Coach Orgeron The Right Hire?

[LSUDad]

 

 

Effort at Texas confirms LSU has right man in Orgeron

• September 8, 2019
• By Ken TrahanC

Call it a gut check performance.

In the end, it was a survival of the fittest torture chamber.

On a hot night in Austin, the offenses of LSU and Texas were white hot while the defenses were simply hot and worn out. LSU survived despite its defense being on the field for 33:53 and 85 snaps while the LSU offense had it for just 26:07 and 68 snaps to win 45-38.

What started as an SEC game ended as a Big 12 special. Whoever had the ball scores. Make sure you have the ball last.

LSU did and LSU won, surviving a close call on an onside kick.

It was a signature victory for the Tigers.

It was not that he needed to make any further statement but Louisiana native Ed Orgeron is the coach of one of the top programs in the country.

Tom Herman could have been that coach. An outstanding coach, Herman chose a place he loves and familiarity in Austin. Good for him.

LSU got an outstanding coach at a place he loves with familiarity in Baton Rouge. Good for him. Good for the rabid Tiger fan based. Good for LSU that it worked out that way.

The Tigers are better off with Orgeron, who has learned how to communicate, evaluate and administrate with the very best in the game (see Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney).

As a head coach at Ole Piss, Orgeron recruited well. He made strong, sometimes very strong statements. His teams showed ability, played good people tough but in the final analysis fell short of the mark.

He lost his job.

After spending valuable time with the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee and USC, Orgeron got to LSU in 2015. Rather than point the finger at others for a lack of success in Oxford, Orgeron absorbed what had transpired, processed the failures, learned from them and yearned for another opportunity.

Early in the 2016 season, Orgeron was the right man in the right place at the right time.

When the successful Les Miles era abruptly ended after another clock issue on The Plains, the plain, simple, straightforward but tremendously enthusiastic Orgeron took over his dream job.

It may have seemed like a dream at the time but the dream has become a reality.

Despite enormous scrutiny and pessimism from the start of his regime, Orgeron has persevered while observers jeered. Ultimately, many of those same observers cheered into the wee hours of this morning after another big victory for Coach O.

Remember two years ago? Scoffers were doubting Orgeron virtually everyone. 

Remember the offseason leading up to the 2018 season? National pundits were saying Orgeron was on the hot seat and that he would not make it through the season.

Of course, there will be no Mea culpa forthcoming. 

LSU beat a top 10 team on the road and a really good team and coach at that.

LSU has an answer for every punch Texas threw. It was truly enjoyable to see.

The Longhorns only led once, at 7-3 early in the second quarter. Texas pulled within two points twice in the second half and both times, the Tigers responded like a champion.

Orgeron learned perhaps the most valuable lesson of all.

The brand is always the brand. 

It is always about LSU, not the head coach, the assistant coach or the player.

Orgeron is comfortable in his own shoes hiring bright minds to make his football program the very best it can be and one of the very best in the country.

From Pete Jenkins, trying Matt Canada to Greg McMahon and Bill Johnson. To Steve Ensminger, Tommie Robinson, James Cregg and Bill Busch. To Joe Brady to Mickey Joseph to bringing in the legendary John Robinson and Tiger legend Kevin Faulk, Orgeron has surrounded himself with excellent coaches and evaluators who are paying dividends.

Coach O knew a good thing when he had it and retained Dave Aranda, Dennis Johnson, Corey Raymond and Tommy Moffitt. He has a good support staff with Sam Nader, Derek Ponamsky and Sharon Lewis.

Most importantly, Orgeron is allowing each and every one of those individuals to do their job, something he likely discerned about failing to do so in Oxford which got him burned.

The best, most sound form of management at any level is to surround yourself with talent. Orgeron has recruited excellent players and he has brought in excellent coaches and advisors.

Coach O has put his ego aside as successful people do and the entire group has bonded together as a cohesive, dangerous entity.

