Was it me or did it seem like the game was played in bama? It seemed like their fans were the only ones there... I have no idea what happened. Let's never do that again.
easy calico ... I was called a traitor for asking for the same thing some time ago on the Jarrett Lee thread that became a mile long. "trust the coach" ... "coach knows best" ... "don't be a negatiger" ... "I would think CLM knows more than you do" ... etc etc etc. ... that said, I'm in your camp. CLM is lying through his teeth about why he didn't play Lee. OK.... Bama was rushing ... so what, Lee's seen it before, and it was not like we had anything to lose [scores can't go negative below ZERO]. BUT then .. why didn't Lee get to play against AR, GA??? I tend to believe that Gilbeaux guy ... CLM is lying through his teeth about this. .. and for the love of it all .. I have no idea why.
I'm not buying the "JL's history vs bama" or "too much pressure" excuses. You going to tell me that CLM doesn't know how how to slow the rush down? Seriously? Keep guys back to block would be a way. Quick slants would be another. Well executed screen passes would work as well. Establishing the run and throwing the ball down field would have slowed the defense down. There are probably a hundred ways to beat the rush and we didn't try any of them.
I disagree Tusk ... When I go back to the first game .. neither team ran the ball against the other with any success. It was as the two teams were determined to project their will on the opponent .. we WILL run over you .. but neither could do it. LSU's 3 scores .... 1) a lucky break on a long pass to sheppard in a busted coverage ... 2) FP set up by Mo's int ... and 3) FP set up by the rules of OT. The difference maker in this game was that Bama lost the first time, LSU did not. Saban switched Game Plans ... to a short pass attack ... LSU ..tried to do the same damn thing as last time . even though it didn't work then, nor did it work this time. That win was pure luck, and more a function of two Sumo wrestlers trying to push the other off the mat. The second game was like watching 60 minutes of the Bama Offense trying to score on the LSU Defense. To LSU's credit, the Defense played well. Even though they gave up the short pass in the long field, Bama was stopped short of the endzone all game until the end. But Saban's plan worked. OK .. we [bama] can't run the ball on LSU, so let's at least get our kicker close enough to the goal to make the kick. The Short Pass game did just that!! .... 6 times that I counted before I gave up and went to bed. The final TD was to be expected [I didn't see it .. snoozin by then]. I mean .. what can you expect when you have to play the entire game trying to stop a very good offense .. with NO BREAKS!! Even the best will get tired. Had CLM employed the same game plan as Saban, short TE routes, quick releases, etc .... the game could have been a very different game. But alas .. JJ doesn't run that game plan well .. he's too slow .. so we didn't. End of story .. you guys win. Congratulations!!!
neither do I .. !!! That is just the excuse that JJ Homers give when defending the decision to not play Lee. Lee's problems with Bama were more a function of the game plan and the plays called that his abilities. As you said, .... hundreds of ways to "BEAT THE RUSH"!! .. we did none of them ... not in the first game, nor in the second.
Thanks a lot for the sporting gesture, I appreciate that. All good points and my few post on this topic covers a lot of the same beliefs. 92 total yards and crossing midfield in the waning moments wasn't just pushing against a stubborn defense this time. So maybe the degree of difficulty is the only difference we are discussing. Bama won the game with much better execution and a willingness to change. AJ is not, nor is he going to be, a game manager at QB. Saban did as much to stifle AJ's production in the first meeting as he did to turn him loose in the second. Failing to take advantage of what two stingy defenses give, is a blueprint to disaster. LSU simply decided to stay one dimensional in their strategy in part 2, with a team who's greatest defensive strength is to stop the run. I assume this is where the term Hubris keeps popping up over here.
Yeah he kept a highly recruited kid with a quick release out of the game in favor of a tight end playing quarterback that can't read the simplest coverages consistently and can't deliver a pass from the pocket when it matters because of the pass rush. In the National Championship game. We are the SEC champs. I think a fierce pass rush is something that is pretty much expected when you sign on at a big time SEC school. Sure Les. We believe you. Hard to respect you right now Les if you honestly expect that BS to be believed. Does everyone else here realize how absurd this bullshyt is? He expects us to believe that? Im aware that he could care less what we think but it doesn't make his coaching job on Monday in better. I would rather him not say anything than to lie to us. Lee practiced right? 50/50 snaps? A pass rush dictates what kind of QB play u need sometimes and it was plain and simple after the first half(at the latest) that the team needed another chance to win and JL was that chance. I realize that we went 13-1. Great year. The only way for Les to incur this type of wrath after this type of season was to absolutely shyt the bed in epic fashion and he did it gloriously. Still can't believe he rode it out with JJ right to the end. The sight of Lee just waiting it out on the sideline will forever be burned into my memory. He and the team deserved better.[/QUOTE]
