Dan Kadar of Mocking The Draft on Mett v North Texas. nice to hear he is getting positive attention from his first start, perhaps we are too hard on Mett, expecting him to look like Matt Barkley or something... "In his first start at LSU on Saturday, junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger showed plenty of promise. Yes, it was against North Texas and he threw for less than 200 yards, but his talent stood out. He looks legit at a listed 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds and has incredible arm strength. There isn't an area of the field where Mettenberger can't precisely place the ball. He has plenty of room to grow, of course. At times, Mettenberger tried to rely on his arm too much, especially at the end of the first half. Mettenberger tried to fit the ball In an impossibly tight window at the left outside hash. The pass, which Andrew Luck would have trouble completing, was incomplete. It was followed by an under thrown pass that was intercepted on the next play. Mettenberger missed four of his last five attempts to close out the half. Mettenberger's [noteworthy] footwork was evident on a failed third down attempt at the start the second half. As pressure came around Mettenberger's right side, he stood there, poised delivering the pass. Yes, it didn't lead to a first down, but it was a nice check down. More importantly, he didn't move his feet around in the pocket like [some other good] quarterback prospects do (looking at you, Landry Jones). He is poised in the pocket, but is behind in pocket awareness. Mettenberger was knocked out in the first quarter of the game following a devastating sack ... Mettenberger's head snapped backward and he was woozy following the play. It was a blitz he should have recognized. Because he didn't, he was temporarily out of the game. ... In the second half, Mettenberger adjusted, hitting on nine of 10 passes. On a 34-yard touchdown, Mettenberger zipped the ball between three defenders, completing the pass to junior Kadron Boone. It's the type of throw that will get the attention of NFL scouts and help Mettenberger develop into a possible first-round pick." www.mockingthedraft.com/2012/9/3/3288440/lsu-zach-mettenberger-nfl-draft
Good write up. IMO, I don't think any of us here are unhappy with Mett. It's the play calling IMO.. Good write up..
Jim Kleinpeter of The Times Picayune was much more critical of Mett's performance... "Offensively, LSU played it close to the vest. The Tigers stayed in the I-formation for 56 of their 72 plays and ran the ball 46 times. Screens and slants formed the majority of Mettenberger's 26 passes. ... The North Texas corners were playing 8 yards off the ball so it left LSU little else to do but throw short screens and slants in front of the defenders. ... Mettenberger learned plenty. He'll look at film and hide his eyes at times but he also showed signs that the Tigers are improved at the position. He'll be improved next week and way better four games from now. ... Zach Mettenberger got a helmet to the chest ...on the most closely-examined sack of an LSU quarterback in years. Mettenberger was held out of one series... All indications are this one was Mettenberger's fault and shows that there's much more to playing quarterback than throwing ability. ... Mettenberger should have seen it coming and, indeed, when (blitzing North Texas CB) Jackson tipped his hand, wide receiver James Wright, lined up across from Jackson, signaled to Mettenberger to look for it by pointing toward the ground to his left. Mettenberger never saw Wright's signal or Jackson coming from his right side. He was looking to the left prior to, and after, the snap. Jackson came around tackle Alex Hurst, who was blocking another player. Wright did his job, taking a couple of steps into the opening left by Jackson and turning to give his quarterback a target while the safety came over to cover, but was well out of the play. It was a clean, hard tackle by Jackson, but Mettenberger had no chance to brace for it, and his head snapped back as he hit the ground. He...had a quick trip to the lockerroom before returning to action, but he was skittish in the pocket the remainder of the game. Mettenberger...does have some work to do. His bottom line was good ... His final line was 19 completions in 26 attempts for 192 yards with a TD and an interception. Mettenberger got hit a few other times in a disappointing effort by the offensive line. RT Alex Hurst looked slow and was beaten a couple of times when Mettenberger absorbed blows. His second throw of the game, (North Texas) defensive end Brandon McCoy slipped between Hurst and Williford to pop Mettenberger as he delivered a 21-yard rainbow to Jarvis Landry ... Credit Mettenberger for standing in there. Mettenberger was hit again on a nice 21-yard completion to Beckham over the middle when Chris Faulk was beaten by K.C. Obi, and could have been called for holding. Those three hits all came in the first quarter and Mettenberger reacted by not stepping into his throws with authority much of the rest of the game, and leaving some easy passes short of their mark. ... (in the third quarter,) Alex Hurst looked bad when he whiffed trying to block Bellazin, whose pressure forced Mettenberger to check down to Blue short of the first down ... On third and 6, Mettenberger's throw to Clement forced him to come back to the ball and fall short of the first down. ... The worst throw was his interception at the goal line. Not only was it a poor throw with him falling backwards to avoid a hit, but it came on third down and wiped out a chance at a short field goal. Aaron Bellazin came on a stunt and split Lonergan and Williford to put the pressure on. Beckham, lined up to the outside, ran a curl and the ball was a little behind him. That's another teachable moment for the 6-feet-5 Georgia boy, who's got to learn to throw that ball away and take the three (instead of trying to force it and throwing an INT). His intentional grounding was another ugly scene Mettenberger was far from a disaster. His best throw of the game was a dart to Kadron Boone for a 34-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He stepped up in the pocket and drilled the ball to Boone running a medium slant. He was well covered by Jackson but Mettenberger's throw whistled right past Jackson's hand. Mettenberger was also fairly accurate considering everything. He would have had 20 completions and perhaps topped 200 yards had one attempt not bounced off Russell Shepard's breadbasket...Russell Shepard gave a microcosm of his career in two plays: an 11-yard catch on a screen and then an ugly drop on the same play to the other side on the next snap. ... (also note that Mett and Shep would have had better stats if the) 30-yard TD pass from Mettenberger to Shepard...(hadn't been nullified when) Williford and Collins apparently thought it was a running play (and) surged 5 yards down field"
