His biggest job is going to be rehabbing Jefferson (and Lee if he doesn't transfer) into decent, dependable QBs. He does that and he's already earned his $500K for the year.
Ah, the beauty of being the fan. The beauty of the beholder is always in the eyes of the fans.... fans are right and coaches are always wrong. Funny thing, CSK comes in and he "rehabs" what'll be a Sr. JJ and JL and he'll all of the sudden be the saviour and wow, what a job he's done. Or, perhaps Mett will get the start and again, CSK will be the "genius" (think circa 2007, and Crowton as the "wizard"). Not defending Crowton here, but I'm not sure the JJ from the Cotton Bowl needs rehabbing. He just needs to play that well consistently. Frankly, I'll be judging whether CSK earns his paycheck based upon how good Rivers looks in year 2 or 3.... That'll tell you how good of a QB coach he is. I'll be judging him on what offensive schemes he helps develop based upon his talent, what plays he calls when, and how well his offensive players perform for him. Those were largely the issues with the offense under Crowton/Miles. Now, that'll be the task of Krag'/Miles. Jury's still out.
I don't know what to think of this hire. I agree that 1yr will be too soon to annoint him given that JJ will be a senior. I honestly don't see how things can get worse though.
Just to play devil's advocate, b/c sometimes that's just what I like to do... I hear this so much on the board... "well, it couldn't get any worse...." Well, let me tell you how it's worse. We went 11-2 this year and were a few touchdowns away from being in the NCG. What if we go say 10-3, 9-4 next year, b/c there are transition issues, mix ups between Miles and CSK, maybe Mett is overrated, and JJ continues to be inconsistent. It's almost worse of a situation for CSK and Miles b/c LSU fans just expect to win 'em all now. It's alot easier to coach a 1-11 Tulsa team up than it is to take a 11-2 team and go 12-1 or 13-0. Folks get so caught up in the stats and all that, but let's not kid ourselves, it's the kids out there playing the game and not the coaches. Sure, CSK coached the Tulsa team up when he was there, and he had the fortune of having Bledsoe on his resume, but all coaches have their lives based upon what happens on the field, bad fortune, bad calls, players who don't perform. Now, I totally understand why LSU fans needed Crowton gone. The "talent" on paper led to crushing expectations that frankly the entire team couldn't bear. It's a team game for a reason, and yet, I also understand when the stakes are high, someone's got to be blamed. But, translating a resume from a Tulsa team, or a Louisville team, that frankly wasn't playing SEC competition, is IMO not so easy. Now, the Chavis hire, completely different situation in my mind. Proven SEC coordinator with great defenses, who understands what it takes to coach defense in the SEC. I think the "benefit" of the OC hire is that Miles feels he can support this position and knows his guys. The OC for next year is just frankly a "facilitator" for the collective Miles vision for the offense. Give this guy maybe a year or two, with his players (Mett, Rivers and new recruits) and then we'll see what kind of offense is created. I guess my point is certainly it could be worse. Odds are it isn't going to be worse, because we have a young talented team coming back more experienced. And, that's going to cure some of the sins. Let's just not assume its a Crowton out, Krag' in thing.
Show me how at any point in the last 2 seasons Jefferson has played consistently well for a significant stretch of time. The closest he's come to doing this in 2 seasons as a starter is 1 1/2 games this year. What does "being a fan" have to do with a junior QB still not being able to hit a 3-yd pass in the flat accurately and on time? What does it have to do with him still holding the ball too long and having a mediocre-at-best pocket awareness? These are fundamental problems, and aren't a "fan perception" issue, it's reality. That's what needs rehabbing. Maybe Kragthorpe can coach some of those tendencies, maybe not. Expecting your team to finish higher than ~90th out of 120 D-1A programs in total offense with Top 10 recruiting classes is now "crushing expectations"? Expecting championships each and every year is a crushing expectation, and most rational fans aren't that delusional. Not necessarily blame, responsibility. Crowton was ultimately responsible for producing an adequate offense and failed, repeatedly, regardless of the reasons, and was replaced because of that. End of story. There are never any guarantees. If Kragthorpe doesn't get the job done, then he too will be replaced. This is the big leagues. High risk, high reward.
