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Bad, good timing on Jefferson
I do not have a problem with Les Miles allowing Jordan Jefferson back on the football team. I do have a problem when Miles allowed Jefferson back on the football field on Saturday.
I believe Jefferson has been the scapegoat for a lot of players' mistakes that long August 19 night at Shady's. I also believe he had to be charged with something to keep the Baton Rouge Police Department from looking totally ridiculous,, not to mention the legal ramifications if he would have walked away clean. There had to be a lot of wheeling and dealing and politicking before the felony second-degree battery charge was reduced to misdemeanor simple battery.
Until somebody can show me evidence, Jefferson owns up to it, or a credible witness comes forth, I don't believe it was the senior quarterback handling the kicking duties.
Then again, if it was Jefferson, the punishment should have been harsher and he should have owned up to it and accepted his medicine.
If not and it was another player, shame on that player from letting Jefferson take the fall. That's not somebody I want to be counting on in the fourth quarter against Alabama.
But getting back to the game and the facts we do know.
Jefferson entered the game against Kentucky. He was hit with a chorus of boos when he entered the field for the first time with just more than seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, as LSU faced fourth-and-goal from the Kentucky 1-yard line.
After Jefferson's first play - a touchdown run - the boos were less prevalent as he ran off the field.
I'm not naïve enough to know most of the boos were against Jefferson.
But I truly believe some of the boos were because of the timing. Here Lee leads the team down to the opponent's 1-yard line and you replace him?
I understand Jefferson being a better runner, but you won't see Nick Saban pulling A.J. McCarron in the same situation.
You go to your short yardage situation, give it to your best short yardage back behind your best offensive lineman and expect a touchdown.
I didn't mind Jefferson coming in late when the game was decided. But, even though he picked up 12 yards, I hated seeing that option play back in the offense.
I was glad to see Jefferson finally address the media. I don't understand all the "legal-schmegal" that goes with what he can and cannot say, but I thought it was damaging for him not to at least show some team unity by talking about what Lee and his teammates have done. I still have images of Jefferson pouting on the sideline last year when Lee would enter the game.
An image of Jefferson appreciating being back with the team and saying he is happy with his current role would do wonders on and off the field. I'm wondering now if he came up a little short of that.
Jefferson said his relationship with Lee, with whom he shared time last season, has remained strong. He said he's supported Lee throughout the season, and although his goal is to regain the starting job, he will "do what's best for the team."
A lot of people will read a lot of different things into that, but for now I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. There's a lot of pent-up bitterness there and I hope it doesn't carry over to the team.
His statement that no one has been through what I have been through was far-fetched. There's a lot of injustice in this world, and a lot of it is not a result of a bad decision. Don't go the pity party route.
Jefferson does provide LSU with a solid back-up quarterback. And, I hate to say it, Lee may feel the pressure of Jefferson on the field and go back to his old ways. But Jarrett Lee has earned the start and has been an SEC-caliber quarterback this season. When he makes a mistake, everyone is quick to worry. But, hey, Drew Brees threw two terrible passes against Houston, but came back to lead the Saints to a win. Lee is no Brees, but I am not going to run him off after a bad pass or two if it doesn't affect his confidence.
You look around the SEC and see some of the back-up quarterbacks and you know if the starter goes down that team is going to be in trouble.
Dylan Favre, Brett's nephew, saw his first action for Mississippi State Saturday in MSU's loss to Georgia.
The redshirt freshman lined up at quarterback on Mississippi State's first offensive possession of the second half but couldn't do much to jump-start the MSU offense in a 24-10 loss to Georgia.
Favre was sacked on his first play before tossing a pair of incomplete passes.Two weeks ago, Favre took to Twitter and asked for an opportunity.
"Is an opportunity too much 2 ask for?" he posted on his social network Twitter account.
Uh, Dylan, I think a better way to have handled that would have been going into head coach Dan Mullen's office.
Actually, I'm glad Jefferson is back because there will now be no talk of a redshirt season and next year can be Zach Mettenberger's year with no outside interference.
Just stay away from the bars next August. |
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