If you could've had any Heisman winner play for LSU, who would it be?
For me, this is one of those questions that are easy and hard at the same time. Easy, because frankly, we've been watching LSU languish at the quarterback position for most of the last couple of decades. It's easy to pick the position, just hard to pick the player.
Sure, there have been years of competency, and even all-conference quality. Hodson and Russell were outstanding (Bert Jones was before my time). And players like Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck were solid players a team could win behind. But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about a force of nature. An every down playmaker. The type of quarterback that makes you say "we have a shot here, just because we got that guy."
Imagine the 2011 team with a Robert Griffin III? 2010 with Cam Netwon (okay, any team with Cam Newton). The '69 Tigers with Jim Plunkett under center, or the 2002 squad with Carson Palmer.
Sure, you don't need one to win a national championship (which, let's face it, most fans would rather have anyway), but it's just so damn fun to watch. It's been one of the main takeaways of the Drew Brees era in New Orleans. A big time playmaker under center is worth its weight in gold.
RG3, for all his jaw-dropping athleticism, was a gifted deep passer, as we saw in his amazing performances against TCU, Oklahoma and Texas. The thought of him alongside the 2011 LSU defense...sigh...I should stop talking before I get depressed. Newton's value could be gauged in the simple fact that he turned a five-loss Auburn team into one of the best offenses in college football history.
Sure, a great running back is fun. And we've watched gifted wide receivers like Josh Reed and Dwayne Bowe. And again, I don't come to disparage some of LSU's past quarterbacks (I loved watching Jamarcus Russell at LSU, and Poseur will have more on him in this series later on). But a Heisman-caliber quarterback...man...that would just be fun.
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