Squint to find those promised offensive changes

Published 6:14 am Sunday, March 6, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">In the afterglow of LSU’s 638-yard, 56-point performance against Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl, Les Miles promised changes were coming to the Tigers’ alleged prehistoric offense.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Miles knew his offense couldn’t play Texas Tech every week, probably not at all in the upcoming season.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Yet as the Tigers open spring practice Monday, it would appear there are more changes coming to the defense than the offense.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">If you recall, Miles was pretty adamant after the bowl game that some of the LSU assistants would be off visiting the coaching staffs of some of the trendy spread attacks, picking their brains and taking prodigious notes.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He never said anything about jumping into the 21st century with both feet, mind you, and he’s always quick to remind one and all that Leonard Fournette is still a pretty good starting place when building an offense.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But he did say there were probably elements of the fancy, up-tempo stuff that might benefit the Tigers, if only just as a change of pace.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Question: When, exactly, did the staff go on these fact-finding missions for the new bells and whistles?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s only been a month since they could turn their attention away from landing the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">They only recently completed the latest round of changes to the coaching staff.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">And spring practice starts tomorrow.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Miles did clean up a couple of housekeeping chores before the spring work begins.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">According to multiple reports Saturday, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has, in fact, agreed to his new contract, and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron is due a nice raise after adding recruiting coordinator to his job description.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But whatever new elements are coming to the offense this spring is anybody’s guess.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Perhaps new wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig, fresh off a stint at his alma mater Auburn, will bring all of the spread elements LSU can handle from his old boss Gus Malzahn, long a devoted disciple of the genre.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Craig, a former record-setting quarterback himself, does figure to help both ends of the passing game.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The key, as we all know, is getting improvement from Brandon Harris at quarterback, and it can’t hurt to get another set of knowledgeable eyes on him.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But there’s more.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Presumably it was a result of the offseason soul-searching about the air attack, but Miles also has said, beginning with the spring, that LSU is going to change the way it practices the passing game.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He didn’t go into any detail.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">OK.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Sorry, but I’m reminded that longtime LSU Sports Information Director Paul Manasseh, whenever he was asked if he’d been to football practice that day, had a stock answer:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Why? Did they change they way they do it?”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He was clever like that.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But maybe LSU is on to something revolutionary with new practice routines. Maybe this will be the air game epiphany everybody has been waiting on.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Anyway, it was refreshing to learn that LSU did, in fact, practice that passing game last year, as it wasn’t always readily evident.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">They can put in all kinds of fancy new ball plays, and they can reinvent the practice wheel, but the key is still going to be getting Harris more comfortable and effective.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The defense, though, might have an even more interesting spring.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Those guys will have to adjust to new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and his mad-scientist approach to his craft.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Aranda isn’t afraid to think outside the box. He loves to tinker, always looking for ways to create mismatches.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Most of the spring chatter will be about the likely conversion from LSU’s traditional 4-3 alignment to Aranda’s preferred 3-4.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It might seem odd for a team whose only real personnel shortage is at linebacker, but the alignment itself is probably overrated.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LSU, and most teams, whatever defense they choose call their base, end up in offshoots of five and six defensive backs more often than not anyway.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">No matter what they call it, they’re going to play to the strengths of the their best players.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">And some former defensive ends — looking at you, Arden Key — will now be linebackers in Aranda’s system.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But don’t be surprised if the defensive changes are more evident to the naked eye than whatever they cook up on offense.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AZaphdingbatdot7pt">l</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Scooter Hobbs</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">covers LSU</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">athletics. Email him at</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">shobbs@americanpress.com</span>