Flynn is leading the pack ... best completion per centage, fewest Ints, best running, best decision making and smart enough to take a sack (Nick is letting them get hit this past week). The Spring Game ... ~S~H~A~L~L~ ... reflect this. Fall practice will have Flynn starting as #1 QB. Make the Spring game ... rain or ... Watch Flynn shine.
If one of them is not Matt Flynn, I'll be shocked. He has distinguished himself as the most consistent of all three in early scrimmages and practice. He is the best athlete of the three, IMO. We shall see at the Spring Game.
The future is Russell... I can remember Jack Marucci raving over Josh Booty's physical attributes and his body fat percentages, as well as his accuracy and offseason workout performances... Everyone raved and raved and raved...I know, I was there. I probably did some raving, myself... What does Josh Booty have to look back on as an LSU Career? To be honest, I actually like the guy, think he got a bad deal at LSU, and think he was an excellent quarterback who oftentimes relied on his hubris instead of his teammates. What did all of his physical prowess and skill and fat percentage and raw skills and stats in scrimmages and practices, and even in his two seasons (or 16 games in which he played enough to impact the game) as the skipper of the LSU Offense, achieve for the TEAM in comparison to Rohan's 13 games? Well, he won exactly zero Conference games in his first year (Arkansucks was won by Rohan after the 2nd series, my friend, a mere technicality if you decide to split that hair) of 99. In the 2nd year, he led the team to a 6-4 record (4-3 SEC, 2-1 OOC). That all adds up to 0-6 in his first year (Auburn was Rohan's start, I'll give you that one), and 6-4...A final record of 6-10...and this is the guy who knew the playbook backwards and forwards according to McClendon's own mouth. The guy who trained like a madman according to Marucci. A guy who was a gymrat according to Bob Oviatt, the S&C guy...All of those guys, raving about springtime and fall camp stats, just like you... Where did it get them? Where it got them was no closer to the answer than you currently reside. What matters, Ramah, is CHEMISTRY. CHEMISTRY is the key to the team last year, and it will be again. I don't know what you know about the team (I'm sure you'll say you know more than I do), but from what I hear about this group, Russell has made the inroads much like Davey did. While Flynn's nose was in the playbook and his attention was spent changing his release point, improving his accuracy, Russell just bided his time, hung out with his friends, and made relationships on this team, with guys on both sides of the ball, building something called CHEMISTRY. I love Matt Flynn. I love Marcus Randall. I love JaMarcus Russell. But, Randall's got the respect of the team because he's been in the battles. Flynn's got the moxie and has shown he's unafraid to mix it up. But Russell's got the athleticism for the POSITION (Big difference between being the best athlete and having the right athleticism for the quarterback position, chief). He's also got the respect of teammates, on the field, and somewhat more importantly, OFF the field... I feel that will be the X-factor, because, all things being equal, I think they'll come down to neck and neck. The coaches will remember back to 2000, though, and see what happens when a team rallies around a leader. Come out with your ridiculous prognostications (I'm sure everyone remembers you saying we lost our shot at the BCS Crown after the Ole Miss game-Spin that one again for us, chump) and be a frontrunner so later you can be not a frontrunner but an I told you so, so you can try to stake your claim as some big brain. But, to be a frontrunner for the sake of being a frontrunner does what for you, exactly Ramah? Chump...
In high school I hung out with my friends and had good relationships with my teamates too. Maybe if I had kept my nose in the playbook and worked more on improving my game I would have been a better player.
If you were 6-5, 240, and had to attend mandatory meetings daily, practice daily, took tests weekly on your playbook, and had weekly individual meetings with coach's, not to mention offseason workouts with your wideouts, coming off of playing the starting quarterback position for five straight years in Alabama High School Football's 5A level in a shotgun offense where you broke Brodie Croyle's career high school yardage records, perhaps you might have been... Good point, BengalB...
One point on TE's comment about the '99 Arkansas game. I was there, it was ALL Rohan. That's one of the most exciting games that I have seen in Tiger Stadium.
TE, why do you assume that the team prefers Russell over Flynn? You compare Booty to Flynn? I remember Josh leaving us for baseball, yet Flynn stayed with us when other unnamed QBs left. I can't imagine for one second that someone of that character hasn't already earned the respect of the team. Off the field and on the field are two different worlds.
Saban: Looks like Flynn is our #1 based upon his performance. Jimbo: I disagree coach. Matt moved the team and showed better skills but JaMarcus is everybodys' bud and they all seem to like him a lot. Saban: You're fired!
I am shocked to see Matt Flynn and Josh Booty in the same discussion - this is way off base and the two have nothing in common. Flynn is on his way to actually winning the position over the experienced and the super-hyped at the same time. Matt Flynn was not the #1 QB in the country coming out of high school. I know that Saban will make the best choice and time will tell. However, mark my words, following the Spring Game this Saturday one of the high points and topics of discussion will be how well Flynn played and how impressed everyone is with his abilities and his development.
