Jordan Jefferson's Back: Is LSU Better off with Jarrett Lee at Quarterback?

LSU head coach Les Miles announced that both QB Jordan Jefferson and LB Josh Downs will be welcomed back to the team today, now that a grand jury has reduced the charges against the two players for their role in an August Baton Rouge bar fight. 

Both Jefferson and Downs have been suspended from the team since Aug. 26, but Miles has always made it clear he would welcome the two players back if the charges were reduced or dropped.

He’s kept his word.

Jefferson, who was expected to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback this year, will likely start practicing with the team either today or tomorrow, but it’s unknown if he’ll be ready for game action against Kentucky this Saturday.

Miles has said that Jefferson’s replacement, Jarrett Lee, will continue to be the starter but that the coaching staff will be looking for ways to add Jefferson’s running ability into the offensive mix.

Lee has come in and been a steady presence for the Tigers, leading the team to a 4-0 record with three of those victories coming against ranked opponents.

The senior signal caller has been an effective game manager, completing 64 percent of his passes for 624 yards.

Lee has shown the type of consistency that LSU fans had been craving for from Jefferson last season, though they never got it.

Jefferson had 10 or fewer completions in 10 out of the 13 games he played in, and there were times when his struggles affected an offense that finished the 2010 season ranked 107th in the country in passing.

Everyone has been waiting for the former 4-star recruit to make the most out of his talent and natural ability, and after a promising performance in the Cotton Bowl and a strong showing in the spring, it appeared he was finally going to put it all together as a senior, but the bar fight put that all in jeopardy.

Now that Jefferson has been welcomed back to the team, it leaves Miles with a tough decision to make.

LSU is ranked No. 1 in the country, and the Tigers look like they're ready to make a strong run to New Orleans.

Why mess with a good thing?

Lee may not be the most spectacular quarterback in the country, but he’s been about as good as anyone could have hoped given the circumstances.

He’s shown much more consistency than we saw out of Jefferson in 2010, and although he doesn’t have the same type of running ability as his predecessor, he’s still managed the offense to success.

The wise strategy for Miles would be to keep Lee as the starter and set up special option packages for Jefferson to come in and use his legs to stretch the defense.

If Lee begins to struggle and Jefferson plays well in spot duty, there’s always the option of having Jefferson replace him, but until Lee falters, you simply can’t take him out.

The fact is, Jefferson screwed up by putting himself in a lousy situation and there’s no reason he should expect his job to just be handed back to him.

It’s called accountability and it’s something you need to have if you want be a successful quarterback.

Considering the Tigers have been rolling right along without him, Jefferson’s return could actually mean more trouble than it’s worth because it throws an unneeded wrench into what was shaping up to be a monster campaign for LSU.

Can the Tigers benefit from adding an infusion of Jefferson’s mobility to the offense?

Absolutely, but you have to wonder if Lee is now going to start looking over his shoulder any time he makes a mistake from here on out.

We saw LSU make a two quarterback system work for parts of last season and it’s likely the Tigers can do it again this year, but there’s still no reason to take away Lee's job until he gives you one.

The LSU offense just got a little more versatile and a little more dangerous, but it remains to be seen if Jefferson’s return will actually be a good thing or not.