Going into the season, there is one major question mark on the roster, and his name is Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson's play at LSU could be accurately described as "uneven". One drive he looks absolutely terrible, and then he transforms into the Jefferswag.
So it's an open question whether Jefferson's recent domination at the Manning Camp was just a brief appearance of the Jefferswag, or just a fortunate period in which the Evil Jefferson didn't show up. It's a lot easier to look like a stud when there's no defensive lineman trying to kill you.
No one's ever questioned Jefferson's talent. He came to LSU highly touted and highly recruited. He was pressed into early service as freshman due to injuries and ineffectiveness, and he held his own. The problem is that Jefferson has never really improved since that Peach bowl, when his play looked so promising.
Maybe it's the burden of being a leader, maybe it has been the lack of a second option (sorry, Lee partisans). Maybe it's never having a quarterback coach during his entire tenure here. Whatever the reason, Jefferson's progress has been fitful at best. It's not unfair to say he was the same quarterback at the end of his junior year that he was at the end of his freshman year. Just another thing to blame on Gary Crowton.
LSU comes into this season as one of the prohibitive favorites to play for the national title. And if you peruse the newsstands and pick up your favorite preseason mag, chances are pretty good its LSU prediction will run something like this: "LSU will go as far if they can answer the question at quarterback."
Well, the early answer is positive. Just about everyone at the Manning Camp raved about Jefferson's abilities. Of course, this is an encouraging bit of news, but before we go into full Delusional Optimism mode again, just a word of caution: the question has never been Jefferson's talent.
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