Amen. You might blame coaching. LSU has never really developed a quarterback the way USC has or Spurrier has. We held our own under Saban's watch, but he wasn't doing anything remarkable with QBs, just teaching them to be disciplined and to avoid risking big mistakes for big opportunities. After all, who needs to be risky on offense with our defense? Regardless of who's to blame, Russell has proven to be very talented but nonetheless a project. Which is precisely what this team DOESN'T need. We don't need a QB playmaker, cuz the rest of the team can make the plays. We just need a little consistency and reliability from the QB. And Flynn fits the bill better than anyone else we have right now. And yes, I'd agree about your analysis of Russell's passes. One out of three might even be generous. And the receivers really don't get the credit they deserve for all those completions. Also, I get particularly annoyed that Russell can't seem to throw a good screen pass. Guys keep stretching out and almost falling down to catch them, and a good screen play requires speed to capitalize on surprising the defense. You lose that speed when the receiver has to stop, readjust, regain balance, etc. to continue...
You can say what you want about JR, I would agree with a few comments like some passes need more touch, accuracy, etc. WE have NO running game. WE are a one dimensional passing team and its hard to win games like that! No consistancy on offense and no running game will make any QB look bad!
That's correct. I would assert that our lack of a running game is a bigger problem right now. It was our problem down the stretch last year, too.
When you guys say we have no running game, what do you mean? Honestly, a running game that gets you 3-4 yards a play and every now and then breaks one for 20 is a good running game. That's precisely what I see them doing with Hester. Are you saying we aren't running the ball ENOUGH? That we should be running it 20-30+ times to have a more balanced offensive attack? I could see your point there, but not running the ball enough is not why we lost to Auburn and is definitely not why we got creamed by a Florida team that we initially (and should've for the remainder of the game) dominated. HOW DO YOU RUN THE BALL MORE WHEN YOUR OFFENSE ONLY TAKES THE FIELD IN THE SECOND HALF AFTER YOUR PUNT/KICK RETURNERS HAVE FUMBLED AWAY 16 POINTS TO THE OTHER TEAM?? Sure, I'd like to see a more solid running game. I don't know what happened to the 'dominant LSU running back' personified by Kevin Faulk, Cecil Collins (albeit for a short period of time), Domanick Davis, hell even Rondell Mealey... I know what happened with Alley Broussard was bad luck, but how did Justin Vincent go from being the highlight of the 2003 Sugar Bowl to a 2006 bench-warmer? And yet I digress. The point is, we don't NEED a top 5 college RB with the rest of the talent we have. And I think Hester is doing a damn good job. He broke 2-3 10+ runs against Florida. Sure they coulda run the ball more, but it's tough to do that when you're team is getting thumped by almost 20 in the 3rd quarter (thanks in large part to special teams). What we NEED is a quarterback that doesn't hurt us more than help us in big games (as much as I wasn't love with the guy, I'd take Matt Mauck in that regard over Russell any day of the week and twice on Sunday; and that's saying something). We also need a coaching staff that keeps the team disciplined and focused. Sure coaches are usually given a coupla years to get their acts together, but Les WAS HANDED A TOP 5, MAYBE TOP 2 TEAM!!!! Coaches across the nation would KILL to be in his shoes. I do indeed feel Les Miles should be judged on whether or not his team met championship expectations for his first two years, as Saban handed him a team primed for that purpose. Hell, he even gave him two outstanding quarterbacks to choose from in case one proved a bust... (cough, cough!) Finally, special teams screw ups are completely the fault of the coaching staff. You don't need to block punts and run back kickoffs for TDs, but knowing the basics to not screw up is pure discipline, which comes solely from the coaches. Man, I'm p*ssed about yesterday...
Yeah, they still had time amidst all the confusion to get a play in and should have been ready. The chances of them getting it in were slim anyway but they can blame themselves for not getting the play off.
