LSU 2012-2013 National Champions!

[getbreesy]

Its a lock.

[Vrill]

Lets hope............

[12Stang]

It should have been a lock last season so only time will tell

[THENZA]

I like Les, but it's never a lock.

Hopefully he can stay mad all season about being Saban's *****.
Seems like he gets complacent at times.

An angry, focused Les can do it. Satisfied Les cannot.

[Guido Merkins]

As this season goes on, it will become obvious that the wrong QBs played last year at LSU.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by Guido Merkins

As this season goes on, it will become obvious that the wrong QBs played last year at LSU.

Ridiculous post. ZM was nowhere near ready to lead the team going into the Oregon game. He's a totally different QB now than he was then.

JL did a great job in every game, except one to the national champs at their house. JJ was effective in certain situations. I agree with Les Miles QB decisions throughout most of last season, up until he completely eliminated JL from the gameplan. I also probably would have allowed ZM to get some practice reps during garbage time instead of kneeling, but guess that just makes me a poor sport by some people's definition. I don't care, that was valuable, real game, desperately needed experience for my team that was wasted.

The correct answer here would have been to implement a QB package for the BCSCG that utilized both QB's unique skillsets and perhaps a few surprise, narrowly defined plays with ZM (where they had no clue what to expect from him due to a lack of film.) Dual QBs worked during the first game in Alabama's house. We needed better plays and less predictability in the play-calling.

[Guido Merkins]

Originally Posted by VVextreme

Ridiculous post. ZM was nowhere near ready to lead the team going into the Oregon game. He's a totally different QB now than he was then.

JL did a great job in every game, except one to the national champs at their house. JJ was effective in certain situations. I agree with Les Miles QB decisions throughout most of last season, up until he completely eliminated JL from the gameplan. I also probably would have allowed ZM to get some practice reps during garbage time instead of kneeling, but guess that just makes me a poor sport by some people's definition. I don't care, that was valuable, real game, desperately needed experience for my team that was wasted.

The correct answer here would have been to implement a QB package for the BCSCG that utilized both QB's unique skillsets and perhaps a few surprise, narrowly defined plays with ZM (where they had no clue what to expect from him due to a lack of film.) Dual QBs worked during the first game in Alabama's house. We needed better plays and less predictability in the play-calling.

We've had this discussion before and I simply disagree.

Talent should win out and if Mett is as good as I think he's going to be this year, there is no way he should have been behind those two clowns last year. He is just as capable of handing the ball off the Spencer Ware as either of the other two guys and who knows, maybe, just maybe, by the time you would have gotten to the Bama game you would have actually had a real passing game.

JL did a good job because they basically gave him the most conservative passing game you could possibly imagine. JJ is and was a joke.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by Guido Merkins

We've had this discussion before and I simply disagree.

Talent should win out and if Mett is as good as I think he's going to be this year, there is no way he should have been behind those two clowns last year. He is just as capable of handing the ball off the Spencer Ware as either of the other two guys and who knows, maybe, just maybe, by the time you would have gotten to the Bama game you would have actually had a real passing game.

JL did a good job because they basically gave him the most conservative passing game you could possibly imagine. JJ is and was a joke.

Let's see how ZM does this year before we waste time debating this anymore. For LSU's sake, I hope ZM nails it to the point where there is a debate.

I do admit there's a chance ZM could have come in last year and excelled, but I find it highly improbably. I think he would have really struggled against that fired up Oregon team to start the season, especially with practically zero reps as the third string guy. I don't even know if we would have had a chance to get to New Orleans just to see how he turned out by the end of the year.

[MLU]

Dear Guido,

There is so much more to the QB position than talent.

Signed,
Josh Booty
Jamie Howard
Ryan Perrilloux

[Guido Merkins]

Originally Posted by MLU

Dear Guido,

There is so much more to the QB position than talent.

Signed,
Josh Booty
Jamie Howard
Ryan Perrilloux

I agree. If ZM comes in and plays like Booty and Howard, then you guys are 100% correct.

However, if he comes in and plays as well as I think he's gonna play, he would have been better than the two we had last year.

[Guido Merkins]

Originally Posted by VVextreme

Let's see how ZM does this year before we waste time debating this anymore. For LSU's sake, I hope ZM nails it to the point where there is a debate.

I do admit there's a chance ZM could have come in last year and excelled, but I find it highly improbably. I think he would have really struggled against that fired up Oregon team to start the season, especially with practically zero reps as the third string guy. I don't even know if we would have had a chance to get to New Orleans just to see how he turned out by the end of the year.

