SB Nation - Brett Helms

The LSU Preview

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:16:56 -0000

No smoke and mirrors needed this week. No clever turn of phrase needed to build drama and intrigue with this game. Nope. To paraphrase what they say in the sales business, this is simply a game that sells itself. It's 'Bama v. LSU. Saban Bowl III. National championship implications clearly on the line. The entire country turning its eyes towards Tuscaloosa to play close attention at this contest. Again, this one sells itself. Let's look closer at the match-ups:

Alabama Offense v. LSU Defense

After putting up points and yards by the bushel in the first month of the season, the once prolific Alabama offense has slowly ground to a virtual halt over the course of the past five weeks. The vertical element of the passing game went into the Witness Protection Program in early October, and we still haven't seen any signs of it returning as of this writing. Mark Ingram has been nothing short of phenomenal -- sans the fumble against Tennessee -- but the lack of a vertical element to the passing game, combined with untimely penalties, questionable playcalling, and struggles in the red zone have kept the Tide offensive attack at bay and off the scoreboard.

Admittedly, the level of competition has been high the past several weeks. Kentucky has a good defense, and Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee rank in the top 25 nationally of more statistical categories than not. But such is life in the SEC... it's a brutal gauntlet of quality opponent after quality opponent, and there will be no rest for the weary this weekend when the Bayou Bengals come to town. Alas, when LSU arrives in Tuscaloosa, they will bring with them a defense that is as good as those we saw in October, if not better.

And unfortunately, injuries continue to take a toll on the Tide. Colin Peek looks to either miss this game or play nowhere near 100%, and that's a very big loss for the Tide. Michael Williams will likely play better than he did two weeks ago against Tennessee because he will be more prepared, but Peek is a critical element of our offense, and unfortunately Williams is an imperfect substitute.

Defensively, the weakness for LSU starts up front at the line of scrimmage. Shocking as though that may be -- I imagine I need remind no one that LSU's defensive line ate us for dinner from 2003-2007 -- it is nevertheless true. To be sure, it's certainly not a bad group, but it isn't a dominating one and it is not up to the level that we have come to expect the past several years out of LSU. Inside, seniors Al Woods and Charles Alexander are good players that any team would love to have, but they probably aren't to the level that we saw the past several years out of LSU with Kyle Williams and Glenn Dorsey. Likewise, the rotation isn't what it has been in previous years in terms of quality depth.

The real weakness for LSU on the defensive line largely comes outside at end. Senior Rahim Alem has been a bit of a disappointment this year. He was always a liability against the run -- which is why, despite leading the SEC in sacks in 2008, he wasn't a starter -- but he hasn't rushed the passer as well this year, generating only three sacks in the first eight games (only one of which came in conference play, and that was against Vandy). Opposite Alem, Lazarius Levingston hasn't exactly played poorly, but he hasn't really made an impact either. He has yet to generate a sack, and only has ten tackles on the year. Making matters worse, they are somewhat undersized, and mixed with their lack of a consistent pass rush, that generally explains why LSU's run defense has been somewhat middling, and also explains why they are at the bottom of the SEC in sacks.

Unfortunately, the rest of the LSU defense is significantly better. The linebacker corps struggled greatly in 2008, but they have made tremendous strides in 2009 under new defensive coordinator John Chavis. There is not one standout at linebacker like Alabama has with someone like Rolando McClain -- or had with Dont'a Hightower -- but it's a good group that gets the job done. Perry Riley, Kelvin Sheppard, Harry Coleman, and Jacob Cutrera are all good football players, and they are in many ways unique players that give Chavis a lot of options. Riley is a big, physical player who excels against against the run, and Coleman's past as a former safety makes him a very versatile player, particularly in passing situations. Kelvin Sheppard is probably the best all-around player of the bunch, and while Cutrera isn't a standout, he's a senior who can really play whatever position they need off the bench. Again, it's not a group that has the one rockstar standout like you find with a guy like Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes, but it's a good group of players that have produced at a high level for John Chavis.

The real strength of the LSU defense, however, comes in the defensive backfield, where the Bayou Bengals have an absolutely ridiculous collection of talent. Just look at the names and their recruiting hype... Chad Jones, #1 safety prospect in the country in 2007. Jai Eugene, #1 cornerback prospect in the country in 2006. Patrick Peterson, #1 cornerback prospect in the country in 2007. And guys like Chris Hawkins, Brandon Taylor, Karnell Hatcher, Ron Brooks, and Danny McCray? Yeah, they were generally "only" four-star recruits who could have had pretty much their pick of any school in the country.

Not surprising given that collection of talent, LSU's defensive backfield has led the way. Patrick Peterson is the best cornerback in the conference now that Kentucky's Trevard Lindley is slowed by an ankle injury, and Chad Jones is every bit as good of a safety as Eric Berry. And, obviously, the rest aren't too shabby. These guys have been the key for the LSU defense this year. The defensive line has struggled and frankly been very bad in terms of rushing the passer, but the back end has covered so well that LSU still fields one of the best pass defenses in the country.

Coach Saban and company have talked about stretching the field vertically this weekend, and that is almost certainly something that we will have to do in order to breathe life back into our deceased offense. LSU does not have the great run defense that they have sported in years past, but it's far from a bad unit, and you can rest assured that they will be able to limit Alabama's running game well enough to force the Tide to do something in the passing game in order to score a lot of points. Keep in mind that, as I mentioned in the Radio Hour, if you are unable to throw the football, then defensively you don't need to stop the run, you only need to somewhat limit the run. In other words, you just have to make sure that the opposing offense doesn't run it down your throats to the tune of 250+ rushing yards. Rest assured, LSU is likely more than good enough to do that up front.

Offensively, Alabama faces the same dilemma that it largely faced against Tennessee. Greg McElroy and the passing attack have struggled to move the football, and the opposing defense will look to limit Ingram and company and force McElroy and the wide receiver corps to beat them. Unless we can be more consistent and explosive in the passing game, the end result looks to be very similar to what it was against Tennessee.

Alabama Defense v. LSU Offense

For all of the strength of the LSU defense, the LSU offense hasn't been anywhere near as good, and if you look closely this is a group that ranks near the bottom of the country in most statistical categories.

At the skill positions, at least, this is an extremely dangerous offense. Without doubt the LSU wide receiver corps is easily the most talented that the Tide will face all season, and literally every single LSU wide receiver that will touch the football this Saturday will be a truly elite athlete in every sense of the phrase. Brandon LaFell will be a first-day draft pick next April, and both Terrance Toliver and Reuben Randle are physically impressive players who were the #1 wide receiver prospects in the country when they came out of high school. Richard Dickson is a good tight end in his own right, and he too will probably play on Sunday. Furthermore, Charles Scott is also a future NFL player, and while Keiland Williams never really lived up to his five-star status when he signed with the Tigers in 2006, he's still a fine player in his own right. And finally, while Russell Shepard and Trindon Holliday are somewhat of one-trick ponies, both have such ungodly speed and athleticism that they can present major challenges to a defense once they get the ball in their hands. Bottom line, struggles or not, if you look at the quality at talent at the skill positions for LSU, you would swear this is an elite offense.

The real problem with LSU offensively has been in the trenches and, perhaps not surprisingly, at the quarterback position. Struggles in those two areas have largely grounded the LSU offensive attack, and have turned an offense that should be high-powered based solely on its skill position talent into a unit that has greatly struggled to move the football and score points.

Ciron Black at left tackle for the Bayou Bengals is a four-year starter who will likely be a first round NFL draft choice next April, and at right tackle Joseph Barksdale -- a five-star recruit in 2007 -- is one of the best right tackles in the SEC. Unfortunately for the Tigers, however, the performance of the centers and guards has dipped significantly. The loss of starting left guard Herman Johnson and starting center Brett Helms have been felt all season, and the replacements just aren't in the same league right now. Josh Dworaczyk took over for Johnson, and the replacement starter for the gargantuan comes in at barely 280 pounds. Likewise, sophomore T-Bob Hebert hasn't necessarily been bad, but again he's just not in the same league as Helms right now. Right guard Lyle Hitt looked solid enough when sandwiched between Helms and Barksdale, but he too has seen his performance dip by having to take on greater responsibilities with Hebert alongside him. As a whole, the performance of the center and the guards just hasn't been anywhere what it was a year ago.

The struggles on the interior offensive line have effectively proven fatal to the LSU rushing attack. I've long said that the biggest impact on your rushing attack comes from the play of your center and your guards, and 2009 Tigers would prove to be a fine case study in that regard. The tackles are there, as are the backs, but LSU has struggled on the interior in the running game, and that has largely killed their rushing attack. The once potent Scott and Williams are averaging only about 4.8 yards per carry now, and prior to facing Tulane and their god awful run defense they were barely averaging 4.0 yards per carry.

The other problem for LSU offensively is quarterback Jordan Jefferson. While clearly an intriguing prospect with a great upside -- Jefferson has a good frame, a big arm, and is a legitimate dual-threat -- Jefferson is really playing out of necessity right now, and it shows. Truth be told, if the LSU coaching staff really had their druthers, Jefferson would probably be riding the pine this year while watching fifth-year senior Ryan Perrilloux run the Tiger offense, but alas the Football Gods would not cooperate. As a result, Jefferson has been forced to make the best of a bad situation, and he has clearly had his growing pains. He holds onto the ball entirely too long which creates a lot of sacks -- which explains why LSU is near the bottom of the conference in sacks allowed despite having the best tackle combo in the league -- often struggles to work through his progression, and does struggle at times to get the ball to his talented wide receivers. Combined, this has largely grounded what should otherwise be an explosive passing attack.

In all fairness, though, what Jefferson has done is manage the game and not get his Tigers beat. For all of the criticisms that you can make regarding his performance to date, he has protected the football, which is clearly priority number one for the LSU coaching staff. Jefferson has thrown a mere four interceptions this year on roughly 200 passing attempts, and has allowed the LSU defense to lead them to victory in close games. If nothing else, that is far more than could ever be said for the man that Jefferson replaced.

