I think JR waited a little on his throws against AU because they have a Fast defense and if you just go chuck it up, its not gonna end pretty. A game of LSU-Auburn's magnitude i'm sure JR was just playing it safe and trying to make any mistakes. Like someone said before, it's the running game that needs to be addressed, JR accounted for 270 of LSU's 300 yards...
I've been thinking similar things about JR's timing. He doesn't lead his recievers enough, or at all really. They usually end up having to stop to make the catch, thus getting tackled shortly thereafter. Another thing that he doesn't do but should is pump fake. I think that would actually really help his game a lot. And he is STILL leaving the tight end WIDE open over the middle of the field like he did all of last year. Grrrrr that gets aggrivating, despite the success we've had. I just hate to see him not learning from his mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I think he's miles ahead of where he was last year. These are just some observations.
all i know is from watching brady quinn this year and jr as well, there's no question who the better qb is currently. quinn has been terrible every game with happy feet and hes the consensus #1 pick at the moment. im a big quinn fan but hes been so bad this year the media's blindness to his play is amazing. This just tells me these guys know very little about football or just dont watch the games. unfortunately i think its the former and they assume hes playing great just because they won. oh wait, they got drilled at home by that explosive michigan offense and were getting drilled til touchdown jesus answered 10 prayers at east lansing. now russell hasnt been perfect but hes as good as anyone else you watch in the country overall. its just he has so much talent we'd like to see him be perfect. he'd be pretty close if he stayed for his sr year i believe and have a more developed running game plus experienced zone blockers. oh and brady quinn currently sucks in case you missed the above. the next time he plants his feet this year will be the first. I think we should call it Notre Ame. no d allowed.
Well John David Booty is a more polished QB than JRussell. He doesn't have nearly the arm strength, but he has instincts and smarts that Russell may never have (please refer to the inability of Russell to throw the ball out of bounds with less than 50 seconds to go in the Auburn game as opposed to getting tackled in the field of play).
russell was looking to make a play because they've relied on him to do so for so long whether it was playcalling or bad referees, he was handcuffed. And he's done so against top defenses, that is leading us back many times from a deficit, something john david booty has never done. Much less against a proven defense. you know the only decent defense he's seen was this past week, ZONA. Zona, a team JR lit up yet the same mr jdb instinct threw for less than 200 yards and a pick? your favorite movie is clueless, right?
making a play is one thing, making a really stupid decision is another.....you gotta keep your head in the game at all times, in all situations....Russell fails to do just that....he simply relies on his physical abilities to bail him out every time....he has to know he can't get tackled in the field of play...yet he obviously wasn't even considering that possibility...if he's a freshman making that mistake, understandable...his 3rd year at the helm...unforgivable It's not all his fault...it all starts with coaching....LSU has never been known for being offensive juggernauts....nor will they ever with an OC the likes of the one we have If someone had watched that last drive against Auburn and had not known anything about any of the players, and you told that person that Russell was a true freshman QB, they would have had no trouble believing you. That's what he looked like, a very talented yet very raw quarterback. It's just dissappointing that he is almost nearly as raw as he was as a freshman. But I will say he has the most talent in the country...that is not debatable.
watch more football. even pros do it quite often. I said it was inexcusable at the time but that was an overreaction. no quarterback on any level keeps his head at all times. when you rely on your playmaker to bail you out of games that same way on what is the final drive, it will happen moreso than it should. If he was in the USC system where they ran for 200+ against zona, obviously we wouldnt have relied on his arm once again then blame him when going to the well too often. its easy to overanalyze the qb of your school when failing to notice whats happening everywhere else or to expect perfection. its irrational and stupid to point blame @ russell for that loss while overlooking his 17 or so wins especially given the bs which entailed. could he have managed the clock much better? certainly. but it wasnt any worse than tom brady did tonight against the broncs and tom is making a bit more. And he's got 3 rings. do i want perfection? certainly, but im aware it happens nowhere.
I watched 2 pretty good NFL QBs yesterday stare down their WRs, Big Ben and Eli Manning. I saw a number of passes that didn't hit the WRs perfectly in stride. Some of you guys are just looking to find something wrong with JR. He is still learning and will continue to learn. He has come a long way since arriving at LSU. Yes, he'll make a bonehead play every now and then, but find me a college QB who doesn't. He has completed 66% of his passes and has thrown 1 pick this season. Watch some college football and see how many QBs are playing as well as he is playing. I'm starting to think there is nothing he can do that will please some around here. I've resisted saying the obvious, but I simply can't come up with another reason why so many find such little things to complain about.
Great post and 100% on the spot. Armchair QB's have absolutely no idea how hard it is to play QB. Here's a short list of QB's who I saw make at least a few mental mistakes this weekend, some of them several mistakes: Brady Manning, P Manning, E. Farve Hasselback Warner Carr Simms Ben R Palmer Quinn Booty Cox Stanton Leak Smith Henne White Tate Carpenter Morelli Everyone one of these guys made a bunch of bad decisions, bad reads, missed open receivers and threw int's. And they've been doing it all season. If Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can make poor decisions, miss open receivers, threw the ball high and threw it low, and throw int's what the hell makes people think that our college QB isn't or shouldn't be doing the same thing.
