2004 stats Eric Ainge 109/198 55.1% 1452yds 17tds 9ints J. Russell 73/144 50.7% 1053yds 9tds 4ints Given Equal attempts Russell is at 1448yds 13tds 5ints So what exactly makes Ainge the second coming of Jesus while Russell is a disappointment and is begging to be replaced?
I know what you mean. You don't hear every single pundit and talking head questioning UT's QB situation. They want to act like he's a battle-hardened veteran. Funny thing is, look at his backup(s), and then look at Russells.
Gettting to the SECCG. Ainge proved he could do it last year. LSU's Russell didn't. Plus Rick Clausen managing to put a whoopin on Texas A&M in the bowl game. Combine those 2 & it allows the media to look past everything else. Had LSU won the Cap One Bowl with JaMarcus as the MVP - you wouldn't be hearing much about LSU's QB situation either. Truth be told, there isn't much else to question on this LSU team outside of the coaching & this QB situation. And you've got to have some kind of controversy, because it sells. Ainge showed lots of potential last year with Tennessee & I'm looking forward to see what he can do, but Tennessee's coaches have talked about how little they let him have - not letting him do check offs or whatever until he was ready. That made the game alot easier for him & made him look better in the process. Last year, Russell was nothing short of amazing on quite a few occassions but I think he sufferred through some freshman mistakes that he was allowed to make - and Ainge wasn't. I'm hoping it's made him better for the comming season.
Ainge wasn't the reason they got to the SECCG. In fact, they got there in spite of Ainge with his play at times. Face it, the media loves SEC East teams and Bama. UT is perenially overrated and everyone is saying Bama will be back. One of these days, both these teams will meet in a rematch in Atlanta and all the talking heads will be saying "I told you so!" Until that day, LSU and Auburn will continue winning SEC championships (with the occasional crystal egg thrown in for good measure.)
Your lament about Alabama is not ours! :lol: They're coming back, and you're skeered :shock: , we're not! I agree about half of the statement, LSU ->Championship(S)->Plural (more than 1) :lol: -->Respected Program with :crystal: Stand on your own two feet, AU has 1 SEC Title & that was due to a gift from the refs in the LSU game. One ->Singular->Fluke (Bama's down, etc)->Win more than one & you have a point & a WORTHY PROGRAM & a :crystal: :lol: :lol: :lol: Nice try proclaiming your team to be in the same class as LSU (or better than Bama). Fact is, Bama's return to prominence AFFECTS AU tremendously, not LSU. LSU doesn't live or die by recruiting in the same sewage canal as AU/ALA, although it has been nice picking your prized recruits from under your noses (Russell, etc) :lol: :lol: :lol: Ditto above statement, HEY AU, where's the :crystal:
Bama will make a small improvement this year and then depth issues and talent levels will bring them back down. 2006 is looking to be a repeat of Shula's first year. Back to the original discussion, will Miles be as quick to pull the trigger on a QB change as Saban was?
Bama will be much better simply because of the schedule. The Tide's first four games are very winnable games for them. The only one I see them possibly having a tough go would be South Carolina. That puts them 4-0 or 3-1 heading into the Florida game, then it's Ole Miss, Tennessee, Utah State, Miss State finishing up with LSU and Auburn. So it's likely 7-4 for the Tide and heading to a bowl.