LSU will be favored in every game the rest of the season with the exception of their trip to Tuscaloosa.

We all know that Saban and the Crimson Tide have owned LSU to the tune of eight straight wins. Rivalries are all about two teams playing on nearly even terms, battling back and forth with the outcome being in doubt.

There has been no doubt for a long time now. There may be after the events in Austin. 

What Orgeron has done speaks volumes about the evolution of LSU football.

The offense finally looks potent, like many of the best offenses in the country, scoring 100 points in two games. The move to convince Joe Burrow to transfer was a stroke of genius. Burrow is now one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, if not the country. After two games, has any quarterback in the country played better than Burrow? Additionally, Burrow’s leadership qualities and toughness are off the charts.

Incidentally, Clemson scored a modest 24 points at home against Texas A&M Saturday but still won. The Aggies are coached by Jimbo Fisher, another excellent coach whom LSU tried to hire prior to Orgeron.

Fisher and his Aggies prevailed over Orgeron and his Tigers in an epic battle at College Station a year ago. While you give Fisher credit, everything that could possibly go A&M’s way did so on that night. It will be a fun night when LSU hosts the Aggies on Nov. 30.

The Tiger defense, despite being gashed for 538 yards and 38 points last night, has talent and should be good. Texas is very good. 

The LSU kicking game looks as good as ever, very good across the board.

Orgeron speaks the language. He speaks honestly. He is totally believable. His players believe in him. 

While Coach O may have been the third choice in the beauty pageant, LSU and its fans should be thanking their lucky stars that the star power coaches said no. LSU has its own rock star.

[Herb]

Quote

Remember two years ago? Scoffers were doubting Orgeron virtually everyone. 

Remember the offseason leading up to the 2018 season? National pundits were saying Orgeron was on the hot seat and that he would not make it through the season.

Of course, there will be no Mea culpa forthcoming. 

I'll step up with a Mea Culpa. (Even though the term actually means "my fault" not "I was wrong".)

I was a doubter that Orgeron could assemble a team like we now have. I was wrong about that.

I also said more than a few times when Orgeron was hired that I hoped he's still be coaching at LSU in 10 years as that would mean he was successful.

I've also said many times that the LSU program made Nick Saban and Les Miles, not the other way around.  This is true for Coach O also.

Saban and Les Miles at Ole Piss probably would have seen them chewed up and spat out as well. 

What makes Orgeron successful is that he - for the most part - gets out of the way and lets his assistants do the job they were hired to do. The notable exception to that is Matt Canada but as others have pointed out Canada seems to burn out his welcome wherever he goes in a short period of time.

Right now, I'm loving life as a fan of this team.

[Nutriaitch]

tap the brakes a little. 

the “Right Hire” has to bring home hardware. That simple. That was the criteria then, that’s the criteria now. 

great win. love the direction this is heading. 

but we have to get there before anointing anyone. and there is a LOOONG way still to go this season.

 

[houtiger]

When O was hired I did not know or think that he would be a success.  I also did not know nor think he would fail.  I acknowledged that his record as head coach at OM was poor.  I also acknowledged his record since as interim head coach at USC and LSU was successful.  It was possible that he was learning along the way and getting better.  When people asked him what he learned from his years at OM, I was impressed with his honesty and toughness on himself.  He said he tried to do it all at OM, he thought he knew how to coach every position better than the position coach and when the team lost a game he would step in and try to correct the situation instead of letting his assistant coaches do their job.  The first step to get better is to accurately diagnose what the problem is.  I think Ed got it right, and you hear him say today, the position coaches decide who will play and when to substitute guys.  Ed says he gives them the authority to make those calls, and he holds them accountable for the calls they make.  That is what gave me an idea that Ed could work out.  Plus he was acknowledged as a good recruiter, and LSU needed to improve our recruiting and keep those top 12 players in the state every year in order to have a nucleus that can compete.  Ed seems to be doing well there.  He missed a few kids his first couple of years, but he said he did not have multi-year relationships with them, and now he has that opportunity and is doing better.  Ten out of the top twelve players in the state is a reasonable goal, and Ed is hitting that.

