It sounds like this will be the main topic of discussion until midway through the season next year. I hope by the Florida game we are settled at QB. Let's look at history to help us predict the future. To my memory, the only freshman QB's (yes I know that Flynn & Russell are RS freshmen) in recent history with any measure of success were Herb Tyler & Tommy Hodson. What they both had was poise. The starter next year will be the one with the best head under pressure, not the one with the best arm, necessarily. One would think since, Randall has the most experience under fire, that he would be the one. But, actually, this year he seemed very tentative, especially in the game that Carey got hurt (Miss. St.?). I don't know who will be first, but I am confident, it will be the QB that the coaches feel gives LSU the best chance to win. I also feel that we will have a drop off in QB quality next year. Mauck had a super year, & I don't believe either of the QB's next year will be as good. Having said that I believe that Russell & maybe Flynn are potential NFL'ers & will eventually be better than Mauck, just not next year. What comes to mind is the 2002 Va. Tech game. Lots of mistakes by the QB, WR's & OL.
Who "holds the clipboard" in the case of the 2003 LSU team is not indicative of who was 3rd or 4th on the depth chart. Since Flynn was the early frontrunner in picking up the offense that was used for the 2003 season and since neither Flynn nor Russell was likely to get into a game barring a major catastrophe Flynn was the most logical candidate to signal in the plays. This seasons offense was tailored to the talent and ability of Matt Mauck, as was the 2002 offense. If JaMarcus Russell is the frontrunner for the starting QB job in the spring look for the offense to take on more of a 2001 look but no matter whether Russell, Flynn or Randall becomes the 2004 starter look for whoever is the 4th QB to hold the clipboard. In the NFL the game roster has 2 QBs. The 3rd QB is designated as an emergency player and is only eligible to enter the game if both the first and second unit QBs are injured and unable to play. It is the 3rd unit QB who holds the clipboard during NFL games.
im telling you....Jamarcus Russel was a Mauck/Randal sprained ankle, pulled hamstring, whatever, away from playing. that wasnt the case with Flynn. that was the reason Flynn was wearing the headset. the offense would have had to change a little bit when Russel would go in anyway...so that part doesnt matter. the offensive change wouldnt be that dramatic anyway. the plays would still have the same name, the routes would be exactly the same....they would just call diffrent plays at diffrent times....thats changing the style of offense, but not changing the offense itself.... we'd still be using the same formations and everything....LSU uses a multiple offense...so you wouldnt have to change anything....the only thing you would change is running "x play" on 3rd and 7 instead of "y play" with the former QB....still the same playbook however, if we went from the multiple formation offense that LSU uses now...to a wing-t, option, or wishbone offense for the new QB....that would be changing the offense believe it or not...LSU didnt really change the offense from 2001 to 2002 and 2003. they just took advantage of each QB's strenghts....obviously Mauck couldnt throw the deep ball (or any ball really) like Ro could...so they werent going to call a bunch of deep fade patterns. just because we went from throwing deep to throwing bubble screens doesnt really mean we changed the offense.
If both Mauck and Randall had gone down in the early season it is likely that Flynn would have been the emergency QB since he was the more advanced QB at running the offense. Whether Russell equaled or surpassed Flynn's command of the offense as the season progressed I don't know. What I am saying is that if Russell is the frontrunner during the spring and the eventual starter for the 2004 season the offense will be opened up gradually as Russell gains the experience to match his ability and by the end of the season it is likely to be as wide open as the 2001 offense with Rohan at QB was. If the Tigers could achieve the level of the 2001 offense combined with the level of the 2003 defense I can't see that anybody would have a chance of beating them.
when i say this...i dont mean any disrespect but youre not listening to me... Saban said (and so does the depth chart) that Russel was the guy that would come in...if Mauck OR Randal got hurt (not both...it would only take one)...Saban said that he would pull Russel's shirt if either QB were injured. ...and also...once Russel's shirt was pulled...he would no longer have been just an "emergency QB"... thats not just hear say...thats from the man himself. everything ive said is factual and not just my opinions...like ive said...none of this is "secret inside information" its knowledge released to the public...just some have heard so many rumors saying otherwise. im not going to repeat myself on this anymore...but if you scroll back and read everything ive said...thats from the coaching staff. and btw...this is def not a heated "argument" from my side bengal b. not even an argument at all really....im just stating what i know.
Since it didn't happen there is no point in arguing about it. Whatever decision would have been made by Nick Saban who was in the best position to evaluate who was the best choice. Even if Flynn was more proficient at running the offense during the early season Russell is the one with the bigger upside and thus more likely to enter the NFL draft before his college eligibility is over than Flynn is. With a full season of practice behind them we can all hope that Russell has learned all that he can about the offense and as the obviously superior physical talent will be Da Man for 2004.
both of them go against the best defense in the nation every single day....there isnt going to be anything out there they havent seen...cant help but think thats gotta be great for them.
I still think the quarterback position will be up for grabs in spring practice. Since none of us have seen Flynn and Russell play yet, we are just wild-ass guessing. 3 things are for sure: 1. Randall has starting experience and three years in the system. The green Randall of 2002 is not the guy that will be competing this spring. He could have a Rohan Davey-like senior year emergence. 2. When you recruit a five-star Parade All-American quarterback, he is expected to start. Russell could engineer a Ryan Leaf-like freshman season. 3. Everybody likes the underdog and there are persistant rumors that Flynn has the arm to compete and his head-space is right. Flynn could surprise everybody and play early in an unheralded, Herb Tyler-type move. Everybody wants to see these guys perform. Spring practice is going to be big. The spring game is going to be HUGE!
As long as he doesn't turn into a Ryan Leaf-like headcase! I think if either Russell or Flynn starts and turns in the kind of RS freshman performance we got from Hodson or Tyler, we will repeat as NC next year.
Matt Leinart, although a RS Sophomore this past season, never played a down in a game until this past season. He also was a Parade All American. Who said that game experience is everything?
