The only way the fans are ever going to shut up is if we all suddenly lose interest in LSU football. Since Nick Saban is being paid the big bucks I'm 100% sure that he sees things exactly the same way I see it.
You couldn't shut LSU fans up if you put a gun to our heads. I too think Russell should get the start even if they play both an equal amount of time just so that if he does earn the starting position vs Auburn he will have a start under his belt. Exotic Glass made a very good point in his post, handling the excitement at the begininng of the game is different and I would like for Russell to have experinece at that also.
Even if Russell starts, we need Randall getting some playing time. Russell ain't 100 percent ready yet and he's making the usual freshman mistakes. His 34 percent passing average won't cut it very long. Nick needed Randall to come back in last Saturday and he will be needed again this season. And if Russell goes down with an injury we need to play somebody with experience, not break in another green freshman in the middle of a season. Someone with enough poise to come in cold and score the winning touchdown. I think we only see Flynn in the 4th quarter of won games this year. Next year we need him to get significant playing time, too. You have to have two quarterback who can play. Else, one injury can ruin your season.
Coach is a smart man. We can all see that Russell is the better QB. Nick knows more about QB's than all of us put together. If he announces that Russell is the man period end of story then Randall loses all desire, and loses all confidence. By keeping it a two man race, he takes some pressure off of Russell and also keeps Randall competing. We will need Randall to perform at some point this season (as we did in OT) and Nick is in essence replacing him without destroying his self esteem.
Randal is a classy guy, I wish him the best, but its time for Russell and Flynn to take over. I trust Saban, but as a fan I can simply disagree with him, matters not my opinion, but for me, I would prefer never to see Randall take another snap at QB for LSU. Unless LSU does some sort of Option thing with him, or finds some plays that dont require him to throw the ball or make quick decisions... I would never Boo any tiger, Randall even more because of the class he has shown, but as an LSU tiger fan, I am ready to see Russell sink or swim.... So far all have seen from Randall was a good 3qtr against USC. Otherwise its been all sink...
Randall gets a fast track next week and should wear down the Indians About 28 or 35 zip at half on a dry field ... it's gonna happen ... and Randall will start at Auburn too ... IMO We shall see! LSU needs to throw 30-40 passes against ASU just to get that passing game clicking ... and set up those big runs by JV
Russell will be the starter and I bet he plays 3 maybe 3 and a half quarters. Russell is like a 2nd string QB, he has played a total of 30 minutes of college football and he needs all the practice he can get before going to Jordan Hare. It is so obvious who our QB should be. It seems like Randall has to wait and hit WR's that have lights blinking over their heads. You guys that think Randall should start must have not watched the game, did you not see the touch on that ball when Russell hit Green in the corner of the endzone? He let go of the ball when Skyler was still on the 8 yard line. Last year when we said that Russell is our future, well now is the future so put that kid in the game!
Before seeing the stats, I thought JR played much better than the numbers. I could care less about his stats, he was very fluid in his mechanics and his ability to feel the pocket collapse is something you cannot teach. He was very calm with guys 6 inches away from him running all out while all the while he was rolling to his opposite side. very impressive. He also showed some touch and a well thrown ball at times in that slop. All in all, I would never have thought this was his first start much less in such a pressure tank. While Randall looked horrible all around, I do think he looks his worst in the slop. The only other time he looked this bad was at AU 2 years ago while I watched in that downpour. He will likely look a lot better the rest of the year and offer a lot more hope than we see right now. He will never be a superstar but he most certainly will be a positive used in many situations for this team. He will probably be used to win us some games this year out of need due to road games with such inexperience at qb. JR admitted his nerves attributed to his cramping as he did his first game starting in high school. Cramping in jordan-hare could become an issue since the pressure on the road will be severe. Will be interesting to follow. After everything, LSU played just about its worst game possible and still found a way to win against a quality opponent who had a senior and future NFL QB and against a top-notch secondary. This game will serve as the best thing to happen for this team. Let's just hope they dont get in the mode of falling behind as opposed to last year's team who always had the lead. Usually teams fall into one of the 2 personalities and against good teams this would be bad, especially on the road.
It think it would be smart to use the two QB system this year. Both guys are runners, so there is bound to be an injury or two that will sideline one of them for a few games during the season. I'd like to think either guy could useful, given the right situation. I also like the idea of pulling a QB if things are not working out, esp if you have a capable backup who has seen some quailty playing time. Who would I start? Don't really know right now. I like Russell, but I have a hard time putting this much pressure on a freshman's back.