Defensively, Alabama brings the attack that you all know so well, and there will probably be little changes this week. Charles Scott and Keiland Williams had great success running the football against us a year ago, but with a healthy Terrence Cody this time around, plus Herman Johnson and Brett Helms playing on Sunday, the Tide ought to shut down the LSU rushing attack. If Charles Scott and company have a good deal of success come Saturday, it will legitimately come as a bit of a surprise.

The real key for the Alabama defense will be containing big plays in the passing game. For lack of a better way of putting it, the skill position players for LSU are unreal good, and they will stretch us to the absolute maximum this weekend. Our defensive backfield, collectively, will have to play the game of their lives this weekend, and to make matters even more worrisome we will also have to make sure that Russell Shepard or Trindon Holliday also don't beat us with a long run out of the backfield. Given the way we have struggled offensively the past several weeks, even giving up only one or two really long plays can easily be the difference between victory and defeat, and unless the offense improve, our defense has effectively zero margin of error.

Going a long way towards preventing those big plays to the skill position players will be effectively rushing the passer. Jefferson isn't a world-beater at quarterback, but his receivers sure as hell are, and he has the arm to make all of the throws. If Jefferson consistently has time to throw the football, we're in big trouble defensively. The LSU skill position players are simply too good to expect any defensive backfield to keep covered for any real length of time.

Putting It All Together

All in all, these two teams match up closely. If the Alabama offense were producing like it did earlier in the year, the Tide could be reasonably expected to win this game with relative ease, but with our offensive struggles of the past month and no definite sign of improvement, this game figures to be a close one that goes right down to the wire. Unless we can significantly improve offensively, the LSU defense is good enough to keep our offensive attack at bay, and while the LSU offense probably won't score a lot of points against our defense, they clearly have another skill position talent on the outside to make a few big plays to squeak out a close victory in a low-scoring game

And do look for this game to be a close, low-scoring game, no two ways about that. Neither team looks to score that many points, and expect the coaching staffs of the respective teams to play accordingly. LSU almost lost to the Tide in 2007 when they chose to kick to Javier Arenas late, and their loss last year was fueled by a slew of costly turnovers. Expect Les Miles and company to avoid both this weekend with a struggling Alabama offense. LSU will kick the football away from Arenas, and play safe on offense so that -- even if they don't score a lot of points in their own right -- they won't take the risks that could result in several costly turnovers. We're struggling greatly on the offensive side of the ball, and when facing a team of that nature you make sure that you do not allow cheap points. Expect LSU to force the Tide's offense to consistently move the ball 60+ yards to get points.

For Alabama, the path to victory is clearly in the trenches. We hold a fairly significant advantage in both match-ups at the line of scrimmage, and there is where we must win this football game. We must stop the run defensively and rush Jefferson, and offensively establish the running game and make like easy for McElroy and the Alabama passing attack. If we can do that, we win this football game. On the other hand, if LSU can fight us to an effective draw in the trenches, then this game will be decided by the skill position players, and that's a losing proposition for us. That's not to say we absolutely cannot win a game of that nature, but LSU does have more raw talent at the skill positions than we do, and that is a game that will clearly favor the Bayou Bengals. Again, our path to victory lies in the trenches. We have to dominate this game at the line of scrimmage. Period.

One way or the other, look for this to be an absolutely brutal game. The stakes are extremely high for both LSU and Alabama, and their respective players will perform accordingly. Les Miles, regardless of whether or not it is fair, will forever be judged relative to Nick Saban, something that is clearly not lost on Miles or his team. This is their biggest game of the year, and clearly the biggest game of the year for their fan base as well. Truth be told, they have been preparing for this game for two weeks now. Making matters more interesting, this game determines the SEC West, LSU is still technically alive in the national championship race, and they are clearly looking to make a definitive showing that they are still at their 2003-2007 form. On the other sideline, Alabama has been staring this one down for two weeks. We control our own destiny in the national championship race, and we know full well that this is now effectively a one-game season. If we want to get to where we want to go, we all realize that we must directly go through LSU. And, also, don't think for one second that it is lost on our team that they need to win this game in the trenches. Expect these two teams to line up and wage absolute war. There will be blood.

Hope for the best.

Early Returns in the SEC

outsidethesidelines — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:00:36 -0000

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It goes without saying that the first two weeks of the season is a pretty small sample size, and thus we shouldn't necessarily expect to be able to draw any overly concrete conclusions just yet. Nevertheless, after a couple of games we know a lot more about teams than we did before, and at the very least we should be able to get a fairly decent overview of teams, and at least make some educated guesses about how they should fair going forward. To that end, here are a few thoughts on some SEC teams I've seen a pretty good bit of in the first couple of weeks:

Alabama: Coming into the season Alabama was picked to win the SEC West, and so far we've really done nothing to justify a downgrade in that projection. The win over Virginia Tech is the most impressive win any SEC team has posted to date, Greg McElroy has practically exceeded all expectations to date, and the passing game has been much less dependent on Julio Jones. The defense has proven to be as good as expected, and the pass rush is much improved. Nevertheless, despite generally looking good early on, things aren't exactly all well in Tuscaloosa. We have shown great promise and we have had great individual performances, but we haven't really came all that close to firing on all cylinders just yet, and all of the promise has at times been negated by a tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot with critical dropped passes, major breakdowns in the kick coverage game, costly penalties, middling safety play, and an inability to convert in short-yardage situations on offense. To be sure, the schedule does set up pretty nicely for the Tide and this team ought to at least win nine games or so and be in contention to get to Atlanta. We have the ability to be a very good team and one that could return to Atlanta in a re-match with a potential berth in the national championship game on the line, but if the mistakes continue we are going to lose a few games and perhaps watch another SEC West team reap the spoils of playing in the SEC Championship Game. The raw foundation is there, but ultimately it's a question of distinction that will be determined by the amount of progress we can make from this point moving forward.

Auburn: For all the outrage and criticism directed at Auburn over the Gene Chizik hire, the opening of the Chizik era has gone surprisingly well. Wins over Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State came with relative ease, and the offense has been surprisingly successful, racking up over 1,100 yards and 86 points in the first two games. And, frankly, judging by their early performance, I actually expect they will move to a 4-0 start with wins over West Virginia and Ball State. So, the early returns look pretty good for Aubie. On the other hand, though, despite the quick start, there are still plenty of reasons to be skeptical moving forward. Lack of quality depth is so bad that Auburn cannot afford any injuries anywhere, and it's hard to see them getting that kind of injury luck. Likewise, the first two wins of the season are really suspect -- Louisiana Tech was completely dominated on Saturday by Navy, and Mississippi State is the worst team in the SEC by a wide margin -- and for all of the feel good nature of Chris Todd's resurgence, he was only 10-23 for 188 yards and 0 touchdowns against a Mississippi State secondary that is rebuilding and is probably the worst in the conference. Given those considerations, I'm really not sure I see anything yet to move this team above the top six or seven in the conference, and they are still likely to have some major struggles once the meat of the schedule hits. Nevertheless, Chizik and company have clearly avoided the train wreck that many feared, and if Auburn can get out to the 4-0 start (with Furman remaining on the schedule), they suddenly only need to find one more win somewhere else on the schedule to make it back to a bowl game.

Georgia: The shellacking that UGA took in Stillwater in the season opener against Oklahoma State was disheartening enough to begin with, but things looked even worse the follow week when Houston took it to the Cowboys. Georgia did rebound on Saturday to win a thriller with South Carolina, but problem areas are seemingly everywhere. Joe Cox hasn't exactly done anything special yet -- plus he's fighting through an injury to his throwing arm -- Trinton Sturdivant is gone for the year with another knee injury, and the offense as a whole hasn't been particularly impressive. Only ten points went on the board against Oklahoma State, and while the 41 points against the South Carolina defense looks very impressive on paper, a closer examination reveals many flaws. Specifically, the Dawgs racked up only about 300 yards of offense, turned the ball over three times, had an interception returned for a touchdown, had a fumble deep in their own territory lead to another South Carolina touchdown, and seven of their points came on a kick return for a touchdown. Again, as far as "good" performances go, it wasn't overly impressive. Moreover, they've killed themselves with penalties to date, and while the defense looked decent against Oklahoma State, the 30+ points and 400+ yards of offense allowed to that South Carolina offense is simply inexcusable. All in all, this just isn't a team that looks very strong right now, and there are holes everywhere. And making matters worse, of course, is that the schedule is incredibly tough from here on out. If this team does not turn out to have the worst record of the Richt era since his debut campaign, it will come as a surprise.

LSU: After two middling-at-best wins over some not exactly impressive opponents, LSU has not made a definite statement to date that they have overcame the issues of a year ago. Truth be told, in their performances against Washington and Vanderbilt, LSU has looked a lot more like their 2008 team than their 2003-2007 teams. The offense has generally been pretty good, but the defense hasn't exactly regained its dominant form yet with John Chavis at the helm, the defensive end play has been poor, the defensive backfield has remained shaky, and the interior of the offensive line has struggled to replace Herman Johnson and Brett Helms, and have thus struggled to establish the run for Charles Scott and Keiland Williams. To date, LSU has been heavily reliant on superior skill position play on the outside and a bit of luck -- specifically a dropped Vandy pass, trailing 16-9, which turned into an interception, that other would have given Vandy (probably) a first and goal late in the third quarter -- but luck is a fickle element and the edge with skill position players will be much smaller once the meat of the schedule hits. On the other hand, though, LSU is guaranteed to win a lot of games this year just because of a soft schedule, and frankly they are effectively guaranteed a 4-0 start regardless of how good or bad they may be. They really do not face a legitimate test until the fifth week of the season (Georgia), and arguably the sixth week of the season when Florida comes to town, so in many ways it really does not matter how impressive LSU is right now because their early season games are effectively glorified scrimmages. At the beginning of the season I said LSU was the most difficult prediction of any SEC team, and through two weeks I really haven't seen anything to make me feel like we really know anything more about this team.

