More on Will and Other Topics

Brief points:

1. It turns out that ESPN article on Will Arnold was actually ESPN The Magazine's preview of LSU in its pre-season rankings. That was the ENTIRETY of its LSU preview. Two paragraphs on our injury-prone left guard. ESPN The Magazine sucks.
2. It looks like Chad Jones, the strong safety-linebacker hybrid who almost went to minor league baseball, will start the season returning punts. This kid must be a phenomenal athlete.
3. It appears the starting O-line will be LT Ciron Black, LG Herman Johnson, C Brett Helms, RG Lyle Hitt, and RT Carnell Stewart, which was exactly how it ended in the Spring. Will Arnold, the oft-injured and now-recovering guard will begin the season as Herman Johnson's backup. If he gets to the point where he can be a starter, I suppose he'll move into the left guard position and Herman Johnson will move over to right guard.
4. It looks like no one has so far challenged Brandon Lafell for the #2 receiver spot, and the #3 spot remains wide open. Newcomer Terrance Toliver has impressed everyone, but hasn't separated himself from Jared and Chris Mitchell.
5. All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey has missed a lot of practice with various injuries, but claims it's all precautionary, and that he could play in a game at any time.
6. Safety Danny McCray appears to have beaten out the competition for the nickel back spot in the defensive backfield. Jai Eugene appears to be the dime back. Danny McCray came out of nowhere last season as a true freshman to win meaningful playing time last year in a defensive backfield that included several pro prospects.
   

A Bit of Good News

There are two items of good news to report this morning.

First, the deadline for the Houston Astros to sign Chad Jones has come and gone, and Chad Jones will be at LSU this year, playing football and baseball. With Jones not signing a contract, he will be at LSU for at least the next 3 years.

Chad Jones is a great athlete. He's about 220 pounds and is being looked at to join Trindon Holliday returning kicks. He's as big as a linebacker and as fast as a cornerback. He was one of LSU's most coveted recruits last year. He will be an excellent player for the LSU football team, and it appears he'll probably stand out on the baseball field as well.

Second, according to a post on TigerDroppings, Will Arnold talked to ESPN about his health, and it appears that ESPN may have referenced little old me. I was unable to find the alleged ESPN article, but here's what it said.

Will Arnold doesn't cruise message boards for news. He might go for a laugh every now and again, though. LSU's senior guard knows he's got a past checkered by injuries, but some of the tall tales fans write about his well-being are priceless. The misinformed say Arnold has had 18 different surgeries (he's had seven, and five were minor scopes), and that he's fat (he's 319, six pounds below his listed high school weight). Some suggest he's so fragile, the coaches should determine now which games he'll play (their advice: Hold him out of the showdown with Virginia Tech; it's not a conference game).

"If I listened to all those people," Arnold says, "I'd be crazy." To be fair, the guy does offer plenty of fodder for white-coat wannabes. He missed half of last season after tearing ligaments in his ankle, and doctors used a piece of his hamstring to make the joint stronger. But while he's still on the mend, Arnold sees no reason his final season down on the Bayou can't be a healthy one. "I'll always fight it," he says of the injury-prone tag. "All I can do is play." When he does, he anchors the SEC's best line, and Arnold is as good as it gets in the middle. He has drawn just two flags in 23 games, and one was in his first game as a freshman. How sick is that?

(emphasis added). Hey! That's what I said. I also said it at Tiger Forums, but I can't find the post, no matter how much I look. Alright, in not so many words, they are saying I'm full of it.
But hey, at least they're talking about me.

At least the article strongly implies that Will will be healthy enough to play, and that the rumors of him having 18 surgeries on his knees is wrong, although 7 surgeries with two of them serious still sounds like an awful lot. Will Arnold patrolling the line of scrimmage makes our offensive line much better. I still think the coaching staff has to face facts and realize he won't be able to go full speed for a whole season. He hasn't yet, so why would he suddenly be able to do so now?