Top QB Prospect commits to LSU

The quarterback position has been a hot topic for the tigers ever since the departure of JaMarcus Russell. With the lost of one of the top QB prospects in this year class (see Gunner Kiel); the focus immediately shifted to the 2013 season and they might have nabbed  a pretty good one out of Cali.

Hayden Rettig stands a prototypical 6'4 with a 215 frame; with some growing years left before him and a big arm. The 4-star QB is coming from a pro-style offense at Cathedral High School and look to fill a void that had most us Tiger faithfuls concerned to say the least.

At Cathedral, he threw for 3,041 yards and 24 touchdowns with a dismal 23 ints (Freshmen and Sophomore years respectively). His Junior campaign was cut short due to a torn ACL where he only played in 2 games.

With Mettenberger being a Junior ( presuming he won't declare for the draft next year), this gives Rettig a chance to redshirt, learn the offense, then compete for playing time the 2014 season. If the Tigers can create some type of revolving door at the QB position like all the other positions on the team; the energy in Baton Rouge will be electrifying.

It's another verbal commit but you can't help but get excited about this one. It seems like recruiting top QB prospect has been a weakness ever since...Ryan Perrilloux (instant-anger). So maybe this will start the trend that LSU has always needed; a QB that can get the job done in the air FIRST then on the ground.

LSU Gets JUCO Stand-out

The 2012 recruiting class is over and done with but us true football fans *hand high* knows that recruiting is a year long non-stop courtship that many NCAA coaches have to master in-order to be successful. Frank Wilson is one of those coaches.

Looking forward to the 2013 season LSU has got a verbal commitment from one of the most sought after JUCO wide-outs of that class; HINDS CC Quantavious Leslie.

The 6'4, 190 lb. receiver had 26 catches for 501 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011 and shows good body control for his size; something we haven't seen since the Dwayne Bowe days. His numbers are pretty impressive as well, running a 4.4 in the forty with a 33 inch vertical leap. He definitely has the criteria to come in and leave a lasting impression on Death Valley. In other words, he's a beast in the making Quantavius Leslie Highlights.

Of course this road wasn't the chosen path by Leslie. He initially signed with West Virginia in 2009 as a high school Junior but failed to qualify academically. I'm more than sure once he gets on campus, the Cox Communications building (Academic Center for Student-Athletes) will become his second home.

Now, I can't stress enough that this is a VERBAL commitment meaning he could change his mind several times if he so choose to (See Gunner Kiel). One school that he was hoping would offer him a scholarship was Georgia. Being a native of there, the opportunity to play 2 hours away from his childhood home may still be a dream for Leslie. Let's hope he has the "I'll show you!" state of mind and put up crazy numbers when/if we see Georgia again in the near future.

But to be honest...all I keep seeing is Odell on one side and Leslie on the other; throw in a good quarterback ( the wild card) and we will be hanging another championship flag.

All-In: Cassel's Last Hand

Can this be it?! The year we make it past the first round and deep into the play-offs?! Even - should I say - Super Bowl run???

Chiefs' fans, the pieces are there and in place. But there is one piece that is raising more than enough questions this off-season; Is Cassel ready?

I don't believe he has a choice. The Chiefs signed Brady Quinn as a backup and still have Ricky Stanzi is waiting in the wings. Not to mention hosting Peyton Manning this off season which definitely had some Chiefs' fans saying "Matt who?" All signs are pointing to Cassel as the starter but those actions had to rub Cassel the wrong way and showed that Crennel won't hesitate to pull him if he begins to struggle.

Now with that said; Cassel isn't a slouch ( most people beg to differ). In 2010, his last healthy year as a Chief, Cassel threw for 3116 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has shown that he could excel when under center and coming off of an season ending injury in addition to his critics should motivate him to work harder than he ever has...but will that translate to a playoff win?

Let's hope the elements around him can get us there. Not saying that is incapable of doing so himself but the Crennel's game plan won't call for it. What most people fail to realize is that the Chiefs are one of the last organizations that play old school football; run first and play good defense. Last year the Chiefs finished 15th in rushing (without Jamaal Charles) and the defense ranked 12th. Adding Poe should instantaneously push us into the top 10. The backfield resembles a Kentucky Derby line-up and hopefully with the re-signing of D.Bowe; the options are limitless.

Maybe Cassel has to play the Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson role on this team but if winning a Super Bowl his ultimate goal; he should be jumping at the opportunity.

Locked and Loaded

It was a dark dreary day on turf in mid September that we watched our All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles go down out of bounds with a torn ACL. The pain; The hurt; The uncertainty we all shared as he was carted off with "that look". The question of if he could return for Week 1 or if he could simply recover from this injury was 80 percent answered two weeks ago. Via the Chiefs organization; Jamaal had this to say:

"I'm hungry. I want it this year. I've got the passion for it. I can be patient. I just can't wait to play football, I can't wait to bring stuff back to this community and show how much we can win. And I feel like this is a year for us, that we can go all the way because I can feel it. And me, I feel I can bring a lot to the team this year being bigger and stronger, and I don't know, maybe even faster. I can wait awhile. In my mind, I want to get back out there because I want to see where I'm at, but I feel like I'm already there, so I can just wait. Just like when I had my shoulder surgery, I waited the whole training camp to go back. I didn't do anything really during OTAs or minicamp."

Make ya feel good don't it?!

