By BEN LOVE
Tiger fans think back on the Les Miles Era and have grievances by the score concerning LSU’s offense.
You know the go-to gripes: lack of quarterback development, predictability, run-heavy (especially against Alabama) and putting pass-catching tight ends on a milk carton.
Well, there’s one that flies under the radar for many that’s rankled me.
Cross-trained offensive linemen
Before you scoff, think about what exactly that means. Miles forced longtime O-Line coaches Greg Studrawa and Jeff Grimes to plug big uglies into spots where they many times had no business, just to have contingency plans and to boast on the line’s collective versatility.
Back-up planning aside, it’s my observation that strategy failed LSU’s offense in a tangible way.
In an effort to play the best five, leaning on that “cross-training,” Miles’ offensive lines regularly featured guards playing a book-end tackle position.
Part of the problem was definitely a lack of recruiting pure tackles post-2010, but that still doesn’t lessen the fallacy of lining up players like Vadal Alexander and Maea Teuhema at tackle.
For the most part maulers belong on the interior. If they have good feet, let them pull. Don’t ask them to protect your quarterback in the pocket, attempting to hold at bay some of the nation’s top edge rushers. It’s the epitome of trying to plug a square peg into a round role.
And what’s interesting, modernizing the conversation, is that in this offseason Grimes and LSU have lost a number of players that were recruited as tackles, from Chidi Okeke to Willie Allen and, most recently, signee Seth Stewart.
This only exacerbates the need for the Tigers to go tackle-heavy in the next few recruiting classes to correct the problem, preparing for life after K.J. Malone.
With Miles out and Ed Orgeron in, it’s time that players meant to be protectors on the edge (like, perhaps, Ethan Pocic) play a role natural to them and best for the collective good of the offense.