SEC West

LSU 3, Auburn 0, Officials 7

... or something like that ... :P

KWilliams (actually RMurphy might be better)

DByrd

HJohnson

CBlack

BHelms

TJackson

KPittman

RDickson

DBeckwith

I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete.

- Palpatine, to Luke, ROTJ

Yes, the problem is choice. Choice of definitions of the "best" ...

For instance, how can you leave out All-Americans from your list?

Well, AA lists are, how do you say, finnicky. Take a look at the 2007 AP team (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3150439), now imagine that all of them played for Bama. Do you think all those players would be named on the AP's AA team? Of course not ! Why? Because the voters will not overstock their AA team with too many players from one team no matter how worthy. Same for All-Conference teams. Also, think Tebow and the Heisman and all of that guff about electing a soph. Same goes for AA teams and lower classmen.

Now let's talk about starters. One example. Was Hester a better RB than KWilliams at the end of the season? Depends on your viewpoint. Look, Hester was the man this season. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play. He had a presence about him, but he was not the most talented RB on the team. In fact, he was probably third behind Williams and RMurphy. Not by much, but third. So why did he start? Who knows how coaches figure these things out: loyalty, seniority, timing. Would Hester have gained that 1st D in OT against KY that CScott failed on? Who knows, but Scott failed, Hester gets a larger role.

So, what do you know, half of these are linemen(5).  I could have predicted that.  That leaves the TE, RB, WR, and LB. 

Im sure the TE makes all the difference for LSU next season, but nice try there. 

To answer your question about starting, its based on who is better.  Lester isnt that stupid to leave one of his better players on the bench for almost the entire season.  Sorry, but Williams cant be better or else he would have been playing a whole lot more. 

Now, as far as Byrd go, he might be able to fit this list along with Pittman, Black and Johnson.  However, Doucet still led the team in receptions and missed 4 games.  He was no doubt the best reciever on the team last year. 

That leaves Beckwith and the defense.  You lose the top 3 in tackles and the top in pass break ups and 2nd in Ints.  And only one of those guys fits the top 10 from last season???  Please, that is ridiculous. 

Also, you are also saying that none of those guys in the secondary were worth a damn last season and since you lost 3 of them, that you will somehow not miss them and be better, yet none of the replacements or the returning 4th guy doesnt make the list?  Right, good try, but stop stalking down every thread Im on. 

And please, dont even try to tell me that everyone on LSU's team last year deserved to be an All-American or All-SEC. Thats about as much BS as I put in all of my high school papers.  And the All-SEC argument about underclassmen doesnt hold water.  7 out of the 22 were So. and Fr.  Also, if everyone deserved to be all conference, then how come those that made it arent some of the best on the team?  O, I know, because its a conspiracy against LSU.  Only those who are least deserving will be selected.

It's real easy to write LSU off when they lose their "equal to, or better than Tebow" Q-back!  Tall Tiger, seriously, you were the on this message board trying to sell to all of us that garbage a couple of months ago.  You were comparing Perrilloux to Stafford and Tebow, remember? Now that he's booted, you try to minimalize it by saying he won't be missed???That LSU is returning more talent than last year???  Give me a break. 

Anyways, I pick Bama, hands down, to win the West.  It'll be Bama and UF in the SECCG.  UF over Bama and off they go to represent the SEC in the the Big Dance to face USC.  THAT will be the game of the year!

NG, do you ever read your own claptrap? Just a couple of jewels from your recent post:

• NG: "Im sure the TE makes all the difference for LSU next season..."

Did you watch ANY LSU football last season? Apparently not. Dickson became a huge weapon in the Tigers' arsenal. As in 2 TDs in the NCG, almost another down to the 1.

• NG: "To answer your question about starting, its based on who is better.  Lester isnt that stupid to leave one of his better players on the bench for almost the entire season.  Sorry, but Williams cant be better or else he would have been playing a whole lot more."

Here you contradicted yourself TWICE in three sentences !!! "Starting" and "playing" time are two different things. Hester started, Williams played a lot. So "Lester" can hold two ideas in his mind at once ... unlike Bama fans apparently.

• NG: "Now, as far as Byrd go, he might be able to fit this list along with Pittman, Black and Johnson.  However, Doucet still led the team in receptions and missed 4 games.  He was no doubt the best reciever on the team last year."

I knew you would try to do some stats rebuttal, but if you'll notice, I said: "... at the end of the season." Doucet is a very fine receiver but by season's end, Byrd was the best on the field -- faster (long ball) and equal to Doucet in possession passes over the middle and downfield blocking.

• NG: "You lose the top 3 in tackles and the top in pass break ups and 2nd in Ints.  And only one of those guys fits the top 10 from last season???"

The strength of LSU's defense was the DL, stopping the run and pressuring QBs. Have any idea how many of those errant passes were really DL-caused breakups and INTs?

• NG: "Also, you are also saying that none of those guys in the secondary were worth a damn last season..."

Can you keep up with a theme or what? Nobody said they weren't "worth a damn" ! I'm evaluating each position here, and how good that player was and how much value that player added to the team. Those DBs were very good but if I'm listing 2007 LSU players in order of value to the team, they are out of the top 10.

• And you totally missed my point about AA/AC teams.

I did use Bama as an example, duh ! My point was, for instance, just because Highsmith made AA and Beckwith did not doesn't mean Highsmith was a better LB than Beckwith. Other things come into play: 1) # of players taken from one team, 2) class, 3) "lifetime achievement award" type scenarios, etc. Think about my example: Just imagine if all members of the AP AA team actually played for one school, no matter how worthy they might be, do you think the writers would pick the same AA team? So there are other factors that work in their minds other than pure worthiness. Get it?

• NG: "... stop stalking down every thread Im on."

Even the paranoid are being followed sometimes. LOL

Cause one game makes a season's worth of value and makes him one of the best players on the team.  Give me a break.  The TE is a stretch. 

Really??? So explain the contradiction.  Yes they are two different things, and Hester started while Williams sat at the start of every game.  Also, if Williams was better, why did he not have more than 4-5 times fewer carries on the season than Hester. 

Yea, and I said from last season, not just the end of the season.  Its the best players from last season.  You do realize that short cat hasnt posted a list because he knows it was a ridiculous statement to begin with and your attmept is just the same: ridiculous. 

Way to discredit anything done by the back four last season.  They won yall some games last year and made some big plays, but none of it was their work, it was all the DL. 

Its not a value list, its best