re: Stats don't tell you everything, but...

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but we’re foolish if we don’t think that losing Trey Dez in the red zone at some point in the near future against a big team is going to be a real problem.

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I could be wrong, but I don't think LSU threw to Green once in the RZ in any of the first 3 games prior to his injury. That's not to say they could not or would not later in the season. It's just that unlike last year when that was basically LSU's go-to RZ play, that hasn't been the case this season. Of course LSU would love that to be an OPTION they had all season. However, where last year it was a necessity because of the poor offensive approach led by Sloan, Kiffin showed even in the game with Green that his offense was capable of finding other ways to score.

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Also losing Weeks leadership on defense is the type of thing that you can’t quantify. Those two things I worry about against big opponents.

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Yes, leadership is important. But LSU has a lot of experienced players on the defense. "Leadership" doesn't execute plays. Where LSU is going to miss Weeks is that Weeks is capable of making the impact plays. He's a guy whose always been a good blitzer and can trigger quickly to make a disruptive play. That's going to be missed. But unlike last season there are more guys around Weeks who can pick up the slack. Dottery is a good player. Benefield has proven capable of making plays at or behind the LOS. Plus, LSU's pass rush is SIGNIFICANTLY better than last season. The effects of a good pash rush often flow back to the other levels of the defense. Again, LSU would absolutely love to have Weeks in the lineup. But I think some of the doom and gloom is founded upon what things looked like last year without Weeks in the game. This is a different team. They are better suited to mitigate his loss.