I normally wouldn't rail against a player, but one thing that I've respected about "most" of LSU's players for a very long time was their attitude. They were always willing to fight, they didn't give up, they rallied around each other, and they took a deep and abiding pride in the fact that they were playing for LSU, trueblood Purple and Gold.
So, when I see Jefferson stinking up the field and honestly, looking worse than many high school QB's:
can't make a decent read
can't progress from primary to secondary WR routes
staring receivers down worse than J Lee did his freshman year
can't run an option to save his life after 3 years
bouncing passes or throwing passes way short when he has a decent arm
lobbing passes up to be picked off ( btw, wtf was that? ) like he's doing an egg toss
setting our receivers up to be annihilated by throwing behind them or too high
running OOB BEHIND the LOS instead of throwing the ball away
immediately tucking the ball if he thinks there is a hint of pressure instead of finding a WR
running backwards and taking sacks instead of throwing the ball away
and many more.......
It frustrates me beyond belief. LSU is better than that. We deserve better than that and those Defense and Special Teams, and other Offensive players who are out there busting their ass and giving their all for this team deserve better. However, as sad as it is, I can actually tolerate that.
What I can't tolerate is Jefferson's tantrum in between plays. How do you think an offense feels when they're huddling up and their LEADER is still in the midst of a self induced pity party where everybody is invited? I can't tolerate his squinty eyed incredulous looks as he shuffles off the field after a 4 and out which seem to say "I can't believe you guys let that happen" or "How did that possibly happen? I deserve better than this" A true leader would be jogging off the field, slapping his guys on the back, motivating, giving constructive criticism where necessary, and telling his guys "Let's go, we're gonna drive that ball down the field on the next possession."
I can't take him yelling at a freshman WR for a drop on the first ball to ever be thrown his way. Should he have caught it. Yup. Is JJ a total douche and a pathetic leader for smearing that disgusted look across his face and staring the poor kid down while he berated him? Damn right. For someone who hasn't improved a lick, and who has arguably gotten worse, since his first snap, JJ should understand what it feels like to make mistakes and be nervous. In fact, he looks nervous and indecisive on nearly all of our offensive plays not consisting of a direct handoff up the gut. I got to wondering why our receivers were dropping so many balls, and if you notice, many of the drops are coming because Shepard or the WR is trying to turn upfield before they have looked the ball all the way in and secured it. Its bad enough that the "catchable" balls are so few and far between, but the drops are killing us. However, inexcusable as they may be, you can almost sympathize with a WR who knows that his QB can't get the ball to him. He knows that he may be fighting for the ball, getting hammered into a meat paste, or even having to play defense on the next pass, so when a decent ball comes his way, he wants to make a play. I'll bet its difficult to know how anemic our Offense is, know how few chances you're going to get to help the Offense even though you have the skill, and more importantly the desire, to sacrifice yourself and make things happen for the team, and yet hold yourself back and make sure you slow down and focus on fundamentals. I'm sure the emotions get the best of them because they're just bursting with the hope for their slim chance to make a play amidst their few opportunities.
I don't know if many of you remember this, but I think it was last season, we took a loss and at the end of the game the camera showed Jefferson on the sidelines laughing and joking around like he didn't have a care in the world. I've always wanted Jefferson to succeed simply because I wanted LSU to succeed, but I knew from that instant that he did not have my respect and he would never make a true leader and QB. Do you ever notice how great QB's ( Tebow, Bradford, Colt David, and many others ) are always on the sidelines, pumping up and motivating their guys, talking to their skill players, thanking their linemen for good blocks, etc. You rarely, if ever, see that from JJ. He shuffles on over to Miles for a pat on the ass and some soothing words of consolation and then he ambles around waiting for his next sub-par performance. Sure, he might go bitch at someone or get on the headset to make excuses, or even worse, he might just sit there with that annoying "WTF, poor me." face that I'm getting SO sick of seeing, but he doesn't do what a leader would do.
I'm not sure if he doesn't feel like a leader and just doesn't have the innate leadership qualities and charisma to be successful, but his tantrums, his finger pointing, his desire to vent his frustration at others instead of focusing it on his own improvement and hunger to win, his immature and often defeatist attitude, and the quit that I saw in his eyes the other night are the things that have made me lose all faith in him.
When I wrote the OP saying that something needed to happen. I wasn't really saying that I wanted Lee starting, although I probably would like to see him start, or at least get some significant playing time. I'm not exactly sure how I would deal with this situation. Maybe a dual-QB attack would be the best way to go. It might not only address JJ's play inefficiencies, but also his attitude and lack of leadership. If he does stay our starting QB, though, he either needs to grow up and stop the immature and selfish BS immediately or the strife, resentment, and lack of faith is going to really hurt this team down the line. I don't know if someone sitting down with him and having a serious and long talk would do any good. I know its rumored that he isn't that swift, but surely he has to see where things are headed, how he is contributing to the negativity, and how by changing some things about himself and his behavior( without changing a single thing about his play or on the field skill ), our team and our offense could have a whole different outlook, more camaraderie, and would very likely, in turn, make a big difference in how they work together and they would have more success.
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