this is a very delicate situation. obviously Lee gives the best chance for LSU to win the NC, but you dont want him to regress. great time to have missst on the sched. because unlikely that LSU will need Lee to win, but he can be put in the game in comfortable situations.
If you pulled Lee's scholarship at halftime last Saturday, you are prohibited from declaring he should start this week.:thumb:
It seems that that the decision on who will start rests, at least initially, with Crowton. But, based on press reports and other sources, it looks like Miles may well have been sending some subtle messages to him that Lee has earned the next start. Realistically, the Tigers are more of a complete offense with Lee on the field. Hatch isn't a bad quarterback, but his lack of passing ability seriously hampers the options available to the team when he's on the field. He doesn't have the arm or the confidence in his passing to keep a defense honest and it shows when they line up. If the running game can't produce against an 8 man front, then the offense is stalled. Not good odds. Lee was a different player in the second half against Auburn. This is probably at least partly attributable to his feeling that he wasn't on a short leash and wouldn't be pulled for the slightest mistake. His comfort level was up and it showed in his confident manner and the way he went about his business. The other thing worth noting is the respect his teammates showed him during the game and after the game with the media. They were careful not to disrespect Hatch (they're a real team not just a group of guys) but it was pretty easy to see that they love what Lee brings to the game. I am not trying to imply here that Lee, in one half of one game, became a great quarterback. He's a redshirt freshman and will continue to make mistakes. But I am saying that he is good enough to overcome those mistakes and the assets he contributes far outweigh his inexperience, especially when compared to Hatch's capabilities. With more experience he can become a great quarterback. He has the tools; he just needs the opportunity to develop them. One more point. Someone compared Hatch to Mauck because Hatch can run. An unfair comparison. Mauck was not a polished passer, but he had a gun. He wasn't the most accurate but he could get it there. He was a catcher, and a catcher without an arm is a batboy. He was no batboy.
What has Hatch done that Lee hasn't to prove himself as a 'stabilizing force?' Until the 2nd half on Saturday, our passing game was abysmal. By changing that, I feel that Lee has earned himself the starting position. And I really don't buy the argument anymore that Hatch is somehow a better game manager. Lee ran the ship like an old pro in the 2nd half. Those weren't wolves on the field Saturday night?:huh: It seems to me like a lot of people are trying too hard to be rational or cautious. Fact is, we had absolutely no passing game for the first 5 halves of football this year. And the blame fell equally on both QBs. And although it is very likely that Lee will not continue to perform at that level on a permanent basis, he still gives our passing game a substantial improvement over Hatch. To me, it's a no-brainer. Start Lee. Let him establish a rapport with his offense and receivers.
Exactly. Great point. So much of the QB position is mental. Once Lee knew he was responsible for leading LSU to the win he played lights out. I'm actually curious to see how Lee plays with less pressure and with a lead. Jamarcus only knew how to play with his back against the wall. He was horrible playing with a lead. Lee needs as much playing time as possible.
I think that either one of these QB's should be able to beat MSU on saturday night. That being said, I would like to see Lee start and get as many snaps as possible. This is the perfect game to get him more experience headed into the bye and then to Gainsville. With Lee in the game, there is always the threat of the deep ball, which will keep the opposing defense from completely stacking the line to stop the run. I would like to eventually see a QB rotation like we had last year, with Lee being the starter and getting most of the snaps and Hatch coming in as a change of pace and to run the option plays.