Mississippi State: In my SEC West preview before the season, I speculated that MSU would be the worst team in the conference this year, and quite frankly not only have the first two games proven that speculation to be true, it has shown us that the gap between them and the second worst team in the conference is a pretty wide one. After opening the season in Starkville against Jackson State -- a mediocre Division 1-AA team -- MSU struggled through the first half and only racked up points after the Bullies wore them down in the second half with better conditioning and depth. The following week at Auburn, which is probably at most the third worst team on MSU's conference schedule, they gave up 49 points and over 500 yards of offense. Not only could they not win, they couldn't even get within a country mile of contending for a win. And things aren't going to get any better from here. Georgia Tech will thump them in non-conference play, and after watching Houston beat Oklahoma State, there's no reason to think they won't beat the Bulldogs easily as well. In conference play, their best chance for a win likely comes this weekend in Nashville against Vanderbilt, and even there they opened as ten point underdogs. The best chance for a win the rest of way is clearly against Middle Tennessee State, but that too will be a tough game, and a win is far from guaranteed. This is just a really bad team right now, and frankly even three wins may very well be a stretch at this point.

South Carolina: Year five of the Spurrier era in Columbia began with what was quite possibly one of the ugliest season opening games in ages, and it looked like the offensive incompetence was going to continue for yet another year. Then, out of nowhere, the Gamecocks offense put up 31 points on the road against Georgia and over 400 yards of total offense. Perhaps that game was an anomaly, but at least it does provide some hope moving forward. The defense will generally be a good one, but it's a thin unit that can be really hammered hard by a key injury. If the defense can stay healthy and offense can find a way to consistently do whatever it was that they did against Georgia, then this South Carolina team can become a very dangerous one. Unfortunately for Gamecock fans, though, I really haven't seen anything to date that would make me feel any better about the brutal schedule they have before them. They are 1-1 now, and they still have games remaining against Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Clemson. If South Carolina can continue to play like they did against Georgia they will be a dangerous team, but it's hard to see them breaking out of their middling-at-best funk with the murderer's row slate of games they have ahead of them.

Tennessee: So Lane Kiffin is not Lord and Savior of all things puke orange after all. The 63-7 blowout win in the season opener against Western Kentucky was just a sham, and one that was fueled largely by simply running up the score with 28 points in the fourth quarter on arguably the worst Division 1-A team in the country. Just like Kiffin's off-season comments, it was nothing more than sheer histrionics. UCLA revealed the sham for what it was, and it didn't even take long at that. Jonathon Crompton may have looked great when he had all day to throw the football to his wide open receivers, but in reality he is still the inaccurate, poor decision-maker that he has always been. And the damning thing of it is, UCLA isn't even that good of a team. The Tennessee defense, of course, looks to be one of the best in the country, and much like last year the Vols will effectively go as far as that defense can take them. And in that sense, it seems that nothing major has changed with Tennessee. They will probably get beat by the usual suspects, and at the end of the day they will likely end up around 6-6, give or take a game one way or the other, and fighting the whole way for every inch.

2009 SEC West Preview & Predictions

outsidethesidelines — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:00:11 -0000

In attempting to predict the SEC last year, I simply went through each member school's schedule and made definitive picks, game-by-game, and then compiled everything at the end to determine the overall standings and the division champions. For the 2009 season, however, I decided to scrap that format. As appealing as picking individual games can be simply because of its definitive nature, in many ways it is just a waste of time because there is just entirely too much random chance involved in each particular game, and on the whole it's far better to simply view the season in its entirety instead of trying to dissect its individual components from the outset.

To that end, this year I'm going to focus more on teams as a whole and make final predictions from there, thus omitting the individual game predictions. Moreover, unlike last year where I predicted the entire SEC, this year I'm going to focus only on the SEC West. My thought is that unless the terrorists successfully carry out jihad against Gainesville, the Gators are going to win the East by a mile, and frankly if you aren't a fan of one of the other five SEC Eastern Division members, who really cares what order they go in two through six? Thus, here goes my SEC West preview and predictions for 2009:

Alabama Crimson Tide

Coming into the season as the prohibitive favorites for the first time in ages, a quick look reveals why the prognosticators have been so high on the Tide. This is the most talented team we've seen in Tuscaloosa in ages, and the defensive side of the ball should probably be stronger than any defense the Tide has fielded since 1992. With the strength of the front seven -- a front seven that could legitimately feature three All-American candidates -- 'Bama should once again field an elite run defense. The loss of Rashad Johnson won't help things, but 'Bama led the SEC in conference play last year in pass efficiency defense, and by returning every other member of the two-deep rotation in the defensive backfield -- not to mention additions from Dre Kirkpatrick and Burton Scott -- a drop-off in performance is unlikely. Furthermore, things could even better, because for the first team since 2002, Alabama looks to have the pieces in place to at least be a solid pass rushing team, and even a solid, consistent pass rush would work wonders for the overall pass defense given the quality of defensive backs the Tide has.

The offense, too, has more than its fair share of strengths. Mike Johnson is one of the best guards in the country, and Colin Peek will be one of the conference's upper echelon tight ends if he can stay relatively healthy. Of course there is Julio Jones, already probably the greatest pure wide receiver in the history of Alabama football, but aside from him the rest of the receiving corps is deep with many talented playmakers in the fold. Likewise, the backfield is loaded with elite talent including the likes of Mark Ingram, Roy Upchurch, Trent Richardson, and others. And as an additional matter, quality depth on both sides of the ball is better than we have in years in Tuscaloosa.

With that glowing overview in mind, however, this is far from a flawless team. Greg McElroy has made tremendous amounts of progress in the past 18 months, and he has done effectively all that the coaching staff has asked him to do until this point. I think 'Bama fans can be as confident as can reasonably be expected with him under center, but until you step under center against a hostile defense in a real, live situation, frankly you can never really know what to expect. I think it's fair to say that the reasonable expectation for McElroy right now is that he will provide solid play at the quarterback position, but that is not to say anyone should be overly shocked if he suddenly turned into a liability.

The real concern, though, is the offensive line. The ideal situation for the Tide, of course, is to have the line mow over opponents like last year, dominating the game and turning McElroy into a game manager. Unfortunately, there's no such guarantee of that. The official depth chart will not be released until next week, but that notwithstanding, the starting five is this, going left to right: James Carpenter, Mike Johnson, William Vlachos, Barrett Jones, and Drew Davis. And I'll be frank, though quality depth is much improved, I think we should be a bit concerned with this group. Barrett Jones may play well at right guard (and I figure he is at least decent), but his presence is a major surprise, and we won't be able to give Drew Davis near the help from backs and tight ends that we did a year ago without having Andre Smith locking down the other side. Mike Johnson should do well again, but while James Carpenter and William Vlachos look to be solid players, a step down in performance from what we had a year ago at those positions is probably to be expected. As a whole, I don't think you have to worry about the line being bad -- far from it, I think the line should be pretty good -- but by the same token, I think we'll struggle somewhat in pass protection this year (as we did last year), and in the running game this line probably won't be able to consistently annihilate opponent's at the point of attack like it's predecessor did a year ago. That translates into putting more pressure on McElroy and forcing him to make more plays in the passing game, all of which could turn relatively easy wins into close games, and close wins into close losses.

Finally, special teams remains a legitimate concern for the Tide. Our coverage units should do really well simply because the great athletes we will be able to put on special teams, but the rest remains a concern. There is no doubting that Javier Arenas is an elite returner who will generate his fair share of big plays, but his decision making ability on punt returns is highly questionable at best, and many times last year he gave the opposition points on turnovers as a result of his poor decision making. Moreover, Leigh Tiffin will probably remain highly inconsistent at best (even when he is healthy), and frankly we do not want to see him trotting on the field with the game on the line. Likewise, he doesn't routinely get great distance and / or hang time on his kick-offs, another concern. Along those same lines, P.J. Fitzgerald at punter is a concern as well. He has slowly progressed and improved in his time at Alabama, but he's a small kid with an average-at-best leg, so he has most likely reached his peak. The smart money is clearly on yet another year in which Fitzgerald cannot produce great distance or hang time on his punts. As a result, despite some likely good coverage units and big plays from Javier Arenas, special teams isn't likely to be a strength for the Tide in 2009, and may in fact even be a liability.

Fortunately for Alabama the schedule does set up nicely. The opener against Virginia Tech will be a tough one -- and a loss there, at the very least, likely eliminates the Tide from BCS bowl contention (unless they can run the table from there) -- but a win there and it's relatively easily sledding until the road trip to Oxford the second week of October. Likewise, even after the Rebels, Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina, and UT-Chattanooga remain on the schedule, all four of which should be wins. An upset loss here and there wouldn't be a shock, but the defense and the coaching is good enough to guarantee at least nine wins barring either a complete meltdown by either McElroy, or a terrible run of injury luck.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Bobby Petrino's debut campaign in Fayetteville has about as many obstacles as expected, but things seemingly look much better for year two. It's clear that Petrino and company are still rebuilding the Razorbacks, but this is a much better squad than what we faced last year in Fayetteville, and all of those teams that got an easy win over the Hogs last year won't be so lucky in 2009.

The biggest single addition for Arkansas comes at the quarterback position. The Hogs spent most of last year with Casey and Nathan Dick at quarterback, and suffered the consquences thereof. Neither of the two were legitimate SEC caliber players, but all of that changes this year with the arrival of the gargantuan Ryan Mallett. A former five-star recruit from Texarkana, Mallett played as a freshman for Michigan before transferring to Fayetteville after the arrival of Rich Rodriguez. Mallett will start in 2009 for the Hogs, and in doing so he will not only be a major upgrade over both of the Dick sisters, but he'll have the strongest arm of any SEC quarterback. The reasonable expectation at this point is that Mallett will be one of the conference's top quarterbacks.

