Bleacher Report - Articles by James W. Fontenot

Andrew Hatch Is Leaving LSU

James W. Fontenot — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:23:13 -0500

This past offseason LSU fans have been so excited about gaining talented quarterbacks and claiming that we will now be stacked at the signal caller position for the next five years.

Today Les Miles told the news that Andrew Hatch will not be back at LSU because of personal preferences. And it is confirmed that the former Tiger will go back to Harvard to pursue his studies at the place they began.

Obviously, he realized that he would have no shot at starting QB for the Tigers in September because of the late emergence of Jordan Jefferson and the signings of Russell Shepard and Chris Garret. The competition would definitely be too much for the former Harvard Junior Varsity QB.

Hatch had a decent season for LSU, starting three games and throwing for 286 yds and two touchdowns, while running for 129 yds and two touchdowns. His career went down hill when he got POPPED, got a concussion in the Auburn game, and he later broke his leg in practice.

Well we know the rest of the story, Lee comes in and throws it to the other team and then gets hurt in the Ole Miss game and then Jefferson comes in and emerges as the starting QB. All of this because an Auburn defender "JACKED UP" Andrew Hatch which started this roller coaster of QB controversy. So I say thank you Jerod Powers (guy who destroyed Hatch) for starting Jordan Jefferson's journey to the starting QB spot.

I'm not saying this to be "mean" or insensitive to Hatch. I think things happen for a reason and thank goodness it did. Hatch was not the right quarterback for LSU, he didn't have the arm strength to start at QB, i havnt seen him throw a deep ball or even a hard thrown ball for that matter. He just doesn't fit.....and im not sure if he can take hits like a quarterback should.

I'm not dogging the poor guy, I never thought he was the right player for the job. But I do want to wish Andrew Hatch luck in his future career in medicine or dentistry or even a scientist because that is why you go to Harvard in the first place. So good luck Andrew Hatch on your JV maybe Varsity season at Harvard.

P.S. watch out for Jerod Powers

Russell Shepard Giving LSU Fans Hope for Years to Come

James W. Fontenot — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:58:04 -0500

With the number one dual-threat quarterback in the Nation enrolling at LSU today, it is giving Tiger fans a lot of excitement to land a top prospect like this. Russell Shepard, who is preparing to step on the practice field for the Tigers in the spring, is very excited to compete for the job. This he told to the Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge.

For Tiger fans, they haven't seen a big-time recruit like this sign with LSU since the troubled Ryan Perrilloux did in 2005. Something tells me that Shepard won't follow in his predecessor's footsteps.

Shepard, a 6'1" freshman, should be implemented in the offense right away. He runs a 4.4 forty and brought his high school program from nothing to something in his tenure at Cy-Ridge High School.

If you don't think the kid can play quarterback...then listen to these stats: As a senior Shepard rushed for 1,946 yards with 28 touchdowns and threw for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns with only four interceptions.

Some are calling him the next Percy Harvin, and some even the next Michael Vick (without the dogs). When the reporter asked Shepard about being the next Percy Harvin, he was ecstatic and said that it would be awesome, but I think he will stay at QB.

Shepard is well known in the community for his leadership abilities and his recruiting efforts that helped LSU sign his first cousin, safety Craig Loston.

What does all this mean for the Tigers? Well, it's pretty much self-explanatory. He can run faster than some running backs and he can make big throws.

I expect Les Miles to immediately let Shepard run some pistol and some wild Tiger. He will also mix up the tempo and keep the defense on their toes whenever he comes in to give Jordan Jefferson a break.

The only question marks for Shepard have been his arm strength and him not being a true quarterback and just an athlete. But with LSU's playmakers, coaching, and Shepard's athletic ability, he should turn into a scrambling quarterback with a stronger arm and have the ability to throw the deep ball.

Defenses are going to have lots of trouble trying to tame this Tiger. He is the type of game-changer LSU needs to rally around right now. I see LSU using Jefferson and Shepard to lead them back to where they were in 2007 when they won their second national title.

LSU Quaterback Situation Up For Grabs?

James W. Fontenot — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:44:26 -0500

With LSU's sub-par season ending in a great victory over Georgia Tech, there is no doubt that Jordan Jefferson will be starting at quarterback...right? Not according to Les Miles, Miles announced in the media the other day that the quarterback position battle will be a heated one. This left me scratching my head!

To me there is no doubt that Jefferson is the best QB on the field with the Tigers. His last two games that he started he played great and led the offense as a true freshman! Plus he hasn't thrown a pick-six yet. He's done nothing but lead the offense down the field and make key throws and key runs in tight situations. Something Lee has done once and something Hatch has not done. Not to mention Jefferson has the best arm on the team by far.

Look I've been a fan of Jefferson since the Appalachian State game! I thought that he could come in and make plays and maybe even start because of his athleticism. But I was kept hoping and wishing for Jefferson, and when I finally get to see him against North Texas....he hands the ball off and throws an incompletion on a screen pass and doesn't get a chance to throw the ball again!

Yes, they said he didn't know the offense and wasn't ready to lead the team but were the other QB's? If Jefferson would've started after Hatch got hurt and Lee decided to throw the ball to the other team on numerous occasions, we would've won the Georgia game, Alabama game, and the Ole Miss game.

But the QB position battle has become interesting when you throw Russel Shepard's name in the mix. Shepard will make an immediate impact when he steps on campus in a few days. No he wont start at QB, but we will utilize him in the Pistol formation and even the "wild tiger".

Gary Crowten will help this youngster out with his mechanics and the offense which should make LSU's QB system a dual system with Shepard and Jefferson calling signals. With Jefferson playing great football and Shepard looking like LSU's future, Miles might try to red-shirt Shepard. Personally, I would use both Shepard and Jefferson just like LSU did with Flynn and Perilloux when we won the national championship.

With all this information and all the questions, I want to bring up one more. Should Jarret Lee transfer? Should he ever step on the field in a game again? Should Hatch transfer? And will he ever sniff the field again?

Comment!

Tebow The Great! Or Tebow The Greatest?

James W. Fontenot — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:45:56 -0500

I don't know if Tim Tebow can be described in words. He is every coach's dream and every opposing team's nightmare. He symbolizes what a true athlete is with his determination and leadership ability alone. And when you add his athletic ability and talent, he's the best i have ever seen. Not only has he showed his leadership on the field, he's shown it in the Christian community.

I am the biggest LSU fan you will ever meet and at first I hated his guts. That all changed last year after his history book season when he almost single handedly beat the Tigers in Tiger Stadium. I was at that game and it was the best game I have ever seen, even though Tebow taunted our student section and got cussed out on live tv by our student section. He is the best.

After that game i realized that he was the best player i have ever seen play a collegate sport in my life. I cant help but to like Tebow even if he destroys LSU. I root for the best. And after the Ole Miss game i liked him even more. I dont know if I will ever see a better leader or player.

With that said, Is he the best player ever to put on a College Football jersey? Or to push the question, is he the best Player to ever play the game of football?

You decide! And Comment!