A fresh start

HOOVER - A sedated Les Miles took the podium at the Wynfrey Hotel on Wednesday afternoon during the first day of SEC Media Days with a clear, simple message: Forget about last year.

The normally brash, trash-talking Miles didn't show up in Hoover. He even went so far as to backtrack about recent Alabama statements, saying "any fun and entertainment that I have with supporters is very respectful." Miles recently poked fun at Alabama's embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season.

Apparently, it's all about turning over a new leaf for the defending national champs.

The returning players immediately bought in.

"It's out of our system now," LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson said. "When we got our rings in June, coach Miles told us to move on and put it behind us. It's really not hard to move forward if you have a team that is hungry like we are. We know what we have to do."

Gone are LSU's biggest faces of the 2007 season - Glenn Dorsey, Matt Flynn and Jacob Hester. There's no clear-cut quarterback at this time. The running back situation will be split.

So what is the team's image?

"The offensive line I think will be veteran," Miles said. "It has to be a big, strong advantage for us. I want it to be one of the more physical lines in the country."

That goes for both sides of the line.

Forget, for a minute, that LSU graduated top-five NFL Draft pick Dorsey. Miles expects the defensive line to, again, be ranked among the nation's top groups.

That comes as no surprise to LSU center Brett Helms.

"This is D-Line University," he said. "Over the past few years, we just keep reloading."

Ricky Jean-Francois, who was named the BCS Championship Game MVP after serving a 12-month suspension, might fill the void left by Dorsey right away.

"He'll get a lot better, just working with our defensive line coach," said Jackson, who was selected to the coaches' first-team all-conference team.

"He brings a lot to our team, and I knew he could do it all along, but it will be a big boost having him to start the season."

While both sides of the line appear to be solidified, the offensive skills positions are not.

Ryan Perrilloux's dismissal from the program opened up a heated quarterback battle that isn't yet settled and likely won't be for some time.

Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch attended several camps under then-BYU head coach Gary Crowton before going on a two-year mission trip. Once Crowton landed as LSU's offensive coordinator, Hatch followed.

The other primary candidate is redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. Miles said he was pleased with both players' progress through the spring and said the most consistent player would start.

The running back situation is just as confusing. Richard Murphy, Chad Scott and Keiland Williams are all competing for the top spot.

Miles said all three will get early opportunities, but he expects one to add clarity to the situation by emerging as Hester did last season.

Jackson doesn't think it matters which back gets the bulk of the carries.

"The running backs that we have are capable of making plays anywhere on the field," he said. "Charles Scott is a big power back. Keiland Williams is one of the smartest guys on the field, and he just makes plays. Richard Murphy is a speedster. He reminds a lot of people on our team of Reggie Bush."

First-year co-defensive coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto have some more holes to fill, but LSU rarely lacks for talent on that side of the football.

One thing Miles doesn't plan to "defend" is his team's national championship.

He's more focused on trying to win another.

"We're not defending. We're not dealing with rankings. This is a brand new year," Miles said. "Come see the trophy, it's in our trophy case. We're not defending it; it's there. We got a brand new team.

"I'm very proud of the '07 team. It was a tremendous achievement. I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about that. I want to go on."