And, even aside from Mallett, there are a lot of other promising players at the skill positions for the Hogs. Tight end D.J. Williams is probably the best that the conference has to offer, and scatback Michael Smith -- who led the SEC in all purpose yardage last year -- is probably the best back you've never heard of. He's small, but he has great speed and agility, he's surprisingly effective as an inside returner, and he's much more durable than you would expect given his small frame. Likewise, with Dennis Johnson, De'Anthony Curtis, Broderick Green, and Ronnie Wingo rounding out the rest of the backfield, it's a highly talented group. Moreover, while the wide receiver corps doesn't really feature any truly great playmaker, it's a deep, solid group of guys who have shown that they can get the job done.

The real concern on the offensive side of the ball is the line. Three starters return from a year ago, and a fourth starter (Mitch Petrus) is actually a player who started in 2007. Unfortunately for the Hogs, though, All-American center Jonathon Luigs is gone, and in general the returning starters are the ones who were weak links a year ago. The tackles, in particular, Ray Dominguez and DeMarcus Love, have struggled with edge rushers, and if anything both of those guys probably should be playing inside at guard. All in all, it's just a bit of a concern for the Hogs. If these guys can consistently keep Mallett upright, the Hogs look to have a very potent offense, and one that could give even the best defenses legitimate trouble. On the other hand, a struggling offensive line will almost certainly slow what must be the unit that carries the Hogs to victory in 2009.

The defense, too, remains a major concern. The Hogs struggled defensively in 2007, and were even worse last year. In 2008 they were dead last in the conference in run defense, and the pass defense wasn't much better. Some steps may be made in the right direction in 2009 -- a couple of JUCO transfers in the defensive backfield should help, plus most of the defensive line returns -- but they still have a lot of issues, and it's unlikely that the Hogs will be able to move out of the cellar in most defensive categories in 2009.

All in all, the Hogs are a team that is clearly moving in the right direction, and they will be a dangerous team in 2009. Last year they knocked off LSU, Auburn, and almost beat Ole Miss. Rest assured they will get a couple of big-name upsets this year as well. Though sheer strength of schedule will dictate a few more roadblocks for the Hogs in 2009 -- five teams on their schedule are currently ranked in the AP top 15 -- this is a dangerous team, and one that could really surprise a lot of people if the defense can show some signs of life.

Auburn Tigers

Following their worst season in a decade, Auburn made a different kind of splash hire by bringing in former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Though near suicidal upon first hearing the news, most Auburn fans are now predictably bathing in the Kool-Aid, but looking at the Tigers in an objective light reveals that their fan base probably had it right to start with. On the whole, it's nearly impossible to believe their fall from grace in recent years. After going a combined 34-5 from 2004-2006, Auburn now finds itself with scholarship levels reminiscent of a program undergoing major NCAA sanctions, and possessing a depth chart paper thin in terms of both elite talent and quality depth. Things are so bad that almost any true freshman -- though they came from a highly unimpressive recruiting class -- healthy enough to play will be required do so in 2009, and a few walk-ons will be expected to contribute as well. From the outset, the mere fact that the athletic director is publicly trying to cool expectations for the program for the next couple of years ought to tell you all you need to know about their future prospects.

Chris Todd surprised many when he won the starting quarterback job all of a week into Fall camp, but despite a surgically repaired throwing shoulder, Todd's starting job probably has more to do with the shortcomings of the other candidates than it does his own skills. Neil Caudle is a bust now, as is Kodi Burns, and they are going to try to run some Wildcat-type stuff with Burns at the helm. But, of course, no one really knows what to expect of the newfangled Auburn offense. It's going to be a spread offense, but apparently one that is run-heavy, and it's also going to be a hurry-up offense to boot. And yes that's a major break from offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's track record, and yes they are going to run some Wildcat as well. So, no, I don't have any clue as to what they are going to do, and frankly I doubt anyone else does either.

And, truth be told, it probably doesn't matter one way or the other regardless of what they do. Todd is likely to be a below average quarterback, and the offensive line looks to struggle. Lee Ziemba and Ryan Pugh look good (when healthy), but the rest of the line looks to be in major trouble. Byron Isom, Mike Berry, and Andrew McCain are nothing special, and the depth on this unit is ridiculously thin. A kid like Chris Capps would easily see playing time with this group. And making matters worse, there is zero proven depth at wide receiver. About the only good thing you can say about this offense is that the tailbacks look to be a solid group. On the whole, though, given the overall lack of depth, good quarterback play, and game-changers at the skill positions, this offense looks to struggle regardless of what type of offensive system they implement, which is exactly the reason I'm not going to waste any time here trying to predict exactly what they are going to do offensively. Again, wishbone, run and shoot, whatever, the end result is almost certainly the same.

On defense, too, Auburn has a lot of problems. Last year's group was strong one hindered only by an incompetent defense, but a lot has changed since then. Guys like Trey Blackmon and Jerraud Powers left early, and what is left is largely a shell of what once was. The entire group is thin as a whole, and outside of Josh Bynes and Antonio Coleman, it's hard to identify many defenders who are clearly above average at this point. Mike McNeil is a fine player at safety, but he broke a leg in Spring practice, and at this point it looks like he is going to miss a few weeks of the season at least. Eltoro Freeman is a JUCO transfer who could really help out and be an impact player, but he has missed time this Fall with both an arm injury and a leg injury. All in all, much like the offense, the defense features very few top-end players, and almost no quality depth whatsoever.

On the whole, Auburn has a fairly decent starting 22, but considering modern day college football is a game that needs 50-55 good, solid contributors in order to play at a high level, that doesn't do them much good. Again, quality depth is the name of the game in football, and Auburn possesses almost none of that precious commodity. The schedule isn't easy in 2009, either, and frankly only Furman and Ball State are guaranteed wins. Of course Auburn will get more wins than that, I'm sure, but the point remains that wins likely won't come frequently for the '09 Tigers, and the few that do will likely be the result of some very close, hard fought contests. Much like last year, Auburn expects to be fighting tooth and nail with Mississippi State for last place in the SEC West.

LSU Tigers

After a disappointing 2008 campaign, the Bayou Bengal faithful hopes for improvement in 2009, and in all fairness they probably should get it. Jordan Jefferson, at the least, shouldn't be quite as disastrous as Jarrett Lee was a year ago, and while John Chavis is not a spectacular hire at defensive coordinator -- and in fact one I don't like in the long run -- he's an upgrade over what they had a year ago. As a result,

At quarterback the job belongs all to Jordan Jefferson now, and we'll have to see what he has made of. The LSU Hype Machine naturally has him as a superstar in the works, but a more objective view reveals more question marks and uncertainty. He played decent football last year -- relative to what Jarrett Lee did anyway -- but nevertheless he struggled to complete passes, and he took a ton of sacks thanks to his poor decision-making abilities. Based on what Jefferson has shown us, he looks to be a solid player eventually, but he still has a lot to prove, and all of these purple and gold notions just assuming that it's only a matter of time before he becomes a star quarterback are really just wishful thinking more than anything else. For now, what we can reasonably say about Jefferson is that he has a nice physical skill set with good long-term upside, and that if the LSU coaching staff uses him wisely, he might not be a top-end player this year but he will at least provide solid play and not turn the LSU offense into a trainwreck like Jarrett Lee did a year ago.

The rest of the skill positions are generally in good shape in Baton Rouge. Brandon LaFell will be one of the conference's top receivers, and likewise Richard Dickson will be one of the conference's top tight ends. Charles Scott is one of the conference's better tailbacks, and there is a lot of depth in the backfield with Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy, and incoming freshman Mike Ford. Likewise, while I don't think Russell Shephard will ever be an above average quarterback in this league, he's clearly an elite athlete, and I'm sure the LSU coaching staff will find some ways to take advantage of that this year. The only real concern at the skill positions is a lack of experienced depth, but the Tigers have recruited extremely well, and tremendous amounts of raw talent and athleticism are everywhere, so they should likely be fine even though they are not particularly experienced. Besides, experience at the skill positions tends to be a bit overrated, and in any event the Tigers aren't likely to face a legitimate test until the fifth week of the season when they go on the road to face Georgia, so again lack of experience shouldn't be a major concern.

The real concern with LSU's offense in many ways, much like Alabama, is with the offensive line. Jefferson is still green and ideally the coaching staff would be able to use a highly successful running game to take pressure off of him, but again there is no guarantee that will happen. Ciron Black is clearly the best tackle in the conference now, and Joseph Barksdale is more than adequate at right tackle. However, the interior linemen aren't necessariliy strengths. Gone are left guard Herman Johnson and center Brett Helms -- both punishing blockers in the running game -- and while Lyle Hitt returns at right guard, I've always considered him to be the weak link of the line. Making matters worse, T-Bob Hebert was expected to start at center after the departure of Helms, but he has been banged up in Fall camp, and that too is in question now. Moreover, this is a young line that probably doesn't have as much depth as you would at first imagine. The bottom line is that center / guard play of the interior linemen is exponentially important to the success of the running game, and if LSU has trouble here -- regardless of their strengths at the tackle position -- the running game will suffer, and more pressure will be put on Jefferson to make plays on his own. Again, as was the case with Alabama and Greg McElroy, that could very well result in more mistakes from the quarterback position, which can easily turn relatively easy wins into nailbiters, and close wins into close losses.

Defensively, the Bayou Bengals look to rebound from its worst showing in years in 2008. Truth be told, though, the LSU defense a year ago was a tale of two stories... a really good run defense, mixed with a really bad pass defense. And the bad news for the Tigers is that the cornerstones of the run defense -- the defensive line and linebacker Derry Beckwith -- have all moved on to the next level, so there are legitimate question marks there. Most of the defensive backfield returns, but again it is returning a unit that couldn't stop the pass, despite the fact that they were constantly helped by a good pass rush. Nevertheless, LSU has boatloads of talent all over the defense, and the real question is just whether or not they can take full advantage of it. They couldn't do that a year ago and struggled, but it will take an equally bad showing by both coaches and players to get a repeat performance of that poor effort in 2009.

