That isn't enough for many folks, who still don't and probably won't ever believe in Hatch until he delivers as a starter in a big game. Crowton won't allow Defenses crowding the line. He'll have Hatch beat them long. And, he'll have all August to practice against a damn strong defense. We will be fine at QB, especially behind that great line.
The problem is in the public perception. He's a walk-on. From Harvard. He has a long way to go in order to earn the trust of Tiger Nation. So far, so good.
And a short time to get there on September 20 at Auburn. After we blow out App. State, and face a tough Troy squad where we're favored by about 14 points, we'll see how he handles things against a big and very physical Troy team. If he passes this test, I look for him to do well at Auburn. Gameday can't here quickly enough.
Good write on Hatch http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;...5nYcB?slug=jn-hatch081508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I think there's enough eye-witness and film accounts to justify the notion that Hatch's reliable accuracy ends about 25 yards down field. After that, it appears he's going to need a wide open receiver in most cases. That's not a dig. And it doesn't mean he can't throw 50 yards. It just means he's not a deep ball on a frozen rope kind of threat. It's OK. We can handle that. 25 yards is a good distance. If Hatch wins the job, I'm quite happy with that at this point. Sounds to me like he's got a strong second in Lee and a possibly strong 3rd if JJ can learn the offense fast enough. I thought JJ was skinnier than he appears in the videos. Physically, he looks ready to go.
Lee is the better quarterback, but Hatch seems more comfortable with the system and is a better game manager. Hopefully Lee will catch up in these areas and will take over as starter as the season progresses.
The mods should go ahead and sticky this (or any of the) Hatch vs. Lee threads. We're going to be talking about this until January (maybe of 2010 :shock.
