Closing LSU practices makes sense for Orgeron in effort to win this fall

I don’t blame him.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron created headlines and ruffled more than a few reporting feathers by closing practice to the media for preseason camp.

I also don’t blame reporters for being upset about having no access.

It is a reporter’s job to find out information and report it. It is the football team’s job to make as few headlines as possible.

There is an entity to blame for decisions like this one. It is called the internet.

The last thing a team with a new, highly touted offensive coordinator, wants is any information to escape about depth charts, formations and injuries. Once leaks reach the digital world, they cannot be contained.

In a visit to New Orleans Thursday night, Orgeron was asked how much of new coordinator Matt Canada’s offense was installed.

“About 50 to 60 percent,” said Orgeron.

Then the head coach threw in this nugget, unprompted. “We won’t be running all the plays he ran at Pittsburgh.”

Keep ’em guessing is one of the first plays in a football coaches playbook.

The ability to keep the opposition guessing is critical when a totally different offensive philosophy is coming to town.

The stakes are huge.

If LSU can get off to a great start offensively, and build some confidence, the rewards will go far past the win loss record.

In recent years, lack of offensive success has hurt LSU in recruiting. Justin Rogers, a four star quarterback from Parkway High School, has committed to TCU.

Last week, Archbishop Rummel four star receiver JaMarr Chase committed to the University of Florida.

LSU still hopes to flip Chase, but for now he and Rogers are significant in-state losses.

So, behind the cloak of secrecy, Canada will install his offense.

Which makes the night of September 2nd in Houston even more intriguing. Defeating BYU and having some offensive success is critical.

When LSU failed to score an offensive touchdown in last year’s opener in Green Bay against Wisconsin, Les Miles was headed to an early dismissal.

Failure in that opener had to impress upon Orgeron the importance of having success a year later. Such is the nature of the business.

Orgeron has had an interesting off season, making significant changes to his staff including the addition of Canada. Coach O also pushed out of state schools out of hosting satellite camps in Louisiana, and now he has decided to shut the media out of practice.

LSU associate athletics director Michael Bonnette said the Tigers “must eliminate distractions” and noted that only a “handful” of Les Miles’ 2016 preseason practices were open.

This August, purple and gold will be joined by something else on the practice fields at LSU.

Paranoia.