All in all, LSU is a difficult projection, easily the most difficult of the entire SEC, and perhaps even the country. You still have questions at quarterback, and the running game may not go as smoothly as many assume. Furthermore, while the talent is there on the defensive side of the ball, and while John Chavis is an upgrade over Peveto and Mallory, he himself on occasion did field some bad defenses in Knoxville despite having loads of elite talent up on ol' Rocky Top. Plus, each and every year since arriving in Baton Rouge, Les Miles and company have lost games to some not so impressive teams that they should have easily won, and that will likely continue in 2009. On the other hand, LSU is easily still one of the nationally elite programs in terms of raw talent and athleticism, and the schedule once again is doing them a huge favor. Their athletic department continued a commitment to cupcakes approach to non-conference scheduling in 2009 -- getting 0-12 Washington, mixed in with Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Tulane -- and that combined with the luck of drawing the likely three worst SEC teams (Auburn, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt) means that they could play very poorly and still easily sleepwalk to seven wins. As I said two weeks ago, if I had to give all the possible outcomes, I'd say LSU could go anywhere from 7-5 to 11-1, and I'd give them a 20% chance of each individual outcome. Exactly where will they end up along that spectrum? It'll probably come down to the same two things it did a year ago: coaching and quarterback play, but trying to predict exactly where cannot be anything more than a pure guess at this point. Only with ignorance could you be particularly certain of that prediction at this point.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

After showing some signs of life for almost the first time in a decade, the Bulldogs came crashing back down in 2008, and the struggles brought a new regime to Mississippi State. Out is Sylvester Croom, and for the first time in almost 20 years a non-Alabama alum is roaming the sidelines in Starkville, as Dan Mullen takes over for the Bullies. And in all fairness to MSU, it's not a bad hire. Mullen is a young, energetic coach who is on the rise, and one who already has a couple of national championship rings on his resume. His hire may very well have been better than either Lane Kiffin or Gene Chizik.

That notwithstanding, though, it looks to be a very harsh reality for the Bulldogs in 2009. Mullen may have been hired because of his offensive background, but it's hard to see him breathing any life into this offense in 2009. It's been hapless for years, and with the 5'10 and 195 pound Tyson Lee leading the offense this year, it's hard to see that changing. It will probably be a major shock if he can withstand a year's worth of pounding in the SEC, and even if he can he's not likely to be very effective anyway. True freshman Tyler Russell is the quarterback of the future in any event, and his reign will likely begin sometime this year in Starkville. That's good news in one sense because Russell is a much more talented player than Lee, and he's a bitter fit for Mullen's spread option system, but I'll let you do the math on the success true freshmen quarterbacks have in this league while surrounded by poor supporting casts.

And speaking of that poor supporting cast, I think that's probably the nicest way to put it. The wide receiver corps has some problems, to put it mildly. Brandon McRae is a fine wide receiver, but who knows how he will rebound from the gruesome, Prothro-esque broken leg he suffered last year against Ole Miss? And aside from McRae, there really are no proven commodities. JUCO transfer Leon Berry will be counted on heavily, and from there true freshmen like Chad Bumphis will get a great chance at playing time. Mullen's spread needs a lot of quality receivers, and the Bulldogs just don't have it right now. Likewise, the offensive line doesn't look very good either. To be sure, most of the starters return from a year ago, but MSU has struggled in the trenches for ages now, and the physical brand of football that the Dawgs often played with under Croom will do them no good under Mullen. How will the MSU linemen handle the transition to the spread option? It's anyone's guess, but nearly everyone will be surprised if they do it with any considerable degree of success.

Probably the best player State has, period, is tailback Anthony Dixon, but even with him you have to worry. He's a big, powerful running back who gets the job done between the tackles. Now, one of you readers, remind me... how successful has Urban Meyer been with big, powerful, between the tackle running backs? His only success with them has been signing them, and then watching them flame out as recruiting busts. His offense has no real need for such a player, and Mullen's might not at MSU either. I'm sure he'll try to work Dixon into the mix as much as possible just because he's one of the few talented players he has, but at the end of the day the point remains that Dixon is built to run out of the I-formation and in between the tackles, not as the centerpiece of the spread option. Look for Christian Ducre to get more of a role there simply because he's a better fit for the scheme.

And the defense is probably in just as bad of shape as the offense. Defense was the strong point of the Croom teams, but only three starters are returning in 2009. The defensive line is both small and without any great amount of depth, so much so that when JUCO transfer Pernell McPhee -- a good player in his own right, in all fairness -- stepped on campus, he probably became State's top lineman almost instantaneously. That's good news for State, but the bad news is that he'll likely have to be a truly dominant player just to give the rest of the line a fighting chance. Likewise, the defensive secondary is effectively a complete makeover. Marcus Washington returns at cornerback, and Damein Anderson looks to start opposite him, with Derek Pegues gone, the rest of the Bulldog secondary seemingly either lacks the size or speed (or both) needed to be high-end defensive backs in this conference. Last year's defensive backfield was a good unit for the Dawgs, but it'd be a major surprise if this revamped unit could pull off the trick again this year.

The only good news for the Dawgs on defense comes at linebacker. If Jamar Chaney successfully returns from his leg injury, he'll be a top end player, and perhaps the most underrated defensive player in the entire conference. Aside from Chaney, both K.J. Wright and Chris White are solid players in their own right, and if this unit can stay healthy, it has a chance to be a good one. Unfortunately, the rest of the defense looks to struggle so much in front of them and behind them that it probably won't give them much of a chance to shine.

As I've said before, I've always had a soft spot for the traditionally hapless Bullies, and I like Dan Mullen to boot, but objectively speaking it looks to be a long year ahead for them. They'll start off with a good fluff win over Jackson State, but from there the schedule is brutal. They will almost certainly be underdogs in every single conference game, Georgia Tech will go through them like a hot knife through butter, and even Houston and Middle Tennessee State probably aren't sure wins.

Ole Miss Rebels

The media darlings of the SEC this year, Ole Miss made a big jump last year, and many in the national media are betting that they will make yet another big jump in 2009. Yet, interestingly enough, they were picked to finish third in their own division at SEC Media Days. And that brings me to a point that I keep coming across... the further away you get from the Ole Miss program, the more heightened the expectations are for the 2009 season. The closer you get to it, the lower the expectations get. Personally, I think that is because the people who follow the program on a closer level than the national pundits are able to spot some flaws and weaknesses that the national pundits are apparently overlooking in their rush to deify the Rebels as the next big thing.

And make no mistake about it, despite the hype in some circles, this team does have a lot of holes and a lot of concerns. Jevan Snead is a fine quarterback, and the backfield is generally loaded, but the offensive line looks to be a major concern. The loss of Michael Oher cannot be overstated, simply because he was an elite talent and because the Rebels do not have anywhere even near his level of ability now that can replace him. Many hoped Bobby Massie would be able to do that, but after arriving in Oxford only about three weeks back, that is highly unlikely. And making matters worse, both starting guards are gone as well, and frankly the replacements don't look to be anything overly special. Of the remaining linemen, only John Jerry looks to be one of the best in his conference at his position, and the rest of the starting five have more of the look of a below average line than anything else. It's basically the exact same problem Alabama has, only that the Rebels don't have anywhere near the number of talented players to fill the holes.

A lesser concern on the offensive side of the ball can also be found at wide receiver. With Mike Wallace gone to the NFL, only Shay Hodges remains in Oxford. Hodges is a fine player in his own right, but from there things get dicy. Dexter McCluster will assume the role of a full-time starter now in Wallace's absence, and while McCluster certainly has the talent, he thrived last year in a jack of all trades role, and no one knows how he will do as more of a traditional, full-time wide receiver. And after McCluster, the proven commodities are pretty non-existent. Players like Lionel Breaux and Markeith Summers aren't necessarily bad players, but by the same token they aren't the ultra-elite athletes that you find at a place like LSU where you can almost just assume that you can plug and play them and they will perform at a high level. The Rebels are probably going to have to rely heavily on true freshman Pat Patterson.

And the defensive side of the ball has more concerns than the offense. Peria Jerry was the key to Ole Miss' stout run defense last year, and he is now with the Atlanta Falcons, and just like with Michael Oher, the Rebels do not seem to have a player of comparable quality to replace him. Ted Laurent and Lawson Scott will play a lot inside, but I really don't think they would play for any other SEC contender, and for all of his recruiting hype and academic saga, Jerrell Powe has done nothing of note to this point. Likewise, at linebacker, it's a thin unit with no true star players. It's not exactly what you what you dream of having when you prepare for a tough run through an SEC schedule.

Defensive end is a clear strength, and if Greg Hardy finally gets things together, he along with Marcus Tillman and Kentrell Lockett will probably form the best defensive end rotation in the SEC. Unfortunately, that strength is off-set by more concerns in the secondary. They really struggled against the pass last year -- despite having the conference's best pass rush -- and while three starters return, none of those returning players seem to be particularly good. More struggles against the pass seem likely for 2009. Moreover, Houston Nutt's two major recruiting additions to the defensive backfield have already flamed out. Jamar Horsnby, the five-star who washed out of Florida after being caught using a dead woman's credit card, has been kicked off the team after yet another run-in with the law. His next stop will likely be jail. And speaking of jail, the other big recruiting addition to the defensive backfield for Nutt in 2009, Tig Barksdale, also spent some time there recently after being arrested on charges of DUI and driving without a license. Now, Barksdale will not enroll this Fall as a result of "medical issues."

