From a coaching perspective, here’s a Baker/Leavitt analysis

Ok, everyone is going to scream “coaching from the couch”, “you think you know better than paid coaches”, blah blah blah… but there are things that you could see both tactically and technically which are inexcusable at any level and more so as millionaire coaches/players.

For Baker:

- Baker is an amazing trap-setter and pressure guy. The problem with that is he relies way too heavily on his line and linebackers to get home on their QB target.

Football is a game of inches. Always has been, always will be. Cliches are real for a reason in sports. The best offensive minds in the game always talk about getting their playmakers in space…

Pre-snap alignment and positioning technique killed us in the first half (and made a return on the last Ole Miss touchdown drive in the 4th quarter). When you give 10-12 yards on every receiver, that grants the exact space that the offense wants in order to be efficient.

To his credit, he adjusted in the third quarter and most of the fourth and the defense helped us get back in the game. The corners were playing 5-7 yards off, and some plays they were on the LOS. This gave the receivers less time and room to operate, and you saw what it did to Chambliss. There was a long stretch where he couldn’t even make easy throws because timing was off and he was getting hammered by the pressures because the space in the secondary was tighter.

Chambliss always gets his, but I am not sure Ole Miss score more than 20 points if we start the game off doing what we did in the second half, and that’s entirely on Baker. You have to be able to recognize the fundamental aspects of football even though you are a high pressure rate DC.

For Leavitt:

- Leavitt is a total spaz when it comes to his QB mechanics. I’ll just list the biggest things I see:

Feet not set on throws. No follow-through on throwing motion. Over-reliance on arm strength. Poor pocket presence and awareness. Weight on back foot instead of stepping into throws.

ALL of that is before we even talk about mental mistakes and reading his progressions. I don’t ever think the backup is a world beater. Lane Kiffin knows his shite when it comes to offense. That’s why the starting Leavitt thing is a head scratcher to me. It has to come down to Lane thinking that Leavitt is the better playmaker. Clark clearly plays with better technique mechanics, but if I trust anyone it’s Kiffin when it comes to QB play.

Still, though… You HAVE to do all of those things that I listed as a QB, or your offense will constantly play well below its potential.

To Lane’s credit, you see him every week in the broadcast working calmly with Leavitt. He sees something in Leavitt, and I think we all need to be patient with that given Lane’s track record.

There does, however, come a point when you either pull the plug or give him a stint on the bench to ground him mentally and wake him up.

It’s frustrating because if his mechanics are better, we go through three straight games to start the season scoring over 40 points and destroying a ranked opponent away from home. It feels like a huge missed opportunity. It’s still early in the season, though. The season isn’t lost, but another loss when Leavitt’s mechanics are a huge detriment to the offense and I will be singing a slightly different tune in the short term on the coaches.

I do think this team is still a potential Natty contender if these two correctable issues are addressed. Geaux Tigers!