When asked about how he felt watching the games on the bench from the sideline after his injury; He replied:

"It was sick. It made me stronger. It made me the person that I am today, I can't wait and I know how to take care of my body, how to eat right and do the right things and it's made me not want to wait to touch that field again. When I touch that field going out there, you're going to feel my pain; you're going to go through what I went through. That right there is going to be there for the rest of my career because I don't want to be out a whole year ever again. That point, at my stage, I'm 25 years old, I'm at the point in my life that I've got to win games, I want to go to the playoffs, I wonder why we can't go to the Super Bowl. That had me thinking a lot and made me a better player."

Over-excited would be an understatement! I can't wait to see Charles back to 100%. With all the pieces coming back and the additions from the draft; I'm thinking about what design will Nike come up with this year for the division champs shirts.

Goodell vs Evilma

The latest penalties against the New Orleans Saints were issued earlier this week with a strong message: Bounties will NOT be tolerated in the NFL. Four players received suspensions; two of which are still on the Saints roster. Scott Fujita (currently with the Browns) was hit with a 3 game suspension, Will Smith was handed 4, Anthony Hargrove (currently with Packers) was given 8 games and Jonathan Vilma was slapped with a *drum-roll* season long suspension. SEASON LONG?!?! How crazy is that?!

Let's first discuss the what we could have been looking at. I reported in an earlier post  that 22 out of 27, former and current players were involved in the scandal so all things considered, we got off easy. We could have easily been looking at an entire new defense come September. Also, keep in mind that we signed 3 very good and athletic LBs this off-season which shows that we were preparing for life without Vilma far before any of this happened so from a talent standpoint; we are still a Super Bowl caliber team (once Drew signs of course).

The issue I have - as well as many others - is that this entire investigation has been fueled by the current player safety lawsuits. Instead of fairly being punished we are now the poster team for his "Not on my watch" campaign and Vilma is now the villain; Dr. Doom and Frieza ( for my DBZ lovers) wrapped in one. From here on out, Vilma and bounty scandal will be synonymous with each other. We all know he has the option to and will appeal the rulings but Goodell is the judge and jury so I don't think he'll change mind on the topic.The damage is done and now it is becoming more and more ingrained in everyone's head day after day (see Sports Illustrated cover up top).

Goodell isn't concerned about how fair the punishments are at this point, it's the message. Why else would you suspend a player for an entire year for something that did not give the team an competitive advantage? On second thought, I guess we shouldn't be shocked at all. It is Roger Goodell we are talking about. Giving his track record, it fits.

But who's really the villian in all this???

And the Verdict is...?

GUILTY!

...but we've known that. In matter of fact, we - the Who Dats - have known that since early March. So what's the hold up on the rest of our punishments?

The NFL has made it pretty known that they aren't taken the bounty scandal lightly. Coach Sean Payton is suspended for a year, GM Mickey Loomis is suspended for the first 8 games of the season, Assistant Coach\Interim HC is suspended for the first 6 games of the season, and the organization was hit with a $500,000 fine and the lost of some draft picks in this year and next year draft. Not to mention former DC Gregg Williams indefinite suspension from the NFL. And now, the final part of these punishments; the player suspensions.

The initial investigation found that between 22 and 27, former and current players were involved in the scandal. Given Mr. Goodell's reputation; we should expect the worse but the process has been dragged out for the past 2 months. Weekly "leaks" has suggested that the penalties would come as early as last week but the commish did not want to "interfere" with the draft. That's cool; I understand that, but don't think the punishments aren't already drafted sitting on some one's desk right now somewhere. It took approximately 18 days for the NFL to issue their first wave punishments against the Saints organization...we are now on day 60.

Granted, I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into an investigation such as this one. Speaking with the organization, NFL Players Association, owners etc. can take months but, as we've seen since he has taken over, he is THE COMMISH! He has the power to do what he wants; when he wants. Unlike his predecessor Paul Tagliabue, Goodell understands the full extent of his power as the commissioner and he isn't afraid to use it...heavily.

It's time to git'er done Commish. I dare to speculate that the reason behind the stalled process is personal driven but I'm not one to dive into conspiracy theories. We need to know sooner than later or better yet, now. The task to solidify a team without it's leaders is already an enormous one but throwing in the uncertainty of if players will be there come opening day kick-off is asking a dog to run a race with 2 legs! Unfair is an understatement.

So c'mon commish; stop pouring salt in our wounds. We have enough injuries to last this year.

Tigers going to the next level

The draft was another good one for the LSU Tigers and the SEC as a whole. This shouldn't come as a surprise given that the past 6 BCS champions have come from the SEC. 42 players were selected from the SEC (one more than the Big Ten) and a number of undrafted free agents will be picked up over the next couple of days ( if not already). Here is the list of LSU's drafted and undrafted players going to the next level.

Drafted:
Rd 1. 6th pick - Moe Claiborne - Dallas Cowboys
Rd. 1 14th pick - Michael Brokers - St. Louis Rams
Rd. 2 63rd pick - Rueben Randle - New York Giants
Rd. 3 73rd pick - Brandon Taylor - San Diego Chargers
Rd. 4 124th pick - Ron Brooks - Buffalo Bills

Undrafted Free Agent Signees:
Ryan Baker - LB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Will Blackwell - T -  Carolina Panthers
Jordan Jefferson - QB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jarrett Lee - QB - San Diego Cahrgers
Kendrick Adams - DE -  Jacksonville Jaguars
T-Bob Hebert - G/C - St. Louis Rams
Deangelo Peterson - TE - St. Louis Rams
James Stampley IV - FB - Seattle Seahawks ( invited to free agent tryout)

As always, we wish our Tigers nothing but success in the future!

Geaux Tigers!