So what do you have when you put it all together with the Rebels? You've got a good quarterback, a good backfield, a couple of good receivers, and a great pass rush. But you've also got major concerns with the offensive line, a middling linebacker corps, a suspect interior to the defensive line, a secondary that will likely struggle again, and a team with very little depth at almost every single position. And your head coach has disappointed almost every single time high preseason expectations have been placed upon his teams. Does that sound like a championship team to you? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Of course, this is not to overly denigrate the Rebels. They went 9-4 a year ago, and they have enough strengths to knock off almost anyone they face on any given day. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them knock off either Alabama or LSU, or both for that matter. However, before we deify the Rebels, it should be kept in mind that they have enough weaknesses to where they could just as easily lose those big games, and also lose some that they are expected to win. When everyone looks back on the 2008 Rebels, they love to remember them as the team that beat Florida in the Swamp, the team that blew out LSU, and the team that spanked Texas Tech. Yet the fact that they lost at home to Vanderbilt, lost at home to South Carolina, lost to Wake Forest, and needed a squeaker to hold off 5-7 Arkansas gets completely overlooked. Bottom line, the Rebels have enough strengths to win a lot of games and get some big wins, but they also have enough weaknesses to where they are also likely to lose some games they should not, and once again, just like last year, be left outside the championship chase.

Final SEC West Predictions

(1) Alabama: 10-2 (6-2)*

(1) LSU: 10-2 (6-2)*

(3) Ole Miss: 9-3 (5-3)

(4) Arkansas: 7-5 (3-5)

(5) Auburn: 5-7 (2-6)

(6) Mississippi State: 3-9 (1-7)

* A two-way tie atop the SEC West between Alabama and LSU, with the winner of the November 7th Alabama v. LSU game in Tuscaloosa advancing to Atlanta to face the Florida Gators.

5 Keys To A Successful Season, Part 3: Interior Offensive Line Play

Richard Pittman — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:43:08 -0000

In a column written just over a year ago and on another blog (hard to believe I've been at ATVS for only just over a year), I said that the interior of the offensive line was the second most important part of an offense, behind only the quarterback. I still believe that. Here is what I said:

2. Interior Offensive Line: This is where I part ways with a lot of other commentators. I think the key position-to-position matchup on any football field is the battle between the center/guard combination and the defensive tackles on the other side of the ball. Whoever can win the battle on the interior of the line goes a long way towards having success, both in running the ball and in throwing. If your interior offensive linemen can handle the defensive tackles 1-on-1, you will almost certainly have a lot of success on your offense. If you interior offensive line needs double-teams to keep the tackles out of the backfield, that frees up the rest of the defense to maneuver with several unblocked players. It's also great to have guards who can get to the second or third level and block linebackers or safeties, but I'll settle for linemen who can handle the tackles. I think interior offensive line is often overlooked, or it is believed you can just plug players into the position interchangeably. They certainly aren't paid nearly as well in the NFL at these positions as are the tackles, but I think you absolutely need these guys to have success in order for your offense to have success.

If you remember how big of a part of our defense a healthy Glenn Dorsey was, I think you would agree with me. A defensive tackle who can beat your interior linemen will disrupt everything you try to do. You can run away from a defensive end. You can avoid throwing at a certain cornerback. You can't escape a defensive tackle. The play starts right on top of him. The SEC has some good ones, like Terrance Cody (Bama), Geno Atkins (Georgia), Jeff Owens (Georgia), Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas), and others who will be playing in the NFL.

This is why the guards and the center are so important. They don't get the attention that the tackles get, but these guys make up more than 1/4 of your offensive personnel on the field at any given time, yet the casual fan almost completely overlooks them and considers them virtually interchangeable.

LSU has some issues at this position.

LSU has a veteran offensive line returning, with a 4th year starter, a 3rd year starter, and a 2nd year starter all here. The problem is that we will be replacing Herman Johnson and Brett Helms at left guard and center respectively. Those are two of the three interior line positions. We return Lyle Hitt, who has been a bit under the radar even though he is a 3-year starter. He was not placed on any of the All-SEC teams, and I excluded him (with reservation) from the list of top 10 players on the team.

Hitt is a guy who has been a starter since his sophomore year. He's just done it very quietly. He has been a steady, but unspectacular presence on the right side of the offensive line.

I would call your attention to the 2007 season when Hitt was joined on the right side by Carnell Stewart. Carnell certainly had some difficulties at right tackle, but when it was 3rd and short (or 4th and short) and we needed a first down, we would famously call Jacob Hester's number, but we would almost invariably call Hitt's and Stewart's as well, as we would call on Hester to run to the right side. Hitt and Stewart formed a dominant run-blocking pair on the right side, and Hitt is still there.

I am confident that Lyle Hitt will be a fine player at right guard, but what of the other positions? T-Bob Hebert was a member of the heralded 2007 recruiting class, and was a pretty big recruit out of Georgia where he had settled with his famous father after Bobby Hebert's NFL career ended. He redshirted as a freshman, when LSU had Helms and Ryan Miller on the 2-deep at center. Last year, he began the season as a backup center and played a lot of special teams and was a fullback at times in short yardage, but then he injured his knee covering a punt. He tore a ligament and was out for the season.

With Brett Helms moving on at the end of a fine career at LSU, T-Bob Hebert joined the battle to take over his starting spot in the Spring, despite still being much less than 100%, and not being able to take full contact in Spring Practice. Despite this, Hebert has apparently beaten out redshirt freshman P.J. Lonergan for the center position. Hebert is now listed at 301# and reportedly is stronger than he was before he injured his knee. That position battle is still ongoing, but expect Hebert to be the starter on September 5.

The new starter at left guard is Josh Dworaczyk. This is another member of the Class of 2007, which was one of the most celebrated recruiting classes in LSU history. That class is certainly growing into a big part of the core of this team, as 3 of the 5 starters on the offensive line will be from the 2007 class. Dworaczyk was a backup at this position last year, and when Herman Johnson went out with a minor injury against Bama, he plugged in for a series and acquitted himself admirably. He also played special teams, and a little at tight end. He took over the "blocking tight end" role that Joseph Barksdale had played the previous year, a position that allowed LSU to get a 6th offensive lineman on the field to block and got a young offensive lineman a little experience. He was, therefore, basically our first lineman off the bench last year.

In order for a team to excel, players can't just "hold their own." Some of your units have to be able to beat the units opposite them on the field. Lyle Hitt will have to emerge from his anonymity and be a force on the inside. Hebert and Dworaczyk won't have the luxury of playing like rookies for long, as we get Georgia less than 1 month into the season, and they have two future NFLers (and veterans at that) on the interior of their defensive line. Hitt/Hebert/Dworaczyk vs. Atkins/Owens may be the key matchup of that particular game.

2009 CFN LSU Preview, Part 3

Richard Pittman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:17:07 -0000

I swear this will be the last installment of this series, as I think we've milked it about as much as the audience will tolerate. Yesterday, we talked about the 10 best players on the team and the schedule. The day before, we talked about Jordan Jefferson, the defensive coaches, and the high-profile incoming freshmen. Today, let's get into some other topics. Again, the links are preview, offense, defense.

On Charles Scott:

Senior Charles Scott broke free from the running-back-by-committee backfield to rush for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns averaging 5.4 yards per carry. The 5-11, 233-pound senior is extremely quick with a great burst and excellent power. He ran for 95 yards or more in eight of the first ten games, and then everyone loaded up on him and the production tailed off. Even so, he's plugger who's always falling forward and is unstoppable around the goal line. He can also catch a bit with eight grabs for 67 yards, and he's not a bad blocker.

...

Watch Out For ... Scott to score 25 times. While there's enough talent in the backfield to keep a steady rotation going, Scott is the star of the show and he's the proven producer who can can control games and take the pressure off the passing game. He's also tremendous when it comes to getting into the end zone, and he'll be one of the nation's leading scorers.

I don't see 25 touchdowns happening. I actually think Scott will get fewer carries this year than he got last year, because I think we will distribute the ball a lot more between the top 4 running backs than we did last year. Keiland Williams was supposed to share the load with Scott early in the year, but he really struggled and his carries did not come. He did not run very hard it seemed; he was too tentative. Later in the season, he came on pretty strong, averaging over 7 yards per carry against Arkansas and Georgia Tech, and having a really good game against Bama. I think Keiland's going to earn more carries this year than last year.

Richard Murphy is another that could earn more carries. A proposed breakout star for the last two years running, no one is really talking about Murphy after his very weak season last year, but this is the same kid who showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman, averaging about 7 yards per touch.

The coaches love Stevan Ridley, and he got some garbage-time carries last year. He is not healthy right now, and who knows if he will get healthy, but if he is at 100% at the start of the season, his workload is likely to increase at least a little, taking more carries away from Charles Scott.

Then there are the quarterbacks, Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepard. We know that they liked to run with Jefferson when he was in the game, and while they may cut down on his rate of planned running plays, he is not going to be a part-time player this year. He's going to be playing full time, and I would expect them to probably call about 5 planned runs per game with him. We're still not sure how they're going to use Shepard, but his wheels are just going to be too good not to use.

My tentative prediction is that, barring injuries, the coaches will give the ball to Charles Scott about 170 times, down from 217 last year. What they may do as well is give him the ball more in the passing game. Scott's a pretty good pass-catcher. He caught 12 passes in 2007, when he was a much smaller part of the offense than he was in 2008, when he only caught 8 passes.

On Linebackers:

Step one is replacing Darry Beckwith in the middle, and the Tigers have their man in Jacob Cutrera, a 6-4, 236-pound senior who was a key backup over the last few years and got two starts finishing with 33 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss. He had a tremendous spring showing great toughness and enough range to be the leader and the anchor of the corps to work around. He has been groomed for this job for the last three years and he appears to be ready.

