I dont understand why he isnt in on kickoffs or kick returns...he is good enough to warrent that type of PT! I think the kid just wants to feel like he is helping the team out. And the fact that he lost 1 fumble means jacksh!t...Scott has a lost fumble this year and we still give him the ball!! They got Ron Brooks returning kickoffs and nothing against Brooks but I would wager any amount of money that Shepard is faster then him. I dont think he wants to play QB...he just WANTS to play!
I agree with this is general, but if the coaches really intend to play him at QB, and it appears they do, it would be reckless to put him on special teams. You just don't see that because the risk of injury is too great. Play chicken with your FORD LTD, not your Ferrari...:yelwink2:
For those saying that he fumbled and that's sort of why we aren't using him, that's not it. We played him in the first half of the Miss. St. game and he averaged 6.5 yards per touch in four attempts. Then he didn't see the field in the 2nd half. He didn't have any major mistakes in that one and we could have obviously used him in the 2nd half. We weren't fighting for our lives against the Cajuns and we didn't see him much in that one either. And I'll say it again, one of our main scoring drives against Georgia came when Shep got in there for a few plays on one series and had the majority of the yards. That fumble he had in that game wasn't even a fumble because his elbow was down before the ball came out as pointed out by Danielson on CBS (we got it back anyway). Miles just has this thing about playing older players. He keeps saying that we need to get KW and Charles Scott going first. At some point, you have to say screw it and mix those guys in with your younger talent. It's something Miles needs to fix. Otherwise, he's basically wasting a year of Shep's college years.
And I do get that but I think we all agree that he isnt gonna be a sit back in the pocket kind of guy so alittle toughen up might not be so bad. There is always a chance of injury but injuries do heal....a kids mental state another monster all together. And he came here with the knowledge that there were 2 highly recruited guys that were only one year ahead of him so he had to think that he might only see 1 year as a starter... I think he might have been told that they would use him in a Tebow or a Slash roll but that he would see PT right away and now that has changed.
KW isn't getting many touches either, except on option plays when he gets the pitch two steps too late.
Oh yeah, KW is not really getting many touches at all. And he had less touches than Shep in the Georgia game, but KW looked out of it at Georgia. He had a dropped pass as well. To me, if you're gonna run KW, at least give the guy a chance and don't run the option with him. We have to fix that before we run it. But in general, Miles believes in establishing a certain kind of running game before doing other things. And it's not helping LSU's players out right now.
Shep would probably be lethal on punt returns but I would be cringing 1/2 the time waiting for him to get laid out. The Tebow role is likely but they have not shown the confidence in him to really incorporate it. I have not heard that he is having that much trouble in practice. His passing is not where they would like it to be, but then again, I don't think JJ has the timing down either. I am pretty sure he could throw a bubble screen or two. If they let him do that, and then pull it down and run, he might bust it for six. When other offensive players talk about him, their eyes get wide and they just smile. I suppose it never happens quickly enough for fans, but I hope it doesn't happen too late for our season. Definately time to flip the switch on Shepard.
There is no one to blame for anything. Freshmen are not expected to be ready to play right away. He's gotten into the game, at least, how many of his classmates have? When he's ready, he'll play, Les is no fool and neither is Crowton. All 5-star freshmen think they can step in a play, but it rarely, rarely, happens. If he doesn't like getting limited duty at LSU while he's waiting for his opportunity, he's going to hate sitting out a year trying to get eligible. Champions work hard to earn the start, they don't quit early. Freshmen just don't transfer for lack of PT. The only freshman that I can remember ever transferring was that linebacker McConathy or something in 1997 who expected to start game one as a freshman and when it didn't happen he transferred in August, sat out a year at Texas A&M, never started there, finally transferred down to La. Tech where he started in ignominy for his senior year. It's a stupid, careless, career-derailing move to transfer as a freshman just because you are disappointed. And I don't think Shep is stupid at all. Get used to it Shep, life is full of disappointments. You are playing for a contender, you have a great future, and life is sweet.