One thing I like about Ed vs. Les is that when Ed does not get what he wants out of a hire, he has fixed it the next year.  Witness, Matt Canada.  You can say Ed made a significant mistake on that hire, and I agree he made a significant mistake on that hire.  It cost us $1.6 million to fix the mistake.  Bad on Ed.  But, he did not ride the mistake for years while allowing the program to suffer.  He was crisp, stepped up and fixed the mistake.  Same with Jerry Sullivan, the receiver coach and passing coordinator in 2018.  He may be a route running master technician, but Ed did not get what he wanted from the passing game, from Sullivan or Ensminger.  One year and Ed fixed it, bringing in Joe Brady, and it appears he got that right.

Ed looks like he retained the good coaches when he took over, and he correctly identified some coaches that were not helping, he let them go, and got some better coaches.  It is not that Ed doesn't make mistakes, he has, but at least he has fixed them quickly.  That is something Les did not do, Les was loyal to his coaches, but to a fault sometimes and allowed his loyalty to be a detriment to the program.

[LSUDad]

Orgeron Named Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week

September 10, 2019, 08:44 AM (CT)

 

Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette)
Assoc. Athletic Director/Communications

 

BATON ROUGE – LSU’s Ed Orgeron has been named The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after leading the Tigers to a 45-38 win over ninth-ranked Texas on Saturday in Austin, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced on Monday.
 
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
 
The win over Texas marked the first time in LSU history that the Tigers beat a Top 10 non-conference opponent in a true road contest. It’s also the fifth Top 10 win for Orgeron, who improved to 27-9 as LSU’s head coach.
 
A year ago, Orgeron guided the Tigers to a school-record four Top 10 wins as LSU posted a 10-3 overall mark and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the nation.
 
Of Orgeron, Peach Bowl CEO and President Gary Stokan said, “Coach Orgeron led his Tigers to victory in what appears to be one of the biggest out-of-conference showdowns of the season. He’s done a phenomenal job leading his program both on and off the field in Baton Rouge, and appears to have LSU primed to be a College Football Playoff contender this season.”
 
Jim Terry, the chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation said, “There are few coaches in the country whose impact on the overall culture of a program can be felt as significantly as coach Orgeron. In only his third season with the Tigers, he’s setting new records offensively on the field, while also making strides with his players’ performance in the classroom and leaving his mark on the community.”
 
Since Orgeron took over the program nearly four years ago, the Tigers have improved in every facet of the program – winning 10 games and the Fiesta Bowl a year ago; improved the team’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR); have had 46 players earn SEC Academic Honor Roll distinction and have seen 56 players earn their LSU degree.
 
The Dodd Trophy presented by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2019 season. The winner of the 2019 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week for this year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

[Hatchertiger]

Well he was the right hire to get the offense changed. Jury is still out on whether he is the man to lead us back to the Promise Land.

[Fishhead]

Nootch and I have talked (off the record of sorts) about this, PRIOR to the Texas game. 

When Miles was canned, there were 3 names discussed, two in particular. 

Herman, Jimbo,  and sorta Mullen. 

He's yet to beat Jimbo or Mullen. 

He did, however, beat the one we all thought was coming. 

And as Hatch pointed out, he most certainly changed the offense. 

His willingness to change and move on from bad decisions quickly tells me he has a plan and works his ass off to reach it. He's a great recruiter and seems to have learned to let his people do their job. 

I can no longer complain. 

But like all of us, we want to do things Miles was no longer doing, so there's still some work to do. All of it is still in front of us, and O.

I'm beyond 2017 though. 

[kcal]

in the here and now obviously most signs point to O growing into the job but like others have said November tells the tale