Is Harry Coleman really going to be the starter on the outside? The team's leading tackler, who made 71 tackles with seven broken up passes, was tried out in the linebacking corps this spring and he might be the main man after showing tremendous toughness on the strongside and good range on the weakside. A monster hitter and strong enough to handle the job despite being 6-2 and 205 pounds, he's not starting from scratch having played linebacker in high school. As good as he is, he might move back to safety from time to time just to get all the linebacker prospects on the field.

...

Strength: Tacklers. If Coleman is a linebacker, the corps will have the team's top three tacklers from last year in Coleman, Sheppard, and Riley. The linebackers don't miss many plays and they'll be all over the field doing a variety of things under the new coaches.
Weakness: Pass coverage. It's not a glaring problem, but it could stand to be better. The addition of Coleman would help change that up in a real hurry, and it would be nice if there were more broken up passes and tighter coverage on short to midrange plays.
Outlook: The position should be the star of the show. This isn't the most talented linebacking corps LSU has had, but there are producers all across the unit with Curtera about to blossom into a force and with Coleman, Sheppard, and Riley all possible all-stars. This could end up being the team's biggest strength as the season goes on.
Rating: 9

We talked about Perry Riley yesterday, so I omitted the discussion of him here.

Like a lot of people who will read the CFN preview, I think this is gloriously optimistic. The linebacking corps did not make a lot of headlines for LSU last year. Nor did Harry Coleman. Again, it is possible that the coaching situation did not get all that it could out of the group in 2008, but I'm going to have to see it turn around for myself before I'm going to go around rating our linebackers a 9 on a scale of 10.

Just for comparison. CFN rated Alabama's linebacking group as a 9 out of 10, and I just can't see giving LSU's linebackers the same grade.

On the Offensive Line:

Watch Out For ... the battle at center. Lonergan was great this spring and looks the part as a leader and quarterback of the front five. However, Hebert will need to find a space when healthy. It's a good problem to have, considering either one can move to guard, but it should end up being a good battle for the job this fall.
Strength: Durability. LSU didn't have to change its starting five once, with all the starters going from pillar to post. While it's asking a lot to get the same injury luck two years in a row, Black, Hitt, and Barksdale are rocks to build around. However, because of the durability of last year's front five ...
Weakness: Proven depth. This was supposed to be a problem two years ago, and last year, and it wasn't. There are a slew of redshirt freshmen needing to shine and players like Hurst and Parsons have to be productive, but there's a massive drop-off from the ones to the twos.
Outlook: Disappointing last year, the pass protection was mediocre and the run blocking was fine, but nothing special. This year's line has plenty of talent with Black and Barksdale a nice tackle pair, and Hitt a great blocker who should get more attention. This might not be a dominant front five, but it'll be great at times.
Rating: 8

Let me just ask this question. Is there any college football team that has a wealth of proven depth on the offensive line? Teams don't sub out offensive linemen all that much, and it's a position that always suffers a lot of attrition. There aren't a whole lot of teams out there that have multiple offensive linemen with real experience on the bench.

OK, enough of picking on the obvious. I don't really think there's a "battle at center" unless T-Bob Hebert is not healthy yet from his torn ligament suffered in the middle of the 2008 season. By all accounts, Hebert was the #1 guy in Spring despite being slowed by the injury

If there is a real weakness on this unit, it is probably size. Replacing Herman Johnson with Josh Dworaczyk is a big downgrade in size. It may be an upgrade in quickness, and size is not everything in life, but this will be a much smaller unit as a whole than it was last year. T-Bob is also a fair bit smaller than Brett Helms was (I'm not sure I believe LSUsports.net's listing of 282 pounds for him).

This will be a different unit than it has been the last couple years. Who knows? It may be a better unit, but it will not be able to rely strictly on bulk on the left side this year.

That's all for this series. Tune in next time.

Curtis Taylor and Ricky Jean-Francois to San Francisco; Demetrius Byrd to San Diego

Richard Pittman — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:56:54 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

8 months ago: FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2008, file photo, LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd (2) breaks away from Mississippi State defender Tay Bowser (28) on his way to a touchdown during an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La. Byrd was in critical but stable condition Monday, April 19, 2009, after a car accident in Miami, and his agent said the NFL prospect was expected to fully recover. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File)

Browse more photos »

Three Tigers were picked in the final round of the draft today as safety Curtis Taylor was picked by San Francisco, in what I would say was a bit of a surprise, especially considering Darry Beckwith, Demetrius Byrd, Marlon Favorite, Kirston Pittman, Brett Helms, and Ricky Jean-Francois had all not yet been picked. Favorite, Beckwith, Helms, and Pittman would not hear their names called at all. I find that to be a mild surprise in all cases, but especially with Beckwith who some thought would go as high as the second round.

Ricky Jean-Francois was the last Tiger selected, and he will join Curtis Taylor in San Francisco. Jean-Francois was an enigma at LSU, spending more time away from the field than on it for one reason or another, and not having the big season that was expected of him in 2008. He's exactly the kind of player who sometimes makes a better pro than amateur however, as he sometimes shows outstanding athleticism.

Between Taylor and Jean-Francois, San Diego picked wide receiver Demetrius Byrd, who probably would have gone a little earlier had he not gotten into a somewhat serious car accident earlier this week. Byrd will join former Tiger Craig Davis, but Byrd never played with Davis as Byrd was a JUCO transfer who came in after Davis left.

It is a big disappointment that Beckwith was not drafted. He came back for his senior season, but then lost time due to injuries and was not as productive as a senior as he had been as a junior. From his freshman season, he appeared destined to be a solid draft pick and I imagine he must be devastated at being overlooked.

In all, six Tigers were drafted, and that's a pretty nice number, but half of them were drafted in the closing round, and only one was drafted before the 5th round. With Favorite and Pittman not being drafted, it ends a long streak in which every regular starting defensive lineman at LSU was drafted into the NFL. I do not have the numbers, but the streak goes back a number of years, into the Lavalais, Spears, Hill era and perhaps beyond.

One is forced to conclude that the 2008 version of the LSU Tigers just were not all that talented, at least among the seniors. Between players being drafted lower than expected and players not being drafted at all, this was a rather disappointing draft for LSU, despite Tyson Jackson's surprise top 3 pick. The deficit spans the transition time between the Saban and Miles eras, as H. Johnson, Favorite and Pittman were Saban signees and Beckwith and Francois were Miles signees.

Clearly something was off this year, as I firmly believe that Beckwith, Favorite, and PIttman all would have been drafted had they declared in 2007.

C, Brett Helms, LSU

Jeremy Bolander — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:27:47 -0000

C, Brett Helms, LSU

At A Glance
Position 1: Center	Height: 6-2
Position 2: Guard	Weight: 286
Class: Senior	Age:
Projected Round: 7th-FA	40time: 5.36

Combine/Proday Results
Bench Reps: 25	Vertical: X
20yd Split: X	Broad Jump: X
10yd Split: X	20yd Shuttle: X
3 Cone Drill: X

Pros: Positives: Tough, feisty leader who rarely gets beat inside. Sells out to protect his quarterback. Quick to cut, effectively getting into his man's thighs

Cons: Small, lacking height and girth. Relies on technique and intelligence instead of brute strength at the point.

Styg's Broncos Fit: Another undersized zone-block specimen with adequate smarts and recognition, a good snapper in the shotgun and a great never-say-die attitude. Team player who buys in completely to the line and QB, giving up his body in protection. Of course, he wouldn't have to do that so much if he had the strength and athleticism to consistently hold the point of attack. Intriguing prospect with a small amount of upside, rare for this late in the draft.

Around MHR:

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Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

A tough, gritty pivot who displays good technique and hand placement inside. Relies on his quickness inside and understands angles, consistently wins his one-on-one hand battles inside. Showcases good body control on the move with the coordination to cut defenders down to the ground. Takes great pride in his responsibilities and plays with the type of nasty nature and intensity you love from your center. [see more...]

2009 NFL Draft -- Point of Attack - Centers/Guards Ranked for Denver

Jeremy Bolander — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:31:31 -0000

With only a handful of ideal starter-quality zoneblock linemen, and with many mocks placing them at odd spots just out of Denvers reach, I found myself looking deeper and deeper at a position that is generally a lot of fun to analyze. I was pleased to see lots of good, traditional-style zoneblock linemen throughout the middle and later in the draft, with a few more promising prospects just on the outside of the CFA cut.

With that in mind Denver should feel pretty good about going after a C/G combo at any point where the deal falls into their laps, and no sooner. Worst case-scenario Denver misses out on the draftable prospects and gets their choice of some highly select, workaholic prospects, so this is one area where I am hoping to see Denver refrain from reaching.

As to whither C or G, these analyses ended up leaning towards C, but only because a lot of good guard prospects this year are more suited towards power schemes, and thus translate better between G/T than C/G. A few prospects looked like good fits anywhere along the line, and they were included, and a few looked like they would make better tackles, period, and they were left off. Of the group selected here they tend to be more athletic, good second level blockers, good at timing and placing cut blocks, technicians favored over power, and capable of or experienced at handling C duties. The highest rated prospects for Denver also tend to have a great football mind to go with their great zoneblock fits, which raises their short-term value significnatly, on the grounds that they may be asked to step in in the case of injury, and so they will need to learn quickly and show a good grasp of their responsibilities, with the potential to prevent Hamilton from having to slide over to center in the event of injury at C.

Lets check out the rankings:

C--Alex Mack

1st-2nd

Alex Mack, California: A solid all-around center with terrific speed and balance, but who can lose leverage battles against quicker 3-techs. He has above-average intelligence and football smarts, even for a center, and has mastered his duties on the line, in terms of getting other players in position and making the correct reads. He has a classic competitor's mindset and plays through the whistle every time. Tough and ornery, this is one near-elite level player who figures to be gone by the time Denver gets around to addressing the O-Line depth, but no doubt ranks highly on Denver's board.

