Tigers have pep in their step at preseason practice No. 17
Early Wednesday afternoon thunderstorms forced LSU indoors for preseason practice No. 17.
And it seemed as if the players didn’t mind a respite from the heat, which again was well into the 90s before the clouds rolled in and the heavens emptied.
Observations:
1. Back in action off the injury list was projected starting right guard Damien Lewis as well as nose tackle Apu Ika. Players missing practice because of injury were nose tackle Tyler Shelvin, offensive guard Chasen Hines, tight end Stephen Sullivan, defensive end Breiden Fehoko and wide receiver Derrick Dillon.
2. There has been an overdose of drills for defenders to rake loose fumbles.
Though LSU tied Florida as the SEC turnover margin leader last season at plus 12, Tigers’ coach Ed Orgeron and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda felt the defense didn’t cause enough fumbles.
LSU’s secondary had a league-leading 17 interceptions, but the Tigers forced and recovered just eight fumbles.
It’s why at the start of almost every preseason practice, you see drills like in the tape below with defensive backs almost flat on their stomachs lunging forward and slapping at a blocking pad.
3. Rarely has an LSU team worked so feverishly on passing drills exclusively with quarterbacks and tight ends. Probably it’s because tight ends have been the last option in Tigers’ past offenses, especially in the post-2011 Les Miles era.
But that shouldn’t be the case under new passing game coordinator Joe Brady. He wants LSU’s tight ends to get downfield and he wants the Tigers’ quarterbacks not hesitate to target them.
The tight end starter hasn’t been announced, but there has been plenty of positive comments from Orgeron, quarterback Joe Burrow and other Tigers’ receivers about Thaddeus Moss, who sat out last season after hurting a phone late in the summer in voluntary workouts.
Moss feels he’s had a good preseason camp, also.
Starting Thursday, practices are completely closed to the media as the Tigers begin preparations for the Aug. 31 season-opener against Georgia Southern in Tiger Stadium.
Burrow wants to get it on.
“I wasn’t ready at the beginning of camp, but we’ve had a really good camp,” Burrow said on Wednesday night. “It’s going to be tough to watch the couple of games from the living room this weekend. I’m ready to go.”