:geaux: Yea, oh he of the dreaded drop linebacker. :rolleye33: I think I'm gonna puke just thinkin' about those dark days. :sob: Please don't mention that name again. :LSU231:
We put up enough points to beat Arky but the secondary stayed home and we couldn't stop Cam Newton. That's why we lost those 2 games.
I agree our D lost the Arkansas game and has me concerned, but our offense could have won the Auburn game. We held Auburn to a relatively low score considering what kind of player Newton is. Our D definitely has some weaknesses and I'm predicting an improved offense with a bend-don't-break defense that makes games closer than a damn strong defense would allow. We looked like the Saints playing defense in quite a few games this season.
To have a good year, you can have a great offense or a great defense and one can carry the other, but you will probably drop a game or two along the way. To win championships, you can't have a major weakness. This year, our offense did not perform to championship caliber. We were a good team, but not a great team. Miles knows that to compete for a championship next year, we had to get better on offense, and I agree with him.
Absolutely. We had to get better on offense. But the biggest limitation by an order of magnitude was the QB play. Hands down. LSU had one of the best stretches in its history during the Crowton era--despite 2.75 years of miserable QBing. LSU just had one of the best seasons in its history and dominated a surprisingly strong A&M team in a major bowl--despite subpar QB play much of the season. I was neutral on Crowton staying or going; just wanted it to be Les's call. My point in defending Crowton here and there is not that he is necessarily the best OC in the world, but that I feel he is being scapegoated/vilified by misguided fans for things that were not his fault. In this forum I only saw two people wish him well in his new job and thank him for his years at LSU. Sad. We may end up with an even better OC. Or a worse one. With Crowton we were primed to make a run at the NC next season--no question. Hopefully the new guy wont screw that up. If the offense is mediocre or worse next year, then we will know with certainty that Crowton was wrongly tarred and feathered.
I agree with much of your post. However, it is the responsibility of the OC to decide IF the QB's he has will develop fast enough to give the team the kind of play that would allow it to compete for a championship, IF the rest of the team is championship caliber. Crowton nor Miles did that. 2008 was gonna suck once you tossed RP, as not enough time was available to get anyone else. For 2009 and 2010, LSU had time to assess it's QB's and do what it just did (get a JUCO). Arky brings in Mallet, Ole Miss brings in Massoli, Auburn brings in Newton and wins a nat. championship. The guys were out there and available, but LSU did not act fast enough, and it cost us in 09 and 10, shots at a championship. That is on Crow first, and Miles second. We didn't have to just stand around and wait to see if a QB developed out of JJ and JL. If we thought one had it, and it never materialized, the coaches judgment was wrong. I am happy Crow is gone, mistakes were made.
But a QB coach should be expected to do more with his QBs than was done. And like houtiger said, if the QB(s) are a bust, realize that and go find one. I find it hard to believe that Lee and JJ have been coached up close to their full potential, and if they were then whoever judged their talent in the first place is suspect. Especially considering they backed up a talented QB in Perrilloux known to have trouble walking in a straight line.
