re: And they called for JaMarcus Russell to be benched

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He had the same supporting cast and Matt Flynn still did just as good as a job. I'm only calling it how I see it. Did we have help from the BCS?

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No...he didn't. Go back and check the rushing stats from 2006 to 2007. We rsuhed for 1,000 more yards in 2007 than the previous year. Russell got no support on the ground so he was forced to throw it time and time again...thankfully he had three NFL WR's to throw to.

As for help, discounting PITT beating WVU to get LSU to the NCG as nothing much is very disingenuous. Before Pitt pulled off that miracle, LSU had gone 10-2 in the regular season (FYI, that's the same record LSU had achieved in the regular season the previous 2 seasons.) With the 3OT loss to Arky at home, LSU was virtually out of the NC talk. Fans were dropping their SECCG tickets in droves, and LSU went to Atlanta on a down note because they knew the chances of playing in the NCG were lost on the final play against ARKY. LSU with Perriloux at QB beat Tennessee. We needed help in the Big12 championship game and got it...then got a MIRACLE when PITT pulled a win out of their arse against WVU. LSU went from #7 to #2 on the strength of games that LSU had nothing to do with.

None of that makes LSU's championship in 2007 any less sweet, but it does get irritating to hear fans with an agenda try and spin it as if based on something special Matt Flynn did LSU was able to overcome the JaMarcus Russell years of not being able to win it all.

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We rsuhed for 1,000 more yards in 2007 than the previous year.

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Partly because of the way we shaped our offense around Russell, and the way he impacted the running game. It's not as if Lyle Hitt and Carnell Stewart were that much better in 2007 than Brian Johnson and Peter Dyakowski were in 2006, and even so, that's only the right side of the line.

If you're going to talk about how great Russell was because he threw for more yards, then it's not really fair to say that he was also great because LSU didn't rush for as much when he was QB.

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MF may not have had been the superior QB, but he's not embarassing himself as the biggest bust in NFL history.
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Because he's not good enough to even get on the field.

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Really? I tell you what. Let Flynn take over QB at the Raiders and I'll guarantee you that he will see the field. Russell will never see the field behind Rodgers. Your argument is very clueless. Matt Flynn is good enough to see the field, however, he is playing behind Rodgers, only one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. If anything, Russell has been given his chances and looks more to be the BUST than Flynn.

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Really? I tell you what. Let Flynn take over QB at the Raiders and I'll guarantee you that he will see the field.

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Yea he'd be getting his brains beat in with the Raiders the same as Russell.

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You cant have it both ways.

If pick 6s are the reason JLee lost games, then RP cant get credit when a pick 6 wins one

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+ 1,000,000

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Yea he'd be getting his brains beat in with the Raiders the same as Russell.

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Maybe so, but Flynn can actually run better than JR and may even be more accurate. I'm tired of hearing about how bad the Raider's offensive line is. I know they are bad. But, when JR throws and misses wide open receivers badly on a simple passing route that most college QB's can make, is it really the offensive line? No!!!

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Matt Flynn is good enough to see the field, however, he is playing behind Rodgers, only one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Funny how that keeps happening to Flynn.

Look...I like Matt Flynn. always did. The kid showed TREMENDOUS character form the moment he gave LSU his verbal and never wavered even after Nick got the verbal from the kid Robert Lane and even when JaMarcus came on late. Where Lane bolted like a bitc, Flynn stuck around. He bided his time and made the most of it when he got his chances. he's the model of what can happen if you're patient.

But all this comparing the 2 while they were at LSU is bad enough...gven that 2 different coaching staffs both came to the same conclusion. But it's insane to use LSU's NC in 2007 as the stick to bash Russell with as if he didn;t do enough to win it when he posted better numbers and the same record as Flynn. russell simply did not benefot from games around him as much as Flynn's LSU team did.

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But it's insane to use LSU's NC in 2007 as the stick to bash Russell with as if he didn;t do enough to win it when he posted

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MF led WITH LESS TALENT and did everthing he could to win, except line up with the defense. Russell had 4 first round draft choices with him, yet could not muster enough offensive production to score 4 pts. Had JR not fricked up the Aub game, then there would probably be no argument.

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GeauxTiger, I like both players. However, what is this post really about?

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For my part, I'm simply defending an LSU player who in a perfect world should not have to be defended from his own fanbase. For Russell's entire career there were some in our own fanbase that didn't like the kid. Never did. There are lots of reasons...some ugly and some reasonable. But in most cases people disliked him because they had picked favorites and theirs wasn't on the field. So even though this kid was putting up big numbers and leading LSU to wins many were still unhappy.

And when their hero got his chance they were thrilled! Flynn looked solid most of 2007, but took a loss on the road to a Top 15 Kentucky team relenquishing the #1 spot after 6 days and then the team lost to an unranked Arkansas team after climbing back into the top 2. In a year where 2 losses was good enough, LSU earned the trip to Atlanta...and Flynn was hurt so Perriloux QB'ed the team to a win. And THEN, LSY got help in the Big 12 title game and HUGE help in the Big East when PITT beat WVU. LSU vaulted form #7 to #2 and jumped BACK into the NCG. Flynn then played a hel of a game and the rest is history.

But instead of being happy their guy got his shining moment and made the most of it, they use it to suggest the previous guy was not so good and never deseved the spot because their guy delivered the good...all the while discounting just how much the goods were delivered to him.

Me...I lik 'em noth and were happy for the joy both guys brought to me while at LSU. And I pull for both now. Of course, I'm not crazy.

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Yeah, but each QB was better at different things, and most arguments in favor of Russell always fall back on (1) he had better passing stats, and (2) the lack of scoring against good defenses was Jimbo's fault. Both are true, but it sort of makes a comparison hard to do.

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Which is why I NEVER EVER do unless I feel like I have to defend a former Tiger player from his own fanbase.

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Situation A: If LSU were down 27-10 at halftime, and I had to pick the most talented QB I could to give the Tigers a chance to win the game, then no doubt, I would have to go with Russell.

Situation B: But if LSU were going in a game against a great team, and I knew that all LSU had to do to win the game was make sure it scored 25 points, then I would actually go with Flynn. I just know that he would find a way.

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I agree with A and I'd maybe even concede B...if Flynn gets Jake Hester circa 2007. If Flynn has to go to battle with what Russell did in the backfield in 2006 (the 2006 versions that is) then no. You give me Hester from 2007 and I'll take Russell.

But see, while I'm not a fan of doing this, this is at least an honest way to have this argulment/discussion. Simply saying, "Flynn won the NC so he's beter" is both lazy and intellectually dishonest and I tend to get engaed in those from time to time. that's the kind of reasoning that would lead Tennessee fans to declare Tee Martin a better college QB than Peyton Manning.