QB stigma not all LSU needs to fix
Published 5:22 pm Sunday, May 6, 2018
Danny Etling
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The New England Patriots, in exercising their constitutional right with the first pick of the seventh round in last week’s NFL draft, had barely gotten the words “Danny Etling” out of their mouths when the team’s fan message boards lit up like the Boston Tea Party. Oh, like any fans of a successful franchise, there were a few who figured that — just wait, give it time — anything head coach Bill Belichick does has some hidden genius at the bottom of it. But most were not amused that the former LSU quarterback was chosen as the latest heir apparent to their hero, Tom Brady. Now, best I could tell, few of the Pats fans had much knowledge of Etling. If they’d heard of him at all, it was only in passing or they were true draft geeks. But it didn’t matter. After the Patriots announced Etling, it quickly surfaced that he was from LSU … and that was all the fans needed to know. The knee-jerk general consensus of those learned minds was: “All LSU quarterbacks stink.” And everybody knows it. Simple as that. A tweet read, somewhat sarcastically, that “We live in a world where Danny Etling got drafted.” Everybody got a good chuckle out of it. Maybe a few had actually seen Etling play. Admittedly, it even surprised a few LSU fans that Etling was drafted, even those who appreciated the good season he had last year. But most Pats fans were ready to accept the stereotype on blind faith. If he’s a quarterback and he’s from LSU, he must stink. Etling, may or not be the answer to someday replacing Brady — admittedly it will be a somewhat trickier task than replacing Brandon Harris — but mostly it’s guilt by association. With LSU. Haven’t you heard? All LSU quarterbacks stink.OK, pretty broad strokes they’re painting there. Nobody ever said social media was supposed to be fair or objective. But all LSU quarterbacks? Oh, how soon they forget. Surely they remember Y.A. Tittle. And there’s Bert Jones and … and … and somebody … give me a minute … there are some … somewhere. LSU’s national reputation as a perennial Quarterback Quandary is a fairly recent development. No need to check the depth chart before reading those summer preseason magazines. The theme will be that the Tigers will have to solve their ongoing quarterback dilemma. Some places — and I’m thinking specifically of Alabama here — it doesn’t matter who plays quarterback . For about 20 years the Tide had the same quarterback in a different body and jersey number. Just call him Brody “A.J.” Parker Wilson McElcroyle. Kind of has a ring to it, don’t you think? And if there’s a blip in that process, no problem. You just switch quarterbacks at halftime of the national championship game and roll to another one with a freshman in his first real pressure situation. Other places — Ole Miss is a good example — just always seem to have good quarterbacks and never run out.
Not just the Mannings. A Chad Kelly always seems to begat, seamlessly, a Shea Patterson, and, if Patterson should go down against, say, LSU, somebody named Jordan Ta’amu comes in and drives the Tigers crazy.
It’s uncanny how that works.
LSU, if you’ve noticed, never seems to have that luxury, not in the public mind at least.
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Not even when a pretty good quarterback like Etling is under center.
When they win, it’s still in spite of the quarterback play, even when it’s good.
Best I can tell it dates to the 2011 season. Football historians have dissected it from here to the moon and still can’t figure out how that team went 13-0 while alternating Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson at quarterback.
It was one of the great stunts in college football history.
Sure, it caught up with them in the national championship rematch with Alabama and they finished 13-1, but it says something of how flabbergasting the quarterback situation was that LSU fans still blame the loss on Les Miles not giving Lee a chance.
Zach Mettenberger had his moments, but never mind. That would spoil the neverending narrative.
LSU is known far and wide as quarterback purgatory.
So as Etling prepares to unseat Brady in New England, back in Baton Rouge the Tigers are in the midst of yet another quarterback derby, supposedly a three-way battle between Myles Brennan, Lowell Narcisse and Justin McMillan.
LSU fans seem to be sitting out the drama. Just tell them when it’s over.
History tells them it doesn’t matter who wins in the end — it won’t end well.
Head coach Ed Orgeron talked this week about changing the LSU culture that seemingly puts a stigma on any player who isn’t draft-ready after his junior season.
It’s not the only LSU-related stigma that needs some polishing up.
Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.com