I remember the Oregon game really as JL just handing the ball off and LSU's defense forcing a bunch of turnovers. That's my point. Early in the season, ZM could have done exactly the same thing as JL. Hand the ball off. By the time you get later in the season, he might have developed enough.

Really, it's the Nat Championship game that I'm talking about because I can't really argue with the result of the first 13 games. That was really the only game that LSU needed a competant passer. IMO the only one on the roster was ZM.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by Guido Merkins

I agree. If ZM comes in and plays like Booty and Howard, then you guys are 100% correct.

However, if he comes in and plays as well as I think he's gonna play, he would have been better than the two we had last year.

You know players actually improve the more they practice, right? He's a year older, a year more mature, has been in the LSU system for more than 5 minutes, will get to start off against some nice easy chump teams instead of a top 5 team that was in the national championship the year before. You're trying to compare apples to oranges. I'm not saying 100% that ZM couldn't have had the Cam Newton effect last year, but I am saying it's highly unlikely. But let's see how he actually does this year. I've seen the dude make like four plays in a real game in garbage time.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by Guido Merkins

I remember the Oregon game really as JL just handing the ball off and LSU's defense forcing a bunch of turnovers. That's my point. Early in the season, ZM could have done exactly the same thing as JL. Hand the ball off. By the time you get later in the season, he might have developed enough.

Really, it's the Nat Championship game that I'm talking about because I can't really argue with the result of the first 13 games. That was really the only game that LSU needed a competant passer. IMO the only one on the roster was ZM.

You do realize that ZM had practically zero reps with his receivers to develop timing, etc right? I was at the Oregon game in Dallas. JL was handed an extremely difficult task of playing a top 5 Oregon team. They were hyped up and ready for some SEC payback. Even if ZM came in and made some pretty throws... he would have been likely to turn the ball over more simply due to a lack of reps with his receivers and poor knowledge of the playbook from being in the LSU system all of 6 minutes. JL made plays when he had to and had some really clutch plays when we really needed them. That game was closer than the final score indicated. I can't sing enough praise for how JL rallied the team after JJ literally kicked each LSU player in the head.

But isn't it nice that you totally just cherry picked the only game that we lost last year... you can't have it both ways. You can't enjoy all of the success that we received by playing JL/JJ, but then get upset about the BCSCG for not playing ZM the whole game. You even admit that ZM might not even be able to get us to the BCSCG THIS year after he's had an extra year practicing, first team reps and a million other benefits.

I'm upset about the BCSCG because Les Miles refused to use all of his weapons on the field. Like it or not, JL had a pretty good senior season. There's a reason he's in an NFL training camp right now. And like it or not, but the JL/JJ dual QB threat was what allowed us to move the ball more at bama.

Starting ZM in the BCSCG against Bama would have been just cruel and probably would have ruined our 2012 season as well as Bama would have KILLED him. We might have gotten away with a few specially designed, easily executed trick plays, but only cause Bama would have been caught off guard the first time or two. Nick Saban is the best defensive coach in the country with the best defense in the country filled with first round talent. That's where you want to ZM to get his first SEC start? I mean, really? Really?

Jarrett Lee Bio - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics

SENIOR SEASON (2011)
Played in 13 games with nine starts for the Tigers ... Started first nine games of the season in place of Jordan Jefferson, who lost his starting role due serving a four-game suspension from the team ... Led LSU to a 9-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking as a starter in 2011 ... Threw 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in his nine starts ... For year, tossed 14 TD passes and three interceptions ... Led the SEC in passing efficiency with a 152.0 rating as he completed 104-of-167 passes for 1,306 yards ... Ranked No. 9 in the SEC in passing yards with 100.5 yards per game ... Became the first LSU quarterback since Herb Tyler in 1998 to throw at least one TD pass in each of the first eight games of the season ... Opened senior season by leading Tigers to a win over Top 5-ranked Oregon ... Threw for 98 yards on 10-of-22 passing with one TD in the victory over the Ducks ... Had a productive outing with a 14-of-20 performance for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn ... Tied his career high with three touchdown passes and finished 13-of-17 for 138 yards at Tennessee ... Tied his career high with three touchdowns on 16-of-28 passing for 180 yards and no interceptions at West Virginia ... Completed 78 percent of his passes as he went 21-of-27 for 213 yards, one TD and one interception at Mississippi State ... Saw his streak of 131 consecutive passes without an interception come to an end on his final pass attempt at MSU ... Nearly flawless against Northwestern State in week 2 as he finished 9-of-10 passing for 133 yards and a TD in one half against the Demons ... Played late in the games against Arkansas and Georgia ... Finished 3-of-7 passing for 24 yards and two interceptions at Alabama in what his last start of the season.

