LSU '13 Lacks Defensive Playmakers

Baton Rouge, we have a problem.
LSU '13 is in crisis.
There's not much time.
Grab some spare parts, make a defense.
Get them home.
Failure is not an option.

As LSU scrambles to come up with answers for their dismal defensive performance against Georgia, the cold truth is there may not be any, given the mass exodus of defensive starters form last year. Typically a John Chavis defense has players waiting in the wings for their turns to shine. Not this year. Since the second half of game two, Chavis' group has shown little signs of growth.

At first played off as youthful lack of focus after building a big lead, it's now feared the loss of starters is a bigger burden than once appeared. That youthful lack of focus has turned into mass confusion as the level of competition rises.

The consensus is that the lack of experience has been the major factor in the decline of the defense. That a lineup stacked with underclassman with little prior playing time is to much to overcome.

In the words of the great Lee Corso, "not so fast, my friend".

While it's true LSU has a number of new starters, it's really not much more than the usual attrition in todays college football landscape. Consider LSU. Since 2010 attrition has hit the defense hard. Five starters left after 2010, six after 2011. Of those five in '10 were Patrick Peterson, Drake Nevis and Kelvin Shepard. Among the losses in '11 were Michael Brockers and Brandon Taylor.

Each time attrition hit Chavis, the defense came back stronger. The 2011 defense replaced 2010 loaded with playmaking sophomores lead by a honey badger and a junior named Claiborne. It will go down as one of the finest defensive units in LSU history.

Which leads us to the 2012 defections. Mingo, Montgomery, Minter, Reid and Simon. Big losses no doubt, but replaced by players with ample enough playing time for a smooth transition. Remember, Eric Reid, Kevin Minter, Tharold Simon and Kiki Mingo all played sparingly in 2010. In their first season of fulltime play in 2011 two(Reid and Mingo)were all Americans and Minter was all SEC.

The 2013 LSU defense consist of five juniors, three seniors and three sophomores. It ain't all a lack of experience it's a lack of playmakers that has this unit clinging to it's football life. It's also a lack of depth, awareness and too many underperforming four and five star recruits. But the biggest thing is the lack of playmakers.

Playmakers change games and create momentum. They force fumbles, intercept passes and sack the quarterback. But most of all they create fear in their opponents. Coaches, quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs must dedicate some part of their focus on protecting the ball. It's called getting in their head. When a defense can do this the battle is won before the play begins. It's been a long time since I've seen an LSU defense lacking playmakers. With the talent they recruit, this should not be.

Meanwhile, at mission control, commander Les Miles must continues to search for a balanced football team. At long last his offense is playing lights out. Now he must count on the reliable defensive leader to get his boys home

Captain Chavis, can you hear me...
Captain Chavis??
Captain???