Lee’s arm gives LSU the best chance to win a championship

The year was 2008.

George W. Bush was still the president of the United States.

I was still a college student, which means I was still somewhat cool (allegedly).

And the LSU football team stunk – to the high heavens.

The Tigers were fresh off a BCS National Championship season and were without several seniors and ultimately a quarterback, as steady championship starter Matt Flynn graduated to the NFL and his backup, Ryan Perrilloux, decided that missing practices and getting kicked out of bars was the way to go, so he was dismissed from the team.

With the departures, the depleted Tigers employed a walk-on quarterback (Andrew Hatch) during the opening games of the following season, before LSU coach Les Miles eventually gave way to a heralded redshirt freshman by the name of Jarrett Lee.

Lee initially took the Tigers’ faithful by storm, especially when he torched Auburn’s defense and led LSU to a second-half come from behind victory in the third game of the season.

But the freshman must have taken some sort of blow to the noggin in that game, because he was seemingly color blind the rest of the season, tossing for 21 touchdowns – 14 to LSU and seven to LSU’s opponents by the way of interceptions taken to the house.

Fans rained boos as Lee was introduced as the team’s starter the remainder of the season as the lifeless Tigers limped to a 7-5 season, before handing the reigns to Jordan Jefferson and winning their bowl game.

But that was then and this is now, and after watching Jordan Jefferson make every LSU receiver look like they were on Revis Island this season, I think it’s time Lee gets another shot.

Trust me, those are words I never thought I’d be saying, as I spent virtually my entire junior season in the LSU student section facepalming, trying to forget the day Lee signed his letter of intent to come to LSU.

But the fact of the matter is that while Lee made big mistakes, he also showed why people were excited about him coming out of high school, and the LSU offense made several big plays.

Even despite the mistakes, LSU averaged 30 points per game and more than 360 yards per game of total offense in 2008.

Under Lee’s replacement, Jefferson, those numbers have fallen closer to 24 points per game and just above 300 yards per game of total offense. That just will not cut it against the Southeastern Conference.

And that’s not a fault to Jefferson – not at all. He’s handled his duty like a champion. But he was set up to fail by LSU’s offensive coaches, who thrust him into the lineup under the notion of, “You can’t make a mistake, you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make a mistake.”

While, yes, he hasn’t made many mistakes, his fear of the interception has also limited his ability to throw the football down the field, which has limited LSU’s ability to put points on the scoreboard.

I’d love to be a defensive coordinator facing LSU.

You can play a 4-3 front and keep your safeties in the box the entire game to clog the Tigers’ running lanes.

There are lethal weapons all around the field, but there’s no reason to fear being beat deep, because even when Gary Crowton dials up a long rout, Jefferson will check down to a shorter pattern, because he doesn’t want to make a crucial mistake.

When you have receivers like Russell Shepard, Rueben Randle and Terrence Toliver, if you can’t stretch the field, you’re really cheating yourself.

Aside from Lee’s ability to make big plays, one thing he also didn’t have when he was LSU’s starter was a sound defense.

In 2008, the Tigers allowed 27 or more points six times, and gave up 50 or more points twice.

If one could come up with a to-do list of things you SHOULDN’T do when you have a freshman quarterback, playing bad defense would probably be first on the list.

But right now, LSU’s defense under new coordinator John Chavis is popping and wowing opponents, and I really believe they could survive a turnover now for the sake of a few more offensive points – whereas the unit LSU fielded in 2008 couldn’t.

And the last reason I’d give Lee one last shot to be LSU’s quarterback is this: he’s not a freshman anymore.

He was never recruited to play right away.

Everyone knew he was a project that would take two or three years to develop.

It’s not his fault Perrilloux got himself into trouble and he had to play sooner, rather than later, is it?

Well “two or three years” later is here, and I think it’s his time to shine.

That’s why they are called FRESHMAN mistakes, because they usually don’t happen as frequently when the player matures and becomes a junior or a senior.

Lee’s a junior now.

And two years ago is an eternity in the sports world.

Go ahead and give him one last crack at it, Les.

He just might put points on the board and make you look like a genius.

Reggie gives back the Heisman:

So as I’m sure you’ve heard, current Saints and former USC halfback Reggie Bush gave back his Heisman Trophy last week.

The forfeiture of the award comes after investigation yielded Bush accepted money while in college – a no/no for any and all amateur athletes.

And while I don’t dispute Reggie’s decision, I do think it’s time he officially closes his “USC Chapter” and moves on as a person and a football player.

Reggie Bush was so slippery smooth in college that it was truly amazing to watch him play each Saturday.

But he hasn’t ever really exhibited the same level of prominence ever since, and frankly, he’s been quite a disappointment as a Saint.

But the Heisman’s gone. The national championship the team won is gone. All of the USC victories are gone.

It’s all over.

I think it’s time Bush forgets who he used to be in college and focus more of what he could – and should – become as an NFL player.

If he does that, he’ll have plenty trophies to pick from to replace the spot in the trophy case where the Heisman used to sit.

He’s that good and that talented. It’s just time to finally step up and show it.