[Guido Merkins]

Originally Posted by VVextreme

You do realize that ZM had practically zero reps with his receivers to develop timing, etc right? I was at the Oregon game in Dallas. JL was handed an extremely difficult task of playing a top 5 Oregon team. They were hyped up and ready for some SEC payback. Even if ZM came in and made some pretty throws... he would have been likely to turn the ball over more simply due to a lack of reps with his receivers and poor knowledge of the playbook from being in the LSU system all of 6 minutes. JL made plays when he had to and had some really clutch plays when we really needed them. That game was closer than the final score indicated. I can't sing enough praise for how JL rallied the team after JJ literally kicked each LSU player in the head.

But isn't it nice that you totally just cherry picked the only game that we lost last year... you can't have it both ways. You can't enjoy all of the success that we received by playing JL/JJ, but then get upset about the BCSCG for not playing ZM the whole game. You even admit that ZM might not even be able to get us to the BCSCG THIS year after he's had an extra year practicing, first team reps and a million other benefits.

I'm upset about the BCSCG because Les Miles refused to use all of his weapons on the field. Like it or not, JL had a pretty good senior season. There's a reason he's in an NFL training camp right now. And like it or not, but the JL/JJ dual QB threat was what allowed us to move the ball more at bama.

Starting ZM in the BCSCG against Bama would have been just cruel and probably would have ruined our 2012 season as well as Bama would have KILLED him. We might have gotten away with a few specially designed, easily executed trick plays, but only cause Bama would have been caught off guard the first time or two. Nick Saban is the best defensive coach in the country with the best defense in the country filled with first round talent. That's where you want to ZM to get his first SEC start? I mean, really? Really?

Jarrett Lee Bio - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics

SENIOR SEASON (2011)
Played in 13 games with nine starts for the Tigers ... Started first nine games of the season in place of Jordan Jefferson, who lost his starting role due serving a four-game suspension from the team ... Led LSU to a 9-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking as a starter in 2011 ... Threw 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in his nine starts ... For year, tossed 14 TD passes and three interceptions ... Led the SEC in passing efficiency with a 152.0 rating as he completed 104-of-167 passes for 1,306 yards ... Ranked No. 9 in the SEC in passing yards with 100.5 yards per game ... Became the first LSU quarterback since Herb Tyler in 1998 to throw at least one TD pass in each of the first eight games of the season ... Opened senior season by leading Tigers to a win over Top 5-ranked Oregon ... Threw for 98 yards on 10-of-22 passing with one TD in the victory over the Ducks ... Had a productive outing with a 14-of-20 performance for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn ... Tied his career high with three touchdown passes and finished 13-of-17 for 138 yards at Tennessee ... Tied his career high with three touchdowns on 16-of-28 passing for 180 yards and no interceptions at West Virginia ... Completed 78 percent of his passes as he went 21-of-27 for 213 yards, one TD and one interception at Mississippi State ... Saw his streak of 131 consecutive passes without an interception come to an end on his final pass attempt at MSU ... Nearly flawless against Northwestern State in week 2 as he finished 9-of-10 passing for 133 yards and a TD in one half against the Demons ... Played late in the games against Arkansas and Georgia ... Finished 3-of-7 passing for 24 yards and two interceptions at Alabama in what his last start of the season.

It's difficult to argue with statistics, but you and I both know that Lee was efficient with what they asked him to do, which wasn't much. When he needed to do something better and bigger in the Alabama game, we saw what he was. Yeah, he was fine with LSU up by several TDs and passing only when he needed to. That's not what I am talking about.

The only point I am trying to make is we only had one SEC QB on our roster last year, and it was ZM. Would he have had growing pains?? Sure, but maybe, just maybe, by the end of the season, we would have had an actual passing game. You know, the kind of passing game that can work when the entire stadium knows you are going to pass and you can do it anyway. That's what we needed in January that we didn't have.

[Guido Merkins]

Now having said that, would we have been undefeated in January even playing in that game?? My gut tells me our running game, special teams, and defense was good enough that we could have survived a bad game by ZM, but I don't know that for sure.