SEC media day musings: Flynn is in
BATON ROUGE — Funny thing happened at the Southeastern Conference Media Days on Friday. LSU coach Les Miles named senior Matt Flynn his starting quarterback, and just about everybody missed it.
Now, it's not exactly a CNN headline because the only quarterback who could really challenge Matt Flynn is Ryan Perrilloux, who is currently not with the team because of a discipline suspension and may not even rejoin the team.
The only other quarterback is true freshman Jarrett Lee, who has little knowledge of the Tigers' offense. Between the two of them, they have completed exactly one collegiate pass.
But Miles likes to play games with media when it comes to his starting quarterback. He actually never named JaMarcus Russell his starter before the 2005 or 2006 season. This made silly members of the media actually think that there was a quarterback "derby" the last two preseasons. It was always Russell, period.
Miles introduced Matt Flynn to the LSU Board of Supervisors early this year, but he did not actually say Matt Flynn was his starter. When two newspapers mistakenly wrote that he had, LSU's sports information office had to come out with an explanation that he actually did not.
Not so, this time. Miles said it about as clearly as he can, and he rarely says anything clearly and definitively unless he's calling out Alabama or USC.
Miles was asked, "Can you talk a little bit about Matt Flynn, getting the job finally as the quarterback. What are some of the obstacles he faces as he takes that role for the first time?"
Miles did not say what he usually does, which is to describe some sort of race that isn't.
"Any time you have a quarterback who starts in really his first season as a starter, there will be some period of adjustment," Miles said. "I think it will be minimal with Matt. Matt Flynn is a guy who is really deserving."
The question before this was about Miles saying "f-ing Alabama," so I think his subsequent comments didn't register strongly. "Matt Flynn named starter" stories made no papers that I know of. But everyone wrote about Miles calling out Alabama and USC.
This little episode is one reason why the SEC Media Days 2007 was the best ever. Usually, the 12 coaches drone on about their third team offensive tackle. Not this year.
Nick Saban's Harry Potter-like re-entry to the league at Alabama following a mountainous lie at Miami, Miles musical musings on Alabama, USC and the Pac-10 and updates on the Arkansas soap opera called, "Houston, We Have a Text Message" made this a tabloid event.
All that was missing was a report that Lindsay Lohan would be the first celebrity in space.
We learned that had the Bama job not opened, Saban would still be the Dolphins' coach.
"I would be at Miami right now," Saban said. "I don't think there were any other opportunities that would have created any interest on our part."
Saban nearly answered a question about his infamous, "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach," by saying, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." Instead, he said, "When I made those statements, they were true. I believed them. ... That's my story, and it always will be."
Then he said the smartest thing he's said about Miami: "Maybe we could have handled it a better way."
We got a clue as to why Saban is so worshipped in Alabama, which was the most snobbish fan base in the league before all that probation and losing started along with Florida's run in the 1990s.
"He's got that little touch of arrogance," Bama fan Hugh Steckel said after driving two-and-a-half hours just to see Saban traverse a hotel lobby.
But the best nugget of information from the best SEC Media Days ever was gleaned on the scenic route back home. The Flora-Bama is back folks, and it's back strong.
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