C--Max Unger

2nd

Max Unger, Oregon: A tough player with a nice, workman-like attitude towards his responsibilities. Though his speed and agility impressed at the combine, on the field he doesn't look quite that quick. He is, however, good on short pulls and traps and can land blocks at the second level. Very intelligent and understands his job. If he has a serious compromise, it is in his whole-body strength, as he is severely lacking in lower-body strength, and very inconsistent about using his upper-body strength to consistently hit and reset against opponents. It really hurts his drive-blocking ability, which makes him an early liability in the running game. Overall he is a solid player with experience at the tackle position, but I am expecting Denver to not rank him that highly for what they are trying to do, and for a second-round pick, I think they will be looking for more than a questionable starter.

G--Duke Robinson

2nd

Duke Robinson, Oklahoma: Excellent size and weight, and is surprisingly agile for his size. Not fast so much as quick, and does a great job getting off the line and into his blocks. Excellent in short yardage and power situations, but has issues when blocking on the move. Not the most effective pull or trap guy, and doesn't always make contact at the second level. Does not place his cut blocks well against DBs, and can lose his own footing and balance easily. A lot of teams will appreciate his size and presence in a drive-blocking scheme, and Denver will no doubt agree that he has a lot of upside, but for what Denver is trying to accomplish on the line, the value isn't there; from a scheme standpoint, their are major questions as to whether he could fit in at all. Only two stars for this excellent prospect who simply doesn't fit the traditional profile on the Denver line.

C--Eric Wood

2nd

Eric Wood, Louisville: Smart, strong and athletic with lots of durability and and an unquestionable drive and work ethic, this player is almost perfect for Denver. Where he falls a bit short is in the characteristic "nimbleness" required from our interior linemen. But for as tall as he is, he has mastered keeping his pads low and rarely loses the leverage battle, and he understands opposing defenses inside and out, putting in lots of extra time to study them. He isn't the most consistent through the hips and knees, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to stay with and finish a block. He has an intense attitude and gives 100% every play. Denver will definitely value Wood, but may find themselves out of the running before they even have a chance to consider him in the 2nd round.

G--Kraig Urbik

2nd-3rd

Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin: Powerful upper and lower body, with quickness and explosion at the snap. Can play inside or outside, but has not played center. Good at pass protection and on the move, but can struggle in short yardage and goal-line situations due to letting himself come up in his stance. Needs to bend more at the knees and work on keeping his pads low, but has an excellent grasp of the game and tenacious work ethic. Again, another case of versatility that isn't quite what Denver is looking for, but which provides extra value.

C--Jonathon Luigs

3rd

Jonathon Luigs, Arkansas: Less-than-desirable lower-body strength, and inconsistency in bending his knees and driving forward will drive down Luigs' stock, but there may be no better "game smart" player at the center position in 2009. Applauded by coaches for his ability to translate coaching to on-field production, Luigs could execute even complex plays and schemes with minimal practice. His love for the game and competition shined when he was put up against tougher or faster players, and he would fight to the whistle to stay with a block. His explosion off the snap is excellent, and he has relied on it to compensate for his lack of brute power, but he will need to address his lower-body strength in the pros. He is excellent when pulling and locating blocks on the second level, but needs to do a better job of maintaining his balance when blocking fast DBs, as he will overextend himself to make the block. His highest value will be to zone-blocking teams, but any team will be able to appreciate his awareness of the defense and alignment on the field. I am thinking Denver may grade Luigs out very highly among offensive linemen.

C--Antoine Caldwell

3rd-4th

Antoine Caldwell, Alabama: A leader and a motivator, Caldwell is stronger than his measurables might indicate, getting most of his power from his lower body. Not the most effective player on the move, nor does he seem to possess other great prospects' feel for the pocket and protecting their QB, but he does handle line calls and pre-snap reads adequately. A stronger type of center that would be suitable for a power scheme, but to the degree that Denver continues with zone-block, should lose value.

G--Tyronne Green

4th

Tyronne Green, Auburn: This is one of those "sweet spot" picks that Denver may have a chance to nab. He is versatile, playing at DT, G and most recently C, which he picked up quickly. He does a good job of studying defenses and using technique against opponents, but his strength is definitely his inherent athleticism. Not a finished product currently, he needs a little more time to work with an offensive line and to polish his game up. He grades out well and consistently in every category, but with some time he has the ability to grade out great. As a high-investment backup, he has the potential to pay tremendous dividends.

C--A.Q. Shipley

5th

A.Q. Shipley, Penn State: a former nose guard, Shipley is tough, physical, aggressive, and likes to get dirty. Understands his duties on the line, makes good calls and consistently gets off the line with adequate pop; he lacks a bit in the work-ethic category, and isn't a guaranteed "play to the whistle" type of player. Doesn't have ideal measurements to play at a consistently high level at guard, so may project best as a backup center.

G--T.J. Lang

5th-6th

T.J. Lang, Eastern Michigan: A work in progress, Lang is a tough-minded, physical player who never lets up and who shows flashes of the kind of awareness you like to see in C depth. He is athletic enough to pull and trap effectively, has good balance and is smart enough to learn the line calls. A self-starter who responds well to coaching and could play a relief role at any spot on the line, he could be a good value for Denver in their search for interior depth, but may not have the upside to project to a long-term answer at C.

C--Edwin Williams

6th

Edwin Williams, Maryland: The overall world-class depth of this year's center class is driving down the value of good players like Williams. Because he isn't the tremendous athlete of the top of the class, teams can expect to start bidding for his services later in the second day, and they may just get a steal. Williams had the admiration of his teammates and coaches for his leadership both on and off the field, and he could be counted on to disrupt surprise-blitzers and to call the exotic defensive plays correctly for his team. Adequate strength and speed, with excellent short-area quickness and a great explosion off the snap, he can be beaten by quicker defenders consistently, and struggles to maintain longer blocks on the stronger players. Overall a solid player with limited upside but who could provide dependable depth for years.

C--Jon Cooper

7th-FA

Jon Cooper, Oklahoma: The traditional makeup of a zone-blocking center. Cooper is smart, versatile, and can hold the point of attack with help from the guards. Tenacious and never gives up on a play. He moves well and has a real gift in his short area quickness, allowing him to help both guards in the same play. Excellent snapper out of the shotgun and has long-snapping experience, he is bound to intrigue Denver if they still are looking for this classic version of a zone-blocking center; lighter, quicker and very aggressive.

C--Brett Helms

7th-FA

Brett Helms, LSU: Another undersized zone-block specimen with adequate smarts and recognition, a good snapper in the shotgun and a great never-say-die attitude. Team player who buys in completely to the line and QB, giving up his body in protection. Of course, he wouldn't have to do that so much if he had the strength and athleticism to consistently hold the point of attack. Intriguing prospect with a small amount of upside, rare for this late in the draft.

G--Roger Allen

7th-FA

Roger Allen, Missouri Western: Very smart guard, one of the few guards in this class who clearly could project to center at the next level. He is very competitive, has played through an injured hand and shoulder and takes a lot of pride in his consistency. The shoulder injury and questionable competition figure to drive his stock way down; but after getting cleared medically, the hope is he can climb back into the draft. He has tremendous upside, with a very strong hand-punch; good, strong lower body with good drive and consistency in run blocking. He also has quick feet and hands, adjusts well to defenders and finds good blocks at the second level. An exceptional option late in the draft, he may turn out to be one of the best linemen drafted this year, and Denver is bound to take a long, hard look.

G--Matt Slauson

7th-FA

Matt Slauson, Nebraska: A one-and-done type of player, Slauson is in need of some good coaching, because his "one" can be positively amazing sometimes. As a moving blocker, he adjusts and pulls well, and has the speed and agility to locate and execute blocks at the second and even third levels. Has adequate strength, but shows flashes of a terrific hand-jolt that can hold up blitzing players on his outside shoulder, without losing leverage for his inside block. But these flashes of elite-level talents are inconsistent, and too often he can be beaten after that first move. He seems to lack the knowledge and understanding to properly readjust and reset, so he tends to be finished after that first move. Hopefully he can get the coaching he needs to address this, and if so, he has tremendous potential. As a final draft pick or UFA, he could be worth a shot.

C/G--Alex Fletcher

7th-FA

Alex Fletcher, Stanford: A smart player who has started at both center and at right guard. He was a team captain who knows how to anchor, and how to play with leverage. Cna hold his own versus strength and bull-rush oriented opponents and also has the lateral agility and speed to pull or trap effectively. Has great hand technique and can turn defenders and get his hands placed well, and can place and reset to maintain the line of scrimmage. Tough and thick like a burlwood knot in the middle of the line, he has only marginal lower body strength and struggles to get a push in short yardage and goalline situations. Overall a solid pickup as a late rounder who could provide solid depth or be a surprising earlier pick with potential to start.

SB Nation - Brett Helms

The LSU Preview

Early Returns in the SEC

2009 SEC West Preview & Predictions

5 Keys To A Successful Season, Part 3: Interior Offensive Line Play

2009 CFN LSU Preview, Part 3

Curtis Taylor and Ricky Jean-Francois to San Francisco; Demetrius Byrd to San Diego

C, Brett Helms, LSU

C, Brett Helms, LSU

Around MHR:

Around SBNation:

Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

2009 NFL Draft -- Point of Attack - Centers/Guards Ranked for Denver

2009 NFL Draft Coverage-Merry Draftivus!!

C--Alex Mack

1st-2nd

C--Max Unger

2nd

G--Duke Robinson

2nd

C--Eric Wood

2nd

G--Kraig Urbik

2nd-3rd

C--Jonathon Luigs

3rd

C--Antoine Caldwell

3rd-4th

G--Tyronne Green

4th

C--A.Q. Shipley

5th

G--T.J. Lang

5th-6th

C--Edwin Williams

6th

C--Jon Cooper

7th-FA

C--Brett Helms

7th-FA

G--Roger Allen

7th-FA

G--Matt Slauson

7th-FA

C/G--Alex Fletcher

7th-FA