Charles Scott struggles to get free from Tulane defensive lineman Shane Delery

LSU owned this game from the opening kickoff and flexed their muscle over a much inferior Tulane team. LSU-Tulane used to be a great rivalry, but now it is completely one-sided with LSU taking the last 18 games.

This was a stat padding game all around…

-LSU’s defense shut out Tulane for the first time since 1969

-Brandon LaFell’s 2 TDs move him into 2nd place behind Dwayne Bowe for most receiving TD in LSU history. LaFell needs four more TDs to tie Bowe.

-Charles Scott’s 112 rushing yards was the first 100+yd rusher this season for LSU. That shows you how much the LSU running game has struggled this year.

-Russell Sheppard had his 2nd career TD with the first score of the game

-LSU blocked a punt in the 1st Quarter for the first time since 2006

-Four LSU receivers had over 10.0 YPC. That includes LaFell, Terrence Tolliver, Reuben Randle and John Williams

Tulane’s offense had only two scoring chances, both were in the 2nd quarter, and inside the LSU 20-yard line. One drive resulted in a missed field goal and the other was a Patrick Peterson interception.

Jordan Jefferson played ok in the game, but nothing spectacular. Russell Sheppard looked good running the football and Stevan Ridley got a TD in garbage time. The LSU offense gained 455 yards, including outrushing Tulane 267-22.

LSU has bounced back from the Florida loss with two blowouts, outscoring Auburn and Tulane 73-10.

LSU’s next opponent is Alabama, which is easily the biggest game of the year for both teams. The last two winners of the “Saban Bowl” have gone on to win the SEC East, and this year’s winner will control their destiny in the division. The last time LSU played there was during LSU’s championship 2007 season which included the Chad Jones sack of John Parker Wilson to secure a LSU victory for Saban Bowl I. Saban Bowl III should make for some excitement and emotion in Tuscaloosa.

Kickoff is 2:30 CST next Saturday

#11 LSU beat Washington, but how well did they play?

I will get this disclaimer out of the way. I consider myself a LSU football fan and have followed them since I was young, and closely since 2003. I will try and write a game recap after each of their games. So here we Geaux…

LSU opened their 2009 season against a Washington Huskies team that didn’t win a game last year! The Huskies hired former USC offensive coordinator and famous QB coach Steve Sarkisian to turn around Washington.

The first thing I want to say is that Sophomore Jordan Jefferson isn’t a great QB, he is mobile, but his accuracy is below average and decision making is average at best. That being said, I think the Tigers should do what they can to develop Freshman QB stud-in-waiting Russell Sheppard and get him out there. Jefferson is fine for now, certainly better than that nerd-alert Jarrett Lee. Jefferson has a solid receiving corps that can make up for passes that aren’t right on the money and a good running game to help him out. Jefferson played decent vs. Washington. If you look at the box score, you would think he had a great game, but really he faced a sub-par defense and Terrance Tolliver made some great plays. Jefferson ran the option a lot and had good judgment.

Jefferson’s Performance: B

The Running Backs have been a strong point of LSU for years. This year, similar to last year, they will feature Senior Charles Scott, some of Senior Keiland Williams and the track superstar and Senior Trindon Holliday. Scott, more of a power back, with great patience, struggled. He was getting decent running lanes, but looked average at best, and was replaced, at least for this game, by Keiland Williams. Williams has been a stud since Day 1 of stepping onto LSU’s campus with great speed and size; however he has been behind Jacob Hester and Charles Scott on the depth chart, but has some real ability. Williams played well, on 7 rushes he gained 51 yards, playing a solid compliment to Jefferson in the option. I wouldn’t be surprised if Keiland and Scott are switched around based on the style of defense they are playing in the future.

Scott’s Performance: C

Williams Performance: A-

LSU has All-Americans at receiver each year and usually challenge secondary’s each Saturday. This year’s team feature’s potential 1^st round pick and Senior Brandon LaFell plus the number 1 receiver out of high school 2 years ago, Junior Terrence Tolliver. While LaFell may have started since his sophomore year, Tolliver is the real prize in this bunch of receivers. Each year, LaFell has been expected to take a larger role in the offense, but never challenged Dwayne Bowe, Craig “Buster” Davis, Early Doucet, and Demetrius Byrd for the number 1 spot. I don’t expect this year to be any different. LaFell drops too many passes and never has performed consistently to earn the number 1 spot. LaFell caught a late touchdown, but was otherwise nonexistent Saturday. Terrence Tolliver played outstanding. Tolliver was easily the MVP of the game for LSU. He only caught four passes but two of the catches were touchdowns. On one catch, he broke a tackle and blew past the secondary for a touchdown and the other he juked a corner out of his shoes and took it to the house without being touched. Tolliver showed his athleticism and his ability in the open field. Other than these two receivers, only 3 other passes were caught. Tight End and Senior Richard Dickson was nonexistent, but should be a bigger presence in the passing game as the season progresses.

