances of playing the position.

“The biggest adjustment is just learning the process,” Shepard said. “When you’re on that island one-on-one with a Patrick Peterson or a Janoris Jenkins, that’s a whole different deal. It’s not like the quarterback position where you’re going on instinct a lot of the time. You have to know where you’ve got to be. You have to know your reads, your hot reads, and you have to be on the same page as the quarterback.

“Running around and catching balls has been the easiest thing for me, because I am a natural athlete. But learning all the little things that it takes to be a great receiver will take some time.”

That may be, but Miles has seen enough of Shepard to know that he’s a natural wherever he is with the ball in hands.

“Who knows where he’ll take a lot of the snaps from?” Miles said. “But I can tell you that the opportunity to give him the ball will be easier (at receiver).”

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Tigers wrap up first week of spring with scrimmage

BATON ROUGE - LSU wrapped up its first week of spring practice on Saturday with a full pads workout that saw head coach Les Miles put the Tigers through an abbreviated scrimmage consisting of nearly 80 live snaps.

Saturday's practice was the fifth of 15 for the Tigers this spring. LSU will take Sunday and Monday off before starting week two of the spring workouts on Tuesday. LSU will practice three times next week - Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday - with Saturday's session scheduled for a scrimmage in Tiger Stadium.

"Today was the first day of spring in reality," Miles said after the practice. "We were in pads and we scrimmaged. We went 40 minutes and had a lot of fun. Some young players really showed and some guys that were veterans looked like veterans. It was still a little too sloppy for my liking so we need to improve. We may go slower in football just to make sure we have it all right."

Another new wrinkle for the Tigers this spring has been the introduction of the "Big Cat" drill, which is a one-on-one full contact drill between and offensive player and a defensive player.

"We started this practice out with a "Big Cat" drill and that is something we will do every day in pads," Miles said. "It's a one-on-one man-on-man aggressive drill.

"(This drill) gives our players the competitive view of physical interaction. To me, it is basically to make us a dominant and physical football team. If they can step in that drill and do well then they can be a dominant physical football team."

The Tigers did the drill for the first time on Thursday - their first day in full pads. Miles said he's the "judge" of the drill and he determines who wins - the offense or the defense. Miles said that on Saturday, the Tigers did the drill eight times, with the offense winning three, the defense winning three and two ties.

"It was a great way to get the practice started," Miles said. "It is a physical presence. It's about body control and being able to dominate your opponent. It is not necessarily disengagement, which is also part of football. When you lock up, it is pad under pad and it is strength and brute force. I am the judge and it is the movement. If I take your body back, I won and if you take my body back you won."

All three quarterbacks - Jordan Jefferson, Jarrett Lee and Chris Garrett - took snaps during the scrimmage, while Stevan Ridley and Michael Ford got the bulk of the carries from the running back position. Richard Murphy practiced but he did not participate in the scrimmage.

Miles said that the biggest offensive play came when Jefferson hit Chris Tolliver for a 70-yard scoring play. Defensive back Daniel Graff added an interception on a tipped ball to highlight the defensive play.

"There certainly were some opportunities at some big plays," Miles said. "There were some nice runs; probably more in this scrimmage than in the one we had a year ago. I thought it was a nice start to our endeavor on becoming a dominant and more physical than we have been."

[Jefferson2Lafell]

Tigers go through first full-scale scrimmage

BATON ROUGE - LSU coach Les Miles went into spring practice with an emphasis on doing a better job of running the football. The Tigers did just that on Saturday, rushing for 230 yards in what was the first full-scale scrimmage for LSU this spring.

Saturday's scrimmage closed out the second week of spring practice for the Tigers. LSU, now eight practices into spring drills, will go three times next week and four the following week. The Tigers will wrap-up the spring with the National L Club Spring Football Game on Saturday, March 27 in Tiger Stadium. Free tickets to the game are available at www.LSUtix.net.

Junior running back Stevan Ridley led the Tigers with 84 yards on 16 carries, while redshirt freshman Michael Ford added 79 yards on 16 attempts. Senior Richard Murphy (knee) did not see any action until the two-minute drill at the end of the scrimmage.

"We let them play today," Miles said of the scrimmage. "We worked on just about every situation. We wanted to get a lot of reps for the young players to see how they looked.

"I kind of felt like it was a physical day. The first defense played well and on offense, I thought we did a nice job of running the football. I think we got a lot accomplished. We called so many runs today that there is going to be a piece where the offense will have advantages because there was not down and distance pressures to throw it."

Miles said the scrimmage saw the No. 1 offense face the No. 1 defense for most of the snaps. Miles said the Tigers also spent time working on different phases of special teams, including field goals and punt coverage and punt return.

The Tigers went a total of 130 snaps during the workout with quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee getting most of the snaps. Jefferson connected on 10-of-21 passes for 86 yards, while Lee completed 9-of-20 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Lee's 43-yard scoring pass to Reuben Randle was the only touchdown of the day for the Tigers offense.

Randle led all receivers with 71 yards on four catches, while Deangelo Peterson caught six passes for 42 yards. Russell Shepard added 19 yards on three catches. Shepard also rushed for 35 yards on five attempts, including a 19-yard run, which was the longest running play of the day for the Tigers.

"It was very windy and I'm sure it hurt us throwing the long ball," Miles said. "We probably threw it for close to 200 yards. I thought both Jordan and Jarrett did some good things. They are improving with each practice. "

Defensively, senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard led the squad with seven tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss. Redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Montgomery (5 tackles, 2 sacks), senior defensive tackle Drake Nevis (5 tackles, 1 sack) and redshirt freshman defensive end Michael Brockers (4 tackles, 1 sack) stood out among the LSU defensive linemen.

"The defense played well," Miles said. "Some of the young players on the defensive side stood out. Sam Montgomery had a good day and it appears he is coming along. Kelvin Sheppard provided leadership and had a strong day at linebacker. Drake Nevis and Michael Brockers had significant plays as well."

"I like our progress. The team understands what we are expecting from them. They want to be a physical football team. They are getting better."

LSU Football - Spring Scrimmage No. 1 Statistical Leaders

Rushing
Stevan Ridley 84 yards, 16 att.
Michael Ford 79 yards, 16 att.
Russell Shepard 35 yards, 5 att.

Passing
Jordan Jefferson10-of-21, 86 yards
Jarrett 9-of-20, 105 yards, 1 TD

Receiving
Deangelo Peterson 6 rec., 42 yards
Reuben Randle 4 rec., 71 yards, 1 TD
Russell Shepard 3 rec., 19 yards

Defense
Kelvin Sheppard 7 tackles, 1 TFL
Sam Montgomery 5 tackles, 2 sacks
Drake Nevis 5 tackles, 1 sack
Michael Brockers 4 tackles, 1 sack
Patrick Peterson 5 tackles, 1 PBU

[cincy5885]

I'm following lots of detail i like it can't wait to see some of your game reports