OUInsider - Owen Field

Agree with the critique but disagree with degree of improvement needed. I don't believe LJ is that far off from being a top shelf QB. McShay portrays him as in need of significant improvement.

I thought the same thing when I saw McShay on CFL today. In 2011, LJ threw for 4463 yds, 29 TDs and had a 63.2% completion rate. I agree that LJ can improve over what he did last year, but QBs that need significant improvement don't put up those kind of stats.

Uh, 12,379 yards passing, likely #2 all-time in NCAA history and most as a BCS QB. He is also projected universally as a first-rounder. "He must play at a much higher level" is the quote. That is an overstatement.

He needs to improve in areas but unless you expect Tom Brady, he is almost there and he is doing the work required. Comparing him to Chris Sims is a very aggie-like comment.

Were we not having trouble scoring in the redzone which led to us putting in the package for Blake? Yes for the first part of the season LJ was fantastic but guys LJ simply disappeared the last few games after Broyles went out. His mechanics stunk. Oh and it is not "aggie like" to say the truth. I would say it is more,to use your term, "aggie like" to lie to ones self and act like all was well when it wasn't.

OUManiac

I don’t know I wish I was football smart enough to put my finger on it but there is just something that LJ needs to do that would put him over the top as a great QB. With all the talk though he just isn’t all that bad and that can be shown in the games that we lost last year. In the TT game he was 30 of 55 for 412 yards 5 TD’s and 1 INT. those stats really aren’t that bad and it’s hard to lay that loss at his feet. In the Baylor game he was 36 of 51 for 447 yards no TD’s and 1 INT again those stats just aren’t all that bad. Also in that game we brought Bell in when we got into the redzone 4 times at the 11, 1, 4 and 6 yard lines which effected the TD stats in that game. As for the Okie lite game let me give you an in-depth breakdown on that game. We had 16 drives of which 8 ended in punts, 2 ended with an INT, 3 ended in fumbles and 1 ended at the half. Bottom line with that kind of game it’s a team effort that you don’t blame on any one person, in short we got our ass beat bad, enough said about that.

So I guess the question is do I think we can win it all with LJ and the people we have now and the anwer is hell 'ya we just need to stay healthy and get it done.

Yes because Landry has won so many big games. Beating a five loss Texas team or Stanford without luck doesn't count

Nevada -

After reading some of the posters here I couldn't figure out who to call plain old stupid but your post saved me because you slid rationality back into the equation. The only game we lost down the stretch that I would put on LJ was maybe the OSU game but he wasn't getting much help from his offensive line. Like you, I ran the stats and LJ hit 56% of his passes over the last 5 games for 1,620 yards and he had a lot of dropped passes. Against Baylor as you noted, he was exceptional and he didn't have Broyles. The prognosticators and the total idiots who post on this board taking on LJ just don't get it. The biggest change at the end of the season was the coaches running Blake Bell. To suggest that the reason for that was deficiencies with LJ, is insanity. The coaches were looking to run more and it was working so when LJ may have been throwing OU was running with Bell instead. Bell's success and LJ's TD falloff occurred at the same time and like I said to suggest OU was running Bell because LJ wasn't putting it in the hole is ridiculous; it was more than coincidence. We don't know whether LJ wouldn't have tossed some more TD's, because the coaches found a formula for running the ball in.

The games OU lost to Tech and Baylor lay squarely at the feet of the D. In those 2 game's losses, LJ was 62.2% for 859 yards passing. For the prognosticators and again the idiots here, that is the cliff that they describe. Against Tech LJ tossed 5 TDS and Baylor Bell ran in 4. Tell me there is not a correlation.

Now all of you detractors of LJ. Go be Cowpoke fans or Texas fans but you're no OU fans and you don't know jack about football. Thank God none of you are our coaches!

To add to this, right before our eyes we're witnessing one of the most prolific passers in college football history and the most in OU history and to suggest that LJ has had the receiver talent that Bradford had is ridiculous. With the exception of Broyles, has LJ had as deep a compliment of recievers as Bradford in his Heisman year? Be honest about that. The answer is no! And yet, look what he's done. Take Gresham away from Bradford and how many clutch endzone passes could he have thrown.

You left out the 2010 Big XII, championship game where he lead us back from a 21 point deficit! Really dude! He has leads us in many huge games....Oh wait,what about the game before that when we beat the pukes @ home in a barn burner? Truly, one of his best games as "the leader" of our offense? You need to look at his career in good and bad If your gonna judge. His potential (proven none-the-less) is off the charts! If the receivers catch the ball in '12, he will be one of the elites in CFB; mark it down!

I wouldn't waste a lot of energy on bylrk. He's a troll. Plus, we've already stated several good reasons for LJ's dropoff in TD production last year that is not entirely his fault. Other than that, there's really not a lot to mean-mouth LJ about at this point in his career. Bylrk and OUmaniac would be well served to go after the defense if you want to talk about why we lost the games we lost. It wasn't because LJ wasn't throwing TDs!

Yet another great point!

He consistently threw the ball high and or behind receivers; he knows he needs improvement is why he went to the QB guru and I understand is still working with him on his mechanics, footwork, and delivery; seems he would not use his "back foot" for stability and power, follow through, because of poor foot placement; also at the top of his delivery he would hesitate and combined with not re-setting feet, well, we all saw it........
He's working hard on these needed corrections, if he gets it down, Wow, look out, we light it up big time, like we all enjoy.