Thought's varied and diverging. 1/12/10

Chad Jones has declared for the NFL draft

This is surprising to me. I thought if the Dreadlocks of Doom declared for any draft, it would be the MLB. Here's what I thought would happen, Chad plays baseball this year, ignores spring football, gets drafted in the MLB draft and leaves LSU for the majors and a great heaping pile of cash as a left handed, late reliever with nice repertoire of pitches.

But I heard he hasn't retained an agent. That's the smart way to do it. So he might be just feeling out his future right now in the NFL. Because I would be willing to bet a tremendous amount Chad could pull in a signing bonus (to say nothing of a whole contract) in baseball that would make an entire NFL bonus and package look like chump change. Add into that the nice easy career that would be the life in the Majors versus getting banged up all the time for less money in the League?

My opinion? Unless Chad just hates baseball, he'd be crazy not to play baseball.

We still have an open date for the 2011 season

Boise State has thrown down the challenge that they will play anyone anywhere without asking for a return game. LSU needs a season opening opponent and Boise doesn't have a game that day either. But the powers that be at LSU are probably too ignorant and cowardly to make this happen. We'll probably end up with Nichols State and a shiny press release from the LSU Athletic Department about what a great deal it is.

I am still flummoxed

For the life of me, I still can't understand some of the calls I saw this year on offense. From what I have gleaned about the internet and in real life, this falls on Crowton and not Miles. I just don't understand how this guy can go from being so great earlier in his career to such an idiot this past year. Combine that with the foolhardy favoring of seniors and such over young talent and it's a very concerning trait. You've seen the news how Crowton is not going anywhere. Miles and Crowton need LSU to just bust up and burn down some teams this year because by staying hitched to Miles, he may have signed himself up for a Dinardo & Tepper deal that could seal his doom. Obviously, if LSU gets back to 2005-2007 football, all is forgiven.

Guilbeau Writes a Good One

I've choked down my share of Glenn Guilbeau articles.  Generally, I find them to be annoying. 

It's not that Mr. Guilbeau doesn't do research or have interesting ideas.  It's just that he has adopted, for his own reasons and in my opinion, a contrarian viewpoint to LSU football.   Whether it's really how he sees it, or a ploy to generate emotion and therefor readership, it's annoying.  I could say more, but I'm sure he's a nice guy who I'd like to buy a beer and I just don't want to get anymore personal than that.

However, I just read his latest piece on Rahim Alem and Chad Jones.

Bravo, Glenn.  Very, very nice piece.  Great subject, great reporting, great article construction in my view.  Just really well done.

Favorite exerpt:

This season for the first time since 2004 at St. Augustine when Alem was still Jones and a senior and his brother was a sophomore, they'll be starting on the same team — Alem at defensive end, Jones at free safety.


"It's going to feel so much better with him on the field all the time because he raises my intensity," Jones said. "He raises the way I play. He raises my game. I love playing on the field with my brother — just like high school. This is his last season, so I'm going to try to make him go out with a bang."

Miles advised Alem to make sure he relishes it all.

"I told Rahim, 'You've got to recognize that some of these experiences that you and your brother are having, no other people are having,'" Miles said. "Those are dang special. Not only will you look back on your team, but you'll look back on your brother. What a great memory for life."

Wow.  I cannot wait to watch them all year long.