LSU Football: Backing off on some Ed Orgeron criticism

I haven’t been shy about criticizing LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron this year.

It’s not that I want to see Orgeron fired — it’s the opposite, actually.

I want to see the Tigers thrive under Orgeron. I want to see 2019 happen again.

Coach O succeeding at LSU is good for college football in general. He’s the perfect fit as the TIgers’ head coach. Anyone else leading the program at this point is going to feel…..weird.

So that’s why I’ve been critical of Orgeron this year. I know he can do better. I’m sure he knows that, too.

Backing off on some criticism of LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron

Earlier this month, I criticized Orgeron for seemingly meddling in the offense.

Considering Orgeron’s history — his meddling ways cost him his job at Ole Miss in the mid-2000s — I felt like this was justified.

But if I’m going to criticize Coach O for his comments about the offense, then I have to praise him for his recent comments about the defense.

On Wednesday, during Orgeron’s weekly radio show, he pointed out that he trusted first-year defensive coordinator Daronte Jones this week to implement a three-man front against Mississippi State (via 247Sports).

Orgeron admitted he was nervous about the change because he prefers a four-man front. But it worked against the Bulldogs.

This proves that Orgeron isn’t meddling in meetings as much as I thought. He’s the head coach, so he obviously gets the final say. But he’s letting his coaches coach.

The fact he trusted Jones, who is still finding his way as a defensive coordinator, with such a big decision shows that Orgeron is handling this coaching staff the right way.