Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Jul 27, 20207 min
Many concerns surrounded Myles Brennan's ability to follow in the path of the greatest sultan in college football history...how could he realistically follow THAT performance?
But the wrong question is being asked.
I don't see Brennan as having to become Joe Burrow, that's silly, the question is "can he follow the trail Joe blazed by becoming his own winning quarterback?"
We believe he can and he will, in spite of all the ridiculous doubt.
Where are the questions of Mack Jones' weight (205)? Are there any about Bo Nix (215)?
The weight questions are more brain dead than an A&M fan and more savagely narcissistic than Taylor Swift partying at Ja Rule's house....he is 220...done...case closed...he could've survived the SEC before the weight gain, but now that he's packed on the muscle, the doubt about his physicality needs to be put to bed with an extra large bib on.
His arm is more than equipped to outlast the strenuous SEC schedule and a potential CFP bout vs two of college football's top two teams (once LSU take their division and conference).
Despite the excitement, Orgeron issued Brennan another challenge this past week, this time through the media itself by saying "we have great depth and talent in many positions, but we need to see championship level play from the quarterback position," this coming after he's already declared 2020 "Myles' season"....
So what else could Coach O's message be but a pointed, calculated message towards his quarterback, the last in an off-season filled to the brim with coded messages and inner-motivation for Brennan to build upon.
This March, we received information he was working out on his parents' land in Mississippi and forging his game by throwing through obstacle courses etc...we reported that across a series of Brennan pieces all available on this site.
But when Cody Worsham's interview conjured the full extent of his investment, including his 2019 pregame preparation matching Joe's intensity, digesting nearly 10,000 calories per day and shredding muscle to the point he now appears as a golden Greek gawd, we realized our prior belief was more than justified: Myles looks and acts poised and confidently primed for a season full of close calls, tough hits and adversity coming his way....
Once he said "this is my team," I knew I needed to change my pants....it was then, during the 3rd load of laundry when we knew magic would be waiting for us this fall.
Brennan, to quote Dwight Schrute, "is a man of great depth and vision" and hearing him speak of his axe-wielding, Madison Bumgarner-esque activities in the Mississippi humidity (during the Covid outbreak) makes us realize the power of two things:
1. Our sources telling us of these activities were 100% correct and
2. Brennan's work ethic isn't for show, it isn't to be Joe. It's the real deal.
All of these swirling questions build to a fever pitch around the decisions of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and other conferences as they weigh the pros and cons or scary grey areas of canceling, postponing or being unable to finish the 2020 season.
We don't control those decisions duh, but if there's any doubt about how each college football program should battle Covid, it's the blueprint laid out by LSU's Head Athletic Trainer Shelley Mullinex, and that is an opinion we've been on for some time...
Mullinex's work deserves far more accolades and recognition due to the fact she's now paved the way for how we can all organize, mobilize and try and stay ahead of the virus as we attempt to play the game we love.
There's a damn good reason LSU has never won a national championship without her.
Personnel questions, Covid, Sankey, Myles....it all leads to one thing:
The games themselves.
LSU's 2020 schedule appears more heavy at the back end compared to 2019's evenly spread out murderer's row to get to the postseason...
The last two months of LSU's schedule appear ominous, Florida, Alabama, Auburn & A&M to finish the season...
However daunting the task of those final games, especially the trips to the Swamp and Auburn's AuburnMcAuburnton Stadium (I refuse to say their stupid stadium name), the Tigers enjoy 5 games in which to build their confidence and another high profile / highly winnable meeting vs Texas at home to assert some energy, some intensity and some attrition upon the 2020 campaign.
That's enough time to get everyone the ball, more than enough snaps to show our coaches every possible scheme or personnel grouping you could anticipate...there will be blowouts and time to experiment early in the schedule, breaking tendencies only to bend them even further...but later on as the leaves begin to fall, the season's intensity ratchets up like an 80s party on the dark side with Harvey Keitel.
Regardless of the soft early cushion, LSU still have the 4th toughest schedule in the country, facing Ole Miss and Texas during that "soft cushion", two opponents which would've been enough to send Ohio State fans into paralytic shock.
