Reality Check - The Quarterback Position

Sam isn't playing again until Oct 10th at best. Clark is getting reps with the 1s today

quote:

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I don't mean to be glass-half-empty

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That's exactly what you mean to be.

There is a lot of reason to be excited after the progress he has shown last game. The Ole Miss, and LT games were not great. The Clemson game was not bad, and the aTm game was very very good.

There is room to improve, certainly, and we saw improvement on Saturday. Let’s see how this thing progresses.

Stats can be very misleading.

What about the number of TDs he has rushing? What about 3rd down conversions? What about leadership qualities? to name a few.

I want better red zone efficiency but can't blame him for all of it. Play calling has sometimes been suspect.

So players cannot get more comfortable in a new offense week after week? Players can't develop or improve? So over this narrative.

Sam Leavitt 17/23 314 2TDs
Leavitt leads all QB in nation with 7rush TDs, Clark has 4 rushing TDs , LC was 0-5 with 4 drops and 2 TDs dropped, Coach LK made that a point in PC.
You’re right about 1/2 of that but your glass is empty and so is your head.

Half empty and brain dead

Here's another reality check.

Joe Burrow in his first 4 games with LSU
52/106 (49% completion)
3 td/0 int and 1 rushing td
731 yds

Sam in his first 4 games with LSU
74/116 (63.8% completion)
5 td/6 ints and 6 rushing tds
1,044 yds

Both QBs didn't get rolling with the team until the late summer/fall and played comparable schedules. Sam has to clean up the Ints, specifically tipped balls. Also, no, I am not saying Sam will be Burrow. The point is that stats within the first 4 games of playing on a new team don't dictate the level of player or success a QB can have.

I think it's a little disingenuous to rank Sam who has played a tougher schedule than most of the other SEC QBs against them in the stat category this early in the season.
For example, Russell at Bama has a higher completion % but has played ECU, UK, FSU, and S. Carolina. Stockton at UGA has played Tenn.St, WKU, Arky, and Oklahoma and against OU he was 14/25, 171yds 1 td/1 int

Let him get fully acclimated in the system and get the timing down with the WRs and then judge.

Anyone who posts a thread like this after the atm game doesn’t know how to evaluate football. There was definite improvement in his passing game. Go watch the condensed version on YouTube. It’s only 20 minutes but you can easily see Sam's improvement. He also had a passing TD called back by IRD

OP: JoeENorthlando

Tiger Droppings not big on Reality.

Knowing really nothing about Leavitt until earlier this month, they were told/sold on him being Great. The 5 Million $ Price Tag also impressed, convinced them he must be good. And deep deep down, from the bottom of their heart/soul, they Wanted him to be. They Needed him to be! That heartfelt dream, intense wish embedded inside a "FANatical" Fan, along with strong desire, intense emotions & huge pride, will often override actual facts, stats, data. Hope does not equal Reality.

Another true fact (reality) is that these "loyal to the death" Leavitt fans still don't really know Sam Leavitt! And are petrified at making any changes, exploring other options, despite Clark playing with very clear, obvious poise/confidence/comfort.

From the little we have seen, despite far less reps and playing with our 2nd/3rd string, he has actually performed better than Sam. (ranter's brains just sploded, gaskets blown out; so I'll back up my statement with definitive proof, but it won't matter).

Kiffin, and every other observer, have been very clear about Sam's "problems". It is a known fact, or "reality". But not so with Clark, where yesterday Kiffin was very clear, positive about Landen playing "Good"; and was excited to see what Landen's upside might be during key/prime game time. Kiffin repeatedly, directly said 2x that Clark "Played Good, Well"! Kiffin further extolled his praise upon Clark by explaining that "Yes, Landen played good, and that the 0 for 5 pass completions stat was very misleading, as he actually tossed 2 touchdown passes that should have been caught"!

I like Sam Leavitt, and also like Landen Clark. We all hope Sam improves, but the "reality" is, he could just as easily remain erratic, inconsistent and somewhat scary, which he has been. I, like Lane Kiffin, am not afraid of "thinking out of the box, being creative, innovative & exploring all options"!