LaFell: C+

Tolliver: A

Rest of Receivers: N/A

The Offensive line played well. They gave Jefferson time to pass, as well as running lanes to run the option. They controlled the line of scrimmage as well as they could on pass plays. Their run blocking between the tackles was poor. They didn’t open up any holes for Scott or Keiland to run through. As a result, a majority of their running success went off tackle, in the option. They should have dominated each aspect of blocking against a clearly inferior opponent.

O-Line Grade: B-

Washington ran 83 plays of offense compared to LSU’s 48, ouch. LSU played a bend but don’t break defense. They allowed 478 yards, but only gave up 23 points. The defensive line played decent, getting in the backfield for some run plays and having sustained pressure on QB Jake Locker. The linebackers were decent; they missed several tackles early on, but played better as the game progressed. The secondary was gashed on a couple big passes and should have done better against an inferior receiving corps. LSU’s defense was bailed out by Washington’s Johri Fogerson having a pass go off his chest in the end zone. And D’Andre Goodwin stopped running at the goal line as Locker’s pass darted through the back of the end zone. Washington committed 11 penalties to LSU’s 3. If this was against a SEC opponent, they would have allowed 40 points and lost.

Linemen: B

Linebackers: C

Secondary: C

As a whole, this game showed that LSU is a talented team, but they need to sure up several aspects of their team. If they can find ways to get Dickson involved in the passing game and get better at the fundamentals of defense, they can compete for the SEC West. Their schedule is brutal this year having to travel to Athens, Oxford, and Tuscaloosa. Up next for the Tigers is Vanderbilt. This should be a cake walk for their home opener.

Overall Game Grade: C+

Are The Chargers In For A Collapse?

It should come as no surprise that the Chargers finished atop the AFC West last season. However, things did not go as planned. The Chargers had to win their last four games of the season and hope that Denver suffered an epic collapse down the stretch. Both happened, and the Chargers still only finished 8-8 in 2008. The Broncos, who had the playoffs in their sights, dropped the final three games of the season and watched the Chargers steal the division title. The Oakland Raiders continued their ineptitude with a 5 win season, and the Chiefs were even worse. The AFC West, however, had a very busy off-season. Two new quarterbacks, two new coaches, and a lot of drama filled the AFC West this off-season. Meanwhile, the Chargers got healthier all the way around. Is this San Diego’s division to lose, or will another team step up and challenge the Chargers?

Denver Broncos

Key Additions- RB Knowshon Moreno (draft), QB Kyle Orton, QB Chris Simms, WR Jabar Gaffney, S Brian Dawkins

Key Subtractions- QB Jay Cutler, RB Selvin Young, Head Coach Mike Shanahan

Orton Could Be A Nice Fit In This System

Any talk of the Broncos has to circle around the off-season drama involving Jay Cutler. The franchise Quarterback could not see eye to eye with the new regime and was shipped to the Bears. Thus, the Kyle Orton era begins in Denver. Orton actually played pretty well last season before suffering an ankle injury. He also appears to be the right quarterback for Josh McDaniels system. Orton will be helped by one of the leagues best O-lines and (hopefully) one of the leagues best wide receiver duos. Even if Brandon Marshall doesn’t suit up for Denver, Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney, and Brandon Stokley should provide Orton with some solid targets. Knowshon Moreno should make an impact this season as well. The big problem with Denver is it’s defense. In 2008, the Broncos were historically bad on D. According to the Pro Football Almanac, since 1994 only one team was worse defensively than the 2008 Broncos. Denver did very little to shore up their defense in the off-season. LB Robert Ayers was drafted to be a pass rushing specialist, and Brian Dawkins comes over from Philadelphia. CB Champ Bailey should be healthy after battling groin injuries throughout the year. However, the defense remains a huge liability in Denver.

Fantasy Sleeper- Kyle Orton or Eddie Royal

No one expects the Broncos to be good, which is why you might be able to get some good players at a discount in your drafts. Orton was on the verge of a very solid season before injuring himself. He now moves to a team with a better line, better WRs, and an offensive mastermind head coach. Each pre-season game has been better for Orton, he could throw for 20+ TDs this season if things break right. Eddie Royal should become Orton’s number 1 target with Brandon Marshall out. Royal had a spectacular rookie season, and should take advantage of more targets this season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Key Additions- DE Tyson Jackson (draft), QB Matt Cassel, WR Bobby Engram, WR Amani Toomer

