LSU Football: Ed Orgeron downplays Joe Brady’s impact on Tigers offense

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 26: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers looks on prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 26: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers looks on prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron is working to replace passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Joe Brady.

Joe Brady, who served as the Tigers’ passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2019, received a lot of credit for LSU football’s offensive explosion this past season.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron hired Brady away from the New Orleans Saints, where he was serving as an offensive analyst, to bring some new elements to the Tigers’ offense.

Coach O’s decision to hire Brady, who left Baton Rouge after one season to become the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator, was apparently a smart one — LSU’s offense averaged a nation leading 48.4 points per game in 2019.

But was the offensive outburst due to Brady, or was it a combination of quarterback Joe Burrow, offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and Brady?

It sounds like Orgeron thinks it was the latter.

On Monday, during an appearance on WWL Radio in New Orleans, Orgeron downplayed the impact that Brady had on LSU’s offense in 2019.

Orgeron called Ensminger “the MVP of the whole deal”.

Here’s Coach O’s full quote (via The Advertiser):

"“The MVP of the whole deal was Steve Ensminger. He never blinked. He knows the offense. He called the majority of the plays. So what I want to do is bring in a passing game coordinator that can help on third down, help in the red zone just like Joe did, expound on our offense. And we’re going to take our time getting the right guy.”"

It doesn’t sound like Orgeron is too concerned about replacing Brady. In fact, it sounds like he’s hoping LSU’s offense can evolve even more with a new passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach.

(Which is another example of Orgeron’s willingness to adapt.)

Coach O noted in that same interview that he’s taking his time with the hire and trying to find the right guy, saying “some guys are very qualified for the job, but they might not be the right fit”.

There’s no doubt that Joe Brady brought a lot to the table for LSU — that’s the reason Coach O brought him to Baton Rouge.

Next. Power ranking the most stacked SEC head coaching lineup ever. dark

But it would be unfair to give him all the credit. Ensminger certainly played a major role in LSU’s historic season.