not sure if it was BG's doing or not, but we did look better before the play was called. Not near as many pre snap penalties. But maybe that was due to never getting Shep in the game. We like to foolishly run him in on 2nd down right after Scott or Williams had a nice run and completely mess up the rhythm of the offense. Of course, once the play is called (Ridley up the middle on a great D line on a muddy field), not much BG can do. :geaux:
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor A buddy of mine who just retired from high school coaching after almost 40 years, use to say "when you have the players they think your a genius :hihi:and when you don't they call you an idiot.":insane: I really believe that there was more problems with the o-line then would ever be admitted. When you have a bruiser like Scott he can "push the line' as they say. Les is not one for sharing info, but even Scott was not up to his 08 performance. So was Scott ding a little all year, or was it poor line play, or a ding up line. May be a combination of one are all of it, who knows. The thing is if LSU is at the head of the SEC in rushing next year, Les will be hailed as a great coach again, and the average fan will never really know what the fix was. :huh: Everyone will have an opinion though, especially on boards like this!!:yelwink2:
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor Les and Crowton have already said so. Making Gonzales "passing game coordinator" means he'll be working with the quarterbacks too, without actually taking the quarterback coach title away from Crowton. Two things. (1) LSU would not likely hire anyone but an established OC, so Gonzales is getting his foot in the door to be bumped up if he does well and Crowton leaves in the future. (2) Gonzales probably already knew that Meyer was retiring or near retiring, which gave him fewer prospects there than at LSU. I think the lack of a SEC-caliber quarterback for two years is our major issue. Crowton's inability to fashion an alternative offense designed for a second-tier QB was a consequential problem. When he had the tools to work with, Crowton took us all the way to the BCS game. Les solved a major problem for LSU when he dismissed Perrilloux, but it crippled the offense and impacted Crowton's offense badly.
I thought the gameplan was fine considering we had no running game, our receivers couldn't catch, and our coaches go brain dead under 2 minutes. Jefferson did everything he could for us to win that game, and our receivers were in position to make plays, they just didn't.
only so much blame can be put on JJ. GC's resume speaks for itself. JJ and the WR drops didn't help GC's numbers for sure. But, he basically installed a system for the year and would not vary from it, not even with three weeks of bowl prep. My complaints are simple things like: play calling in the two minute offense, ill advised options, sweeps/reverses in the redzone, and the lack of any ingenuity. Example: When inside the 5 just put RS in as a decoy! The final point is he even admitted before the bowl game, that he had so many weapons he couldn't figure out a way to utilize them all (i'm paraphrasing). I'm looking forward to what BG brings to the table, I think this will be his job next year..(if not sooner ):wave:
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor but if crowton (seemingly) HAS to have a top tier qb to even have a halfway successful offense, what does that say about his coaching ability? if he cannot coach down to a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string qb, and make the most of what they have to offer, does that mean he has a limited coaching "repertoire"? seems to me you should be able to design an offense that brings out the strengths of the players. injuries (or dismissals) happen and a coach is not always going to have that top talent to rely upon. yes, dismissing perrilloux hurt. i'll be the first to say that. and jl didnt handle the pressure well, so last year i'll give just about anyone a pass due to circumstances. but jj was brought along slower. i thought early in the year that he was being limited to not do to him what was done to jl. but at what point was it past limiting him on purpose, and to the point of limiting him because there was no idea of how to use him?
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor Why do you think that? Matt Flynn's 2007 season was very productive, don't ya think?
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor Are you saying Matt Flynn is not a top tier QB? I think I would have to disagree. He was a top 20 QB coming out of high school and won a backup job in the NFL, and he was a senior in 2007. But you already know this...
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor well, in a way that gets to what i am saying. i dont mean top tier as in first round draft pick set the world on fire superstar, but a solid steady developed qb. he wasnt the super star but did go on to the next level. matt flynn was already very developed and ready to step in. he was a good solid qb that already had skills.
Re: The Billy Gonzales Factor It says he needs to be coaching in the NFL or at a top-20 university that has talented players. I don't want a OC that is capable of coaching Division II quarterbacks. I don't want a high school coach either. I want an NFL/BCS type OC that can utilize the Division I talent that we normally would have.
