98.1 The Eagle's Gordy Rush Expounds on the Quarterback Situation

There, I said it for you.

I don’t think the offense was vanilla b/c of RP, but b/c the game was a must-win for the team. Remember before the Arky game, we still controlled our own destiny for the national title. Arkansas beat us AT HOME, pretty much dashing our hopes for the national title. If we lost to Tennessee, Miles would’ve been skinned alive—we’d have gone from potentially playing for the national title to losing two straight games to inferior teams and playing in the Peach Bowl or something. No, Miles needed to make sure we won the SECCG to help curb the disappointment and at least salvage the season with a league title and another Sugar Bowl appearance. He didn’t want to take any chances and lose the game. That’s why the offense was conservative, not b/c of any percieved inability by RP.

Guys enough with the racist stuff. I don’t think Gordy meant anything racist by his comments.

I think Gordy was just making a poor and feeble attempt to try and put some LSU fans at ease with an obviously bleak QB situation. From an experience level RP would be much more advantageous than Lee or Hatch. Surely we can all admit that RP had a great deal more talent and athletic ability in running and a stronger arm than either Hatch or Lee. And, as Pittman said, there is no basis to say whether RP knew the offense. Neither should his intelligence be questioned. RP was definitely smart enough. He was often too smart (smart-ass) for his own good. His only weakness was a lack of judgment and wisdom which lead to his ultimate termination.

As far as work ethic, no on knows but the coaches or insiders concerning RPs work ethic. RP would have lowered moral on the team as well as created an environment and attitude that star players can get away with anything they want and Miles would not do anything. Miles “showed” what he would do which is more important than what he said to the players. The words were insignificant compared to the example that there would be scholarship ending CONSEQENCES for breaking team rules. Then Miles gave an encore presentation by kicking Jarvis Jones off the team for those players that may have been confused by RP’s dismissal.

RP’s dismissal had nothing to do with confidence in Lee & Hatch. Miles may be a gambler, but the statistics from the history of college football scream that LSU will not do well with Lee or Hatch at QB this year. What the statistics point toward is 3-4 losses, not winning the SEC Champ. game or going to the NC. I’m not saying LSU has no chance. What I am saying is that the odds are vastly against us and the times where a RS Freshman or non-starter transfer has come in and won 10+ games are few in comparison to the vast majority of teams in this situation that have achieved sub par results viewed through the lense of a 10+ wins context.

The whole RP dismissal was in spite of the consequences of severely diminishing LSU chances of repeating as SEC champs and National champs. Not because LSU has a better chance with Hatch or Lee vs. RP. We can only guess that RP would have played at a level that he did last year, but the decline and destruction of team discipline would have destroyed LSU’s chances to win it all somewhere down the line.

We can all speculate, but whether LSU kept RP or went with Hatch & Lee, our chances of winning it all again were bad and still less than 50/50 even if RP wasn’t a fuck up. Repeating a NC has only been done a handful of times and none in the last 10 years of the BCS. (I don’t count USC’s 2003 AP and 2004 BCS trophies as a repeat.)

That’s not to say that Lee or Hatch are not capable of winning some big games. The simple answer is yes. With a HUGE caveat!

I’m not aiming my remarks specifically at anyone personally, but more at the vast majority of fans on LSU chat sites, in my opinion, that have on their P&G glasses.

My caveat to the above remark is this. None of us truly know what kind of QB we will have until the Auburn game.

The first three games are against cream puff opponents in Tiger Stadium. Appy State is the best, but the talent level of the other LSU players and depth of talent will win that game in the fourth quarter.

At Auburn we play “in Auburn”! Never under estimate this FACT! See the last 4 games LSU played in Jordon Hare if you doubt me.

There is no more important single position on the football field than QB. And, no other position that can kill your teams chances of winning more than the QB. If you don’t agree, you don’t know football or haven’t watched enough games.

Defenses definitely win Championships, but QBs that make stupid decisions (turnovers) due to inexperience can undermine the best efforts of Championship Defenses by keeping them on the field too long or constantly putting them in poor field position (the red zone) with their backs against the end zone one too many times to pull out a win.

I’ll reserve my opinion of the season and QB until after that game because we will know if we have a “player” at the QB position when the final whistle blows in Auburn, AL.

Guys-

I got e-mailed this link and was disappointed to read that some of you were implying that I was being racist. I’d like to reply.

Let’s start with the fact that I have heard from no less than four LSU coaches including the head coach and OC how water downed the SEC Championship gameplan actually was due to their comfort level with Perriloux at the time. This is first hand information from the coaches.

I feel like Lee and Hatch have a better grasp on the offense simply because they had been in the system for more CONSECUTIVE practices then Perriloux. Just like teaching a class, an offense builds each day upon the last practice. With Perriloux in and out of suspensions, it was difficult to get that continuity going with him. It’s hard to coach up a pass play with a receiver doing a post-corner if you haven’t mastered the play with just the post.

It’s not a secret that Perriloux is a great talent. Neither Lee or Hatch have the talent that Ryan has but I do take some comfort in knowing these guys have been in the system for a year and a half consecutively (minus injury days). You don’t have to be an NFL caliber quarterback to win in college football with the spread offense. (See Texas Tech) Do I have some concerns at QB – of course but I would have just as many if Perriloux was still here.

My e-mail address is gordy.rush@gbcradio.com. I welcome your comments and would appreciate that you ask me to clarify what I meant before implying I am racist. BTW, I actually do go to practice.