The answer is a push. Here's the real question, would you rather have last years offense or this years?
Buddy, it's a free country, so feel free to say what you want. Just like I feel free to voice displeasure on posting behavior that borders on trolling. You already started an entire thread on this, and you decided to turn this conversation into Lee vs. Mett a second time. You've made your point. So again I ask: what purpose is served by continuously bringing up the comparison, over and over again, when Lee is not even on the team anymore?
The answer is Lee. The answer, so far, is last years. We had a QB that played top 25 competition extremely well. We have a QB now that has serious trouble with Auburn a team we beat last year 45-10. I believe that was the worst beating we ever put on Auburn. We had a running QB and a decent passing QB. They took us to a 13-1 season. Hopefully, the coaching and Mett will improve.
And we also had an offense that couldn't cross the 50 in the biggest game in LSU history. Creampuff teams or not, last year our team never got 500 total yards of offense. Last year it wasn't until game 6 that we got over 400 yards of total offense. This year we've only had 1 game UNDER it. And that one game under it was still better than 5 games last year, and within 15 total yards of being in the top half of offensive production last year. One bad trap game when it's our first SEC game, away from home, with a QB making his 4th start ever is not an indication of the offensive production. I saw what last year got us, we were a QB short. This year our offense is clearly better, if younger. I don't want last years offense, it wasn't enough. We need better and every indication is that this one is.
I agree with everything you've said. However, Mett, like every passing QB, will be dependent on our OL which is handicapped at the moment. I hated to see Lonigran go out last night. Auburn had some talent at DE and our tackles had a rough night. This prevented Mett from going through his progressions and throwing deep all night. It was also his first game in a hostile environment where communication is key. Two things we have to hope for: No more injuries to the OL, and Mett gained an awful lot of experience last night which will help him down the road.
Every game has been sloppy. You can look at the score. You can look at the yards. We are not playing fundamental football on O. It is a clear fact if you pay attention to the game.
The key is how much we learn from game to game. We will have close games and make mistakes, but we will have to learn. This was a sloppy game and I hope on both sides of the ball our YOUNG and INEXPERIENCED guys learned how to improve and be better each time out. If Mett learns from his mistakes and how to avoid putting us in a bad spot, then he is already improving. Our guys can only run the play that is called, lets hope they learn how to run them better than the other guy can stop them.
Maybe we watched a different game. I saw a team that couldn't protect the QB long enough to throw a quick slant after the first quarter. All the AU DB's had to do was protect against the short very quick passes and not even worry about getting beat deep because Mett couldn't hold the ball long enough for them to get 15 yards down the field. Au simply crowded the 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Had Miles called for longer pass plays Mett would now be on crutches or laying in a hospital bed. The runs to Josh D's side were just plain stupid calls, but the lack of a passing game falls on the OL. LSU has shown a willingness to throw this season when they are able. Poor OL play dictated a limited play book. You can't throw down field when the pocket collapses at the snap of the ball. You aren't going to have great success throwing short when the safeties can walk up into the box and don't have to protect past ten yards. Still there was some nice pass and catch. There were also a couple big drop balls and a QB running for his life every time he dropped back to throw. Like I posted earlier I have been a HUGE critic of playcalling under Miles, but in the AU game playcalling wasn't the problem.
Good post. I missed most of the game Saturday night, but watched the CST replay last night. It is obvious that the OL issues were the main cause of passing game problems, and must be corrected. The question is how? Someone pointed out either earlier in this thread or in another that rolling Mett out to the right is not the answer, as throwing on the run is not his strength. I noticed this several times, I assume as a way to compensate for the problems on the left side of the line. Of course, dropped passes continue to be a problem, as well.
