re: Saban exploiting Quaterback Limitations

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If a change of pace wasn't introduced on 1/9/12 then it's not going to happen this weekend either.

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What change of pace did Lee bring? He's slower and reacts worse to pressure.

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It was literally the definition of having nothing to lose by middle of the 3rd quarter and well we never crossed the 50 yard line.

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Stop perpetuating the myths. LSU did cross the 50. LSU did have something to lose. It was a two score game until about 5:00 minutes left.

The problem wasn't Jefferson. The problem was the offensive line. They couldn’t move the Bama D-line and they couldn’t hold them back either. There was no run game, and there was no time to pass.

If anything, Jefferson in the pocket slowed down the Bama rush because his presence forced Bama to use a mush rush to contain Jefferson and prevent him from running. It’s the same idea LSU used against Manziel to keep him from breaking off long runs. Slow the rush and contain the QB. Bama would not have used a mush rush against Lee because Lee is no threat to run.

If Miles put in Lee, there’s still no run game, and now there is even less time to pass. If there is one thing Bama feasts on, it’s immobile pocket passers. Lee’s numbers against Bama confirm this fact. His QB Rating against Bama could fit in a shoe box.

During 2011, "efficient" is the single word that defined Lee. You'll be hard pressed to find a post about Lee without the word "efficient" just a few words away. The thing about being defined as “efficient” is that it means that you aren’t a prolific passer; you don’t throw it a lot. In fact, it typically means that the offense is run-oriented and passes infrequently. Prior to the Bama game, Lee averaged less than 20 passes per game. Lee had only one game in 2011 in which he threw for more than 200 yards: 213 yards against Mississippi State. Lee wasn’t a prolific passer. He was efficient.

Efficient works when your team can run the ball effectively. Efficient means that the defense is focused on stopping the run. Efficient means that the defense is not expecting a pass. Efficient means that you have time to throw because the defense is not focuses on stopping the pass. Efficient does not work when you aren’t running well. Efficient does not work when your line can’t block. Bama’s D was suffocating that night. Bama would have killed Lee.

LSU should not have been playing Bama. LSU beat Bama at their house in the Game of the Century. You play the hand you’re dealt, but it was a raw deal.

Bama was playing for redemption. Bama had lost with their prior offensive strategy, so they were forced to abandon it. Saban took the ball out of Richardson’s hands and made McCarron win the game. Bama threw on nearly every first down. It was a risky strategy, but what did Bama have to lose. They had already lost to LSU trying to run the ball. McCarron had a terrific night; thus, the strategy worked.

Even though Bama had flipped its offensive strategy, it does not necessarily mean that LSU should have. Hindsight is always 20/20, and we know now that LSU’s plan did not work. However, LSU trailed Georgia 10-0 at the half in the SECCG. The offense was atrocious the first half but came around in the second half, and LSU blew out Georgia. With a few dozen plays left, it was not unreasonable for Miles to go with the strategy that worked so well in the SECCG. It was at least as reasonable as trying a QB that was the antithesis of the ideal QB to use against Bama.