re: All these hypes on Jennings was great, but do you still remember 08 Chick Bowl?

I question the intelligence of anyone comparing Jennings to Jefferson.

They are on two opposite ends of the spectrum

quote:

---

Where JJ was still a true freshman and lit the defense on fire in the GA Tech Game, and people were starting to compare him to Jamarcus Russell with all the sky high expectations...and we all knew how the story of JJ ended up with.

---

I don't think the real story is any comparison between the players so much as it's the inability of LSU fans (though I'm sure it's true for fans in general) to allow players to mature and get better before they start anointing them saviors or the next big star. We had nimrods on this board suggesting Jefferson could be in the hunt for a Heisman based largely off that game. That's not idiotic in hindsight, it was idiotic THEN to even suggest such a thing because it places an almost unreachable burden on a player's shoulders.

So when I see the hyping of Jennings here, it has nothing specific to do with how JJ turned out, but in the angst largely generated by fan expectations. Maybe, for once, we can let a guy grow and mature into his role before suggesting he's the next big thing and if he isn't he sucks? Maybe we can stop pointing out the outliers like Tebow, Winston, Manziel, etc and acknowledge that most college players DO NOT succeed wildly their first couple of years and get better the more time they are in the system and playing, and allow for the very real possibility that Jennings is closer to the norm than the exception.

I'm excited about the guy and look forward to him being a great Tiger. But I'm tempering that excitement with the knowledge that in almost all cases young QB's have their troubles and we should allow him to work through his and make sure that we do not allow fellow fans to ruin this guy before he's had a chance to see what kind of player he can become.

The excitement of the peach bowl was based on a third string qb coming in and playing mostly
Mistake free football with a couple of athletic plays (the underhand throw to Scott)

He wasn't throwing pick 6's which had plagued the Lsu offense from the first game of the lee era.

quote:

---

The excitement of the peach bowl was based on a third string qb coming in and playing mostly
Mistake free football with a couple of athletic plays (the underhand throw to Scott)

He wasn't throwing pick 6's which had plagued the Lsu offense from the first game of the lee era.

---

No doubt, doc. But if you recall, the expectations by some on here were ridiculous. I get why some were so eager to hope those things (we had just lost Perriloux and we had started a damn Harvard transfer earlier in the season and went through Lee's pick fest) but at no point did any of that change the fact that JJ was a true freshman and his backup a redshirt one.

Like I said, I'm super excited to see how Jennings and the LSU offense go from here...but in no way am I going to spend any effort counting chickens before they hatch in terms of his future success based off of last week's drive and whatever happens in the bowl game. But knowing LSU fans like I do, I genuinely feel for the kid because unless he's as good as some really hope he turns out to be (and that is astronomically good) then he's looking at a few years of some of the same fans anointing him savior now tearing him down because he has failed to reach the expectations they hung around his neck. For once, I wish we could all just sit back and watch the kid play, enjoy his progression, and be good with it.

Someone is actually developing this quarterback. That is the difference

quote:

---

JJ

---

quote:

---

and people were starting to compare him to Jamarcus Russell

---

What absolute dumb arse ignoramus did this???

JJ had potential. There was reason for optimism after the Peach Bowl.

What JJ lacked, however, was someone, anyone, coaching him on how to play like a QB and how to act like a QB. Ask anyone who attended LSU practices. Crowton did not spend any time coaching the QBs, and Lord knows they needed it.

AJ is a better passer after one season than JJ was after one season. AJ's shiftier, has better accuracy, and has a better overall foundation to be a QB. He had better coaching in HS and in his first year at LSU.

However, the biggest difference between JJ and AJ is that JJ had a QB killer as a QB coach and OC, and AJ has a guru as a QB coach and OC. Crowton never coached up a QB. Crowton only performed well when he had a QB who had already been coached up. Every QB who had to learn from Crowton regressed during their second year.

Crowton called plays to suit the his scheme rather than JJ's skills. On the other hand, one of the first thing Cameron did when he came to LSU was to ask Mett what plays Mett wanted to have called. The 2013 Spring Game was a perfect example of that.

Regardless of how AJ performs in the bowl game, there is every reason to be optimistic about his future. He's got a very good foundation, he has a the best QB coach on the planet, and that coach has the knowledge and willingness to call plays to suit AJ's talent.

I don't care how AJ does in the bowl. I'm excited about AJ for the 2014 season.

quote:

---

Only difference is Jennings is faster than JJ and has a better arm. JJ was a running QB that just was not that fast(regardless of what people think).

---

complete failure.

16-25, 142 yard and a TD... We have different versions of "lit up".

There are so many differences to the situation then and now.

Head OC is a pretty big one.

But I see your point none the less. He beat out someone who was in the system for two years so got to give him some credit. But it's not like the competition was that great.

Hard to tell how this will actually play out but can't you let us dream it's the second coming of Rohan.