Exactly my point. So, what does the coach or a QB coach have to do with hitting a 3 yard pass? Isn't it just plain execution? Agreed. However, I guess the question comes down to your lens. I'd gather to say most "nega" posters think that this 11-2 season was a disappointment. Most "posi" posters think it was pretty good. I fall in the secondary camp. Ultimately, Miles is responsible. Period. He was rewarded with a 7 year deal. Crowton felt compelled to leave. Now, I'm not saying Crowton was without fault. I'm just saying that who knows if CSK is going to be any better--most fans just assume that he'll better, and we can't be any worse. I feel it's a little unfair to pin this all on GC, but I understand many will disagree with me. You win and lose as a team. The offense was "less effective" than it needed to be this season, and that falls on the entire offensive staff (which includes Miles, if he was in fact calling plays) and the players. Agreed. Understand this is a big boy league and those expectations. I guess my only nuance was, if we fired every coach who had "underachieving" seasons, or who was reviled by fans, I don't think we'd have many coaches around very long. Fans often get caught up in the surface level things, wins (which I believe ultimately is all that matter), impressions, water cooler talks, message boards, ESPN, etc. Who knows what really was said between Miles and Crowton in the press box, what was said between Crowton and JJ on the field. I for one, don't know if Crowton was the root cause of all of our underachievements. I'll say again, I understand though, why he's gone. I'm just wary whether CSK will make that much of a difference, until I see the product on the field--I just think it's funny that fans just assume he'll be better b/c he's not Crowton. For the record, I'm also not saying that fans can't criticize or post negative things. It's a given right to speak your mind as a fan. At the same time, I do feel that negative criticisms, when not warranted or without basis, can be a negative influence on a school and program.
It has to do with two things: mentality and mechanics. JJ's short range passing is very much a mechanics issue. Watch when Lee throws those same passes: quick release, ball is put in front of the receiver so he can accelerate immediately after the catch. Then watch when JJ throws them. Slow release gives the corner time to come back to the ball and close the distance, and the ball is often thrown very high and behind, making the receiver come back to the ball. That is why we typically get 1-2 yard gains at the most with those plays with Jefferson. Those mechanics are coachable. To what extent, I couldn't tell you. It's the mental aspect of the game that JJ still struggles with. To his credit, it seems that he finally understands something that should have been drilled into him since the midpoint of the '09 season: look for your primary receiver, if he isn't open look for the checkdown, if he's covered too, run like hell. The play selection in '09 made it very clear that the coaches were scared to death of Jefferson throwing picks, and that rubbed off on JJ. That's on both Crowton and Les. You can't play QB in this league scared and be effective. The focus was so much on what not to do, that JJ never got a firm grasp on HOW to think as a QB. If he gets a grasp of the other mental aspects of the position with the right coaching, he has the potential to be a very effective QB. I only worry that as a senior it may be too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Frankly, the fact that this team went 11-2 with an abysmal offense is nothing short of miraculous. That is outstanding any way you look at it. Red said it best some time back. Crowton is responsible for the offense, and Les is responsible for winning. Crowton failed at his job, and Les succeeded. That's why he's been rewarded with a 7-year deal. Like most fans I don't have the first clue what went on behind closed doors. I only see the final results of the offenses Crowton produced, as well as his history of nearly identical performances at his last 2 coaching stops. A lawyer would call that "preponderance of the evidence" where you're looking for "beyond a reasonable doubt". And if the latter is the standard of proof, then no coach would ever be fired for poor results on the field. Go look at some of the Crowton threads in the archives. You'll find plenty of reasoned, well-thought out anti-Crowton arguments. I think Kal-El, KingEmeritus, and I are some of the more rational bashers during that time. And who knows? Maybe Crowton will prove us wrong at Maryland. I was very doubtful Les would get over the Saban/Meyer hurdle and he proved me wrong. Just don't lump us together with the type of people saying "OMG, Les only got 9 wins last season with Saban's players and can't tell time, we have to fire him!" Anyway, I'm done for good talking about Crowton. He's history now. Kragthorpe will earn his money and his job security with results on the field, just like everyone else. Nobody should assume anything at this point. For all we know we could go right back to having a potent offense for one season followed by several bad ones. Time will tell.
