Lindelof's statement is classic Lindelof.
I.E. it's his Marketing/Political/Diplomatic abilities swinging strong.
It's all code for, the movie was shit, people hate me and I don't want to take it on again.
He can't say that though so he has to spin some yarn about it being a rewrite and a year of his life (which is true) but ultimately I think he wrote an inferior movie, I think he knows that, maybe the studio think that, majority of the fans think that.
All in all though I'd say the failings of this movie were down to studio interference pushing the writer and director in a certain direction.
Anyway that's how I see it.