will Mettenberger start over Jefferson

Just read the whole thread front to back; and DAMN!! I feel like I'm watching one of those movies where the first scene you see is the ending. It's December in a season that's not over; not August in a season about to begin. And I'm having deja vu double vision; the same QB argument but just for fun lets add another, even though he's not signed, and make it a triple play QB argument. I say let's take a top down view.

I say - Les is a good coach. The ESPN team was praising him during the bowl special - Granny [no I'm not a big fan either] said he is 'the best under appreciated coach in the country'. And the Cotton Bowl is on Fox so they have no reason to build Les up. You can't blast Les for the offense and not give credit for all the good stuff. Every player and coach chose to come be a part of Les's team. And yes it does matter that they finished 10-2 in the toughest division in football. We lost two games by one score each in the 4th quarter to better teams on the road. And with a very young team with a bright future.

I say - Les, and the coaching staff, did a great job this year. With a hole in the most important position and with all the crap everyone tossed at the team he held them together and coached them to within a couple of plays of a BCS bowl. Yes he is responsible for the hole at QB, but look around and show me a team without holes. And for every top tier coach you can say did a better job of coaching around his team's weakness I can show you two that didn't. By the way, that's what good coaches do, coach around their teams weakness.

Some say - Les is stubborn and refuses to play the best player. Really? Is that why all the team leaders were coming out and defending him? Is that why they play their asses off for him? Is that why this team never gives up? And while all this happened this site had multi-threads on "has Les Lost the Team". I guess you think the whole team are idiots - WOW if they could just have access to the internet and find this site some of you could 'ed-u-ma-kate' them.

Some say - Les is lucky. Please tell me how many more occurrences of luck do you need before you know the difference between luck and gutsy preparation.

Some say - Les is time chalanged. Correct! Your right! Congrats - your 1 for 5.

 

I'm not comparing Cam's situation to Lee's. I'm using him as a counterexample to this notion that the SEC is just too tough for a rookie QB to come in and play very well in his 1st year (not necessarily freshmen and including transfers, JUCO or otherwise). As great of an athlete as Cam is, Auburn is looking at 2 or more losses if he doesn't play on a squad with 20+ seniors and an OL made up entirely of juniors and seniors.

Being a rookie in this league by itself doesn't matter so much as the combination of coaching, scheme, and supporting players. Mett will have enough skill players and a decent O-line to work with, but Les needs to work on giving him the other two IMO.

 

Beeee ... Esssss!

Not even Cam Newton scored on every possession. In fact, you can't name me one QB who scored on every possession. Splitting time with JJ did not allow JL to make the big play.

The entire season was like the AR game for him. He comes in and everyone expects a fricken miracle. Needless to say, that is naive and childish. So .. he doesn't take it to the bank .. and gets benched.

Quite frankly ... I think the way Miles and Crowton handled the QB sit was pathetic!! Don't even try to tell me that at anytime during this season, you thought that Lee had a chance to be the starter. Miles proved that he didn't at the McNeese game. It was obvious after the FL game that Miles inc. wanted no part of Lee being a starter, and wanted to keep JJ in the game .. .hoping for him to play beyond his abilities.

Nobody can say what LSU's record would be if JLee would have been allowed to start and build on his momentum ... because that momentum was destroyed starting with the McNeese game when Miles inc. didn't let him show the team what he could do as the STARTER!

Let's just hope they don't do the same with Metten.

 

You can find posts by me that totally agree with you at the time of the McNeese game. I wanted to give him the whole game and get him ready for the SEC west tour. But by the end of the season I just didn't feel like he would have been a better alternative to JJ. A better passer but no touchdown runs. I think it's very possible that MET starts and Lee is the backup because their games are similar. I wonder what the attendance at the spring game will be?

 

By the end of the season, the confidence in himself that he built during the TN and FL games was destroyed. ... thanks to Miles Inc.

It's like I said .. Id a told them to all go and #$%^ themselves. Lee performed, and that is basically what the coaches told him by making him split time. "Sorry Lee .. go @#$% yourself ..you aint' startin".

I mean ... let's look at it another way. Lee started in 2008, as a freshman with no experience. He wasn't pathetic, but nevertheless, his inexperience in reading an SEC defense showed. JJ started the next year .. and he didn't do any better. BUT .. for some reason, this year, JJ is the default starter. WHY??? Lee comes on strong .. and JJ still gets to stay in the game. Lee didn't get that option. He was benched in 2009. JJ sucked .. and sucked even worse this year .. and got to split time with Lee ... until he perked up a bit. .. and then Lee was benched again.

Like I said .. none of you can make an informed statement about Lee's abilities this year. He wasn't given the chance to build on what he accomplished. Throw in the FACT that this offense was designed for JJ, and it is no wonder that the play calling for Lee was so pathetic .. which made him look even worse. I mean .. that rediculous WR screen that they called EVERYTIME he was in was just crap .. and designed to make him look bad.

I'm not sure that I would have signed with LSU if I were Metten. The track record of "favortism" is not good.

 

That's hardly what I'd call a 'balanced' view - you left a few things out.
JJ's performance in the Chick Fil A bowl against GT led to the 2009 season.
JJ's performance in the 2010 NC game 15/21 2 TD 1 Int.
JJ's performance in the 2010 Bama game 10/13.
JJ's performance in the 2010 Old Piss game 13/17
Not great but not pathetic - some of his other games were but not all.

And the 'designed to make him look bad' comment. Come on, be real.

Your other comments make it sound like you would not be much of a team player. Remember there is no "I" in team - however there are 3 "U"s in

"shUt the _U_ _ Up"

 

better yet, let's force feed you Crowton and get rid of his ass once and for all, lol.

and, CGC has been working on that wizard offense a lot longer than 3 years, but he just hasn't lasted anywhere else any longer than that to see if it can grow some legs. i say it's time to move on and start anew. i am still holding out hope he takes a position somewhere else, and we get someone in here with more attention to detail and to run more of a pro-set O.

 

I just read the whole thing, too, and this is by far the best post! Gotta keep your eye on the ball and see the forest thru the trees.

Also, TigerCliff had his best post ever, somewhere on page 4, maybe.

 

+1

couldn't agree more

great post!

:milesmic::LSU231:

 

After that NC game how long did we have to wait for another even "decent" performance from JJ?

The fact that when the chips were down in the Tenn game and Miles puts the BACKUP QB who had been riding the pine for two years in to the win the game instead of the starter is rather telling. What about Ridley coming out in the middle of the season and saying "Lee is my starter." It's OBVIOUS that there was inner termoil about who should be starting.

Look, Miles has done a lot of things right, but the way that he's handled Lee has been awful. Ofcourse by the end of the season Lee wasn't looking as good - his head and his heart were obviously not in it. And how could you blame him? Could you imagine the feeling of betrayal Lee must have felt? I mean he did everything Miles could have wanted and still didn't get a start. Didn't get a start and didn't get a chance to have any type of rythym.

Would Lee have played like a world beater? No, I don't think so. But he could have improved with reps and the confidence of the coach's backing.

The simple truth is, without Lee we'd be at least 8-4, and quite possibly 7-5 this season. Can the same argument be made for JJ? Heck a good number JJ's rushing TD's was fluff that came at the end of Lee lead drives.

Lee's going to go down as one of the most under apperciated players in LSU history. It's just a shame how he's been treated not only by the fans but his own coaching staff as well.