100 posts in, its time I come clean to you guys

Nov 25, 2018, 11:44 AM

Not that anyone cares, but here it is. I have lived in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana my entire 30+ years of life. I’ve never even been to South Carolina, though I’d love to. I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree from LSU. So why am I on this board and now such a big fan?

TL

R at the bottom.

It began with the fact that my dad never took me to any LSU games growing up or really talked about LSU, so I was not raised a fan of any sports team. Then when I was 13, I attended the second annual Manning Pssing Academy and met Peyton Manning, who was going into his senior year of college. He was very generous of his time and knowledge and very patient with all of us, including scrawny 13 year old me who never had of prayer of even playing college football. So I became a big Peyton Manning fan. I rooted for Tennessee his entire senior year. I went to 3 more Manning Passing Academies and met him each time, asking questions and getting thoughtful answers. I became his biggest fan on the planet. I lived and died with whatever team he played for over his entire career.

For the last 12 years, I’ve looked for another guy like Peyton I could really get behind and root for since I knew Peyton couldn’t play forever. There have been some promising prospects, but none ever measured up in the end. I boiled down what I look for to a few key items:

- Measurables - looks the part (like that funny Peyton commercial from way back when in which he talks about the 6’5 quarterback with the rocket arm).
- Cerebral - focuses on understanding the game as well as Albus Dumbledore understands magic - thoroughly and to a degree no other person has achieved.
- Hard-working - known for being one of the hardest working players period, which is the only way you get better.
- Humble - this is just as important as the rest. It’s a character trait most young QB’s completely lack.

Then I saw this guy on Elite 11, which I watch every year. This guy clearly had the measurables - taller than every one, very strong arm, very accurate. He appeared to have the remaining items too, especially the humility, which is big for me. It helped that the show focused on just how dominant he is compared to the other “elite” QBs and his incredible success already as a high school QB.

I then followed his senior year of high school, watching the highlights of every game. Then followed his progression at Clemson, starting with the spring game and then continuing to today. Each week, I became a bigger fan of Dabo Swinney, his character, and the incredible culture he built at Clemson. He’s converted me to more than just a Trevor Lawrence fan. I’ve become a huge Dabo Swinney and Clemson fan along the way. What a wonderful team culture, group of coaches and players, team traditions, etc.

It’s clear, though, that TL meets all of my criteria with ease.

1. Measurables - dude is a beast. Best true freshmen QB probably ever.
2. Cerebral - the coaches talk all the time about how far beyond his years he is in the cerebral part of the game, the checks and audibles he makes throughout the game, the sheer amount of responsibility they trust him with.
3. Hard-working - again, the coaches talk about it all the time. He works incredibly hard. TL’s own words focus on the hard work aspect of success.
4. Humble - clearly very humble. He is quick to give credit to others when he is praised by reporters in their questions. He’s all about team. He doesn’t care that he threw for nearly 400 yards and only 1 touchdown. He was estatic every time we ran for a TD. His focus is team success, not personal accomplishments. I’d be very surprised if he ever said winning any personal award, like the Heisman, was a goal of his. I cringe when I hear players say that. Peyton never cared or focused on his many individual accolades. He would also deflect such questions to talk about the team. TL is cut from the same cloth.

Imagine my delight when I learned that Peyton is also TL’s favorite player and that he even picked #16 because that was Peyton’s college number.

I sure know how to pick QB’s to root for. I only had 1 for 20 years and have been adrift since he retired. I look forward to rooting for TL for the next 20 years, and Clemson too because it is a great organization under Dabo Swinney.

TL

R - I was right on Peyton Manning early on. I’m right on Trevor Lawrence. Peyton Manning is easily the greatest football player to ever grace the field. TL has a very good chance of surpassing Peyton one day.

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