Sadly, there probably won't be panoramic, seismic atmospheres inside stadiums this fall; thanks to the Covid 19 outbreak, the medieval hilarity when thousands of victorious Tiger fans do the Gator Chomp will become as ancient as hieroglyphics until 2021.
Will drunken celebrations, in which you confess your love for purple clad strangers, participate in brawls using Coach O bobbleheads, or urinating in trash receptacles become a thing of the past, thanks to the virus's ghost town prophecies?
Screw that!
Whether we're in the stadiums or not, LSU fans (and college football disciples in general) still have much to celebrate as the 2020 season packs a significant entertainment punch to the gut of intrigue:
The future of the SEC West is up for grabs as LSU and Alabama won't just look to knock each other out of the title game year to year, but will ruthlessly hope to beat each other for highly prized recruits paying keen attention.
If LSU are to make a move for Alabama's crown, this is the time.
When you have a wounded monster down on all fours, howling at the moon in their blood-soaked fury, you finish em off.
Joe Burrow demoralized Alabama entirely, but as the glory of 2019 turns the page to 2020, with the Crimson Tide having all off-season to sit and stew about the manner in which they were neutralized by LSU, there'll be a large target on our backs.
Still, Tiger fans in the know feel a sense of adventure due to the continued work ethic of our players. The simple reason LSU could be potentially more prepared for 2020 than 2019?
Our players wanted to be ready....they made sure each among them were held accountable...and many are returning with a title ring on their fingers.
Without coaches presiding over them constantly, whether certain Tigers were leaders or hard workers prior to the pandemic or not, every single one of these players became self starters during the 11 week hiatus....and this accountable mentality will pay dividends over the season's long grind.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Moffitt is impressed with the players returning, stating in May:
"To a man, our guys have maintained, if not improved, their physique over the last 11 weeks", our players sending the staff over 3,800 texts to show how they've been adapting to the circumstances:
Following on the heels of Joe Burrow's example last year, this work ethic has solidified LSU's professional structure, and in turn, the 2020 crew may be even more prepared for adversity during the grueling season.
Orgeron's Tigers are proving 2019 was no fluke: even as they lost 3/4 of their offensive and defensive starters, those who know the true talent of these players share the same feeling:
LSU is now close to busting down the door and crashing Clemson and Alabama's two-team feeding frenzy of the last 5 years, stripping Dabo's Hootenanny Huckabee & Saban's reported occultist tentacles of their titles and dignity, now looking to steal every favorite recruit on their charts and clinically defend our title (in a manner unseen since Saban's crew accomplished the back to back title victories in 2012/2013, thanks to Notre Dame starting Manti Te'o's girlfriend at quarterback, left tackle and linebacker).
To stand alone, ahead of the pack, our Tigers must dismiss Saban's Crimson Tide from the national conversation...
I repeat, to take that next firm step, LSU must retire the Tide...we must destroy them...
...following the transfer of QB Taulia Tagovaiola, the QB Controversy between Bryce and Mack, the uncertainty of Saban's defense, Sarkisian's outdated offense, the fragility of Bama's coaching staff...could we be seeing an end to Alabama, Joe Burrow's middle fingered salute and the #22 carved upon their foreheads???
Can LSU's returning champions and freshmen phenoms handle adversity when the game gets close?
Will Myles be able to ride a horrible hit and get the first down with his legs?
Can Kardell Thomas dig deep and smash that stunting DE off balance?
Could Ja'Marr Chase top or even equal last year's miracle feats?
Will Terrace Marshall stay 100% healthy for the season, perhaps shattering records himself?
Who will be our corner opposite Stingley?
Who will be free safety opposite Stevens?
How might we adapt defensively?
Only one way to find out...
Play the games, baby.
Last year LSU were hunting and dismembering every traditional Tigers enemy from Saban to Jimbo, Kirby to Dabo, all vanquished mercilessly after years in the doldrums of the SEC.
How these 2020 Tigers adjust and respond to their new roles as the hunted will decide this season.
BY
LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
GEAUX TIGERS #JUSTICEFORBREONNA
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