Dennis Dixon...who improved exponentially after Crowton left...but why bring facts into it. I hope he goes, but if he stays, so be it. Hopefully the offense will be better than it what this year, with regards to the passing game. There will be no excuse if it isn't.
Say What? He can run, but not the option. The zone read, yes. The playcalling improved at the end of the season, but I would like to see some consistency. That includes Crowton and JJ.
Or maybe JJ is just lazy and has no work ethic, since there's no one on the roster to push for his job... but now that Mettenberger is here... the lights are coming on for JJ as he's scared to lose his starting job. Now he has incnetive to work hard and become that guy.
For starters, most players improve with another year of experience under their belt. And secondly, he was primarily a running QB, wasn't he? People seem to have convinced themselves that Crowton is a spread-option guy like Kelly, but he isn't. He can give you looks from that formation, and will do so every now and again. But his most successful campaigns have consisted well-balanced attacks with solid passers. He will take advantage of a QBs mobility (Flynn, Perrilloux, Jefferson), but he's certainly not lost without it. Remember how well Lee was doing in the pro-set this year? If a new guy came in behind Crowton and ran the spread-option, then of course someone with Dixon's wheels will excel. Seems more like a matter of personnel.
Have you seen him execute it the last few games? I was strongly against JJ doing it earlier in the season but he seems to have grasped it and has made me believe it can be used as a weapon in our offense.
The question was asked, and I gave a proper answer. I didn't dwell on it. Bottom line, if Crowton stays, so be it. But he needs to show vast improvement. He's had 3 full years, and just now the light's coming on for JJ?? That's on Crowton. And Lee? Lee looked better of course than he had, but to say he progressed to an acceptable level for a QB in his 4th YEAR IN THE PROGRAM is ridiculous. Again, that's on Crowton. - The time has more than passed for him to put up of GTFO.
Has everyone already forgotten the Chick-Fil-A Bowl where Jefferson looked like a stud and went on to mediocrity? People need to remember that the issue has never been whether Miles can get his assistants to come up with a good game plan with a month of preparation. Our bowl record bears that out. It's being able to make the appropriate adjustments from week to week, as well as making necessary changes at halftime. Maybe JJ gets it now, maybe not. LSU outmatched A&M in almost every aspect of the game. And that "top defense" comes against Big 12 competition. There's still little evidence that JJ can consistently perform well playing against teams with comparable talent, and teams that present matchup problems for us (see Auburn, Arkansas). What kind of decisions will he make when the O-line underperforms? How does a junior QB hit 15-20 yard passes on the money but overthrows a 3-yd pass in the flat on a regular basis? Still a lot of question marks at QB and OC, IMO.
But the difference is we have a larger sample size now. It is not just one game where he looked good. He has looked good from the Bama game on. We have seen progression in him. He's not complete by any means but I feel he has matured as a quarterback and a leader more so than before. He stands stronger in the pocket and is not afraid to take the hit to get the throw off and Crowton has been utilizing his mobility more now as well. Maybe I am being optimistic but I feel like our QB situation is better than it has been in years. (Lee has progressed as well). Hard to believe they're both seniors now...
Im not sure what to think. All I know is no matter how good or crappy QB play is the play calling MUST drastically improve. As does OL play. We cant be so predictable. We have to go down the field sometimes just to keep the opposing D honest. The OL looked good against A&M.
