The Marks Post: The smell of shrimp in the air

Back in the late 1990s when I was in high school, my dad got laid off from his job as a machinist in the oil field. After a while, he became a substitute bus driver here in town and eventually started driving a school bus for Westminster in Opelousas.
Between his bus routes in the morning and in the afternoon, dad would make extra money selling shrimp on the side of the road. He would drive down to places like Intracoastal City to buy shrimp at the docks and would come back and store the shrimp in ice boxes in our outdoor kitchen.
You could tell when the shrimp were starting to go bad by the distinct smell in the air. To this day, when the wind blows a certain way, you can still smell stench of rotten shrimp. Ok, that last part is a joke.
Anyway, I mention this because that same stench of rotten shrimp is lingering around the LSU football program. How to get rid of the smell? Get rid of the old shrimp boat captain Ed Orgeron.
Look, I was a big proponent of Coach O getting the job in the first place. He was a Louisiana boy from down da bayou who knew what LSU football meant to the state. His background as a head coach wasn’t the greatest at Ole Miss and USC, but he had a clearer vision for the Tigers.
Orgeron’s time as head coach in Baton Rouge got off to a rocky start including a home loss to Troy but picked up steam with a Fiesta Bowl win over Central Florida.
Then came 2019 and the national championship. Look, LSU did not win the championship because of Coach O. They won with Joe Brady’s offensive game plan and a bevy of weapons including Ja’Marr Chase, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.
That season still holds a special place in my heart especially the win against Alabama. But, much like the Cubs winning the World Series in 2016, those days seem like a lifetime ago because of recent events.
Now, granted, the LSU football team lost a number of players from that championship team to the NFL Draft and a number of coaches including Brady to the Carolina Panthers. Because of that, we knew LSU would not repeat with another 15-0 season. But, what they repeated with was a lackluster 5-5 season that saw them dropping the season opener against Mississippi State.
I blame Coach O for last season because it looked like he lost control of the team. I know COVID threw a wrench in the gears, but the team just looked flat. The shrimp began to rot.
Now, look, the team eventually found a quarterback in Max Johnson and ended the season on a high note which caused excitement to brew for this season.
That excitement quelled when presumptive starting quarterback Myles Brennan broke his arm in an apparent fishing injury. You can’t blame a broken arm on Orgeron, but the old shrimp boat captain should have exercised more control of his team.
LSU as the number 16 team in the country and with Johnson as starting quarterback opened the season this past Saturday on the road against UCLA and walked away with a loss.
The game reminded me of the season opener in 2016 when LSU went to Lambeau Field and lost to Wisconsin. Wisconsin then like UCLA this season clearly was the inferior team, but LSU showed no creativity. True, Les Miles was head coach for the game against the Badgers, but it looked like Orgeron used the same playbook against the Bruins.
I know it is only one game and the Tigers should win their next two games against McNeese and Central Michigan. But, what will happen for SEC play? You know Alabama wants revenge from the home loss two years ago and Florida wants revenge from last year’s shoe incident.
As I said earlier, the smell of rotten shrimp is in the air over Tiger Stadium. If this season is as lackluster as last year, the rotten shrimp will put more of a bad taste in fans’ mouth following the requirement to show a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination. Tiger Stadium could look empty as the season goes on.
How to fix that? LSU needs to find the next Nick Saban. With new athletic director Scott Woodward, I feel confident the right hire will be made if the team chooses to part ways with Orgeron and his shrimp.