College Football 2011: QB Jordan Jefferson Is Holding the LSU Tigers Back

Jake MartinJun 9, 2011

Less than 100 days before LSU takes the field against Oregon, led by senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson, Tiger fans can't help but ask if Jefferson can lead LSU to a national championship.

This is a question that leaves everyone scratching their head. Even the experts on ESPN can't help but laugh and try to come up with a reasonable answer.

I know what you're thinking, and yes, I think the same thing too—not another article about Jefferson. I hate to say it, but Jefferson is the key to the Tigers' success this season, so I'm sure you'll see many articles about him.

The hype couldn't be any bigger for the Tigers this season, as they are loaded across the board with talent. The Tigers only have one question, and it's a season-determining factor. It really is a buzz killer when you stop to think about the talent this team has and the championships this team can bring in, only to be reminded that Jefferson is still the starting quarterback.

At times Jefferson looks like the playmaker that Tiger fans all want him to be, and at other times he makes fans miss the likes of Marcus Randall and Josh Booty. It's definitely something I thought I would never say.

Jefferson holds on to the ball too long, and he locks down one receiver and won't look at his second option unless he gets ample time. He's really only accurate when he throws the corner route or fly route, and his football IQ isn't the highest. Am I telling you anything new?

Being a great quarterback isn't always about who has the most talent, but most of the time it's who can manage the game and make critical throws when needed. Just ask JaMarcus Russell, the most talented of former Tiger quarterbacks I've ever seen—how is his NFL career going?

Let's go back to the Tigers' previous championship seasons. Both were won by a quarterback that managed the game well and made some plays when called upon. Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck definitely aren't the flashiest LSU quarterbacks to ever play, but they were smart and let their playmakers win the game.

Reports all spring have said that Jefferson has improved his accuracy and that new offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe is simplifying the playbook for him.

Jefferson had a chance to prove that the reports were true in the spring game, but he failed to do so when he completed only four of 14 passes, with one of those completions being behind Russell Shepard. He also had an interception. I was at that spring game, and I couldn't help but think that he's just the same ol' inconsistent Jefferson.

With the arrival of JUCO transfer Zach Mettenberger, Tiger fans are going to be very impatient if Jefferson doesn't get the Tigers out of a brutal September unscathed. The Tigers will play Oregon to open up the year, get a break when they play Northwestern State the following week, then play Mississippi State in Starkville and finish September playing West Virginia in Morgantown. That's three ranked teams in the first four weeks of the season, so the Tigers can't afford to get off to a sluggish start.

An even bigger question I have is if the Tigers go down 21-0 in the first half to Oregon due to some interceptions that Jefferson throws, will Les Miles pull him and play Mettenberger? How long is Miles willing to keep him as the starter if the ship begins to sink?

Jefferson is without a doubt one of the most, if not the most, criticized quarterbacks in LSU history, and that really has me pulling for the guy. Has anyone ever had this much pressure on his shoulders heading into a season? The expectations for this season are really unfair, given the fact that the Tigers have a brutal non-conference schedule.

I hope Jefferson can somehow have a stellar year and lead the Tigers to another SEC championship, because quite frankly, I'm tired of writing negatively about the guy.