Just win, baby.
Former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis coined this term as a motto for the team during his tenure. That's what he wanted out of his teams — victories.
And in the end, that's all that fans want out of their respective teams.
Amid the most recent LSU football off-the-field incident, the program's sinking image has become popular water-cooler chatter.
Three Tiger starters — sophomore cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Tharold Simon and junior running back Spencer Ware — were suspended for Saturday's game against Auburn for a reported failed drug test. The length of the suspensions is still unknown.
Throw this on top of the August bar fight outside of Shady's that got senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson and sophomore linebacker Josh Johns suspended for the first four games of the season and Russell Shepard's suspension for talking to a teammate about an ongoing NCAA investigation, and this incident has capped the trifecta of suspensions.
But it's completely irrelevant if LSU keeps winning. Winning is the key to erasing all problems.
To steal a line from legendary former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."
What these players did was selfish and stupid, and that's something no one can deny. But the attitude they displayed in ignoring University and team rules is the same attitude they take the field with every Saturday that fans clamor for.
They had a swagger, an above-the-law mindset that led them to believe they could do as they pleased with no consequences.
That mindset is applauded and praised on the field. It didn't work so well outside the lines.
Their absences will probably mean senior cornerback Ron Brooks and sophomore safety Craig Loston will start when Auburn comes to town. It is rumored that senior safety Brandon Taylor will move from safety to nickelback, Brooks and junior Morris Claiborne will start at corner and Loston and sophomore Eric Reid will be the two safeties. Sophomore running back Alfred Blue will most likely get the start in the backfield.
For now, the voids left by these three seem monumental. But in August, so did the loss of Jefferson.
After wins against Oregon, Mississippi State and West Virginia, fans had all but forgotten the bar scrap even happened.
The 1995 Nebraska team is arguably the greatest team in the history of the sport. The Cornhuskers won the second of back-to-back titles in 1995 and had five key players arrested during their run.
Most notable of the arrests was star running back Lawrence Phillips, who was charged with third-degree assault, trespassing and destruction of property. He was a Heisman Trophy candidate prior to the incident.
The Cornhuskers rolled on to two titles despite the distractions. And 16 years later, it's the rings people remember, not the rap sheets.
When everything is said and done, if Miles and the Tigers are hoisting the crystal ball in New Orleans, the moral minority will be invisible to those who live by Davis' immortal credo.
Rob Landry is a 23-year old mass communication senior from Mandeville. Follow him on Twitter @RobLandry85.
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Contact Rob Landry at rlandry@lsureveille.com
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