Key Subtractions- TE Tony Gonzalez, QB Damon Huard

Dwayne Bowe Is Blossoming Into A Top WR

The Kansas City Chiefs were applauded for a great draft in 2oo8. Unfortunately, that praise didn’t carry over to the regular season. Despite the young talent, the Chiefs only managed to win two games in 2008. Like Denver, the team also brought in an offensive mastermind head coach and a new quarterback. Matt Cassel could really benefit from Todd Haley’s system. It appears to be very similar to the one Cassel ran while in New England last season. Of course, Cassel will not have the same talent he benefited from with the Patriots. While Dwayne Bowe seems ready to breakout, the team traded away Tony Gonzalez in the off-season. Like most teams in the division, Kansas City’s defense is a work in progress. Tyson Jackson was brought in to shore up a D-Line that only had 10 sacks all season (that’s an NFL record…and not in a good way). However, this makes last years first round pick, Glenn Dorsey, a man without a position. Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel are getting old, but should provide some stability at Linebacker. CB Brandon Flowers looked like a steal last season and S Mike Brown was also brought in to help the secondary. If the young players can put it together, this defense could rise to the middle of the pack.

Fantasy Sleeper- Matt Cassel

Anyone who watched Cassel last season saw a quarterback blossom on the fly. As the season went on, Cassel’s pocket presence and awareness improved. He finished the year strong, throwing 8 TDs and only 1 INT down the stretch for New England. To cite the Pro Football Almanac again, under Cassel New England’s offense was actually more effective down the stretch than the 2008 Pats were down the stretch. Think about that for a minute… Not to mention, Cassel will be playing in a similar system this season. Take him as a backup, but don’t be surprised if he posts starter-type numbers.

Oakland Raiders

Key Additions- WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (draft), QB Jeff Garcia, FB Lorenzo Neal

Key Subtractions- WR Ronald Curry, OT Kwame Harris

Warning: Do Not Throw Ball Here!

The Oakland Raiders ineptitude continued last season. Rookie RB Darren McFadden was supposed to excel, but suffered an injury early on and was ineffective all season long. WR Javon Walker may never fully recover from a serious knee injury he suffered a few seasons ago. If there was a bright spot on offense, it was TE Zach Miller. Miller showed a nice chemistry with QB JaMarcus Russell and averaged 13.9 YPC last season. In 2009, this team will either sink or swim based on the play of Russell. While Russell did have 13 TDs and 8 INTs, it wasn’t a very successful season for the former number 1 overall pick. In order to give Russell another target, Al Davis made the most criticized move of the draft by taking WR Darrius Heyward-Bey over Michael Crabtree. Defensively, the Raiders are built to get to the opposing quarterback. While they hurried passers often, it didn’t translate to sacks. Because there are so many pass rushers on the team, the Raiders struggle in run defense. In the secondary, Nnamdi Asomugha has quietly become the best Cornerback in the NFL. It’s difficult to gather advanced statistics on Asomugha because offenses completely avoid throwing the ball in his direction. Al Davis still seems to think it’s the 1970s.

Fantasy Sleeper- TE Zach Miller

Miller ranked 8th in receptions and 6th in yardage among Tight Ends last season. He has developed a nice chemistry with starting Quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Like many other sleepers in these articles, Miller is the only proven receiver on his team and should see a fair amount of targets this season.

San Diego Chargers

Key Additions- DE Larry English (draft), LB Kevin Burnett

Key Subtractions- OG Mike Goff, DE Igor Olshansky

Merriman Returns To A Dangerous Chargers Defense

Even though the Chargers won the division, last season was seen as a disappointment. The team had far too much talent on the roster to finish at only 8-8 and stumble into the playoffs. While the team played better than their record suggests, they also suffered injuries to some of their key players. On offense, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates dealt with injuries all year. Defensively, Shawne Merriman was lost for the season early on, and Antonio Cromartie played most of the season with a fractured hip. All four players are set to return at full health in 2009. Also returning to the team is QB Philip Rivers, who took a huge step forward last season. It is remarkable how consistent Rivers was in every passing situation last season. While Tomlinson could bounce back this season, Rivers is the best player on this offense. DT Luis Castillo continues to be one of the best run stoppers in the league. He should allow Merriman and 1st round pick Larry English to get to the quarterback more often in 2009. On paper, the Chargers might be the most talented team in the AFC.

Fantasy Sleeper- DEF

The return of LB Shawne Merriman is going to be a huge boost for this team. He should rack up double digit sacks once again. Antonio Cromartie suffered through a sophomore slump, but was playing with a fractured hip. His return to the secondary will be key for the Chargers. As a rookie, Cromartie picked off 10 passes. San Diego also plays against Oakland, Denver, and Kansas City, none of which have a great offense.

2009 Projections

1. San Diego Chargers 12-4

2. Kansas City Chiefs 7-9

3. Denver Broncos 6-10

4. Oakland Raiders 5-11