BrianGriffin said:
Versatile said:
Pancamo said:
Jordan Jefferson being labeled the best QB in the conference?
Tyler Wilson is much better.
If I were voting for the all-conference team, Wilson would obviously get my vote. But I think Jefferson is more talented. Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray may be, as well. Wilson's in a great system, but he's not producing to the level Ryan Mallett did.
Jefferson beat out and out-produced Jarrett Lee four years in a row in camp and on the field only to have a (big) mistake leave him without a job. Every time he enters, LSU looks unstoppable. Lee has gone from dreadful as a freshman to very good as a senior. But he doesn't have Jefferson's talent. Lee is a game manager; Jefferson is a game changer.
This being said, I assume you've never actually watched Jordan Jefferson.
LSU's pass offense the last two years has been ANEMIC. And they were WAY, WAY too talented at WR to be nearly last in the nation in touchdown passes last year.
Lee has been great for them. The game manager stuff is bullshirt. It's a quarterback's job to be a game manager. It's his job to get the ball to the right place. When you do that, everybody stays more engaged because they know if they execute, the ball's going to get to them at the most opportune times. Jefferson is perfect for his current role. As a runner, he's a good enough passer to keep a defense honest. As a passer, did I mention he's a good runner? You can't trust him to accurately complete an open medium-range pass. It's the failures to execute the simple plays that make him no more than "meh" as a QB.
The only thing I agree with is he won LSU's quarterback battles. But that doesn't make him an elite SEC quarterback, far from it. That just means he beat out Jared Lee in two consecutive August camps (Lee was the starter in Jefferson's true freshman year coming out of camp...and Jefferson didn't make it through camp this year before he was suspended)
I watch a lot of SEC football and a lot of LSU football. I've watched Jordan Jefferson do a mediocre job despite obvious skill in a horrible offense. I blame Gary Crowton for that.
And you're right about their freshman camp, but I think Jefferson was the hands-down starter until the suspension. Yes, he was suspended before camp finished, but that doesn't mean he didn't outproduce Lee in camp.
I've watched most of four games and parts of two others this season for LSU. Every time Jefferson comes into the game, the defense is on edge in a way it has no reason to be with Lee in. He throws a significantly better deep ball, and the mid-range pass stuff -- I don't see it. Jefferson was great as a sophomore. The wheels fell off last year. I fault Crowton, a guy who continues to screw up royally, now at Maryland.
I don't think LSU will beat Alabama. But I think Jefferson would provide a better chance. I think they have to gamble a bit against the (other) best defense in the country. I respect the other view point. I fully understand it. But I don't think this is a Wally Pipp or Drew Bledsoe scenario. Jefferson offers more. And, yes, he runs a lot and throws the deep ball well. That doesn't mean he's not a complete quarterback. Those aren't bad things.
I think LSU has two guys, Jefferson and Russell Shepherd, that it hasn't figured out. Shepherd is a tricky one until he shows more consistency as a wide receiver because this team shouldn't be relying on trick plays all the time. Jefferson, in my opinion, is easy: He should start.