It was quite a journey over the last week covering football in the state of Louisiana.
The LSU Tigers overwhelmed a very good Texas A&M football team in the 2011 Cotton Bowl, 41-24, on Jan. 4.
In the week since that big win, LSU has dominated headlines with the courtship of head coach Les Miles by Michigan, the departures of star cornerback Patrick Peterson and halfback Stevan Ridley to the NFL and Tiger offensive coordinator Gary Crowton leaving to take the offensive coordinator's job with the University of Maryland.
We also witnessed an Southeastern Conference school win the BCS National Championship for the fifth consecutive season when Auburn defeated Oregon on Monday night.
One day after LSU's win over the Aggies, the New Orleans Saints' season came to an abrupt end when they were upset by the Seattle Seahawks, 41-36.
These events brought to mind something NFL Hall of Fame head coach Hank Stram told me many years ago about football.
"In this sport, everything has to be right for you to win," Stram said. "You have to have it all to win it all. There is very little room for error. One thing goes wrong, even if it is just for one game, and it is all over with. But when it is right it seems so easy. That type of feeling can't be matched, but you know that in the long run it is a bit of fool's gold. The bottom line is that when you lose a playoff game, a Super Bowl or a bowl game in college, you just are not good enough that year."
I thought about that comment when I watched the Saints lose to Seattle and the Tigers crush the Aggies.
In 2010, the Saints just weren't good enough.
They had many of the same components they had in 2009 to win the Super Bowl, but injuries, losing a couple of early games that really mattered in the playoff seeding and just not playing at the same level they played at just a year ago has them watching playoff action one year later, like many other Super Bowl champions of the past 10 years.
We will have plenty of time to break down what will happen over the next few months with the Saints, but today the football focus is on the LSU Tigers.
LSU did better than what virtually everyone thought this season and finished the year 11-2 and placed eighth in the final polls for 2010.
Back in August, I wrote that if you didn't catch the Tigers in 2010, you would have a tough time on the gridiron with them in 2011.
I really think they will prove me right.
The Tigers are loaded and primed for a BCS national championship run in 2011.
On offense, despite losing their most consistent offensive threat early to the NFL in halfback Steven Ridley, the Tigers return eight starters to the lineup.
The Tigers have a host of very talented young receivers ready to step into the shoes left by senior Terrence Toliver, and they have four starters returning to their offensive line.
It will be interesting to watch the development of halfbacks Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, Jakhari Gore and Michael Ford along with wide receivers Kadron Boone, Russell Shepard, Rueben Randle, James Wright, Armand Williams and Chris Tolliver in 2011.
Throw in tight ends Chase Clement, Mitch Joseph, Deangelo Peterson and Tyler Edwards and quarterback Jordan Jefferson will have a host of talented, speedy playmakers to throw to.
Now Jefferson has to play like he did against Texas A&M.
He will get pushed by junior college standout Zach Mettenberger, but right now Jefferson is sitting in the driver's seat if the Tigers will play for the crystal football in 2011.
His consistency and ability to make game-altering plays with his arm and feet will be the key for the Tigers offense in 2011.
And this season there will be no Cam Newton at Auburn. No Ryan Mallett at Arkansas. No Greg McElroy at Alabama. No Jeremiah Masoli at Ole Miss.
Those top-flight college quarterbacks will no longer be the talk of the SEC.
And Jefferson and company will get plenty of help from his defense.
It will be tough to replace defensive tackle Drake Nevis, cornerback Patrick Peterson and middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, but the Tigers have as talented a group of young defensive players ready to make an impact on the SEC as I have seen since Nick Saban's national championship run in Baton Rouge in 2003.
What the Tigers need to make this defense purr real loud in 2011 is to develop an inside defensive lineman that can disrupt an offense like what we saw from Nevis this season and Glenn Dorsey just a few years back.
Redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Montgomery was having an excellent 2010 season before going down in the Tennessee game with a knee injury.
If he can return to form, he looks like the next dominant Tiger defensive lineman.
Along with Montgomery, the Tigers return Barkevious Mingo, Lavar Edwards, Kendrick Adams, Chancey Aghayere, Michael Brockers, Josh Downs, Justin Maclin and one of the most highly recruited defensive tackles in the nation in Anthony Johnson.
The Tigers also return two starters at linebacker in Ryan Baker and Stefoin Francois, but LSU defensive coaches gush over the talents of Kevin Minter, Tahj Jones and Lamin Barrow for 2011.
But watching the young football players in LSU's secondary grow is what everyone is anxious to see.
Yes, one of the best football players in the country, cornerback Patrick Peterson, is gone, but returning at cornerback is another top cover-man in speedy Morris Claiborne and one of the best freshman cornerbacks I have seen in quite some time in Tyrann Mathieu.
Both look as though they could earn All-SEC honors in 2011.
Throw in Tharold Simon, Ron Brooks, Ryan St. Julien and Ronnie Vinson and the Tigers have great talent and depth at the cornerback slot.
The same can be said about the safety spots.
The loss of starting strong safety Brandon Taylor was noticeable after sustaining a leg injury against Alabama, but he looks like a player that could also earn All-SEC honors in 2011, if healthy.
Karnell Hatcher mans the starting free safety spot, but Craig Loston and Eric Reid will be pushing to get their fair share of action on the field.
On special teams, the biggest question will be can Brad Wing and Drew Alleman give the Tigers the talent and consistency we saw from kicker Josh Jasper and punter Derek Helton over the past two seasons.
Timing is everything in life and right now Miles had it all break right for him over the last 10 days.
His team crushed one of the hottest football teams (Texas A&M) in the nation. He had Michigan, where he played and was an assistant coach, make another run for his head coaching services and he made the decision to make a change at offensive coordinator.
Money is important in life, but so is family and Miles is a family man.
He understands how hard it is to uproot a family, especially with four children in their formative years, but he needed assurances that certain people in the athletic department would have his back, if something one season didn't quite go as planned.
He got those assurances and more.
Now he has to make the right choice at offensive coordinator. He needs someone who knows the conference, knows the skillset of players in the South and someone who can develop quarterbacks and also emphasize the running game more.
Most Tiger fans understand Miles is a bit quirky, but who isn't in this profession.
The biggest knock on Miles has been his time management skills late in some crucial games and his staff's inability to develop a quarterback since the departure of Ryan Perrilloux in the spring of 2008.
What everyone wants is for Miles to hire an offensive coordinator who can develop young quarterbacks like Mettenberger, freshman Stephen Rivers, the younger brother of San Diego Chargers All-Pro quarterback Philip Rivers and upgrade the talent level of seniors Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee.
Finding that right guy is crucial, but right now Miles has the chalk in his hand.
With a national championship type team and additional money to spend on a coordinator, the right choice could well see the Tigers overtake Alabama and South Carolina (the two teams along with LSU with most quality starters returning than any other SEC school in 2011) for the SEC Championship and a legitimate shot at a BCS National Championship.
And with familiar faces such as Newton, Mallett, Nick Fairley, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Marcell Dareus, Randall Cobb, Will Hill and Jerrell Powe all leaving early for the NFL, the Fighting Tigers and Les Miles look to have it all to win it all in 2011.
NFL analyst Mike Detillier is based in Raceland.
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